Welcoming Yankee Spirits as a WWP Sponsor

It's my pleasure to announce Massachusetts wine retailer Yankee Spirits as sponsor of the Wellesley Wine Press.

With locations in Attleboro, Sturbridge, and Swansea they're a little out of the way for those in the Boston area, but they can ship to Massachusetts addresses and they offer free delivery to Suffolk, Norfolk and Middlesex counties on $350+ orders.

A number of friends I've made through the blog here have emailed me over the years about seminars they've enjoyed at Yankee Spirits, and good deals they've had on wines.

An example of an uncoming seminar is this one featuring Spanish wines from Jorge Ordonez portfolio. Long time readers will recall I'm a fan of Triga, Alto Moncayo Veraton and Tres Picos - and they're all scheduled to be poured at the seminar along with other new discoveries I'm sure.

I was poking around their website checking out inventory and prices recently. I recently had the 2013 Failla Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and loved it. 93 points for me and I think Galloni said 92. Terrific wine for around $35 (plus Yankee offers a 10% discount on mixed cases).

And here's a TOP SECRET tip on a wine I just recently heard about but haven't yet tried. Members of the Juan Gil Fan Club will want to take note of this special bottling: 2013 Juan Gil 100th Anniversary red. It goes for $19.99 and is a blend of Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, which makes it unlike Juan Gil proper, unlike Clio, and unlike El Nido proper. What it is similar to is Corteo which is a very similar blend that goes for ~$100. Needless to say I'm looking very forward to trying this wine.

I'd recommend hopping on their mailing list if you're not already, both for deals and seminar announcements.

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Total Wine set to open second store in Massachusetts

Total Wine is set to open in Everett, MA on Thursday May 12th, 2016. Hat tip: Vino Travels

This is their second store in Massachusetts and it's worth visiting early because, if it's anything like their Natick store opening, the best deals and inventory are to be had in the first few days. Things haven't gone completely south in Natick after that, but a lot of the smaller production wines we saw when they first opened went very quickly. So definitely check it out if you're near the north shore.

See also: 10 Things to Know about Total Wine

Semi-related it appears the Natick store's inventory and pricing is now available online. This is really handy since it enables online research before committing to a trip over there. They don't ship (even to MA addresses) but you can order online ahead of time and pick-up in store.

They still show some tremendous deals at the moment. Kutch Pinot for $32.39 (when you buy 6 or more bottles of any of their wines). And EnRoute Pinot Noir (Nickel & Nickel's Pinot Noir label) at an insanely low price of $35.99 ($45 is the best I see it for on Wine-Searcher and some listings are as high as $59.99):

In my experience Total Wine's strength is low prices on national brands. And they've got a surprising number of wines usually sold mostly through mailing lists, and when they do carry them they're sometimes at unbelievably good prices.

Their weakness lies in the lack of depth of some import categories.

But overall it can be a great place to shop if you know your prices becuase their markups are not uniform.

Questions of the Day: If you go to the Everett opening, what did you think? And if you've been monitoring the Natick store how has it evolved since opening?

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10 Wines to Buy from Wine.com in Texas with AMEXDEAL16

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Through 7/7/2016 you can use code AMEXDEAL16 for $30 off $100 at Wine.com (read more on how to maximize the deal).

The key to getting a great deal with this code is finding good wines at reasonable prices. Wine.com's assortment differs by state, and the markup varies by wine. It's a fun treasure hunt that can result in a terrific deal on wine shipped to your doorstep - if you can find the right wines.

Just to illustrate how this can be tricky, take for example Michael David 7 Deadly Zins. It's a terrific value at around $10 (and readily available at local discounters) but Wine.com lists it for $21.99 in Texas. That's a terrible price - even with $30 off $100.

So here are 10 wines I'd recommend for someone shopping in Texas. I'm thinking of these for someone that, like me, gravitates towards juicy fruit forward reds but is looking to branch out given the season.

1. Bisol Jeio Prosecco Brut Rose

It might seem strange to start off a list of mostly red wines with a sparkling wine, but this one is a great way to start the evening with any crowd. At $17.99 before discounts it delivers on its price and then some. Read more...

2. Marquis de la Tour Brut

Had this one at a Capital Grille event back in the day and it's served me well since. Just $11.99 (before discount!) - very good on its own and perfect for mimosas.

3. Honig Sauvignon Blanc

I had this the other nice with a spicy Sichuan dish. What a pairing! Appealing fruit for days balanced with just the right amount of acidity that makes it a pleasure to drink on its own or with food. No matter the vintage it hits the mark at a very reasonable price point. I like it so much I gave it a lifetime QPR achievement award.

4. Meiomi Pinot Noir

Meiomi has been an amazing phenomenon. A reliable friend to share with friends. No fuss - just fruit forward, delicous California Pinot Noir. Some say this drinks more like a Zinfandel, and yes it's full bodied for a Pinot Noir. But it makes it a Pinot Noir that people who usually prefer bigger reds. $19.99 isn't a great price (I saw it at my local Costco for $14.99 recently). But with 30% off and free shipping (plus portal cashback) I think this is about as low as you can find Meiomi.

5. 2012 Shea Pinot Noir

Notice how I listed the vintage on this one? Because it's important on Oregon Pinot Noir. 2012 was a tremendous vintage, and this one is one of my favorites. This bottling is a perennial favorite of Wine Spectator's but surprisingly this vintage seems to have gotten lost in the positive accolades of that vintage. "Just" a 91 from them but I thought it was better than that.

6. Juan Gil Monastrell

Along with Meiomi this is one of two wines I recommend most frequently for its outstanding quality to price ratio. Discovered it at the Capital Grille - loved it. Visited them in Spain - loved it even more. It's what the locals there drink and you should too. It's BIG but balanced. Be sure to give it some air - it improves amazingly over a few days on the counter. Surprising given its modest price.

