Wine & Spirits Bargains at the PLCB (Part 2)

[Capaneus]

Jonathan, if you are reading this, I'm sure we'd all love to hear your thoughts besides what's in the paper.

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From today's Inky:

"This is not transparency in public government," said Jonathan Newman, adding that he learned of Conti's hiring when Rendell's office gave him a job description for the new position at 3 p.m. yesterday."

I'd say that's a pretty strong and clear statement, given his usual tact.

[matthewj]

I worked for the Contis in doylestown, it was my first job, where Igrew up. the Contis are good people. This is a good thing. Joe Conti knows the restuarant business, and he knows the pains and tribulations it takes to get a liquor license, and to get descent wine into the state. I believe that this appointment is only going to make the sale of wine easier. Ed has always wanted to to deregulate the LCB, more, but the rest of the government lobbyist would not let him, I think he is going to change that now. He needs to if Casinos are coming into town. He needs someone who knows the business.

So what if he received double the salary look how much the state is making in one year for the regulation of wine and booze. 1.7 billion a year. I would be more pissed off and wonder where is that money going. I know that there are a few stores that offer a good selection, but think of how good a selection and better price you would get if there was more competition other than the state .

I am in Atlanta Ga and the selection is unbelievable, and the price is so low. Because of free competition the store are able to get more variety at a better price.

[doviakw]

Yesterday, I picked up a bottle of Chapoutier Chateauneuf du Pape "Barbe Rac" 1999. I have not tried this yet but a quick Web search seems to indicate that, at $29.99, this is an incredible bargain. Does anyone have any experience with this wine? It will probably get opened this week or weekend but I would be interested in what I should expect.

[Brad Ballinger]

Yesterday, I picked up a bottle of Chapoutier Chateauneuf du Pape "Barbe Rac" 1999. I have not tried this yet but a quick Web search seems to indicate that, at $29.99, this is an incredible bargain. Does anyone have any experience with this wine? It will probably get opened this week or weekend but I would be interested in what I should expect.

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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.

[Jeff L]

Jonathan, if you are reading this, I'm sure we'd all love to hear your thoughts besides what's in the paper.

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From today's Inky:

"This is not transparency in public government," said Jonathan Newman, adding that he learned of Conti's hiring when Rendell's office gave him a job description for the new position at 3 p.m. yesterday."

I'd say that's a pretty strong and clear statement, given his usual tact.

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Yeah, I read that... still would like to know how this will impact the Chairman's Selection program which everyone here has embraced so much.

The thing that impressed me most about Mr. Newman was that he seemed to be guided solely by his love of wines of all types, pricepoints and countries of origin and trying to obtain the best possible deals for all Pennsylvanians. What I am really saying is that he didn't strike me as a politico or even a typical agency chief, just a smart businessman.

We could rant on and on about how much better it would be if the state were to somehow privatize the purchase of wine and spirits, but to what end? We've already discussed this on several threads.

[KatieLoeb]

Jonathan, if you are reading this, I'm sure we'd all love to hear your thoughts besides what's in the paper.

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From today's Inky:

"This is not transparency in public government," said Jonathan Newman, adding that he learned of Conti's hiring when Rendell's office gave him a job description for the new position at 3 p.m. yesterday."

I'd say that's a pretty strong and clear statement, given his usual tact.

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LCB Votes to Hire New CEO

Here's the article in question. Sounds like whether or not this was an idea that had been under discussion for some time, it was done in an underhanded fashion and showed some disrespect to both the Chairman and the taxpayers by being railroaded through with no notice.

I sincerely hope that Mr. Conti and the Chairman are able to work together effectively. I for one, would be very disappointed if this caused any problems with Jonathan's ability to do what he's been doing so well for the last several years. Hopefully Mr. Conti's experience will bring to the table exactly what was being touted as his strengths, and he can merely make the LCB more profitable and make it easier for restaurants to get what they need.

[mike volker]

P.A.'s becoming famous for all the wrong reasons. From another board:

"Fiscally speaking, maybe the feds should take a lesson from Pennsylvania. They could start by outlawing UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc. That would help get the US Postal Service profitable. Then they could put a Hurricane Katrina tax on every parcel to be shipped, maybe 18% of value for starters. Oh, and stamps for email, if we can put a man on the moon, why can't we figure out how to require stamps be purchased for email...."

If it wasn't so sad this would be funny.

Best,

Mike

[Jeff L]

It's heating up. Newman is now acknowledging that losing the chairmanship is a possibility. Rendell has the option of letting him go but I really hope he has seen the good work that Newman has done in his tenure so far.

