Wine & Spirits Bargains at the PLCB (Part 2)

[Capaneus]

In this week's Sunday Inky (tomorrow's, that is), LaBan mentions a '96 Mondavi Cab I'm definitely interested in. I found it on the "Forthcoming" list, but not on the "Current", nor did a product code search yield any results. Did LaBan jump the gun, or is this one of those cases where the stores are awash in an item that hasn't made it to the website yet? Anyone trip on it during a recent visit?

They do seem to already have the '99 Reserve, at $24.99 versus $17.99 for the (presumptive) '96 regular bottling.

[Neil Gilmour]

I picked up a bottle of the Conti d'Arco Pinot Grigio 2005 today to taste. I am looking for a dry white, without the buttery feel of a California chardonnay. Has anyone tasted the current white offerings and found one like that?

Thanks

[mrbigjas]

that michael chiarlo gavi they're selling is dry and not buttery at all. quite the opposite in fact; like most gavi it tends toward the acidic. cheap too.

[newsgal]

Okay folks - be kind - my very first post. I've been lurking on here for months now and finally joined so I could chat away!

I have to agree on the Chiarlo Gavi - very crisp, a little tart, but not too much. Great summer white. I cleaned out the Lancaster store's stock of it, I think. Wasn't quite as impressed with the Chiarlo Barolo that's at $35 - just didn't have as much oomph as I was expecting it to.

Also, kind of underwhelmed at the Conti d'Arco Pinot Grigio - had a bottle, it was fine, nothing special... don't think I'd rush back to buy more.

Still have the Silvio Nardi (did I spell that right? Not looking at the bottle at the moment) Brunello di Montalcino to try... need to open that some night this week.

Cara

Don't miss:

www.padutchcountry.com/restaurantweek

[MarketStEl]

Dennis was kind enough to forward this link to me.  The article isn't new news (MAy 2005), but it is quite interesting.

CA Wines Cost Less Back East

←

I know that my characterization of the Southeast as a world apart from the rest of the state grates on some of my fellow Pennsylvanians, but it looks to me like the Californians picked up on this same aspect of the state's social geography:

Facing the temperance lobby

Before Newman, the "Control" in Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board had an entirely different interpretation. Compared to some of its neighbors -- New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio and Delaware -- Pennsylvania is quite socially conservative, with significant populations of Amish and Quakers. The temperance lobby is far more powerful there than elsewhere in the Northeast. [emphasis mine]

Wine sales still reflect that. Pennsylvania is the seventh-largest state in population, Newman says, but 33rd in per-capita wine consumption. Neighboring Delaware, where Quaker State natives frequently drove to buy wine even though bringing wine into Pennsylvania is a crime, until recently ranked fifth in per-capita wine consumption.

But with better prices and service in Pennsylvania, residents are now buying more wine in the state, increasing its tax revenues. This has won Newman enough sway with the Pennsylvania Legislature that he has managed to get 20 percent of state-run stores open on Sundays. The PLCB is also putting wine shops in supermarkets.

"We have a large temperance pocket and they thought putting these stores in supermarkets was the end of the world," says Newman, who also oversees an anti-alcoholism education program. "Being tough on the consumer is not where the problem lies. My approach has always been, for people who use products responsibly, to treat adults like adults. We are the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. But that's just a name."

Several years ago, chef-owner Georges Perrier of Philadelphia's Le Bec- Fin restaurant was reprimanded by the PLCB for bringing in wines outside of the approved distribution channels.

"How could I compete with the restaurants from New York?" Perrier says. "I was criticized by the Wine Spectator (magazine). They said my wine list is too expensive, and not enough wines. We've been reprimanded by the PLCB. But who can blame me? I have a demand from my customers."

Perrier was an outspoken critic of the PLCB; now he's a Newman fan.

"He took a system that was in the Stone Ages and brought it to the 21st century," Perrier says. "At the new state store, we bought some good Bordeaux at very good prices. Jonathan Newman is responsible."

