As we head toward St. Patrick’s Day, Easter Sunday and Passover, the wine sales are hot and heavy this month. Buyers beware, many are not really good deals so keep reading our posts on bargain wines. Here we go with our Vintage Wine Tasting Club picks of the week.
Chateau Maris 2007 La Touge Syrah $10.50 Cost Plus World Market
This French Syrah comes from the biodynamic vineyards of Chateau Maris in Minervois. This is an outstanding everyday red wine at a ridiculous price point. Cost Plus World Market is running this sale until March 27. The suggested retail price on this wine is $27. This Syrah has more old world style as opposed to the spicy style of many California Syrahs. It has deep plum and blueberry flavors. This is an easy-drinking wine and delivers a lot of taste. I like it enough to go back and get at least a half-case. Parker’s Wine Advocate gives it 90 points and I will go with an 89.
Pallisandro Vino De Tavola $14 at the winery.
This is a very enjoyable table wine. This wine is fun, great light fruit flavors and very comfortable drinking. This non-vintage wine is a blend of 50% Sangiovese and 50% Barbera. These two Italian grapes have loads of acidity but the wine maker has done the right job here, letting the fruit stand out above the acidity. This wine is a perfect pairing match with tomato-based pastas and pizzas. I really enjoyed this wine very much. I am sorry I did not buy more than one bottle when I was at the winery. A couple of my fellow Vintage Wine Tasters joined the Pallisandro Wine Club, so I am going to get them to order more of this wine through their membership deal. That gives an added discount of 30%. The winery only makes 150 cases of this wine, so it will not be available for long. 88 Points.
Francis Ford Director’s Chardonnay 2010 BevMo 5-Cent Sale $10.02 when you buy two.
We sampled this wine with a couple of friends who insist on Chardonnay as their aperitif wine. You can just hear them now. “What can I get you, I ask?” “Please, a glass of Chardonnay, thank you.” This Chardonnay is a blend of barrel fermented and stainless steel fermented grapes. This is what gives the wine a nice mouth feel with no oak, allowing more of the fruit to come forward. Price at the winery is $17. Our friends liked it very much and asked the brand name.
Wilfred Wong at BevMo goes with a 90-Point rating. We go with 87 Points.
Big Sales in March
Safeway – 30% off all wines – sale ends this Tuesday, March 6. The Domain Chandon sparkling wines are $11.70 if you purchase six.
Cost Plus World Market – wine sale until March 27.
Grocery Outlet’s bi-annual 20% Wine Sale is going on Wednesday, March 7 – Sunday, March 11.
BevMo 5-Cent Sale continues
Look for an interesting article on the Costco wine department coming this week on GoodCheapVinocom.
i went to CPWMarket in Jack London Sq today, and while they claimed there were “3 bottles somewhere…” we were unable to locate them. Employee Mitch informed me they do carry the wine, but “we had it last week, 3 cases, and they were snapped up in a hurry.” He then allowed me to buy 3 bottles from the next shipment, even though the $10.50 sale was over (he said it was under $9.95 there), at a price of $12, and that they’ll call me when they arrive. Very nice, and appreciated.
Look forward to trying it out.
follow up: Cost Plus World Market called me today, and told me they received 3 more cases, which if I bought 4 bottles I could have for the price of $9.99 per, as opposed to $12.50. I imagine they’ll go fast, but would suggest calling to see if the deal holds for others, since I did go in the day before and ask for the deal.
we just opened a bottle of this wine and it failed us miserably.
it smelled like a “perm.” our friend remi, the viticulturist for a few vineyards explained to us that something happens when the bottle is corked, and not enough oxygen gets into the bottle. whatever the case, it was a major letdown.
we’re hopeful this isn’t the case with our remaining to bottles, but if it is the case, then it may explain the big price break on this wine. we’re doubtful that’s the case, but you never know.
either way, no one will ever know about this because no one here ever responds anyway…