Page 51 - Blog

Those were the days.  And we didn't even know it!

One of the obvious perks of working in the wine industry is getting the chance to drink great wine.  We do try a great deal of mediocre wines in our quest to discover new and amazing items to bring to you.  But we also get to try some of the best wines ever made.  And some of those opportunities have bordered on magical.

Back in 2006, before the boom and bust of the real estate market, Bordeaux was fetching a decent price.  Many wines could even, at the time, be considered expensive.  Little did we know that what we were drinking then would explode in demand and price. 

At a wine dinner at Bobby Van's in Bridgehampton back then, there were a handful of wines to try but the star of the dinner, by far, was 1982 Ducru Beaucaillou.  It was just singing on the palate all black fruits and sweet perfectly integrated tannins. It was well-balanced with a long, beautiful

Wine: 2004 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
Region: Bordeaux
Sokolin Price: $125/btl
Rating: 94 PR

Wine: 2008 Henri Boillot Puligny Montrachet Clos Mouchere
Region: Burgundy
Sokolin Price: $79.99/btl
Rating: 94 BH

Summer = white wine season, and a few days ago at a restaurant, we opened up two very special bottles of white wine with a few employees - one a Bordeaux blanc & the other a white Burgundy. What a treat these two bottles were! The Bordeaux blanc was a 94 point (RP) bottle of 2004 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, and the white Burgundy was also a 94 point (BH) bottle of 2006 Henri Boillot Chassagne Montrachet Clos Mouchere. It's not every day that you get to experience wines of this caliber.

Both of these wines were stellar! It's interesting and fun to evaluate how totally different the two were, which

Last week all the first growths released their wines, and while a few more chateaux released prices today, we are essentially at the end of the 2010 futures campaign.  I have witnessed many futures campaigns come and go and have learned a lot about the fine wine retail trade throughout my career.  Not only from my own experience but from my father and grandfather as well.  After all, 77 years is a very long time to be open for business.  Words of wisdom I will never forget; "Don't fight your customers, fight for them."  We have so many valued customers and friends that I must make sure that I protect their best interests and by doing so keeping up the tradition of my family's love and passion for the business.  This is why I must be open and honest about my thoughts on this shocking 2010 Bordeaux campaign.  
 
While futures campaigns have generally lasted 6 weeks, the past two vintages have lasted for twelve weeks.  In my mind,

Domaine les Aphillanthes has been producing wines for four generations and their Rasteau holding was planted in 1921.  As far as Villages in the Cotes du Rhone AOC go, Rasteau is regarded as one of the best. 

Philippe Cambie, the most sought after oenologist in Southern Rhone, possibly most known for his work in helping Clos Saint Jean to cult status with fashioning 100 point Ex Machina and Combe des Fous, was recently brought on for consultation.

Factor this all together and their 2009 CdRV Rasteau basically delivers the equivalent of a 93pt Chateauneuf du Pape for as little as $26.99, or as Robert Parker exclaimed "Bravo!"

When I recently popped a bottle, it revealed aromas of dark berries, licorice, tapenade and asphalt.  When tasted, the wine came across the palate in waves, first with black cherries, followed by baking spices, tea and dried mushrooms.  It then finished with notes of mocha and cocoa powder in dusty tannins.

Wine: 2006 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino
Region: Tuscany
Sokolin Price: $39.99/btl
Rating: 93 RP

Over the long holiday weekend, we had the opportunity to sample a 2006 Tuscan wine - the Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino. We knew this wine was going to be rocking before we even tried it. James Suckling has raved about the 2006 Brunellos over and over. "...The 2006 vintage for Brunello di Montalcino is the new benchmark for this famous Tuscan appellation and the Sangiovese grape. I can't think of a better expression of Tuscan wines than the best 2006 Brunello di Montalcinos...Brunello makers agree 2006 is their best effort...I think 2006 is THE greatest modern vintage for Sangiovese, and many of the 2006s are setting a new quality standard for Brunello producers..." - James Suckling on 2006 Brunellos.

