Wine & Spirits Bargains at the PLCB (Part 1)

[Jeff L]

Indeed, big thanks Jeff! Wish I could have made it, regardless of the overall quality of the wines, and I hope these events will continue. 

It's every bit as useful to know about when wines are NOT thrilling as when they are, you probably saved me a good bit of money, I would have taken a chance on some of these. But there are plenty more to choose from, so I'll spend some money on those!

I'm a little surprised about the Gewurtz, I don't know that maker, but every time I serve that varietal to folks who don't know the grape, they are intrigued and become fans. But maybe I've just gotten lucky to have good examples.

And nice to know about the Sangiovese. I think that Liparita Cab has been lauded here previously.  Do we remember how expensive the Mersault was?

Thanks again for the report, and I hope to join in on one of these soon!

←

We could have used a few more people, sorry you couldn't make it. I agree with your comment about the quality or lack of quality in the wines tasted. Like you say, it will save folks money based on the reviews posted here.

As for the Gewurtz, maybe I just spent too much time in Germany when I owned an airline equipment business and had really bad luck with both the wine and the food. I hope I don't cause an international incident here but outside of major cities, Germany poses a culinary nightmare to anyone with a semblance of a palate. At least that was my experience.

As for the wines, too sweet for me but admittedly, I haven't fully explored all the country's offerings. It's just that Gewurtz doesn't do it for me.

Mersault was in the $40 price range if I recall. It was really nice and so refreshing.

Just a few words about the Almaviva even though I have posted previously about how outrageous this wine is. Joint venture with Rothschild and Concha Y Toro. I rearely spend $50.00 for a bottle let alone $75-$80 which is what this wine normally retails for. I was introduced to it by a friend who owns a resto in NJ ..he just came over with the bottle and said "this is what I've been drinking lately, I think you'll like it". Paul is known for understatement. I absolutely love this wine and I suggest breaking whatever fiscal restraints you have to go out and sample it. You should wait for another Chairman's Selection when the price drops to $50, imho, money well spent. This is a huge cab with firm tannin structure. Like so many of the wonderful 61, 82 French Bordeaux (which I really do compare this wine to) it gets so much better toward the end of the bottle after time in your appropriate stemware. I'd be curious to see what others at the tasting thought about it too.

Really, I don't work for the winery!

Enjoy

Jeff

[Jeff L]

I keep coming back to this thread for some reason, could it be I don't know how to stop buying these great wines at such low prices?

Well in that vain, I just picked up a bottle of Fontal Crianza 2002 last night from our specialty shop in Newtown and it was really quite good at just $11.99. While not a chairman's selection, still proved to be a very nice little wine that is enjoyable right now. Had some take out Italian food with it, not that I would be adverse to drinking without food or for that matter drinking without food and without anyone else. Do I have a problem too as so many others in this forum?

Speaking of chairman's selections, they are proving to be ever more illusive out here in burbland. What's the deal in cc or other suburbs? Specifically, the wines promised for such and such a date are never in and folks at the store have no clue about any of it. All they can say is they get shipments on Tuesday and Friday -nothing else.

If Deidre or Jonathan Newman happen to read this post, some insights here would be great. It's kind of frustrating to get to the store and see last months chairmans selections with just a few of the current ones.

Don't mean to complain although I guess I just did, be nice to know that super tuscan is in yknow..the one that sells for $85.00 and will be $17.99 when it finally arrives in Newtown!!

[sockii]

I'm late at posting my comments after the last tasting--David and I were on a plane soon after and just got back into Philly late last night.

With the time that passed, I'm not too clear on my memory of every wine, but I did have a few comments to add to Jeff's notes...

WHITES:

Robertson Sauvignon blanc 2004 – South Africa (3rd tasted)

Nice but rather benign sauv .. it was unexciting but not unpleasant. I noticed some lemon notes but that’s about it.

Adelstein Vineyard – Pinot Gris – Oregon (2nd tasted)

Very uninspired wine. From the first sip I found it be harsh and too acidic for my tastes

Cuvee Emile Willlm – Gewurztraminer reserve 2002 – Alsace (1st tasted)

I just don’t care for this varietal at all and this one did not alter my feelings. Most everyone agreed.

Hogue Chenin Blanc – California (4th tasted)

In my book a real summertime winner. This wine would pair nicely with fish and light sauced chicken dishes. Nice smooth and lingering finish – I will be more of this wine.