And while I'm at it, while I agree that competition is usually the best cure for an ailing or dysfunctional market, remember what I've said in the past about New Hampshire, another state with a state-run liquor monopoly, but one where the operating philosophy is to maximize revenue by luring buyers from out of state (read: Massachusetts)? Allow me to repeat one of the paragraphs above:

But with better prices and service in Pennsylvania, residents are now buying more wine in the state, increasing its tax revenues. This has won Newman enough sway with the Pennsylvania Legislature that he has managed to get 20 percent of state-run stores open on Sundays. The PLCB is also putting wine shops in supermarkets.

IOW, by maximizing sales, Newman has raised the amount of loot the state gets from its liquor stores, and the consumers benefit in the process from the lower prices.

Frankly, given the makeup of this state, I've long wondered why Pennsylvania pols seem unaware of the Missouri approach to dealing with culture clashes within its borders. (The Show-Me State has a similar cultural geography to that of Pennsylvania, with two relatively liberal large cities that don't see eye-to-eye with each other at either end and a conservative interior [in Missouri, it's the Pentecostals, strong in the state's southwest--Springfield is the headquarters of the Assemblies of God, the Caucasian branch of Pentecostalism (the black counterpart is the Church of God in Christ)--who provide the culturally conservative counterweight to St. Louis and Kansas City] that holds a balance of power of sorts.) When issues that are favored by interests in either city but cut against the grain of interior sensibilities arise in Jefferson City, the usual solution is to pass legislation allowing counties to opt into or out of a proposed rule. Seems to me that the same approach could be applied in Harrisburg to the benefit of the Commonwealth as a whole.

Edited to add two more observations:

--The writer of the San Francisco Chronicle story did miss the mark by a long shot when he lumped the Quakers and Amish together under the "culturally conservative" umbrella. The two sects do share a radically individualist view of man's relationship to God and a reverence for modesty and sobriety (the latter being the key value in this discussion), but that's about it. On most of the matters people use to gauge whether someone is "liberal" or "conservative," most Quakers fall well on the "liberal" side of the scale.

--But in case anyone doubted the truth of the observation that the temperance movement is strong here as a result of that (actual or residual) cultural conservatism, recall that the 1218 Chestnut Street Wine & Spirits store drew pickets on the first Sunday it was open for business. Can you imagine that happening in a large city in any of the states that border Pennsylvania?

Edited August 22, 2006 by MarketStEl (log)

[mrbigjas]

Okay folks - be kind - my very first post.    I've been lurking on here for months now and finally joined so I could chat away!

I have to agree on the Chiarlo Gavi - very crisp, a little tart, but not too much. Great summer white.  I cleaned out the Lancaster store's stock of it, I think.  Wasn't quite as impressed with the Chiarlo Barolo that's at $35 - just didn't have as much oomph as I was expecting it to.

Also, kind of underwhelmed at the Conti d'Arco Pinot Grigio - had a bottle, it was fine, nothing special... don't think I'd rush back to buy more.

Still have the Silvio Nardi (did I spell that right? Not looking at the bottle at the moment) Brunello di Montalcino to try... need to open that some night this week.

Cara

Don't miss:

www.padutchcountry.com/restaurantweek

←

newsgal, no one said welcome yet? well, let me be the first!

i think i had a bottle of that 98 nardi brunello that they were selling... or was it another one?

anyway, as my mother in law said, it could use ten more years in the bottle. woo--closed, tannic, everything that a young brunello is. the half-bottle that was left was much more drinkable after sitting around my house for two days.

[Andrew Fenton]

Newsgal, welcome!

Jas, was the Nardi brunello the one you brought to Studiokitchen back in December? I really dug it- but a few hours of decanting would've improved it, for sure.

[Capaneus]

Okay folks - be kind - my very first post.    I've been lurking on here for months now and finally joined so I could chat away!

I have to agree on the Chiarlo Gavi - very crisp, a little tart, but not too much. Great summer white.  I cleaned out the Lancaster store's stock of it, I think.  Wasn't quite as impressed with the Chiarlo Barolo that's at $35 - just didn't have as much oomph as I was expecting it to.

