[wine] Erte? 30 Second values

Greetings, Hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday. Kallsen studio party was fantastic! Many thanks to Angella and Jason. I've penciled in Erte for Thursday. Cabs and/or Brdx style wines. What is the level of interest and participation? Do we have a quorum? Alternative venue? Sobolewskian wine designation.... "Cabs from producer's or regions starting with the letters B, W, S, I or P." I'd like to make the reservation tomorrow (Tuesday) at the latest. ----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> ----- Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 12:14:06 -0500 (EST) To: jellings(a)me.umn.edu Subject: 30SecWineAdvisor: My best value wines of 2008 From: The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> X-Sender: <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> X-Greylist: IP, sender and recipient auto-whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-4.0 (smtp-relay.enet.umn.edu [128.101.142.227]); Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:12:33 -0600 (CST) X-Spam-Score: 0 () X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.57 on 128.101.142.227 THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Monday, Jan. 5, 2009 ________________________________________________________________________ TODAY'S SPONSOR * CONNOISSEURS' SERIES Looking for a very special gift for a close friend, a special business associate ... or yourself? A subscription to Connoisseurs' Series is a statement in elegance, taste and the finest in California artisanal wine. Call 1-800-777-4443 to join or learn more. http://www.cawineclub.com/connseries ________________________________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE * MY BEST VALUE WINES OF 2008 Here's my annual New Year's report on the best - and the best values - of the wines I've reviewed during the past 12 months. * CONNOISSEURS' SERIES A subscription to Connoisseurs' Series is a statement in elegance, taste and the finest in California artisanal wine. Call 1-800-777-4443 to join or learn more. Here is my tasting reports on a recent offering, the top-tier "Hommage" Cabernet from Clos Pegase. * THIS WEEK ON WINELOVERSPAGE.COM WineLovers Discussion Group members discuss a punitive fine on a New York wine shop for the "crime" of selling a gift bag for wine. * ADMINISTRIVIA Change E-mail address, frequency, format or unsubscribe. ________________________________________________________________________ MY BEST VALUE WINES OF 2008 Happy New Year! As we move into the year 2008, here's my annual New Year's year report on the best - and the best values - of the wines I've reviewed during the past 12 months. As I do at the end of every year at this time, I've sorted all my wine- tasting reports of the year to reveal the specific wines that I've rated best for both quality and value. These are the wines that showed exceptional value at all price points, earning the admiring moniker that online wine "geeks" call "Quality-Price Ratio" or, for short, "QPR." Many of the recent trends that we've recorded last year and the year before seemed to continue in 2008: Artisanal, small-farm wineries came under some pressure as international corporations buy up properties and write distribution agreements with producers around the world. The combination of continued warm weather in many wine regions and a perception that the public wants big, fruity, highly alcoholic wines that win high ratings points continues to make "international" wines in this style ever more available. Curiously, only 51 of the wines I tasted during 2008 made my "honor roll" for top rank in quality and value; this is down from 56 top-QPR wines in 2007 and 60 the year befor that. While this trend isn't large, it's consistent enough to suggest that it's becoming more and more difficult to find wines of true interest at "everyday" price points. A decade ago it was still easy to find interesting wines at $5; a few years ago the dividing line had risen to $10. Now I find that most of my wines for everyday consumption range from $12 to $20. Will prices continue to rise in the face of a possible global recsssion? The year 2009 should be an interesting time for wine consumers. Looking more closely at my top quality wines of the year, as noted, 51 made the cut. Ten of those sold for $10 or less, the great value Cave de Montagnac 2006 Picpoul de Pinet marking the low end at $7.99. Surprisingly, I spent over $20 for only two of my top-value wines this year; all the rest fell in the $10 to $20 range. Sorted by country or region, this year's QPR list includes 17 from perennial winner France, 13 from Italy and - jumping up in the race this year, perhaps because of the dollar's low valuation against the Euro, 13 from the United States (including 11 from California and one each from Oregon and Washington State). Filling out the list were Australia, 3; and one each from Argentina, Austria, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain. Here are all the top-value wines that I tasted during 2007, ranked in order of the actual retail price that I paid. You may click each link to view a more detailed tasting note in our standard "shelf-hanger" format. In most instances, I purchased these wines from retail shops in and around Louisville, Ky.; a few came from California Wine Club or were hand-carried back from New York City, most from the