Domaine Michelot Meursault – 2000 – France (5th tasted)

Far and away the best of the whites tasted. Smooth and polished with a long finish. Of course it was the most expensive of the whites sampled as well.

I agree with all of the above. The Hogue Chenin Blanc was probably the only one I'll be picking up a few bottles of for my reserves; it was pleasant and easily drinkable with a long finish, which I always like. For the reasonable price it seemed like a great deal.

I LOVED the Meursault but I doubt I'd be able to afford it more than once in a long while!

REDS:

Acacia Pinot Noir – 2003 Napa

This was a pleasant, if unsophisticated pinot. Can’t remember anything about it and had too much wine to write notes down.

This was actually my favorite of the reds, save the wonderful Almaviva. I like my reds very, very smooth, and this hit the target for me. Not overly complex, just a very drinkable red I could see serving with a nice meal.

Thanks again to Jeff L for hosting--we had a great evening and look forward to the next event!

[Deidre Costello]

Speaking of chairman's selections, they are proving to be ever more illusive out here in burbland. What's the deal in cc or other suburbs? Specifically, the wines promised for such and such a date are never in and folks at the store have no clue about any of it. All they can say is they get shipments on Tuesday and Friday -nothing else.

If Deidre or Jonathan Newman happen to read this post, some insights here would be great. It's kind of frustrating to get to the store and see last months chairmans selections with just a few of the current ones.

Don't mean to complain although I guess I just did, be nice to know that super tuscan is in yknow..the one that sells for $85.00 and will be $17.99 when it finally arrives in Newtown!!

←

My apologizes to Jeff for not being able to attend the 2nd round tasting, I hope everyone enjoyed themselves. It looks like new selection of Chairman’s wines are slated for mid-October / November so that there will be a supply to get through the holiday season.

Mr. Newman could probably chime in here if my recollection is incorrect, I believe that at one of his seminars for employees he said one of the reasons the you see influxes of Chairman’s products in November, March, and July is that the wineries are willing to make deals at that time. If you think about the winery cycle the harvest is complete in October so all the new products have to be stored in barrels or bottles. To make room for the new juice the products in bottles have to be moved if they want to move it quickly they may consider Pennsylvania as a way to move it since they only need to ‘sell’ it once, so more selections appear in our stores in late Oct early Nov. In early March the deals come from wineries trying to boost their post holiday sales. When the products hit the shelves in July / early August, wineries have moved products before the close of their fiscal year so that their bottom line looks good.

All in all, it is a win, win, win situation. Wineries are winning because they get a boost in operating capital, we win because we are moving products quickly and you are winning because the deals are being made on good wine!

There is definitely an ebb and flow to how many wines are in the stores but you should start to see more selections coming in during the next several weeks, when the cycle continues...As always hope this helps. Deidre

[Jeff L]

Speaking of chairman's selections, they are proving to be ever more illusive out here in burbland. What's the deal in cc or other suburbs? Specifically, the wines promised for such and such a date are never in and folks at the store have no clue about any of it. All they can say is they get shipments on Tuesday and Friday -nothing else.

If Deidre or Jonathan Newman happen to read this post, some insights here would be great. It's kind of frustrating to get to the store and see last months chairmans selections with just a few of the current ones.

Don't mean to complain although I guess I just did, be nice to know that super tuscan is in yknow..the one that sells for $85.00 and will be $17.99 when it finally arrives in Newtown!!

←

My apologizes to Jeff for not being able to attend the 2nd round tasting, I hope everyone enjoyed themselves. It looks like new selection of Chairman’s wines are slated for mid-October / November so that there will be a supply to get through the holiday season.

Mr. Newman could probably chime in here if my recollection is incorrect, I believe that at one of his seminars for employees he said one of the reasons the you see influxes of Chairman’s products in November, March, and July is that the wineries are willing to make deals at that time. If you think about the winery cycle the harvest is complete in October so all the new products have to be stored in barrels or bottles. To make room for the new juice the products in bottles have to be moved if they want to move it quickly they may consider Pennsylvania as a way to move it since they only need to ‘sell’ it once, so more selections appear in our stores in late Oct early Nov. In early March the deals come from wineries trying to boost their post holiday sales. When the products hit the shelves in July / early August, wineries have moved products before the close of their fiscal year so that their bottom line looks good.

