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We don't sell tea cozies... |
 Or balloon animals... Or holiday sweaters with reindeers on them... We know wine. We love wine. We sell wine. We're your wine guy! |
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Wines of the Week – It’s pretty easy being a Wine Guy these days… there’s all kinds of good juice coming from all over the world. Sometimes, though, you gotta just go after the classics – which brings us to some really smokin’ Australian juice that has us all reminiscing about what made us fall in love with juice from Oz in the first place. The thing that’s really got our Wine Guy radar perked up on these is pretty simple, actually- Rather than being oversimplified, caricature-ish jam jars, these are Australian wines with a sense of place, varietal character, and complexity. Don’t get us wrong – it’s got plenty of nice ripe fruit and silky approachability… but there’s a whole lot more going on than your typical “critter label” Oz output. And it isn’t just Shiraz, either – we’ve got Cabernet, Riesling and Mataro (also known as Mourvèdre) that can stand toe-to-toe with the best iterations of those varietals from anywhere on earth. Which again, brings us to why we’re Wine Guys… we’re all about finding the best. Period. And, by the way, offering it at a jawdropping discount to you! Got your attention? Good. Let’s talk about some juice… |
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Less than $15 for 92 pt King of Versatility! [Schmitty] There’s a joke among us Wine Guys that I’ll pair Chenin Blanc with just about anything short of a steak. Roast chicken? Yep. Spicy Thai food? Sure! Carnitas burrito? Sign me up. The truth is, I’m of the mind that Chenin really is one of the most versatile grapes out there. It’s got that Goldilocks and the Three Bears thing going on… just enough weight, just enough acidity, just enough juiciness and minerality… in short, it’s juuuusstt right! While France is its ancestral home, South Africa has been growing the grape for over 360 years and actually has more than twice as many acres planted to it than France! Yet, South African Chenin Blanc is still one of the most unknown entities in the US… which leads us to… Ken Forrester, Chenin Blanc Reserve 2010 – 92 pts Wine Advocate – Reg. $16.49, deals to follow – [Schmitty] I mean seriously – 92 pt Chenin… for this kind of scratch? In the last 2 vintages, 7 wines rated 92 or better and cost less than $30. Know how many are under $20? Uh, that would be one. This one. Need I say more? Well, I will, but it’ll be about the wine… |
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Celler Dosterras, Montsant “Vespres” 2009 92 pts Wine Advocate Sale $19.99 net / reg. $27.99 – save 29%! [Schmitty] This exemplifies everything I really love about Montsant – all the Priorat-esque ripe, rich, exotic dark fruit you expect … but with the higher elevation and volcanic limestone soil unique to the DO, this has juicy balancing acidity running throughout. On the nose, blackberry, black cherry, plum, incense, slate-y minerals and smoke all leap out of the glass. On the palate - I often joke about Jay Miller’s florid prose… but his phrase “liquid minerality” is actually right on point with this wine. Coupled with a velvety, lush texture, the dark minerality in the Vespres really does seem to attain almost liquid form here. And the fruit – unctuous black fruit, but again, tempered and balanced by that gorgeous acidity that makes your mouth water and beg for another sip. And the finish… whew. Minute plus… undulating and unfolding, exposing layers of violets, more mineral, and savory smoke tones that continued to evolve as the wine got some air under it. |
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Todd's New Favorite Juice |
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Daniel Bouland Morgon 2010 – Sale $23.99 net – 92 pts Wine Advocate I’ve fallen completely in love with Morgon, having jumped feet first into the delightful bath that was 2009 Beaujolais. I tried ‘em all... well maybe not all, but enough to become a card-carrying convert! Forget everything you think you know about Beaujolais and start over… This could not be a better place to begin… Daniel Bouland makes Morgon from another century, before the massive Nouveau juggernaut crushed the region’s identity and qualitative spirit. Thankfully, winemakers like Bouland have risen up to energize the appellation. |
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 SAVE THE DATE!
Italian Winemaker Dinner With Pazzo in Southern Village Thursday, February 23rd Terredora has been a favorite of us Wine Guys for years... and we've got the owner coming to town at the end of February. Since the last Italian dinner at Pazzo was such a home run, we knew we had to do it all over again! So, we've locked that in for a terrific night at Pazzo. The rest of the details are still being finalized, but stay tuned - you don't want to miss this one. |
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Ritual Pinot Noir 2009 (Chile) - deals to follow - regularly $19.99 - 90 pts Wine Spectator - The 2008 vintage was featured in the Case of the Year 2010 Edition... We've quietly been selling away on the new vintage, waiting for enough time to elapse and everyone's stash to deplete... it's time! A wonderful balance of the fruit-driven and earthy sides of Pinot Noir. California/Argentina wine guru Paul Hobbs is the consulting winemaker (hence the fruit) on this project from Veramonte out of Chile (hence the earthiness.) For $20, it is about as complete a Pinot as I have tasted in years, deftly balancing the lush fruit, spice, earth and acidity that characterizes Pinot Noir. It's like a blend of California, Oregon and Burgundy! All in one bottle! I gotta say, I am excited about the potential for Pinot in Chile. |
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Sale $24.99 net 93 pts Wine Advocate California produces loads of great wines, of that there is no doubt. Open any wine publication and you’ll find scores of Cabernet, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir ranked among the world’s finest. Of course, with renown comes demand, and with demand comes $$$. As in, you gotta pay for it. Yet California excels with other grapes on a qualitatively equal level and without the broad exposure, the wines can be had for a bargain. For me, California Syrah fits that niche perfectly – great wines, great prices. Wanna try one? Well, if you gotta try one, might was well be one of the best! |
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Every Thursday in Chapel Hill
5-7 pm Free!Special Thirsty Thursday Tasting Cult California Pinot Noirs Thursday, January 26th, Chapel Hill, 5pm-7pm. Free! A.P. Vin’s single-vineyard Pinot Noirs have been scoring off the charts for years, and have become huge customer favorites here. The new vintages are arriving this week, and what better way to showcase them than to sample them side-by-side! Usually these sell out via email within a few weeks of arrival, and once the reviews on these 2010’s get released, it’ll likely happen again. So we’ve got just a small window to stock up, and we’re determined to make the most of it! |
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