As an aside, Conte has nothing but praise for Newman according to today's article.

Stay tuned

[KatieLoeb]

The plot thickens. An editorial from today's Philadelphia Inquirer:

A CEO for the PLCB

Kind of what I was talking about earlier. Where was procedure here?

To keep this on topic, I was glad to read about the increase in the discount for licencees of the state. It's a small incentive, but an incentive nonetheless to making retail resellers of wine and spirits have less outrageous pricing.

Now if we could just get rid of that pesky Johnstown Flood Tax we might be making some real progress...

[MarketStEl]

Oops!

Started a whole new discussion on this very subject without checking this thread first.

In any event, I think it would be an even worse move for Gov. Rendell to name one of the other two board members as LCB chairman. (He cannot remove any member from the board itself until their terms expire.)

I hope all three will be able to work together and make the best of what is at best an awkward situation.

[doviakw]

Yesterday, I picked up a bottle of Chapoutier Chateauneuf du Pape "Barbe Rac" 1999. I have not tried this yet but a quick Web search seems to indicate that, at $29.99, this is an incredible bargain. Does anyone have any experience with this wine? It will probably get opened this week or weekend but I would be interested in what I should expect.

←

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.

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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.

[wineschool]

A quick post regarding the power shift in the PLCB. I have written a short piece on why this happened, according to several sources (at www.wineclass.net).

If Jon will say, and if this will affect the Chairman Selections program, is still up in the air.

[Jeff L]

A quick post regarding the power shift in the PLCB. I have written a short piece on why this happened, according to several sources (at www.wineclass.net).

If Jon will say, and if this will affect the Chairman Selections program, is still up in the air.

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Let me be the first to welcome you to E Gullet Keith. Looking forward to more posts on this and other topics. I am sure everyone who posts on this thread as well as many more Pennsylvanians will want to know of the future of the Chairmans Selection program. I for one think it has been a godsend for a really tired and bureaucratic state system.

[Capaneus]

A couple ofitems currently on the CS list made it to dinner at Mandoline with some eG friends: a '03 Faiveley Mercurey, and the '04 Chateau de Tracy Pouilly-Fume.

Opened both bottles at the beggining of the meal, since our appetizers ran the gammut. That gave me an opportunity to see how the wines stood by themselves. The Tracy was delicious. I've long been very fond of Pouilly-Fume: not quite as austere as Sancerre as a rule, the Tracy was a little fruitier and juicier even than most, though no one in their right mind would confuse it with a New World Sauvignon Blanc, since the melon and lime fruit is underpinned with strong minerality and a vegetal streak that wed the acidity to the fruit and give the wine great structure. Though it is very tasty on its own, it really opened up with my first plate, a really fine crabcake. The acids cut right through the slight fattiness of the frying, and the fruit just delicately framed the seafood, a perfect example of the synergy of a good match.

On its own, the Mercurey was slightly tough for some of our group (though I didn't think it so). It has very firm tannins and surprisingly lively acids for the vintage, though the ripe fruit I've come to expect from the '03s kept it well in balance. With my pork chop, the wine came into its own, rich cherry-berry flavors coating the tongue, the tannin and acidity gripping the meat's fat to, once again, produce a fine match.

Overall, an excellent meal, and two wines that I recommend heartily to those among us who prefer what's sometimes called a classic style. But you'll need to move fast: at two separate PLCB stores I had some of those reprehensible wine-professional types buy the entire stock right out from under me, once the Faiveley and once the Tracy. A recommendation of a sort in its own right, I suppose.

Edited December 24, 2006 by Capaneus (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Cracked open a bottle of Flora Springs Poggio del Papa 2003 tonight to enjoy with a ribeye steak Oscar. Very delicious and rich Cal-Ital Super Tuscan type blend. 82% Sangiovese with 8% Cabernet and 10% Merlot. Lots of cherry and leather, with a rich fruitiness and soft tannins overall. Really intense fruit and a bargain at $15.99! There's still some sprinkled about the state, according to the search function, but you'll have to do the legwork yourselves so you don't beat me to it!

[Rich Pawlak]

Cracked open a bottle of Flora Springs Poggio del Papa 2003 tonight to enjoy with a ribeye steak Oscar.  Very delicious and rich Cal-Ital Super Tuscan type blend.  82% Sangiovese with 8% Cabernet and  10% Merlot.  Lots of cherry and leather, with a rich fruitiness and soft tannins overall.  Really intense fruit and a bargain at $15.99!  There's still some sprinkled about the state, according to the search function, but you'll have to do the legwork yourselves so you don't beat me to it!