Now if that doesn't convince you that the '06 Brunellos are SUPER, we're not

Wine: 2007 Flora Springs Trilogy
Region: California
Sokolin Price: $44.99/btl
Rating: 93 RP

Have you recently tried Napa Valley's version of a Bordeaux blend? If not, we have an awesome recommendation for you! A handful of Napa Valley producers are well known for their "Meritage wines" as their version of the Bordeaux blend is often called. In terms of red wines, the grapes that go into the blend are a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and/or Malbec. In California, for a producer to label its wine as a specific varietal, the bottle has to include at least 75% of the stated varietal. A while back, some producers wished for more flexibility in their blend, and started to deviate from the varietal labeling and began experimenting with blending techniques, as is done in Bordeaux.

Founded in 1978, the Flora Springs Estate, located in the heart of Napa Valley

Recently I've had several customers asking about ready to drink back-vintage red Burgundies.  These prized wines are made in such tiny quantities, that when we get them in, they don't last long.   So being a "Burg-head" myself, I was none too pleased to deliver on my clients' requests so I scoured our suppliers lists in search of ready to drink Burgs.

After combing the lists I stumbled upon two Grand Cru's by one of my favorite producers, Domaine Faiveley.  They were from the excellent '02 vintage, which was THE vintage that sold me on Burgundy. Even better, they were listing pristine, original wood cases and 10 of each! Burgundy lovers know production is super-low on these wines and it's almost impossible to find back-vintage Burgundy in case quantities. Immediately we knew we had to jump on these, but as with all the wines we carry, we must taste before selling. We flew two bottles over. One was the 2002 Faiveley Corton Clos des Corton, and the other bottle

Wine: 2009 Faiveley Nuits St. Georges les Porets St. Georges
Region: Burgundy
Sokolin Price: $69.99/btl
Rating: 92-94 BH

Over and over, the 2009 Burgundy vintage is being proclaimed by many prominent wine critics as an outstanding one. Maybe fate had its hand in producing such a remarkable '09 vintage - Wine Spectator noted that "the vintages on the 'nines' have produced some memorable harvests - like 1999, 1989, 1969, 1959 & 1949..." And our clients have been scooping up the '09s by the case load! With the last really great Red Burgundy vintage produced in 2005, Burgundy lovers are ready and anxious for the '09 vintage! Some of the 2009s have just arrived, so the waiting game is over.

Since most Burgundian producers make extremely tiny quantities, the supply of many of the region's wines is very, very limited. When we taste the wines of this region, we are always reminded what a special

This time of year calls for a certain type of white wine.

Not too serious...  not too pricey...  but just right!

We have dozens of these wines that would fit the bill for this type of poolside occasion, however I just had the pleasure of enjoying two of these that I highly recommend.  It was a family get-together with about 20 of us.  90 degrees out, grill was going and lots of fun summery appetizers - clams on the half shell, shrimp cocktail, chips and guacamole, etc.  And I'm happy to say that I picked the perfect wines for the party:

2009 Morgan Chardonnay Metallico (California) - $16.95/bottle, 91 pts WS.   Crisp, clean and no oak.  Bright green apple and juicy pear flavors with great acidity and just delicious!  And all for $16.95?!  Incredible value.

2009

For me, the concept of "on sale" rarely makes sense.

Any business that includes frequent or recurring "sale times" in their strategy by definition must include times when things are more expensive. Like it or not, it's the reality of what a sale is. 

THE DRAMA OF SALE
Most companies use sales to create drama, and in reality I've found that many of them are hype. At Sokolin, we have an actual department dedicated to keeping our prices competitive and we usually find that our competition's "sales" tend to have exaggerated "was" prices so the new NOW price looks cheap by comparison. A real sale is one thing, but my team keeps re-discovering that this is usually not the case.

IT MIGHT BE LESS EXCITING, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY IN YOUR BEST INTEREST
My preference is to maintain the lowest possible prices everyday so that clients