Presell
The Weinhaus tastes wines daily. When we find a wine that we think is a great value, giving top quality for a reasonable price, we buy it in quantity in order to get the best possible price. We then offer it to you, the customer, at a great price based on your willingness to buy in case quantities and to pay promptly. For this you get our guarantee. Try a bottle from your case. If you don’t agree that it is a great value, return the rest of the case for credit. No questions asked. We know of no wine shop in our area willing to make this commitment. That’s why we say the Presell is the best way to buy wine.
To order from our presell simply call in and let us know which cases you'd like. We'll put your order aside in our cellar, so you can come pick it up whenever it's convenient for you. Coming by in person is always welcome too, of course, and we're working on building a way to order directly from our website in the (hopefully) near future.
January 2012
Fabulous Fitou
The various wine regions of the Languedoc in France offer us some of our favorite value wines that contain a real depth of character. One of these regions is Fitou, which lies in two enclaves on the southern edge of Corbières. When wine appellations were first drawn up the Languedoc in 1948, local politics prevailed and a great tract of Corbières bisects Fitou. Clay-limestone soils make up Fitou Maritime, while more interesting schist soils underlie the inland Fitou Montagneux. Carignan is the most important grape varietal here and must not constitute more than 70% of the blend.
Frantz Vènes is a winemaker who is constantly driven towards experimentation. In addition to making the monumental wines of Massamier la Mignarde, he has a fantastic nègociant lineup. Included in line, is the Mourrel Azurat Fitou 2007. Frantz blends this wine from both parts of the Fitou appellation. The grape composition is: 35% Mouvèdre, 30% Carignan, 20% Syrah, and 15% Grenache. Frantz crafts this custom wine at the quality conscious Mont Tuach cooperative, which is responsible for over half of the production of Fitou as a whole. The wine undergoes traditional fermentation and is unoaked. Robert Parker’s tasting notes indicate that this wine “delivers a simple but impressively palate-staining, rich yet downright refreshingly load of ripe blackberry and black currant, tinged with smoke and underlain with crushed stone.” These impressions are a couple of years old and the youthful expressions of bright fruit have developed into softer earthy elements that we believe add to the dimensionality of the wine. The aromatics are full and alluring. In the glass, the Mourrel Azurat is a beautiful garnet color and offers a solid medium-body to the palate. Ripe red fruits and mingled with the garrigue of herbs, and underpinned by a distinctive mineral characteristic. As may be implied by all the above, this bottle offers a stunning amount of complexity for the price. This is a must buy wine! Grab as many cases for which you have storage. You will not be disappointed.
Try the Mourrel Azurat Fitou for the Pre-sell price of $95.88/case (the equivalent of $7.99/bottle). $10.99 is our everyday price on this wine.
California Dreaming
Even in the depths of winter, there is still a need for a good bottle of white wine. We have a beauty of a Monterey Chardonnay from the 2009 vintage. Travis continues its 20 year legacy with an emphasis on full ripeness. Brilliant fruit is balanced by a lively, refreshing natural acidity. This unoaked and unfiltered Chardonnay is filled with notes of ripe peach, pear, and nectarine.
The Travis is produced from two vineyards in the foothills of Monterey. 65% of the blend comes from the Scheid Vineyard in Arroyo Seco. Scheid is planted with Davis clone 4, which provides richness and a touch of exotic fruit. The remaining 35% of the blend is from the Riverview Vineyard, which has been the touchstone vineyard of the Travis blend for over a decade. Riverview is planted to the prized Dijon clones 76, 78, and 96. These vines lend to a distinct minerality evident in the bottle, which is very reminiscent of good white Burgundy.
The wine is not inoculated for malolactic fermentation, and as previously stated, is both unoaked and unfiltered. The Travis drinks well on its own and pairs with seafood, poultry, or creamy pasta dishes. We are offering substantial savings on this Pre-sell case.
Try the Travis Chardonnay for the Pre-sell price of $131.88/case (the equivalent of $10.99/bottle). $15.99 is our everyday price on this wine.
Time to Woop it up!
Much of the Australian wine market in our country has been hijacked by the marsupial with the canary hued appendage. It must be remembered, however, that there are many quality producers that send their wares across the water. Shiraz has persisted as the continent’s signature grape. It continues to express the robustness and power that red wines can exhibit from the land Down Under. We are offering a Pre-sell bargain on the Woop Woop Shiraz 2010.
Woop Woop is Australian slang for the middle of nowhere in the outback. The wine is a collaborative effort between Ben Riggs and Tony Parkinson. Respectively they are winemaker and proprietor of Penny’s Hill. Carefully selected parcels of grapes were sourced from renowned Shiraz vineyards in premium wine regions to create the Woop Woop Shiraz. The 2010 vintage consists primarily of fruit from McLaren Vale and Wrattonbully in South Australia. The result is a deeply hued wine with richly scented aromatics and a long, soft and juicy palate. The lush mouthfeel gives way to flavors of blackberry, blueberry jam, and licorice. This is a smooth drinking red and will excel as an aperitif or cocktail wine. Pairing options might include roast pork tenderloin or barbecued chicken.
