doviakw

I use the Carlo Rossi, myself. And, if you don't need large quantities at a time, the stuff that's available in the single-serving bottles or boxes works well. Less waste if infrequently used.

There are a fair number of malbecs available that would fit the bill: Terrazas and San Telmo are available pretty much everywhere in the state.

We drank quite a bit of the 2005 over the course of last summer. It was a nice, solid New Zealand SB for an everyday drinking price.

Make sure to don the body armor and full-face shield before trying this with a bubbly!

On one of my periodic browsing visits, I noticed that Chateau St. Pierre 1999 (Pomerol) has just showed up in the PLCB stores. At $24.99, this appears to be something of a bargain ($10 less than the lowest Wine-Searcher USA price). Can anyone tell me what to expect here? The limited reviews that I have seen indicate that it should be fairly rich and ready to drink. I picked up a bottle to try but haven't had a chance to taste it yet. There appears to be lots of it around.

I haven't tasted many rose wines but do have a few bottles of M. Chapoutier Tavel Rose 2005 (grenache, I think) in the cellar. This wine has been a steady and flexible performer and, with Easter dinner, nicely hinted of warm weather and flowers with enough stuffing to make the snow on the daffodils seem almost charming. It might be a bit too much for lighter summer fare but has paired well in the past with more robust seafood dishes.

I have searched for an existing thread in which to ask this question, but to no avail: Why is the word Terroir so often shown in italics? Inquiring minds want to know! [i hesitated to begin a topic for this but could find no logical place (like "Wine Terms") to put it.]

But the 12 bottles shown in inventory at the Bryn Mawr store apparently don't exist. I looked, ... a clerk looked, ...the manager looked, ... half an hour later: No wine. The 5 that were in West Chester are now in my cellar, though!

← I have some growing on a fence here in Pennsylvania. I can vouch for the vine management and irregular ripening issues although these are manageable since we only cultivate them for personal consumption. Very tasty!

Returning to [apparent] bargains, ... The PLCB inventory lists Chapoutier Crozes-Ermitage "Les Varonniers" 2003 at $25.99 while a quick online search shows the going rate at about $60 (wine-searcher.com; Zachy's is $75). There is not a lot of this around so, as with that "Barbe Rac" CdP 1999 that they had for $29.99 back in December, I plan to pick up a test bottle to try over the weekend with an eye towards a case purchase. Would this be considered limited production at 600 cases? [Edited to correct spelling]

The last time that we called for reservations at the Birchrunville Store Cafe, they were not accepting advance reservations for more than four persons for weekend dining. That said, we have been successful in getting reservations on the same weekend day that we wanted to go. [Edited to add...] Somewhat farther afield but still easily with your 30 minute travel window are: Cafe Mosaic in North Coventry is an unassuming storefront restaurant in the Suburbia Shopping Center. This is well known locally as offering solid, creative food at a reasonable price point. In Pottstown there is Henry's Cafe which would be very kid-friendly. Again, the food is solidly in the upper register of good eats. Their fish-and-chips is outstanding. Also in Pottstown are Funky Li'l Kitchen which is a bit more avant garde (their duck confit taco appetizer is a fine starter!). More mainstream is Havana Joe'swhich offers a nice range of Carribean-influenced fare (only been here once). All of the above are BYOB if you want to have wine, spirits or beer with dinner.

Try decanting and letting it sit for an hour or 2. Amazing invention the decanter ← I, too, opened a bottle of the Hanna Cab. 2003 over the weekend to have with braised beef shin (made the meal because I wanted to try that wine). Straight out of the bottle, I noted that it "smelled tannic". I'm not sure that tannin has an odor but that's what I wrote down. I expected a fruit-forward taste with a big, tannic finish but found that the tannins were more tame than expected ... the fruit was there. Splash decanted for about an hour and found the wine to be an easy drinker with the meal, the tannins having smoothed still further. I will probably buy more of this but haven't decided how much. Does anyone have an opinion on keeping this for a few years?

