Aragawa: No grandiose décor yet it is among the most expensive

No chic decoration, nothing elegant and not even a grand entrance, but when it comes to flavors, the diners will love to be back here again and again. According to Forbes magazine, Aragawa is one of the most costly dining areas on this earth under its humble atmosphere. This simple restaurant is situated in the [...]

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Minka Kelly Minki van der Westhuizen Miranda Kerr Mischa Barton

Best 2009 California Pinot Noirs Under $30

In my prior post about Wine Spectator's 2009 California Pinot Noir ratings I mentioned I'd be talking more about the best values under $30. I'll get into that in today's post, but before going further I'd like to encourage you to subscribe to Wine Spectator.

I truly enjoyed reading through this Pinot Noir issue in particular. There's something unmatchable about taking a break from staring at the computer monitor and thumbing through glossy pages while enjoying a glass of wine. The issues arrive with higher frequency this time of year, covering the most interesting categories for the upcoming holiday buying season, so it's a great time to subscribe.

You can even use airline miles (here's how) and once you have a print subscription you can get an online subscription for 50% off. I constantly refer to their ratings database. Not just for the scores but for production levels, prices, and historical rating trends for a given winery.

But the thing I like best about the magazine is how it turns me on to new producers.

If we look at the top rated 2009 California Pinot Noirs they've rated so far, cap the price at $30, and sort based on the WWP QPR (what's that?) we find a select group of wines:


Price Rating WWP QPR
 Loring Pinot Noir Russian River Valley $29 93 2.07
 Loring Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands $29 93 2.07
 Siduri Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands $29 92 1.64
 Chasseur Pinot Noir Sonoma County $30 92 1.59
 Alta Maria Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley $28 91 1.35
 Siduri Pinot Noir Russian River Valley $29 91 1.30
 Siduri Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast $29 91 1.30
 Laguna Ridge Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast $20 89 1.19
 Sarapo Pinot Noir Carneros-Sonoma County Donato $20 89 1.19

I touched on Loring and Siduri in my prior post. I consider them to be cornerstones of value in California Pinot Noir and once we get past them we see a few names that might not be as familiar.

First - Chasseur. Their $30, 92 point 2009 Sonoma County Pinot Noir is one to seek out. I've tried two bottles of the wine and each time I've been impressed (91-92 points). The CellarTracker median for this wine is currently 90.5. They produced 562 cases of the 2009 Sonoma County and distribute to the east coast so there is still an opportunity to buy this wine at retail. I bought mine at Grapes the Wine Co in White Plains, NY (review of the store here - I think he still has some). Consult Wine-Searcher for retailers with availability near you.

The next producer is new to me - Alta Maria. They've got a tasting room in Los Olivos and although they've submitted wines to Spectator for review previously none have been rated 90 or better. Spectator rated their 2009 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir 91 points and The Wine Advocate's Antonio Galloni rated it 92 points so there's multiple critics praising this vintage for them. The CellarTracker median is currently 89.5 and with 1,660 cases produced we see some availability across the country at retail with prices as low as $22.94. Might be a good mailing list to get on as well.

Strangely, it's hard to get excited about 89 point rated wines (c'mon, admit it - it is). But given the $20 price point of the last two wines on the list they're worth discussing:

Laguna Ridge is a second label from Lynmar who produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from (mostly) the Russian River Valley in Sonoma. Lynmar's Pinots range in price between $40 and $120 and Spectator rated their 2009s between 88 and 94 points. 492 cases of the 2009 Laguna Ridge Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir were produced. No CellarTracker ratings yet. Scarce availability at retail so far.

Sarapo resells small lots of wine from artisan wineries. It's run by Eric Kent's winemakers and deals mostly in the grape varieties Eric Kent is known for: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah. The 89 point 2009 Sarapo Pinot Noir Carneros-Sonoma County Donato can be found at retail for $19.99 and eligible for mixed case discounts which would bring it down to $16.99 or so. One to consider on the more affordable end of the spectrum. There's even some availability in Massachusetts.

Conclusion

While there are a few new names to discover here, we haven't seen any mindbending QPRs revealed - at least not yet. It's been mostly a "get what you pay for" vintage as notable for the highly regarded producers who were snubbed (more on that another time perhaps) as it was for the reliable producers who delivered great wines in a great vintage.

That doesn't mean it's a bad vintage to buy from - far from it. It just means that for the most part we'll have to pay $25 and up to get an outstanding bottle of California Pinot Noir.

