Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Bubbles and Beers this Friday at Philippe's

We hope to see many of you this Friday from 5pm to 7pm for our first tasting in July! Yes, the year is moving fast and we are gearing up for the July 4th week-end.

To help everyone celebrate, we chose to taste sparkling wines this week. Two wineries and five wines will be offered to you. From Mumm in Napa, their Brut and Rosé Cuvées as well as their sweeter Cuvée M. From the Loire Valley, Bouvet, with the Brut and Rosé cuvées.

On the Beer side, two brews from smaller German Breweries - a Bock and a Dunkel - and two from Utah's Squatters Brewery - IPA and Double IPA - and we will finish with a gorgeous English Porter.

We hope you can all join us this Friday, July 1st, from 5pm to 7pm.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Special on 2009 Chateau la Bastide Corbières

A great deal is available to you today. Order 6 bottles or more of this wine and pay only $10.30 instead of its regular $11.99 everyday price!

Coming from an area located in the Languedoc area, this wine is made with 70% Syrah, 20% Grenache, and 10% Carignan from 30yr old vines.

2009 Chateau la Bastide Corbières

Ruby-red, with spices in its nose, this wine will entice you with subtle smoky notes mixed in with red berry accents. On the palate, black currant and cherry flavors are carried over by soft tannins which have enough grip to ensure a remarkable and lasting finish. A lot of wine for its modest price, it will accompany any meat dishes in sauces or game dishes over the next 3-5 years.

Rated 90pts by Philippe's Wine Cellar.

Philippe's Everyday Price: $11.99 - Special: $10.75 or $10.30 if you buy 6 or more bottles.

Please reply with your order. Believe us, if you love wines from the South of France, you do not want to pass this up!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Toasting California wines tonight at our weekly free tasting!

We hope you can join us for our weekly tasting starting at 5pm tonight at our Ambassador location. Today, we will sample wines from California.

We will feature four wines coming from three wineries.

Two will come from Cru Wine Company, their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The latter has recently been voted "outstanding" in blind tasting category involving around 800 pinot noirs.

We will also sample a Merlot from Cartlidge and Browne, a winery known for great value wines.

And to finish with a bang, the 2007 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon. A full-bodied and well-structured wine which recently received 92pts from The Wine Spectator.

Make sure you join us from 5pm to 7pm tonight for this FREE event.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Wines from the Vacqueyras appellation

This week, we want to offer you some wines from the Vacqueyras appellation, located in the Southern Rhône, right below Gigondas and not too far from its bigger sibling, Chateauneuf-du-Pape to the south-west. The wines are created using the usual suspects of the area, i.e. Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre, with the other Rhône varietals allowed, except for Carignan.

Today, we have two wines from a cooperative, Vignerons de Caractère. For those of you not familiar with the term "coopérative", it is a group of winemakers who decide to put their assets and knowledge together to be more cost effective. This particular one was created in 1957. Robert Parker calls is "a well-run cooperative that admirably displays the talent involved." He adds that wines such as today's offer "should change the mind of anyone with an anti-cooperative prejudice." We hope you will be one of them as it would be a shame to pass these up and miss out on such wonderful offerings.

2009 Seigneur de Fontimple Vacqueyras

A classic Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre blend that is vinified with carbonic maceration and aged totally in tank prior to bottling. The result is a front end-loaded, richly fruity Vacqueyras offering oodles of peppery garrigue notes intermixed with black cherry and strawberry fruit. Ripe and dense with no hard edges, it is meant to be consumed over the next 4-5 years. Consumers will find it to be irresistible.

Rated 90PTS by The Wine Spectator.

Philippe's Everyday Price: $19.99 - Vintage Service Price: $17.75

2009 Les Hauts de Castellas Vacqueyras

A Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre blend aged in wood barrels for 12 months that exhibits classic Provencal characteristics of garrigue, lavender, pepper, kirsch, and spice. Big, chewy, robust, pure, exuberant, and medium to full-bodied with silky tannins, it should drink well for 5-6 years.

Rated (90-93)PTS by Robert Parker.

Philippe's Everyday Price: $24.99 - Vintage Service Price: $22.00

Please reply to this email if you wish to reserve some of these beautiful expressions of the South of France.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Special Pierre Ferrand Cognac "Abel" - A Great gift for Father's Day!

A unique opportunity came knocking on our doors this morning. "Abel," the latest release from the famed Pierre Ferrand distillery in Cognac is available for purchase.

Pierre Ferrand Cognac "Abel" is a 45-year-old bottling named after its distiller, a great vintner from the early part of the 20th century, who was noted for his preference for tender and softer cognacs. Extra care was made in the vineyard, distillation was slow and the ageing carefully monitored to produce this incredible Cognac. Warm, old golden color with reddish highlights, it has a soft fruity nose of pears, quince, and figs. A very ripe Cognac which opens and develops its wonderful bouquet slowly on the palate with a 15-minute long finish. Simply incredible.

This Cognac is available in very small quantities.

Philippe's Wine Cellar Price: $349.99

Please reserve one bottle by replying to this email. It will be delivered in time for Father's Day!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Free Tasting tonight - Hahn Winery and Bayou Teche Beer

We hope you can join us tonight for a very special tasting taking place from 5pm to 7pm.

We are very excited to have the nice folks from Bayou Teche over to introduce their newest beer called Boucanée. It is a cherry wood smoked wheat ale. Perfect for all BBQ, pulled pork recipes that you may come up with in the week-end or simply as a refreshing brew. Not as smoked as its German counterparts, it could almost pass for a session beer!

