Wine & Spirits Bargains at the PLCB (Part 1)

[Deidre Costello]

Hello everyone, I apologize that I haven’t posted in a couple of weeks I fell behind the eight ball and I am just getting caught up.

Anyway I had the opportunity to taste the next round of Chairman’s Selections that will be hitting the stores in the next 4 to 6 weeks here is a quick glance of my personal highlights!

1. Sequoia Grove Cabernet Reserve 2001 Red fruits and celery on the nose big delicious red fruits, cassis and vanilla well balanced and an elegant wine. $20

2. Flors Springs Trilogy 2001 Blackberry fruits on the nose soft round black cherry and black raspberry fruits with a hint of cigar box long finish. $25

3. Tenute Silvio Nardi Brunello di Montalcino 1999 Black cherry fruit with a hint of tobacco soft tannins perfect with food. $30

4. Pine Ridge Andrus 2000 Beautiful black fruits plum, black cherry, and raspberry black licorice soft tannins rich and delicious. $50

5. Saintsbury Pinot Noir Reserve 2000 Cherry fruits well balanced pretty finish $20

These are probably my top 5 of the tasting. I will post my other impressions soon. There are some real bargains coming in that I really enjoyed such as the Fra Guerau 02 and the Valdubon 2003 new vintages this time around. Both will be under $10 I’ll gather the rest of my notes and post on some of my other impressions real soon. -Deidre

[Lisa1349]

I was looking into some Itlaian regional specialties and picked up A-Mano 2001 Primitivo from Puglia, on sale a few weeks ago @$10.99. It was a little harsh and acidic for me, flavors of underripe raspberry/blackberry but was lovely in the poached dried figs I used the rest of the bottle for.

I'm going to use the hysterical labeled Goats-do-Roam from South Africa in braised lamb shanks and drink it with as well.

Edited February 1, 2005 by Lisa1349 (log)

[Deidre Costello]

Hello Again,

I was going to mention it in this post that the PLCB began posting store inventories of products on their informational web site but Katie beat me to it! I understand that they are working on creating a separate search for the Chairman’s Selection products to be put out on the informational site as well. I’m sure Katie will let us know when that is working.

I thought I would mention a few more C.S.’s that are coming in that I didn’t write about in my previous post. I will say that I enjoyed most of the upcoming wines and these are just my impressions on some of them. I will try to post my notes as close to the arrival in our stores as I can.

Vine Cliff Merlot 2000 $14.99 Green olive, cedar and dark fruits on the nose, dark jammy fruits on the palate nice balance chewy long finish.

Geyser Peak Shiraz 1999 $17.99 (repurchase) Jammy berry fruits mixed with oak on the nose, black cherry and blackberry fruits on the palate with well integrated tannins.

Domaine Carneros Le Reve 1998 $27.99 I thought the 97 showed more creaminess however this is still a nice sparkler with apple and toast its clean with a grapey creaminess.

St Francis Merlot Behler Reserve $12.99 Red fruits on the nose with a hint of coffee on the palate red cherry red raspberry fruits with a hint of spice.

St Francis Cabernet Nuns Canyon $14.99 Cedar and black fruits on the nose, blackberry, black raspberry and a hint of licorice on the palate, soft tannins.

-Deidre

[KatieLoeb]

I had the pleasure of meeting Chairman Newman this morning at a press conference announcing the Philadelphia Wine Festival. He was very gracious and enthusiastic about this thread and thanked us all for our comments. It seems our feedback is making an impression at the highest levels!

Having just returned from a buying trip to California where 12,000 cases were purchased for our pleasure, I got the low down from the Chairman himself on some of the products we have to look forward to. There will be more St Francis wines, more St Supery and Flora Springs wines as well. He was very excited about some of the bargains he managed to wrangle and hopefully I will have the opportunity to work more directly with his office in the future to give all of you the heads up before the good stuff hits the stores. Woo-hoo!

[percyn]

Good job Katie !!

I picked up some Bodega Norton Privada Mendoza and St Francis along with my wine of the month (not opened yet).

