Page 40 - Blog

Today, in the world of wine, there are many values just waiting to be discovered.
Here at Sokolin, we do our best to un-earth these hidden gems and share them with our customers.  Well, do I have one for you this week!

All the way from La Mancha, Spain, just South of Madrid, they are growing Tempranillo and making amazing wines from this grape, most commonly associated with the regions of Rioja and Ribera del Duero.  It's the 2007 Mas Que Vinos Ercavio Roble.  Lots of beautiful dark fruit fill your nose with an extremely deep, dark purple core.  Some pepper and spice, along with sweet oak, glycerin and a hint of anise hit the tongue and coat the palate with enough acidity to cleanse and keep you going back to the glass. 

This value red is a perfect match for pizza, pasta, grilled meats, and roasted vegetables.  And at ONLY $12.95/bottle and $155/case, there's no reason not to always have some on hand!  And on top of that, this wine

Wine: 2003 La Conseillante
Region: Bordeaux
Sokolin Price: $75/btl
Rating: 93 RP-NM

As the hype surrounding the 2009 Bordeaux campaign rages, we decided to dive into the wonderful, classic and timeless world of Bordeaux.  Drinking Bordeaux inevitably puts a smile on our face.  And, we doubt many people would disagree that it doesn't have the same effect on them, as they swirl and sip wine from this top producing region.  On the other hand, the price of a great bottle of Bordeaux, has the potential to hurt the wallet.  Our Sokolin buyers have once again scoured the market and picked up some reasonably priced Bordeaux from an ultra premium property, Chateau La Conseillante, which is a true bargain for this potential superstar.  Because we were able to pick up a large parcel of the '03 vintage, we are able to offer it out to our customers for only $75/btl.  Other vintages of this

Any of our regular customers can tell you what a great value the Waterstone Cabernet is- and if you've chatted with one of our sales reps, they've probably told you about the wine, convinced you to give it a try and made you a believer too! The Waterstone is, year after year, one of our most popular sellers, and one of the greatest values in California Cabernets that you will find.

You may have noticed that a new vintage has just recently become available on the website- that's right folks- the 2006 Waterstone has arrived and is ready to ship!

I'm sure that some of you are wondering how it compares to the 2005, and so I thought I'd take this opportunity to tell you, since we popped a bottle late last week.

I was pleased from the first sip- it is quite different from the 2005 vintage in many ways, but as usual, the bottle does not disappoint. The wine was a beautiful cherry red color, bright and vibrant in the glass. The nose gives off hints of deep, stunning cherry,

Wine: 2007 Roger Sabon Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Prestige
Region: Rhone
Sokolin Price: $54.95/btl
Rating: 95 RP

2007 was a stellar vintage in the Rhone region.  Every time we taste a bottle, we are just blown away.  Even the industry experts, such as Robert Parker, has awarded a 98 point vintage score to the Southern Rhone for 2007.   

Regarding this specific producer, Parker said, "2007 may be the strongest vintage across the board that I have ever tasted at Roger Sabon."  When the world's most prominent wine critic gives such applause, our ears perk up, and we can't resist trying it out for ourselves.

The 2007 Roger Sabon CDP Cuvee Prestige is deep purple in color, full of cherries, cream and spice.  It is an incredible, stylish, yet casual wine that can be served with even the most basic meals.  With all the nice sunshine and 70 degree weather in

With swimsuit season just around the corner my wife is on a serious "healthy eating" bend.

Normally I don't have a problem with that as we eat fairly healthy already and the change usually means skipping pasta for a few weeks.  But this year my wife has decided to cut back, a lot, on red meat. 

Since she does the cooking it's hard for me to complain but at least once a week I love a nice steak with a great bottle of red wine.  The last fantastic steak/wine combo was a T-bone with the 2007 Flechas Gran Malbec - awesome!  But I digress.  So now our main protein is chicken and usually that's fine with me but last week it was four straight nights of chicken dishes - even the kids were threatening mutiny!  Something had to be done.  The kids got off easy with organic hot dogs and French fries.  But I was stuck with the chicken dish. 

