More on Labor Day Wine Sales

 Labor Day Wine Shopping

As predicted the deals are heating up. 

Just was notified that the 2013 Alexander’s Crown Rodney Strong Cabernet is a special

Holiday offer direct from the winery for $80.

Given the hyper online wine world, $80 seems sane.

Back to that world, here are my top 7 websites and the reasons for their high ratings.

#1 lastbottlewines.com

Based in Napa and having an importer’s license, these folks somehow manage to secure a wide range of wines in all price brackets. 

Discounts are some of the deepest. 50% off is common.

Their strength is California wine, but also amazingly strong in France and Italy.

They also source often hard to find wines.

They don’t solely rely on critics’ scores, and their comments are often amusing.

Frequent all day marathon sales are great buying opportunities.

Best recent offer: Luna Sangiovese Reserve, Napa  2019  $20 (normally $62)

#2 napacabs.com

A major retailer, this site offers much more than Napa Cabs and often comes up with unbeatable case prices on Fridays. 

The wine selection is large and includes all types and all regions. 

But the place to look is its list for free shipping by the case and also by 6 bottles. 

The list of 90+ point wines now exceeds 1000. 

Excellent deals on wines for everyday enjoyment, especially Chile’s and Argentina’s favorite producers.

Free shipping on case orders.

Often the lowest prices online for major brands.

Recent deals: 6 bottles of 2018 Silver Oak Cab Alexander Valley

Sean Minor Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast 2019 $19.97

2018 D.V. Catena Tinto Historico  $15.97

#3 invino.com

“Curated” is overused by so many others, but it applies perfectly to the wines at this site. Based in the town of Napa, it lists around 100 wines at any one time. But they reflect excellent choices that are not available elsewhere. 

Strengths are in wines from Spain, France, and Argentina with frequent surprises from California.

No crazy BS write ups about the latest cult wine from rockstar winemakers

And, best of all, discounts of 50%-60% 

Shipping rates are usually free for orders of 6 or more. Free for 3 on pricey wines. 

Best Recent Super Deal: Campo alle Comete Bolgheri Stupore 2016 $24.95 (50% off)

#4 winelibrary.com

Headquartered in New Jersey, winelibrary is a major wine retailer. Its current inventory is around 2,000 wines, with 500 selling for under $20 a bottle. It offers online daily wine deals on its cinderellawine.com website. Gary Vee, a techie revered by  some people, is part of the team and works with the monthly wine club program. He also rates wines for the site.

Excellent range of good values: My go-to Bubbly, Segura Viudas is only $9.09 here.

Heavy into French wines, especially Rhone and Southern France.

Free shipping on orders of 3 or more.

Best Recent Deals:

2017 Crystal Basin Cellars Reserve Zinfandel, El Dorado $19.99

2018 Molino Della Suga Rosso Di Montalcino $15.44

#5 reversewinesnob.com

Each day brings a new deal accompanied by a detailed, informative background.

Discounts are attractive (30%-50%) and the overall quality of the wines is high.

The way it works is to order a minimum of 6 bottles, but for the six there is a flat shipping fee of $5. 

3-bottle packs are sometimes offered. 

The offerings truly are for the non-snob. The site also reviews wines from Costco and Trader Joe’s.

Mostly West Coast wines are presented  but even the imports are often unusual in that few other sites have access to them. 

Best Recent Deal: 

Two Jakes 2017 Petite Sirah, Lake County $18.00

Scott Harvey Zinfandel Amador County 2019 $17.

#6 wineaccess.com

Wines direct from the source” is the slogan.  

The mantra is that fine wines are made in small quantities.

To shop for the best deals, we suggest going to the “Under $30” list, or see what the daily deal is.  The deals are available for 3 days or until the wine is sold out.

Shipping is free for 6 bottles or orders of $120.

Strong in Napa wines, its lists include Vermillion, Vine Cliff, Grgich Hills, Dalla Valle and Bevan Cellars.  From other places, there is Foxen Pinot Noir, Bedrock Zinfandel, Meyer Family Syrah, and County Line Rose from Anderson Valley.

