Luxury Excess!

Spring is round the corner and you must be thinking of taking a luxury holiday. Enjoying your vacation lavishly gives you a wonderful retreat from your daily busy schedule. If you can shell out a few pennies, you can experience a much higher level of comfort in upscale hotel suites. At The Setai, in South [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vagablond/ysSN/~3/vEL7wZJCdLg/

Kevin Michael Harvick Virgil Ernest Irvan III Kenny Dale Irwin Jr Dale Arnold Jarrett Jimmie Kenneth Johnson

Value Alert: 2006 Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Pinot Noir

After enjoying a taste of the 2007 Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Pinot Noir at Cochon 555 I've been on the hunt for their wines in Massachusetts. The wine had this focused laser beam of flavors I found tremendously appealing. It's a tough wine to find around here -- let alone at a good price -- so I was pleasantly surprised to find the 2006 on sale at West Concord Liquors for $24.99.

The 2006 carries a release price of $38 and was rated 90 points by Wine Spectator. 2006 is considered a ripe vintage by Oregon standards, and given that so many entry-level Oregon Pinot Noirs from the heralded 2008 vintage have been disappointing I was excited to try this wine.

It hit the spot - here are my notes:

2006 Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Dundee Hills
$38 Release Price
14.5% Alcohol
5,671 Cases Produced
$24.99 at West Concord Liquors

Light ruby red with viscosity aligned with its 14.5% alcohol. Vibrant and focused. Aromas of earth, strawberry, and match stick continue on to the palate. Long finish. A really beautiful Oregon Pinot Noir that delivers an appreciated step up from others retailing under $30 which I've frequently found to be lacking. 

93/100 WWP: Outstanding 

Check 'em out:
Sokol Blosser
West Concord Liquors

It was my first time in West Concord Liquors but they had some great prices on bin ends of high end wines:

  • 1998 Phelps Insignia for $75 (wine-searcher.com national best $107)
  • 2006 Cakebread Reserve Chard for $41.99 (one retailer on wine-searcher at $40, most at $50+)
  • 2004 Opus One for $120 (wine-searcher.com national best $149)
Plus - no sales tax in Massachusetts. Pretty good deals.

Question of the Day: Where have you been snagging wine deals lately? Any off the beaten path stores or online retailers we should all be aware of?


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/H5jXD5r2PY0/value-alert-2006-sokol-blosser-dundee.html

Bruno Giacomelli Dick Gibson Gimax Richie Ginther Yves Giraud Cabantous

Force India Formula One Team 2011 Australian Grand Prix Preview

Force India Formula One Team 2011 Australian Grand Prix Preview 18 March 2011 2011 marks the fourth year of competition in the FIA Formula 1T World Championship for Force India. After its strongest Constructors' Championship finish to date, the team...

Source: http://www.motorsportsjournal.com/archives/2011/03/force_india_formula_one_t_53.php

Z Line Toyota Kyle Busch Toyota Kimmy Z Line Designs Toyota Parker Kligerman

The Contrarian View on Parker?s Announcement

Somewhere in between the in-laws and the hardware store on Saturday, I was at a stop light, alone with my thoughts when I checked email on my phone.  Partially through Robert Parker’s announcement as the light turned green, I pulled into a gas station to finish reading. 

Wow. 

All that was left was a LeBron-esque, “I’m taking my talents to South Beach” statement.

News like this doesn’t hit the wine scene often and I knew the online wine scene would be ablaze on Monday.  True to form, it was.

Yet, I’ve been disappointed in the punditry.  Perhaps even more surprising then Robert Parker’s announcement about re-assigning regions to other critics, including Antonio Galloni, was the simpleton leap to conclusions that followed. 

image

The prevailing wisdom would have you believe two things:

1) This is a passing of the torch to Antonio as Bob goes into “semi-retirement.”

2) California, stylistically, may see a pendulum swing towards more balance based on Antonio’s more Euro-centric palate.

Equally, a couple of things bear mentioning as a counterpoint to the above.

