Between The Wines May 2022 Hidden Treasures
hidden Treasures
Chateau Mezain Bordeaux has long enjoyed a stellar reputation for its wines. But in reality, there are two groups of Bordeaux wine: the famous, ‘classified’ growths of the Medoc and St Emilion (and we’ll throw in Pomerol) and then all of the rest. Without question, the reputation of Bordeaux is based on the quality and history of the classified growths, which indeed served to lift the reputation (and sales) of the region as a whole. Sadly, many, many, many of the wines labeled simply as Bordeaux took advantage of the region’s reputation, took advantage of the zone’s reputation and turned out gobs and gobs of insipid wines… which sold anyway, simply because it said Bordeaux on their labels. As consumer choice has expanded greatly over recent years, wine buyers have avoided low-end Bordeaux for this reason. This is a tragedy however, since there are plenty of conscientious, sound representative bottlings at value price points…one just has to look.
The Case in point: Chateau Mezain. This small, family-owned (6th generation at the helm today) property is smack dab in the middle of the highly regarded Entre-deuxMers appellation (meaning: between two seas…which are actually two rivers). Their up-to-the-minute winery combined with sustainable farming delvers us really solid, surprisingly good and balanced Bordeax—both red (50% Cab/50% Merlot) and white (100% Sauvignon Blanc)…all for about $10.99 retail! There seems to be resurgent interest in Bordeaux of late, so our clients would be wise to add some options to their shelves or wine lists. If you haven’t tried these wines, you are truly missing out!
Trends & observations What's New Quotation Month:
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“The best of wines always proudly tell you from where they come.” Neal I. Rosenthal
Between The Wines May 2022
Trends & Observations Get ready for price increases… So no one will be shocked to learn that we are experiencing some ‘price adjustments’ from virtually all of our winery partners of late. Some we’ve already digested, yet more increases are expected. Some have held off as long as possible, but can hold off no longer, so by June we’ll see virtually everything getting ‘adjusted’. The reasons are understandable: unless one hasn’t read a paper, watched television, or read a tweet, we all know that the cost of virtually everything has moved up—in some cases dramatically--over the past 12 months. One obvious contributor top this is rising fuel costs. Everything--as in everything—is affected by the cost of gasoline, because everything has to get from point A to point B: not just the wine cases to us, but the wine bottles to the wineries; the capsules for the bottles; the labels; the cost of fertilizer has doubled in some cases, everything has gone up. And when a business costs go up, so too do the prices.
hidden beautiful place
The good news is (yes, there is a positive twist): it won’t be just US wines, or just a few brands or categories that are affected…every wine type and region will be experiencing this, so the entire category will rise in price together. And the consumer is well aware of this financial crisis, so there won’t be a bunch of explaining required; Covid has trained us (most of us anyway) to be tolerant and patient and understanding of change. Also, the dollar is currently pretty strong vs the Euro ($1.05 as we write this), so that waters down the FOB increases to a degree. And it can be said as well that the actual cost of wine in the U.S. has been pretty stable/flat for the last ten years. Sure, Napa Cabs are two or three times what they were ten years ago, and much of the market has traded up to premiumprice points over the last ten years. But the entry level stuff is right about where it was ten years ago, and one can still find Kendall Jackson ‘Vintner’s Reserve’ Chardonnay for $12.99 in some shops--that what it sold for in 2008! So… worry not: prices are going up, but its happening in unison, and the consumers understand. We may not be eating as many ribeye steaks as we were in 2020, but no one is going to give up their wine.
Between The Wines May 2022
What's New
We LOVE the wines from Cline Family Cellars. Over the years, we’ve noticed that one cannot talk about their wines without using the word ‘value’. Though that sounds like a compliment, some interpret value as ‘cheap’ or perhaps as not serious, which is a shame. All of their wines are correct and serious—without being too serious. But for those of you that feel the ride doesn’t start until a wine’s cost is $30 or more… BINGO! Cline has a couple of new appellationfocused brands including the super-cool brand called Gust, which is based on fruit from the Petaluma Gap AVA.
The name Gust honors the unique aspect of this zone and all three bottlings the Cline family has offered represent the appellation perfectly. The Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and yes, the Syrah, are perfumed and poised and lively…and eminently drinkable. These wines are very, very much worth a look. And at $30 to $40 retail some will feel much better having them on their dinner tables. And they are still values!
For those unfamiliar, Petaluma Gap is a fairly new AVA (2018), known for pristine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (and a bit of cool-climate Syrah). The defining character for the AVA is unique: it is the only AVA that is defined by the wind. Relatively high winds (around 14mph daily average) --created by some unique geographical factors, moderate the temperature, hence the ripening, which results in wines with modest alcohol and bright acidity--just right for serious wine lovers.
hidden beautiful place
Quotation of the Month: “The best of wines always proudly tell you from where they come.” Neal I. Rosenthal