Best recent Deal: 2019 Chad Merlot Incline 18 Sonoma Mountain $23.95

#7 wiredforwine.com

A recent end of summer sale of white and rose wines clinched it for me. The 172 whites offered with an additional 10% discount were a wide range of quality imports and US wines.

The website lists unusual and many of the best-known, proven brands at discounts ranging from 12% to 25%. 

Excellent selection of Sauvignon Blancs from around the globe.

80 Cabernets start at $15 and show careful curation

Free shipping of 6 bottle orders.

Best recent examples: 

Talley Estate Pinot Noir 2019 $34.99

Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc 2020 $16.99

3 Big Wine Sales for President’s Day: Deal or No Deal?

Well, after a lackluster Valentine’s Day, several online wine sellers/wine clubs woke for President’s Sales.

Three made big headline splashes:

www.cawineclub.com

www.insiderwine.com

www.wineawesomeness.com

Let’s look at each, weigh the pros and cons, and decide whether it’s a deal, or no deal.

First up  wineawesomeness.com

Really tempting. For $99 you get a case of the 2014 Tedeschi Valpolicella Capitel del Nicalo

And shipping is included. The pitch says that would normally cost $240.

Assessment: I like Valpolicella, though many may not know much about it. It is a smooth, medium weight red, proudly poured throughout Venice and the region. A check of the producer and Tedeschi is indeed legit, making a range of wines and with a good reputation.

But the 2014 is kind of old for this type of wine, normally enjoyed in its youth. Makes me wonder where it has been stored for the last few years. Probably not at the winery. More likely in a warehouse on the East Coast. Now more than 6 years old, it may have lost some of its best traits.

And now let’s consider the discounted price of $99 for 12 bottles. Roughly $8-ish a bottle delivered. A check with wine searcher gives a range of prices in the US from $11.99 up to $18 or an average of $15.00.

The website estimates the total package is worth $240. With case shipping estimated at $40, the $240 somehow seems a little on the high side.

Later in the day it added a similar deal for 2019 Italia Foto Wine Co. Grillo which while a current vintage did not interest me at all. 

So back to the case of Valpolicella for $99. The price is right.

http://www.wineinsider.com

The Headline: 14 Wines for the Price of 7

The deal: “Get 7 great bottles, some traditionally priced up to. $29.99/ea. We’re sweetening the deal and adding 7 ADDITIONAL wines at no cost to you. That means you’ll get 14 wines for an exclusive price of $132.86. That’s only $9.49/bottle. Tired of all that math? The international award winners in this case can help!” 

In other words, two bottles of each and the offer is for all red, all white, or a mix. Additionally, an aerator is added to this particular deal. Okay, I use that type of aerator but mine is old and worn out, so a new one is value at $15.95, and now I’m more than curious. And the deal is sweetened still by shipping everything for free.

Let’s look at the wines: 

Preferring red wines in general and especially at this time of the year, I checked out the reds.

Turns out the California wines from Wolfson Cellars and George Phillips are available at only two places: wineinsider.com and Heartwood & Oak in LA. Same was true of the Argentinian red, finca Los Olmos. I found no reference to the French wine by Le Bosq, and while wineinsiders lists a Bordeaux from Chateau Le Redon, there is a real Chateau Redon. Oh, those French and their names. I did discover that there is a German Pinot Noir named The Modernist, but the labels didn’t match.

When you click on heartwood& oak it takes you to winesiders, so basically one and the same.

About to nix this deal, but then I noticed an offer to add 6 bottles of French red wines for $59.94 and recognized the names of the 2 other chateaux. The one in Castillon is excellent. Le Redon is part of this add-on.

Now definitely tiring of the math, I am looking at 20 bottles of red wine play a badly needed aerator shipped to my door for around $200.

Deal or no deal? 

www.cawineclub.com

“Presidents’ Day BLOWOUT” was the headline. But the sale, $1 case shipping actually extends to March 31, 20212. The announcement went on:

“SPRING WINE SALE

Save up to 61% on every bottle of handcrafted wine, plus save up to $38 in shipping on every case!

