1520 replies to this topic

[mrbigjas]

So whose wine is the screw cap Sauv Blanc??  Just curious since I have some limited experience with NZ screw cap wines, but am always curious as to which wineries are going "cork free", as it were.

caroline bay. it tastes... like a nz sauv blanc. it was about $12 or 13 if i remember right. truth be told i didn't notice the screw cap until the cashier was putting it in the bag. see, i'm observant like that.

[percyn]

Sorry if this seems a bit off-topic, but when I opend the 1992 Burgees (Library Selection), the cork seemed to have some (shiny crystal-like) mineral sediments on the cork. I have seen this a few times before on some bottles of wine. Can somone please educate me (us) on what these might be?


The picture does not depict this perfectly, but you can somewhat see what I was referring to.

Thanks
Percy

[KatieLoeb]

Percy:

Those would be tartaric acid crystals which sometimes will separate out of the wine. Other "sediments" that will separate out and either stick to the cork or fall to the bottom of the last glass you pour can be bits of particulate grape skin, dead yeast cells, etc. This happens over time so this is why older vintage wines are often decanted - both for the aeration and to get the nasty sediments out.

This stuff is nothing harmful, just unpleasant - kinda like waking up face down at the beach!

[Deidre Costello]

Wow -- its so refreshing to read all of these positive comments concerning the PLCB, especially the comments on the Chairman’s Selections! I’m sure I can say that Jonathan Newman is grateful for the overwhelming reception these products have gotten. I had the opportunity to sit in on a tasting of newest round of selections that are starting to come in and heard him speak about the ‘Buzz’ created not only here in PA but in surrounding states as well as in CA.

I hope you don’t mind that I am posting here since I do work for the PLCB (I handle the selection of products for our e-commerce web site Http://www.pawineandspirits.com ) BTW most Chairman’s Selection are still available online.

I thought I would give you an update for the Burgess 1992. We will be getting another 300 cases. The first shipment is pretty much sold out in the Philadelphia area. Burgess holds onto about 2000 cases to be released 10 years later. So each year they have two vintages in the market.

I will say that having tried the newest round of Chairman’s Selections you won’t be disappointed in any of the selections I picked three of my favorites that I personally liked and I am listing below with my notes. These wines are coming soon:

Domaine Carneros Le Reve Brut 1997: Estate produced Blanc de Blanc, Excellent selection especially for the holidays, yeast and tropical fruit on the nose in the mouth a rich creaminess with honey citrus and toast. Long finish. Regular price $55 Now $27.99

Gainey Sauvignon Blanc Limited Selection 2002: The Gainey can be described as a traditional California Sauvignon Blanc with tropical fruit, lemon and orange-cream on the nose, while in the mouth the roundness adds a softness to the white peach, pear, grapefruit and butter flavors that are rich with a long lingering finish. Regular price $21.49 Now $11.99

Vinas del Monsant Fra Guerau 2001: (Spain) Blend of Syrah, Garnacha, Merlot, Carinena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Mourvedre. Red fruits on the nose of cherry and raspberry that are carried out on the palate with good intensity with balanced acidity that will work well with grilled chicken or rich seafood stew. My best buy of the tasting at $7.99 this would make for a good house wine. Regular price $18.99

Sincerely, Deidre Costello



P.S. The crystals referred to earlier are also called ‘wine diamonds’ and are considered a sign of a good wine.

[KatieLoeb]

WELCOME DEIDRE!!!

Outstanding! Glad you could join us! And thanks for the update on the '92 Burgess. Wow - you might be an even better spy than the folks I've already enlisted!

Where do you live? Are you in Harrisburg? Just curious...

Thanks again for joining us and we look forward to your perspective on things. Your tasting notes are most welcome since I can't taste everything - as valiantly as I might try , and you're probably tasting it far in advance of it's availability to me. Rock on sister! Help me out here...

