$20 for $40 at Alta Strada in Wellesley

LivingSocial is offering $20 for $40 towards Chef Michael Schlow's Alta Strada in Wellesley, MA.

Firmly the second best finer dining establishment in town (behind Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger) Alta Strada positions itself as offering upscale yet approachable Italian cuisine.. The voucher expires September 24th, 2013 so you'll need to use it this summer (when most everyone is summering in their Cape houses) or after back to school/parents night festivities shortly after schools reopen.

The offer can't be used towards alcohol but since restaurants in Wellesley require you to buy food when you're buying a drink you can use it towards the food items you enjoy along with wine. They've got a very good Italian wine by the glass program. And if you get in a jam and can't use it before the expiration date you could always grab some take-out from their market downstairs.

Check out the offer on LivingSocial here

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First Look: Jolie-Pitt Miraval Rosé

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have somehow found time to secure a summer home/vineyard estate and bring a wine brand to market. That in itself isn't worth a mention, however what's worth mentioning is this: The wine is fantastic.

The brand is Miraval - and by all accounts the celebrity couple's participation in the project is more than a rubber stamp branding affair. According to Wine Spectator the couple participated in determining the blend of the wine as well as the bottle/label design. They've partnered with the Perrin family which is responsible for, among other things, the well-regarded Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The final results are impressive.

The only mention of Jolie-Pitt is a subtle "mis en bouteille par Jolie-Pitt & Perrin" on the back label of the uniquely shaped bottle. It's just enough to confirm to those seeking the wine they've found what they were looking for.

This rosé is the first wine to be released. According to the winery website a white and red are slated to follow. If they're anything like the rosé I'll look forward to tasting them.

Here are my tasting notes on the rosé:

2012 Miraval Rosé
$28 Release Price
Street price: Just south of $20 retail
15,000 Cases Imported
13% Alcohol

My goodness - this is an outstanding wine. It's so well balanced. I have a hard time finding a flaw with it. There wasn't an off note in the bottle.

The color is a gorgeous watermelon candy pink with a hint of copper. An inviting fruit forward/floral nose conveys to the palate with medium/full weight almost like a light/medium Oregon Pinot Gris. It's never overly heavy yet is tremendously satisfying to drink.

Full of flavor but doesn't get out of whack. No distracting herbal notes - just pure enjoyable fruit balanced with medium-low acidity. Overall it strikes me as a very well made Provençal rosé targeted for the American market.

92/100 WWP: Outstanding

Wine Spectator rated the wine 90 points
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There was some talk when this wine was released in Europe of it being quickly sold out. However, there does seem to be good availability in the US. Retailers and consumers: If you've seen this around at a good price (I'd say $17.99 to $19.99 is a good price) let us know in the comments!

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2007 Heitz Cabernet: This is Napa Cab

One of my first trips to Napa back in the day included a stop at Heitz Cellars. The tasting room was humble and the location was almost too obvious - right off Highway 29 immediately after V. Sattui.

The winery has been around forever and although I enjoyed their wines I couldn't help but think the brand had passed its prime. I don't know what it was specifically but I left with the impression the winery's best days were behind it.

As years went by I'd read stories about how great Heitz Cabernets from the late '60s and early '70s were - especially their Marthas Vineyard bottlings. But what was I going to do with that information? It's not like you can track those wines down and even if you could they're a bit anachronistic. By that I mean - California wines made in the '60s bear little resemblance to wines made today. Alcohol levels have risen dramatically and the wines of California have discovered their own direction rather than trying to emulate other great wine regions like Bordeaux. So even if I found I liked older Heitz Cabs it would have little to do with what they're making today.

These days Heitz makes Cabernet ranging from ~$40 to $200. The Martha's Vineyard is their top wine and a Napa Valley appellation bottling is the entry level offering. Trailside and Bella Oaks fill in the middle in the $60-$70 range.

The Wine Cellar of Stoneham had a tasting late last year with a bottle of the 2007 Heitz Napa Cab open alongside some tremendous wines. A $600+ bottle of Penfolds Grange plus Napa Cabs in the more conceivably actionable price range of $60- $100 provided an opportunity to discover value wines that could fight in a weight class higher than their price point. The 2007 Heitz Napa held its own and then some.

This week I bought a bottle and popped it open. The wine is fantastic. This is Napa Cab. Here are my notes...

2007 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
14.5% Alcohol
$42 Release Price

This wine skillfully finds the intersection of deliciousness and quality. The 2007 is still available on retailers shelves so here in 2013 it's arriving with 6 years of post-vintage age. And that age has softened any rough edges that may have been present on release.

Plush dark fruit on the nose, cola on the palate, and soft tannins make this very appealing. So enjoyable to drink. Low to medium acidity enables this to go well on its own or with food. Everything is in balance here.

92/100 WWP: Outstanding

The wine strikes me as a classic pair of Levi's. Quality that never goes out of style, but not pushing it so hard in any one direction that it'll look stylistically ridiculous a few years down the road.

Definitely worth a try for around $39.99 if you spot it at retail.

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First Look: 2012 Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir

After a couple of challenging California vintages in 2010 and 2011, I'm looking forward to the 2012s coming to market.

In the grand scheme of things, quibbling about vintage variation in California is a bit ridiculous. The weather there rarely presents the challenges seen in other regions.

But when you hear and read stories from winemakers about record heat spikes after cool growing seasons - where leaves were pruned to increase sun exposure then resulted in over exposure - you tend to think only the best producers will put out quality wines.

And indeed that's been the case in my experience. Reliable producers put out outstanding wines in 2010 and 2011. But the average quality of wines hasn't been as good as it was in better vintages like 2007 and 2009.

And that's fine by me. As consumers we need a chance to take a breather to drink wines from from our collections rather than growing our stashes. When I was on the fence about purchasing pricey 2010s and 2011s it was anticipation of better wines in 2012 that talked me off the ledge of making large purchases from producers I wasn't personally familiar with.

So far, the majority of 2012s available in the market are rosés and some white wines. My experience has been mixed, but admittedly I'm more of a red wine guy. So I was looking forward to trying a bellweather California Pinot Noir in the form of Belle Glos Meiomi.

Here are my thoughts...

2012 Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir
13.8% Alcohol
$22 Release Price

It's amazing how quickly they release these wines. A 2012 Pinot Noir in June? They're released along with rosés! 

Anyway, I thought it was amazingly well formed for being so young and in line with the house style. Which is to say - luscious and fruit forward, a crowd pleaser that's hard not to enjoy. 

I've seen more variation from bottle to bottle of the same vintage than from vintage to vintage. 

This stuff is like Budweiser for better or worse - always about the same no matter where or when you pop it. For the most part it's tremendously appealing - even if it isn't the most terroir driven Pinot Noir in the world. I like it and I always want to have some on hand.

89/100 WWP: Very Good

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Check 'em out:
http://meiomiwines.com

Question of the Day:

What are your thoughts on recent vintages in California? Have you been buying less or only from trusted producers? Are you looking to buy a lot of the 2012s?

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