1520 replies to this topic

[Dennis]

Here's a good deal for Irish Whiskey drinksrs. I picked up 2 bottles (all they had in Glenside) of Auchentoshan single malt Scotch Whisky (no e ). It is triple distelled like Irisk Whiskey ( got the E) and quite frankly tastes as smooth and good as the Jamison's and Tullamore Dew's that I normally drink. The clearance price is $17.29 and I've seen it for $29.00 in Delaware, so I think it's a good deal. With that said, I don't know how to use spell checker on here and I'm tired I've corrected my spelling...

[Dennis]

Here's a good deal for Irish Whiskey drinkers. I picked up 2 bottles (all they had in Glenside) of Auchentoshan single malt Scotch Whisky (no e ). It is triple distilled like Irish Whiskey ( got the E) and quite frankly tastes as smooth as the Jamison's and Tullamore Dew's that I normally drink. The clearance price is $17.29 and I've seen it for $29.00 in Delaware, so I think it's a good deal.

[KatieLoeb]

Sipping a glass of Airlie Willamette Valley Pinot Gris 2006. $16.99/bottle. Bought mine at the Columbus Blvd. store, but they're almost out according to the website. This is a very flavorful summer white. Big peachy and apricot flavors along with a hint of citrus peel on the back end. Soft enough to drink alone but also enjoyed it with some rotisserie chicken. Great pairing with the chicken.

This would compliment a wide range of foods, from the rotisseried chicken I mentioned above to light pasta dishes or grilled fish and seafood. It's almost a lateral move from overoaked California chardonnay, but in a good way. Quality Oregon Pinot Gris is hard to find at this price point. I'm going to try snag a couple more bottles of this before they disappear. Seems I might have to search outside of Philadelphia County though.

Seems the PLCB has quite a few wines available from this winery. It doesn't seem a huge leap in logic that if their Pinot Gris is this good that perhaps their treatment of other Alsace varietals might be equally successful. Makes me curious to ty their gewurztraminer or the riesling as well as the blends....

Edited by KatieLoeb, 26 June 2009 - 10:13 PM.

[Capaneus]

Utterly absurd prices in current CS Sale:

http://www.lcb.state...a=1328&q=559709

[Jeff L]

Utterly absurd prices in current CS Sale:

http://www.lcb.state...a=1328&q=559709

I was wondering when someone was going to post this and I almost did yesterday.
Just picked up 10 bottles of KILIKANOON ORACLE SHIRAZ 05 for $20 per, amazing wine at an amazing and unheard of price point. I also am waiting on 3 cases of Valdubon at $6 bucks per to be shipped from the Wayne store. I've been drinking this almost daily at 10 bucks so I'm stocking up some.

As Pedro says, lots of insane prices on some pretty good juice here.

[Dennis]

As usual. it seems like most of these wines are in western PA, and I was told that they would not transfer any of these "Hot Summer Saving" wines to my store. However, I did notice that the Davis Bynum Pinot Noir is available thru the online store and there are about 300 bottles left. I tried googling the vintage but can't seem to find anything on the Rochiloi vineyard, every review I found was for either the Russian River or the Mishoni? vineyard. Does anyone have any opinions on this wine? I'd appreciate your recommendations. Thanks

[KatieLoeb]

Enjoyed a bottle of Guigal Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2007 over the last couple of nights. It's $13.99/bottle and fairly available at most of the Wine & Spirits shops. 55% Viognier with smaller percentages of Roussane and Marsanne fermented in stainless steel. Lots of those lovely floral and peachy/apricot aromas from the Viognier. A nice round medium bodied quaffer for summertime. I had it with roast chicken and cooked wheatberries topped with stir fried zucchini. It was just perfect with that, as the nuttier notes in the wine were delicious with the nutty grains. I'd definitely buy this again as I suspect it would pair with a wide variety of foods pretty well. Always a good bottle to grab and go to the BYO when you aren't sure what you'll be having.

[Jeff L]

As usual. it seems like most of these wines are in western PA, and I was told that they would not transfer any of these "Hot Summer Saving" wines to my store. However, I did notice that the Davis Bynum Pinot Noir is available thru the online store and there are about 300 bottles left. I tried googling the vintage but can't seem to find anything on the Rochiloi vineyard, every review I found was for either the Russian River or the Mishoni? vineyard. Does anyone have any opinions on this wine? I'd appreciate your recommendations. Thanks

I didn't have any problem shipping the Valdubon to the Newtown store although it hasn't arrived yet..

[Capaneus]

As usual. it seems like most of these wines are in western PA, and I was told that they would not transfer any of these "Hot Summer Saving" wines to my store. However, I did notice that the Davis Bynum Pinot Noir is available thru the online store and there are about 300 bottles left. I tried googling the vintage but can't seem to find anything on the Rochiloi vineyard, every review I found was for either the Russian River or the Mishoni? vineyard. Does anyone have any opinions on this wine? I'd appreciate your recommendations. Thanks

Dennis, a couple of things:

If they aren't shipping to your store, someone has decided not to do it for you, out of malice, ignorance, or laziness. I'm expecting a couple of things to come in to mine, and there seemed to be no problem with getting it done. I checked with Harrisburg in advance, and they most definitely have no general rule against it - but General Managers do have some discretion in the matter. If you make no headway - go to another store. Stuff transferred in counts as sales for the receiving store, someone will do it.