Sale ends on March 31, 2021.  Half, full, and/or mixed cases all ship via ground for $1 to most states.”

So we are talking savings and $1 shipping on 6 or more bottles. 

One of the oldest. This site has long proven itself for reliability and good service. It specializes in family owned, real wineries that it calls “artisan wineries.”  

Right away I was drawn to one example, 2018 Merlot from Lucas and Lewellen Estate for $13(regularly $32) Great price for a current vintage, not old inventory, and from a proven family winery.  

Since the shutdown, this wine club has added wines from better known, more exciting wineries such as Talley and Testarossa for Chardonnay lovers. 

Always looking for the best deals, I automatically click on deals under $25. Right away I liked the two wines from Madrona Vineyards in the Sierra Foothills: the 2020 Barbera Rose($11.99) and the 2016 Hillside Zin($12.99). Moving on I remember the home for this wine club is the Central coast so no surprise to see appealing wines from that area. Among them there’s the Le Vigne Paso Robles Malbec($13.99),  Courtney Benham Central Coast Grenache($14.99) and Testarosa’s 2016 Monterey Chardonnay ($14.99). 

From Sonoma the old vine Jeff Cohn Zinfandel is another standout, and it was also a pleasant surprise to see wines from C.C. DiAries which often fall under the radar and a Syrah from everyone’s favorite, Terre Rouge. It, like many others is not deeply discounted, but, of course, a few bottles could be included for the $1 case shipping.

The downside with this wine club is, as the name implies, it is a California specialist. But when it does reach out into Oregon, it has a beauty, Maysara Pinot Noir, half off at $26.00.

Imports are few but then the organic white Bordeaux at $17.00 is one I’d like to explore.

Among top tier wines, the Lail Blueprint Sauvignon Blanc is a collector’s wine, priced 24% below retail.

An absolute deal is Testarossa Winery 2018 Cuvée Los Gatos Monterey Pinot Noir at $17.99.

The conclusion?

First of all, it is much better if you can make your own selections. 

It is far better for many reasons, but now as the shutdown continues on, to buy wines from real wineries made by real people.

Anyway, all of this is to suggest how I approach buying wines online. 

You will have to make your own decisions.

You can thank me later.

And, I could really use a new aerator.

A Personal Wine Shopper’s One Stop Shopping Plan

 

In this era of online shopping and home deliveries, we all tend to prefer one stop shopping. It is simply easier, less annoying and frustrating. And studying several websites and going over lists will only add a little more stress to daily living. We dont need that.

If you share these beliefs, then allow me to share where I would go online for one-stop wine shopping. Since my choice may surprise you, let me explain my reasoning. 

First, I prefer more than bargain wines, I want wines with some excitement and sizzle. Small production, distinctive wines, not wines or brands owned by giants like Gallo and Treasury which will always be available.

I also look for wines that before discounts, I would normally find way over my budget.

And right now, I am going all out to take advantage of the temporary market which has many restaurants unable to take showcase wines allocated to them. 

For instance today the Flowers 2016 Sonoma Coast, Seaview Ridge Pinot Noir is offered at $55, but it retails for $80 and is usually on wine lists for around $125.

As for timing, I’m looking for more lively, refreshing wines to drink over the summer, not blockbusters or age-worthy monsters.

So, here’s this weekend’s shopping list for one-stop wine shopping. Within a monthly wine budget of $250, I would buy 3 bottles each of the following:

2019 Private Property by Caraccioli, Rosé Santa Lucia Highlands, $14.00

2017 Le P’tit Paysan, Chardonnay Jack’s Hill Monterey, $14.00

2018 Cotes du Rhone, Domaine L’Abbe Dine, $15.00

2018 Brassfield Estate Malbec, Volcanic Ridge $18.00

2018 Tank Garage Winery Fast Machine Red Blend Sierra Foothills $20.00

So, there you have it.