[Deidre Costello]

No I'm a local girl...Delaware County to be exact. I just found this web site and I love all the information I've been seeing very cool!! Like I said earlier its so nice to read boards that are so positive and helpful! I'll be checking in often and let you know some insider information when I can.

[cdh]

Welcome Diedre!

Great to have somebody on the inside of the PLCB joining the conversation!

If you're doing the selecting, then you've got the most inside scoop there is. Keep dishing!

Edited by cdh, 22 October 2004 - 11:22 AM.

[Deidre Costello]

Welcome Diedre!

Great to have somebody on the inside of the PLCB joining the conversation! 

If you're doing the selecting, then you've got the most inside scoop there is.  Keep dishing!

Just want to clarify I select the Products available through the on line store and for our wine of the month club The Wine Connection.

BTW another tip Lucky Country a 'second' label of Two Hands just arrived in our stores The Lucky Country Shirz/Cab just got 90 points in the Wine Advocate and the Lucky Country GSM got 87 points.

[percyn]

Just want to clarify I select the Products available through the on line store and for our wine of the month club The Wine Connection.

Deidre,
Welcome to the forum and as a member of the wine of the month club, I look forward to your insight . For what it is worth, I moved to PA about 3 years ago (to the week) after having lived in many "wine friendly" states (and countries) and have seen the PLCB evolve (for the better), keep up the good work !!

Katie and Deidre, thanks for the info on the "wine diamonds". I did not decant the '92 Burgees as there was no visible sediment. Aeration took place in an oversized Cab/Bordeaux wine glass

[KatieLoeb]

Welcome Diedre!

Great to have somebody on the inside of the PLCB joining the conversation! 

If you're doing the selecting, then you've got the most inside scoop there is.  Keep dishing!

Just want to clarify I select the Products available through the on line store and for our wine of the month club The Wine Connection.

BTW another tip Lucky Country a 'second' label of Two Hands just arrived in our stores The Lucky Country Shirz/Cab just got 90 points in the Wine Advocate and the Lucky Country GSM got 87 points.

I'm very fond of the Lucky Country blend and am considering it for a by-the-glass pour at Rouge in the near future. I've met the winemaker at Two Hands and he's a nice fellow. Does wonderful things with grape juice too! The Two Hands Angel's Share Shiraz is one of my very favorites. I picked up a bottle of the Lucky GSM (Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvedre) at my run to the 12th Street store on my way home from work last night. In addition I picked up some of the 2000 vintages of the Burgess wines including the Cabernet ($12.99), Syrah($9.99) and the Zinfandel which is on sale for the truly astonishing price of $7.99. I had the Zin with my steak dinner last night and it was excellent! Possibly the tastiest $8 bottle I've had in some time. I'm going to pick up a whole mess of that as my "house wine" for the foreseeable future. It's a total no brainer. And it's REAL Russian River Zin, even at that price. It's never going to compete with Turley, but for $8 it is varietally true and quite lovely. It smells of all kinds of blue/black fruits like plums and blueberries and blackberries and has a nice level of spiciness and smooth edges from oak aging. Good fruit intensity and full body (14.4% alcohol). These sorts of characteristics are generally completely unavailable at that price point. Good Stuff!!!

[phifly04]

No I'm a local girl...Delaware County to be exact.  I just found this web site and I love all the information I've been seeing very cool!!  Like I said earlier its so nice to read boards that are so positive and helpful!  I'll be checking in often and let you know some insider information when I can.

Welcome Deidre-where at in Delco?moved to Delaware originally from Ridley
Dave s

[Deidre Costello]

Percyn: Glad to hear from a member of the wine club! Hope you enjoy the selections so far. I said earlier that when I found this site I thought it was cool, got to ditto that again!

Dave S.: I'm in Aston.

