2007 Joh. Jos. Prum (new releases) ***

Joh. Jos. Prum is almost too easy to love, and 2007 presents a very good year to collect these wines, so I recently ordered a mixed case and cracked a couple open. Perhaps predictably, my favorite wine of the night was also the most expensive, which ran me about $40 -- 2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese **** This was light yellow gold with sweet peach notes on the nose. On the palate this is glorious, light and deft with a touch of zzzing! and citrus; finishes with long minerality. The 2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese *** displayed more apricot and honeyed notes, grander in the mouth but not the heavenly texture of the Auslese. Similarly, the 2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett *** is light with mildly honeyed notes, sacrificing a touch of mouth feel for minerality and structure. This is a fantastic value. As I drink these wines I am reminded of a 2007 Joh. Jos Christoffel Erben Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett (Gutsabfullung) *** I tasted over the summer. This last wine made such a powerful impression on me that I have compared everything that has come after to it ever since. A must find.

2006 M. Chapoutier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Croix de Bois **

I am a sucker for discounted Chapoutier. What can I say? Chapoutier's packaging is great, and I was glad to see these bottles arrived from the retailer still wrapped in brown tissue, their orange wax capsules emerging from the top. Some people claim these little touches mean nothing to the underlying wine, but I disagree. The tissue wrapping will prevent bin stins and the wax capsule may prevent closure problems in the future.

Pure grenache (mmm ... grenache) hand picked at the end of September and fermented in closed concrete tanks for 21 days before aging in vats for 14-16 months prior to blending and bottling. Deep ruby color. Stones and tart red notes on the nose. This is elegant but not at all restrained, very Burgundian in style with tangy frozen red fruits on the midnote and not at all overtly rich or overripe. I would have enjoyed a touch more ripeness on the finish, but maybe I've been jaded by California wines. A lovely wine for dinner, and probably warrants a higher score in 2-3 years.

TANSTAAFL

A great post at Reign of Terroir alerted me today to the need to disclose to my loyal fanbase what I recieve by way of compensation for writing Slaked! As I have said before, that number would zero. Nothing. Zilch. I pay for all the wine I review on Slaked! and my total advertising earnings (for those little links to the right) equal $2.23.

Of course, that's not the point. Slaked! is "pure editorial" (in the immortal words of UrbanDaddy) and is solely here to help the lonely consumer find good wines in a wine world gone mad. That may mean spending $10 on something quite nice, or at least not spending $200 on something that's shit.

To that end, I'd like to take this chance to once again hype the new wines coming out of Tablas Creek. I received my fall shipment this week and immediately opened a bottle of the 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel. As I have previously written, the 2007 wines from the west side of Highway 101 in Paso Robles are un-freaking-believable, and Tablas Creek has a line-up of great wines at very reasonable prices considering the quality.

The 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel **** is composed of mourvedre, grenache, syrah, and counoise. It is a nearly brooding purple in the glass and shows notes of crushed berries, very mellow oak and an almost sweet tang at the top of the mouth on the finish. This is gentle on the palate now with sweet tannin and a closed nose, but it turned teeth puckering and showed red berry notes with evolved perfumes over two hours. Like most of Tablas Creek's wines, this is easy drinking. VINsider price $40, list price $50. Robert Parker score 95-97. Slaked! **** In other words, this is a no-brainer.

2000 Castello del Terriccio TASSINAIA ***

I have my good friend and esteemed colleague to thank for introducing me to Castello del Terriccio. That was just shortly before the wines became so fashionable on the East Coast. He had just returned from a trip to Italy with his family and was trying to find this wine he had tasted one night. Like most of the best wine writing, he had written it down on a bar napkin. Convinced it could not be had in New York, he asked me to find it for him. Twelve hours later, we each had half a case. And that is how I came to start drinking one of my favorite IGT Toscana red wines, Tassinaia.

The wine is distributed by Korbrand in New York, and they do an admirable job marketing it. According to their website, "The Terriccio estate is geologically divided into two distinct areas: a northern half typified by white clay soils supporting cereals crops and a southern half lying on clay and rock appropriate to vineyards, olive trees and fruit trees...The first vines were planted in 1989, and as of 2000 cover slightly over fifty acres...Tassinaia, which means "place of the stones," or may alternately indicate a badger habitat from the Italian "tasso," or badger, occupies 37.5 acres of sandy, stony soil situated on a south-southwest exposed slope."