All in all, it is a win, win, win situation. Wineries are winning because they get a boost in operating capital, we win because we are moving products quickly and you are winning because the deals are being made on good wine!

There is definitely an ebb and flow to how many wines are in the stores but you should start to see more selections coming in during the next several weeks, when the cycle continues...As always hope this helps. Deidre

←

Deidre, thanks for your prompt and reasonable explanation as to the inventory/delivery issues regarding Chairmans selection wines.

Of course after reading your post it made perfect sense to me. I guess I was just salivating at the prospect of that super tuscan and not thinking too much about harvest and seasonal changes to figure it out for myself.

I would like to thank you here Deidre for this explanation and for the invaluable insights you have provided to other members of this forum. You were indeed missed at my wine tasting, particularly because the notes surely would have been more professionally recorded!!

Jeff

[yeldarb]

SLO (Special Liquor Order) is a disgrace.

I wrote about this topic before, asking how the whole thing worked because frankly it's ridiculously confusing for the average wine customer in PA to try to buy something that's not already "stocked" by the PLCB. Contrast this to my longtime friend who lives in suburban NY where his neighborhood wine retailers (admittedly some of the best in the country) can order practically any wine from anywhere and get it in less than a week. Despite Mr. Newman's progress and the excellent Chairman's Selection program... PA still stinks for wine lovers.

To illustrate my point, follow my story of a recent little experiment of mine. Sorry this is so long but the length only reinforces my point that customers should not have to go through all this. The SLO system needs a lot of work.

My story starts in May (2005) when I learned about a little OR winery called Henry Estate. My 4-year old's name is Henry so I thought I'd try some of their recently released 2001 "Henry V" bordeaux blend. Some Googling revealed others who liked it and suggest it could be ageworthy. I could have asked my friend in NY to order this for me through his local store, but I thought I'd find out just how "enlightened" the PLCB had become with the SLO system.

In May I posted to egullet to ask Diedre how SLO works.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...80entry931080

I got several helpful replies, all of which suggested SLO can be placed in the store or by calling the 800 number, and that calling was probably better for obscure wines not previously carried in inventory. Over the next few weeks I called the number several times and never once got a live person. I left two messages which were never returned.

In June I emailed ra-lbslo@state.pa.us and didn't get an immediate response. Eventually I got a reply from a Jane Bailey asking for additional information. Several back-and-forth emails followed, with me repeating the specifics of the wine I wanted, including the URL of the winery website which should have made things 100% clear.

http://www.henryestate.com/products.asp?type=iswine&id=69

Henry Estate 2001 Henry V

On July 26 I finally got an email from Ms Bailey with a SKU/CODE 052800 and the phone number of the distributor/vendor so that I could call to confirm it was the right wine. (?) "215-443-0305 ask for Jeff." I was concerned because when I searched the PLCB website Product Catalog on code 052800 I got something called "HENRY ESTATE PINOT NOIR" (interestingly the description is now different, probably the result of my order.) Henry V is a bordeaux blend, not their Pinot Noir. I did call and the vendor claimed this was the right one, that "the description is often wrong in the LCB catalog".

So in late August, armed with the Code and Vendor information, I visited the new Wine & Spirits premium store in Quakertown, and asked how I would place an SLO. I was directed to a managerial person (Patrick) who helpfully took my order for 3 bottles, and I paid my deposit. Weeks passed and no word. When I stopped in the store to ask about the status, I was told I would be called when it came in. Apparently the SLO system has no provision for checking status... so I suppose if an order gets lost, customers are just supposed to wait forever.

TODAY (Sep 26) I received a call that there was a problem with the order. When I stopped in the store I was told they had mistakenly received only one bottle instead of the 3 that I ordered. The manager explained that he'd have to place a new order for 2 bottles, credit my original deposits, and charge me for the balance of the one bottle and a deposit for the 2 additional bottles. (?!?) While this accounting system nonsense was being sorted out, I opened the box and looked at the bottle, it was completely wrong! The bottle was 1998 (not 2001) Henry Estate Pinot Noir (not Henry V). So I left the store with the managers assurance that I would be refunded my deposit and that he would look into the matter to see what happened. I again gave him the proper name of the wine I want to order as well as the website information so that in case anyone at SLO was actually paying attention and interested in getting it right, all the information was there in front of them.

My conclusion is that despite some of the excellent people who have helped me in my local Wine & Spirits stores ("Chris" who worked for a time at the Allen Forge store in Lansdale, PA was particularly helpful, but was transferred to another store) the SLO infrastructure is still the same old state government beaurocracy.