Don't believe the stock numbers you're seeing. They're upgrading systems, and inventory is way off. I called the online store, trying to bet more of the Bynum Allen Vyd., which I really liked, and they are sold out. Got some of the Rocchioli Vyd., which is supposedly not as good, but in ways that make me suspect I'll like it - not as big, more acidity. Just received it, haven't tried it. There's still some of that (or there was some yesterday), and there's still some of the Simonnet-Febvre "Les Preuses", which I do have, have drunk, and like - and I liked it when I'd paid $30 for it.

Anything else is going to be hit or miss, but the online store's own system is accurate: if you click through and it says they got none, it's the truth. But there's no list of what they have, so you have to check each wine you're interested in.

Other than online, I would call to check stock actually exists before going somewhere to grab something, or asking to have it transferred in.

Hope any of this comes in time to help you out.

[Dennis]

I went to the store in Flourtown last week after reading your reply and asked them to order 2 cases of the Clos La Chance chardonay. He said he would do it on Monday, so hopefully he did.

On another note, I stopped in the state store tonight and discoverd that the Wild Turkey Rare Breed is on clearance for $21.99 which is a huge discount. I've only had it once before because it's usually about $35/btl. I intend to pick up more tomorrow night.

One more thing, how do you invoke spell-check?

[mike volker]

TN: IL COLOMBAIO DE CENCIO,IL FUTURO 00

I couldn't wait, so we opened one last night. Decanted 4 hours.

This wine is all plums and spice with alot of oak. This is more oak than I like so the other eleven bottles are going in the cellar in hopes that the oak integrates with a few more years.

Best,

Mike

I opened the second sixpack of this last week and what a difference four years makes. The oak has totally integrated and it got "WOW' plus raves from the spousal unit. God I miss the chairman!

Best,

Mike

Edited by mike volker, 18 August 2009 - 08:15 AM.

[KatieLoeb]

Merryvale Starmont Sauvignon Blanc 2007. Code #18247. Oceans of it around Philly for $10.99. I picked up a bottle at the 5th Street Society Hill store on Saturday and enjoyed it (along with the company of several other PhilleGulleteers) with some excellent Chinese at Ken's in Chinatown. The winery website's tasting notes are spot on:

...our 2007 Starmont Sauvignon blanc exhibits classic pale-straw color, with intense aromatics of lemon zest, crenshaw melon, kiwi and ripe grapefruit along with pronounced mineral and wet-stone with a hint of herbal “green” Sauvignon note. The wine has excellent viscosity combining barrel-fermented roundness with refreshing acidity leading to a long finish...

This wine is listed at $18 from the winery! Merryvale is always a reliable producer. It's high quality and a bargain at $10.99. I'm going to go pick up half a case before it's gone.

[Neil Gilmour]

I missed out entirely on the sale this summer. How do I sign up for the emails announcing them?

[KatieLoeb]

Hi Neil. Go HERE and sign up for the advance emails. It also helps to have the time to be vigilant and both nurture a relationship with the manager of your local store as well as have time to scour the shelves to see what's new. Not all of us have the luxury of time to do that. That's why when I find something I like I snap it up!

[KatieLoeb]

And speaking of those emails...The "Harvest Sale" begins on October 1. Online sale only until inventory disappears. Doesn't appear to be accessible on the website quite yet. Cheval Blanc 2003 is going for $199.99 marked down from $367.49. That's a significant savings if it isn't too rich for your blood. I suspect they're trying to dump a lot of the high end stuff to make space for new vintages and purchases, but it's certainly worth a look.

PLCB website

I'm certainly going to peruse and see if there's anything I can afford without breaking the bank. Orders over $200 get free shipping to sweeten the deal...

[mrbigjas]

oo look, the 04 screaming eagle is marked down to only $6K a bottle. how many cases you in for?

[KatieLoeb]

Well let's see....Mortgage?...or Wine?? Looks like mortgage wins.

But still, there are a few real bargains in there. That 1998 Gosset Brut Champagne Celebris is a steal at $49.99. Small(er) producer champagne are often way more interesting than their grande marque (read: names you've heard of) counterparts. At this price I'd rather have two bottles of the Gosset to one bottle of Dom Perignon any day...

[percyn]

Well let's see....Mortgage?...or Wine?? Looks like mortgage wins.

Wine won my battle...looks like I will have to make space in the cellar and resist the urge of opening some of these bottles for a few more decades.