Katie: I left my tasting notes at the office, but if I recall correctly the Burgess Syrah was another winner I just got some more of this one. This is what I recall concerning this wine. Nose of Bacon on the palate smoked fruit flavors I want to try this one again with sausage. At Thanksgiving I make a Sausage and Sage stuffing that I think will work well with the Burgess Syrah I want to play around a bit I like offering different Reds and Whites so that there is a nice match up for everyone. Anyway I will check my notes tomorrow and if I see anything different than what I recall I'll post again.

[KatieLoeb]

Percyn: Glad to hear from a member of the wine club!  Hope you enjoy the selections so far.  I said earlier that when I found this site I thought it was cool, got to ditto that again!

Dave S.: I'm in Aston.

Katie:  I left my tasting notes at the office, but if I recall correctly the Burgess Syrah was another winner I just got some more of this one.  This is what I recall concerning this wine.  Nose of Bacon on the palate smoked fruit flavors I want to try this one again with sausage.  At Thanksgiving I make a Sausage and Sage stuffing that I think will work well with the Burgess Syrah I want to play around a bit I like offering different Reds and Whites so that there is a nice match up for everyone.  Anyway I will check my notes tomorrow and if I see anything different than what I recall I'll post again.

The Syrah is probably the next bottle I'll open. Maybe even tonight. I'll post notes too if that's the case.

That Sausage and Sage stuffing sounds divine!

[mike volker]

Welcome Diedre,



We will be happy to take all the inside information we can get. BTW, maybe its just my browser, but your link to pa wine and spirits didn't work.

Best,

Mike

[percyn]

Welcome Diedre,

We will be happy to take all the inside information we can get. BTW, maybe its just my browser, but your link to pa wine and spirits didn't work.

Best,

Mike

Mike,
Try http://www.pawineandspirits.com/ (Diedre's link seems to have an extra "http://" by accident).

[Deidre Costello]

Thanks for correcting my link from earlier...

Did some snooping earlier the 2000 Trilogy was reordered with another 400 case expected real soon possibly this week!
Hanna 1999 Bismark Cab was reordered with 1200+ cases expected in next couple of weeks.
The St Supery Meritage 1999 like the Trilogy should be in real soon however, grab it when you can only 200 6 pack cases were purchased.
The Fra Guerau that I mentioned earlier also expected in the next week or so.

A couple of interesting wines are slated for the on deck circle:
Newton Epic Merlot 2000 $17.99 - 1000 cases
Newton Le Puzzle Cabernet 2000Spring Mtn. $17.99 - 1000 cases
Yalumba Mourvedre Grenache Shiraz 2003 $21.99 - only 200 6 packs
Yalumba Shiraz Viognier 2002 $21.99 - only 200 6 packs

[KatieLoeb]

Thanks for correcting my link from earlier...

Did some snooping earlier the 2000 Trilogy was reordered with another 400 case expected real soon possibly this week!
Hanna 1999 Bismark Cab was reordered with 1200+ cases expected in next couple of weeks.
The St Supery Meritage 1999 like the Trilogy should be in real soon however, grab it when you can only 200 6 pack cases were purchased.
The Fra Guerau that I mentioned earlier also expected in the next week or so.

A couple of interesting wines are slated for the on deck circle:
Newton Epic Merlot 2000 $17.99 - 1000 cases
Newton Le Puzzle Cabernet 2000Spring Mtn. $17.99 - 1000 cases
Yalumba Mourvedre Grenache Shiraz 2003 $21.99 - only 200 6 packs
Yalumba Shiraz Viognier 2002 $21.99 - only 200 6 packs

:rubbing her hands together with glee:

Ehhhxcellent!

Deidre wins most valuable new player award!

[lancastermike]

Welcome Diedre!

Great to have somebody on the inside of the PLCB joining the conversation! 

If you're doing the selecting, then you've got the most inside scoop there is.  Keep dishing!

Just want to clarify I select the Products available through the on line store and for our wine of the month club The Wine Connection.