Also, kind of underwhelmed at the Conti d'Arco Pinot Grigio - had a bottle, it was fine, nothing special... don't think I'd rush back to buy more.

Still have the Silvio Nardi (did I spell that right? Not looking at the bottle at the moment) Brunello di Montalcino to try... need to open that some night this week.

Cara

Don't miss:

www.padutchcountry.com/restaurantweek

←

newsgal, no one said welcome yet? well, let me be the first!

i think i had a bottle of that 98 nardi brunello that they were selling... or was it another one?

anyway, as my mother in law said, it could use ten more years in the bottle. woo--closed, tannic, everything that a young brunello is. the half-bottle that was left was much more drinkable after sitting around my house for two days.

←

Welcome, newsgal. I second James' caution on the Nardi Brunello: a great year, a very good producer, it should be a remarkable wine - in ten years' time, minimum. I suspect the same was true of the Barolo. One of the things about the Chairman's program that I like is that the stuff he gets is often overlooked gems. In Barolo and Brunello, that often means Old School vintners, because Parker and his ilk always underrate these wines. So we tend to get some of the (to my mind) better stuff, not the International Style parkerized junk. The downside of that is that, at the upper end, these are usually wines built for the long haul, and will take a long time to mature.

You can compensate a bit, air them out, maybe decant them, but if the wine is in a dumb phase there's often no way to coax it to life.

[mrbigjas]

Newsgal, welcome!

Jas, was the Nardi brunello the one you brought to Studiokitchen back in December?  I really dug it- but a few hours of decanting would've improved it, for sure.

←

nah, that was a 97 comunali brunello.

[newsgal]

Thanks for the welcome!

Thanks for the advice on the Barolo and the Brunello... will see if I can stand to actually let it sit for awhile before impatience wins out .

Cara

Don't miss:

www.padutchcountry.com/restaurantweek

[Kevin Porter]

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

[Dennis]

I've tried a few of the new CS wines over the past few weeks... Estancia, Penfolds, Rosemunt, Kaiken Ultra, William Hill, & Friends Zinfandel. Out of all of them the Kaiken and Friends were by far the best deals. That doesn't mean that the others were bad (I enjoyed all of them), but I just felt that the last 2 were the ones that were case worthy.

[KatieLoeb]

The latest update via email:

Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

93 Points in Wine Spectator, June 15, 2003

Quoted at $100.00... Now $59.99... Save $40.01

ETA next delivery mid September Code 11238

Bodegas Norton Privada, Argentina 2004

Quoted at $21.00... Now $12.99... Save $8.01

ETA early September Code 28888

Burgess Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2002

Quoted at $38.00... Now $14.99... Save $23.01

ETA early October Code 11525

Castello del Terriccio Capannino IGT, Tuscany 2004

Suggested Retail $19.99... Now $9.99... Save $10.00

ETA early October Code 23711

Chalone Vineyards Estate Syrah, Chalone Appellation, CA 2003

89 Points and Highly Recommended in Connoisseurs' Guide, August/September 2005

Regularly $26.99... Now $14.99... Save $12.00

ETA early October Code 14708

Chateau Bastor-Lamontagne, Sauternes 2003

89 Points by Robert Parker in The Wine Advocate, April 2006

Quoted at $49.99... Now $29.99... Save $20.00

ETA late October Code 10182

Chateau de Tracy Pouilly Fume, Loire, France 2004

91Points in Wine Enthusiast, July 2006

Quoted at $35.00... Now $14.99... Save $20.01

ETA late August Code 21700

Clos Pegase Merlot, Mitsuko's Vineyard, Carneros 2001

87 Points in Wine Enthusiast, December 15, 2005

Quoted at $25.00... Now $12.99... Save $12.01

ETA early September Code 12197

Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2002

89 Points by Pierre Rovani in The Wine Advocate, April 2006

Regularly $37.69... Now $19.99... Save $17.70

ETA late September Code 11522

Domaine Rouge Garance Cotes du Rhone Villages 2001

Quoted at $19.00... Now $10.99... Save $8.01

ETA mid September Code 19577

Gloria Ferrer Pinot Noir 2003 (375ml)