[Deidre Costello]

Hello again, I thought I would mention that Philly and Pittsburgh stores are showing inventory of a repurchase of the Hanna Bismark Cabernet 1999 looks like it will be in the central part of the state in the next week or two. This wine created a little buzz on the board when it was last in the stores. At $20 it’s a great buy!

Hot off the presses this morning is a deal for the 1993 Burgess Cabernet $20 with an ETA of late March only 700 cases were purchased, if you liked the ’92 keep your eyes out for this one I’m sure it won’t last in the stores at that price. I haven’t tasted this one but I’m hoping it will be as good as the ’92…

-Deidre

[KatieLoeb]

Hello again, I thought I would mention that Philly and Pittsburgh stores are showing inventory of a repurchase of the Hanna Bismark Cabernet 1999 looks like it will be in the central part of the state in the next week or two.  This wine created a little buzz on the board when it was last in the stores.  At $20 it’s a great buy! 

Hot off the presses this morning is a deal for the 1993 Burgess Cabernet $20 with an ETA of late March only 700 cases were purchased, if you liked the ’92 keep your eyes out for this one I’m sure it won’t last in the stores at that price.  I haven’t tasted this one but I’m hoping it will be as good as the ’92…

-Deidre

←

Now this we really need advance notice for I still have 4 bottles left of the half case of '92 Burgess Cab I hunted down at the Norristown store last time it was in. I drank one election night, and gave one as a gift with a set of Riedel wine glasses as a wedding gift. If this is going to be an ongoing relationship with the PLCB I could eventually have enough of this stashed away for a vertical tasting some time in the future. That could be quite interesting!

I used several bottles of the Hanna 2002 Chardonnay ($12.99) and several bottles of the Roth 2001 Cabernet ($24.99) for a wine seminar last weekend and both were spectacular. Serious quality for the price in both instances. Also used the Echelon Pinot Noir ($12.99) and it was another winner. Wines were excellent examples of their respective genre, and all were a big time bargain.

[lancastermike]

Not a Chairmans selection, but tonight with dinner I opened a bottle of Rex Goliath Free Range Pinot Noir. Paid 9.49 for it. Had a sign calling it a test product on it. In my never ending quest for "value priced" wines this one was only ok. Had salmon a lemon caqper sauce and it did not shine. Very drinkable and I liked it better on its own. Not a bad wine for the price

[KatieLoeb]

In case any of you all thought I was joking about chatting with Chairman Newman, here's a little photo evidence from the press conference at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts on 2/9/05.

Looking forward to working with the fine folks at the PLCB to keep all we PA eGulleteers up to date on incoming wine bargains.

[yeldarb]

I understand that the LCB web site has been redesigned and that it allows one to see inventory in the stores, and that part is excellent. However, can someone tell me how often that data is updated? Are those "live" stock levels?<br><br>I still have a problem with the search tool, however. Maybe my expectations are topo high because I'm an I.T. guy, but it would be nice to see a bit more granular searching capabilities. The other problem is an apparent lack of discipline with data entry. Naming conventions are inconsistent across the database, even within the same brand.<br><br>For example, a recent Chairman's selection was "Ridge Home Ranch Monte Bello Ridge 2001" for $29. A great price. I've posted the original listing below. (The links no longer work, so I think this one may be gone.) I'm not even sure they got the label picture right, either... ?<br><br>Anyway, when I tried to use the search tool on "Ridge", for example, I got 16 pages of anything with "Ridge" in the name (e.g. Rabbit Ridge, Woodbridge, etc). Even once you page to the "Ridge Estate" section, you see that they've entered various types and vintages from this maker in an inconsistent manner. An average person like me cannot make sense of this. Is one of these the Chairman's Selection in question? <br><br>12372 Specialty RIDGE CAB/MERLOT SANTA CRUZ MT HOME RANCH $49.49 <br>15124 Specialty RIDGE HOME RANCH RED 01 $29.99 <br>53602 SLO RIDGE HOME RANCH SANTA CRUZ 2001 $66.49 <br>12329 Specialty RIDGE MONTE BELLO 01$95.99n/a <br>51413 SLO RIDGE MONTE BELLO 2001 $126.09 <br> <br>The designers of the LCB search tool should take a lesson from Google's search syntax, most people usinng the web today are familiar with how Google works. For example the ability to use quotes to search on exact phrases ("Ridge" wouldn't result in Woodbridge), to make exceptions by using a negative sign (e.g. "Ridge" -Rabbit would exclude Rabbit Ridge from the search), or even boolean operations AND/OR (e.g. Ridge AND Estate, which is different from a search for "Ridge Estate".) Basically I'd like to be able to actually find things. ;-) Not to be too harsh, however, because the LCB is making many improvments. But just for comparison, check out some retail wine web sites in other states such as Zachys.com, and try their search tools. <br> <br><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=472 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=prodHeadText colSpan=3>Chairman's Selection</TD></TR><TR><TD><IMG height=17 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=200></TD><TD><IMG height=17 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=22></TD><TD><IMG height=17 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=250></TD></TR><P><STRONG>CHAIRMAN'S SELECTION</STRONG></P><TR><TD class=homeBody colSpan=3><SPAN class=blackTitleBold>Ridge Home Ranch Monte Bello Ridge</SPAN><BR><P>Suggested Price $60 Save $30</P><P>THE WINE ENTHUSIAST 'A CELLAR SELECTION' 93 points:  "Almost evenly divided between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this is a big mountain wine, filled with the flavors of ripe blackberries, blueberries and oak. It's young in tannins and acids. It possesses an extraordinary sense of balance and intensity, but is probably best left to age until 2008."</P><P>Winery Notes:  "This is the first bottling of our estate grown "Home Ranch." In the opulent 2001 vintage, we selected cabernet sauvignon from the thirty-five-year-old vines, balancing it with merlot from the younger blocks for this rich, sensuous wine-classic, yet more approachable than the long-aging Monte Bello. This full, complex wine reflects its ripe vintage. It is enjoyable now, and will continue to develop beautifully over the next decade." </P></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3><IMG height=9 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=100></TD></TR><TR><FORM name=OrderItemAddForm action="" method=post><TD class=prodBody vAlign=top>Year: 2001 <BR><IMG height=4 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=20><BR>Size: 750ML <BR><IMG height=4 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=20><BR>Rating(s): <A class=rightLink onclick="return popup315(this, 'popup1')" href="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catIdent=RatingPopup&catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&categoryId=40351&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=40351"><IMG height=9 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_popup_icon.gif" width=10 border=0></A><IMG height=1 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=4><A class=rightLink onclick="return popup315(this, 'popup1')" href="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catIdent=RatingPopup&catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&categoryId=40351&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=40351">WE</A>/93 <IMG height=4 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=20><BR>Winery Location: <A onclick="return popup(this, 'popup1')" href="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catIdent=ExtraInfoPopup&extraInfo=WbR_US_C_Sonoma&catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&categoryId=40351&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=40351"><IMG height=9 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_popup_icon.gif" width=10 border=0></A> <IMG height=1 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=4> <A class=rightLink onclick="return popup(this, 'popup1')" href="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catIdent=ExtraInfoPopup&extraInfo=WbR_US_C_Sonoma&catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&categoryId=40351&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=40351">Sonoma </A><BR><IMG height=4 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=20><BR>Variety: <A onclick="return popup(this, 'popup1')" href="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catIdent=ExtraInfoPopup&extraInfo=WbV_R_Cabernet Sauvignon&catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&categoryId=40351&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=40351"><IMG height=9 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_popup_icon.gif" width=10 border=0></A> <IMG height=1 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=4> <A class=rightLink onclick="return popup(this, 'popup1')" href="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catIdent=ExtraInfoPopup&extraInfo=WbV_R_Cabernet Sauvignon&catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&categoryId=40351&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=40351">Cabernet Sauvignon / Meritage </A><BR><IMG height=4 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=20><BR>Winery: <A onclick="return popup(this, 'popup1')" href="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catIdent=ExtraInfoPopup&extraInfo=WbVi_Ridge&catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&categoryId=40351&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=40351"><IMG height=9 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_popup_icon.gif" width=10 border=0></A> <IMG height=1 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=4> <A class=rightLink onclick="return popup(this, 'popup1')" href="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catIdent=ExtraInfoPopup&extraInfo=WbVi_Ridge&catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&categoryId=40351&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=40351">Ridge </A><BR><IMG height=4 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=20><BR><SPAN class=burgundyBold>New!</SPAN><BR><IMG height=4 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=20><BR><SPAN class=redBold>$29.99</SPAN><BR><IMG height=4 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=20><BR><SPAN class=prodTens><A onclick="return popupSmall(this, 'popupList')" href="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catIdent=SpecialItemPopup&specialItem=SS&catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&categoryId=40351&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=40351"><IMG height=9 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_popup_icon.gif" width=10 border=0></A> <IMG height=1 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=4>*</SPAN> <A class=prodTens onclick="return popupSmall(this, 'popupList')" href="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catIdent=SpecialItemPopup&specialItem=SS&catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&categoryId=40351&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=40351">Premium Collection Store Item</A><BR><IMG height=15 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=15><BR><SPAN class=blackTitleBold>QTY</SPAN><BR><INPUT class=inputFields size=2 value=1 name=quantity> <BR><IMG height=5 src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/g_1pixel_clr.gif" width=5></TD><TD> </TD><TD vAlign=top align=right><IMG height=250 alt="Ridge Home Ranch Monte Bello Ridge" src="http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcsstore/WineandSpirits/en_US/images/15124_300.jpg" width=250 border=0></TD></FORM></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV>

[Deidre Costello]

Hello yeldarb, welcome to the board!

I understand your frustration with the search feature that now show stores inventory levels at the PLCB. Please understand that this is a preliminary search engine, implemented to allow public access to available inventories in our stores. We know that it is not optimized and may not meet everyone's expectations, however we felt that letting customers see what products and related inventory is available in our stores, updated every hour, was important enough to allow consumers access to this information while we develop a more functional and easy to use search capability. I can honestly say that the PLCB values every e-mail, phone call, comment cards it sees. I even forwarded your post (I hope you don’t mind) to our development team because it offered useful information that they can try to implement while working on the development of a better functioning search engine.

The thing to keep in mind when using the current search feature to produce the most results is to only put in part of a name. For example if you are looking for Chateau St. Michelle products you will get more hits by just putting in Michelle, scroll through the list and click on the product you are interested in to do a state wide search. A couple of things are causing search issues that we are working on rectifying, currently we only have a limited number of characters that we can use to enter products, our suppliers have the ability to enter their own SLO products directly to the site, then we have several of our own departments entering products, each using various abbreviations. We are working on a standardization of description abbreviations for all departments to use that will make the improved search feature when unveiled easier to use.

On a related note early next week we are going to be launching an improved public site www.lcb.state.pa.us this will make searching for Chairman’s Selection products in particular easier to find.

In regards to the Ridge Home Ranch Monte Bello Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains 2001 Chairman’s Selection code 15124 should not be confused with the Ridge Monte Bello Vineyards. I’m not sure why Ridge would have two products with such similarities in their name, I think this will be confusing for customers in the long run the Ridge Monte Bello is a Bordeaux blend made up of approximately 75% Cab, 23% Merlot, and 2% Cab Franc quoted on the Ridge site $120. The Ridge Home Ranch, Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains is made up of 50% Cab 49% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot quoted on Ridge site at $60. According to the Ridge web site this was named “Home Ranch to honor the nineteenth-century vineyard that has been ‘home’ since 1959”

By the way Katie, I ran into our Chairman last week too…know the first thing he said to me??? “I finally got to meet Katie Loeb” you made quite the impression!

[KatieLoeb]

By the way Katie, I ran into our Chairman last week too…know the first thing he said to me??? “I finally got to meet Katie Loeb” you made quite the impression!

←

That's pretty cool. I really enjoyed speaking with him and I was really impressed with his enthusiasm for the consumers.

And thanks for keeping us up to date on the website upgrades. No software upgrade has ever gone perfectly in any industry I've ever seen. So it should be no surprise that there are kinks to be worked out here as well.

[Capaneus]

If anyone is waiting (I was), the Saintsbury PN is in at 12th and Chestnut. They got eight (well, seven, now) cases.

I also cracked a bottle of the Norton Malbec last night with my first attempt at a bigos. Purple/cranberry color, very even, velvet-smooth very dark fruit, just enough acidity and soft tannins. A very pleasant drink right now, though not exactly the acme of sophistication. At $12.99 it's a steal, though.

[Deidre Costello]

Hello,

I just wanted to mention that the new informational web site is up and running. You can now see all the Chairman’s Selection including the ones that will be coming in. From the new home page: here click on the link for consumers, then to view only the Chairman Selection click on the box on the right hand side. As soon as I know about a new Chairman’s selection it will get added to that page. In most cases when you click on a product that is showing no inventory, that just means it is in transit and will be arriving to the Premium Value stores in the near future so you might want to check the list periodically. Products are deleted when inventory levels fall below a certain point and our e-commerce site is also out of the product. I hope this helps everyone in finding these products!

[mrbigjas]

whoa, good stuff there Deidre. Thanks for keeping us updated.

[KatieLoeb]

Thanks Deidre! As a result of having the handy dandy search feature, I just had two bottles of the Domaine Carneros "La Reve" put aside for me to function as my birthday bubbly next week! Woo-hoo!

I'll scope out what else is already in stock at 12th & Chestnut when I go to pick those up and report back.

[Deidre Costello]

Thanks Deidre!  As a result of having the handy dandy search feature, I just had two bottles of the Domaine Carneros "La Reve" put aside for me to function as my birthday bubbly next week!  Woo-hoo!

I'll scope out what else is already in stock at 12th & Chestnut when I go to pick those up and report back.

←

Can I be the first to wish you a very Happy Birthday!!! Enjoy the La Reve!

[lancastermike]

Headed to the Fruitville Pike store after work armed with information I just got from the web site on amount in stock. The Saintsbury PN is showing quantity of one. Lets see if I can find it. Some of my other choices are looking better. The search feature is a wonderful tool. Thanks Diedre and the Chairman

PS Happy[almost] Birthday Katie!!!!

[lancastermike]

Headed to the Fruitville Pike store after work armed with information I just got from the web site on amount in stock.  The Saintsbury PN is showing quantity of one.  Lets see if I can find it.  Some of my other choices are looking better.  The search feature is a wonderful tool. Thanks Diedre and the Chairman

PS Happy[almost] Birthday Katie!!!!

←

Missed out on the Saintsbury PN the one bottle they had left was on hold. Did get the Trilogy, the Rex Hill PN, a couple of the Ravens wood Zin, which is an old favorite and for Maggie a couple of Toasted Head Chardonay.

Wonderful prices on all of these. The search feature is a real help

[shacke]

I just wanted to pop my head in and say I am glad I found this forum. I have read through it all and what a fantastic wealth of info here, particularly from Katie and Deidre. I luckily have a premium store behind my house and was able to pick up some of the talked about wine bargains tonight as well as some other great buys. My cellar space issues just got worse!

Anyway, look forward to more helpful posts. I have utilized the central ecommerce shipping and its been great. I hope to try the hanna 2002 chard and 2000 pine ridge andrus via the website.

I am also looking forward to the new 2002 cakebread cabs when they show up here in Philly. They usually start showing up around March and they are a nostalgic fave of ours since the time I lived in the bay area.

Evan

[KatieLoeb]

I just wanted to pop my head in and say I am glad I found this forum.  I have read through it all and what a fantastic wealth of info here, particularly from Katie and Deidre.  I luckily have a premium store behind my house and was able to pick up some of the talked about wine bargains tonight as well as some other great buys.  My cellar space issues just got worse!

Anyway, look forward to more helpful posts.  I have utilized the central ecommerce shipping and its been great.  I hope to try the hanna 2002 chard and 2000 pine ridge andrus via the website. 