And, yes I expect most have not heard about these wines. These are all limited production wines normally sold direct and/or destined for restaurant wine lists.

The lovely Rose is from a region famous for Pinot noir. The racey Chardonnay is a single vineyard version made by Ian Brand, noted sommelier. The Rhone is made by a famous winemaker. The pure, balanced Malbec is from Lake County which is known for red wines, and Tank Garage in Calistoga was on its way to becoming a hot wine destination for the in crowd. 

You can find these wines at  www.invino.com which is based in Napa County.

Any Disclaimers? 

None. I’m not an influencer auditioning for free samples. I’m not an affiliate working on a commission. I have no personal relationship with anyone at invino.com. 

Next week, new selections.

I drink wines and I know things.

 

 

 

Today’s Best Online Wine Deal

 

Wine Buy of the Day: Sheltered In, Day #2

offered by    http://www.garagistewine.com

2017 Matthews Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $19.94

Perfect example of high-quality Columbia Valley Cabernet and why this region is one of Washington’s best.  Winery bottle price is $34.

 

More About this Site

garagistewine.com is the most peculiar online retailer I follow. One reason is that its founder Jon Rimmerman who has been offering wines for over 20 years often presents his daily offers late at night. 

He was way ahead of the competition by offering Wind Gap wines months before the others.

He sometimes seems a bit chatty and becomes so excited and enthusiastic that he might belabor a point about a particular wine or region. 

Here’s what he says about this  Matthews’s wine: ”This is a coddled, “handmade” wine that deserves to be tasted and enjoyed. It’s on the same level (easily) as $50-75+ Napa/Sonoma bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon with a drive, energy and intensity (plus a downright regal stature) reserved for upper-tier examples. In other words, this is not some $19+ plonk, this is serious wine.”

He is also insistent about when he will ship your wines and specifies the required temperature and humidity for proper shipping.

But these minor quirks are greatly offset by these pluses:

He seeks out wines that are organic, biodynamic and farmed sustainably  

He favors small artisan producers and family owned wineries

He obtains many wines direct so truly cuts out the middleman 

He doesn’t use inflated scores from Somms or Parker types

His wines are attractively priced

And he is unpredictable, sometimes offering olive oil, nutella, or food items. All high quality.

I enjoy reading his detailed notes because he truly knows his stuff. His background insights about vintages and regions are extremely useful. He is particularly on top of the vintage variations in France’s Burgundy and the Rhone. 

 He provided a detailed report on 2016 and 2017 based on travels and tastings throughout France and it is spot on. His remarks about 2015 and 2016 Bordeaux are the most reliable in the wine trade.

And he has the inside track on Loire Valley wines:

“2018 is one of those “pinch me, this can’t possibly be true?” red wine vintages in the Loire. I can’t really compare it to anything else – it has the ripeness of a vintage like 1989 but the freshness of 1996 (another classic year.”

Check out garagistewine.com for this Cabernet and look for Loire wines.

Clueless No Longer

 

Wine Sleuthing 2.0

2020 has quickly provided a great, unexpected surprise. No, I’m not going political on you. This discovery relates to the online wine world.

The clues were there but I just kept getting sidetracked by the silly name and seemingly casual attitude. 

 Then this week with the offer of a fabulous Châteauneuf-du-Pape and special Zinfandel,  it was impossible yto ignore the clues.

Winespies, a wine merchant that I’ve been hesitant to write about,  has totally won me over with its exciting daily specials throughout January.

It meets and often now exceeds my 5 basic criteria:  

1. Sourcing under the radar, first rate wines from non-corporate wineries

    2. Discounting in the 25-50% range, closer to 50%

   3. Providing informative background material about the wine and people

   4. Avoiding over-hyped, point scores and fake reviews

   5. Offering good free shipping options with temperature control

The standout wines in January that helped make me a new fan are an Oakville Cabernet, Napa Valley Merlot, Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, Brut Premier Cru Champagne and a knockout Zinfandel blend from the Sierra Foothills.