Sorry for the long tirade. I'm sure many people have used SLO successfully... but someone needs to take a look at how they are doing things at the PLCB and how some processes like SLO can be modernized. The entire Product Catalog is weak, from a technological/database perspective. Take a loot at how sites like zachys.com handle the online presentation of their inventory.... beautiful, tons of information, sort and search all different ways... this is what the PLCB should be striving for! I should be able to order almost any wine online through the PLCB and have it delivered to my local Wine & Spirits store, without being subject to confused staff or long waits or exhorbitant shipping charges.

I had hopes that the recent Supreme Court decision might have a positive effect on the ability of PA wine consumers to buy obscure wines from out of state, but that doesn't appear to be the case. At least not in any practical sense.

Brad

[philadining]

Wow, Brad, that sounds like a really frustrating experience, my sympathies!

I've only placed one SLO order, so I can't pretend to be able to comment on the system as a whole, but I have to say that this one experience about a month ago was the exact opposite of yours. It was a little tricky to find the item number on the website, it seemed to sometimes turn up in searches and sometimes not, but once I got it, I emailed the PLCB to double check that they had the exact wine/year that I wanted.

I ended up exchanging about 3 emails, mostly out of my paranoia that I might get the wrong wine. (Given your experience maybe that worry was well-founded!) This particular import from France required a 12-bottle order, so it was important that it was right. But I got prompt and helpful replies each time I emailed, and when it came to order, I called the main number, got an answering machine, but then got a return call in just a few minutes.

Then in only a couple of weeks I got another call from the PLCB, and then one from my local store, telling me my order was in. I have to admit I was still a little afraid that something might have gone wrong: it was a nine-year-old vintage from a maker they don't regularly stock, from France....

But it was fine, the right wine, the right year, and it felt like a quick arrival for a special order from a small overseas vineyard. So I felt that it went pretty well.

I'm not sure that my story is helpful to you in any way, other than to say that the system CAN work, even if it was a little clunky having to order on the phone, it seems like I really should have been able to leave a deposit with a credit card via the website. And finding some of the items that can be special-ordered is not as clear as it could be. I did feel obliged to send a few emails because the item listing was somewhat ambiguous about the vintage, so maybe I was at risk of the same problem you had! Sorry that you didn't share my good fortune.

While it's true that you should be able to place an SLO order at any store, maybe it's worth calling Harrisburg and ordering through them, and making sure they can confirm the exact varietal and year. I know you tried calling, so maybe that advice doesn't help. But maybe it's worth giving it another whirl, it worked OK for me. (Although I couldn't blame you for being skeptical!)

And BTW I think that's a cool idea to get a few bottles commemorating your son's birth, that could make for a memorable 21st birthday party!

[yeldarb]

  It was a little tricky to find the item number on the website, it seemed to sometimes turn up in searches and sometimes not, but once I got it, I emailed the PLCB to double check that they had the exact wine/year that I wanted.

..snip..

And finding some of the items that can be special-ordered is not as clear as it could be. I did feel obliged to send a few emails because the item listing was somewhat ambiguous about the vintage, so maybe I was at risk of the same problem you had! 

←

Could you elaborate on what you did to "find the number on the website"? So you ordered something SLO, but the item had in fact been ordered sometime in the past by PLCB? If you found something that was previously ordered, yes, I could see how they should be able to handle such an order without making any mistakes.

I was ordering an item that was apparently never before carried by PLCB. But that can be said of a lot of wines. There is a universe of wines out there... many great ones that PLCB has never ordered before. PA consumers should be able to order those as well.

It's interesting to note that in my case, with Henry Estate, I could actually place an order online, directly with the winery, for three bottles and have them shipped UPS. Would take 5 minutes, be here in 3 days. Oh wait, I'M NOT ALLOWED BECAUSE I LIVE IN A STATE WITH CRAZY BOOZE LAWS. Worse, I fear legislators are too fond of the monopoly revenue stream to change the situation anytime soon.

B

[KatieLoeb]

Brad:

Wow. That's certainly a terrible tale of missed opportunity and bad customer service and I'm sorry you had to go through that. I've had more than my share of SLO (or S.O.L. experiences as I prefer to call them when I'm frustrated) experiences as a Beverage manager since most of the wine products and a lot of the specialty spirits I order for restaurants are SLO. But that's from the "Licensee" side, not the consumer retail side so it wouldn't be a fair comparison.

