California Chardonnay Taste Off!
Saturday April 14th, 2012
11am-8pm
Featuring:
2010 Rombauer Chardonnay
2008 Trefethen "Harmony" Chardonnay
2010 Plumpjack "Reserve" Chardonnay
2010 Wente "Morning Fog" Chardonnay
2009 Trefethen "Double T" Chardonnay
2009 Duckhorn "Migration" Chardonnay
2010 Salmon Creek Chardonnay
2009 Lyeth Chardonnay
Chardonnay is the most popular variety among U.S. wine drinkers. That, rather obvious, fact is all too often ignored by wine geeks who love to smirk about their latest “ABC” infatuation. “Anything but Chardonnay” may describe the interest level of many jaded wine aficionados, but it doesn’t speak to most wine drinkers. For most, Chardonnay is plenty tasty, and good values abound. Of all those Chardonnay lovers out there, it is the rich and buttery Chardonnay - the character that defines California - that gets people really excited.
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 we just admit that big, rich, and fat California Chardonnay is delicious to drink!!
In the interest of promoting how delicious these wines truly are, we decided that we all need to taste some of the greatest Chardonnays coming out of California, against each other, in an epic California Chardonnay taste off. We'll line all the wines up on the machine and let the grading begin. Each taster will be able to rate the wines 1-8 (1 being their favorite) and we will release the results next week (with perhaps a deal on the winner!)
If you are like us and love a great Cali Chard, then be sure to stop in on Saturday.
See you Saturday and Happy Tasting!
Salmon Creek Sampler Case
12 bottles for only $59.88 (or just $4.99 a bottle)
Regular Price: $6.99
SALE CASE Price: $4.99
SAVE 29%
SALE Runs Wednesday April 11th - Sunday April 15th, 2012
Nothing says "Spring has sprung" like a little outdoor get together with friends and family. Only problem is that if you're having everyone in the neighborhood over to your house in the coming weeks for that BBQ or that Wells Fargo Championship party you host every year, you need some wine that won't break the bank.
Well, how does $59.88 per case sound? Ever since we started carrying Salmon Creek it has become the "go-to" wine for your house party, your daily glass of wine, your wedding, your tailgate, your...you get the idea. Even better news is that you can mix and match any of the Salmon Creek varietals (Cabernet, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir) in a case and it's still just $59.88. We'll get the wines up on the machine ASAP for you to taste just in case you don't trust us :)
Here is the offering:
12 bottles of Salmon Creek
$59.88 (or $4.99 a bottle)
Mix and match any of the following varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir)
Sooooo - save a couple of dollars, enjoy some super tasty wine, and impress all of your wine snob friends once they ask how much the wine cost!
To order your case simply swing by the store or:
Call SouthPark @ 704-442-4024
Call Blakeney @ 704-443-2944
2009 Chateau Smith Cabernet
Winery Price: $20.00 (Click HERE to see)
Winestore Price: $14.99 (net)
SAVE 25%
Only 20 cases available at this price!
Our distributor called us this week offering us a fun deal on their last 20 cases of Chateau Smith. At this price it was a no brainer! This is full throttle Cabernet from Charles Smith. Yes, Charles may be a bit crazy (that may come from his days managing rock bands in Amsterdam) but he also happens to be one of the most promising winemakers in the United States.
The wine market is such a funny place. Each of us observers are confident that there are few new ideas; we will repeat certain platitudes ad nauseum: that the best way to make a small fortune in the wine business is to start with a large one; that only the largest wineries can garner any attention from the wholesalers; that you have to be lucky to get anywhere. Okay, I'm sticking with that last one.
You've got to be damn lucky, that's for sure, though as they say, you make your own luck. But a small winery in eastern Washington with no big marketing budget, no big budget at all in fact, has proven that maybe you can make it if you try, as Sly Stone used to sing. Charles Smith of K Vintners has more or less thrown the playbook against the wall and tried everything you can imagine: high end single vineyard wines, regional blends to a price point, purchased and/or blended wines with funny labels and goofy names, and maybe a few consulting gigs.
And Smith has succeeded, probably beyond his wildest dreams. His Kung Fu Girl Riesling is hot stuff, seemingly on every wine by glass list. His labels with black block printing on white, looking more like tattoos than wine labels, just keep proliferating: The Creator, Boom Boom Syrah, Chateau Smith, Kung Fu Girl, and Eve. His K Vintners wines remain powerful and delicious examples of Washington wines. And he did all with hard, honest work. Oh, yeah, and some luck.
To order you can:
Order ONLINE by clicking HERE
Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024
Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944
We Love Cabernet Tasting!
Saturday April 7th, 2012
11am - 8pm
ALL DAY LONG!
