Wine Club Insider back with you.

Rain, Rain, go away, come again another year…

Another day of substandard temps, buckets of rain and overcast here in the northwest. Our summers and falls are marvelous, but Spring kind of sucks until the rain ends… they give us just enough nice days so we don’t move away, but then the next wave of storms comes through, and our drought worries ease for another year!

One good thing is that it’s great for the grapes, though! Wet spring, long, hot, dry summer… maybe that’s why Columbia Valley fruit is getting such a great reputation!

In doing my normal weekly tromp around the cyber-vineyards of the Internet, I came across a new (to me, at least) site called “The Wine Society” out of England.  www.thewinesociety.com

Founded in 1874, it is reputed to be the World’s oldest wine club, and their stated goal is to introduce people to some of the world’s great wines at a fair price.

The way they work their membership is that you actually buy a share in the WIne Society for $60-ish (40 British pounds) and it is good for a lifetime, with no pressure to buy.

Even though shipping to the US isn’t an easy option, there are still plenty of other reasons to join, especially if you want a great wine education or have the option of travelling to the UK or to France at all…

Their wine list is over 800 deep, stuffed full of some of the great treasures from the US, Europe, Australia and beyond. They have a great online library, and if you live in England, they will deliver your wines with their own vans!

They also have several tastings, controlled storage for their members, and a nice futures program. They also have retail outlets in England and France if you “just have to have it today.”

I’m actually thinking about joining just for the extras, and picking up my wine when I next get there… and if I can’t bring it back with me, I guess I’ll just be forced to drink it with a nice piece of cheese and some fresh bread out in the English countryside… could be worse, I guess.

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out

Bordeaux, Burgundy, California Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Red Wine, USA Wine, Vintage Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Storage, Wine Tasting, Wine Tours International Wine, The Wine Society, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Education

Wine Club Insider back with you!

It appears my predictions of the final demise of old man winter were a bit pre-mature, and did nothing but stir him up, as went from a nice mid 70’s on Monday-Tuesday, to the current conditions, which include a temp of 35, blustery wind, and an inch of new snow (!) on the ground. I apologize, and will keep my mouth shut from now on. Is it just me, or is anyone else looking forward to the shift into summer mode?

Have you noticed if your wine tastes change as the weather gets warmer? I continue to like reds anytime, but I do find I drink more whites and roses in the warmer weather… anyone else?

All Whining (as opposed to “wineing,” which never goes out of style!) aside, I have a nice site to recommend to you.

I was cruising the Web yesterday, and came across a new-to-me site called Bottlenotes at www.bottlenotes.com. At first I was struck by the “cleanliness” of the site… crisp, bright colors, easy to navigate, but as I puttered around, I was impressed with the wide variety of information they offered; they had everything from comprehensive tasting notes and reviews, easily navigable by price, varietal, winery etc, as well as access to their own podcasts featuring such notables as Jack Cakebread, Pete Mondavi jr., etc.

They have a nice feature called “Winecylopedia,” which is a pretty extensive collection of wine info, and they also have “The Daily Sip,” which is, as they describe it, like a cross between “Daily Candy,” and “US Weekly” for the wine industry.

Aside from all of these little perks, they also offer some really fun wine clubs, and their “hook,” so to speak, is that they will completely customize your wine club to your tastes, budget, schedule etc.

They have 9 offerings, including the Explorer’s Wine Club, which is pretty much the standard “get started for $25″ club, and they also have the obligatory Intermediate wine club (The perhaps less than originally named “Connoisseurs Club”) and a high end offering called ”Limited Addictions” (nice name!) wine club, which features pretty high end, rare products such as Gaja, Pavie etc.

From there, they start to get cool, though…

They have a seasonal wine club, which is also customizeable, so you can choose Rhone in the spring, Napa cabs in the fall, etc.

Perhaps the coolest wine clubs they offer are the smallest…

They have a “Jet Setters,” which is a  tour of the world’s wines, they have a “Dinner party in a box” club, which provides all the wines for before, during and after a dinner party (a neat idea, really!), “Pop,” a champagne and sparkling club, a Kosher club for those looking for something beyond Manischewitz (who knew?), and a new Sake club, with some premium sakes on the menu.

All in all, a pretty nice stop on the web, and I’d recommend you check them out for the extras, as well as the interesting wine clubs.

Until next time,

Cheers!

Wine Club Insider out.

Bordeaux, Burgundy, California Wine, Cheap Wine, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Red Wine, Sparkling Wine, Sweet Wine, USA Wine, Uncategorized, Vineyards, Vintage Wine, White Wine, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Bottlenotes, champagne club, fun wine club, rare wine club, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Winecyclopedia

Wine Club Insider back on this snowy Groundhog’s Day!

