Pinot Noir Battle Royale!

Pinot Noir Battle Royale!
Saturday January 28, 2012
11am-8pm

  

Featuring:

2009 Belle Glos "Meiomi" Pinot Noir (California)
2008 Domaine Serene "Yamhill Cuvee" Pinot Noir (Oregon)
2009 Arterberry Maresh "Dundee Hills" Pinot Noir (Oregon)
2009 Ken Volk "Aqua Pumpkin" Pinot Noir (California)
2009 Hirsch San Andreas Fault Pinot Noir (California)
2009 Williams Selyem "Vista Verde" Pinot Noir (California)
2007 Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Pinot Noir (Oregon)
2008 Merry Edwards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir (California)
2008 Tantara "T Solomon Wellborn" Pinot Noir (California)

Calling all Pinotfiles!!!  This weekend you will finally have the chance to taste some of the best Pinot Noir being produced in the United States.  We've decided to go ahead and put together some of the most sought after and delicious Pinot Noirs in the United States and we're calling it the Pinot Noir Battle Royale!

You'll be able to compare California blockbusters from Caymus (producer of Meiomi), Williams Selyem, Tantara, Hirsch, Merry Edwards, and Ken Volk against two titans of Oregon (and US) Pinot Noir - Domaine Serene and Arterberry Maresh. We always love putting great wines up against each other - it not only gives you the ability to really taste and see what type of styles you like, but you are also given the chance to compare and contrast notes with other fellow customers who are just as excited as you are about these great wines.  

The tasting is simple.  Show up on Saturday, grab your tasting cards and sample each of these fantastic Pinots to decide which producer and style you love best.  We'll have paper and pens for you to make notes and great pricing should you feel the urge to bring home a few of these phenomenal wines.

This tasting should prove to be one of our best so far and we look forward to seeing each of you on Saturday!

Cheers,

The winestore. team

Love Rombauer but want something less expensive?

Last Call on Trefethen Double T Chard! 

2008 Trefethen Double T Chardonnay
Winery Price: $17.00 (Click HERE to see)
SALE PRICE: $12.99 (net) per bottle
SAVE 24%

It's been a fun ride with the 2008 Trefethen Double T Chardonnay - and now we are down to our last 20 cases of this vintage. You may remember this time last year we introduced this wine into the marketplace, and it has been on a rocket ship to the moon ever since.

Rombauer Chardonnay is sacred ground for many...and with that being said we must let you know that the #1 question we get asked by Chardonnay fans is "I love Rombauer but I don't want to pay $27 for it - do you have anything in the $10-$15 range." For many of you, if sales are any indication, this has been your "go to" Chardonnay over the last 12 months. Heck, at 24% off the winery price and  53% lower than our $27.99 price on Rombauer Chardonnay, this is some pretty strong value.

We'll have the wine up on our tasting machines in case you have been missing out on this gem. Will you think it is as great or better than Rombauer? We think so, but we have been wrong before (but it was only one time :)

So enjoy this tasty Chardonnay and we look forward to hearing what you think!

To order you can:

Order ONLINE by clicking HERE

Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024

Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944

Winner of the Silver Oak Tasting is $12.99 per bottle!

Winner!

2008 Rockus Bockus Proprietary Red
Winestore Price: $12.99

No, we are not making this up. The winner of the 5th Annual Silver Oak Blind Tasting was Rockus Bockus Proprietary Red. It is a blend of Cabernet and Zinfandel from Sonoma. It is $12.99 per bottle. It is kinda blowing our minds. Rockus Bockus is new to the wine scene, as the winery was established just a couple years ago by Jeff Bundschu from Gundlach Bundschu.

The average price of the wines in the tasting last Saturday was $33.61 per bottle, so competition was fierce. That being said, this wine is just flat out delicious. It's also probably important to point out that not only was Rockus Bockus the most popular wine of the tasting, it was also the wine that most people thought WAS Silver Oak. We're not going to try and read too much into that, but it's pretty awesome.

So here we are, just giving you the 411. It may be safe to say if you haven't tried a bottle of this (and you enjoy bold red wine), you are missing out in a big way!