[KatieLoeb]

Picked up a bottle of the 2005 Gundlach Bundschu Estate Bottled (Rhinefarm Vineyard) Pinot Noir to enjoy sipping during the Phillies game with a friend. Oh my! This was one of the most delightful bottles of wine I've enjoyed in quite a while! Luscious was the first word that came to mind. All big phat cherry/black cherry on the nose and tons of fruitiness backed with just a hint of spice on the palate. Big mouthfeel for a pinot noir, too. A bargain at $17.99. Winery tasting notes mention 11 months of aging in all French oak. This is burgundian style wine done the Sonoma way - all that big 'ol California fruit in your face but elegant and silky like a lovely and true to form Burgundy. There's a bit of it around the city and it's code 15601 - listed on the website as GUNDLACH BUNDSCHU PINOT NOIR 05 "Specialty". Most definitely worth the cost of admission. I've always been a huge fan of the Gun-Bun wines and this one doesn't disappoint. This joins the annals of my faves along with the Gun-Bun Gewurztraminer, my absolutely favorite domestic gewurz of all time. These folks know what they're doing. I'll be snatching up a few more bottles of this to set aside for a bit. Drinking great now, and ought to be fine for a few more years too. Run everyone! Before I beat you to the last of it...

[Dennis]

I just read the article in yesterday's Inquirer about Gary Vaynerchuk. I had never heard of him before.
It was an interesting article, so I checked his website and watched one of his reviews on http://tv.winelibrary.com/
Then I thought to myself, why doesn't Katie have a site of her own where she reviews the the wines that we can get?
I know most of us would tune in and so would alot of the other wine lovers on he internet. Come on Katie, the internet is waiting for you....

Edited by Dennis, 17 October 2009 - 06:35 AM.

[KatieLoeb]

Dennis:

I thought I was already doing that. Right here, in fact.

I'm flattered by your vote of confidence, though. I think my good friend Marnie Old has some of that covered in each edition of Uncorked on Philly.com. My problem is that my shopping is inconsistently done via the PLCB. I've occasionally been known to wine shop on trips to Astor Wine when in Manhattan, or in a :*cough*: neighboring state. However, I always do try to report back with anything with an exceptionally good QPR that I've found at the State Store. Perhaps when I get my own website up and running (boozemuse.net - I already own the domain) I'll be able to dedicate more time to blogging and maintaining updates to the site...

On a separate and frustrating note, there was no more Gun-Bun Pinot Noir left at the Society Hill store this evening when I stopped by to pick up three bottles to stash for future reference. There was some of the Gun-Bun Merlot at a shockingly frugal $14.99, though, and I suspect I'll pick up a bottle or two of that when I go fetch my Pinot Noir I'm having held for me at 12th Street. Winery notes state 17 months in all French Oak. That's a bargain bottle if that's the case. Most wine that's aged in French oak (used or new) starts at a pricepoint at least twice that if not more.

[dagordon]

For those of you who bought the 2005 Sierra Carche at some point, in case you don't already know:

http://www.drvino.co...ra-carche-2005/

Basically, it seems that many, many of the bottles are flawed. I just returned the 2 I purchased.

[Mano]

For those of you who bought the 2005 Sierra Carche at some point, in case you don't already know:

http://www.drvino.com/2009/07/22/sierra-missed-the-saga-of-sierra-carche-2005/

Basically, it seems that many, many of the bottles are flawed. I just returned the 2 I purchased.

I have six waiting for me. Other than opening and tasting, any way to tell if the bottle is good or bad?

[dagordon]

For those of you who bought the 2005 Sierra Carche at some point, in case you don't already know:

http://www.drvino.com/2009/07/22/sierra-missed-the-saga-of-sierra-carche-2005/

Basically, it seems that many, many of the bottles are flawed. I just returned the 2 I purchased.

I have six waiting for me. Other than opening and tasting, any way to tell if the bottle is good or bad?

AFAIK, no. Though I'm pretty sure that one of the advantages of the PLCB is that you can return even an opened bottle of wine, so I suppose you could always open it and return it if it's bad. On the other hand, there's a lot of great wine out there, so I just figured it's not worth the risk and hassle and returned mine.

[KatieLoeb]

There was still a stack of the Gundlach Pinot Noir at 12th & Chestnut tonight when I picked up my three bottles that were being held. I picked up 2 bottles of the merlot over the weekend at Soicety Hill store but haven't had the chance to try it yet. Will report back when I crack the first one open.

[mike volker]

The Sette Ponti Crognolo is pretty much a no brainer at $20.

Best,

Mike

[KatieLoeb]

Online only. The "Less than $10 Sale". Starts today (11/2) and ends when inventory is gone.

Edited by KatieLoeb, 02 November 2009 - 11:16 PM.

[Neil Gilmour]

Katie, I thought I was signed up there, but I did it again.

The Oyster House has been a favorite restaurant of mine for years.

Neil

[KatieLoeb]

Neil:

If you don't start receiving the emails soon, I think there's a customer service number on the website. Hopefully this time it took.

Stop by OH and introduce yourself sometime. I'm always in on Monday evenings and Tues/Wed. evenings until it isn't so busy anymore. I think you'll like the redo. It looks gorgeous inside and everything is running on all cylinders under the new ownership.

[Dennis]

I didn't find any of the "Gun Bun" Pinot Noir at the Flourtown store, but I did find a bottle of their Merlot.
Have you tried it yet?