The estate hand-harvests the grapes and winemaking is over seen by consulting oenologist Carlo Ferrini. Tassinaia, the estate's second wine, sees about 80% second and 20% third year oak. A blend of nearly equal parts cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and sangiovese, the wine is typically deep ruby, with stone notes and mixed red berry compote. The 2000 *** is still velvety, with massive road tar, black jam, and mild dry tannins.

We also retasted a bottle of 2003 Lupicaia *** the estate's premiere wine, which hails from the finest microclimate of the massive estate: a vineyard of 12.5 acres planted 90 percent to Cabernet Sauvignon vines and ten percent to Merlot vines planted in 1989. From this abnormally hot season, the 2003 Lupicaia shows immense concentration, jammy fruit and sweet tannin. The notes of jammy tar, which I have come to expect from this estate, always reminds me of Mouton Rothschild 1989 **** A delicious wine, I found the Tassinaia more intellectually pleasing. The 2003s won't live out the decade, and should be consumed sooner rather than later.

Ridge Vineyards: Spring/Summer 2009 Update

2004 Dynamite Hill Petite Sirah *** this wine a behemoth pimp in a blue fedora. Rich, round, and condensed, with plentiful blueberry and vanilla notes (the wine saw 33% new oak). Good now and should develop some secondary spice over the next ten years. 

2005 Buchignani Ranch Zinfandel ** from 44 barrels of 96% zinfandel with 4% carignane from the same "small planting of old-vine zinfandel on the Buchignani Ranch on Dutcher Creek Road in the hills on the far western edge of the Alexander Valley appellation." I enjoyed this Buchignani more than most recent vintages: this is more sublime, more intellectual than most zin. 

The 2006 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel ** (with 7% alicante bouschet, 3% petite sirah, and 2% carignane,) is a silky young zinfandel with briar patch and strawberry notes on the mid-palate and mild black spice on the finish ("the alicante and a small amount of zinfandel co-fermented with a floating cap to better stabilize alicante's intense color"). 

2004 Oltranti Mazzoni Alexander Valley Zinfandel **/*** (88% zinfandel, 10% carignane, 2% petite sirah) from mostly young vines on this old dog vineyard, there is nice texture to the tannins and this is mid-stride now. Good notes of frozen dried strawberry and whey. 

2007 Carignane Buchignani Ranch **/*** from 49 barrels of 100% old-vine hillside grown, head-trained carignane vines aged for twelve months in air-dried American oak (10% new). This is dark ruby, with dried floral aromatics and crisp, nearly citrus notes and mildly chalky tannin. There is some Jolly Rancher cherry on the finish as well. Should improve with a year or two in bottle. 

The 2007 Jimsomare Zinfandel ***/**** is a straight 100% varietal-driven wine from Monte Bello Ridge. The inclusion of "rich" press wine with the free run is evident from the deep color. Aged for fifteen months in nearly neutral American oak, this is a concentrated wine with dark berry notes and mild spices on the finish. Perhaps my favorite of 2007 Ridge zin - this wine has kept me thinking, "Will I regret not ordering more?" 

2006 Monte Bello Chardonnay ***/**** Straw hay nearly yellow gold color, with noticeable tropical fruit notes on the head, yet not redundantly oaky, this is an athletic chardonnay that has staved off flabbiness with a certain I can't say what sex appeal. When I was drinking this I hadn't thought it was a 4 star wine, but then I realized that I had finished it off, and I have a rule about wines: If I can drink the whole bottle, it's a 4 star wine. 

 

2007 Lytton Springs * (with 22% petite sirah and 7% carignane) Ruby color with musk and mold on the nose. The funk blew off to reveal considerably hidden dark fruits, but this was a mostly disappointing wine. 

2007 York Creek *** (with 22% petite sirah) shows much more sex appeal. Vanilla and honey at first give way to overtly ripe dark fruits. This is chalky but homely and just too much fun not to share with friends, like an old joke with a new punchline. 

The 2007 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel ** (with 5% alicante bouschet and 3% petite sirah) reminded me of Robert Frost. Stern, serious, and like I don't get the joke. This was enjoyable but after the York Creek it felt like I was missing something. Go to Dartmouth; you will love this wine. But it went well enough with firm sharp cheese and biscuits. 