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I opened a bottle of this killer wine for Xmas dinner at my brother's place (he's a cabernet snob, very narrowly focused) with prime rib and stuffed gruyere potatoes, and this wine was really something special, and went very well with the beef and potatoes. I found a bunch of it in the Franklin Mills outlet and snagged a few bottles. I also saw a lot of it in the Maple Glen store as well.

[Phila-Foodie]

A quick post regarding the power shift in the PLCB. I have written a short piece on why this happened, according to several sources (at www.wineclass.net).

If Jon will say, and if this will affect the Chairman Selections program, is still up in the air.

←

Let me be the first to welcome you to E Gullet Keith. Looking forward to more posts on this and other topics. I am sure everyone who posts on this thread as well as many more Pennsylvanians will want to know of the future of the Chairmans Selection program. I for one think it has been a godsend for a really tired and bureaucratic state system.

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I interviewed Chairman Newman on Dec. 20 and he specifically addressed this topic. He believes that all of his initiatives, including the Chairman's Selection program, could be affected by Conti's appointment.

Here's a link to the full interview: http://philafoodie.blogspot.com/2006/12/ex...h-jonathan.html

[mrbigjas]

nice job on the interview, philafoodie.

man, dude is pissed, ain't he?

[Phila-Foodie]

nice job on the interview, philafoodie. 

man, dude is pissed, ain't he?

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Thanks. Yeah, he certainly is (or was, perhaps he's cooled down some), and justifiably so.

Look, I'll admit I've done my share of complaining about the PLCB. But Chairman Newman has done more for wine lovers in this state than anyone else, and I'd hate to see his initiatives get reversed, or worse--him leaving his post. Plus, after talking to him, you really get a sense of how passionate he is. I mean, he really does care deeply about getting great wines for PA consumers at great prices, and he has figured out a way to do it within the state-run system while making boat-loads of money for the Commonwealth.

Don't know much about Conti, but I have read he's against privatization. If Conti's smart, he'll let Newman continue to do his thing.

[KatieLoeb]

Awesome interview! Sounds like the Chairman had plenty to say with no holds barred. Well done.

[Jeff L]

Phila-Foodie, I'll pile on my praise of your interview with the Chairman. Great questions and you seem to employ an endearing way of having him open up to you. It will be a sad day for all wine buyers in this state if he steps down

[Phila-Foodie]

Thanks Katie and Jeff L. I was planning to ask him about the Whitehall Lane controversy a lot of eGulleters have been discussing here in this thread, among many other things, but unfortunately I ran out of time.

[yeldarb]

This is a sad day for PA residents.

Head of LCB quits after spat with Rendell

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/16374461.htm

I lost a lot of respect for Rendell with this fiasco. The Conti appointment smacks of cronyism and I can't help but feel that the creating of the CEO position is all about continuing to milk the teat that is the Johnstown Flood tax.

I am embarassed to live in PA. My friends in NY who get wide selection and competitive prices at Zachy's or one of the many fine wine stores in NYC are laughing at us again. We had a brief shining period where Mr. Newman brought PA some street cred and improved our image. Our system was beginnign to look like it wasn't run by a bunch of rubes.

It looks like the fat cats win again, though, consumers be damned.

[Dennis]

I thought the article in the Inquirer last week took a few cheap shots at the Chairman. One suggested that we were getting CS wines at low prices because they were not good enough enough to be sold at their regular price and the other mentioned the Whitehall Lane purchase. First I'd like to say that I believe the Chairman may not have had a choice on the label for the Whitehall Lane purchase. It reminds me of the deal he made with Joseph Phelps a few years ago when we were able to get the Insignia for about $55 a bottle...but it could not be advertised or displayed. You had to ask for it. So it makes sense to me that Whitehall Lane did not want to sell the wine at such a big discount when they are selling it for so much more to everyone else. As for being a "Dumping Ground" for all of the wonderful wines that I've been enjoying the last few years, all I can say is keep the Dump Trucks coming our way. Like most people, I buy a bottle and if I like it, then I buy a case.

Also, the article about Newman in the Business Section of todays Inquirer was excellent. And as the writer suggested, I hope Newman can bust the LCB apart and start his own Wine & Spirit business in our state.

Edited January 7, 2007 by Dennis (log)

[wkl]

the whitehall lane cab was NOT the normal bottling. this was really not made clear and how they came up with a retail price for a wine that was not available to the normal market is pretty misleading. basing the price on the regular whl cab was misleading at best. the criticism for this selection was completely vaild.

Edited January 7, 2007 by wkl (log)