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2007 Seventy Five The Sum Proprietary Blend

OK, so I didn't really come up with 75 reasons to buy this wine, but I thought it was a catchy title.  However, if you read this blog and are still not convinced... go to the website, get a history lesson (each time you navigate to a new page, a 1975 history fact pops up), and read how passionate the wine maker is about his products and work ethic.  He states "I insist on over-delivering on every one of your expectations: wine quality, pedigree and price."  And that he does!

Inside this artsy labeled bottle is a supernatural California red that is simply irresistible.  It's a massive structured wine that is able to be enjoyed now, but will have a long life ahead of it.  It's the Shelby Mustang of wines, and it's firing on all cylinders.  This powerhouse is a beautifully balanced delight to drink, and it's not at all over-powering, but rather is delicately tamed with finesse.

The nose

Well, in case you haven't noticed, it's getting really nice out! Flowers are in bloom, trees have their leaves back, everything's green and Spring has sprung.   This means it's time to wash down the patio furniture, take the cover off the grill, and get ready to spend some much-anticipated time outdoors!  This also means it's time for some Sauvignon Blanc...

We have come to love the California producer Walter Hansel, best known for its Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.  Year after year, they make some of the best wines from the Russian River Valley.  In fact, Robert Parker says about this winery, "One of northern California's 'good guys', who fashions top-quality Burgundian-styled Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.  Moreover, prices remain unbelievably fair for wines of such quality."

Just recently, I was fortunate enough to taste their 2009 Sauvignon Blanc.  And again it was all about the amazing quality for such a great price!  The nose was

I just spent a few minutes reviewing the tasting articles of some of my colleagues and realized that everyone has been recommending white wines for summertime- no surprise there! However, I thought I'd bring you in a slightly different direction this week, and suggest one of my absolute favorite wines to enjoy as the weather warms around us:
Rosé, the new white wine!

Rosé adds something just a little different to a beautiful summer day- a different flavor and a light, joyful color. It's a nice, easy drinking wine that is pleasing to just about any palate!

I always recommend the lineup of Rosé wines from D'Esclans, our Sokolin go-to Rosé values, which are rated by our very owner expert, Dave Sokolin. We love these wines; there are 3 different labels of D'Esclans Rosé (The Whispering Angel, the D'Esclans, and the Les Clans). The D'Esclans and the Les Clans are relatively more complex and structured, which accounts for the increase in

Wine: 2006 Canon
Region: Bordeaux
Sokolin Price: $54.99/btl
Rating: 90 RP

Right now in the wine business, it's all about 2009 Bordeaux Futures.  If you've been following our site or subscribe to our Bordeaux Futures email list, you know by now that the 2009 vintage will go down as one of the greatest and that there will be huge worldwide demand for the 2009s.  As a result, the critics and industry experts are expecting very high opening prices for the first growths and the super seconds too. 

Robert Parker recently said, "Forget the first-growths. They have become luxury products, and possess the same prestigious image as Rolls Royce, Bentley, or Aston Martin cars, Roger Dubuis or Berguet watches, or haute couture from Chanel or Christian Dior."

If prices for the 2009s open up as high as some are predicting, smart Bordeaux buyers will look to previous vintages for better value

Come summertime, I want to relax and look at the water - I want to smell the ocean and the bay - I want to eat raw oysters - and of course, I want a perfect wine to go with it!

Bodega Gurrutxaga's Basque white Txakoli delivers - from slopes overlooking the Atlantic, this refreshing white blends Hondarribi Zuri, Mune Mahatsa and Txori Mahatsa.

Never heard of these varietals?  Can't pronounce them either?  No problem.  I'm sure you know these words:

Crisp - Briny - Mineral - Citrus - Floral

Now picture all that in a bottle for only $18.95 - add a dozen of your favs from the raw bar and your set!

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave the same advice and scored the 2009 Gurrutxaga Txakoli Bizkaiko Txakolina 91pts.

So here's to a superb summer!