1987 Monte Bello (flawed) Was it Brett? TCA? Looking back at all the vintages of Monte Bello I have had and for some reason 1986 and 1987 stand out as surprisingly off years. Now that fall has arrived and we begin to retaste Monte Bello (and Burgundy) I will retry the 1985 next weekend and the 1984 which I have never tried before. These are allegedly exceptional years and should make up for 86/87.

2006 Nervo **/*** Plum color and stewed plum on the nose with chalky rich raspberry and good citric balance. This Walks The Line.

Tablas Creek Sent Me This Hat, And You Should Too

This summer, I not only took a vacation from work, but from Slaked! as well. Vacation is one of those things I don't do enough. It's hard to get right. It's always the last day before I feel I really have it down, and then it's back to work.

Apparently, absence does indeed make the heart grow stronger, for Google Analytics claims my hits have never been higher. Perhaps I should stop writing altogether; that may push my daily hit counter over the breaking point. But that would also defeat the point of all this anyway, which has, from its very silly inception, been a diversion, and a greatly enjoyable one at that, and nothing more.

More to the point, I have not been on total vacation. In fits and starts, I've been working on a number of unfinished posts. Writing these have been a struggle. My mind is elsewhere. So I post them below, with their titles, to get them all out now, for once, and move on with my life.

Blogs Are Like Assholes, Everybody Has One

It turns out my uncle has a blog. Well, he's not really my uncle, but I guess I always thought of him that way, and he doesn't really write a blog, anymore than Slaked! is a blog, but all that being said, this semi-retired social worker from Boston, Mass., has taken to ranting online against prisoner abuse now that he is no longer ranting in court. I'm left wondering: What's the point? What are blogs here for? Are blogs here to help spread the winery gospel? No. Are we journalists? Mostly, not. Are we pundits? Well....I've struggled with this question since the inception of Slaked! While I don't think blogs rise to the level of journalism (there is a big difference between Eric Asimov's articles and his posts) some blogs may in fact skirt the line. (Can't we just leave the so-called journalism to the Wine Spectators of the world?) It's the really little blogs that I find the most interesting, the most heartfelt and the most humane. The best blogs, I think, merely help consumers find good wines for good prices. That, I think, is the point of the Wine Business Monthly article, "Do Wine Blogs Impact Your Brand? New Study Highlights Wine Blogger Activity" by Liz Thach, Ph.D., SSU Wine Business Professor.

Best Wine Marketing Of The Summer

And the award goes to ... Stomping Girl Wines, which provides some of the nicest, drivel-free wine marketing emails I have read this year. And trust me, I have read a sick amount of marketing ploys from wine companies recenty. Stomping Girl Wines produces pinot noir sourced from the North Coast. I haven't even tried the wines, and I still enjoy reading Kathryn Cohen's emails that much. (The wines will be released in early 2010.)

Additionally, one of if not the single best marketing email I received over the summer came from Fritz Hatton at Arietta. I've gone on and off the Arietta bandwagon since I purchased some of the wines a couple years ago off the mailing list. I was concerned that the wines were all hype and no substance. But I think I was wrong. Having recently retasted the 2005 On The White Keys **** infra, my confidence in this little producer is renewed. But I digress. The point of this section was on marketing, and it was Hatton's email that got me thinking. What was so great about this particular email, titled simply "Arietta 2009" was that there was no request for me to buy any wine. There were no links, no new wine news; just a, "Hey, what's up" email about the Hatton family trip to Michigan. A delightful change from the "Buy My Wines Now!" email so often sent. Plus, it helps that Hatton's got cute kids.

And finally, let's not forget the Tablas Creek blog, which is possibly the single greatest marketing device online. (Anyone with a "10-Minute Blender Bearnaise Sauce Recipe" gets high prasie in my book.) This is a veritable platinum mine of interest for wine enthusiasts. Simple, straight and no-nonsense writing - a thought provoking look behind the scenes - backed up by terroir-driven, well-priced wines, and I don't bandy about the term terroir for just anyone. Plus, they sent me a really cool hat for joining their wine club. So I opened the 2006 Tablas Creek Grenache *** (mmmmm, grenache...) the other night. Deep ruby color, with plush and sexy mouthfeel without sacrificing any nerve, this is cool, restrained, and effortless. Reminds me of a young Ethan Hawke, edgy but sweet, almost but not quite wholesome, of course, before he started writing novels.

