Merryvale Starmont new to Glen Lake Wine and Spirits

Three new Merryvale wines arrived in Glen Lake and are on special through the Summer.

1. Merryvale Starmont 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley. Aged 18 months in French oak, this wine offers flavors of cassis, raspberry, and vanilla. A delicious wine on its own, or for steak night on the grill. The 2005 cabernet is made up of 79% cabernet sauvignon, 14% merlot, 4% syrah, 2% petite verdot, 1% cabernet franc.

2. Merryvale Starmont 2008 Sauvignon Blanc - Napa Valley. A perfect summer picnic wine, pared with salad or fish or just on its own on a hot day. Comprised of 96% sauvignon blanc and 4% semillon, the wine shows lemon, lime and passion-fruit. It does offer backbone, aged in 70% French oak with alcohol at 13.5%.

3. Merryvale Starmont 2007 Chardonnay - Napa Valley. A nice middle of the road Napa chardonnay, 50% oak and 50% stainless.  The wine offers a full bodied chardonnay that is not overly oaked. The pear and apple fruit flavor come alive with a finish of toast and vanilla. 

Stock up on all three Merryvale Starmont selections while on sale at Glen Lake Wine and Spirits this Summer. Remember Summer is short, very short, get to that picnic and grill before the snow flies.

Tasting Some Gems

I gave a private tasting tonight to some V.I.P.'s who get together with me a couple times a year to stock their cellars. They always leave the wine samples to my discretion and from experience I know they prefer "big" California Cabernets. They did ask for one simple Summer white for boat cruising and barbeques. The official Glen Lake Wine and Spirits tasting consisted of:

1. Simi - Sauvignon Blanc - Sonoma

2. Franciscan -  Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa

3. Ehlers Estate - Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa

4. Hess Mountain Cuveee - Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa

5. O'Shaughnessy - Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa

6. Catena - Malbec - Argentina

Truly a great line up of fine wines to sample. It was mutually agreed that the Simi Sauvignon Blanc was a good choice and good bargain for the Summer boat wine. The reds had some variation on the best of show, meaning I had a differing opinion than the three customers. The customers chose the Hess Mountain Cuvee as their favorite for flavor and value. While I agree that the Hess offers a lot of bang for the buck, I cannot deny that the O'Shaughnessy was truly the king of the show. Since I am not the one buying the wine, it is a bit easier for me to dismiss the cost and simply pick the wine that I think is best. The customers generally assign dollar figures to the glass. i.e. "This wine is great, but I can get this wine for twenty dollars less per bottle - that is almost as good." I call it the "two buck chuck syndrome." Many people I have spoken to who buy the two buck chuck have admitted that the wine isn't very good but it is such a good deal! I guess we all choose the product we splurge on and the product we skimp on. My clients today played it on the second best deal, in my opinion. Perhaps a good philosophy on buying any product.