TREASURE HUNTING PART 1: THE GOLDEN TICKET

So this past week, I sat down with one of my distributor’s to taste through a bevy of wines that they wished to move through – clearance wines. Now before you start to groan and say that I’m going to talk about BAD wine, let me state, for the record, that this particular distributor prides itself on quality. No mass-produced stuff here, and forget about a hot warehouse, everything is cooled to the proper temperature and every wine is treated like a new kid at a day care center.
I will talk about a lot of these wines in the next few days because we bought a lot of them. What they presented us were exceptional wines, still in their prime, at drastically reduced prices, so that all of our customers – old and new – can purchase these wines at significant savings. It’s one of the cool things about this job – finding great wines at a steal, and then passing the savings off to the customers.

The list is long and varied, with wines from Oregon, Italy, France, Spain, California and elsewhere. But to begin, I’d like to talk about two wines arriving next week. (A bit unusual for me, I won't mention pricing until they actually arrive.)

The first wine is the Torii Mor Pinot Blanc 2005 from Oregon. Torii Mor is far more-renowned for their Pinot Noir, so it was something of a surprise to taste one of their white wines. I went online to find that the 2006 vintage of the Pinot Blanc is already sold out at the winery, so I am even more surprised to confess that this 2005 release is still quite drinkable. It shows off vibrant apple and citrus tones, with solid acidity balancing out its creamy edges. It’s quite a lovely example of Pinot Blanc, very Alsatian in style.

The second wine I will mention is the gorgeous Mario Schiopetto Bianco 2004 from the Friuli region in Italy. Revered as one of the great producers in Northern Italy, Mario Schiopetto wines are remarkably complex, and a bit expensive. This primarily tank-fermented white blend of Chardonnay and Tocai Friulano gives immediate aromas of fresh-baked fruit tarts and vanilla cream. Its soft presence on the palate leads you through a luxurious run of mineral, Oolong tea, quince, toffee, and orange cream. For being a 3 year old white, there is still a lot going on in the bottle. I actually won’t be surprised if there were a few more good years left.

Tune in soon for a couple of Burgundies, some Spanish jewels, and two phenomenal new California Cabs.