Cult White Wines: Drink 'Em Or Lose 'Em -- Highlights from Summer 2009

2005 Arietta "On The White Keys" **** a green tinged pale golden sauvignon which, I believe, hails from Sonoma. Grassy, with mellow lemon lime on the nose and honeyed apricot and pencil shavings on the finish. A perfect July wine.

2003 St. Innocent Anden Vineyard Chardonnay *** Gold color. This is drinking better than ever. It has really come together, expressing mineral oil notes on the nose with honeysuckle and 7-Up upfront, a welterweigh texture in the middle and nice acidity on the finish.

2004 Lail "Georgia" Sauvignon Blanc ** A golden oldie. Lots of wood smoke and concentration here, but it's lost its nerve. I should never have believed Robert Parker Jr. when he said this would cellar for 10 years. It was literally perfect upon release, and I should have drank both of my bottles then.

2006 Lail "Georgia" Sauvignon Blanc *** Not going to make that mistake again. Lighter, fruitier, more zing, zest and life in the mouth. Still not the perfect 2004 upon release, but quite an interesting wine.

2003 Kistler Chardonnay McCrea Vineyard *** ooooh, geez, ahh, this is Salma Hayek in a glass. Wrap this puppy up and bring it home to momma. It's just that good. Pale hay color, and on the nose petrol, lemon, with flash and zest in the mouth, and ... oops, it's time to wake up.

2006 Peter Michael Sauvignon Blanc l'Apres-Midi *** Gold color. A rather flashy and voluptuous nose on this sauvignon from one of my favorite regions in the world, Knights Valley. Not a varietal-driven wine; the nose is what's important on this wine, and it defies words.

BUSTED: 2006 Thief In Law Napa Valley ***

For the "who knew" file: "Thief in law," from the Russian "vor v zakone," is an authoritative individual within the Russian criminal world -- the elite of the Russian world of organized crime. It is now also yet another rather delicious wine from Mouton Noir - the same proprietor who brought us Montgomery Place, Andre H. Mack.

According to the website, "A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, this right-bank inspired blend shows high-toned aromas of blackberry, black raspberry and bitter chocolate." To my palate this is a full, rather than medium bodied wine, but there is no doubt about the dark fruit, semi-sweet cocoa and mild peppery notes to be found here. Looking for something similar to Switchback Ridge and Merus, for a fraction of the price, and this is the certainly worth a five fingered grab.

Just make sure you pay for it on the way out.

Summer Whites: Under $30 Mosel Saar Ruwer

I promised myself I would drink more German wines this year. They give me so much pleasure, at such reasonable price points, it's somewhat strange I haven't done this sooner. I blame it on the tongue-defying regions, names, and producers from Germany -- German taxonomy makes France look simplistic.

While still only a neophyte, I found that sampling a case of these wines with friends over seven days proved to be an effective method (at least for a consumer) of picking out the best. I think I can now fairly say I know what I am looking for from these wines - a briney nose, a touch fuzzy on the palate, with the texture of ice cold oysters in the mouth and just the faintist hints of rose water, honeydue, and apricot.

All wines were purchased at retail in Manhattan and Brooklyn for under $30, most under $20, my favorites listed below in descending order of deliciousness.

2007 Joh. Jos Christoffel Erben Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett (Gutsabfullung) *** Sauvignon color with green tint, mildly fizzy, with brine and honey on the nose. Very light in the mouth, with honeydew and warm lard on the finish. Enjoyed this immensely. For great info on this estate, check out the Wine Doctor.

2005 Weingut Clemens Busch Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Pundericher Marienberg Riesling Spatlese (Gustabfullung) *** Pale hay with lemony notes. Melons predominate, honey and brine all present. The acidity is unfelt in the mouth, as is the 13% alcohol. Not at all warm - should age nicely for another five years.

2007 Stein Riesling feinherb (Mosel) ** White gold. Striking nose of apricot and honey. Oyster texture. (Drink up.)

2006 St. Ludwig Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Bernkasteler Kurfurstlay Riesling Spatlese ** Pale gold. Bright honey on the nose. We drank this slightly warm, revealing more pronounced sweet apricot notes with a salty finish. (Maybe we've been drinking these all too cold?)

2008 Weingut Matthias Dostert "Roter Elbling" (Gutsabfullung) ** Pale pink rose, with tart strawberries and mellow apple notes on the finish. (In contrast, we drank this straight from the fridge, too chilled to reveal secondary notes.)