Featuring:
2009 Snowden Cabernet "The Ranch"
2009 Chateau Smith
2008 Rockus Bockus
2007 Ladera Napa Cabernet
2006 Laurel Glen Estate Cabernet
2009 Regusci "Twenty Bench" Cabernet
2009 Edge Napa Cabernet
2010 Leese Fitch Cabernet
Ask and you shall receive! The request has been made, over and over again, for a Saturday tasting simply featuring the wonderful world of Cabernet. Well, we want you to be happy, and therefore we have put together what we think is an incredibly fun lineup of special occasion Cabernet bottles (Snowden) and ones to share with the family this Easter Sunday (Leese Fitch, Twenty Bench).
Cabernet is a special grape for many people - it may have helped facilitate their entry into red wine, it may bring back fond memories of trips to Napa with friends and family, it may be the wine you drank on the evening you got engaged. Well, if you are one of these many people (and we fall into these categories) this is a tasting for you. We've got Cab at all price points, made in all styles, from all different regions and we'll even throw in some special stuff just because we are cool like that :)
So swing on in Saturday, take a break from the Masters, bring the family that is in town for Easter weekend and enjoy some great juice.
We hope to see you then and, as always, THANK YOU for your business - we appreciate it!
The Wines of Philippe Cambie
Saturday March 31st, 2012
11am -8pm
Featuring:
2009 Halos de Jupiter Cotes du Rhone
2010 Puech Haut "Prestige"
2009 Philippe Cambie "Calendal"
2009 Capcanes "Mas Donis"
2008 Capcanes "Costers del Gravet"
2010 Domaine La Garrigue "Cuvee Romaine"
2004 Bodegas Mas Alta "Artigas"
2009 Clos St. Jean "Vieilles Vignes"
There are lots of smart people working in the wine industry who operate far under the radar. One such is Rick Jones, a long time California wine consultant (though his reach has spread to many other countries at times) but you haven’t heard of him. That’s okay. This column isn’t even about Rick; it’s just an example of how winemakers and winegrowers are constantly seeking out new ideas and skilled practitioners to improve their products, grapes or wine. Some of the most important of these consultants rarely receive the acclaim they are due, though most of this ilk I have met insist that they are simply consultants and that they deserve nothing in the way of notoriety. Simply put, they have ideas and experiences that may help others to make better wines; in this, they often see themselves as supporting players. But winemaking is an inherently collaborative process. While no one person deserves the entire credit (or blame) for any wine, certain individuals’ ideas have sometimes influenced an entire generation (say, Emile Peynaud or Robert Parker) or entire region – that would be Philippe Cambie in the southern Rhone.
Cambie hails from outside the region (Herault in the old Midi; close by but a world away in French wine industry terms) but he has had increasing impact upon the Grenache based wines of the Rhone Valley since his arrival in the area in 1998. And while the two influential folks mentioned above have had a much wider reach in their influence, there has been a common complaint applied by some to the impact of their ideas: that wines too much taste the same these days because of the ideas these two gentlemen promulgated.
I don’t think anyone would accuse Cambie of this sinister crime, if it is indeed a crime. The best wines of the southern Rhone seem more and more different under his influence. At the least it could be stated that the styles of the many wines he has assisted have remained distinctive even as they have improved over the last decade or so. That’s the sort of statement that any winemaker or consultant would, I think, feel great pride in hearing applied to their legacy.
Cambie’s work continues on: amongst the many estates he has assisted or assists are estates we have helped to promote here at winestore: in Spain, Mas Alta in Priorat and the venerable Celler Capcanes in Montsant; in France, Domaine Puech Haut, Clos Saint Jean, Feraud Brunel, le Vieux Donjon, Domaine la Garrigue, Domaine Boisson, Bosquet des Papes, Grand Tinel, Senechaux, Mont Olivet, and finally Tardieu Laurent. One of Tardieu Laurent’s wines went down for me very nicely tonight. It was ripe and delicious but unlike some in the region, it was never overripe and for that I am grateful to anyone responsible, including Monsieur Cambie.
Enjoy these wonderful wines and we'll see you Saturday!
Cheers,
Doug Frost, MS MW
Master Sommelier & Master of Wine
Wente Chardonnay 6 Pack Special!
2010 Wente "Morning Fog" Chardonnay
Regular Price: $12.99 per bottle
6 Pack Special: $8.99 per bottle
SAVE 31%
SALE Runs Wednesday March 28th - Sunday April 1st, 2012
It's that time again - time to run one of the most popular (if not the most popular) deals that we can offer; and this time at an even lower price! Wente Morning Fog has got everything we love about California Chardonnay - a few buttery notes, some toasted oak - but nothing too over the top. It's refreshing right out of the fridge (or the cooler) and at $8.99 a bottle it's a steal.
So if you're looking for some good Tuesday night wine, some dinner party wine, or just looking for a great deal - your ship has come in. A great six pack for only $53.94 when it used to be $78. Take that extra $24 and get yourself some Mega Millions tickets :)
To order you can:
Swing on by!
Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024
Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944