First, nowhere in Parker’s announcement does it say anything close to him taking “semi-retirement” as others have speculated.  What Parker does mention is he is going to add a focus on vintage library wines in both horizontal and vertical line-ups.

That’s it. 

There’s much to be interpreted “between the lines,” as it were.

First, with somebody of Parker’s stature it’s highly unlikely (bordering on ludicrous) that he would be fade into “semi-retirement” with so little fan fare.  Ego won’t allow it.  Unless you’re Mother Theresa or Ghandi, you don’t gallop into the sunset with so much magnanimity and so little orchestral swan song.  Period.

Parker has never demonstrated any affection for capitalism in his dealings and he still lives in his long-time residence after fame brought wealth to his door.  However, he has demonstrated a love of and proactivity to defend his influence – influence that is waning in the U.S. as we culturally flatten our respect for hierarchical power.

With that in mind, I believe Parker’s not going anywhere, but he will take this period of time to burnish his reputation and polish his legacy on the global stage, particularly in the Pacific Rim, and he’ll do so by playing to his strengths and the large macro trends in the market.

Consider the following:

The value of a critical score in the U.S. and in English-language culture has undeniably been reduced in the last decade with the proliferation of consumer critics and the fragmentation of media.  At the same time the populace-based lambasting of wine criticism is at an all-time high

Parker still reigns supreme in Bordeaux where his proclamations drive in primeur pricing

The wine world’s power base by dollar spend is quickly moving to China

China loves Bordeaux

China is an “open” opportunity for influence in a cultural structure that absolutely respects hierarchy

The domestic auction market is growing to be more inclusive of general wine enthusiasts and less about high net-worth individuals and restaurant buyers, creating a broader market that is in its very earliest stages of development.

Taken together, what do these large-scale trends mean?  Simply, Parker is moving his area of work to the areas where he can hold the greatest sway, leaving behind general, current release reviewing to other members of his team – a game that has reached its peak of influence.

In my opinion, Parker’s announcement is less about “semi-retirement” and California and more about where he can wield the biggest influence – carry the biggest stick—in the latter stages of his career.

So, what can we expect to see out of Bob?

He’s likely going to spend a significant amount of time in China in the near future in order to cement himself as the doyen of that wine culture.

He will still continue to review Bordeaux where his influence moves markets on the global stage, including Asia.

He will review vintage wines in a largely untapped market that has an opportunity to bear significant influential currency in the U.S. in the nascent, broadened auction market.

To me, Parker’s moves have all the hallmarks of not “semi-retirement” but of a savvy, strategic business move.  To quote Kobe Bryant from the earlier aughts when he was feuding with then teammate Shaquille O’Neal, “Turn my game down? I need to turn it up.”  And, that’s precisely what Parker is doing.  He’s turning his game up for the last stretch run of his career.

Finally, coming back full-circle to the speculation that Galloni might bring a different stylistic sensibility to California wine.  Ahem.  I always watch in wonderment when people assign figureheads to movements.  While Galloni may, indeed, bring a more Euro-centric palate to California wine, what he shouldn’t get credit for is being the influencing reason why California wine moves back to a more food-friendly profile with an acidic backbone.  That trend is already well under way.  Galloni may/could shed a magnifying glass on that trend, but he won’t be the cause of that trend.

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/the_contrarian_view_on_parkers_announcement/

Danny Kladis Hans Klenk Peter de Klerk Christian Klien Karl Kling

Grosjean: No tyre worries at Imola

GP2 polesitter Romain Grosjean believes that the drivers will take more risks with their tyres at Imola this weekend than they did in the Asia series opener in Abu Dhabi. The new Pirelli tyres were a major concern in Abu Dhabi last month, with drivers taking a conservative approach to make sure their rubber lasted the distance. But Grosjean believes that the lower temperatures at Imola, plus the fact that there were not any major issues last time out, will mean that everyone is more aggressive in the early stages this weekend

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/other-news/formula-cars/gp2/grosjean-no-tyre-worries-at-imola/

Lucas di Grassi Cecil Green Keith Greene Masten Gregory Cliff Griffith