WSJ Focus on High End California Wines

The title of today's Wall Street Journal article "Luxury Wine Market Reels from Downturn" by Jim Carlton and David Kesmodel, pretty much speaks for itself. The nuts and bolts of this story is that Americans are still drinking wine, they're just spending less. The secondary theme seems to be how producers are going to weather the storm. Elliot Stern, chief operating officer of the Sorting Table, a Napa Valley-based wine distributor, is quoted as saying, "If you're a $90 wine and all of a sudden you're on the Internet at $50, how do you ever become a $90 wine again?"

Stern's rhetorical question is a variant of the Veblen Goods Market Theory, which is failing in the current economy.

The simple answer here is to make great wine. Lowering your price to $50 from $90 will allow (some) consumers to continue to buy your wines. It also shows that you're aware of the challenges facing the consumer, who is daily flooded with better deals from overseas. Note: lowering prices in 2008 has only spurred demand for en premeur Bordeaux. As time goes by, and market conditions return to normal, you can increase prices.

Producers such as Claude Blankiet, whose wines I enjoy immensely, but which cost $185 this year despite the "downtown," need to be realistic. Sticking their heads in the sand (keeping prices inflated through a recession) simply won't sell wine. What's worse: it negatively affects the perception of the brand, because it shows the producer doesn't understand -- or care -- about the core consumer.

In short, in this economy, high price does not equal high quality. Cult Wine producers need to redefine and remarket themselves accordingly.

2005 Bodega Sottano JUDAS ****

On my way to pick up some Mosel Saar Ruwer wines the other night I happened upon this tasting of Argentinian wines, featuring not unsurprisingly four malbecs, one cabernet sauvignon, and one blend. I'm no malbec expert, but the Argentinian malbecs I have tried have been generally very good, and good values. The last wine I tasted has been on my mind ever since.

Bodega Sottano only produced 2014 bottles of its "Judas," a 100% malbec from the Finca Sottano Vineyard in Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, one thousand meters above sea level. Picked by hand in the early hours of the morning, then fermented in 5000 liter stainless steel tanks with "selected yeasts" (seven days cold; 35 days total), Judas was aged in all new oak, 70% French, 30% American, for eighteen months, prior to bottling unfined and unfiltered.

But all of that is back story to how this wine came to be. Bodega Sottano is a partnership of three brothers, Diego, Pablo and Mauricio Sottano, whose roots in Mendoza reach back to their Italian ancestors in 1890. According to the legend I was told by an unquestionably disreputable distributor (wink wink), this wine had originally been intended to serve as the family's "private reserve," but one brother bottled it and released it on his own, thus earning him the name "Judas." Whether the legend is true or not (and I don't believe it) the wine speaks for itself.

Deep plum color; unquestionable vanilla notes predominate on the nose, but the palate is firm and juicy, with blackberries and cream, rounded out by fat sweet tannin. No idea how long to cellar this one; it's hard to resist now.

Cult Wine Oh Nine

Summer arrived in New York with a splash -- cold and wet -- but the trains are still packed out to Montauk, the Jamaica-stop on the Long Island Railroad has traingoers negotiating the politics of seating arrangements with sweaty seniors and the disabled, and the New Jersey Turnpike is packed from north Jersey to Exit 8. Flights are delayed. Market volatility remains high. All indicators point to a long and restless summer. 2009 has officially become the Year the World Stood Still while we collectively wait for indicators from analysts who inhabit think tanks that may one day reveal the Great Recession has left our shores for greener pastures.

And it's the wettest spring anyone can remember. Instead of drinking crisp sauvignon blanc and dry Mosel in poorly air conditioned rented apartments I’ve been opening cabernets and merlots which I briefly cool off in the fridge. Just last night we opened a Robert Sinskey 2005 Los Carneros Merlot ** that was nicely textured and tart. Beer just hasn't felt thick enough for this grotesque imitation of early summer, despite the fact that everyone from President Obama to Eric Asimov to Shea Coulson at Just Grapes have declared beer season officially open. I’ll admit, it seems particularly chic these days to be drinking beer in casually expensive looking cheap dark clothing. I just can’t bring myself to do it.

In the midst of this dare-say-summer I am going to post on Cult Wine prices. At first, this may seem to be in particularly poor taste. After all, no one has the money for $300 cabernet sauvignon from California, and even alluding to Cult Wines, let alone drinking them, is so out of fashion that one hesitates to mention the plethora of emails arriving daily intra-continentally.

