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Winezap.com is a must for every wine lover!

January 8th, 2009
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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…

  • The Wine Spectator
  • Robert Parker
  • The LA Times
  • The New York Times
  • The Washington Post
  • The San Francisco Chronicle
  • The Wall Street Journal are a few of the wine pundits who contribute to www.winezap.com. Now, I could digress a bit about the actual value/reality of a wine critic, since wine is one of the most subjective topics on earth (read the Wine Rebel’s treatise on critics at www.winerebel.net!)

    • 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):

    SF Chronicle – In Our Glasses: What we’re drinking
    January 2nd, 2009
    By Jon Bonne and Laura Compton

    2007 Chalice Bridge Semillon Sauvignon BlancStarting at $16.99

    “A perennial award-winner back home in Western Australia, this light-bodied blend of 65 percent Semillon and 35 percent Sauvignon Blanc exemplifies the best of both grapes. A slightly floral nose with a hint of petrol is followed by subtle melon and guava flavors balanced by lean minerality and a crisp finish. We enjoyed with sashimi and a radicchio-grapefruit salad; it would also be wonderful with shellfish.”

    LA Times – Wine of the Week
    Dec. 31st, 2009
    By Stephen Osman

    2006 Clos Saint Jean Chateauneuf-du-Pape ‘Vieilles Vignes’ Starting at $43.99

    “The 2006 Clos Saint Jean “Vieilles Vignes,” has everything a good Chateauneuf should have: seductive notes of licorice, dark plums and spices; soft, ripe tannins; and a finespun elegance. Full of character, the deep ruby 2006 is made up of 75% old-vine Grenache and 15% Syrah, with the balance made up of Mourvèdre, Cinsault and a few other grapes in minuscule quantities. That’s oenologist Philippe Cambie working his magic with grapes from some of Chateauneuf’s finest vineyards.”

    The Wine Spectator Insider
    Dec. 31st
    The Wine Spectator has just released their semi-annual roundup of all the wines they featured in the insider during the second half of 2008.  Of those, some are designated ‘Hot Wines’ in each issue.  We have selected one of these ‘Hot Wines’ from each country/region for this weeks newsletter.

    2005 Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino: 95pts     Starting at $113.99

    “Ambitious, with lots of muscular, very toasty fig, blueberry, black currant and boysenberry flavors wound together by bittersweet cocoa and fruitcake notes. The long, powerful finish will need some time to stretch out fully.”

    2007 Mollydooker Velvet Glove Shiraz: 96pts Starting at $175.00

    “Lithe, generous and beautifully proportioned, offering a seamless array of dark plum, blueberry and sandalwood flavors wrapped in a veil of fine-grained tannins. Finishes with an intriguing face-off of sweet fruit and spice that keeps on for quite a while”


    2006 Lewis Alec’s Blend: 95pts Starting at $53.95

    “Enormously rich and concentrated, offering a dense, full-blown mix of savory blueberry and blackberry fruit, mineral, sage and loamy earth notes, ending with a burst of complex flavors and an amazingly long, layered finish. Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot”


    2006 Bruno Clair Chambertin Clos de Beze: 94pts Starting at $188.95

    “Concentrated flavors of cherry, blackberry, licorice and mineral highlight this intense, refined red. It’s integrated from start to finish, with fine tannins resonating on the finish. Puts it all together.”

    2007 JJ Prum Riesling Auslese GK Wehlener Sonnenuhr: 95pts Starting at $119.97

    “Very concentrated, yet also very clean, refined and pure. Slate, honey and vanilla aromas and flavors prevail, with hints of peach and lime peeking through. It all culminates in a long, mercurial finish”

    2005 Ornelaia Masseto: 96ptsStarting at $189.94

    “Smells like chocolate mousse, with crushed raspberry and hints of flowers. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a rich, fruity finish. This is powerful and structured Merlot, with layers and layers of everything.”

    1998 Argyle Extended Tirage Brut: 95pts Starting at $57.99

    “Haunting stuff, ethereal in texture, with amazingly delicate bubbles that carry wave after wave of rich toast, spice and baked apple flavors, persisting on the elegant finish. This has harmony, intensity and refinement”

    2006 Betz La Serenne Syrah: 93pts Starting at $50.96

    “Lithe, lean and vibrant with red berry accented plum and blueberry flavors. An elegant style that remains generous and welcoming with its open-textured finish.”

     

    Find this wine on WineZap


    So, as you can see, a pretty wide variety.

    On the site itself, you can compare prices from lots of different retailers, as well as post your own reviews, which can actually start some nice rambunctious conversation, I must say!

    So, check out Winezap.com, and let me know what you think!

    Cheers!

    WIne Club Insider out

     

     

     

     
     
     
    		 
     
     

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    My “Top Ten Cabs period” list ( I only wish there was a wine club that gave THESE out!)

    December 24th, 2008
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    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.

    8) 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

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