BTW another tip Lucky Country a 'second' label of Two Hands just arrived in our stores The Lucky Country Shirz/Cab just got 90 points in the Wine Advocate and the Lucky Country GSM got 87 points.

I'm very fond of the Lucky Country blend and am considering it for a by-the-glass pour at Rouge in the near future. I've met the winemaker at Two Hands and he's a nice fellow. Does wonderful things with grape juice too! The Two Hands Angel's Share Shiraz is one of my very favorites. I picked up a bottle of the Lucky GSM (Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvedre) at my run to the 12th Street store on my way home from work last night. In addition I picked up some of the 2000 vintages of the Burgess wines including the Cabernet ($12.99), Syrah($9.99) and the Zinfandel which is on sale for the truly astonishing price of $7.99. I had the Zin with my steak dinner last night and it was excellent! Possibly the tastiest $8 bottle I've had in some time. I'm going to pick up a whole mess of that as my "house wine" for the foreseeable future. It's a total no brainer. And it's REAL Russian River Zin, even at that price. It's never going to compete with Turley, but for $8 it is varietally true and quite lovely. It smells of all kinds of blue/black fruits like plums and blueberries and blackberries and has a nice level of spiciness and smooth edges from oak aging. Good fruit intensity and full body (14.4% alcohol). These sorts of characteristics are generally completely unavailable at that price point. Good Stuff!!!

Katie,

While wondering around my local store on Saturday I saw the Burgess Zinfandel and I was flumoxed by the price! I took home a couple and opened one Sunday with beef stew I made and this was wonderful. Pennsylvania state store have changed so much for the better. They had a good bit of it and I will be back for more. I will try the Syrah as well. I can still remember when you went to the state store and you had to go up to the counter and tell them what you wanted and they went into the back and brought it out. My store has good selection and people who know from wine. I really never thought I would see it happen in PA.

[KatieLoeb]

Katie,

          While wondering around my local store on Saturday I saw the Burgess  Zinfandel and I was flumoxed by the price!  I took home a couple and opened one Sunday with beef stew I made and this was wonderful.  Pennsylvania state store have changed so much for the better.  They had a good bit of it and I will be back for more.  I will try the Syrah as well.  I can still remember when you went to the state store and you had to go up to the counter and tell them what you wanted and they went into the back and brought it out.  My store has good selection and people who know from wine.  I really never thought I would see it happen in PA.

Mike:

Glad you enjoyed it! I'm tellin' 'ya - that's gotta be the most luscious zin I've had in awhile at virtually any price. The fact that it's only $8 is a BIG bonus! I tried the Burgess Syrah a few nights ago and it was really good too. More like cocoa dusted bacon on the nose but really high quality as well. Tried the 2000 Cabernet with dinner at Branzino on Monday evening (writeup to follow later this week when I have time!) and again - a winner!!

Go buy the Burgess wines folks!!! They're all good and all have an incredibly high price-value quotient. I love it when I stumble on stuff like this!

Mike - I too, remember the days of "Combat Zone" PLCB stores where you'd walk up to the thick bullet-proof window and ask for what you wanted. It made you feel like you were doing something vaguely unsavory. Bleah! I'm glad that the Chairman is a wine lover - he's definitely improved things to the point where it's almost like free enterprise retail in any other state.

[percyn]

:rubbing her hands together with glee:

Ehhhxcellent!

Deidre wins most valuable new player award! 

Katie,
While we are glad to have Deidre amongst us, please don't sell yourself short !! You have been bestowing wonderful advice and tips upon us for quite some time and we hope that it will continue

[KatieLoeb]

:rubbing her hands together with glee:

Ehhhxcellent!

Deidre wins most valuable new player award! 

Katie,
While we are glad to have Deidre amongst us, please don't sell yourself short !! You have been bestowing wonderful advice and tips upon us for quite some time and we hope that it will continue

I'm trying my best. I feel responsible as the Mistress of Potables to make sure you're all drinking well, and frugally whenever possible.