But as cheap 2008 Bordeaux threatens to flood our shores, I am eager to defend American producers in difficult times. It’s just that this year I had hoped for some understanding from them, with corresponding price reductions, considering the ultimate demise of the investment banking industry and everything that went down the toilet with it. I had thought that, after Bordeaux released 2008 prices at up to 40% off 2007, our own Cult Wine producers would give us a break. Not much, of course, but something. To my horror and surprise, I was dead wrong.

I've considered the how and why of this for days as I prepared and researched this post, on such a wide range of topics as teenage mating habits to the migratory patterns of economists. (What less is expected of a wine blogger?) But the only thing I have found – and I have found it quite certainly – is that there are in fact six stages to grief when one is confronted by one's own inability to purchase Cult Wines. (Some will say there are only five stages of grief, so consider this the Kübler-McBride Theory of Loss.)

First, there is shock, as in, "Huh? Maybe I should refresh this email and see just ... oh, it's really real, they raised prices again. Could this be right?" And so on and so forth as I restart my computer, reopen my email, and recheck the release price, until it finally sinks in.

Second, there is denial, as in, "I’m not going to let this happen to me. I absolutely refuse to pay this price for wine. Ever. Never again.”

Third, there is anger, as in, “This release price is an insult to the buyer. I learned my lesson with 2005 Bordeaux. To hell with them. They all suck anyway.”

Fourth and fifth, there is fear, followed closely by bargaining, followed more closely by more denial, with a final bout of depression thrown in for good measure, as in, "Damn, if I lose my place on the list, I may never get it back again. I may not get my 2007 allocation! I may not get my Abreu! Only one bottle. Maybe two. Oh, but I can’t, not at these prices!" The fear and the bargaining and the depression go on for a good while.

Finally, there is resignation.

Now, here I digress, because resignation can take many forms. Resignation could, for example, take the form of, "Well, that's it. I just will have to drop the list and buy the wines from elsewhere, at retail, for less than the producer is selling it for. Oh, boo-hoo." And here it is worth mentioning that nothing looks meaner than releasing your wine to your “Release List” at a higher price than it can be had at retail! If the consumer can go out and buy your wine at his local liquor store for 80% what he paid you, why do you have a mailing list in the first place? It’s unlikely that anyone looking for Cult Wines is unaware of Wine-Searcher, and when he realizes he has been duped you will have permanently damaged your relationship with the consumer. So do the consumer a favor – stop allowing the second tier to value price your brands if you are going to first try and bilk the "club members." It looks greedy, and it leaves a bad aftertaste.

Lastly, there is the resignation that takes the form of, "$%^&* it...I've come this far. Just send me the damn wine and to hell with you." This is done solely to stay on the list. And if buyers learn they could have gotten these wines later, for less, the Cult Wine producer has damaged his reputation with the ultimate consumer -- yet again.

Are some of the wines listed below worth buying? Yes. Many of them are. Cult Wines are some of the greatest in the world. The problem is that Cult Wine prices for 2009 are totally out of line with today's marketplace. No one is looking for these wines. No one wants these wines. No one even wants to be associated with these wines right now. So raising prices in this economy not only seems to me to be corporate suicide, it seems insulting to the core consumer. And that, my friends, is the anomaly in your Veblen goods market theory, the ghost in the Cult Wine machine.

Thus, consider this the anti-Veblen/McBride Theory of Prestige-Value Pricing in a Down Market, according to which, when “only the best” no longer equates to “only the most expensive,” brands built for the long haul can increase core market consumption by reducing prices inline with consumer expectations, increasing transparency and building long term relationships without sacrificing “prestige value.” For those concerned that a price reduction in this market is going to adversely affect their appeal to Cult Wine consumers, let’s just say that the 2008 en primeur Bordeaux campaign should have put that fear to rest.

Winter-Spring 2009 Cult Wine Release Schedule with pricing (where available)

January
Ridge Monte Bello 2007 $125
Quilceda Creek 2005 $140
Kistler 2006 avg. $85
Sloan 2005 $1100/3-pack OWC
Blankiet 2006 $185 (old vintages of this wine sell for $85. Why would anyone purchase the 2006 as a future release for 250% of the 2001?)
Kosta Browne (prices for single vineyard wines unavailable)
Hanzell $95 (major price increase…regretting now that I told them to increase prices.)

