Eric Solomon Selections Mega Tasting!

Eric Solomon Selections MEGA Tasting!
Friday, June 25th - Sunday, June 27th
All Weekend Long!

10% off all Eric Solomon Selections Friday - Sunday!**


FEATURING:
2006 Marcoux Chateauneuf du Pape
2008 Giraud "Les Grenaches de Pierre" Chateauneuf
2005 La Cova dels Vins "Terros"
2005 Corelium Priorat
2007 Mas d'en Compte Priorat
2007 La Cova dels Vins "Ombra"
2007 Lafage "Cote Sud"
2009 Pesquie Rose
2007 Saint Roche "Chimeres"
2005 Closa Battlet Priorat
2008 Evodia

and many more!

There are lots of folks who import wines; and Charlotte is home to one of the most revered and influential wine importers in the business today - Eric Solomon. His wine portfolio from Spain and France is scary good, especially if you are an importer trying to compete with him. His amazing stable of wines includes Marcoux, Giraud, Clos Erasmus, Mas D'en Compte, Janasse, Closa Battlet, Roger Sabon, Roget Champault, La Peria, Chateau Tirecul, Jean Paul Droin...and the list goes on and on. These properties are all the rage at the moment among the critics, and for good reason. They make utterly lush and delicious wines, and yet they are not wines that have sold their souls (ya know, with high alcohol, over-extraction, too much oak and the like) in order to get blessedly high scores from he-who-must-not-be-named. These wines are rich and impressive but they not only retain their souls, they HAVE soul. Character. Personality. Whatever.

Solomon's book is an embarrassment of riches. We are delighted that he lives in Charlotte and that we have the opportunity to offer so many of his fabulous wines. And we are even more excited to show you the breadth and depth of his portfolio this weekend.

SPECIAL DEALS:

2005 Corelium
Regular Price: $80.00
Winestore Price: $49.99
SAVE 37%

Made by Esther Nin (vineyard manager at Clos Erasmus) this 90% Carinena and 10% Garnacha is a show stopper...not to mention that the powerful 2005 vintage is a rarity in the marketplace these days. Most of the 2005's were gobbled up by collectors long ago. Only 22 bottles are available so act fast!


2006 Marcoux Chateauneuf du Pape
Regular Price: $60.00
Winestore Price: $39.99 (net)
SAVE 33%

Ever since we've opened our doors we Marcoux has been one of our favorite producers - and in the last four years this wine has never seen a price point below $50...that is until today. We only recieved 36 bottles at this special price!


2008 Giraud "Les Grenaches de Pierre" Chateauneuf
Regular Price: $75.00
Winestore Price: $44.99
SAVE 40%

Our friend Robert Parker said it best: "Even better is their 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Grenaches de Pierre, one of a handful of wines made in 2008 that should turn out to be outstanding. A brilliant effort in a decent but uninspiring vintage, it possesses plenty of body and concentration as well as loads of sweet black cherry fruit intermixed with notions of licorice, camphor, and flowers. It should be at its finest between 2010 and 2016."

**excludes any items marked (Net)

One Year Anniversary Tasting Extravaganza!

It's a Celebration! Taste the Best!
Blakeney is celebrating it's 1 year anniversary!
Southpark is celebrating it's 4 year anniversary!
It's Father's Day Weekend!
Saturday June 19th, 2010
11am-8pm

FEATURING:
2005 Capcanes Cabrida
2007 Caymus Cabernet
2005 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red
2006 Signorello Cabernet
2007 Conn Valley Reserve Cabernet
2007 Paul Hobbs Napa Cabernet
2007 L'Aventure Cote a Cote
2007 Pride Mountain Cabernet

They say that men are better than woman at math, but then the people who usually say that are men. Go figure. When it's comes to figuring, we're told that men are better with numbers, with figures (I feel a pun coming on but I'm going to back away quietly from that one), that there is something about the certitude of numerical depiction that appeals to a man. Or maybe that men are just obsessed with numbers: .300 batting averages, 50 quarterback ratings, triple doubles or maybe even a 5 handicap. Maybe it's why the 100-point system appeals to so many men. Despite the inherent ambiguity of wine (it changes, some people like certain styles more than others), there is something so reassuring about knowing that the god of wine has assigned it a number and now you know that your cellar has thirty 95 point wines and above (and that you still don't have a 100 point wine notched on your bedpost, I mean gun). Fret not, gentlemen, numbers mean nothing! Taste is everything (like the beer commercial says); so why not enjoy Father's Day weekend tasting some of the most powerful delicious wines any father (or son of a father) could hope to taste? For starters, we have one of my obsessions: the 2005 Capcanes Cabrida from Priorat in Spain. Comprised mostly of Garnacha (those Frenchy French people call it Grenache) this is intense but more mineral than alcohol, oak, extract and all the other stuff that places like Napa have in spades. And speaking of Napa, anyone care for 2007 Caymus Cabernet? Like the Capcanes, this is from a superb vintage and is just now starting to show what it's capable of showing: enormity along with elegance. Pahlmeyer's Proprietary Red 2005 has even more time under its belt, but has just as much life ahead of it. I may seem to denigrate the bigness of so many California wines (just because so many of them have nothing but size going for them), but size isn't everything, and some of my favorites offer balance in addition. Signorello is definitely one among that number. The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is not quite blockbuster but no shrinking violet either. Or, as long as we're using the blockbuster adjective, how about this ain't no chick flick? Heck, it's Father's Day weekend; I should be allowed to get away with such offensive nonsense (please don't tell my wife). We're also going to be pouring the 2007 Conn Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2007 Paul Hobbs Napa Cabernet; the excellent reputation of both is pretty well known among the those that count their wine trophies. And two of my favorites are two that might probably not be as high on other people's short list of what matters, but then that's the fun of wine. The 2007 L’Aventure Cote a Cote is proof that L'Aventure is one of the top wineries in the Paso Robles wine region, a region that still deserves far better media attention. A lot of people know about Justin Vineyards' lovely Cabernets, but l'Aventure makes terrific Zins as well as this gorgeous blend of Mourvedre, Grenache and Syrah. And, finally, we'll offer the 2007 Pride Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. Any sane person knows that Pride Vineyards is a star; their Merlot might be the best in California. But the Cabernets are pretty juicy and attractive too. Best of all, the wines we're tasting this weekend for Father's Day are worth many, many points. How many points? Well, that's up to you. You're the numbers man. Happy Tasting and we'll see you this weekend! Cheers, Doug Frost, MS MW Master of Wine & Master Sommelier