How was this healthy (which means "no adding cheese") chicken dish going to go down? 

Wine: 2008 Gobelsburger Gruner Veltliner
Region: Austria
Sokolin Price: $13.95/btl
Rating: 90 ST

Austria is known for the success it's achieved with the Gruner Veltliner grape varietal, and we just enjoyed a slice of Austrian excellence over the weekend.  We sampled the 2008 Gobelsburger Gruner Veltliner, which is packed with bits of citrus fruit - flavors reminiscent of orange peel, grapefruit and a dash of lemon - and even a pinch of spice and white pepper can be picked up.  Refreshing and crisp to the palate, it's as light as a feather.  We enjoyed this wine with a light fare that included sautéed local bay scallops, greens and buttered fingerling potatoes.

With Spring now in full swing, many wine lovers (including us) start to increase their white wine consumption.  It's something about sunny, warm weather and fresh air that makes you leave the bottles of red behind

2007 - everyone says it's an amazing vintage for White Burgs - the 'transparent vintage' showcasing terroir

So far, I have had a few Grand Cru and 1er Cru deserving of this claim (Bonneau Du Martray Corton Charlemagne comes to mind) - however, I have found a greater proportion of village and Bourgone Blancs that have blown me away for value.

Though most associate Chardonnay with White Burgundy, the other varietal of the region is Aligoté - an early ripening grape that is often added to blends throughout the world for acidity and structure - in the case of 2007 Lucie et Auguste Lignier Bourgogne Aligoté, it is the primary varietal and showcases the varietal's merits in spades.

"After the tragic death of Romain Lignier, Domaine Hubert Lignier was divided between Hubert and his grandchildren,

Wine: 2004 Aldo Conterno Barolo
Region: Piedmont
Sokolin Price: $54.99/btl
Rating: 91 RPWA

Wine: 2006 Guado Al Tasso
Region: Tuscany
Sokolin Price: $84.99/btl
Rating: 95 WS

We had some friends in the wine business over for dinner this weekend, so we knew we couldn't go wrong with serving up a few great Italian wines.  With sopressata and various cheeses (white truffle goat, triple crème to die for and a nice mild blue) for appetizers, we served the 2004 Aldo Conterno Barolo, which hails from the Piedmont region of Italy.  This wine was a light but brilliant shade of burgundy in color, and the bouquet had undertones of cherries, dark berries and even a hint of earth.  On the palate, it was smooth, elegant and very well balanced.  The wine was a fabulous complement to our appetizers.  It

Wine: 1992 Haut Brion Blanc
Region: Bordeaux
Sokolin Price: $225/btl
Rating: 93 RP

Wine: 1999 DRC Vosne Romanee Cuvee Duvault Blochet
Region: Burgundy
Sokolin Price: $449/btl
Rating: 90 ST

Wine: 1998 Lafleur
Region: Bordeaux
Sokolin Price: $600-800/btl
Rating: 96-98 RP-NM

On Friday night, we met up with some wine friends in NYC with plans on dining at Gotham Bar & Grill.  It's always a fun time and one to look forward to, as everyone brings a special wine.  When we were seated at Gotham, we were informed of their corkage policy, part of which was that we were only allowed to open two of the three bottles we brought with us.  Yikes!  We looked at these three amazing bottles and thought, how could we possibly

The past couple of weekends I've found myself in the mood for a nice white to have on hand with the warm weather. I wasn't looking for anything too complex, just something nice & crisp with good acidity to accompany  a delicious fish dish. Of course we have an amazing inventory to choose from, but I keep finding myself picking up this same wine every weekend. So this brings me to my Go To Riesling, The 2008 Arndorfer Riesling Strasser Weinberge. 
 
Arndorfer is a small producer from Austria, & I've always been a fan of the style of Austrian Rieslings & Gruner Veltliners. It has a medium body, great acidity, & it's not too sweet, so for me it's the perfect Riesling. Also, our own Summer Wolff discovered this small winery so it's exclusive to Sokolin. Anyone looking for a cool unique delicious Riesling should give the Arndorfer a try!

 
2008