A Visit with Winemaker Vince Tofanelli

It is such a wonderful change of pace to visit a winemaker like Vince Tofanelli. Too often when we visit the Napa Valley we get caught upby the big and the fancy wineries and tasting rooms and tend to overlook the smaller names of the Napa Valley. Continue reading

Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/a-visit-with-winemaker-vince-tofanelli/

Joseph Francis Nemechek III Ryan Joseph Newman Kyle Eugene Petty Floyd Anthony Raines Scott Russell Riggs

Wine Flash Sale Sites Are nothing New...Just Flashier

Wines & Vines Magazine has done a terrific job surveying the landscape of the relatively new "Flash Sale Wine Websites". These are deep discounters on the web that offer generally one wine for a limited amount of time at a...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FermentationTheDailyWineBlog/~3/Gw4MbZJoKOA/wine-flash-sale-sites-are-nothing-newjust-flashier.html

Hans Heyer Damon Hill Graham Hill Phil Hill Peter Hirt

The Grapes around Texas at the Grayson Hills 2010 Grape Harvest

Murder at Mardi Gras Tickets Looking for something fun to do in March?  One of our Favorite places to go is Cross Roads Winery in Frisco,Texas.  If its anything like New Years this year its going to be filled with fun and great wine.  Get your tickets while you still can.   March 5, 2011 [...]

Source: http://thegrapesaroundtexas.com/2011/01/24/murder-at-mardi-gras-crossroads-winery/

Juan Jover Oswald Karch Narain Karthikeyan Ukyo Katayama Ken Kavanagh

Nine East Wine Emporium: 25% Off 12 Bottles of American Wine

There are no wine shops in Wellesley.  As much as I think an upscale wine merchant would be a welcome addition to the shops on Linden Street -or- somewhere in Wellesley Square where a lot of retail businesses have been closing up lately I don't think a liquor store is in the cards for Wellesley any time soon.

The closest wine shop to the west as you head towards Natick is Nine East Wine Emporium.  I don't think I've mentioned them a lot since starting this blog a few years ago and that has primarily to do with one thing: Their pricing model.  They typically offer 25% off 24 mixed bottles of wine, which brings the prices down out of the stratosphere, but forces me to buy 2 cases.  That's more than I like to buy at a time - since I'm typically interested in just a few specific wines they carry.  I prefer a model where the first bottle is sold at a good discount so I can buy as many (or as few) wines as I really want and don't have to "pad" my purchase with extraneous bottles.

However, right now they're running a special where any 12 bottles of American wine qualify for the 25% discount so I thought to stop in and check out their selection.  As is typical, items on sale and non-American wines count towards your twelve but don't qualify for the discount.

Here's what I found:

2008 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
90WS/$30 Release Price
$27.99 Retail/$20.99 After Discount

This was the primary wine I was interested in trying.  I still don't feel like I've found the values in 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir I was hoping for and this is one that's been on my list.  Unfortunately, this wine was an utter disappointment and I wouldn't recommend it:

This wine is a poster child for why I think 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir is the most over-rated vintage in recent memory. Starts off with twangy/green/stemmy aromas. Reveals a bit of fruit on the palate but ultimately falls flat. Lacks acidity. It may have some aftertaste but lacks finish. I can find a nice red Burgundy for under $30. This wine retails in the upper $20s and presents a poor value to the consumer. If this is the best Oregon Pinot Noir has to offer I'm not buying.

84/100 WWP: Good


2008 Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon
(2007 Vintage 88WS, 2008 not yet rated)/$20 Release Price
$22.99 Retail/$17.24 After Discount

I've tasted this wine so many times, but I've never had a bottle of it at home.

Wow. This wine is not for purists, Bordeaux fans or those opposed to a little sweetness in their Napa Cab. The effects of oak treatment are quite evident I think. Butterscotch, caramel, movie theater popcorn on top of some vague red fruit in the background. Minimal acidity. Some savory notes save it from being dismissed as a tutti-fruity candy wine. But in the right situation this wine works for me. It's not at all challenging but it is delicious. At least for my palate.

88/100 WWP: Very Good


2007 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon
92 WS/$40 Release Price
$37.99 Retail/$28.49 After Discount

I think this is the value play of the highly regarded 2007 Napa Cab vintage.  I've had this wine a number of times at home and at restaurants and it has absolutely delivered every time.  Highly recommended and at a great price here after discount.

This wine so completely aligns with the flavor profile I'm looking for in a Napa Cab- I love it. Ripe blackberries that fade into deliciously savory dusty tannins. The finish is a bit short but it tasted so good I didn't care. 

93/100 WWP: Oustanding


2009 Sean Minor 4 Bears Carneros Pinot Noir
$19.99 Retail/$14.99 After Discount

I tried the 2008 vintage of this wine recently and rated it 88 points.  A friend who was shopping there raved about this 09 so I picked it up.  I've got a good feeling about this one.


I rounded things out with 2008 Torii Mor Oregon Pinot Noir, a 2006 Hendry Cabernet HDR and a 2009 Block Nine California Pinot Noir.

Definitely chat up Harry Zarkades if you stop in.  He's got deep knowledge and a great palate.

Check 'em out:
Nine East Wine Emporium
Route Nine East, Wellesley/Natick Line
508-653-6221


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/RzdfBjAEEb0/nine-east-wine-emporium-25-off-12.html

Jackie Holmes Bill Homeier Kazuyoshi Hoshino Jerry Hoyt Nico Hülkenberg

Four from Eberle

Over the years, we have had very little experience with the Paso Robles producer Eberle Winery, which is perhaps surprising, considering the fact that Gary Eberle was a co-founder of the Paso Robles Appellation in 1980, opened his winery in 1983 and has been an important player in that region ever since. We liked the [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gangofpour/uncZ/~3/cO9P97gbM2M/four-from-eberle

Lucas di Grassi Cecil Green Keith Greene Masten Gregory Cliff Griffith

Hinchcliffe delighted with test pace

James Hinchcliffe was thrilled with his performance on the first day of IndyCar testing at Barber Motorsports Park, even though he admitted that his second place in the morning session was slightly unrepresentative. The Indy Lights race-winner is hoping to clinch a 2011 IndyCar deal with Newman/Haas after a series of tests with the squad over the winter. The Barber test is the first time he has been matched against the full IndyCar field, and he starred with second place in today's first session and seventh in the afternoon.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/indycar-news/indycar/hinchcliffe-delighted-with-test-pace/

Kasey Kenneth Kahne Matthew Roy Kenseth Alan Dennis Kulwicki Travis Wade Kvapil Robert Allen Labonte