3rd Annual California vs. Spain Taste Off!
Saturday June 1st, 2013
11am - 8pm
Representing California:
2010 Snowden "The Ranch" Cabernet
2010 Whitehall Lane Tre Leoni
2010 Laurel Glen Counterpoint
2009 Banshee Mordecai
Representing Spain:
2010 Planetes de Nin Priorat
2007 Finca Villacreces Crianza
2009 Casa Castillo Las Gravas
2010 Clos Erasmus "Laurel"
People of the interwebs - it is time for
our 3rd Annual California vs. Spain Taste Off! This is where we are
going to put some serious Cali firepower up against Spanish wine that is
going to make you wonder why you have not been drinking this stuff for
years! Lowest prices in the US on some of these gems? We've got that
too...I mean, that is just how we roll.
Villacreces, Erasmus, Whitehall Lane, Laurel Glen? Yes, this could be a
lineup at a dinner of some of my favorite producers. It also could be a
lineup of world class wines at prices that may surprise you (in a good
way). It's summer dammit, and that means grilling out with friends,
sitting on the beach and trying not to burn, cannonballs in the pool,
and sipping some vino at 8pm on the patio while it's still light
outside. So stop in this weekend and taste some weekend wines - these
are not your Tuesday night sippers, these are your Saturday bombshells. A
treat to yourself for working hard during the week....come on, you've
earned it!
Last Call on Bastide Miraflors!
Plus our second to last pop of 2012 Lafage Miraflors Rose!
2011 Lafage Bastide Miraflors
2011 Lafage Bastide Miraflors
Winestore Price: $12.99 per bottle
Last 28 cases available!
Any time Charlotte based wine importer
Eric Solomon creates a new project we pay close attention. When he
creates it with winemaking wizard Jean Marc Lafage we pay double close
attention. And when wine critic Robert Parker goes out of his way to post the following we pay SERIOUS attention.
"There are 3,000 cases of the naked virginal, unoaked 2011 Bastide
Miraflors Vieilles Vignes made from 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache aged in
concrete. The difficult economic situation in the Languedoc Roussillon
corridor is being exploited to the maximum by importer Eric Solomon. The fact that wines such as this can be purchased is unbelievable. Largely an artisinal wine, it is brilliantly pure with a stunning nose of spring flowers, blackberries, cassis and earth.
It is almost incomprehensible that something of this quality,
complexity and richness can be purchased for $15 to $50, much less $10
to $12. The 3,000 cases should be gobbled up as quickly as they
hit retailers' shelves. I am honored to share my excitement about this
amazing wine with readers."
- Robert Parker
So ignore the hype if you want...all we know is we're buying cases for ourselves, and we think you should too!
To order you can:
Order ONLINE by clicking HERE
Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024
Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944
Call LAKE NORMAN @ 704-892-5662
2012 Lafage Miraflors Dry Rose
Wine.com Price: $18.99 (Click HERE to see)
Winestore Price: $14.99
SAVE 21%
Back In Stock!
Listen up people...we are laying it down on the line with this wine. If you love dry rosé during the warmer months, and you do not buy a case of this stuff to sip on all summer long, you might be out of your mind. The 2012 Lafage Miraflors Rosé is a game changer in our opinion. Dry rosé
is the flavor of the moment, and southern France is the style’s
birthplace and homeland. A refreshing blend of Mourvedre and Grenache
Gris, this lovely lady is more complex than most any dry rosé you’ve ever had....
We have it to taste at all three stores but don't dawdle...it won't last long.
To order you can:
Order ONLINE by clicking HERE
Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024
Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944
Call LAKE NORMAN @ 704-892-5662
2007 Finca Villacreces Crianza
Zachys Price: $40.00 (Click HERE to see)
Winestore Price: $24.99 (net)
SAVE 37%
Lowest Price in the USA
Only 15 cases available
Drinkers of delicious Spanish wine, listen up! Villacreces is a
first-rate, listen to me, FIRST-RATE, Ribera del Duero producer. Yeah,
that means I’m comparing it to Pesquera (better), Vega Sicilia (better
priced), and Aalto (now you've gone too far). Their wines are
Tempranillo (yes, they call it Tinto Fino here) at its elegant pinnacle,
but their Crianza bottling is more exuberant than the rest, as it is
Tempranillo laced with a bit of Cabernet and Merlot.
