Four to Choose, All Priced Under $100!
Back in our Houston stores, in the 1990s and early 2000s, one of the most successful offerings we did were our mix & match sampler cases. Back then, these offers acted as sort of a wine club for us, where I would hand pick three or four different cases each month and offer them via email and our snail mail newsletters. A lot of you have inquired about a wine club here at Park Street Wine Cellars, so I thought this would be the perfect time to resurrect the sampler cases. If they’re as successful as they’ve been in the past, we’ll continue augmenting our stocks towards offering new and unique samplers on an ongoing and more consistent basis.
The way this works:
*You may order as many of the samplers as you wish (3 of one sampler, for example, makes a full case of wine).
*For a $10 fee, we deliver within Alameda, just let us know when you order if you’d like that option. Outside of Alameda, FedEx will be involved.
*Samplers must be ordered over the phone, or in person at the shop. Our website is not configured for the ordering of sampler cases. Just call us at 510.225.5139 (or drop by the shop) and we’ll gladly handle your order.
Without further ado, here’s this week’s samplers:
Sampler Case #1 (The Bordeaux Sampler, 4 Bottles – $87 w/tax)
- Chateau Val de Roc – World famous cellar master Laurent Vallet, who makes the wines at Chateau Ausone (whose 2015 goes for a cool $1,000!), took over this little project in the Gironde, home to Val de Roc, a Bordeaux Supérieur. The terroir was perfect for making wines which punch right through the stratosphere of their humble prices. Vallet knew it. And you’ll know it, too with your first taste!
- Chateau Panigon – Chateau Panigon’s estate, incredibly old and meticulously maintained, extends 225 acres, with 130 acres under vine. The estate has been family owned and run for many generations – which ensures continuity – and since 2006, the daughter and son-in-law of the owners, Corinne Leveilley-Dadda and Georges Dadda have taken over the management of the Château, determined to produce red wines which express the purest definition of the Medoc tradition. Furthering their commitment to excellence, they have partnered with one of the region’s most gifted enologists, Eric Boissenot. His resume reads like a who’s who of the most important Bordeaux Chateaux, and having him at the helm ensures glorious wines.
- Chateau La Prade – Prominently displayed on the label of Chateau La Prade you will find the name of Nicolas Thienpont, one of the most famous winemakers and château owners of the Côtes de Francs appellation. Nicolas’ first vintage in 1983 was an immediate success. With his success, Nicolas soon felt the urge to seek other winemaking challenges, and especially to find new vineyards in the Côtes de Francs which he felt were underrated. This led to the purchase in 1990 of Château La Prade, located on the prized limestone plateau of St. Cibard. This 7-hectare property planted with 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc produces rich, juicy wines with incredible character.
- Clos des Lunes Lune D’Argent Blanc Sec – This incredible white wine is produced by the Domaine de Chevalier in the prized soils of the Sauternes regions where the grapes are harvested to produce a dry white of staggering complexity. A blend of 70% Semillon and 30% Sauvignon, this is considered a dry Sauternes and offers aromas and flavors of intense citrus, seashell, lime zest and lemons. It’s full bodied, totally dry, and as complex a white wine as you’ll ever experience from Bordeaux.
Sampler Case #2 (The Italian Sampler, 4 Bottles – $99 w/tax)
- Piazzo Dolcetto – Bar none, THE hottest selling wine we carry, this tremendous value from the fourth generation Piazzo clan, organically raised and farmed, has made a lot of friends here at the shop! Very traditional Dolcetto, from old vines, this mountain grown beauty is reminiscent of fresh cherry, red raspberry, and spice. Many folks substitute this juicy wine for Pinot Noir, as it carries many of the same characteristics with its soft texture and long finish. Wine Advocate says it’s a “bold, opulent and happy wine…” – just the way we like ‘em!
- Scaletta Dolcetto D’Alba – From a single vineyard, Scaletta, meaning to scale the steps, this is deep purple in color, with an intense aroma of incense, blackberry, cherry, and plums. On the palate, it’s dark, brooding, full bodied, very plummy, and offers a dynamite finish of spices, currants, sweet tannins, and a grip that reminds one of great Barolos. Dynamite wine!
- Mugiot Barbera D’Alba – As for the wine emanating from this vineyard – first planted to Barbera in the 1970s – it is one of the most intense, powerful, full-throttle, unreal wines of its type you will ever experience. Named for a man of immense passion and knowledge of the vine, it can only come from one source – Mugiot. The Wine Advocate calls it “Impenetrable”. You’ll want to have it with good company, as a wine this good, this serious, this full bore should be shared and savored.
- Piazzo Barbaresco – This 2016 Barbaresco is everything you’d expect from one of my selections from such a perfect vintage. From the hillside vineyard of Treiso (Produttori del Barbaresco neighboring), 100% Nebbiolo, the wine evolves for at least 9 months in large oak casks. Several months follow in the bottle. The color is an intense ruby red with garnet highlights. On the nose we have complex fruity notes of red berries, cherry coulee and jam, with floral hints of withered violets and spices. The palate is warm and enveloping, richly tannic and long, with a decadent, aromatic finish. I can’t say enough about this family and their striking 2016 Barbaresco. Let this newsletter serve as your invitation to dive in. The comparisons to Produttori del Barbaresco are not by accident. The only real difference? Size.