If you would like some you can:

Order ONLINE by clicking HERE

Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024

Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944

One of our best tastings every year!

Taste Silver Oak Blind vs. $25 Rivals!
Saturday January 21st, 2012
11am-8pm
All Day Long!!

Featuring Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet

It's that time again - time for our 5th Annual Silver Oak Blind Tasting. This is certainly one of our most popular tastings every year, and we're pretty sure our 5th Annual will be the most telling yet!  Not too long ago, we reported to you that 2007 Silver Oak Alexander was beaten in a blind taste test by 2008 Borsao Berola (a $15 Spanish Blend) . It almost seems unfair, I mean a Porsche is supposed to go faster than a Honda Accord, and a $60 wine is supposed to taste better than a $25 one. Right? Well, maybe not. A wine's success isn't measured in MpH, it's measured in the taste that is transferred from the glass to your mouth. 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 Silver Oak" this Saturday.It's simple really. The wines will all be tasted blind on our tasting machines. One of them will be Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet 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 Silver Oak, then great, if not, well that's OK too. You may be surprised as to what your favorites actually are.

We hope to see you Saturday - these are always fun events!

Epic Eric Solomon Tasting this Saturday!

Eric Solomon Selections Tasting!
Saturday January 14th, 2012
11am - 8pm



FEATURING:
2009 Black Slate Gratallops Priorat
2008 Mas Doix Salanques
2009 Janasse Terre D'Argile
2009 Domaine la Garrigue Vacqueyras
2010 Domaine la Garrigue Cuvee Romaine
2007 Mas D'en Compte Tinto
2010 Rafael Palacios Sabrego
2009 Pesquie Terrasses
2010 Burgans Albarino
2010 Lafage Cote Est

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, Pesquie, Clos Erasmus, Mas D'en Compte, Janasse, Nit de Nin, Mas Doix, Garrigue, La Peira, Chateau Tirecul, Lafage ...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. The wines will be up on the machine all day Saturday (and a few are already up!). We hope to see you!!

SPECIAL DEALS:



2008 Mas Doix Salanques
Regular Price: $34.99
Winestore Price: $24.99 (net)
SAVE  29%

Rich, dense Priorat from a brilliant vintage, and at a price that's a remarkable value. That's because Salanques is the young vines version of the great Mas Doix estate bottling in Priorat. So instead of century old vines, these vines are just a bunch of rowdy youngsters at about seventy years of age.



2009 Janasse Terre D'Argile
Regular Price: $29.99
Winestore Price: $19.99 (net)
SAVE  33%

One of Chateauneuf du Pape's most famous producers brings you their version on value with the ripe and firm Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre blend.




2007 Mas d'En Compte Tinto
Release Price: $44.99
Winestore Price: $24.99 (net)
SAVE  45%

Priorat is a wine for people who think Chateauneuf-du-Pape is too timid, too small and too easy to drink. But Joan Sangenis, Mas d'en Compte's winemaker, crafts Priorat that seems more like Chateauneuf than many of the other Priorats, with Garnacha, Carinena and a dash of Cabernet.




2009 Domaine la Garrigue Vacqueyras
Release Price: $24.99
Winestore Price: $19.99 (net)
SAVE  20%

As delicious and special as the wines are, my love of Domaine la Garrigue is based as much upon my memory of the place as it is upon the character of the wine they produce. The Bernard family who own La Garrigue also own the beautiful inn and restaurant Les Florets, one of my favorite spots in that glorious region. Oh, yeah, the wine rocks.

Lowest Price in the USA on this Ridiculous White Wine!

2009 Shaya Verdejo

Regular Price: $14.99
Winestore SALE Price: $7.97 (net) per bottle
SAVE 47%

Lowest Price in the U.S.A.

You are not drinking enough Spanish white wines. There...we said it. They are some of the best values in the world - and for $7.97, this 100% Verdejo is no exception. I've never made a secret of my fixation with the Verdejo grape. In an ideal setting such as Rueda, Verdejo not only retains its crisp citrus notes, it takes on weight and texture, almost like fresh pear juice.