89 Points in Connoisseurs' Guide, July 1, 2006

Suggested Retail $18.99... Now $9.98... Save $9.01

ETA late September Code 13134

Grant Burge Chairman's Selection Shiraz Barossa, Australia 2004

Suggested Retail $19.00... Now $8.99... Save $10.01

ETA mid November Code 19211

Green Point Chardonnay Yarra Valley, Australia 2003

88 Points in Wine Spectator, May 2005

Suggested Retail $16.99... Now $8.99... Save $8.00

ETA late October Code 28130

Josmeyer Cask 38 Vin d'Alsace 2004

Suggested Retail $30.00... Now $11.99... Save $18.01

ETA late September Code 21446

Kaiken Malbec Ultra, Argentina 2003

91 Points in Wine Enthusiast, July 1, 2005

Quoted at $23.00... Now $12.99... Save $10.01

ETA next delivery late October Code 28711

Kenwood Chardonnay Sonoma County 2005

Suggested Retail $17.49... Now $8.49... Save $9.00

ETA next delivery mid September Code 16320

Montes Alpha Chardonnay Casalanca Valley, Chile 2005

Quoted at $23.00... Now $11.99... Save $11.01

ETA early September Code 28810

Pedroncelli Cabernet Sauvignon "Fay Vineyards" Alexander Valley 2003

Quoted at $21.99... Now $10.99... Save $11.00

ETA early September Code 11188

Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino Altero IGT 1998

90 Points by Daniel Thomases in The Wine Advocate, June 2003

91 Points in Wine Spectator, May 31, 2003

Quoted at $62.00... Now $29.99... Save $32.01

ETA mid September Code 24333

Rizzi Barbaresco Riserva 2001

Suggested Retail $65.00... Now $17.99... Save $47.01

ETA early October Code 24204

Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Stag's Leap 1997

91 Points by Robert Parker in The Wine Advocate, January 2000

92 Points in Wine Spectator, October 31, 2000

Suggested Retail $79.99... Now $39.99... Save $40.00

ETA late August Code 11316

Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Stag's Leap 1999

92 Points in Wine Spectator, September 15, 2003

Suggested Retail $79.99... Now $24.99... Save $55.00

ETA late August Code 11366

Rutherford Hill Chardonnay, Napa Valley 2004

Suggested Retail $18.99... Now $10.99... Save $8.00

ETA next delivery late October Code 17340

Swanson "Cygnet" Merlot Oakville Napa 2004

Quoted at $32.00... Now $12.99... Save $19.01

ETA September Code 12191

Swanson "Cygnet" Syrah Oakville Napa 2004

Quoted at $36.00... Now $14.99... Save $21.01

ETA September Code 14601

Whitehall Lane "Chairman's Selection" Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2005

Suggested Retail $45.00... Now $14.99... Save $30.01

ETA late October Code 11420

Whitehall Lane "Chairman's Selection" Merlot, Napa Valley 2005

Suggested Retail $35.00... Now $12.99... Save $22.01

ETA late October (no code on the message)

Some seriously huge bargains on deck here folks. I'm looking forward to trying the Pedroncelli Cabernet. I've lately been drinking the Pedroncelli Sangiovese that's priced at a mind blowing $7.99, so I hope its cousin is just as tasty. I want to try the Kaiken Ultra as well. Not as inexpensive as the last shipment of Kaiken, but perhaps the Ultra is value added. Looking forward to finding out.

[lancastermike]

I want to try the Kaiken Ultra as well. Not as inexpensive as the last shipment of Kaiken, but perhaps the Ultra is value added. Looking forward to finding out. wink.gif

As are we, we drank a whole bunch of the Kaiken when it was in before. As I recall it was around 8 dollars and was a tremendous value. This is still a good price and I also hope the "Ultra" will offer a bonus

[lancastermike]

I know that my characterization of the Southeast as a world apart from the rest of the state grates on some of my fellow Pennsylvanians

You talkin' to me?

Here in lancaster when the state store started Sunday sales it too was picketed. However, not by Amish. These folks were part of the large "evangelical christian" group around here.