It sounds like the experience varies wildly depending on who is helping you. Certainly there are helpful staff and unhelpful or uneducated staff in any industry. Developing a relationship with your local PLCB store wine manager is a tactic I have found to have very good results for me - both personally and professionally.

[philadining]

So you ordered something SLO, but the item had in fact been ordered sometime in the past by PLCB? 

←

Yes it was something that had at one time been in the system, although I'm not sure it was ever in stores. It was a wine that I'd been served in a restaurant so I figured that it should have been in the records somewhere. There was still some ambiguity about exactly what vintage the code referred to, there were two years listed, as if it didn't matter!

So yes, my example was something that had actually been ordered previously, but wasn't something that was regularly stocked. The point I was trying to make was that I had some questions about it, and my emails and phone calls were returned promptly. And in the end, I got the right thing.

[Deidre Costello]

Brad, what you describe is a nightmare no two ways about it!

Special Liquor Orders sometimes do have problems in that the specific wine that people may want is not already represented in Pennsylvania as was the case with the product you wanted, Henry V. From what I understand, originally the vendor Jeff Hummer from Laird Distributors said that this product was only available at the winery. I believe it took pressure from 'Jane' calling the winery to have the product quoted through Jeff @Laird. (By the way as a side note here, when Jeff told you that the PLCB listings were often wrong I'm sure he neglected to mention that 90 percent of the products listed in SLO are entered and maintained by the vendor selling the product)

In some cases, wineries are already represented in Pennsylvania by local distributors, when that is the case we have to go through the distributor to quote the product (sometimes that is not the easiest thing to do in that it could take weeks to get back to us.) Once the distributor quotes the products they wait until an order is placed before they turn around to place an order. In many cases an actual order is never placed, since you are in no obligation to purchase anything by simply asking for a price quote. It does not make financial sense for the vendor to carry everything they represent in stock.

After the vendor receives an order either they have it in stock which they ship right away as I assume what happened with Philadining’s order. In the case, where the vendor doesn’t stock the item they then have to ‘special order’ the product themselves to get in stock which causes delays in the whole ordering process. The thing to keep in mind when placing SLO merchandise is that the merchandise is not the PLCB's it belongs to private distributors to do and sell it as they wish.

The fact is that the major percent of SLO transactions occur without ever having a problem!

-Deidre

[Capaneus]

Had a go at the '01 Foxen Foothill Reserve (lcb#15022), now a Chairman's Selection at $19.99 (about $45 elsewhere). It came highly recommended by a Mr. Parker, who gave it a 91 score.

Pretty wine, very dark purplish ruby, no bricking, even deep color and excellent legs. Has just a bit of alcohol on the nose, but lots of blueberry/blackberry and spice, very pleasant. At first taste, it comes across as a thick, jammy, juicy cocktail of dark berries, plums, currants; a heavy hint of vannillin, it saw plenty of oak in its youth; some chocolate and leather as it goes down, and a lingering finish - a real tongue-coater. Has good structure, a streak of acidity that balances the slightly sweet and very aggressive fruit, as well as sweet, unobtrusive tannin: you have to pay attention to detect the telltale puckering amidst all that tasty candy. It actually goes very well with the venison.

But as I try to figure out what goes into this "Proprietary Red", I find I cannot. No pinot cherries/strawberries, the chocolate isn't quite right for several other grapes, no Syrah raw meat and funk... I can't tell. The back of the bottle tells me it's a blend of primarily Merlot with about 30% Cabernet Franc. I can see it, I suppose, but at this level of extraction just about every flavor is in the mix. I'm also a bit surprised that this is the product of Foxen's Santa Barbara grapes: it's a pretty cool place, better traditionally for Pinot Noir than this very ripe sort of fruit. Which of course leads me to suspect that much of the wine was shaped long after picking. That shouldn't bother me - it's what's in the bottle, after all - but it does. Call me old-fashioned.

It's easy to understand why Mr. Parker liked it: it's tailor-made for him. Me... well, I enjoyed this bottle, but the sucker was a bit too loud and obnoxious for everyday use. It would have had trouble matching anything less than the venison, I think. At this price, with its undeniable strengths, it should find plenty of fans, but I think I'll go for something with less fulsome charms. Something a bit more well-bred.