I went to kindergarten in the local grange hall (Wayne, NJ so I'm dating myself). An international trademark on a specific, generic word seems a bit broad even if it's in the context of a wine label.

I'll second a Shadyside location. My son lived in various places around the University of Pittsburgh when he was a student there and Shadyside was his favorite area. Mine too, for that matter! Lots of restaurants, food stores and other shopping nearby and an easy hop, skip and a jump back to the main campus. When visiting, we usually stayed at the University Club (now defunct, I think) or the Inn on the Mexican War Streets (Yes, that's a real name) but almost always paid at least one visit to a Shadyside eatery.

FWIW, the Hanna Cabernet Sauvignon "Proprietor Grown" Sonoma County 2003 was at the Devon store yesterday (2/28). I picked up a bottle to try but have not opened it yet.

A little after the fact but here's a recap of this year's Valentine's Day dinner (I plan, shop, cook and clean; We both chow down heartily) ... Aperitif: Rotari "Arte Italiano" Brut NV ... Refreshing Peruvian Seafood Ceviche (Wine: Stuck with the sparkler) Cauliflower Soup with Seared Sea Scallop, Leeks and a Lemon-Infused Oil Garnish (Wine: Vionta Albarino 2005 ... Picked up the citrus) Pate Assortment with Garlic Toasts and Baby Mustard Greens (Wine: E. Guigal Cote-Rotie "Brune et Blonde" 1997 (decanted 1 hour in advance)) Pan-Seared Lamb Chops, Red Cabbage, Corn Fitters and Mashed Parsnip (Wine: Stayed with the Cote-Rotie ... Great Match!) Port-Poached Bosc Pear with Port Reduction Syrup (Wine: Fonseca Vintage Port 1985 ... not a good match, should have skipped the wine at this point) Assorted Walnuts, Almonds and Chocolate (Wine: Stuck with the port ... Wonderful stuff with this) The pours were probably way too generous but a good time was had by all!

The Upcoming Chairman's Selection list contains some interesting wines at what look to be nice prices. Aside from Parker's comments, does anyone have any experience with the Newton Unfiltered Merlot Napa Valley 2001? A quick Web search makes this look like quite a bargain!

I don't know if this is the right place for this (I did search the Wine Forum for an appropriate thread) but ... I have read a number of tasting notes that refer to a wine as having "sweet tannins". Now, I am a novice at this but I have never encountered a wine with noticeable tannin where I would describe the tannins as "sweet". I have found sweetness from residual sugar (port, etc.) or perceived sweetness from fruitiness (zinfandel) but I have never found tannins to be sweet (I think that I get "grippy" and "firm"). Could "sweet tannins" be equated with "not too much tannin" or "integrated tannins"? Perhaps I just need to taste more wine ... such a fate! [if this is the wrong place for this question, please let me know and I'll search harder!]

I have a few bottles remaining of the 1989 version of this wine (A Pennsylvania LCB "Chairman's Selection" about a year and a half ago). While not as "deep" as your description of the `85, it's still got a lot of the complexity that seems to come with age ... not that I have too much experience with older wines!

You're right. Here's the response that I got from WHL... Dennis, Thanks for the email. The Chairman’s Cabernet and Merlot were specially blended by and for Chairman Jonathon Newman of Pennsylvania. These 2005 vintage wines are from a separate wine lot and not exactly representative of our branded Whitehall Lane black label wines: Napa Valley Merlot, Napa Valley Cabernet and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. The Chairman’s Merlot and Cabernet are very young 2005 wines. They experienced an abbreviated barrel-aging regime of only about 10 months. This youthful wine is a delightful blend in its own right and stands alone as a wine well made by the cellar team and with the influence of The Chairman. Thanks, Tony ___________________________ Tony Leonardini Retail Sales Manager Whitehall Lane Winery 1563 St. Helena Hwy. S St. Helena CA 94574 707.963.9454 ext.29 tony@whitehalllane.com ← That's pretty much the same response I got when I sent an e-mail inquiry to the Whitehall Lane Winery back in October.