For more detail about http://www.winespies.com go to: www.robywine.com

 

Classic Wines for Winter Solstice Celebrations

 

Coincidence maybe but three e-commerce wine sites I follow are offering classic wines. 

Good reason to celebrate changes and longer days.

By classic, I mean wines true to the type and region, and with some history. Not the over-blown bombastic style often referred to as “hedonistic” made by an unproven twit.

Classics, not wannabe cults.

Real wines, folks.

Like the www.sommselect.com offer of this one:

2017 School House Vineyards Syrah Blend, Spring Mountain, Napa $29.00

Now this is a coup! 

From one of Napa’s truly legendary vineyards. Owned by John Ganter. Google him.Read the story. It was made at Pride Mountain which knows how to make Syrah. 

I can’t believe this is offered anywhere, let alone online.

Next, www.napacabs.com scored big with two quite different classics:

2017 Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classsico $15.97

2017 Catena Malbec, Mendoza High Mountain Vineyards, $15.97

Hard to find a better example of classic, classico Chianti. Drink now or hold. Volpaia has been at it for 100 years or so.

Catena is “the” name in Argentinian Malbec, but in my humble opinion, Malbec has its limitations. It can be pushed into a hedonistic cookie cutter style, but then it doesn’t taste like Malbec.  

There is a reason why Malbec is the 4th variety in Bordeaux: the other three are more essential and capable of more complexity.

But Malbec can be a perfect, widely appealing, easy drinking red.

This Catena is a pure expression of Malbec. 

And not to be left out:

The fun guys at http://www.lastbottlewines.com found this gem:

2016 Bien Nacido Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley, $49.00

Bien Nacido was at the forefront of the Pinot revolution thanks to Sideways. And it remains one of the standards of Santa Maria/Santa Barbara Pinot Noir.

A classic!!

Today’s Best Deals for Pinot Noir Lovers

My 5 Top Pinot Noir Picks

Offered by www.wine.com

Cherry picking through the lengthy list, these 5 are absolute deals:

2016 Artesa Estate Carneros $29.99

2016 Sarah’s Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains, $29.99

2016 Rex Hill Willamette Valley, Oregon $27.99

2017 Hahn Winery Santa Lucia Highlands $20.99

2017 Schug Sonoma Coast $19.99

All offered at 30-35% off actual retail

My belief is that a wine must sell for at least 20% below the real cost to make shopping online worthwhile.

And as a bonus, these 5 represent a super tasting opportunity showcasing 5 distinct regions.

Full disclosure:  

I have absolutely no agreement or arrangement or affiliation with http://www.wine.com or any other website mentioned  in this blog or on my own website: http://www.robywine.com

 

The New #1 Wine Website

Wines Til Sold Out or wtso.com was one of the first and has made so many recent improvements that it has broken away from the pack and has emerged as a leader in this fast-paced, competitive world of online wine selling.

Over its 13 year history, Wtso.com has experienced a few ups and downs, and I have been critical at times.

But as one of the oldest wine websites, it just may be the #1 place to buy wines online today.

It has matured and is now more than a flash sale.

Here are 3 top deals featured this week that won me over:

2016 Torii Mor Pinot Noir Reserve Selection, Willamette Valley, $14.99

with free shipping on 4.

2016 La Croix Saint-Christophe, St. Emilion, $19.99

2016 Faite Pinot Noir Paraiso Springs, Santa Lucia Highlands $14.99

These two Pinots are excellent values from super producers and vintages.

Tasted side by side, they display the best features of each appellation.

But the Torii Mor Pinot is an absolute killer deal!

The Grand Cru St. Emilion which is Merlot and Cabernet Franc is one of my favs in an extra-special vintage. Oh yeah, famed consultant Michell Rolland also blessed it. Did I mention the price is 70% below retail?

Also, fyi–the 2016 Encantado Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville offered by wtso.com at $24.99 is made by Pine Ridge which sells an Oakville Cab for $100 a pop.

