I forgot to mention in yesterday’s posting about the exclusive discount offer from Hill Family Estate the extra savings…

In addition to the 15% discount offered exclusively to Deep Red Cellar customers, you get a 10% discount for ordering a case of any wine with Hill Family Estate.  That means a generous 25% discount on this great balanced red wine (mixed cases excluded).

Don’t wait….order your case today!

I am re-posting the below write up on Napa Valley’s “Barrel Blend” wine because the good folks of Hill Family Estate have offered a DISCOUNT exclusively for Deep Red Cellar customers!

15% Discount on a case of Hill Family Estate “Barrel Blend” wine.

Go directly to www.hillfamilyestate.com and put BB15 in the “offer code” section during check out.

This is being offered exclusively for you, the customers of Deep Red Cellar.

I have some good news!  I have found a really good wine that does not taste like it was made for every wine drinker on the planet.  You may think that is NOT good news, but I say it is.  After living in Italy for 3 years, I came home to America to find most of the “everyday drinking” wines tasting the same – all geared toward ease of drinking but lacking in complexity and finish.  But alas, I have stumbled on a really great everyday wine that has some depth to it.

I was happy to see a new wine store in my town called Wine Styles. They carry many reasonably priced bottles of wine, have a monthly wine club and offer special events like tastings, pairings, etc.  It was about day 3 of being in town that my husband and I walked into this store to purchase some wine (afterall, a hotel room with no wine is not really a hotel room at all).  I was signing us up for the wine club, and my husband started talking with one of the employees.  Turns out, the employee was professional surfer, Kyle Knox, who just happens to have a passion for wine.  So much so, in fact, that he teamed up with Hill Family Estate to make his signature “Barrel Blend” wine (the pun is intended).

I bought a bottle to try and was very impressed.  Gone was the overly fruit forward taste that had drained me of all hope in finding reasonably priced, reasonably complex California wine.  This wine is really good.   It is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Malbec.  Sounds enticing doesn’t it – a great blending of varietals.  This wine is all about balance.  Hill Family Estate winemaker Alison Doran puts it best:  ”The nose has a great ‘wow’ factor – unmistakably Napa in its elegance, but with an earthy blackberry and vanilla appeal that really makes you want to take a sip. And the palate is lovely, balanced, seductive and interesting, with plushy berry fruit and vanilla scented oak playing backup on tannins.”

Maybe it’s just me, but I also tasted plum.  Whatever the case, this wine will be coming home with me often.  I may not drink it literally everyday (retails for about $20 a bottle) but as often as I crave a balanced, interesting wine.

*tasting note source:  http://business.transworld.net


WineAccess.com

Wow has this wine gotten great reviews from the Wine Access customers!  Phrases like:  ”…wonderful balance from the first fruit to the long finish.” “…the best cabernet I have ever tasted.”  ”This made my dinner party a huge success.” ”…enjoyed by novices as well as experts.”

The Crane Ranch Vineyard Cabernet has had a great track record raising eyebrows and pleasing palates with the 2005 and 2006 vintages and now the best yet, 2007 vintage.  The tasting notes make it highly enticing!

The price is almost as enticing as the wine.  New release price: $40.  Today, just $22.99/bottle on cases.  Shipping included on 4 bottles or more.

Wine Label Tasting Notes from the WineAccess Travel Log
2007 Crane Brothers Brodatious Crane Ranch Vineyard Napa Valley
“Dark purple color to the edge. Explosive, dark berry nose, packed with brambly purple and red fruit intensity. Rich, concentrated and remarkably suave on the palate, with nice broad shoulders bracketing a luscious kernel of cassis. Tannins are fine, ripe, but perfectly present. Drink now (hard not to), or age for up to 7 years. This should age beautifully.”

2007 Crane Ranch Brodatious for as little as $22.99 on cases with shipping included! You save 43%!

(just click the above link to purchase)

Save $5 on Wine Gifts for Father's Day: 300x250 Banner

FATHER’S DAY is June 20…why not skip the boring tie this year, and get him something he’ll really love. Shop great hidden gem wines from small vineyards at a great value from MyWinesDirect.com.   What more could you ask for?

I know you’re thinking it…go ahead and splurge on yourself too.  I am sure you deserve it!

Here’s a few specials to take advantage of – just click on the link to start shopping:
FATHER’S DAY

Shop our Father’s Day Gift Collection and Save $5, plus FREE Shipping. Use Coupon Code ADAD5.

BEST DEAL

Discover new wine treasures and save $10 + FREE Shipping. New Customers use coupon code AFFNC0610. Good until June 30th.

LAST MINUTE SHOPPERS OR HARD TO BUY FOR DADS

$100 e-Gift Card

DON’T FORGET THE COLLEGE GRADUATES

Send a Special Toast to the College Grad! Save an additional $7 on the Graduation Congratulations wine pack, Plus FREE Shipping! Use Code AGrad7. Good until June 30th.

I don’t think I’ve ever given a wine special two days in a row but when this came across my path, I just couldn’t help myself from sharing!

2006 Anselmo Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon Veloce Napa Valley

Steve Simi took great care in planning for this great wine.  He chose vineyards that sit on a 5-acre eastern hillside at the southern edge of Stags Leap and trimmed the yields to less than 3 tons per acre.  The result is an elegant, deep purple cabernet sauvignon.  Only 400 cases were produced from Steve’s pristine hillside so take advantage of this opportunity while it’s still available!