excellent Chambers Street Wines. For your shopping convenience, click to our QPR 2009 Page on WineLoversPage.com, http://www.wineloverspage.com/qpr/index.phtml where I have reproduced this list with specific links for each wine in the databases at Wine-Searcher.com, to help you compare prices and check availability at selected vendors online. ________________________________________________________________________ WINES RETAILING FOR MORE THAN $20 Mosby 2005 "Ossessione" Marche Rosso (Italy), $26. Emilio Lustau Palo Cortado "Peninsula" Sherry (Spain), $21.99. ________________________________________________________________________ WINES RETAILING FROM $15 TO $20 Francine et Olivier Savary 2006 Chablis (France), $19.99. Matteo Correggia 2004 "La Val dei Preti" Nebbiolo d'Alba (Italy), $19.99. Kunde Estate 2004 Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (California), $18.99. Hahn Estates 2006 Central Coast Meritage Red Table Wine (California), $17.99. Domaine Oratoire St. Martin 2005 C�tes du Rh�ne (France), $17.99. Pedroncelli 2005 Dry Creek Valley Sonoma County "Mother Clone" Zinfandel (California), $17. A to Z 2006 Oregon Chardonnay (Oregon), $16.99. d'Arenberg 2007 "The Hermit Crab" Adelaide Viognier Marsanne (Australia), $16.99. Ch�teau de Villeneuve 2006 Saumur (France), $15.99. Domaine Alain Normand 2005 Macon La Roche Vineuse (France), $15.99. Daniel Gehrs 2005 "Unoaked" Santa Barbara County Chardonnay (California), $15. ________________________________________________________________________ WINES RETAILING FOR LESS THAN $15 Bonterra Vineyards 2006 Mendocino County Zinfandel (California), $14.99. Bonterra Vineyards 2006 Mendocino County Cabernet Sauvignon (California), $14.99. Omaka Springs 2007 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand), $14.99. Vicentini 2005 "Terre Lunghe" Soave (Italy), $13.99. Fratelli Pala 2006 "Crabilis" Vermentino di Sardegna (Italy), $13. Ch�teau les Eymeries 2006 Bordeaux Blanc (France), $13. Huber 2006 "Hugo" Nieder�sterreich Gr�ner Veltliner (Austria), $13. Mas de Gourgonnier 2005 Les Baux de Provence (France), $12.99. Riondo non-vintage Veneto Prosecco (Italy), $12.99. Maison Lafage 2006 "C�te Sud" Vin de Pays des C�tes Catalanes (France), $12.99. Mionetto Valdobbiadene Prosecco Brut (Italy), $12.99. La Tour Bois�e 2006 "Plantation 1905" Vin de Table Rouge (France), $12.99. Hayman & Hill 2006 "Interchange" Santa Barbara County "Reserve No. 22" White Blend (California), $12.99. Charles Smith Wines 2006 "Holy Cow" Columbia Valley Chardonnay (Washington State), $12.99. Peachy Canyon 2006 "Incredible Red" Paso Robles Zinfandel (California), $11.99. Chateau La Freynelle 2006 Bordeaux (France), $11.99. Montpezat 2005 Coteaux du Languedoc Palombi�res (France), $11.99. Foppiano Vineyards "Lot 96" California Red Wine (California), $11.99. Shoofly 2007 "Buzz Cut" Wine of Australia (Australia), $11.99. Baciami 2006 Albana di Romagna (Italy), $11. Cantine Riondo "Pink" Prosecco Raboso (Italy), $11. Domaine des Terres Falmet 2006 Cinsault Vin de Pays d'Oc (France), $11. Marchesi di Barolo 2006 "Mar�ia" Barbera Monferrato (Italy), $10.99. Laurel Glen 2006 "REDS" Lodi Red Wine (California), $10.99. Cellier des Dauphins 2005 "Prestige" Cotes du Rhone (France), $10.99. Red Heads Studio 2006 South Australia "Yard Dog" (Australia), $10.99. Michele Chiarlo 2006 "Le Orme" Barbera d'Asti (Italy), $10.99. Tiziano 2005 Chianti (Italy), $10.99. ________________________________________________________________________ WINES RETAILING FOR $10 OR LESS Domaine Andr� Brunel 2005 Vin de Pays de Vaucluse Grenache (France), $10. Domaine La Tour Bois�e 2005 Vin de Pays d'Oc Cabernet Sauvignon (France), $9.99. Bodegas Norton 2006 "Lo Tengo" Mendoza Malbec (Argentina), $9.99. Le Pavillon du Ch�teau Beauch�ne 2006 C�tes du Rh�ne Ros� (France), $9.99. Catherine le Goeuil 2005 C�tes du Rh�ne Villages Cairanne "Cuv�e L�a Felsch" (France), $9.99. Jos� Maria da Fonseca 2007 "Twin Vines" Vinho Verde (Portugal), $9. Vinum Cellars 2006 "CNW Chard-No-Way" Wilson Vineyards Clarksburg Chenin Blanc (California), $8.99. Villa Pozzi 2007 Nero d'Avola Sicilia (Italy), $8.99. "Via Firenze" 2005 Chianti (Italy), $7.99. Cave de Montagnac 2006 Picpoul de Pinet (France), $7.99. ________________________________________________________________________ TODAY'S SPONSOR: CONNOISSEURS' SERIES Looking for a special gift for a close friend, a special business associate ... or yourself? A subscription to Connoisseurs' Series is a statement in elegance, taste and the finest in California artisanal wine. These exceptional wines, selected each month by Connoisseurs' Guide publisher Charlie Olken and California Wine Club Proprietor Bruce Boring, give wine lovers the opportunity to sample the kind of rare, limited-production California jewels that are often available only on tightly allocated mailing lists. Connoisseurs' Series members may subscribe for monthly, alternate month or quarterly packages. Each shipment includes two to four bottles of California's top wines, with detailed background information. Monthly shipments average $125-$175, including all shipping and handling. There's no membership charge, no long-term commitment (cancel any time), and every wine is guaranteed. Visit www.cawineclub.com/connseries or call 1-800-777-4443 to join or learn more about Connoisseur's Series. Feel free to tell them that I sent you ... and, if you