Learn more at http://www.winereviewonline.com  and click on my columns

Biggest Wine Myths Found Online

MythBusters Takes on Web Wine Sellers

Rid yourself of these top 5 myths about wine and become a Savvy online wine shopper

1.A Gold (orwhatever) Medal Winning wine is Special 

Hard fact: It is not unusual for 75%-90% of wines entered into a competition to walk away with a medal. There are far too many wine competitions that are organized into for too many categories. Keep in mind that in general an Award Winning wine is most likely to be solid, of average quality. In other words, no big deal.

Barefoot wins tons of medals! Firstleaf.com relies heavily of medal winning promotions, but others are guilty.

2. Made by a “100 Point Winemaker”

Okay, at some point in his/her career, a wine made by the winemaker was rated 100 points, often referred to as “a perfect wine.”  The vineyard and the winery also deserve considerable credit, but rarely do. What’s misleading logic here is, for example, me saying I’m a perfect golfer because I onced scored a hole in one. Or you got 100% on your driving test, so you are a perfect driver ready for the Indy 500. www.vivino.com loves to undercover a wine made by a 100 point winemaker.

3. A Cult Wine, Cult Winery

Cult wine is now so overused that it basically indicates a high priced, often overpriced wine that some reviewers went ape over many years ago. If it also happens to be discounted heavily, it aint no cult. www.wineExpress.com overdoes this one.

4. From a Legendary Vintage, a Vintage of the Century

Now that some smart ass critics think rating vintages on a 100 point scale demonstrates their talent and superior knowledge, let’s take the wind out of this

quickly. In a given vintage, wines are made by humans, and some are better winemakers than others. Thus, quality varies from winery to winery in a given vintage. Also, the vintage usually stretches out over 8-10 weeks, so these overall ratings are unrelaible for all wines made in a given year.

Good wines have been made in poor vintages, and mediocre wines are made in vintages rated 95 to 100 points by some know-it-all. The vintage date has nothing to tell you about the quality of what’s inside the bottle. Used by too many sites to list the guilty.

5. Priced below retail, average retail, best web price or market price

This is tricky to explain. But as an example, nakedwines.com offers a Columbia Valley Cabernet for $12.99, well below the market price of $27.33. Such a deal, but the problem is this wine is an exclusive with this site, not sold anywhere else.

So the market price means little, being an estimate or a guess or a made up price. Discounts are unreliable when the wine is custom made, a special label, or an exclusive.

And this is true of so many wines offered by subscription box approaches.

 

 

 

Introducing An Exciting New Wine Site

 

www.lastcase.com

This relatively new site appeared on my radar screen about 6 months ago. Turns out while also based in the town of Napa, it is unrelated to similar sounding sites, lastbottle.com and firstbottle.com.

I’ve been following it closely and it now deserves your attention.

Why I like  http://www.lastcase.com 

Professional and unpretentious format: no gimmicky taste profiles, no hype, no silly descriptions, no subscription box mentality.

Ratings are reliable: Chris Sawyer is a real sommelier with genuine credentials

Real wines from real wineries: No custom-made, private label rip-offs.

Serious searching is evident in the selection (curating) of many, small, hard to find wines: Good example is the “One” Cabernet Franc from Knight’s Valley, only 3 barrels made.

A few other points:

While the offerings are limited in number, the wines are not your usual suspects. In fact, some of my favorite CA brands are included such as Robert Craig, Madrigal, MacPhail, and Walt. Also, some wines from Biale, Clos du Val, Mira, and Miner Family have recently been highlighted.

Secondly, discounts are attractive, especially for the daily deals. You can pay close to full fare for the likes of Opus One and Jordan.

But most wines are discounted.

Thirdly, shipping costs are reasonable. Typically the fee is $6 for a flat shipping rate. Or, shipping is free on order of $120 or more.

Here are 4 stellar examples, all at 30%-50% below retail:

2016 Robert Hall Cabernet Sauvignon, Artisan Collection, Paso Robles,  $24.99

2016 Foris Winery Estate Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley, $13.99

2013 Madrigal Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, $29.99

2017 MacPhail, Pinot Noir, “The Flyer,” Sonoma Coast, $34.95