Time to try something new, It is a new year after all! We're here to help you dip your toe into the world of Spanish white wine, and this is the perfect place to start.

To order you can:

Order ONLINE by clicking HERE

Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024

Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944

Mouth Watering Zinfandel 43% Off!

Ravenswood Single Vineyard Zins!

2006 Ravenswood "Barricia" Zinfandel
Winery Price: $35.00 (Click HERE to see)
Winestore SALE Price: $19.99 (net) per bottle
SAVE 43%

15 cases available at this price 

2006 Ravenswood "Big River" Zinfandel
Winery Price: $35.00 (Sold out at winery!)
Winestore SALE Price: $19.99 (net) per bottle
SAVE 43%

7 cases available at this price - LOWEST PRICE IN THE U.S.A.

Until late last week, I had not had any Ravenswood Zinfandel in a loooong time. Not sure why, but we were just drinking other stuff. So here comes the winery with an offer almost too good to be true. Before we brought all this wine in, as always, we had to taste it (tough job, we know!). We were blown away. These Zinfandels, while they have some age on them, are luscious and full of fruit and spice. Looking for a full bodied red wine to warm you and your honey up this winter? Look no further. Need a perfect wine for the LSU vs. Alabama National Championship Game? This is your guy.

While we LOVE the wine - unfortunately there were only 22 total cases available in the state - which we gobbled up to be able to offer to you! We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

To order you can:

Order BARRICIA online by clicking HERE

Order BIG RIVER online by clicking HERE

Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024

Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944

Swing on by!

Jeff Runquist Mega Tasting This Saturday!

Jeff Runquist Mega Tasting!
Saturday January 7th
11am - 8pm

Featuring:
2009 Jeff Runquist Petite Sirah - $29.99
2009 Jeff Runquist Amador Barbera - $24.99
2009 Jeff Runquist Sangiovese - $24.99
2009 Jeff Runquist Massoni Ranch Zinfandel - $24.99
2009 Jeff Runquist Colina Cabernet - $24.99
2009 Jeff Runquist Paso Robles Syrah - $24.99

New Year, and time for some NEW vintages of your favorite Jeff Runquist wines! If there is still a winemaker that is as hot as ever, it is Jeff Runquist. His wines are the ultimate crowd pleasers - the type of wines you can pour for your friends and people will be talking about them for days. That is why we are putting together a tasting of almost all of his wines. Love Petite Sirah? Try to find one better than Runquist....Love Sangiovese? Nobody does it better in California...Love Zinfandel? This may even be better than Klinker Brick :) Barbera? Don't even get us started...

These are big wines, perfect for this cold weather (or warm - we're all over the place here in Charlotte!!) and best of all is that they are fun wines. Drinking wine is fun and when you put some Jeff Runquist in the glass the fun factor goes up by several basis points. Oh - and did we mention you can't buy these wines for less anywhere in NC!

As always, THANK YOU for your business and we hope to see you this weekend!

Amazing Pinot Noir 46% Off!

2009 Chalone "Estate" Pinot Noir


Winery Price: $37.00 (Click HERE To see)
Winestore SALE Price: $19.99 (net)
SAVE 46%

LOWEST PRICE IN THE US!

We figured we would make our first deal of 2012 a doozie! You probably have heard of Chalone Vineyard, as they are one of the best producers of Pinot Noir in California. They also had the AVA (American Viticultural Area) they farm in named after them. In other words, the Chalone Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir is grown in the Chalone Appelation. That would be the same as Napa Valley being named Caymus Valley. You get the idea...it's a pretty big deal.

Anyhoo, enough about appelations and such. We are here to tell you that this Pinot Noir for $19.99 is absolutely ridiculous. This also is not to be confused with the Chalone Monteterey County Pinot Noir which usually retails for $20 - this is their flagship product, and it shows on the first sip. This may not be your Tuesday night burger wine, but this should definitely be a contender for your Saturday night "date night" wine.

If all this is not enough, we are pleased to be able to bring this to you at the lowest price in the US. $8 less than the next closest retailer!

So get while the gettin' is good, as this deal won't last long!

To Order you can:

ORDER ONLINE by clicking HERE

Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024

Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944

Swing on by!