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For around $150, or $12.50 a bottle, you'll get a mix of red, white, rose and sparkling wines that will perfectly enhance your meals, broaden your horizons, astound your friends and stock your cellar. There's no better way to go from wine-weak to wine-geek. Wines in our sampler case are hand-picked, ruthlessly negotiated and delivered with love to your waiting glasses. Each wine is discounted at least 15% off normal price because we Believe in these wines. Never look back!
February 2010 Sampler - $150
Save 15%+ off the regular price of $180.00.
Call to inquire about shipping options.
RED
2008 Rail 2 Rail Old Vine Zinfandel , Lodi, California – Some of you might remember the legendary Cheyanna Zinfandel that rocked VB on Vine a few years ago. To this day, we still are asked about it. Rail 2 Rail is the first credible replacement in the post-Cheyanna era. If this isn't the essence of smoothly fruited, raspberry and berry charged old vine Zin that Californian's love to guzzle with their pizza - I'm in the wrong line of work. Whether you hit the Zin wall years ago, or still rock the fruit, this undeniably delicious version delivers the goods for twelve bucks. (Peter ) $12.00.
2007 Domaine de Fontsainte , Corbieres, Languedoc, France – I think it’s about time a statue of importer Kermit Lynch is erected in Berkeley for all of the amazing and affordable French country wine he’s brought to our tables. The Fontsainte Corbieres is another of his fantastic finds, and for under $15 you get a deep, plummy, earthy bottle of old-vine Carignan, Grenache, and Syrah from some of France’s greatest terroir. I’d advise you to open it a good hour before consumption so that the layers of flavor are fully integrated and ready to complement your favorite red meat dish. (Greg ) $13.50.
2007 Selvapiana Chianti Rufina , Tuscany, Italy – If this bottle is any indication, 2007 will be a banner year for high-end Tuscan reds. It was a cooler summer than usual, meaning a longer hangtime for the grapes and full maturation was acheived for patient producers like Selvapiana. I couldn’t keep my nose out of the glass when I first tried this - dry herbs, tobacco, baked blackberries, oh my!! Unmistakably Italiano, it’s time to rummage through some cookbooks for a rustic pasta dish to really make this Chianti sing. (Greg ) $19.50.
2007 Aia Vecchia “Lagone” , Tuscany, Italy – Super Tuscans were once the darlings of the wine press, with Ornellaia and Sassicaia commanding ridiculous prices and Wine Spectator suckling at their teats, (pun intended). But why pay triple digits when the Lagone is staring at you for under 20 clams? It’s Merlot, Cab Sauvignon, and Cab Franc from Bolgheri, just like its spendy neighbors, and the 2007 is showing fantastically complex fruit and soft integrated tannins. (Greg ) $18.50.
2007 Textbook Fin du Journee Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, U.S.A. – Although you won’t hear us talking about it often, we dig good Napa Cab - just not the price tag. Much of the inexpensive stuff is soft, fruity and low-tannin. Is this Cabernet we’re talking about, here? The minds behind many a great Pinot,the Pey family has figured out how to make real Cab at a sane price. Their top-end Cabernet is an amazing deal (and sold out in a flash). Their basic Cabernet has that same classic style - spicy blackberry fruit, broad shoulders and dusty, tannic spine. It looks like a pricing error, but it’s the real deal. Check it out. (Jason ) $17.50.
2007 Copain Tous Ensemble Syrah, Mendocino, California, U.S.A. – The Copain label is home to many of the state’s best Rhone variety wines. Young winemaker Wells Guthrie mines California’s top sites for exquisite single-vineyard bottlings. For the Tous Ensemble program, he blends these sources to make a Mendocino County wine that hits the nail right on the head - great quality, food friendliness and regional character. Each year, this wine gets better - it’s fairly loaded with black raspberry and blueberries laced with black pepper. Paradoxically enough, the wine keeps getting cheaper. We’re not complaining - and you’d better not, either. (Jason ) $18.00.
2007 Pfneiszl Kekfrankos, Hungary – I’ve always had a soft spot for this traditional Hungaria red ever since we first brought it into the store a year ago. This is the new vintage, and there’s a lot to like. Think just-picked black cherries and plums with a touch of earth and leather. The fruit is dark, slightly tart, and dry, but incredibly drinkable and great with food. If I had to make a comparison, I’d say it has a lot in common with a French Malbec from the Loire (aka Cot). (Brent ) $16.00.
2008 Bodegas Fenicio Tempranillo, Alicante, Spain – Value. Great tasting Value. And Spain does it really well. This one hails from Alicante in Southern Spain, where most of what you find is Monastrell, but this Tempranillo is giving Navarra wines a run for their money. Juicy blue, black and red berry and pepper dust. A great candidate for house red. (Liam ) $13.00.
WHITE/ROSE
2008 Michaud Sauvignon Blanc, Touraine, France – Michaud’s Touraine Sauvignon Blanc is little-known here in the States, but that could change as word gets out. A total livewire of tropical fruit and grassy mineral, the intense flavors of this Sauvie’ sizzle on the palate, combining the best attributes of vivid New Zealand SB with the balance and stony complexity of good Loire whites. I wouldn’t want to be a Sancerre producer right now. (Jason ) $17.00.
2008 Rocaberdi Blanco , Catalonia, Spain – It's hard to argue with the quality and value offered by this pretty little Catalonian blanco. Made with the grapes (Macabeo & Xarello) that are used to make sparkling Cava's that the area is known for, it serves up pear and gala apple tastes with good acidity to boot. Think of it as an un-oaked Chardonnay with finesse. What a useful wine. (Peter ) $9.00.
2008 Gobelsburger Gruner Veltliner, Kamptal, Austria – Schloss Gobelsburg estate always makes some of our favorite Austrian whites. This, their basic Gruner Veltliner is just so darn tasty. Where some Gruner's have an austerity (think white peppered rocks) to them, Gobelsburger serves up an alluring white peach scent, and maybe even a faint spearmint thing which makes for a much easier (and pleasurable) experience. Incredible acidity and flat out fruit clarity make this a gorgeous wine to pair with food, or sip solo.. (Peter ) $18.00.
2008 Pierre Sparr Reserve Pinot Blanc, Alsace, France – A classic Alsatian Pinot Blanc with an elegant label from a respected producer for $8? Your eyes don’t deceive you, there’s real wine in here. This is the kind of white I’d open while cooking dinner and then polish off without even realizing it. All that wild honey, pear, and honeydew melon stuff is beyond addictive. And don’t worry, it’s loaded with fresh, zingy acidity that keeps all that fruit nice and dry. Party time. (Brent ) $8.00.
* If we sell out of a wine, we reserve the right to substitute for greater or equal value.
If you want to pick up the wine at our store, mention this in the order notes and we won't charge you for the shipping fee. |
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