Edited September 28, 2005 by Capaneus (log)

[mrbigjas]

It's easy to understand why Mr. Parker liked it: it's tailor-made for him. Me... well, I enjoyed this bottle, but the sucker was a bit too loud and obnoxious for everyday use. It would have had trouble matching anything less than the venison, I think. At this price, with its undeniable strengths, it should find plenty of fans, but I think I'll go for something with less fulsome charms. Something a bit more well-bred.

i suspect this sort of thing is why that priorat was your and my favorite at that first tasting (and why i was so disappointed with a cambria bench break pinot noir we had tonight--but that's another story entirely).

Edited September 28, 2005 by mrbigjas (log)

[Capaneus]

It's easy to understand why Mr. Parker liked it: it's tailor-made for him. Me... well, I enjoyed this bottle, but the sucker was a bit too loud and obnoxious for everyday use. It would have had trouble matching anything less than the venison, I think. At this price, with its undeniable strengths, it should find plenty of fans, but I think I'll go for something with less fulsome charms. Something a bit more well-bred.

i suspect this sort of thing is why that priorat was your and my favorite at that first tasting (and why i was so disappointed with a cambria bench break pinot noir we had tonight--but that's another story entirely).

←

Are you saying we are Gentlemen of Taste, Discerniment and keen, educated palate? Why Sir, I find that I cannot disagree with you!

That Priorat was a great wine. It's just that its qualities aren't the sort of things that come across very well in that sort of taste-off. I like tastings as a way to meet new wines. But true deep long-lasting relationships I develop over dinner.

[Capaneus]

Last night, as a way to wind down from yet another relaxing, easy-going day, I opened a bottle of '04 Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc (lcb#05765, $9.99). At this price range, I expect an easy-going, pleasant wine, with plenty of fruit and, on a good day, enough acidity to keep it from being cloying. I got all that, but in a much classier package than expected: while the wine had the expected citrus notes, they were lean lemon and lime, rather than plump grapefruit and melon, and they overlay the pleasant grassy vegetal flavors that one expects from a French SB and are much rarer in riper New World versions. And the fruit, while clear and vibrant, had a clean, spare, orderly quality to it that suggests this wine would be a great match with food, especially seafood.

Admittedly, no one would confuse this with a great Graves or Sancerre, but it has undeniable class for its pricepoint. It may not have their depth and complexity, or the agressive minerality of Loire SBs, but it is nonetheless a great little wine that proves yet again that a bottle can be friendly and welcoming without gushing and crowding you.

An excellent recommendation from Peggy, my friendly neighborhood PLCB Store Manager, astute and helpful as ever.

[Tim Dolan]

Can anyone reccomend a good bottle of reisling (apologies for the spelling) in the $10-$30 range? I'm going out to dinner Saturday night with my girlfriend, and she says that she likes everything and tries to be a sport, but I know that she really like reisling. She doesn't have a particular favorite as to who the maker is so I have some latitude with that. Thanks for your suggestions.

[Tim Dolan]

I should also note that I am definitely a rookie when it comes to all things wine. This is even more so for my girlfriend. So we're not picky, I just honestly like hearing all of your suggestions.

[philadining]

Can anyone reccomend a good bottle of reisling (apologies for the spelling) in the $10-$30 range? I'm going out to dinner Saturday night with my girlfriend, and she says that she likes everything and tries to be a sport, but I know that she really like reisling. She doesn't have a particular favorite as to who the maker is so I have some latitude with that. Thanks for your suggestions.

←

We just had a bottle of Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Dry Riesling last night. Nothing particularly earth-shattering, fairly light, but quite pleasant, and really inexpensive. It's Code #008775 at the PLCB, and currently on sale for $10.99. Don't let the screw-cap freak you out, it's pretty good!

I'm a fan of the Dr Frank Dry Rieslings from NY State. They're a little scarce around here these days, but there are a few bottles of '03 at the Bala Cynwyd Premium selection store. Code #17887. The '04 is a bit easier to find, with some in Wayne, Exton, Bryn Mawr, 1913 Chestnut and the Columbus Ave store. Code #18195 They're both pretty darn good, especially at $15. Frank makes a slightly cheaper line called Salmon Run which is fine, but I don't like it quite as much.

The Ratzenbergers are great, and pretty affordable, but SLO in PA. If you happen to live in NJ, Moore Bros can hook you up...