join, please don't hesitate to contact me by E- mail and tell me what you think. ________________________________________________________________________ Now, here's a look at an outstanding recent offering from Connoisseurs' Series: An outstanding Napa Cabernet from Clos Pegase. Wine maker Paul Hobbs and viticulturist Tom Prentice joined Clos Pegase in 2006, focusing on its Calistoga Vineyard, declaring it "flagship of our super premium sites," expressing a bold goal "to make the best red wine possible." Hommage is among the first fruits of that venture. ________________________________________________________________________ CLOS PEGASE 2004 "HOMMAGE" NAPA VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($81 retail; $74 per bottle for half or full case orders by Connoisseurs' Series members) Very dark in color, blackish-purple, with a dark garnet edge. An appealing mix of berries, cherries and a whiff of blackcurrant - plays the melody line over a ground bass of spicy oak. Although it sees a full 19 months in French oak, 85 percent of it new, the wine's first-rate fruit and appropriate extraction keeps the balance in favor of fruit. Flavors follow the nose, big and mouth-filling, nicely balanced by fresh-fruit acidity. Tannins are present but smooth and palatable; the wine's heady 14.7% alcohol is kept well restrained. Overall, an impressive Napa Cabernet, drinking nicely but certainly a candidate for cellaring. It went well with red meat, Kentucky natural free-range lamb from Dreamcatcher Farm. Winery Website: http://www.clospegase.com (Jan. 2, 2009) FIND THIS WINE ONLINE: Both of these fine wines were included in a recent shipment from Connoisseurs' Series and are available for additional orders by Connoisseurs' Series members. Call 1-800-777-4443 to join or learn more. ________________________________________________________________________ TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group. This link will take you to the forum home page, where you can read discussions in all the forum sections: http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village Everyone is free to browse. If you'd like to post a comment, question or reply, you must register, but registration is free and easy. Do take care to register using your real name, or as a minimum, your real first name and last initial. Anonymous registrations are quietly discarded. To contact me by E-mail, write wine(a)wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit. ________________________________________________________________________ PRINT OUT TODAY'S ARTICLE Here's a simply formatted copy of today's Wine Advisor, designed to be printed out for your scrapbook or file or downloaded to your PDA or other wireless device. http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/2009/01/my_best_value_wines_of_2… ________________________________________________________________________ THIS WEEK ON WINELOVERSPAGE.COM * WINELOVERS DISCUSSION GROUP: New York wine shop fined $10,000 for selling wine gift bags A strict state law and seemingly punitive enforcement came together to slam a heavy fine on a small wine shop in Rochester, N.Y., for the crome of selling a gift bag for wine. WineLovers Discussion Group members express their opinions, and you can, too: http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=21254 ________________________________________________________________________ LAST WEEK'S WINE ADVISOR INDEX The Wine Advisor's daily edition is usually distributed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Because of last week's holiday, however, we published only on Monday and Wednesday. * Recession-busting bubbly (Dec. 31, 2008) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/tswa20081231.php * Old Barolo and wine-spill follow-up (Dec. 29, 2008) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/tswa20081229.php * Complete 30 Second Wine Advisor archive: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/archives.php * Wine Advisor Foodletter archive: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/food/archives.php ________________________________________________________________________ SUBSCRIBE: * WineLoversPage.com RSS Feed (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/rss/ * 30 Second Wine Advisor, daily or weekly (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/index.shtml * Wine Advisor FoodLetter, Thursdays (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/foodletter.shtml ARCHIVES: For all past editions: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/archives.php CONTACT US BY E-mail: wine(a)wineloverspage.com SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: For information, E-mail wine(a)wineloverspage.com ________________________________________________________________________ ADMINISTRIVIA To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, switch from weekly to daily distribution, or for any other administrative matters, click to http://www.wineloverspage.com/admin.php?id=20970&cs=7d1109b668af1f87d36… We welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. We do not use this list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail to anyone. All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry. Monday, January 5, 2009 Copyright 2009 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved. ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *