Charlotte, Triad & Triangle Deliveries (Inside Back Cover)

Superb $19 Sauvignon Blanc for $9 (Page 10)

96-Point Chardonnay Star for $17 (Page 14)

Classic $40 Chablis for $17 (Page 16)

Krug-Like Grower Champagne Bargain (Page 18)

“Best Ever” Silver Oak on Sale (Page 22)

Special Wine Tasting Event on Thursday, June 21st (Inside Back Cover)

Join us for our free wine tastings EVERY Saturday from 12-6

WESTGATE WINE6405 Westgate Road, Suite 115

Raleigh, NC 27617

(919) 787-4290

Opus One Pedigree Cabernet for $28 (Page 3)

Top-Rated $65 Howell Mtn. Cab for $36 (Page 5)

95-Point 2007 Moffett Cab for $40 (Page 7)

Top Napa Cabernets Sampler Case (Page 8)

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SUMMER STORAGE & SHIPPING

Westgate Wine Storage will be happy to hold your wines for you until weather permits them to be shipped, free of charge.

We are also able to ship your wines to you during this time if you instruct us to do so.

FREE CHARLOTTE, TRIAD & TRIANGLE DELIVERIES

We are now scheduling deliveries to the Charlotte Area, The Triad and Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.

See back inside cover for details.

WHERE WE’RE LOCATED

We are at 6405 Westgate Road, off Highway 70 and 540 in Raleigh (near the Angus Barn – go up Westgate Road and we’re across from the red

Citgo). You can find more detailed directions on our website, www.westgatewinestore.com. Or call us at (919) 787-4290.

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Act I: The Crescendo?

We really should be leading off with our three new Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons…which are simply better than any American Cabnernets we’ve yet sold. But as great as those wines are – and they’d be steals at twice their price, the Fabre “Pretty” Malbec is still our best foot (or anybody’s)…and I

want to put it forward.

So here goes. The World’s best price on the richest vintage yet of Fabre’s Malbec “Gran Reserva.” And the World’s ONLY price on the ultra-rare and

ultra-luxurious 101-year-old vine Fabre “Pretty” Malbec…a wine whose colossal concentration and sheer unsurpassed beauty and breed render it not

only Argentina’s supreme Malbec, but the finest red wine of ANY type at anywhere near this price from anywhere in the World.

It really is that good.

2009 FABRE MONTMAYOU MALBEC “GRAN RESERVA”

$19.99/$16.99 by the case

Now, this might seem like merely the set-up wine for Fabre’s “Pretty” Malbec…the opening act. Which really isn’t fair. After all, 2009 is perhaps

the richest and ripest vintage to date for what has long been regarded as Argentina’s finest $20-$30 Malbec.

In fact, it just won the 2012 Trophy (yet again) in the $20-$30 Malbec category at the Argentina Wine Awards in Mendoza (over literally

hundreds of worthy competitors). And Decanter Magazine actually named it “Argentina’s Greatest Malbec” period…along with the $125 Catena

“Argentino”. The Seattle Times simply called it “glorious.”

It’s just not quite so glorious – such a perfect essence of the Mendoza Malbec ideal – as the “Pretty” Malbec is.

Still, it’s the best old-vine Malbec under $20 in the State, in the Country…ANYWHERE. Of course – and this is the best part – the only place in the

World that it is under $20 is here.

BEACH, MOUNTAIN & VACATION WINES

We have lots of great choices for these – and we can ship them ahead to your destination. Because you deserve to drink good wine on your

vacation…and to not have to lug it with you!

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2009 FABRE MONTMAYOU “PRETTY” MALBEC$29.99/$24.99 by the case

This would be our “yardstick” red, the wine against which we measure all others…except none would measure up. Nowhere but in Argentina – and really nowhere but at Fabre – can we find a wine of such supreme quality

for such a reasonable price.

Just imagine what a wine like this would cost in Napa…or better yet, Bordeaux (where these ancient, ungrafted Malbec wines originated – and where they, rather than Cabernet, made the Lafites and Latours of old).

101-year-old, densely planted (a rarity here) vines, cropped at half the level of a Bordeaux First Growth, double-sorted and then further concentrated

through a 25% saignee, pressed in a more gentle, traditional press (again, a rarity in Argentina – where heavy extraction is the order of the day), aged

in 100% top-quality new French oak, egg-white fined and bottled unfiltered…in other words, coddled as much as any wine at any price

ANYWHERE.

Forget what this would cost in Napa or Bordeaux…no other top Argentine producer but Fabre offers this level of Malbec for less than $100…and

some now charge over $200 for the top Malbecs from their oldest vines.

What’s more, compared to this incredibly rich yet still “pretty” wine, all the new $100 to $200 Malbecs (and there are tons of them now) come across as

strivers, parvenus, nouveau riche – they’re too extracted, too oaky, too alcoholic and just too showy. This one is the real deal. It wears its

considerable wealth (of fruit, power, concentration)

comfortably. It stuns you with its beauty…not by knocking you

over the head.

It’s also Fabre’s rarest wine – so limited they don’t list it on their website or price list. In fact, we

inquired about it three times before the importer or winery

admitted they had any. Which is fine – as we’re now the only place in

the World to buy it!

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Herve Fabre, by the way, was the first in Argentina to offer a pure varietal Malbec. He was recently named “Argentina’s Best Winemaker” by a panel

of British MWs, and has won awards for “Best Argentine Red,” “Best Argentine Red Blend,” and “Best Malbec in the World” there. He was also,

naturally, the first to export an Argentine Malbec to Bordeaux – and the first to win awards for his Malbec in Bordeaux.

Everything he makes is at least good wine and always great value. But this is the jewel in Fabre’s crown…and the most truly special wine in

Argentina.

Quite simply put, we can’t find another wine that offers all that this one does (richness, power, old-vine concentration, elegance, seamlessness and

class – all at the highest level) at a price like this. Such wines just don’t exist…except here.

Opus One-Quality Cabernet for $28!

Even in Napa, the vineyard – more than anything else – determines at least the potential quality of the wine. And few vineyards in Oakville (the filet

mignon of Napa) are so perfectly situated as the tiny “Spencer Vineyard” – now leased and farmed by master winemaker Nick Goldschmidt. One of the

smallest vineyards in Oakville, it’s also one of the few to be dry-farmed - and it boasts some of Oakville’s oldest vines.

But what’s really so special about this vineyard is its location. It’s directly above Opus One and right beside Nickel & Nickel. Nothing else in its

neighborhood (Oakville West – which also includes To-Kalon, Martha’s and Harlan) sells for less than $100.

Yet we can sell this truly beautiful (and utterly brilliant) limited-production Oakville Cabernet for only $27.99 by the case!

2009 GOLDSCHMIDT “HILARY’S” CABERNET SAUVIGNON

$34.99/$27.99 by the case

As Matt Kramer explains, what distinguishes “Oakville West” from the rest of Oakville is the supreme elegance, the “almost lacy texture” of its finest

Cabernets. They’re not light – witness Harlan, the old Heitz “Martha’s” and the various To-Kalons. But unlike those vineyards to its east, which bake in

the afternoon sun, Oakville West vineyards are capable of producing Cabernets that are both bold AND beautiful.

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The shelter of the Mayacamas Mountains and slight cooling effect of the Napa River (which Spencer Vineyard abuts) explain this superiority. Of

course, it’s no accident that Oakville’s original vineyards almost all lie in this sector.

Our supplier, Mike Eaker (who used to look just like Al Pacino) in the Spencer Vineyard. That’s the Opus One vineyard and winery in the background.

To his credit, Goldschmidt crafts a Cabernet that fully capitalizes on both the richness and beauty his unique site offers. He picked this Cabernet in October – which he felt still a bit on the early side, to give it a more “Old

World” balance and class. Then he extracted it fully but very gently (certainly compared to just about every other Oakville Cabernet), and aged it for 26 months in 100% French oak, with only 25% new. He then bottled

it unfined, and with the coarsest possible filtration.

The result is a Cabernet that’s “bold, well-structured, complex and rich in flavor” – yet also one that evokes its West Oakville origins better than

virtually any wine today. You really can taste the “almost lacy texture” and enveloping layers of beautifully (and classically) delineated blackberry and cassis flavors here. Despite its richness and obvious aging potential, what really strikes the taster here is the sheer beauty, elegance and class. This is simply Cabernet Sauvignon at its finest…a rare wine not just in Napa but

anywhere.

Hilary, by the way, is Nick Goldschmidt’s youngest daughter. Goldschmidt made just 1000 cases of this wine in her honor – and it sells (always very

quickly!) at the winery for $35.

Epic Howell Mountain Cabernet Buy6

If there is any red wine we’ve sold that might challenge the Fabre “Pretty” Malbec for sheer unbeatable value, this is it. It has been rated – and we

believe it is – the finest Howell Mountain Cabernet under $100. Less than 300 cases were made. The lowest price for any vintage ANYWHERE is $65. But we now have the best-ever 2005 vintage, a Cabernet of nearly singular concentration and complexity (even for Howell Mountain), for only $35.99

by the case.

Napa’s hard. (It took us nearly nine months to find a Napa Cabernet value like this.) But this one’s easy.

2005 SPENCE VINEYARDS “HOWELL MOUNTAIN” CABERNET SAUVIGNON

$39.99/$35.99 by the case

Of all the hot new (and revered old) producers on Howell Mountain, none may be better right now than the tiny Spence Vineyards. And no wine

Spence has yet made equals their brilliant 2005 Cabernet. In fact, it was one of only five Howell Mountain Cabernets (and the least expensive of these at $65) to earn the top “A” rating in a recent tasting featuring nearly all of the

top Howell Mountain reds of the past few years.

Not only did it rate above such newer Howell Mountain stars as the 97-

point Arkenstone and CADE (both over $100); it also beat – and frankly,

deserved to beat – such established leaders as Dunn “Howell Mountain”

(multiple vintages, including the Parker 97-point 2004!), 2004 La Jota

“Anniversary” and “Howell Mountain Selection,” 2006 and 2007

Robert Craig “Howell Mountain,” 2004 Duckhorn “Howell Mountain,” Cakebread “Dancing Bear,” Outpost,

Cimarossa, Cornerstone, Red Cap and a whole host of others!

It’s also the best vintage to date for Spence. (The 2007 vintage rated “A-“ and the 2006 was a “B+”.) The lowest price for ANY vintage of Spence on

Wine-Searcher is $65.

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Yet while it lasts, we can offer this superlative 2005 Spence “Howell Mountain” Cabernet for only $35.99 by the case!

Now, several factors account for the exceptional quality here. For one, the vineyard is right at the sweet spot for Howell Mountain, at 1900 feet. (The appellation ranges from 1400 to 2200 feet.) But it’s also atop a small knoll – and enjoys a constant convection breeze (not felt just a couple of hundred yards to either side) that serves to thicken the grape skins - concentrating them and intensifying their flavors.

The soil here is also exceptionally deep for Howell Mountain, its red volcanic material brimming with small stones. Not only does this soil drain particularly well, it allows for denser than normal planting and roots which

go extremely deep in their pursuit of water. All of which results in fruit that’s rich, deep and concentrated even by Howell Mountain standards.

From this tiny jewel of a vineyard, winemaker Marco DiGuilio - who established Lokoya as one of the Napa Valley’s Cabernet icons (and whose Howell Mountain Cabernet now sells for over $200) , and who has a rare

ability (especially in California) to make Cabernets that are both immensely impressive and truly site specific – crafts less than 300 cases of one of

Napa’s greatest “hidden gems.” This is rich, full and extremely powerful yet also somehow also long, fine, mineral-laden and even elegant and

intense.

It’s almost like a Dunn “Howell Mountain” without the early hardness (and perhaps even more multi-faceted and complex…definitely more aromatic

and penetrating). And in fact, the Dunns and the Spences are close neighbors and good friends – and Randy Dunn helped them get their

vineyard and winery started.

Here’s a very good – and I think accurate – consumer review from Cellar Tracker (where, incidentally, every single review of every single vintage of

Spence is at least outstanding!):

“Awesome wine with great dark Howell Mountain fruit. I love a cab with dense sweet tannins and this was right up my alley. It showed next to a

2001 Silver Oak Napa and was slightly better. Where the Silver Oak had softer tannins and one dimensional flavor profile, the Spence was more

masculine and dominated the palate with a grip that was not overpowered by alcohol or oak. A great buy of an unknown wine for $65.”

There’s a revealing story about Marco DiGuilo when he first made Lokoya. He knew it would be a great wine, but told owner Jess Jackson he couldn’t see himself spending so much for a Cabernet. To which Jackson replied:

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“Do you think the people who buy Rolls Royces are the ones who make them?”

Well, DiGuilio has definitely fashioned a Rolls Royce of a Howell Mountain Cabernet here – though one more in line with his pricing philosophy than Jackson’s…especially at only $35.99 by the case.

Naturally, though, the production is miniscule, and we bought every single bottle we could get. In fact, I’m generally pretty relaxed about sharing our

allocated wines with a few local restaurants…but not this time.

We just wish there were more!

A 95-Point 2007 at 40% Off!

Trent Moffett had some huge successes at his family’s Livingston Moffett winery. But now he’s juggling all his other winery projects. The most serious of these is his own Moffett Vineyards, which draws upon the

family’s top properties in Rutherford, St. Helena, Howell Mountain and Oak Knoll to produce very limited quantities of top-level wines.

Probably the best wine Moffett has yet made – and one that sold out at the winery for $65 – is his 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Made mainly

from one of the finest and most historic vineyards in the famed Rutherford Bench, the Wine Insiders (who are extremely serious: tasting all wines

double-blind, and accepting no winery advertising or other support) rated this a very strong 95 points…one of their top Cabernets of the 2007 vintage

(and the highest rated one by far at its normal $65 price).

Moffett made only 476 cases of this superlative Reserve Cabernet. It sold out at the winey for $65 (their current price for the 2008)…and the best

price outside California (at Bassins in DC) is now $56. (Where it was rated one of the top Cabernets of the huge 2007 vintage barrel tasting.)

2007 MOFFETT VINEYARDS CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE

Reg. $49.99/$39.99 by the case

As the Wine Insiders said:

“Aromas of wild berries soar out of the glass as you pour the wine, after further evaluation you start to notice the layers of spice and well integrated

oak. On the palate, this is a full-throttle, rich wine experience with tremendous fruit and deftly balanced tannins perfect for great aging, but also inviting to enjoy only minutes after decanting. The fruit is seamless

from start to finish.”

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In other words pretty much what you’d expect from a great winemaker (who learned from both John Kongsgaard and Randy Dunn) in a vintage

like 2007 and one of the finest and lowest yielding (1.25 tons per acre) dry-farmed vineyards in the very heart of the Rutherford Bench.

What you don’t expect is to find a Napa Cabernet like this for much less than $100. (And there are plenty of them over $100 without this wine’s

pedigree, quality or press.)

Of these three top Napa Cabernets, THIS is actually the one that best exemplifies what Matt Kramer says made Opus One the enormous success

it is:

“It’s the sort of wine that even a newcomer to wine can say with assurance, ‘Now, THIS tastes like an expensive wine.’ “

And I have to admit, sometimes that’s exactly how I want a California Cabernet to taste…EXPENSIVE. This is seamlessly rich, almost glossy in

its sumptuous texture, yet beautifully put together. (It is indeed “deftly balanced.”) Simply put, it’s Rutherford Bench Cabernet at its best. And yes,

the Wine Insiders were right: THIS kind – and this level - of Rutherford Cabernet IS hard to find for only $65.

Not to mention only $39.99.

And yes, I would be happy to throw this one in blind with an Opus One…or really, just about anything.

Top Napa Cabernets Sampler Case

Four bottles each of the 2007 Goldschmidt “Hilary’s,” 2005 Spence and 2007 Moffett Reserve, at the full-case discount.

Suggested Retail Price…$660Special Sampler Price…$415.88

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Our (Free) Wine Tastings

A future tasting? (That wine’s older than I am!)

Every day, we have a number of wines open to try. On Fridays and Saturdays (noon to 6:00), we have LOTS of wines open for customers to

try…for FREE.

Also, if you have a group and would like to come in for a PRIVATE TASTING, just give us a call.

If you can’t come to us, we may also be able to bring our wines to you…or send you one of our individualized WINE TASTING KITS. Just give us a

call.

On most weekends, we also do a thematic blind tasting (five great Cabernets, five Pinot Noirs, etc.). Just get on our email list, or check our

website, for notice of these.

Sometimes, these tastings even teach us a thing or two…

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Two Great Whites…and a Lesson

Less than 10% of our sales are “in-store” – that is, to customers who come in, sit down with us and try our wines. But our customers certainly enjoy

these tastings…as do I.

What I didn’t fully realize, though, was just how much I learn from them (and from our customers)…maybe even more than they learn from me.

These two wonderful whites – and how our customers revealed them to me – are perfect illustrations.

2009 FAIRVALLEY SAUVIGNON BLANC $9.99/$8.99 by the case

It took a long-time client who really knows exceptional values (wines worth two to three times what they sell for) – and who scoops them up when he

finds them – to make me realize just how special this wine is.

When I poured it for him, I went into my usual “if you like the more pungent and intensely varietal style of New Zealand and South African

Sauvignon Blanc, I think you’ll like this” spill.

Which is partly my way of acknowledging that not everyone

does like this style of Sauvignon…most people do, but some don’t. Plus I suppose it’s a

way to link the lesser-known South African Sauvignons to

those of New Zealand – which have proven so commercially

successful by embracing the very varietal character most California Sauvignon Blanc producers have

tried everything they could to avoid.

But most New Zealand Sauvignons don’t really offer much beyond this varietal character. They’re one-dimensional. The best South Africans in this

style, though – like this one – also offer an intriguingly earthy, even vaguely peaty complexity beyond the mere varietal character. They’re fresh

and vibrant and appetizing as only Sauvignon can be…but they’re also multi-layered, nuanced and captivating.

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Now maybe I should have listened to the critics on this one. After all, Natalie Maclean singled it out as one of her “Top Five Wines That Taste Twice as Expensive as They Are.” (And that was at its normal price of

$15!) And Gary Vaynerchuk raved over it in a blind tasting video where he said it blew away a Wine Spectator 91-point Sauvignon well over twice its

price.

But I did listen to my customer – who tried it, described it to a tee…and then bought five cases.

Now what make this so special is the grapes – from very old, handpicked vines in Swartland, and an especially cool vineyard on the Darling coast – and the expert winemaking. Fairvalley, incidentally, is also one of South

Africa’s first Black Economic Empowerment and Fair Trade wineries, fully supporting the 42 families who now own it. Yet it’s their compelling

quality and value – even more than their compelling story – that have made Fairvalley’s wines such an international success.

Wine-Searcher, by the way, shows this selling for up to $18.99. And it might be worth it…but it’s nice to shave a digit off the price sometimes - to

drop the ten and carry just the $8.99 forward - don’t you think?

2011 MADER RIESLING$19.99/$16.99 by the case

We’ve generally found that Riesling buyers are either our most sophisticated or our least sophisticated customers. Some people want it (though far more don’t want it, but still perceive it) as a sweeter, lower-

alcohol, basically “introductory” style of white. But truly serious dry Alsatian Rieslings like this are definitely the preserve of those (alas still far too few - whatever the food writers who keep annointing Riesling as the

new “hot” wine may say) who “get them.”

One such very knowledgeable long-time customer dropped in late on a Saturday recently. He tried several of our best $15 to $20 whites, and liked most of them. And he bought a couple of bottles each of two (along with

some Albertina Cabernet). But he bought 18 bottles of this.

Because as he rightly realized and adeptly articulated, this was levels beyond any of the other wines (as good as they were) in terms of

complexity, flavor interest and sheer satisfying class. All the others seemed simple by comparison.

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Which is of course what great Riesling does. But what this great Riesling also managed to do – even at 13.5% alcohol and with the subtlety of a

whisper – was somehow make all the other wines seem slight. Which is, I suppose, why so many wine writers (especially the smartest of them)

consider Riesling the World’s greatest white wine grape. And why all the food and wine writers keep hoping the great wine buying public will soon

catch on.

I remember relatively early in my career David Schildknect commenting that no other grape could be so balanced at both 7% alcohol and at 15% - to

which I rather naively replied “or taste like water at both.” That was the dumbass populist view of Riesling talking…which I hope I’ve now

outgrown.

And the customer who saw this so clearly for what it was has helped me do so. (And to realize how many of our customers do indeed “get it”…with this wine and with others.) Not

only was this by far the most “serious” $20 white wine on the table that day, it’s also the most

serious $20 wine we’ve yet sold…period. And the most charismatic.

And the smartest.

One reason is it’s in part from over 70-year-old vines at the very top of

the grand cru “Rosacker.” From much younger vines below is where

Trimbach harvests its $150 “Clos Ste. Hune.” It’s no accident that Jean

Trimbach cites Mader as the small Alsatian producer he most admires.

Jerome Mader in his “Rosacker”

And while Mader’s wines have always been highly-regarded as almost the sole standard bearers of the old-fashioned dry but still rich, ripe and full

Alsatian style, young Jerome Mader – who has gone biodynamic and reduced their low yields still further – has propelled these wonderful (and

still classically dry) Alsatians to new heights of excellence.

And if you think this is serious, just wait until you try his 2011 grand cru “Rosacker” – due in June and only $29.99 by the case!

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The New Chardonnay Paradigm

I had an epiphany recently. Reading the first edition (1987) of Parker’s Wine Buyer’s Guide, I suddenly realized how Paul Cluver’s $20

Chardonnay had managed to not just win but to utterly dominate three extremely important international wine competitions, wiping the floor with

such celebrated wines as Penfolds “Yattarna” and Leeuwin Estate…Chardonnays five times or more its price.

Of course, it took me a while to connect the dots...

What Parker said was: “When one tastes the likes of Penfolds Grange Hermitage ($35) or a Rosemount Show Reserve Chardonnay ($16-$25),

there is no doubt that these two wines are among the World’s elite.”

Now, the point isn’t (or isn’t entirely) that Grange now costs (and sells quite well for) $550… while stores can’t give away the Rosemount Show Reserve for $10. The point is Parker wasn’t alone in his assessment. I was in England at the time, and the 1984 Rosemount Show Reserve was THE

wine sensation of 1985. Every critic from stodgy old Michael Broadbent/Hugh Johnson types to no-bollocks everymen like Oz Clarke

just couldn’t get over how this Chardonnay managed to deliver the creamy-rich deliciousness of mature white Burgundy so much sooner…and for so

much less. And in such boundless quantities.

And it wasn’t just Rosemount. THE California Chardonnay of the 1970s was Chateau St. Jean “Robert Young.” And on a minor note, the demand in

the Loire was for the more aggressive Pouilly-Fume rather than the more ethereal and winsome Sancerre.

But it isn’t the Rosemount or Chateau St. Jean that’s changed. In fact, the Robert Young Chardonnay is as impeccable (and enjoyable – for those still

willing to try it) as always. And the Rosemount isn’t that far off what it was. But we’ve moved on. No “wine people” I know get excited over such

Chardonnays today…at all.

In a way, it seems that “quality” red wines have devolved (along big, brutish Neanderthal lines) in the past three decades, while white wines - or at least Chardonnays – have become ever more sophisticated. (Though not

without a few evolutionary hiccups.)

And while a few wine critics (okay, one) may command the tides, most of them (and most wine show judges) just try to scurry out ahead …to keep

their critical heads above water. So when they’re presented with a quantum leap in Chardonnay evolution – a wine that packs an uncanny degree of true Burgundian flavor in a lithe, lower-alcohol (13%) and only minimally oaky

frame – well, how can they resist?

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And that’s where I was mistaken. It may not be showy wines that win wine shows anymore. Audrey Hepburn’s in; Anna Nicole’s out.

And Cluver Chardonnay is the ultimate Chardonnay of this more sophisticated style. As Jancis Robinson says, it’s “very, very classy…fine-

boned acidity and silky in the mouth, a dancer on pointed toes.”

And the 2010 Cluver Chardonnay is both the richest and the finest Cluver Chardonnay to date – one which given sufficient time will, as the South

African Platter Guide put it, “unfurl in polished, chic splendor.”

What more could one ask in a $30 Chardonnay? (Cluver’s suggested retail through its previous importer.) How about to be just over half that price?

2010 PAUL CLUVER CHARDONNAY$19.99/$16.99 by the case

Now, it may be hard to believe that the 2010 Cluver Chardonnay is actually both richer (indeed much richer) and finer (with less prominent new oak

and a pH of only 3.18) than the all-everything, World-beating 2009. After all, that wine was a Parker 92, Tanzer 93, Jancis Robinson 18/20, Decanter

18.5/20, top wine ever at the Old Mutual Wine Trophy Show with a 96-point average score, winner of the Five Nations Wine Challenge…in short,

the most successful Chardonnay at such a low price ever.

But this 2010 is better.

And it’s mainly better because of its incredibly low yields. Cluver in fact owns over 15 hectares

of the oldest Chardonnay vineyards

in Elgin, South Africa’s coolest growing region.

Even in a place like Meursault, 15 hectares of Chardonnay would produce at least 7000

cases of wine. Butin 2010, Cluver made

only 2750.

Cluver’s vineyard – looks just like Elgin, Scotland!

So yes, the acidity is higher, and the wine is in an even finer, less leesy style. (Cluver now rolls the barrels instead of stirring the lees to preserve its pristine freshness.) But it’s absolutely stuffed this year with rich, layered,

even almost honied and delicious fruit.

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Decanter Magazine, by the way, just awarded this its top 5-star rating…the first, I’m sure, of many, many critical raves and awards to follow. Cluver,

after all, is the new Chardonnay paradigm…and this 2010 is the most paradigmatic Cluver Chardonnay to date.

I can’t resist quoting (part of) what one of our most knowledgeable customers wrote about this:

“the kind of rich that makes you want to swirl the wine around your palate so the actual experience is prolonged…this wine’s structure and integrity

show in its firm acidity, softening middle palate and long, simmering farewell…recalls the heft and multifaceted delights of great Burgundies…

this stunner delivers more than anyone should reasonably expect. This is no simple wine and at this price is a steal.”

And in fact, ours is the lowest price ANYWHERE!

2011 PAUL CLUVER SAUVIGNON BLANC$14.99/$12.99 by the case

As hard as it is to believe, this may be an even finer (and certainly even longer-aging, for a decade or more) wine than the Cluver Chardonnay. But the South African press – and at least some American critics; Tanzer gave the last vintage he reviewed 92 points – certainly recognize this. As do the

top restaurants like Le Bernardin that snapped up all the 2010 vintage before we could get even get in our second order!

It’s also a fascinating contrast to our 2009 Fairvalley Sauvignon Blanc. While that wine represents South African Sauvignon at its most pungent,

“varietal” and intense, this is almost Sancerre-like in its subtlety and refinement…though still with wonderfully full, satisfying flavor. It’s utterly

delicious now and will be even more so in five (or ten, or maybe even fifteen) years.

What’s more, while the Fairvalley is a bit of a “love it or hate it” style of Sauvignon, virtually everybody loves this.

Paul Cluver – which was just voted South Africa’s #4 Winery by over 30 top wine writers and other experts (and was by far the most reasonable of

the top ten) may now boast that Country’s best Chardonnay AND Sauvignon Blanc. At least that’s what both critical reviews and wine show

results indicate.

And if value is considered, the contest isn’t even close.

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A Classic $40 Chablis for $16.99!

As Biss and Smith note in their excellent “The Wines of Chablis,” Pascal Bouchard is one of that region’s finest domains – with prime vineyards (from the old Tremblay estate), “an emphasis on very low yields,” and

classic, very experienced winemaking. Though Bouchard is better known in France and the UK, he’s certainly highly respected here. And his wines

generally command quite high prices.

The average price on Wine-Searcher, for instance, for Bouchard’s 2009 Chablis is $40. (Listings range from $36.99 to $44.99.) There are no

listings for the 2010 – but it’s a better, more classic Chablis vintage…and we have it for only $16.99 by the case.

Yet this may not even be our best Bouchard buy! His 2010 Aligote – which many customers actually prefer to his Chablis – combines the characteristic

freshness and bite of the grape with unusually rich texture, flavor and appeal. Plus we have a bit of Bouchard’s finest premier cru at an especially

fair price.

What may be most impressive about these impeccable wines is how distinct each one is – and how each is different in just the right way. The Aligote of course has cut, but is less strident and shrill, more flavorful and satisfying,

than Aligote hardly ever is…and all the better for it. The Chablis “Le Classique” is simply that…classic. And the “Mont de Milieu” has a level of

minerality and old-style Chablis flavor verging on the carnal.

2010 PASCAL BOUCHARD ALIGOTE $14.99/$12.99 by the case

Aligote – especially Aligote grown this far North – has a tendency towards leanness and meanness. This one is wonderfully fresh, vibrant and incisive,

but also rich, textured, supple and satisfying. In a way, it has more of the qualities of classic Chablis than just about any Chablis today. It was also

top-rated Aligote in the French Guide Hachette, which marveled at its “perfect equilibrium between the full, rich texture and the freshness of this

grape.”

I’m tempted to call this the “Sancerre of Aligotes.” Like Sancerre, it offers the positive qualities of its grape (freshness, acid cut) without any of its

more shrill or aggressive tendencies. Very few Aligotes – or for that matter dry French whites at this price – are as satisfying, complex or complete as

this…or as versatile.

Quite possibly the best value we’ve yet offered in truly serious dry white wine.

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2010 PASCAL BOUCHARD CHABLIS “LE CLASSIQUE”

$19.99/$16.99 by the case

Textbook no-oak Chablis in a textbook Chablis vintage. From vines

up to 60 years old in some of the finest vineyards of Chablis, it just

doesn’t get any more “classic” than this. Now $40 does strike me as a bit

steep – for this or any “village” Chablis. But at only $16.99 by the

case, this is an absolute steal.

2009 PASCAL BOUCHARD CHABLIS“MONT DE MILIEU”

$29.99/$24.99 by the case

From an especially steep and stony, perfectly South-facing parcel at the very top of the vineyard, this has the lowest yields of Bouchard’s premier

crus (lower even than his grand crus Blanchots and Vaudesir). It’s also both his most intensely mineral and perfectly ripe premier cru Chablis. The

result is a wine with the old-style texture (what Tanzer often describes as “carnal”) and complexity that reminds me a bit of Raveneau’s “Chapelot,”

or even an old Marc Colin Chassagne.

The sort of serious white Burgundy one very rarely sees today…and NEVER at this price.

2009 PASCAL BOUCHARD SAMPLER CASE

Six bottles of the Aligote and three each of the Chablis “Le Classique” and “Mont de Milieu.”

Our Regular Price: $239.88Special Sampler Price: $203.88

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“A Steal” in Krug-Like Grower Champagne

When I first sold grower Champagnes, few people knew them and even fewer cared about how unique and often special they were. So I could usually sell really great grower Champagnes for less than some quite

mediocre (though of course popular) Big House ones. But now that they’ve caught on – and big importers have caught on to them – some of the grower

Champagnes I used to sell have nearly tripled in price.

Now, maybe they’re worth it…after all, these are much better Champagnes. But for me, the whole point to grower Champagne is it should be both

better AND less expensive.

Enter Thierry Triolet. His basic non-vintage Brut is an excellent, very fresh and “bel canto” (his importer’s description) blend of 65% Chardonnay and 35% Pinot Noir, with a fairly high 12g/l dosage. Very good and certainly

delicious, but not that special. It is, however, fairly priced. (Wine-Searcher shows it selling from $36 to $39.)

And indeed it is. There’s a reason that Krug has been buying all the grapes that Triolet will sell them for decades now. And believe me, the best of the Chardonnay that Triolet chooses to hold back for his own tiny domaine is indeed a Champagne of almost Krug-like proportions and complexity –

with a rare combination of fresh, chalky Chardonnay minerality and a nutty, bready depth, breadth and maturity that almost transcends Chardonnay.

This stuff is both impressive and delicious! And stunningly complex.

Profondo indeed.

But at the same price, we can now offer Triolet’s prestige cuvee “Grande Reserve” – a 100% Chardonnay cuvee from his finest sites and with a

very high percentage of older reserve wines, bottled with a much lower dosage. (A more “profondo” style?) What’s more, our price is the same the Washington Post quoted when they rated this “Outstanding” (and

above a whole host of Champagne’s elite)… in 1999. Back then, it cost more than Bollinger (now $80 in NC) and the same as vintage Billecart-

Salmon (now over $100). More recently, the Post again called it “a steal,” saying “this blend of Chardonnay from several vintages is

riveting.”

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NV THIERRY TRIOLET BRUT“GRANDE RESERVE”$39.99/$34.99 by the case

Triolet says that of all his Champagnes, this is his personal favorite…and I can see why. It’s a deeply layered, very rich and bready Champagne –

especially for a blanc de blancs, but still manages to maintain the chalky Chardonnay intensity, freshness and zip of top Cote des Blancs.

Triolet’s south-facing vineyards in Bethon give his Chardonnays (especially those from his oldest vines and best sites) unusual amplitude

and multifaceted dimension. It’s almost hard to believe this is a pure Chardonnay.

Once again, this puts many Champagnes at twice its price to shame…just as it did (at the same price) in 1999. And just as grower Champagnes should.

2005 THIERRY TRIOLET BRUT VIELLES VIGNES

$49.99/$44.99 by the case

This rare vintage Champagne (no Wine-Searcher listings for any vintage anywhere) is Triolet’s best of the best – from his top Chardonnay vineyard,

planted on his best-exposed hillside in 1947.

It’s wild-yeast fermented and aged in old oak (a la Krug), then bottled with

no dosage. Indeed, in its very rich (remarkably so for a no dosage

Champagne!), deep, broad, yeasty, bready and even nutty aromas and flavors, it does remind me a bit of

Krug. It’s also still quite young, with superb acidity, but already delicious

and impressive – courtesy of its toasty richness. This one is the real

deal.

As a blogger who goes by chefdilletante said of the 2004

(comparing it to 1999 Bollinger):

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“The Triolet, precise and powerful, showing beautifully, blew away the Bollinger (at half the price), and made me weep for the infanticide I had committed.” Another blogger called it “outrageously powerful, but still

fine.” And another: “Fantastic. Full-bodied but lithe.” Of course, the 2005 is even more impressive, as it should be – with an extra measure of

richness, concentration and perfectly ripe, truly gorgeous and almost creamy-textured, multi-layered bready Chardonnay fruit. It has another

gear. Yet still, the main impression is of chalky-pure Chardonnay Champagne finesse.

Champagne just doesn’t get much better or more complete than this. And never at this low a price. It could use a few years (drink the Grande Reserve

while you wait!) – but is immensely impressive even now.

Four Top Wines Under $20

All at 25% to 50% below their normal retail prices!

2010 BONGIOVANNI ARNEIS$14.99/$12.99 by the case

Food & Wine called this wonderful no-oak Italian “a Secret White Wine Superstar at $20.” The 2009 vintage was a delight – and extremely popular. But this 2010 has a much richer, more intense and lingering flavor…with a fullish texture rare in no-oak, lower alcohol dry white wines. Sadly, though,

we have less than half what we got in 2009.

2009 CLIFFORD BAY PINOT NOIR$14.99/$12.99 by the case

Parker called this “an amazing value at $17.” It’s an even more amazing value now that our price is below the wholesale cost for the (lower rated)

2010!

This actually came in second place in our Pinot Noir blind tasting…ahead of a 96-point and $60 Pinot.

CHAMPAGNE SAMPLER CASE

Six bottles each of the Triolet Grande Reserve and 2005 “Vielles Vignes,” at the full-case discount.

Our Regular Price…$539.88Special Sampler Price…$479.88

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2010 LORENZA ROSE$16.99/$14.99 by the case

From fashion model and dry French rose fan Michele Lorenza Ouellet (that’s her on the label), this brilliant California rose is more like a Tempier

Bandol than any I’ve yet tasted. It’s actually from the same grapes as Tempier, grown in similarly sandy soils, and over 100-year-old ungrafted

vines.

Food & Wine calls it a “staff favorite” and the Sommeliers Journal named it one of

their “Wines of the Year,” saying:

“a spicy, floral and completely alluring glass that is bone dry and an amazing

partner to everything on the table. It is also the easiest to pair because it’s delicious with

virtually everything…This is by far one of the most fun wines of the year.”

Tres chic, too. And it normally sells for $20.

2005 ALBERTINA CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE$19.99/$16.99 by the case

Our most popular Cabernet…and a steal at this price. (It sells elsewhere for over $27.) Customers actually rated this above both the 2007 Silver Oak “Alexander Valley” Cabernet and 2008 Shafer “Relentless” in our blind

tastings!

VALUE WINE SAMPLER CASE

Three bottles each of these four wines.

Suggested Retail Price: $252.00Special Sampler Price: $173.88

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All-Time Top-Rated Silver Oak Cabernet

Now we can line up plenty of critics and consumers who are big fans of the Silver Oak “Napa” Cabernet – and sure, they’ll love the 2007. But

remember Mikey and Life cereal. The reason Mikey’s endorsement was so compelling was Mikey didn’t usually like Cereals like Life…or really much

of anything. (“Let Mikey try it; he hates everything.”)

Now, I will admit that there are some older vintages of Silver Oak that I found compelling, too. But I’ll also admit that I’ve often put Silver Oak in blind tastings beside whatever I really wanted to sell because I knew that – given the opportunity – most consumers would pick the other wine. And in

fact, that’s how I had intended to use the 2007 Silver Oak “Napa.”

I had a bunch of really good, and really good-value, Cabernets to sell – and this extremely hot vintage of Silver Oak had just been released. So I did a blind tasting. But the moment I opened this 2007 Silver Oak “Napa,” – the moment I smelled it - I knew it would win. And it did. It just has everything for once. Rich, full, sumptuous…this even smells opulent and seamless. It

really is a brilliant Napa Cabernet – as good as Silver Oak’s reputation.

2007 SILVER OAK “NAPA”CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Reg. $99.99/$89.99 sale

And here’s where Mikey, or in this case Stephen Tanzer, comes in. Tanzer has never been the most ardent Silver Oak

supporter. But I had a feeling he’d like this. After all, it was the first vintage to be

hand-crafted in the state-of-the-art Twomey facility. Made both like a top,

tiny-production Pinot Noir and really, like those early Silver Oak “Napas” that the

late Justin Meyer (a former monk, after all – who learned his craft from the famed Brother Timothy of Christian Brothers)

made.

To cut to the chase, Tanzer just rated the 2007 Silver Oak “Napa” his top Silver Oak Cabernet EVER. Ever. Better than the 2004, 2001, 1997, 1994,

1991…even better than the more monastic Meyers wines of the 1980s.

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What’s more – as so often, Tanzer got it exactly right. This wine shows well enough already to win a blind tasting against some really top-flight Cabernet competition. But as Tanzer said, it has “youthfully imploded

fruit” – i.e. it will be SO MUCH MORE.

Great now, better later. What more could you ask? How about the top Silver Oak ever from the critic with the highest Silver Oak standards?

And how about the best price in the State?

And The Best Shafer “Relentless” Ever…

We’re nearing the end of our allocation of this Cellar Treasure…Don’t miss it!

2008 SHAFER “RELENTLESS” $59.99/$54.99 by the case

Not only is this, at 96 points, the Wine Spectator’s top-rated “Relentless” ever (and Parker’s and Tanzer’s, too)…it tied their top Shafer “Hillside” (the Parker 100-point and now $300-plus 2001) as their best-ever Shafer wine period. What’s more, it’s their single highest rated wine of any type

this year at anywhere near its price. (In theory, the 2004 Kosta-Brown “Cohn” Pinot Noir was less, but Wine-Searcher shows the lowest price is

actually $265.)

More importantly, though, is that it has absolutely blown our customers away. Indeed, we’ve had people buying this who say they never buy wines over $30. One guy who bought three bottles came in for our $12.99 Pinot Noir (which he loved and bought a case of), saying that was usually his upper limit. But the Shafer, he said, “simply had it all…like nothing I’ve

ever tasted.” He had to have it.

And he’s right. As winemaker Elias Fernandez said, it’s “midnight in a glass” – and about as huge as red wine gets. But somehow, it manages to

capture the elegance, suppleness, grace and class of its Stags Leap origins, too. An amazingly complete – and completely amazing – wine.

At the State’s best price for any vintage…let alone THE ONE.I just hope we still have some when you read this!

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Best-Ever Venge Cabernet Family Reserve!

Talk about a hard to find wine! The winery made just 350 cases of this, which they call “the most compelling Family Reserve Cabernet we have

ever produced.” Naturally, they sold out in a flash.

There isn’t a single listing on Wine-Searcher for either this or the next-best Venge Reserve, the great 2007. But if you fly to Hawaii, the Kona Wine Market has a single bottle of the 99-point 2008, for $135. (We sold out of that one pretty

quickly, too.)

For the moment, though, we do have a tiny (though quite generous, all things considered) allocation of the spectacular (and best-ever)

2009, in some of the heaviest wooden three-packs we’ve ever seen. If any Napa Cabernet is worth

$125, certainly this is it.

2009 VENGE FAMILY RESERVE CABERNET$124.99 net

The Venge Family has made some of the legendary wines of Napa – including the first American wine to receive a perfect Parker 100-point

score! (You can’t find that one, either.) But this great 2009 takes the cake. Again, if ANY Napa Cabernet justifies a price like this, it’s the best one

EVER from a family that has made some of Napa’s greatest wines for over five decades!

At least that’s what Venge says. And one taste of this lavishly rich, opulent and spectacular Cabernet will make a believer out of you, too.

We also hope to get some of Venge’s rare (and spectacular) Sangiovese and “Scout’s

Honor” Zinfandel blend...stay tuned!

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“Outstanding” $42 Pinot Noir for $24.99

And believe it or not, the price isn’t the most remarkable thing about this rare Santa Cruz Pinot Noir. It’s as pure, elegant and finely drawn as any American Pinot…exactly the kind of wine Virginia Madsen rhapsodized

over in Sideways (about the only part of that movie I liked).

The Varner twins enjoying their Pinot Noir

2008 NEELY “PICNIC BLOCK” PINOT NOIR$29.99/$24.99 by the case

Now this is really way too cheap now. After all, it’s a highly respected, top-rated (Burghound “Outstanding” – a rarity for California Pinot Noirs), tiny-

production Pinot Noir that sells for $42 at the winery and more than $35 everywhere else. And in top-quality, artisanal American Pinot Noir terms is

an unusual bargain even at these prices.

Burghound says:“The vibrant and delicious flavors possess an opulent mouth feel as this is very rich yet the finish is focused and well balanced.”

Which really gets at just what makes this Neely “Picnic Block” such a special California Pinot Noir. VERY few California – or really New World

– Pinots have the whole package like this wine does: opulent flavor with true delicacy, a rich and caressing texture with an incredibly light touch…

suave yet not at all slick. This one is the real deal. And a real steal now, too.

This wine shows why Santa Cruz may be the most exciting spot in California now for truly Burgundian Pinot Noirs.

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More Collectible Wine Highlights

2009 CHASSEUR “UMINO” PINOT NOIR$59.99/$54.99 by the case

As so often, the IWC (which rated this one of the best American Pinots ever) was dead-on about this one. So I’ll quote reviewer Josh Raynolds

in full:

“Deeply pitched, explosive aromas of black raspberry, Indian spices, chocolate and cocoa powder, complicated by intriguing potpourri and mineral nuances. Rich, sweet and deep, with a silky texture and palate-staining red and dark berry preserve and rose flavors. Shows alluring sappiness on the long, penetrating finish, which strongly echoes the spice and floral notes. This wine reminded me of a (very) high-end,

new-school Vosne-Romanee.”

Only 300 cases made, and we have the best price anywhere. This will be the most delicious wine you’ll put in your mouth this year…that I

promise.

2001 LA RIOJA ALTA “ARDANZA” RESERVA ESPECIAL

$29.99 net

Traditional Rioja of the highest order…and the winner of the New York Times tasting of top Rioja

Reservas. One of only three vintages ever to merit the

designation “Especial.” Parker rates this one 94 – and now rates

the other two 95 (the 1973) and 96 (the 1964). And yes, this wine will continue to improve like that for

decades. We bought all the importer had left.

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DOMAINE DU TUNNEL SAINT JOSEPHReg. $39.99/$29.99 sale

and

DOMAINE DU TUNNEL CORNASReg. $59.99/$44.99 sale

From young Stephane Robert, who Revue du Vin de France now considers one of the top half-dozen winemakers in the entire Northern

Rhone, these compete (as Parker, Tanzer, Jacqueline Friedrich and others have noted) with wines (even Hermitages and Cote-Roties) twice

or more their price.

2008 SEAVEY CABERNET SAUVIGNONReg. $99.99/$84.99 sale

The lowest production Seavey Cabernet ever. Parker rates it above the 2009 and finds it “a worthy rival to the

glorious 2007 and even more concentrated.” Just five cases

available, at the best price anywhere.

2008 DUEMANI “DUEMANI”Reg. $99.99/$89.99 sale

A Parker 96 and “truly special” Bolgheri Cabernet Franc. (Indeed, it’s even better than the same winemakers 2001 “Paleo” Cabernet Franc – which Ian D’Agata gave 100 points and called “one of the best Italian wines of the past 20 years.” It’s better than its neighbor Sassicaia, too! Very hard to find – there are no listings on Wine-Searcher, but the best

price for the (93-point) 2007 is $89.99.

2007 GIACOSA BARBARESCO “ASILI”Reg. $169.99/$109.99 sale

Just six bottles. Act fast…

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Let Us Help Make Your WeddingEven More Special!

Once that special day has been set, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with all of the decisions that have to be made.

There’s finding that perfect dress, the perfect location, a wedding cake to die for, and a caterer to impress everyone.

Make sure you don’t leave your wine and champagne selections as just an afterthought. A great wine can bring out

the best in your meal and make that first toast to the newlyweds even more memorable to all of your family and

friends.

“Your wedding dress didn’t come from your local grocery store and neither should your wine!”

STEP ONE:

Decisions… Decisions… What You Will Need?

What kind of wine works best? Champagne? We have lots of experience with both – and we know enough to listen to what YOU want. We promise to help make these decisions both easy

and exciting…as they should be.

STEP TWO:

Good, Better, Best, Supreme

We simplify everything by providing you with three premier champagnes and three exceptional whites and reds to choose from. But of course, we can also find you a custom option for that special day!

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STEP THREE:

Did You Remember to Include YourSecond Cousin’s Next-Door Neighbor?

All that’s left for you to do is let us know how many guests you will need to serve. With your selections in mind, we will

then let you know what you need.

We can then hold your selections for you, and in many cases arrange to have it delivered to the venue for little or no cost!

Lastly… Our Gift to the Bride and Groom

We will also provide a complementary bottle of wine or champagne selected specifically for the newlyweds for their toast AND we will supply a second

bottle to celebrate your one-year anniversary as our way of saying

thank you for letting us be a part of something so special!

WE’RE ON YOUR SIDE!

We have a lot of experience dealing with caterers and wedding venues (both of whom may want to make money from your wine)…and will

make sure you get both better wines and a better deal.

We may even be able to help you minimize corkage, deal with waiters (who want to open everything and take what’s left home) and negotiate

any pitfalls you might face.

We’re on your side…and we will go to bat for you!

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Winery Feature: Powers

You might wonder why Powers Winery always features so prominently in these pages.

It’s because I really like Powers. I like everything about them.

I like the people: father Bill Powers – recently inducted into Washington’s Wine Hall of fame; son Greg Powers – winemaker since 1990; and partner Mickey Dunne, who markets the wines with a rare honesty and class. I like

the way they work: with a solar powered winery and running all their machinery on used cooking oil. But above all…I like their value (and their

values).

Powers has made – and has been recognized as making – some of Washington’s finest wines (especially Cabernets) for decades. Yet they still

charge prices that would have been more than fair during the Carter administration. Name another American winery - even one - that can say

the same.

Take, for instance, the “Coyote” Cabernet Reserve. Britain’s Decanter Magazine just singled this out as one of “Washington’s Top Ten Cabernets or Blends.” It was the least expensive of the ten by far (at 26 pounds – or

over $40; we sell it for $19.99) – but still rated near the top of the list.

Or the 2008 “Sheridan” Cabernet Reserve. Not only was this, at 94 points, Parker’s top American Cabernet at its price; the only other wine from this same old-vine Sheridan Cabernet fruit sold for $115. What’s more, the 94-

point review came out before Powers priced the wine…and Powers still sold it for only $30.

Every one of these wines has huge press. (Except the 2008 “Champoux” luxury blend – the finest wine Powers has ever made – which was just too

limited to show to critics.) But every one is still priced a level or two below anything at remotely its quality.

That’s the Powers way. And it has been since the very first Powers wine I sold – the 1992 “Mercer Ranch” Cabernet…from the vineyard Powers now

partly owns, and has re-named “Champoux.”

There are a lot of over-priced American wines now being being dumped (especially by the “deal a day” sites) at what purport to be “bargain” prices. Powers shows the best-value wines are still those that at their normal prices

have always been the best values.

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1.)2007 POWERS “COUGAR” SYRAH RESERVE$24.99/$19.99 by the case

We start with the lone Powers Reserve Syrah – and it’s a beauty. This was BY FAR the highest scoring wine for the money in our “Heavy Hitter Reds” blind tasting. Many even preferred it for its pure, rich and simply gorgeous

flavors to the 2008 Shafer “Relentless!”

As Jeff Lawson, who rated it 93 points, said, it’s “an incredible Syrah that is multi-layered in flavor and hauntingly beautiful in the glass.” It was also

the #1 Syrah in Northwest Wine’s “Best of the Best” tasting of 52 top Washington Syrahs…though naturally, one of the least expensive.

Nobody but Powers would price such a limited-production (298 cases), highly rated and truly special Syrah at only $25.

2.)2008 POWERS “COYOTE” CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE

$24.99/$19.99 by the case

Another huge hit at our blind tastings. Decanter called it “very rich and full-bodied, lavish and opulent.” The Wine Enthusiast said “this concentrated

wine captures the essence if the Cabernet Sauvignon grape.” And it is indeed a big, rich Cabernet. But beside the other Powers Cabernets

(especially the darkly majestic and brooding Sheridan), it seems almost crisp and elegant! The most “textbook Cabernet” of the Powers range – a

cassis and cedar wonder.

3.)2008 POWERS “SHERIDAN” CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE

$29.99/$24.99 by the case

Okay, so this is a Parker 94 and his top American Cabernet under $40. But what to know what it’s really like? This consumer review - also 94 points,

from Cellar Tracker (where every single review has been 93 points or higher) – comes as close to truly describing it as any:

“ Holy s___…not drinkable now…this is a potential future score and it could go higher. Let sit five years. Deeply concentrated…black ink…dusty tannins…blueberries, concentrated tar, plum, a bit of funky long caramel mid-palate. Really changes and doesn’t oxidize over three days open.

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[Amen to that – tasters always prefer this after it’s been open a couple of days!] Buy and sit down…you won’t be sorry. [Amen again.]

I do disagree about this being way too young to drink. But then, being in the business, most of what I drink is way too young. And it really does

improve with lots of air.

At 397 cases, this actually had the largest production of these four wines.

4.)2008 POWERS “CHAMPOUX” PROPRIETARY RED

$49.99/$39.99 by the case

Only 200 cases made – from Powers’ four finest barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington’s oldest and finest Cabernet vineyard (also the primary source for Quilceda Creek – a pretty good $300 Cabernet), blended with an equal amount of “Champoux” Cabernet Franc (amazing stuff!) and Merlot. This isn’t so much “bigger” than the 2008 “Champoux” Cabernet Reserve as more “perfect” – that is, seamlessly elegant, improbably long

and almost indescribably plush, caressing and fine.

It’s one of those supreme expressions of a brilliant site that’s so perfectly ripe and composed that it almost transcends the very vineyard character it’s meant to showcase. But we’re not complaining…we were delighted just to

get any!

Powers made only 200 cases of this, and we’re the only place besides the winery to buy it.

POWERS RESERVE SAMPLER CASE

Three bottles each of these four brilliant wines, at the full-case discount.

Our Regular Price…$389.88Special Sampler Price…$314.88

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95-Point Chard for $14.99 & Other Closeouts

As good as these wines are – and they’ve been some of our best and most popular – we need the room for all the great Cabernet that keeps pouring in.

So here they are, at special BIN END SALE PRICES!

Many of these are very limited, so you don’t have to buy a case to get the discount. But no other discounts or codes apply. (These are already WAY

too low!)

And keep checking our website…we’ll have even more!

2007 WEST CAPE HOWE “STYX GULLEY” CHARDONNAY

Reg. $24.99/$14.99 sale

95 points from James Halliday (his top-rated wine from this five-star winery ever)…and prices on Wine-Searcher range from $30 to over $40! An amazingly fresh, vibrant and complex Chardonnay, from one of the

most extraordinary (and oldest) cool-climate vineyards in Western Australia.

2008 MOHUA PINOT NOIRReg. $19.99/$13.99 sale

Unusually Burgundian and complex Central Otago Pinot Noir – rich, earthy, ineffable and delicious. One wine writer compared this to a richer

Savigny-les-Beaune, and I see what he means. The average retail on Wine-Searcher is $21 (with the nearest store to us at $23.99). And critics have

actually rated it equal to the same winery’s $45 Peregrine Pinot Noir.

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2009 SAMANTHA STARR PINOT NOIRReg. $19.99/$13.99 sale

Ravishingly pure, pretty and delicious Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot, from ex-Talbott winemaker Sam Banderas. This actually came out ahead of a $70 Domaine Drouhin we put beside it in our second blind Pinot Noir

tasting. A really nice fruit-driven contrast to the earthier Mohua.

2007 COPPOLA PETITE SIRAHReg. $19.99/$10.99 sale

Sure, this is grocery store wine. But it’s good grocery store wine. And a steal at this price. The Petite Sirah is actually Coppola winemaker Corey

Beck’s favorite of all his value wines.

2011 LEFT COAST CELLARS “THE ORCHARDS” PINOT GRIS

Reg. $19.99/$14.99 sale

One of the freshest, finest and most intense Pinot Gris in Oregon. The

best price on Wine-Searcher is $18.99. Excellent now, and even

better in a year or two. Even in the difficult 2009 vintage, this was

Wine & Spirits’ pick as “Oregon’s Top Pinot Gris.” And they just named this even finer 2011, the “Year’s Best Pinot Gris,” too!

2008 LEFT COAST CELLARS

“CALI’S CUVEE” PINOT NOIRReg. $24.99/$18.99 sale

A Wine Spectator 92 and their top-rated 2008 Oregon Pinot under $30. It also earned 91 points from the Pinot Report. At the best price anywhere.

Just four cases left.

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2000 GAIERHOF TEROLDEGO “ART LABEL”

Reg. $24.99/$12.99 sale

Now here’s a rare wine – and even rarer bargain! A special luxury bottling of Teroldego from one of its best traditional producers, this is rich, soft, spicy, complex and wonderfully aromatic and mature. It’s

almost like a great old Chianti – but softer and spicier.

If you want to see why people go through all the trouble and expense of aging wines – for half the price of current vintages – here’s your

chance.

2008 ZACHERLE SYRAHReg. $34.99/$21.99 sale

Only 178 cases made, by David Arthur winemaker Nile Zacherle. A brilliant Syrah, and a standout in our blind tastings.

2005 TREASURE CELLARS “CARNEROS” MERLOT

Reg. $29.99/$19.99 sale

Only the fourth wine (and the only non-Cabernet) bottled under this “ultra-premium” label. This was actually made to sell (to the Ritz) for

$100. From both clay soil and a cooler climate reminiscent of Pomerol, this is one of the finest and most Bordeaux-like American merlots I’ve

tasted.

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2008 SAINTSBURY “BROWN RANCH” PINOT NOIR

Reg. $59.99/$29.99 sale

Only 16 bottles left. Burghound rates this outstanding.

2010 MOLLYDOOKER “BLUE EYED BOY” SHIRAZ

Reg. $49.99/$39.99 sale

Sparky’s personal favorite of his 2010s – a vintage he calls “easily our best ever.”

2010 MOLLYDOOKER “CARNIVAL OF LOVE” SHIRAZ

Reg. $99.99/$69.99 sale

And this one, Sparky believes, will eclipse even his Parker 99-point 2005. The average price on Wine-Searcher is $88. For the 2005, it’s

$190!

NV STANTON & KILLEEN TOKAYReg. $34.99/$14.99 sale

A beautiful old Australian fortified, in 500-ml bottles. Jancis Robinson raved over it recently, making it one of her wines of the week. It’s the

rare delicacy and complexity here – as much as the luscious sweetness – that impressed her (and us) so much. The average price on Wine-

Searcher is now $38.

2007 MARTINELLI “LOLITA RANCH” SYRAHReg. $99.99/$44.99 sale

Just 8 bottles left.

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FREE CHARLOTTE, TRIAD & TRIANGLE DELIVERIES

We are now scheduling deliveries to the Charlotte Area, The Triad and Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.

Charlotte: On a Monthly Basis or According to Demand

FREE for deliveries of three or more cases(Otherwise $20 per delivery)

The Triad: Monthly or According to Demand

FREE for three or more cases(Otherwise $20 per delivery)

Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill: Weekly

FREE for three or more cases(Otherwise $10 per delivery)

SPECIAL SUMMER SOLSTICE WINE TASTING EVENT

While our in-store tastings are always very casual – you just come in, sit down with us and try whatever you want at your own pace – we

occasionally like to do something a bit more structured and perhaps informative.

So on Thursday, June 21st, from 6:30 to 8:00, we will be doing a special tutored tasting of the highlights from this catalog…including the three featured Napa Valley Cabernets. We promise it won’t be stuffy, but

we will explain each wine a bit as you taste it.

This tasting is free of charge, but please let us know if you’re coming, so we can be sure to have a seat for you.

We will also email the specific wines we’ll try, and post them on the website, as we near the event.

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