Dear Friends,

I just stuck my nose in today’s first release and scared the wits out of my wife with expletives along the lines of “damn this stuff is good”. My reaction is to the incredible change in Lot 266 2009 Carneros Pinot Noir since I tasted it a month ago. Before the wine was opening up nicely but now it is fully revealing itself with a piercing nose of wild strawberries, blackberries, hoisin sauce and powdered violets. Lively acids are perfectly balanced against pretty fruit and a lovely, silky smooth midpalate…Wow, what an incredible pinot for $14. As I may have mentioned previously, this wine would normally be priced in the $30 range given its Carneros provenance and the source winery. This wine saw 30% new French oak for about 9 months before being zipped up in tank for a few months and bottled earlier this year. Splendid.
 
Our second release, Lot 275 2010 Mendoza Malbec comes to us from one of our winery partners. Simply put this is a spectacular Malbec and it ought to be –this wine retails for $45 here in the US. Sourced from a small vineyard planted about 20 years ago in loamy, lean and rocky soils at 1100 meters above sea level in the Vista Flores area of Mendoza, Lot 275 is a stunning looker with a beautiful deep color and intense violet purple rim. The nose is sumptuous with smoky cassis, lavender and black pepper complemented by toasty oak. Rich upon entry, the wine trims nicely across the palate with ripe cherry and plum flavors supported by silky fine tannins, elegant yet robust structure and a seductive intensity that blooms into the long, suave finish. Pretty impressive integration given this wine saw 80% new French oak and 20% new America oak. Yes, 100% new oak punch for about 12 months. 

The incredible fruit purity means medium toast and very tight-grained barrels paired with sub 3 ton/acre yields. This wine has all the stuffing for another 10-12 years of development in the bottle (we actually put the wine after our Napa Cabernets in tasting order) but drinks beautifully right now and will knock your socks off when paired with a nice Argentinean Asado. Now here’s the good part – this wine is only $16. Given that the source wine is priced at $45/bottle we think that’s an incredibly compelling deal.

Don't forget that we are here to help answer any questions you may have about these or any other wines. So please don't hesitate to email us or call us at 1-800-805-1971.