Sampler Case #3 (The Indian Summer Sampler, 4 Bottles – $76 w/tax)
- Capucine le Hameau des Ollieux Rosé – We all know that our “real” summer is just around the corner, and we also know that means Rosé season will soon be upon us. Here’s a great place to start. Pale pink in color, the aromatics are quite fresh, quite bright, with a nose of freshly picked strawberry and a summery fruit salad — delicious nose — then the palate offers copious notes of apricots, peaches, orange skins and lemon zest. It’s all balanced by perfect acidity, just a joy to drink. this deserves a case buy for sure!
- Domaine Lafage Miraflors Rosé – The owner’s favorite! Pale orange. Ripe red berries, tangerine and a hint of candied flowers on the nose and in the mouth. Smooth and open-knit, showing good heft, breadth and a hint of spiciness on the back half. Finishes on a repeating red fruit note, with good cling and lingering florality. Oh, la-la!
- Henry Fessy Saint Veran La Grange aux Bois – The perfect summertime White Burgundy! Green apple, white flower, and lightly toasted nose; very fresh, very bright aromatically. On the palate, the 2017 Henry Fessy Saint Veran is bright, crisp, focused, toasty, apple infused, floral and quite long. The finish offers creaminess and that toasted nuance from the nose. Delicious and quite quaffable. Think cheese course to first course of just about any white meat or fish. So versatile.
- Ogier Cotes du Rhone Blanc “Artesis” – Without question one of my best-selling wines is Ogier’s Cotes Du Rhone Blanc “Artesis”. It’s all about the Viognier, I’m convinced, as this has one of the most pronounced aromatic profiles, followed by the most exciting flavors you’ll ever taste for $18! As with its stablemates, the grapes for this perennial overachiever are grown on terraces of pebbles on clay, resulting in perfectly ripe grapes and a clean, carefree harvest. If you’re one of the few who haven’t tried this, consider this your open invitation.
Sampler Case #4 (The Ultimate Rhone Sampler, 4 Bottles – $92 w/tax)
- Panicaut Plan de Dieu Cote du Rhone Villages – From a vineyard first planted in the 1800s, elevated to its current CdRV status in the 1950s, this is a real jewel in our collection. Parker tells us its: A blend of Grenache and Mourvèdre from one of the hotter parts of the Rhône Valley, the 2017 Cotes du Rhone Villages Plan de Dieu Panicaut offers up ripe, almost baked notes of plums, black cherries, and licorice. It’s full-bodied, ripe, and rich, typical of the appellation and vintage, yet isn’t overbearing or warm.
- Chateau Fontareche Cuvee 1682 – The vines are extremely old, making for one of the most complex, intense, and structured wines anywhere in the region of Corbieres. Their prized possession is the Cuvee 1682 – 1682 referring to the year Fontareche joined the Lamy family – a wine that pays homage to the centuries of hard work to build a vineyard with no equal in Corbieres. It is a smashing wine! As Parker’s Wine Advocate says, “It’s a full bodied, supple wine, laden with savory notes…with a base of blueberries and cherries and a silky-textured finish…” My price makes it your go-to for weeknight sipping.
- Chateau de Montmirail Vacqueyras Cuvee des Deux Freres – Of all the wines I tried, one kept me coming back for subsequent tastes. That wine is the one Parker once described as a “hedonistic, silky-textured, fruit-driven effort…offering loads of kirsch, licorice, and black fruits…this represents a terrific bargain and is well-worth checking out.” That wine quickly became my favorite. Chateau de Montmirail Vacqueyras Cuvee des Deux Freres, named in honor of the Brothers Archimbaud who built the two adjoining properties back in the 1960s. The estate is run today by their grandchildren, Philippe and Sylvie and their mother, Monique Archimbaud Bouteiller who passed on the torch to her children in 2018. And what a killer Vacqueyras they bottle! Packed and stacked with black fruits, glycerin, licorice, menthol, silky tannins, and a finish that lasts for minutes… THIS, THIS is what great Vacqueyras is all about. Try all the others, then come home to the best I’ve ever tried! And still less than $20!
- Domaine des Bosquets Gigondas – The crème de la crème! The pièce de résistance! That one wine in my shop everyone hears about when they ask, “What’s one of the greatest, highest scoring wines you carry?”. I’ve known this family for 3 generations now and all I can say is, the winemaking just gets better with every passing of the torch. Jeb Dunnuck tells us: “Leading off the reds from this terrific estate, the 2017 Gigondas checks in as an unusual blend of 40% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre, and the rest Cinsault that was brought up in a mix of vessels (the Grenache is in demi-muids, the Syrah in barrel) for 18 months. Its deep, purple-tinged color is followed by a great bouquet of kirsch and black raspberry fruits intermixed with lots of spicy, peppery, and garrigue. It’s soft, sexy, and rounded on the palate, with medium to full-bodied richness. Drink it over the coming decade or more.” Pretty serious stuff.