Get a Six Pack for Dad and Save 23%!

Father's Day Six Pack!



Featuring:
2005 Pahlmeyer Jayson Red
2007 Hill Family Barrel Blend
2008 Leese Fitch Cabernet
2007 Lucky Star Petite Sirah
2007 Laurel Glen "Reds"
2008 99 Vines Pinot Noir

Regular Price: $110.94
Six Pack Price: $85.84
SAVE $25.10 or 23%!

It's Father's Day this weekend and we're gonna let you in on some insider information - your father does not want another tie....he does not want a gift certificate to the Olive Garden...what he secretly, desperately wants is 6 bottles of super nice wine that he can enjoy at his leisure. We've spent some time putting together a six pack that, if we recieved it as a gift, we would be over the moon with what is in it. You've got some really nice stuff, you've got some Monday night wine - and all of it for only $85.84.

So, give your Dad the gift he is hoping for - and a gift that says THANK YOU for putting up with me for all of those years.

Happy Father's Day!

To order you can:

Swing by either store!

Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024

Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944

NEW Jeff Runquist Petite Sirah and Tasting!

Jeff Runquist Tasting!
Saturday June 12th
11am-8pm



Saturday Tasting on the Enoround Featuring:
2008 Jeff Runquist Petite Sirah
2008 Jeff Runquist Sangiovese
2007 Jeff Runquist Zinfandel
2007 Jeff Runquist Barbera

It's that time of year again - the new vintage of Jeff Runquist Petite Sirah has been released! To celebrate we are lining it up in a tasting with some of our other favorite Jeff Runquist wines all day on Saturday! You won't find the Petite Sirah at a lower price ANYWHERE in NC - that is our gurantee to you. We know you all love the Petite Sirah, but if you have not had his Sangiovese or his Barbera then you are seriously missing out! The Sangiovese may be our favorite wine that Jeff makes!

We hope to see you on Saturday but in the meantime, if you are interested in buying some Petite Sirah, here are the details:

Jeff Runquist 2008 Petite Sirah
Regular Price: $34.99
Winestore Price: $29.99 (net) (SAVE 14%)

To order you can:

Order online by clicking HERE

Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024

Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944

Save 30% on Frank Family Chard!

Save 30% on Frank Family Chardonnay



2008 Frank Family Chardonnay

Winery Price: $32.50 per bottle (see HERE)

Winestore Price: $24.99 per bottle (SAVE 23%)

Case Price: $22.50 per bottle (SAVE 30%)

Look, let's be honest; it's cool to bash California Chardonnay because it's too big, rich and fat to go with food. Food, schmood. How about just admitting that big, rich and fat wines like this one are delicious to drink? This is the ultimate deal for all you Chardonnay lovers out there. If you like Rombauer, Cakebread, Pahlmeyer etc., then you MUST try the Chardonnay from Frank Family Vineyards. Best part is that the wine is being offered at a significant discount to its peers!

We're not ABC here at winestore. (Anything But Chardonnay). We're ABC - All 'Bout Chardonnay.

To order you can:

Swing by!

Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024

Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944

Blind Taste Napa Giant Quintessa vs. $25 Rivals!

Blind Taste $145 Quintessa vs. $25 Rivals!
Saturday June 5th, 2010
11am-8pm (or until we run out of wine!)

People just seem to really love blind tastings. Every time we put a $60-$70 California Cabernet up against more price friendly competition people love coming in and seeing if they can pick out what wine is in which place. Now it's time to bring out the big guns. We're putting the legendary wine Quintessa into the gauntlet and letting our taste buds do the choosing. At the $145 the winery sells this bottle for, it should blow away the competition...but will it? I mean, a Maserati is supposed to drive better, feel better, and handle better than a Buick - if it didn't you would hear about it! So at $145 a bottle Quintessa should taste light years better than a $25 Cab...and if it doesn't we're gonna find out this weekend.

If you don't know the price, can't see the label, and can't hear someone barking in your ear about the wine's "score," then all that is left is the juice and your taste buds. It's a scary proposition for any winemaker. That's why you have marketing departments that design catchy labels, create campaigns to build a wine's image, and spend all of their time and energy essentially trying to convince consumers that a wine is great. The problem is that you can't out "market" a blind tasting.

Which is why we're playing "Find the Quintessa" this Saturday. It's simple really. The wines will all be tasted blind. One of them will be 2006 Quintessa and the others will be an assortment of wines at every price point from a number of different regions. All you have to do is taste and pick your favorite. Yes, that's right, your favorite. If that's the Quintessa, then great, if not, well that's OK too. You may be surprised as to what your favorites actually are.

We'll see you Saturday!!