We will also have a very nice line-up for our wine afficionados. All wines featured tonight are from California. The Hahn Winery will be present with two selections, their delicious Pinot Noir and GSM, Rhône-style blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. Both offer great drinking pleasure without hurting the pocket-book. We will also sample the Mountain Cuvée from Chappellet - a true Claret made from primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with a little bit of Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. And to finish with style, some bubbles coming from Roederer's Estate in California!

We hope you can all join us tonight. Tell your friends. This is a Free event.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

A great selection of Barolos for $40 a bottle!

Maybe the best deal of the year? Probably so. A great selection of Barolos for $40 a bottle! Their common denominator? They are all highly-rated. We were able to get incredible prices on these wines, so grab as many as you can, while you can!

Barolos are made in the Piedmont area, around the town of Barolo in the Northwestern part of Italy from 100% Nebbiolo grapes. Known as "the king of wines, the wine of kings," Barolo is possibly Italy's greatest red wine. Barolos must be aged for a minimum of three years or five years to be labeled "Riserva." Traditional producers use a longer maceration period, creating a more robust wine. Other producers make a more modern-style, using more new oak and striving to retain more berry fruit, which results in a wine that is drinkable sooner but still able to improve with age.

All the Barolos from this offer are regularly-priced at $49.99 with the Sommelier price at $44.00 and are discounted to $40.00 when you purchase 12b or more. Please note that the Riserva from Fantino does not fall in that price bracket. The wines will be in next Thursday. Two producers are featured today, Fantino and Manzoni.

ALESSANDRO E GIAN NATALE FANTINO

Alessandro Fantino spent ten years as winemaker for the legendary Bartolo Mascarello before starting his own small winery with his brother Gian Natale. The estate is the only one in the center of the old city at Monforte d'Alba, and the cellar, parts of which date as far back as the 1600's, is a lovely sight worth visiting just for its aesthetic qualities. Their vineyards are limited to under 10 hectares contained in the Vigna dei Dardi site, which imparts an unusually clear rendition of specific vintages. Like Mascarello, the Fantino brothers are wholeheartedly dedicated to the traditions of the Langhe, and they harbor a profound respect for Mother Nature.

2003 Fantino Barolo Vigna dei Dardi

The 2003 Vigna dei Dardi (Robert Chadderton Selection) is a very classic, linear style of Barolo, with ripe red cherries, flowers and spices made slightly more generous by the heat of the vintage. Medium in body, the wine offers lovely balance and inner sweetness in a transparent, traditional style with well-integrated tannins for this vintage. Drink 2009 to 2019.

Rated 92pts by Robert Parker.

2001 Fantino Barolo Vigna dei Dardi Riserva

The 2001 Riserva is a powerful, dense wine loaded with dark, primary fruit. The oak aromas and flavors are well-integrated although elements of the French oak tannins remain. This muscular, explosive Barolo offers notable depth, if not the complexity of its sibling aged in cask. It will require patience, but this, too, is a gem. Drink 2011 - 2026.

Rated 93pts by Robert Parker.

Reg Price: $54.99 - Sommelier: $47.00 - $45.00 (mix 12b or more)

ROCCHE DEI MANZONI

Podere Rocche dei Manzoni was born was born by the intuition of Valentino Migliorini and his wife Jolanda, who decided in 1974 to buy an old manor from the XVIII century, surrounded by wonderful vineyards with an excellent exposure in the area of Manzoni Soprani in Monforte d'Alba. One of the most strikingly beautiful estates in Piedmont, the wines bear indelible Francophile sensibility of proprietor Valentino Migliorini who spared no expense in his quest to make the finest wines possible.

2000 Manzoni Barolo Vigna Roul

Loads of coffee, espresso and toasted oak, with lots of ripe fruit at the same time. Full-bodied with lots of velvety tannins and caressing texture. Some might say there is too much new oak but it holds together well. A bold wine. Best after 2008.

Rated 93pts by The Wine Spectator.

2001 Manzoni Barolo Vigna Roul

This is very ripe and raisiny with loads of fruit and tobacco character. Full-bodied, chewy and smoky with meat and berry character. Impressive. Best after 2007.

Rated 92pts by The Wine Spectator.

2000 Manzoni Barolo Vigna Big d'Big

This shows glorious cinnamon and crushed berries, with hints of pie crust. Full-bodied with loads of velvety tannins and a rich, wonderful finish. Wonderful oak. This is caressing and seductive. A beauty best enjoyed after 2008.

Rated 95pts by The Wine Spectator.

2001 Manzoni Barolo Vigna Big d'Big

Initially powerful and tarry, then turns more delicate in the glass and its layers of fruit start to emerge. It is a superbly balanced wine with stunning length to match the opulence of its fruit. Drink 2013 - 2025.

Rated 93pts by Robert Parker.

1999 Manzoni Vigna Santo Stefano

Lovely aromas of dried fruit and walnuts. Full-bodied with big, chewy tannins and loads of concentration. A mouthpuckering blockbuster with good fruit. An impressive, big red. Best after 2008.

Rated 92pts by The Wine Spectator.

2000 Manzoni Vigna Santo Stefano

Incredibly rich, with loads of ripe fruit followed by lots of flamboyant new wood. Then it turns to crushed berries. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins, and a fantastic finish. Best after 2008.

Rated 95pts by The Wine Spectator.

If you wish to make a selection of Barolos, please reply to this email. Please note that all of these wines are $40 a bottle when purchased by 12 or more except for the Fantino Riserva which will be $45 when purchased within a case.

Do not pass these incredible prices!