Avalon Wine this
week:
Price Reductions = Great Values
Wine Club News
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Avalon NW
Wine News
April 17, 2003
The Avalon
Hot Ten
Best Selling Wines
this week
1. Bergstrom Pinot Noir Reserve 2000
$29.99/26.99
reduced from $42.99, WS90 points
WE 95 points
2. Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Merlot 00
$19.49
WAS $33!
90 points WSpec
3. Andrew Will
Syrah 2001
$23.99/$21.59
Great value, wild, rich, deeply flavored
4. Shea Wine Cellars
Pinot Noir "Homer" 2001
$64.99/$58.50
Made by Patty Green- 92 points Wine Spec
5. McCrea Cellars Syrah Ciel du Cheval $50/$45
6. Reserve
Pinot Noir Club
$66 a month plus shipping when purchased as a yearly subscription
7. Sineann
Pinot Gris 2002
$15.99/$14.39
Rich, intense, mineral floral and fresh fruit notes blended skillfully
8. Big Reds Club Membership
$66 a month plus shipping when purchased as a yearly subscription
9. Andrew Will Sangiovese
$30.00/27.00
from Ciel du cheval grapes- big, plush, delectable
10. Reininger Cab 2000
$33.99/$30.60
Highly recommended by Wine Press NW's Andy Perdue
*first week
on the list
Price Reductions = Great Values
You might have noticed that the wine industry has a bit of a glut right now. Things are beginning to pick up, however, and we think that now is the time to grab some highly rated older vintage wines that have not yet sold out. There are also some price reductions that bring wines into the "real bargain" category.
Here are our finds among the many wonderful wines at reduced prices this month. If these don't suit your tastes, email or call us and we'll try to find you something that fits your needs!
Highly rated and still available
McKinlay Vineyards Pinot Noir Cellar Select 00 $29.99 was $39
93 points in Wine Spectator: "Not a big
wine, but beautifully balanced to make the flavors persist and fan
out on the finish. Centered
around plum, raspberry and spicy
cream flavors, it has fine tannins that don't get in the way. Drink
now through 2007. 250 cases made. (HS)"
Arbor
Crest Dionysus 97 $46.99
93 points Wine Spectator and
drinking wonderfully now. Somehow it fell through the cracks and
is still avaialble - winemaker Kristina Mielke-van Loben Sels,
formerly winemaker at Ferrari Carrano
in Napa Valley, has crafted a wonderfully rich Meritage. If you
want some huge, impressive Meritage for this year's drinking,
here's the
wine for you. The wine has been correctly cellared and should remain
delicious through 2008.
Sineann Merlot Hillside
2000 $29.99
Peter Rosback's SIneann reds fly out of the winery and we thought this
wine was long long gone. But hidden back in the warehouse, we found a stash.
Raptor Ridge Murto Pinot Noir 00 $25
This wine received 91 points from Wine Spectator
and was hailed as the best deal of the vintage. Wine Spectator says: "A terrific value
from one of the older vineyards in Willamette Valley. The 2000 is silky
smooth and brimming with black cherry, black pepper and a faint touch
of mint, as the flavors linger on the beautifully formed finish. Drink
now through 2008.—H.S.
Price Reductions
Chateau
Ste Michelle Indian Wells Merlot 00 $19.49
was $33
Reliable, delicious, 90 points in Wine Spec
when it was $33, I imagine it would have rated even higher at this low
price. Just rated in Wine Spec last month, a really nice deal.
McKinlay
Pinot Noir Will Valley 01
$13.49 was $20
Drinking wonderfully, this wine is medium bodied, beautifully balanced,
flavors are soft, with hints of vanilla and fresh tart cherries. A
baaaggain.
Domaine Meriwether Pinot Noir Dion Vineyard 98
$18.99 was $30
Wine
Spectator gave this wine 88 points at
its opriginal price, and said this: "Light in texture, fragrant, with
strawberry and currant character
in a lean frame. Finishes with firm tannins but the fruit echos nicely.
Best from 2002 through 2006. 115 cases made." (HS)
At this lower price the Meriwether PN 98 qualifies as a bargain. It was a little tight when the review was written above, and has softened and blossomed into a delicate, sophisticated Pinot, with lots of subtle nuances in the palate. A good deal.
Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir "Tavola" 01
$16.99 was $19.99
A lower priced Pinot made from excess fruit, balanced flavors and a Ponzi
Pinot Noir at under $20 is a pretty good deal- Luisa makes great wines!
Avalon Wine Club News
We've got an exciting lineup of wines in May for our wine clubs. Doug McCrea, who pioneered Southern Rhone varietals in Washington State, has sent us some of his best Syrah, and Tony Soter, of Etude fame, has graciously provided us his wonderful Soter Vineyards Beacon Hill Pinot Noir 99. Mike Etzel of Beaux Freres sends us the 2001 Pinot to try.
As usual, Yearly Subscribers are receiving this month's wines for $66 plus shipping. If you wish to reduce shipping charges, you can have us "batch" several months' wines into one shipment. We recommend doing this during the hot summer months-we will cellar the wines until fall, or you can pick them up at our store if you come out to Oregon on vacation.
If you plan to come to Oregon this summer, let us know. I enjoy taking our Wine Club members around to visit wineries and can make us some appointments with wineries not normally open to the public.
May 2003 Big Reds Wine Club
McCrea Cellars Ciel du Cheval Syrah 2001 $50
McCrea
Cellars "Orleans" Syrah 2000 $56
These are the two blockbusters of Doug McCrea's current lineup. Both have layers
and layers of rich flavors, and are lush and forward, with dark notes of black
pepper, espresso, vanilla, and black stone fruits. Drink now, through the next
6-7 years.
The "Orleans", usually only available at the winery, is Doug's
tribute to New Orleans, his hometown. The Ciel du Cheval is a huge, brooding
black
cherry and chocolate-scented wine, fullbodied and intensely flavored.
May 2003 Reserve Pinot Noir Wine Club
Soter
Vineyards Beacon
Hill Pinot Noir 99 $50
Beaux Freres Pinot Noir 01 $58
Wine Advocate (Robert Parker/Pierre Rovani) had this to say about the Soter
PN:
"At first, the nose of
the 1999 Pinot Noir Beacon Hill had aromas reminiscent of roasted bone
marrow, a smell I adore. With aeration, black cherries and spices emerged.
Medium to full-bodied and dense, this wine had fabulous concentration and
depth. Cedar-laced black fruits and loads of ripe tannin can be found in
this fleshy, complete wine. Projected maturity: 2005-2010." - P.R. Rated
92 points.
The Beaux Freres 2001 received 92 points in Wine Spectator and is, as usual, a wonderful example of what Oregon is capable of. Mike Etzel is one of Oregon's most talented and consistent winemakers.
Coming soon:
Christina takes on Southern Oregon- Joe Dobbes, Pascal, and the Moores;
Walla Walla Wow, 2003 edition- Christina and Kristina go to Walla Walla and all they brought back to me was this silly case of wonderful wines;
Recipes!!!! Ever wondered what to serve with those wonderful NW Wines? Ponder no more- we're serving up recipes from the best restaurants across the NW and the US, specially chosen to complement your wines;
Andy Perdue (Wine Press NW) has a new book out in July, and we're giving away tons of copies, so check back for how to get yours!
This Month
Free
Wine Aroma Wheel
with $100 or more Wine Purchase!
Read
about the Aroma Wheel Here
Articles
from
past issues
4/9
Newsletter
3/30 Newsletter
3/29 Owen Roe Quarterly Newsletter
3/25 Sineann, interview with Peter Rosback
3/17 Allen
Shoup's
Long Shadows Winery
3/17 Newsletter
3/6 Cayuse
3/6 Newsletter
3/1 McCrea Cellars
3/1 Focus
on Syrah
3/1 Kitchen
Sink Syrah
3/1 Owen Roe
3/1 Sineann new
wines
3/1 Beaux Freres 2001
3/1 Elvenglade
sale
3/1 Newsletter
Coming in July!
Andy Perdue's new
NW Wine Guide, from Sasquatch Press--
Watch here for more info on how YOU can get a free copy