February
Peter Michael 2006 Les Pavots $185; chardonnays avg. $85
Ovid “Experiment” (second wine) 3 for $225
Merus 2006 $450/3 pack
Brewer Clifton 2006 avg. 65
Amuse Bouche ($1375/6-pack)
Coup de Foudue (I don’t even remember signing up for this list)
Pharoah Moans (Is this for real? Seriously, would someone stop putting my name on all these damn lists…)
Robert Foley 2007 Claret $110
SQN (white wine blend) $100
Paul Hobbs (single vineyard cabernets around $200)
Ramey (single vineyard cabernets up to $185)
Linne Calodo (a slam dunk producer, wish there were more of these)

March
DuMOL (RRV second wines $50+)
Scarecrow 2006 $600/3-pack OWC
Continuum 2006 $150+
Araujo sauvignon blanc $50
Futo $600/3-pack OWC
Sea Smoke (up to $100/bottle)
Tablas Creek (Panoplie $90)

April
Lokoya ($200/bottle)
Quintessa ($110+)
Colgin (IX Estate $290)

May
Arietta (varied)
Hundred Acre Deep Time $300
Kongsgaard (varied) $100-$175

June
Wind Gap (varied)
Pax Wine Cellars (varied)
Alban Vineyard (varied)
Araujo ($275 cabernet, $110 syrah)
Hundred Acre 2006 Ancient Way shiraz $600/3-pack OWC

Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Mini-Review

Dry Creek Valley has become a Mecca of sorts for those seeking world class zinfandel. And while I don't adhere to the particularly strident belief among certain producers and connoisseurs that Dry Creek Valley produces the "gestalt" of zinfandel, there is no question it produces some of the finest. The best wines are both plush and fruity with dark fruit notes like blueberries while maintaining low alcohol levels, good acidity, a velvety mouth feel and a lingering finish. Make no mistake about it, these wines will age gracefully. When done right, life expectancy can be well above a decade.

At the top of my list is Dashe Cellars. This is a polished estate that's received great press from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Wine & Spirits Magazine, and Snooth. Perhaps more importantly, word on the street is incredibly positive (you're doing something right when your competitors speak highly of you). The 2006 line-up, including the baseline 2006 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel *** is impressive. Rich and elegant, with a deep hue and sweet tannin, this is a plushly textured table wine to be enjoyed throughout an evening or during dinner.

Then there's Quivira Vineyards, a family run Demeter certified estate whose 2002 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel ** was chunky and polished at the same time, not overripe, and not too dense, with good texture and Zzzzing! on the finish. Drink up though, this wine has reached its apogee. I expect the 2006 to start drinking nicely now.

I'd be remiss not to mention A. Rafanelli, whose 2005 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel ** at 14.8% alcohol is nearly opaque, closed on the nose, but features wonderful blackberry and very mild woodsy notes. This needs time to shine, and goes down like water.

Just what is it about Dry Creek Valley that produces exceptional zinfandel? According to Michael Dashe, who previously made zinfandel at Ridge Vineyards, "The combination of the well-drained rocky soils and the special ocean-influenced climate in Dry Creek combines to make some of the most complex and flavorful zinfandel grapes in the state. In particular, the fog that rolls up the Russian River and Dry Creek valleys in the mornings, even in the summer and fall, cool the vines and help the grapes retain acidity as they ripen. The resulting grapes show much more balance (because of the acidity balancing the fruit flavors) and beautiful black raspberry and black cherry fruit that is characteristic of the region."

A note of warning is in order though. Due to their increasing notoriety these wines aren't exactly cheap, with a $30 average price. And price isn't going to be a good guide in finding quality Dry Creek Valley zinfandel. There are a number of $30 zinfandel-bombs out there which really should be taken off of shelves. Some of these are flawed: cloudy, wild, 16+ percent alcohol wines that have no place being on store shelves, but the name Dry Creek Valley sells, so that's unlikely to change. Caveat emptor.

Perhaps a case in point is the 2003 Albini Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel I purchased for $31 at a wine store in Brooklyn Heights. I mention this wine only because despite all its failings, with its cloudy appearance, hot funk on the nose and gritty cocoa underneath, this is one hell of a sexy wine. In other words, if you could bottle the Bridge & Tunnel club scene, sans brassier, a touchy feely sweaty mob and no questions asked, this is exactly what you would get. Now ... I'm not bringing this home to mommy anytime soon, but trust me, this is definitely worth a looksee.

And if anybody asks, just tell them you were "experimenting."