7. Honig Cabernet Sauvignon

Honig makes the top 10 list twice! There's a reason they're the one wine club I'm a member of. No Napa Cab more reliably hits the mark for me. It's the flavor profile I find so appealing for it's perfect combination of fruit and savory notes. At $42.99 before discount you can get this down to around $30 if you land just north of $100 for your total order. And $30 for a bottle of Honig is a square deal in my mind.

8. Tres Picos Garnacha

The folks at Borsao deliver tremendous value across the board. And this one at $14.99 in Texas is a perfect example at a very good price. Along with their interest in Alto Moncayo (not available in Texas from Wine.com) I'd put them at the top of my list of wineries to visit in Spain some day.

9. Cherry Pie Cherry Tart Pinot Noir 

I haven't written about Cherry Pie Pinot Noir here on the blog. But I should. Soon. I've had a couple bottles and I've been impressed. There are two levels: Single vineyard wines (labeled as Cherry Pie proper along with the vineyard name) and an appellation wine. I may have initially dismissed these wines for the overly fruit laden label but they're actually tremendous wines. Think of this Cherry Tart bottling as the Meiomi of Cherry Pie's lineup. In fact - the whole project is strikingly similar to Belle Glos/Meiomi. $18.99 before discount for a wine comprised mostly of fruit from Rodgers Creek Vineyard? Sign me up. Read more about them here.

10. Miraval Rose

This is the Pitt-Jolie wine, and it's actually quite good. A nice crisp and elegant wine for enjoying on a warm afternoon. Read more...

Question of the Day: What Wine.com values in your state are you finding that work well with $30 off $100?

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My Rough Weekend with Italian Wine

First bottle of 2012 Passopisciaro: Totally corked

Is it just me, or is Italian wine more prone to TCA taint than other regions?

Or, is there something fundamentally "funky" about a lot of Italian reds that make them veer dangerously close to the hallmark notes of a corked wine (musty wet cardboard) even when they're solid?

I opened a bunch of relatively expensive Italian red wines this weekend that I've had and enjoyed in the past, only to find them either undeniably flawed -or- in that grey area where you're not sure but you're sure it's not good. And it's got me spooked.

2012 Passopisciaro

I first tried this wine in the 2007 vintage and though it was fabulous. I rated it 93 points and made a mental note to stock up on it in the future. I bought 6 bottles of it recently and Friday night pizza night seemed like a great time to crack one open.

One sniff was all it took to inform me that this wine was absolutely, undeniably, 100% corked. This is especially disconcerting when it happens to the first bottle of a multi-bottle purchase. I'm inclined not to crack another open straight away when this happens. Why? I'm not sure but I usually scurry to safety instead. I went with a recently arrived 2012 Coho Headwaters that absolutely spot on/what I was looking for.

If I'm ever on the fence whether a wine is flawed, opened a sound wine and comparing it side by side usually seals the deal. But this 2012 Passopisciaro wasn't even close. I re-visited it again last night just to check and it was the same as it was the first night. So sad.

Crognolo: Thought it was corked but settled down

2013 Crognolo

Saturday night we had friends over and wanted to do a full-on Italian dinner. Although I would have been more inclined to mix in some California Pinot Noir for broad appeal, I decided to keep it all from Italy. The Prosecco we started off with went well thankfully (a play I learned at Il Preludio in Cortona). But after that we moved onto the Crognolo from Tenuta Sette Ponti, retracing our path from one terrific afternoon in Italy.

As soon as I opened the Crognolo - and I mean literally the second I pulled the cork - I suspected this one was off. The act of removing the cork released musty aromas.

Thankfully in this case, the wine settled down within a few minutes. Although it never soared near the heights of prior vintages (especially those tasted at the winery) it was at least drinkable. But by this point I had hair trigger reflexes for the slightest "off" note and was on high alert.

2008 Tenuta Nuova: Mildly/probably corked

2008 Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova

Since the Crognolo was trending towards "lackluster" I went to guns with a bottle of Tenuta Nuova. The 2006 vintage of this wine was one of the best bottles of wine I've ever had, and although I didn't have delusions the 2008 would rise to that level I did think it would be at least really good.

No such luck. This one fell into the unfortunate chasm of "probably/mildly corked". The worst kind of corked. Gah! I'm sniffing a remnant taste of this wine as I'm writing this and I'm still not sure whether it's flawed or just not to my liking.

I will say this though: I never would have called the 2006 one of my favorite bottles of wine ever if it had anything resembling a musty aroma. So, I think this 2008 will just go in the books as an expensive, disappointing bottle of wine.

Bottom Line

Depending on which study you consult, I've read that 5-10% of wines with natural cork enclosures suffer from TCA taint.

When it's obviously/undeniably corked (or flawed in some other way) I always return it if logistically possible. Here's more on that part of the equation.

When trends like these build up it really dampens my enthusiasm for a category - even if it's a total coincidence. That affects the buy side of the equation, but I'll curiously follow up with other bottles I have on hand to see if it's a trend isolated to batches of newly arrived wines.

I'm convinced that if one bottle in a case is corked, the chances of subequent bottles in that same lot being corked goes up dramatically. If the TCA is transmitted from the cork, then the likelihood of another cork in that batch being similarly "bad" seems higher. And if the TCA is transmitted through the cork (either condition is possible) then it would seem that problems in the winemaking process and/or cellar would definitely tend to occur in clusters.

Question of the Day

What do you think? If the first bottle in a case is corked, do you find it more likely that subsequent bottles from that same case are flawed?

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