For all you folks interested in such
things, Villacreces also sits on some pretty amazing land. There is
written evidence that the first vines were planted on the property in
the 13th Century (yes, you read that correctly), and their next door
neighbor is wine legend Vega Sicilia (priced at a lofty $300 per
bottle).
So there you have it. Serious Spanish value at the lowest price in the USA. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
To order you can:
Order ONLINE by clicking HERE
Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024
Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944
Call LAKE NORMAN @ 704-892-5662
Swing on by!
Second Label Tasting!
Saturday May 18th, 2013
11am - 8pm
Sometimes the greatest of the great
wines are just simply out of our reach. That being said, you may not
know that most of the world's most expensive wines produce second label
"sibling" wines, often times with the left over juice that went into the
$100 cuvees. It is a rare opportunity to be able to taste the flagship
wine right next to its second label offering, but that is exactly what
we are doing for you this weekend at our 5th Annual Second Label Tasting!
Find out if the $100 Napa Cab is better than the $35 second offering -
perhaps the $75 estate wine really isn't worth it for you compared right
next to the $25 second label Cabernet from the same producer. Famed
Napa Valley legend Jayson Pahlmeyer summed up his second label "Jayson",
by saying “The Jayson goes into the same brand new French oak
barrels [as the main label, Pahlmeyer], has the same barrel-aging
regimen, same blending, same care and dedication from my winemaker,”
Pahlmeyer explains. “It’s 90 percent of the quality at 50 percent of the
price.”
"90% of the quality at 50% of the price" - now that is an equation we
are ready to get on board with! We think you'll be astounded how close
these second labels taste to the real thing! Come in this Saturday and
see for yourself! We have something for everyone, Cabernet from
California, Grenache from Spain, cult producer La Peira from France, and
more!
Wineries featured include:
Clos Erasmus
2010 Clos Erasmus
2010 Clos Erasmus "Laurel"
Whitehall Lane
2009 Whitehall Lane Cabernet
2010 Whitehall Lane "Tre Leoni"
Laurel Glen
2009 Laurel Glen Estate Cabernet
2010 Laurel Glen Counterpoint
Casa Castillo
2011 Casa Castillo
2009 Casa Castillo "Las Gravas"
La Peira
2010 La Peira
2010 Las Flors de La Peira
Banshee
2010 Banshee Cabernet
2010 Banshee Mordecai
2009 Casa Castillo "Las Gravas"
Release Price: $29.99
Winestore Price: $24.99 (net)
SAVE 17%
When the most powerful wine critic in the world writes that a wine
"must be tasted to be believed", people go into a feeding frenzy. hence
the reason the first pop of this wine we received back in February blew
out the door before we could even get a newsletter out. So, we ordered
more...a lot more. Now you have yet another chance to get your paws on
some of the superb 2009 Casa Castillo Las Gravas. Yes, this is the same
Casa Castillo that produces the Monastrell you all gobbled up a few
weeks ago for $6.99. Now that you know that $6.99 wine blew away the
competiton in that price point, imagine a $25 that will do the same.
We remember the first time we became Las Gravas believers. It was at
the winery, deep in the heart of Jumilla, back in 2007 and the wine was a
revelation. For the price it was everything we want in a wine; full of
flavor, smooth tannins, crisp acidity and as complex as some wines $50+.
This has potential to be your Saturday night summer BBQ wine. It also
has the potential to be your "It's Wednesday night and my week has blown
up and I want to drink something nice wine". It wears many different
hats, and we love them all.
So there are 50 six packs for you to grab. If you wait to long and we don't have any more, don't say we didn't warn you :)
To order you can:
Order ONLINE by clicking HERE
Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024
Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944
Call LAKE NORMAN @ 704-892-5662
Rosé Tasting This Saturday!
Saturday May 11th, 2013
11am - 8pm
ALL DAY LONG!
Including:
2012 Bieler Pere et Fils Rosé
2012 Mas Donis Rosato
2012 Puech-Haut Prestige Rosé
2012 Puech-Haut Tete de Belier Rosé
2012 Pesquie Rosé
Over the last several weeks the request
has been loud and clear - it is now rosé season! No, not your father's
rosé, or that pink stuff you drank in college (let's be honest, it
wasn't pretty but we've all been there). You asked for refreshing, dry,
aromatic and lovely rosé. The stuff that is going to go well at the
beach, on the back porch, by the swimming pool, and with great friends.
