MARKET UPDATES AND OPINIONS from the Wine Exchange
BRIEFS
This is why you taste. One would have expected the highly touted Cune Imperial Reserva 2010 to stand as something of a monument to a seminal vintage. Most people will presume the 2010 will be the play with a Parker 92 and comments like, “…a textbook Reserva”. Hey, it’s a great drink, don’t get us wrong. But we wondered if James Suckling, who isn’t known for Spanish wines, was a little overzealous when he gave the 2011 a ’96’. Turns out the 2011 Cune Imperial, from a less touted, warmer vintage, exceeds its sibling in deliciousness, so maybe James was onto somethiing. Ripe, creamy, tender and fruit forward, it is a pretty irresistible beverage.
We try not to repeat ourselves often, but after opening a bottle of the Vina Santurnia Rioja Gran Reserva 2004, we are and wondering why this stuff isn’t flying off the shelves. There aren’t any reviews that we could point to, but this plush, velvety, spicy, plummy red has a lovely texture and tender edges. In our minds this lush, smooth, tasty Rioja with substance and without any ‘bite’ would be the profile of what a lot of folks would describe as ‘the perfect red’.
We just tasted it, so consider this an early warning. Be on the lookout for the Cristom Pinot Noir Jefferson Cuvee 2014, one of the most complete under $30 Pinots we have tasted thus far from this spectacular Oregon vintage. The wine has a beautifully dense core of sappy cherry fruit with a precise savory underpinning of forest floor and minerality. It makes us really wonder just how good Steve Doerner’s vineyard bottlings are going to be. We also feel a little sorry for a lot of Oregon vintners that are going to try to get $50-60 for their ‘double-secret-reserve’ bottling when a wine like this can be had for half that price.
Just a quick note, as the boats are beginning to land. As an overall guideline to 2015, the little reds like Dolcetto and Barbera in Piedmont, Loire Reds, Beaujolais, and ‘entry level’ Burgundies and Rhones promise to be the best in years. Our job is easy when there are just a few diamonds in the rough. When virtually everything is this tasty, it’s a lot harder to pick and choose, though it’s also hard to make a mistake. Great time to stock up over the next year.
One thought on “BRIEFS”
Steve,Kyle,Octavio,and Eddie,
It is always a pleasure to come in the store looking for the hidden gems. My story is one of economics. After years of over spending on “the wines” and having
some financial stumbles,I endlessly search for tasty wines to I can afford. Even more than that I never liked to over pay for a wine when on another shelf was
a similar wine at half the price. Even when I was rolling in dough(all be it a long time ago) during the crazy “chardonnay craze” a $20 bottle of chard was no more satisfying than a nice crisp chablis at $12. Recently I needed a Puoilly Fusse(sp?) which I have bought over the years for my employee’s significant other.
Not wanting to spend thirty or more Kyle led me to another small producer in the same region for $18. She loved it and I felt you guys are on my side. So keep
up the good work all of you.
Sam Rametta
Steve,Kyle,Octavio,and Eddie,
It is always a pleasure to come in the store looking for the hidden gems. My story is one of economics. After years of over spending on “the wines” and having
some financial stumbles,I endlessly search for tasty wines to I can afford. Even more than that I never liked to over pay for a wine when on another shelf was
a similar wine at half the price. Even when I was rolling in dough(all be it a long time ago) during the crazy “chardonnay craze” a $20 bottle of chard was no more satisfying than a nice crisp chablis at $12. Recently I needed a Puoilly Fusse(sp?) which I have bought over the years for my employee’s significant other.
Not wanting to spend thirty or more Kyle led me to another small producer in the same region for $18. She loved it and I felt you guys are on my side. So keep
up the good work all of you.
Sam Rametta