Wine & Spirits Bargains at the PLCB (Part 3)

[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 August 18, 2009 by mike volker (log)

[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 October 17, 2009 by Dennis (log)

[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.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.

[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 November 3, 2009 by KatieLoeb (log)

[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?

[KatieLoeb]

I did. About a week ago or so I cracked open the Merlot to drink with a small steak I'd grilled up. Forgot to post so thanks for reminding me. The merlot was good, if not as transcendant as the Pinot Noir. But most certainly an excellent value for the price. Hard to find well made wines from serious juice at that price point regardless.

[Dennis]

You were right about the Merlot, it was excellent. I just picked up 4 bottles of the Columbia Crest Reserve Merlot, and I hope that is just as good. Their 2005 Reserve Syrah certainly was....

On another note, does anyone know when the CS website will be back on line?

[KatieLoeb]

Just worked for me a couple of minutes ago...

Visited the Ardmore store a few weeks ago and had forgotten what an excellent selection that store always seems to have. Helpful staff too. On their recommendation I bought a couple of bottles of delicious Castelvero 2007 Piemonte Barbera that I enjoyed with pizza at Tacconelli's as well as with a burger at home. Barbera has always been my favorite "pizza and burger" wine, and this one did not disappoint. And it was quite the bargain at $9.99! Website reveals a bit of it still sprinkled about Philadelphia and Montgomery counties. Definitely worth the cost of admission for a casual "grab and go" bottle for the pizzeria or hamburger dinner.

[Dennis]

I was able to get to the CS site by starting at the base LCB site. I think they must of made some changes which rendered my CS shortcuts useless. Anyhow, I'm able to search again. I found the Barbera but not in my area. I'll have to make a run to the Gulf Mills store.

I picked up the last 6 Columbia Crest Reserve Syarhs yesterday at the Bryn Mawr store. I'll try the CC Reserve Merlot soon so I can pick up more if it's as good as I suspect. I've always been a fan of their Grand Estates wines so I'm expecting a lot from this Reserve.

[Neil Gilmour]

Has anyone tried the Swanson Cygnet Merlot Left Bank 2007 at $14.99? I looked at the Swanson Vineyards website and they do not list it. Is this specially made for the PLCB?

Neil