What a great game yesterday! If you are one of the seventeen people in the US who missed it, it was an awesome game, even if you’re not a real football fan… great human interest story with Cards quarterback Kurt Warner, a see-saw battle right down to the last minute, the longest play in Super Bowl history… all in all, a great evening of entertainment, and the Cardinals gained everyone’s respect, coming (literally!) within an outstretched toe of winning this well-played classic.

And even though it was more of a “beer” day than a “wine” day, there was still enough fruit of the grape to keep my glass filled, and surprise, surprise, I found myself drinking - gasp - a Chardonnay, when I actually had a choice! What? Yes, it’s true, and I enjoyed it!

The vino in question was a 2005 Rulo Chardonnay, one of a couple of excellent Chard options from this Walla Walla operation.

What makes this event interesting is that for a while I was an “ABC” drinker: “Anything But Chardonnay.” Yup. I was a snob. At one point, early in my wine education, I must have tried one too many cheap Chards (the actual culprit has been blocked from my memory), listened to one too many white wine snobs, and followed the herd, which is generally not like me at all.

What I’ve found out is that Chard is perhaps the greatest chameleon of any wine. A cab, no matter where it’s from, is generally still a Cab. Same with  Merlot, Syrah, etc, but Chard? No way! It can easily range from a completely crisp, flinty, refreshing chiller (like a Chablis), to a rich, buttery, oakey classic (like a Montrachet), or even some new world Chards that have some fruit overtones… all from the same vineyard, even, all depending on how the vintner goes about making it.

The biggest factor is whether it sits on steel or oak during its development. Chard picks up the character of its environment in a heartbeat, so to speak.

Rulo, for example - www.rulowinery.com - has excellent examples of both types.

I guess my eyes were opened when I got to try what has turned out to be one of my favorite wines - not just Chards - ”Ovation” from Phelps in Napa… an awesome product. Try to find a bottle, and it will change your mind about Chards forever!

Cheers,

Wine Cliub Insider out!

This one in particular was a nice, buttery optio

Burgundy, California Wine, Chardonnay, Fine Wine, French Wine, USA Wine, Vineyards, White Wine, Wine Club, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Making Chardonnay, Oak, Steel, Wine Club

Wine Club Insider back with you after a couple weeks vacation.

I’ve been going some outside stuff; some snowshoeing, XC skiing, even some snow biking, as well as attending the GIANT Outdoor Retailer’s show in Salt Lake City… boy, if wine had a weekend like that, we’d never got sober! Anyhoo, I’ll be back with you on Monday and Thursday from now on, so let’s get to it…

I met a couple of my friends there for the weekend, and I took a nice bottle of V. Sattui Pinot Noir to share, as well as a bottle of surprisingly good Fusee Syrah, which we drank over a late night business meeting.

The Pinot was so tasty that I decided to open a second bottle tonight. Now, Pinot is perhaps the most finicky of all the major red wine grapes, though it can be one of the most magnificent when done properly…

Andre Tchelistcheff said “God made Cabernet Sauvignon whereas the devil made Pinot noir,” while Vanity Fair’s Joel Fleischman described Pinot Noir as “the most romantic of wines,” and Master Sommelier Madeline Triffon calls pinot “sex in a glass”. Peter Richardsson of OenoStyle christened it “a seductive yet fickle mistress.”

No matter which way you feel, it’s becoming an increasingly important wine, being grown (and well!) in Canada, Austria, New Zealand, Germany, and prominently in Oregon’s Willamette valley, and California’s Sonoma and Russian River Valley… Oh, and have you ever heard of Burgundy?

Yup. Pinot Noir is the grape that made Burgundy famous. That and Dijon mustard, Coq au vin and the Cote-d’ Or.

Some of my favorite Oregon Pinots include Willamette Vineyards, David Bruce, Andrew Rich, Elk Cove, and of course Domaine Drouhin… one cool thing about Oregon Pinot Noirs is that there is actually an Oregon Pinot Noir club! Yes, a wine club just for Oregon Pinots.

www.oregonpinotnoir.com has everything you’ll ever want to know about Oregon’s number one wine export.

Now, moving south to California, you get a different type of flavor… I think that for years, California Pinot was thought of as light and fruity, but over the past decade or so, the winemakers have been making a great effort to give it some real depth, and have, to a fair degree, succeeded.