So we're opening up the floodgates this weekend for a rosé extravaganza!
We'll load up our white wine machine with that magical pink elixir we
all love so much.
Rosé has been growing in popularity over the last several years as
people begin to realize that these wines are not "starter wines" or the
"white zinfandel" that they remember from their younger years. While we
do have a few higher priced rosé wines that we love, you will find that
most of the rosé we carry is around $10-$15 - perfect for everyday
sipping and outdoor cookouts in the neighborhood.
So swing on by this weekend and taste some wonderful rosé.
We'll also have a host of great reds on the machine for those of you
who are not white wine drinkers. As always, thank you for your support
and enjoy all of the wine!
We hope to see you Saturday and Happy Tasting!
2008 Roger Sabon Lirac
Lowest Online Price in the USA: $25.00
Winestore Price: $9.99 (net)
SAVE 60%
Time for another insane buying opportunity for you, the customers that
we know and love. Today, we have the ever so lovely 2008 Roger Sabon
Chapelle de Maillac Lirac. Roger Sabon is one of an increasing number of
absolute stalwarts in the southern Rhone Valley, modern producers who
are capable of making consistently delightful Grenache based wine,
vintage after vintage. 2008 is such a vintage, decent in the hands of
the average producers, but excellent values in the hands of the best.
This is not the wine that you and your friends are going to sit around
the table and wax poetic about...but it is a wine that is going to blow
people away at your first cookout of the season. That upcoming rehearsal
dinner you are hosting; this is your guy. Wednesday night sushi take
out? Perfect wine to open. At $9.99 this wine can play a lot of
different roles, and we love every one of them!
So we were able to buy 28 cases at this price. First come, first
served. This is not an ongoing deal and what we have in stock is all
there will be at this price.
To order you can:
Order ONLINE by clicking HERE
Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024
Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944
Call LAKE NORMAN @ 704-892-5662
2012 Lafage Miraflors Dry Rose
Wine.com Price: $18.99 (Click HERE to see)
Winestore Price: $14.99
SAVE 21%
Listen up people...we are laying it down on the line with this wine. If you love dry rosé during the warmer months, and you do not buy a case of this stuff to sip on all summer long, you might be out of your mind. The 2012 Lafage Miraflors Rosé is a game changer in our opinion. Dry rosé
is the flavor of the moment, and southern France is the style’s
birthplace and homeland. A refreshing blend of Mourvedre and Grenache
Gris, this lovely lady is more complex than most any dry rosé you’ve ever had....
We are only getting 56 cases for the whole summer. We received 28 cases
yesterday and we get one more pop of 28 cases in about two weeks.
It is worth noting that we sold over 25% of everything we got in
yesterday simply from walk in traffic tasting it off the machine and
buying the wine. I mean, take that for what it is worth but this stuff is shaping up to be epic!
We have it to taste at all three stores but don't dawdle...it won't last long.
To order you can:
Order ONLINE by clicking HERE
Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024
Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944
Call LAKE NORMAN @ 704-892-5662
Our Favorite Wines Are Back In Stock!
Taste the 2010s from La Peira
Saturday May 4th, 2013
11am - 8pm
International Wine Celebrity / Importer and Charlottean Eric Solomon
is well known for bringing "the next big thing" to the United States -
and one of his newer finds, La Peira, might very well be "the next big
thing". You may know we have had these wines to taste in the past, but
only for a short time. Production is miniscule and only a fraction of
that makes it across the ponds to the US. To give you an idea, their
flagship wine "La Peira" has an annual worldwide production of only 1,500 bottles (compare that to the 420,000 bottle production of Caymus Cabernet). Sum it all up - we are more than excited to be the first in North Carolina and the US to showcase their 2010 offering.
Here is just a little of what the wine press has been saying:
"I want to put forth a terrific wine recommendation to you all.
It is a wine I had never heard of before, but one I surely won’t forget
any time soon.
My friend Eric Solomon was kind enough to gift me a bottle of “La
Peira”. I believe (although I am not 100% sure) it is a cuvée of Syrah,
Grenache and Mourvedre and just an absolutely delicious and complex wine
in every sense.
