Kevin Porter

Confirmed! Looking forward to more comments, though Mummer's review was hardly encouraging.

One more comment on close-out accessories. I just discovered that you can find out what's available where by searching terms such as 'Riedel' and 'Spiegelau' on the PLCB Product Search Page. Hmm - $2.99 Riedel Riesling/Sangiovese stems... Nice to find something worth buying in a State store!

I found them @ Ardmore. Hope that they're elsewhere...close to you! PLCB staffer said that they were for trade so they may not be as delicate as consumer Riedels. They seem fine to me, particularly for $3 a pop.

Perhaps this will soothe the pain of no more wine bargains. The 'accessories' sell-off is back on. Look for Riedel Viogner stems for $2.99 each. Almost as good as Bed, Bath & Beyond dumping Spiegelau sets of 4 Vino Grande Bord stems plus a decanter for $9.99

I'm fascinated by the latest attempt to re-arrange the deck chairs. We can now buy Screaming Eagle on the web site (for a mere $2.3K). See - they are expanding the selection!

Great TN! Don't tell me that we're going to have a 'terroirist vs pointilist' debate here. A few interesting finds at Ardmore State store yesterday - CA Pinot - They have Rochioli Estate and ROAR in the temp-controlled room. I'm surprised that ROAR is distributing through the PLCB, and I was surprised to see the Rochioli on the shelves (as was one of the clerks). 2005 Bourgogne, imported by.....PLCB!! I thought that the three tier system prohibits the importer ftom consumer sales??!!

Thanks for the heads-up! It's a shame that the inventory has been so stagnant....though I suppose that's an economic blessing. Note that the great deals on stems and corkscrews that were highlighted earlier in this thread are available on the website. Kevin

Sometimes CS wines are distributed to stores in western PA a week or two before they're released in the SE part of the state. So, unless it was already in the local stores and sold out, be patient. Not surprisingly, the sought after wines sell out quickly here, while they sit on the shelves out west. ← Thanks - that's my hope as there does seem to be a lot of it out there. Still don't know why it went from the Up-coming CS list to being in the stores but not on the In-store CS list - not a big deal, but indicative of the inventory issues. Guess we'll never see the state-wide virtual store with all temp-controlled storage Speaking of distribution patterns, I watched a couple of great (relative) deals - 2003 Pegau Da Capo and 2002 Shafer Hillside Select @ over $100 cheaper than elsewhere in the country (not that I could afford them anyway) - Somehow, the 5 or 6 bottles in the State all ended up in Harrisburg-area stores. Must be some real oenophiles there...

Quick rant - I've been watching the 2002 Ravenswood Monte Rosso zin on the Upcoming Chairman's Selection list. It's suddenly gone, but not on the in-stores CS list. A Product search shows about 1,000 bottles in PLCB stores...with none in Phila, Delaware or Montgomery counties....sigh. I hope that this is a timing issue and that they will soon be in the south-eastern part of the Commonwealth. I wish I could find rhyme or reason in the inventory mgmt.

Product search does not show any in Phila - http://www.lcb.state.pa.us/webapp/Product_...ounty=&offset=0 It's also no longer on the website.

The 2003 Hanna cab is now available on the website. A couple of comments on the PA system, for what they're worth. Of course, I'm agin' the PLCB in general. W/r/t the CS program - I've found some good bargains, but find most offerings to be off-vintage and not worth the (albeit reduced) price. There is, however, a weird little sweet-spot that occurs when the critics love a wine that PA has. Others raise their prices, making PA a good buy...relatively. A current example is '04 Pegau Reservee' CNDP @ $55. Not cheap, but best in the country as far as I can tell, and that includes Premier Cru, which will buy on grey market and deliver in 2008. 02 Shafer HHS cab was in the system @ $199 when it was selling for $300 elsewhere. '03 Pegau Reservee and Da Capo and 02 Quilceda Creek Cab were other examples. These 'deals' require some research, and often the few bottles are concentrated in Pittsburgh or Harrisburg (fancy that). I also have concerns about provenance, but they're mitigated by the liberal return policy. This is not intended to be a defense of an archaic and corrupt system. In fact, I'm not sure that it's anything more than a Friday AM brain-dump ... I guess I'm just sharing another way to work with the system, as Katie did. Happy hunting

Capaneus - the '96 Mondavi Cab hit the website this morning. The Product Search page also shows hundreds of bottles in the stores....but all in the western part of the state. It's nice to see some new inventory on the website; perhaps the end of the summer doldrums

Yup - the Oreno is also no longer on the PLCB Product Search page at the Chairman's Selection price (there is some @ $80). I'm probably late on this as I haven't been shopping much, but it seems that the shipping problems are resolved. I just nipped (as it were) over to Bryn Mawr and they had cases all over the place. Lots of cases of Abadia Retuerta and Michele Chiarlo, amongst others. I went for Kalin Cellars Chard and Semillon - not Chairman's Selections, not inexpensive, and worst of all, not red!! ...but wines to search out and try nonetheless. If for no other reason, when else will you get to try a recently- released 1994 Chard and 1996 Semillon? An unusual winery, to say the least, and one that I highly recommend.

Back on (semi) topic I too am thrilled with what Mr. Newman has done. The Chairman's Selections have provided some tremendous values, and the changes to the stores have been great. Critically acclaimed wines are sometimes available at pre-hype prices, if I act fast and beat the people scarfing them up to re-sell on WC. I also have concerns (beyond the obvious - why is the Commonwealth in the business?), to wit: > I've seen no discussion of process changes. Are the positive changes resulting from Mr Newman's charismatic leadership being 'operationalized' so that they will survive his inevitable departure? > Despite the buying power and the great strides, we still do not have access to many of the wines that consumers elsewhere in the country do (and I'm not talking about the direct mailing issue): (1) The 2003 Lascombes was a great buy, but I've been told that we're getting very little other 2003 bordeaux; (2) The futures market for 2005 bdx is heating up, but we won't have an opportunity to purchase until they hit the stores in 2008 (?), albeit at close to premier tranche pricing but also presumably in very limited quantity; (3) QPR - I would love to have access to whites from the Loire; quality beaujolais (not an oxymoron); village bourgougne; etc. Despite convenient access to the Ardmore and Bryn Mawr stores, I need to break the law and cross the border for these wines. > Stores such as the revamped Flourtown Premium Collection store have small temperature-controlled rooms, but also have mid-priced wines displayed in direct sunlight (this may have been rectified since I was last in that store). Bottom line is we've come a long way, but we have oh so far to go! Forgive the rant - I guess I just get a little touchy about the effusive praise for 'the Chairman' Time to go drink a glass of Kaiken Malbec (praise the Chairman and this community for that one!).

jwjon1 - found the Michael David Earthquake Zin '03 all over PA according to that same search page. However, price is $25.99 http://www.lcb.state.pa.us/webapp/Product_...sp?cdeNo=014041 Of course, i don't know where you are in the State...