I am also looking forward to the new 2002 cakebread cabs when they show up here in Philly.  They usually start showing up around March and they are a nostalgic fave of ours since the time I lived in the bay area. 

Evan

←

Hi Evan!! Welcome to eGullet. I hope you'll join the fun and post your tasting notes and finds as you try your purchases and do more wine shopping.

I did about $200 worth of damage on my stop at 12th & Chestnut the other day , but luckily some of the wines are for upcoming group dinners and such so I won't be bearing the burden solo. Picked up some St. Francis Nuns Canyon Reserve Cabernet, St. Francis Behler Merlot Reserve, Ravenwood Teldeschi Zin, Saintbury Pinot Noir, and the aforementioned bottles of La Reve. Only one I've had time to crack open and try yet was one bottle of the St. Francis Behler Merlot Reserve. It's quite concentrated with big cherry aromas and lots of mocha like notes in the finish. Unfreakinbelievably tasty stuff for $12.99. Drinks like a $40 bottle for sure. Highly recommended before it disappears. It's drinking great now but will surely be fine and improve for the next several years for those of you with appropriate storage.

[lancastermike]

Opened the Toasted Head Chardonnay last night with roasted salmon with lemon and brown rice. Pear and slight vanilla to my taste. The oak was not as strong as many Califorina chardonnay we have had. The acid complemented the lemon with the salmon and held up to the salmon richness. I liked this. Maggie, who i got it far was not as impressed as she is a fan of the Califorina chardonnay with the big oak and the buttery aftertaste. Another nice value from the Pa Chairmans selections

[Deidre Costello]

Hello Lancastermike if you are looking for a Chairman’s Selection oaky Chardonnay check out the Carmel Road Chardonnay (about $18) Apple and butterscotch flavors it was a little over the top in oakiness for me but for people that are a fan of this style they might enjoy it.

I really enjoyed the Soliloquy although it’s 100% Sauvignon Blanc the oak treatment 7 months barrel aging adds a vanilla creaminess that you might enjoy without being over done it also has honey and tropical melon nose with tropical fruits and banana on the palate.

-Deidre

P.S. Welcome Evan we look forward to your posts and finds...I see if I can find out anything on the Cakebread '02s for you

[glepore]

Maybe there's some bottle variation on the St Francis-I'll have to try another bottle, I was underwhelmed by the Merlot-although the it was still fine for the price.

The cab is very nice, not terribly concentrated but very refined-needs some open bottle time to shine.

[KatieLoeb]

I'm currently enjoying a glass of the 2001 Ravenswood Teldeschi Vineyard Zinfandel (and nibbling on some sliced Turkey Pepperoni from Esh's Egg Farm at RTM - Yummy stuff!!!). A bit over 3500 cases were made of this wine as it's all site specific from old vines near Healdsburg in the Dry Creek Valley. This stuff is textbook CA zinfandel and at $17.99 will be worth going out of my way to head back to the store and stash a few more bottles away.

The surprising thing here is the abundance of vanilla scents/flavors in the wine, something I'd usually associate negatively with many over-manipulated CA Chardonnays. But here it seems to work and give the wine some depth and character. The depth of berry jam fruit scents/flavor and softened tannins are surprisingly not overwhelmed by the characteristic spiciness and peppery qualities of the Zin juice and balance out the lovely vanilla really well. I'm just sipping this wine and it's very pleasant quaffing wine, but I bet this would stand up to Steak au Poivre or Steak Diane or even an Asian inspired duck dish (like the missing link Thai duck dish with Szechuan peppercorn discussed elsewhere in the PA forum) brilliantly. I still have half a bottle left so I might have to investigate that theory if I manage not to down the whole bottle this evening singlehandedly.

Deidre - what's the availability of this wine currently? The website is showing ZERO inventory but I wonder if it even hit the radar screen before either selling out or never registering what's actually out there. There were several cases there last week at 12th & Chestnut when I picked up my one bottle.

Am I gonna have to hurt somebody to get some more of this?