It has exactly what I cherish in a wine and what I strive for with my
own wines – a sunny disposition, full, ripe flavors, but nothing at all
over the top here, nothing two-square or clumsy, but rather just a
delightful potpourri of dark berry fruit and maybe some dried
flowers….if memory serves correctly. Beautifully nuanced and layered,
thought provoking and detailed, but rich and mouth-coating at the same
time. What a wine.
I have no idea what it costs, but just about whatever it is –buy it!
One of best new wine discoveries for me this year so far."
- Manfred Krankl (Winemaker and Owner of Cult Wine Legend Sine Qua Non)
"The Sine Qua Non of the Languedoc?"
- Jeb Dunnuck, The Rhone Report
"The flagship wine from this new venture is easily going to be the next great global cult wine. Think Clos Erasmus or Masseto; that’s the level of quality that this wine brings!"
- Gary Vaynerchuk
"This wine will ring changes on your palate for a decade. The
deep alluvial fan that is the basis for this site is only barely tilted,
as it might be in St. Helena or Rutherford, St.-Estephe or Pomerol ...
and these comparisons will not seem inapt once you experience the
quality of La Peira’s wines."
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"The most apt analogy, perhaps, is the publisher’s slush pile—that
legendary stack of unsolicited manuscripts where, sandwiched between
laborious first novels, eccentric diets, and the childhood reminiscences
of the elderly, the house reader dreams of finding a golden text to
wave at cynical seniors. So with the samples delivered to the homes of
those who write about wine. All deserve a taste, most a note, but I’ve
never come across one that rearranged my inner pantheon in the way that
truly great wine can. Never, that is, until a few weeks ago. Then
it was that a relatively ramshackle package of boxes arrived from the
Languedoc containing 11 bottles and a text. The bottles (cask samples,
in the main) had beautiful, austerely classical labels with puzzling,
hard-to-pronounce names. No UK importer, let alone retailer. Just an
apologetic e-mail, a few days earlier, from one of the wine’s creators,
Rob Dougan, alluding to their presence a year before at a tasting in
Bordeaux that I’d been unable to attend. Enough waffle. These are the best unsolicited samples anyone has ever sent me."
-Andrew Jefford
If that wasn't enough to get you excited, you can check out a great video by clicking here.
Now...after all of that if you are not even the least intrigued to come
be one of the first to experience these wines then I am not sure what
else we can do!
Here are two of the wines we will be featuring:
2010 La Peira
Only 1,500 bottles produced
Regular Price: $110.00
Winestore Price: $79.99
Save 27%
Expensive...yes. A wine you might never forget...yes.
2010 Las Flors de La Peira
Regular Price: $55.00
Winestore Price: $34.99 (net)
Save 36%
Hyperbole aside, this is one of the best wines we have tasted in 2013,
regardless of price. Buy one to lay down in your wine cabinet, buy one
for your loved one, buy one for your boss, or just buy one because this
is just brilliant wine from a brilliant vintage at a great price.
2010 Clos Erasmus "Laurel"
2010 Clos Erasmus "Laurel"
Winestore Price: $49.99 per bottle
SPECIAL 6-Pack Price: $39.99* per bottle
SAVE 20%
*6 pack price is only available in store or over the phone.
Charlotte residents are lucky that Daphne
Glorian Solomon, one of the worlds best winemakers, makes her home here
in Charlotte. It gives us access to some seriously great wines at some
seriously great prices (Go Queen City!) Her flagship wine, Clos Erasmus,
is known around the globe as one of the benchmarks for Spanish wine (if
not just incredible wine in general).
That said, she also makes a second label called "Laurel". Laurel, to
those of us who love this wine, is essentially a baby Clos Erasmus. Why?
It is a straight declassification of Clos Erasmus, meaning you're
essentially getting the juice that did not "make the cut" for the big
boy. That's called wine value people! The
2010 Laurel we're offering you today should offer you the best possible
explanation of what Daphne does with wine that is so incomparable and
indescribable.
In the seven years we have been open we
have never been able to offer you this wonderful wine at a price this
low. Take that for what it is worth.
So get while the gettin' is good. That is all we can tell you!
To order you can:
Order ONLINE by clicking HERE
Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024
Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944
Call LAKE NORMAN @ 704-892-5662
