Quality Wines That Define the New Era of Value

Minerve in the Languedoc

What a wonderful eclectic selection of wines we have for you! We cover the territory tBoW likes to traverse. From Southern France to Burgundy we have found values. And they are currently available if you hunt now. So put on your Sherlock Holmes hat and get on the Internet! Or if you live in LA drive to your local wine vendor or straight to Palate Wine. Bring cash!

Octave Vinho Verde NV $8: The front runner for wine-of-the-summer and it isn’t even summer. Blows by U20 and goes straight to U10 [ed. Under $10]. Yummy summer white wine from Portugal. Pears with a slight spritz. Just enough acid to keep it bracing and avoid the Van de Kamps Fruit Cocktail flavors. In a lovely blue bottle this is pale and perfect. The party for summer 2011. Picked it up at Palate Wine in Glendale. Outrageously delicious. 9%

2009 LA 50-50 $23: This is the Minervois wine from all star Burgundy winemakers Anne Gros and Jean-Paul Tollot. Showing all the potential in the Languedoc. Oak vanilla. Minervois region is about as brooding as it gets there. St Chinian is more lush. Purple red color. Big berry nose. Blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Carignagne and Mourvedre. Price dropped almost 50% in this their second vintage. Good idea. A keeper worth watching. From North Berkeley Imports. Be sure to look at the very cool video below “strolling through the Minerviois vineyard with Anne Gros.”14.5%

2004 Albert Morot Beuane Teurons Premier Cru $65: Cherries and forest floor. Decay in the nose. I know. It sounds disgusting but believe me it ain’t. Rich, intense, focused. Kirchwasser flavors. Lovely textbook French Pinot Noir. 13%

2009 Roland Thev√©nin Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits $20: That’s right. You read it here. A $20 Burgundy in a superb vintage. Who is Roland Thev√©nin [ed. WAS Roland Thev√©nin]? According to my dog eared Hugh Johnson’s Modern Encyclopedia of Wine he was the mayor of St Romain at one time as well as a negociant best known for his white Burgs. Many use the word legend. Certainly “groper”would not apply here. He would never be called “the Gropernator”. Not only is the price for this wine very right there is a story to go with this delicious wine. Steve Goldun of Palate Wine and John Winthrop of Veritas Wine selected the two barrels at Thev√©nin that were blended to make this wine. How is it Steve? “Really good.” What’s the 09 vintage in Burgundy like? “Really big.” And I thought tBoW was short winded. Smoky nose. Light delicate color that forecasts the delicate flavors. Unmistakably Old World. A bit lean then opens a bit more. This is good for a couple years. While you were reading this I bought another case. Note image of label is not this wine but it looks like this. 12.5%

Hey… you want rich pithy prose try Paul West. Mr. Goldun compresses taciturn like an atom smasher.