Try the Woop Woop Shiraz for the Pre-sell price of $113.88/case (the equivalent of $9.49/bottle). $11.99 is our everyday price on this wine.
Experience the Tradition
Minervois is one of the oldest wine producing regions in the Languedoc. This is where the 700 year old Chateau du Donjon is located. With stone walls that are more than 2 feet thick, it is built to withstand a siege. The winery is built right into the Donjon, taking advantage of its excellent insulation properties. The property has been in the Panis family for 500 years. Guy Panis took over in 1958 and began enhancing the property’s vineyard holdings from 40 acres to over 100 acres. These plantings mostly occurred in the 1960-70s. The decade of the 1980s brought in modern equipment and Guy started to estate bottle his wines. The son, Jean Panis, took over the operation in 1996 and now farms over 160 acres.
We are pleased to offer Chateau du Donjon Grande Tradition 2009. This is Donjon’s flagship bottling. The wine exhibits powerful aromas of ripe black fruit and hints of strawberry and violets. The Grande Tradition is very dense on the palate. It is firm, structured, and exceptionally rich. The composition is as follows: 40% Syrah from vines 20 years old, 40% Grenache from 35 year old vines, and 20% Carignan from vines averaging 55 years in age. The temperature controlled fermentation was lengthy. Syrah and Grenache were allowed up to a month of skin contact. The wine is unoaked, so its power is straight from the soil.
The Grande Tradition contains all the elements that we love in a Northern Rhone wine. This bottle has wonderful structure balanced by striking fruit tones. It is a great example of fine wine quality at a moderate price. Here is proof that you need not spend a fortune to obtain a bottle of exceptional quality. The wine is excellent with strong cheeses, grilled meats/vegetables, or duck.
Try the Chateau du Donjon Grande Tradition for the Pre-sell price of $143.88/ case (the equivalent of $11.99/bottle). $15.99 is our everyday price on this wine.
Value Sauvignon Blanc
Let’s face it: the fighting varietal market in America has largely been taken over by South American producers. The exchange rate of the dollar against the euro and the longer shipping lane equals a higher price tag on the shelf. But just because the French varietals are down, don’t yet count them out. We found a delightful Sauvignon Blanc from the area around Limoux, in the south of France, for a nice value.
The Les Tours Sauvignon Blanc 2010 is the sister to the Chardonnay that we offered in our Pre-sell last August. Vineyards in Limoux are much higher, cooler, and further from Mediterranean influence than any other Languedoc appellation. These Sauvignon Blanc vines are planted in the cool plains with deep soil in the western zone of the region known as “Océanique”. They have a southern exposure which ensures plenty of sunshine during the daytime. The cool microclimate, with breezes from the Atlantic Ocean, is perfect for quality Sauvignon Blanc. The soil is mainly clay with a high concentration of mineral components.
Stylistically, this Sauvignon Blanc is a cross between Loire Valley wine and one from Marlborough, New Zealand. A crisp acidity is balanced by a profile of stone fruit. The wine drinks fine as an aperitif, but will pair nicely with shellfish, pasta salad, or seared scallops. The price makes this case attractive as a daily drinker or wine for entertaining purposes.
Enjoy the Les Tours Sauvignon Blanc for the Pre-sell price of $95.88/case (the equivalent of $7.99/bottle). $9.99 is our everyday price on this wine.
Six from the Vault
We decided to take a look around the cellar and cherry pick half a dozen prestige wines and offer them to you at a deep discount. We are calling it our Prestige 6 Pack, cleverly enough. The best way to describe the offering is likely in a list format. The first price indicated is the everyday price, while the second price listed is that of the Pre-sell. Further information on individual bottles is available by phoning us Monday through Saturday 10a-6p. Included is 1 bottle each of the following:
2005 Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cépages
Sonoma County $70/$50
2005 Massamier Domus Maximus
La Livinière, France $27.99/$20
2006 Loma Larga Syrah
Casablanca Valley, Chile
$27.99/$20
2004 Northstar Stella Maris
Columbia Valley $24.99/$20
1997 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Porto $59/$45
2004 Sterling Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Napa Valley $39.99/$30
The savings represented are just over 25% in overall value. Included is a fully enclosed reusable cardboard carrying case with a handle. We hope that you can take advantage of the deep discount to set aside some nice bottles of wine for your special occasions.
Try the Prestige 6 Pack for the Pre-sell price of $185/6 bottles. $250 is our everyday price on this wine.