But that doesn't mean there's not a few gems out there Spectator didn't rate. Or that we just don't agree on. Check back later this week and I'll share my tasting notes for the 25+ 2009 California Pinot Noirs I've tried so far. I think there'll be some gems in there worth discovering.

Click here to subscribe to the Wellesley Wine Press

Question of the Day: What are some of your favorite affordable California Pinot Noir producers?


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Katie Cassidy Katie Holmes Katy Perry Keira Knightley

Experience ? Borrow someone elses

?Experience is something you don?t get until just after you need it. - Steven Wright? Never a truer statement spoken. Winemakers live by this motto as they craft their blends, each year learning from the previous year?s mistakes. This is why we have regions tied to single grapes, or styles of winemaking. Without others’ failures and triumphs [...]

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Kate Moss Kate Walsh Katharine McPhee Katharine Towne

2011 Wine Spectator New York Wine Experience October 20-22

Wine Spectator's New York Wine Experience is coming to the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City Thursday October 20th through Saturday October 22nd.

The event includes grand tastings similar to those I wrote about back in May as part of the Boston Grand Tour event. The New York Wine Experience also includes moderated sit down seminars and a grand award banquet. Total cost for the full experience: $1,875.

But don't let sticker shock scare you away - there are more affordable options. The award banquet costs $400 a la carte. The value play, I think, is the $250 grand tastings which run Thursday and Friday from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm.

$250 for a wine tasting might sound like a lot. And it is. But if you're looking to try some of the best wines produced in the world today in an efficient and indulgent manner, tastings like this are a great way to go.

Here's a list of producers pouring that caught my eye:

  • Beaucastel
  • Carter
  • Cassanova di Neri
  • Cheval Blanc
  • Clerc Milon
  • Cos d'Estournel
  • Dominus
  • Donum
  • DuMOL
  • Felsina
  • Gaja
  • Harlan
  • Haut-Brion
  • Kistler
  • Kosta Browne
  • Lafite Rothschild
  • Lynch-Bages
  • Chateau Margaux
  • Peter Michael
  • Mouton Rothschild
  • Opus One
  • Ornellaia
  • Papapietro Perry
  • Joseph Phelps
  • Pichon-Longueville-Baron
  • Pontet-Canet
  • Revana
  • Ridge
  • Domaine Saint Prefert
  • Sassicaia
  • Saxum
  • Schrader
  • Tenuta Sette Ponti
  • Shafer
  • Staglin
  • Vieux Telegraphe
  • Chateau d'Yquem
Perhaps even more amazing is the wineries pouring I didn't include. Folks like Beaux Freres, Caymus, Siduri, and Loring. If it's like the Boston tasting each producer is only pouring a single wine - and it's their best. Better yet in many cases it's the winemakers themselves pouring the wines.

Have a look at my write-up from the Boston Grand Tour event to get a feel for what's in store.

For more information visit the 2011 New York Wine Experience website.


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Leonor Varela Leslie Bega Leslie Bibb Lil Kim

Poll: How much do you tip for wine service?

A friend and I were talking about this - I thought I'd put it up here for discussion and a poll.

You and a friend are out at a restaurant. Let's say it's just a regular restuarant - not a wine bar. You order $100 worth of food and a $100 bottle of wine. The service is good. Solid. How much do you tip? Specifically - do you tip differently for wine service than food service in a restuarant?

Does it depend on the quality of the wine service? If they pour your $100 prize into cheap little water glasses on the table vs. presenting large clean high quality stemware does it make a difference?

How about if it's BYOB? You bring the wine and to justify the (say) $25 corkage fee you bring a really nice one. $100 retail. It would be $250+ if it were on the wine list at the restaurant. Do you pay more for someone to pour your own expensive wine than if it was a $10 bottle?

Tell us what you think. Answer the poll below and if you'd like to describe why leave a comment below.

Thanks for your thoughts! <a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/5580564/">When dining in a restaurant how much do you tip for wine service? Say for example a party of 2 orders $100 in food and a $100 bottle of wine.</a>  
(if you're viewing this blog post via email or in a feed reader and the poll doesn't appear try viewing this page directly in a web browser)


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Mila Kunis Milla Jovovich Minka Kelly Minki van der Westhuizen

Gift Baskets

It seems that every year the gift basket business gets bigger and bigger. From corporate gift baskets to those of us who simply don’t know exactly what to buy for our loved one’s…..gift baskets offer a real alternative and the industry is growing as a result. While I can appreciate that every business (like every [...]

Source: http://winewithmark.info/archives/668

Shannon Elizabeth Shannyn Sossamon Shiri Appleby Sienna Guillory