The "Wine Bargains at the PLCB" thread and the Chairman's Selection program were responsible for stimulating my interest in wine. In fact, they are the reason that I joined eGullet. Many thanks for Mr. Newman's expertise and commitment to improvement at the PLCB. Here's hoping that a new regime can maintain the same attitude toward quality and positive change.

M. Chapoutier Chateauneuf du Pape "Barbe Rac" 1999 Where's the G? The wine is 100% Grenache! In my opinion, this is a wonderful wine full of earth and dark fruit (my wife thought "plums", I couldn't get that specific) with a touch of leather/tobacco in the back. The fruit was not at all forward (maybe still a bit closed?) but enough was there to give a succession of flavors. A medium finish with enough tannin to stand up to the lamb but not so much as to be distracting. I don't have enough experience to have followed the progression of any wine for more than a few years but I "feel" that this CdP should age gracefully for awhile and I think that I'll enjoy following this one.

Anything but those wide-rim, flattened, fancy "champagne glasses" that are ubiquitous on New Year's Eve! I greatly appreciate these tasting notes and have widely broadened my selections, knowledge and pleasure in exploring many of Jim's wines. Quite a few are not easily available in Pennsylvania but others have turned out to be great bargains resulting in enlightenment.

Maybe a reach for E but here goes ... Tenuta Delle Terre Nere Etna Roso 2003 Calderara Sottana Quoting Florida Jim, "... made from the nerello mascalese grape from vineyards on Mt. Etna in Sicily." in reference to the 2004 version of the same wine. Appearance was semi-opaque, dark reddish purple that was somewhat lighter at the edges. Aromas of dark berry, cassis, earth and leather with alcohol underneath. Upon tasting, there were more pronounced earth and leather notes. Quite complex with a good fruit layer. A nice tannic grip but not overwhelming. The finish was surprisingly light with lingering leather and fruit. I bought the bottle to taste after reading Florida Jim's TN. Unfortunately, the bottle had been open for at least a day before I could taste it beacuse it was opened by a houseguest (my son) while he was house-sitting for us. My wife and I both liked the wine very much and were impressed by its depth and unique character. I guess we'll just have to get another test bottle!

Indeed, $29.99 is one helluva bargain for this wine, and is about one-third to one-fourth of what one might expect to pay. Chaptoutier's "Barbe Rac" CdP is a 100% grenache cuvee from old vines. Grenache is one of those grapes that can be polarizing -- people either love it or hate it. I've not had the 1999 vintage of the wine, but I've enjoyed a handful of older vintages. You mention that you'll likely open it this weekend. You won't be faulted for holding off, if you have good storage conditions. If you do open it -- I suggest pairing it with a braised or roasted meat dish, particularly if there's a bit of citrus in the sauce. ← Because of the price of this wine, my intent was to open it to see if an additional purchase was merited. Based on Brad's statements of "...one helluva bargain for this wine, ..." and "You won't be faulted for holding off, ...", I purchased a case (6 bottles) speculating that I could return the case unopened if the orphan test bottle showed poorly. After trying a pre-dinner sample directly from the bottle and after having the decanted remainder with garlic/rosemary/olive oil coated roasted leg of lamb, I am very glad that I have that case in the cellar! In my opinion, this is a wonderful wine full of earth and dark fruit (my wife thought "plums", I couldn't get that specific) with a touch of leather/tobacco in the back. The fruit was not at all forward (maybe still a bit closed?) but enough was there to give a succession of flavors. A medium finish with enough tannin to stand up to the lamb but not so much as to be distracting. I don't have enough experience to have followed the progression of any wine for more than a few years but I "feel" that this CdP should age gracefully for awhile and I think that I'll enjoy following this one. I may break down and pick up another six! According to the PLCB Web site, there are very few left in the state.