My 2006 V. Sattui Pinot (www.vsattui.com) from tonight is a Los Carneros appellation, and I must tell you, depth isn’t an issue. This is a big wine. Maybe not Domaine Drouhin big, but very tasty. You’d like it.

Until next Monday,

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

Burgundy, California Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, USA Wine, Vineyards, Vintage Wine, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Making, Wine Reviews Burgundy, Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, Willamette Valley, Wine Club

Wine Club Insider back!

One of the cool web sites I frequent on at least a weekly basis is www.winezap.com.

Winezap is kind of like a little community where you can actually get to “know” your online “neighbors” as you rate/discuss/argue about wine.

So, every week or so, I get an email in my regular box about the latest wines that have been rated by their distinguished panel of experts…

I think that having a few folks with respected, or at least educated palates can give us a basic groundwork to at least discuss wine, so I appreciate their efforts.

Some of the wines I received reviews on tonight were (and the reviewer):

Bordeaux, Burgundy, California Wine, Chardonnay, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Shiraz, Sparkling Wine, USA Wine, Vintage Wine, White Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Reviews, winezap.com

Wine Club Insider here on Christmas Eve, to share a list of some of the most special Cabernets to ever grace the planet…

These are NOT easily available. Some may not be available at all, and if they were, it would be tres beaucoup expensive, but heck, that doesn’t stop one from dreaming, does it? I have been blessed to have tasted a couple, and I have used recommendations, anecdotes and ratings to choose the others. Enjoy the images, and drool along with me! (Notice how there was a tie for 10th, allowing an actual 11th wine… I hope no one minds…)

Tie:  10) 1997 Chateau Montelena. www.montelena.com    About $175 and up

This is the stuff of Legends. Nicknamed the “Mighty ‘97″ by the Montelena team, this is a knockout, and is available online!  One of Napa’s greatest wines from one of the greatest vintages!

Tie:  10) 1990 Caymus Special Select. www.caymus.comVoted “Wine of the Year” by Wine Spectator, just before Caymus was awarded “Winery of the Year.” You can pick up a bottle of this baby for about $200.

9) 2002 Shafer Hillside Select. vineyards.com">www.shafervineyards.com. Often rated at 100 points, and acclaimed as one of the best Napa cabs ever. I looked at 30 (!) ratings of this wine, and it didn’t score less than 93 by anyone! (Averaged 96.5!) Price: $400 and up.

1997 Screaming Eagle. www.screamingeagle.com. Never tried it, but I did see a bottle once, though… the ultimate example of a “cult” wine, and at about $3700/bottle, could be over-rated, but heck, who cares! this is a dream list, after all!

7) 1980 Napa Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. Made by winemaker George Starke, it could be the best wine I’ve actually ever tasted. Awesome. Sadly, not available that I can find (if someone finds it, PLEASE let me know!). Won all the blind horizontal tastings against Napa’s best.

6) 1941 Inglenook. Created by legendary John Daniel Jr., it is often named as Napa’s best ever wine. Two bottles just sold at auction for $24,625… un, yeah… wasn’t me, by the way.

5) 1973 Stag’s Leap ”S.L.V” www.cask23.com. Made by Warren Winiarski, this is the wine that shocked the wine world in the “shot heard round the world,” when it beat all French challengers in the famed 1976 Paris tasting and propelled Napa into world-wide prominence! Just got to try it from a historical perspective. Couldn’t find on for sale online, though…

4) 1961 Chateau Margaux. 100 point rating, and widely considered the best vintage since 1900 (and ny birth year!) You can back the Subaru up, and for about $3000 they’ll load it up for you!

3) 1900 Lafite Rothschild. 100 points from one of the top three vintages ever, and best of all, it’s available! For about $9000 you can pick one up in London, or for $21,000, you can get a magnum! Who knew?

2) 1787 Lafite Rothschild. Two of the famed Lafites on the list. This one because it is the single most expensive bottle of wine ever sold. Bought at auction at Christie’s in 1985, it sold for $156,000, and is reputed to have been in the collection of Thomas Jefferson.

and number one… often called the best bottle of wine ever made, and yes, you can still buy one for about $5500…

1) 1945 Mouton Rothschild. I know people who have tasted this wonderful wine, and they say, without hesitation, that it is the best wine they’ve ever tasted. “Liquid Velvet.”

So, there you have it… a fine dream list, if I do say so myself!

Wow… don’t know how to top that!

Until tomorrow,

Merry Christmas!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider

Bordeaux, Burgundy, California Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Red Wine, USA Wine, Vineyards, Vintage Wine, Wine Cellar, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting best wines, most expensive wines, Top cabernets ever