There are many nights where I find myself wanting to imbibe a nice glass of wine. The problem: I just don't feel comfortable opening a full bottle and throwing 2 glasses out.  The longing for a glass is left empty and my wine refrigerator full. 

Enter the perfect companion into this relationship, the half bottle!  Whether you are home alone, staying in a hotel, or perhaps your wife is pregnant, the half bottle will fulfill your every desire.  Just this week I have entered into the loving relationship with half bottles. 

There are many advantages to "halfies" other than less juice.  I just had the awesome opportunity to drink some Bordeaux half bottles.  First I enjoyed 2006 Cos D'estournel and then I challenged the beauty the Cos showed with a 2005 Lagrange...both in half bottles.  What I found was that although these wines were young, they drank amazing!  We all know about Magnums and how they age slowly, and the reverse is true

Wine: 1998 La Fleur Petrus
Region: Bordeaux
Sokolin Price: $195/btl
Rating: 92 RP

With the 2009 Bordeaux Futures campaign in full swing, we can't seem to get our minds away from Bordeaux.  It's all the rage right now and is likely to command a lot of attention for the next two months.  While we've seen some of the smaller to mid-sized chateaux release their 2009 vintage, we still await the release of all the big names of fine wine, including the first growths. 

We decided to try a bottle of 1998 La Fleur Petrus in anticipation of selling the 2009 vintage of this wine.  La Fleur Petrus comes from the Pomerol region, and the 1998 vintage is considered to be one of the most outstanding Right Bank vintages.  La Fleur Petrus, also owned by the Moueix Family (they also own the famed Chateau Petrus), is a spell-binding wine that screams quality. 

Paired with a very simple

Recently, I had been struggling to find the perfect wine to go with whatever we were grilling, other than Waterstone Cab.  Many wines were very nice but I hadn't hit that homerun yet this year; except, of course, with the Waterstone. 

Well I nailed it this weekend.  We had a great cut of steak and a heavily spiced pork tenderloin.  I was taking a bit of a risk by going with a red and pork.  But it was great!  Perfect with the steak and the pork.

The wine: 2007 Craggy Range Te Kahu Vineyard - 91 RP - $19.95:

This is a Bordeaux blend from New Zealand.  Now, I'm already a fan of Pinot Noir from New Zealand but hadn't tried any bigger wines from there yet.  My wife and I loved it from the first sip before we even sat down with the food - SINGING!  All for $20!!  I think what really made this wine work is that it is a blend of the classic Bordeaux varietals but it's mostly Merlot. 

As I sat in my cubicle at a loss for what to do my next blog on, all of a sudden it hit me!  What is the best deal I've seen at Sokolin this year?!
 
Granted there have been plenty this year with one of our biggest suppliers leaving the Bordeaux business, but one that struck a chord with me more than any other has to be our
 
latest find.  Also combined with the fact that we sold a pallet in a week, then this has to be our best deal of 2010 by far. 
 
I know the suspense is killing you.... drum roll... It's the 2006 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne!
 
Grand Cru White Burgundy, from the fresh, vibrant, juicy 2006 vintage, with a solid 94 pt Burghound score & offered less then release price.
 
It just makes sense.  We tried a bottle last night and it definitely lived up to the hype. 
 
Killer nose of fresh lime, peaches, green apple lead to a succulent

Wine: 2006 Dominus
Region: California
Sokolin Price: $109/btl
Rating: 96 RP

The highlight of this past weekend for us was a blind tasting that included some wines that really wowed us.  The line-up, in chronological order, went like this: 1975 Mouton Rothschild, 1989 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 1989 Mouton Rothschild, 1999 Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino, 2004 Haut Brion & 2006 Dominus.  Since all of these incredible wines were the main act of the night, we served a rather simple meal that started with several cheeses, and ended with barbeque ribs, grilled skirt steak, boiled potatoes and baby snap peas.  Wine lovers will have no problem understanding that wine took center stage, and the food, while delicious, took its place somewhere in the background.

A little about each wine:

--The 1975 Mouton