I often plan of trips to the wine specialty store for Sunday, just because we can

[mrbigjas]

I want to try the Kaiken Ultra as well. Not as inexpensive as the last shipment of Kaiken, but perhaps the Ultra is value added. Looking forward to finding out. wink.gif

As are we, we drank a whole bunch of the Kaiken when it was in before. As I recall it was around 8 dollars and was a tremendous value. This is still a good price and I also hope the "Ultra" will offer a bonus

←

i just learned that kaiken is a montes brand. am i the only one who didn't know that?

[KatieLoeb]

i just learned that kaiken is a montes brand.  am i the only one who didn't know that?

←

I didn't know it at first either. Seems the Kaiken is the vin de table end of the Montes line, which includes the very fine Montes Alpha. Clearly the winemaker knows what they're doing, so I'm happy to drink skillfully made wine at a bargain price.

[Dennis]

i just learned that kaiken is a montes brand.  am i the only one who didn't know that?

←

I didn't know it at first either. Seems the Kaiken is the vin de table end of the Montes line, which includes the very fine Montes Alpha. Clearly the winemaker knows what they're doing, so I'm happy to drink skillfully made wine at a bargain price.

←

Evidently it was Montes first endeavor into Argentina...and based on the plain & Ultra wines that I tasted, it was a huge success. The regular and Ultra are both Malbecs which I'm not that familiar with but I thought they reminded me of some CA Cabs. They also make a Kaiken Ultra Cab but I'm not sure if we're getting any of them. I know the ones that I bought in Jenkintown we're are all Malbecs.

[mrbigjas]

i just learned that kaiken is a montes brand.  am i the only one who didn't know that?

←

I didn't know it at first either. Seems the Kaiken is the vin de table end of the Montes line, which includes the very fine Montes Alpha. Clearly the winemaker knows what they're doing, so I'm happy to drink skillfully made wine at a bargain price.

←

me too, although i have to admit i'm not the hugest fan of kaiken.

i discovered this through reading the latest issue of dan berger's newsletter--he was complaining because apparently montes is starting to make wine in california, and they're saying 'we're going to make reds in california that will sell from $60-70 or so. berger's point was, shouldn't you make the wine before you value it? of course, they know how to make some nice wine, so why wouldn't they be able to pull it off? it's only worth what people will pay for it anyway. my prediction: in five years it'll be a chairman's selection and we'll get it for $25. that would be good...

[Carrington]

I want to try the Kaiken Ultra as well. Not as inexpensive as the last shipment of Kaiken, but perhaps the Ultra is value added. Looking forward to finding out. wink.gif

As are we, we drank a whole bunch of the Kaiken when it was in before. As I recall it was around 8 dollars and was a tremendous value. This is still a good price and I also hope the "Ultra" will offer a bonus

←

Was at the Allentown store on Cedar Crest and picked up several CS wines to try before MAYBE buying more of anything that struck me as a great wine for price. First one I tried was the Kaiken Ultra since this was in lowest supply. Just opened it as Ernesto is winding down up here. I too had (too little) of the regular Kaiken offering and was hoping for all that and more in this premium bottling. Well, it definitely kicks up the concentration factor, but I find that it drops some of the immediate drinking satisfaction factor. Clearly not as much fruit-forward character. This appears to be a candidate for aging for 5 years or so to see if the fruit will re-emerge, of for drinking now with a seriously big flavored meal. We'll be trying it with a Hungarian goulash shortly....

Cheers!

[Carrington]

We tried the Torres Gran Coronas Mas La Plana Black Label 1989 last night and I was extremely happy that I only bought one bottle. Maybe its just my palate that's bad, but I find spanish Cabs that I like very rare. I found it thin and on the sour side. YMMV.

Best,

Mike

←

Hi again everyone,

When I initially saw this in store, I had a bit of a double-take. 1989 is our marriage anniversary year, and it's tough to even find anything for sale anywhere that's a 1989, let alone for $20 per bottle. Add on top of that the fact that this wine was re-corked at the winery in March of this year (not sure I've ever seen that!). So, there was no doubt we'd try a bottle to see if a case was warranted. When I saw that it was re-corked at winery, I immediately was under the impression that this wine had some legs left and might last til our 30th anniversary!