There's a basic Trimbach that's pretty well-distributed, pretty easy to find, for only $17. Code #006625. Some of their better bottles are harder to find in PA, and at the top of your price range.

There are lots more good ones, it's a popular grape grown in a lot of different regions, but those are some that I've had and enjoyed recently...

[mrbigjas]

that spy valley reisling from marlborough that they sell at the specialty stores is inexpensive (less than $15), and very nice with lighter foods, asian dishes, etc.

[Capaneus]

that spy valley reisling from marlborough that they sell at the specialty stores is inexpensive (less than $15), and very nice with lighter foods, asian dishes, etc.

←

Australian Rieslings in general have been getting good reviews. My favorite, of course, are the Germans, but they're heck to work with unless you know them - worse than Burgundies. Generally speaking, '03 Rhines are good bets, but keep in mind that they'll be a bit shifted because of the heat, so you want nothing beyond a Kabinett, or you're bound to get residual sweetness. If you can get over to Moore Bros. they'll steer you right (but keep the conversation to the less expensive stuff; their enthusiasm is genuine, but it is also contagious - and it can be expenseive).

As to Alsace, keep in mind that '03 is a very weird vintage, so stay away from those; you should still see '01s and '02s, both of which are much better. Pierre Sparr makes a nice entry-level Riesling there.

[KatieLoeb]

What they all said and I'll add:

If you do get to Moore Brothers, there's the Ratzenberger from Germany already mentioned, as well as wines from Weingut Keller, Peter Jacob Kuhn, Von Heddesdorff and Schonleber ranging in price from $14 all the way up to almost $50. Moore Brothers also carries Alsace wines from Barmes-Buecher, and their Herrenweg riesling at $18 is as good as you'll get at that or almost any price. If you want to surprise your honey buy a bottle of the Barmes-Buecher Sept Grains (Clickety Here) which is one of my all time favorite wines. It has some riesling in it, as well as Gewurztraminer and 5 other grapes. It goes with virtually any type of food and is absolutely delicious. A steal at $14 bucks and an incredibly complex and interesting wine.

Pierre Sparr and Trimbach both have listed items at regular State Stores as well as some "Specialty" items and make some fine rieslings as well if you don't want to hike to NJ. The 12th & Chestnut store seems to have some of the Trimbach 1999 "Cuvee Emile" in stock ($29.99 if you're feeling flush)and that's really lovely. It'll be particularly tasty with that little bit of age on it.

Cheers and enjoy and please report back!

[mrbigjas]

If you want to surprise your honey buy a bottle of the Barmes-Buecher Sept Grains (Clickety Here) which is one of my all time favorite wines.  It has some riesling in it, as well as Gewurztraminer and 5 other grapes.  It goes with virtually any type of food and is absolutely delicious.  A steal at $14 bucks and an incredibly complex and interesting wine.

oo, good thought. i always forget about this one till i have it again, and then whenever i do i think, 'why don't i have this more often?'

[Meanderer]

If you keep up this Moore Bros. business on this thread, Deirdre and her colleagues at the LCB might start stationing some of their undercover agents in the parking lot to watch for PA license plates.

[philadining]

You're certainly right that this particular topic should probably concentrate on PLCB offerings, but there are a good number of folks who read and participate in this forum who are from NJ or Delaware, and might find Moore Bros to be a convenient local wine store.

Perhaps a more generic "local wine advice" topic would be in order.

[KatieLoeb]

If you keep up this Moore Bros. business on this thread, Deirdre and her colleagues at the LCB might start stationing some of their undercover agents in the parking lot to watch for PA license plates.

←

Many of the wines mentioned at Moore Brothers are available in PA via the SLO system. This sounded like more of an immediate purchase emergency for this weekend so sometimes you have to bend the rules a bit. I think the numbers of folks now coming *in* to PA to avail themselves of the wonderful Chairman's Selections program has reversed the tide of "border bleed" that used to be so prevalent.

And finding PA license plates in NJ wine shop parking lots is hardly a news flash. Really no telling where and when you're planning to drink the wine so I think the days of "Big Brother" are over. PLCB "undercover" agents are more about looking for bars that are sserving to minors, etc. Local law enforcement (used to) handle what you're talking about. They'd have to follow you over the bridge to arrest you, and that might bring up issues of being out of their jurisdiction. I sincerely beleive that the PLCB's time is more valuable than that and that from the sounds of it, there might be some Customer Service issues that deserve more immediate attention.