So I guess that makes me a simultaneous bad influence and good influence.

[gabe]

12th & Chestnut superstore was all sold out of the Burgess Zin yesterday afternoon... problem with great $8 wines in limited quantities is that folks buy them by the case and there's nothing left over for us bottle-at-a-timers! More like this, please, PLCB!

I wound up with an $8 liter jug of surprisingly good California Zinfandel from Three Thieves... love it when whimsy is backed up by tastiness.

[KatieLoeb]

12th & Chestnut superstore was all sold out of the Burgess Zin yesterday afternoon... problem with great $8 wines in limited quantities is that folks buy them by the case and there's nothing left over for us bottle-at-a-timers!  More like this, please, PLCB!

I wound up with an $8 liter jug of surprisingly good California Zinfandel from Three Thieves... love it when whimsy is backed up by tastiness.

Gabe:

I think the 5th Street store may have a little of the Zin still in stock. Franklin Mills had lots last Sunday. I'd call first to any of these stores just so not to waste a trip.

I saw the Three Thieves and thought the jug was a marketing gimmick. Clearly it is, but if the wine is good it's worth a try.

[Deidre Costello]

Did some checking on the Burgess Zin looks like the 3720 Main Steet and 326 south 5th street have some bottles left. Franklin Mills looks like it is pretty much sold out.

I'll check around and see if more is coming into the city...I'll let you know what I find out.

[Casetta]

Greetings!

Just got around to reading this thread and noted someone mentioned a screw top Sauvignon Blanc. Last night Tom & I really enjoyed the Kim Crawford 2004 Screw Top. I believe it is a Chairman's Selection. I grabbed it whilst perusing the aisles looking for something that wasn't Chardonnay. Very crispy and nice. Would be a good cheese and apple wine IMHO. Thanks to Katie I knew how to open the screw top with aplomb - didn't even notice it was a screw top until I tried to take my foil cutter to it. Really like the screw top on whites because they fit in the refrigerator door nicely!

Cheers!

[mike volker]

The St. Supery hit the shelves today so I'll post a TN s soon as I open one. Collegeville didn't get any of the Hanna Cab at all so we'll wait on that one. We still have some of the Burgess Zin left if anyone is interested.

Best,

Mike

[Lisa1349]

  Thanks to Katie I knew how to open the screw top with aplomb - didn't even notice it was a screw top until I tried to take my foil cutter to it. Cheers!

Do tell!

[KatieLoeb]

  Thanks to Katie I knew how to open the screw top with aplomb - didn't even notice it was a screw top until I tried to take my foil cutter to it.
Cheers!

Do tell!

The gentleman that taught me this neat trick, Stuart Devine of Villa Maria Wines New Zealand, will begin participating in a "Chat with Stuart Devine" thread in the wine forum starting this week. All of Villa Maria's wines are Stelvin capped (screw top) so asking him about proper tableside opening procedures would be a great question. The thread should be started by this evening at the latest. Any other questions you have about the NZ wine industry or winemaking practices would also be welcome.

[Deidre Costello]

Gabe I see that the Burgess Zin is back in at both 19th and Chestnut and 1218 Chestnut.

It also looks like the Trilogy has hit the Phila area stores again...

BTW Katie thanks for hosting Stuart Devine!

[KatieLoeb]

Gabe I see that the Burgess Zin is back in at both 19th and Chestnut and 1218 Chestnut. 

It also looks like the Trilogy has hit the Phila area stores again...

BTW Katie thanks for hosting Stuart Devine!

D:

Thanks for the heads up! I just snagged a case of the Burgess Zin for myself. It's going to be my "house wine" for the foreseeable future.

Please go ask Stuart some questions in the Wine Forum! He's a super interesting guy, has a wide background and he'll be with us through the week. Should be interesting for everyone, I hope!