Unfortunately, I came away with the same impression as Mike. Thin, no tannin remaining, barely could tell this might have been Cabernet. I have to say that it was smooth, but that was due to lack of body/character.

I am ashamed to admit, however, that due to the novelty of actually having something from 1989 in the cellar, that I went back and purchased two additional bottles. At least I will not be expecting too much when we open the next one in 2009! We'll have something else in 'Reserve' when we do so!

Anyone else have a different impression of this wine? I sure hope these are just bad examples....

Cheers!

[mike volker]

Had a bottle of the '99 St Supery meritage with dinner last night. This was a chairman's selection back in oct of '04. It's amazing how much better this has gotten over the last two years, still alot of structure left in this wine. Plums and dried berries, spice and wood smoke, tannin and nice acidity make this a great example of Napa Valley wine.

Best,

Mike

[Neil Gilmour]

We tried the Torres Gran Coronas Mas La Plana Black Label 1989 last night and I was extremely happy that I only bought one bottle. Maybe its just my palate that's bad, but I find spanish Cabs that I like very rare. I found it thin and on the sour side. YMMV.

Best,

Mike

←

Hi again everyone,

When I initially saw this in store, I had a bit of a double-take. 1989 is our marriage anniversary year, and it's tough to even find anything for sale anywhere that's a 1989, let alone for $20 per bottle. Add on top of that the fact that this wine was re-corked at the winery in March of this year (not sure I've ever seen that!). So, there was no doubt we'd try a bottle to see if a case was warranted. When I saw that it was re-corked at winery, I immediately was under the impression that this wine had some legs left and might last til our 30th anniversary!

Unfortunately, I came away with the same impression as Mike. Thin, no tannin remaining, barely could tell this might have been Cabernet. I have to say that it was smooth, but that was due to lack of body/character.

I am ashamed to admit, however, that due to the novelty of actually having something from 1989 in the cellar, that I went back and purchased two additional bottles. At least I will not be expecting too much when we open the next one in 2009! We'll have something else in 'Reserve' when we do so!

Anyone else have a different impression of this wine? I sure hope these are just bad examples....

Cheers!

←

I tried a bottle and was also disappointed. I won't be buying another bottle.

[doviakw]

While we're in Spain ...

I have been looking for a suitable replacement for the Campillo Rioja Reserva 1996 that was around last year. Last night, I picked up a bottle of Montecillo Rioja Gran Riserva 1998 ($18.99) to have with some pork ribs on a beautiful evening for porch dining. In the glass, it's a nice dark red going toward brick at the edges. Aromas of dark berry (mostly blackberry) with leather notes in the background. Still tannic upon first opening, the tannins smoothed out in short order with blackberry and black current fruit coming forward. Not a long finish, but enough to make sipping pleasurable enough to continue after dinner.

And back to the US ...

We will be trying the R Mondavi Cabernet Sauv. 1996 over the weekend. I have high hopes for that one!

[Dennis]

My wife and I host a large (8 to 12 guests) dinner party for her family at this time every year. So we try to change things up as much as possible to keep it fun & exciting. Around January of this year I bought a 3 Liter bottle of the Byron 2000 Pinot Noir - Santa Maria Valley (the vintage was rated 91). But the main reason for buying it was... I thought it would be cool to see the expression on everyones face when they saw the huge bottle of wine for dinner. When I went to get it from the room where I was storing it, I noticed that the wax on top was cracked and some wine was starting to leak... You can imagine what was going through my mind at that moment. I opened it in the kitchen and poured a small glass and much to my surprise, it was excellent...great nose, color, & taste. And of course my guests loved it and they all had to have their picture taken with it.

So if anyone else out there is holding onto one of these "big boys" for a special occasion, you may want to check it for leaks.

BTW, the party was a lot of fun and everyone was line dancing to Boz Scaggs by 2:00AM.