Interested in purchasing?  Click here:  WineAccess.com Deals of the Day!

Wine Label Tasting Notes from the WineAccess Travel Log
2006 Anselmo Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon Veloce Napa Valley
“Deep purple color to the edge. Bright fresh, lush aromas of currants and violet. Rich on the attack, with fine fruit delineation. Excellent depth of flavor, slowly unfolding (even weightier on Day 2), melting into a finely honed finish. Tannins are present, but ripe, beautifully integrated, helping to balance out all the rich cassis fruit. Drink now for its Stags Leap hedonism or age for up to 7 years.”

Here is a Pinot Noir that sounds divine.  The fruit is purchased by the arce as opposed to the ton so the farming is highly customized.  The wine has been described as a perfect mesh of California style and the highly coveted Vosne Romanee style in France – just no way to go wrong.  In addition, the 2007 vintage is believed to have had the perfect growing season.  This is a good aging wine; however, if drinking now, decant for an hour or two before consumption.

Interested in purchasing?  Click here:  2007 Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley ST 90 for $29.99 today at WineAccess.com

Wine Label Tasting Notes (compliments of Wine Access)
2007 Dutton-Goldfield Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley


“Bright, medium cherry-red. Vibrant aromas of black cherry, raspberry, rose petal and orange zest; a real essence of pinot noir in a Chambolle way. Then juicy, silky and brisk, with red fruit, orange peel and spice flavors framed by ripe, harmonious acidity. There’s no oakiness to get in the way of the pure, sharply focused fruit of this very suave and high-pitched pinot.”
90 points–Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar

“Bright ruby color to the edge. Explosive aromas of wild cherry and red fruits, finely layers. Rich and vibrant on the palate with a slowly unfolding, deep red fruit kernel. Air is this wine’s friend. After two hours in a carafe, more weight, more intensity, filling out. Excellent, firm, finely honed finish, speaking for a nice long stay in bottle. Drink now for the wild cherry explosiveness or age for up to 7 years.”
–WineAccess Travel Log, April, 2010


Easter Gifts from Vosges Haut -Chocolat

Guess what?  Vosges Haut Chocolat’s new Toffee Bunny & Enchanted Mushroom are featured in People Magazine this week!

This issue of People magazine highlights some Easter celebrity favorites. Vosges new Enchanted Mushroom and sweet little Toffee Bunny are featured as one of Kelly Ripa’s favorites.

Toffee Bunny, $12
The new toffee bunny is sure to be a favorite with its flop-ears, petite pouf tail and unique interior of deep milk chocolate, crunchy butter toffee and a touch of pink Himalayan salt.   It is a custom blend of milk chocolate, punctuated with just a touch of dark to deepen the flavor profile, and encapsulates crumbles of Vosges popular Caramel Toffee.  Each 2.5 ounce solid chocolate bunny arrives in its own box complete with a story of its origin.

The Enchanted Mushroom, $75
Hidden by the shade of the cacao trees, deep within the rain forest hides the Enchanted Mushroom of Wolakaloua. A hunt must be carefully planned, as they are only visible to the human eye for three minutes at the first light of dawn.

Should you find yourself in possession of this precious prize, a helpful hint…one side will cure your mind and the other will cure your body. With a nibble off the first side of the Enchanted Mushroom or as some say, “toadstool,” you will feel your blood begin to flow with a powerful boost of antioxidant immunity. The opposite side will yield increased wisdom and happiness.

Here’s a little incentive to get you started but hurry, this offer ends March 31:  2 Free Mini Exotic Candy Bars with $50 spend

I bet even the Easter Bunny won’t have anything this good in his delivery basket!


Get a 93 point Chardonnay from Wine Access.com today for only $29.99 a bottle when you buy a case. Shipping included on 4 or more bottles!

It has dawned on me that I have not done much campaigning for white wines.  This one sounds complex and intriguing.  The best part about it, you can drink a few bottles now and hold on to a few bottles to enjoy in a couple of years.



Wine Label Tasting Notes (compliments of Wine Access)
2007 The Ojai Vineyard Chardonnay Clos Pepe Santa Rita Hills
“Yellow-gold. Musky peach pit and mango aromas are complicated by zesty, smoky minerals. Tightly focused citrus and dried pit fruit flavors gain a gentle sweetness and put on weight with air, picking up a juicy mango quality. Firm finishing notes of bitter pear skin, tarragon and minerals give this wine a serious aspect. I’d hold off on opening this impressively concentrated wine for another couple of years.”
93 points–Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar

“Pale gold color. Stony, mineral aromas giving way to lemon curd and a touch of honey. Wound up on entry, oxygen resistant, long and persistent. Slowly unfolding aromatics, with ripe citrus aromas and flavors, slowly unwinding. Two hours later, still opening up, coming on. This one will go forever. Bracing acid structure with fabulous length and purity. This is a very rare California offering and a memorable one.”
–WineAccess Travel Log 

I like a good Syrah.  In fact many times, I love Syrah and this one from Rodgers Creek sounds like it could be one of those times.  With only 200 cases available, this regular $60/bottle wine is available for a special price while supplies last:

2006 Syrah Rodgers Creek Vineyard Sonoma Coast – $32.99-$34.99/bottle + free ship on 4 bottles.

Wine Label Tasting Notes (compliments of Wine Access)
2006 Ramey Wine Cellars Syrah Rodgers Creek Vineyard Sonoma Coast
“Deep, bright ruby. Highly expressive bouquet of blackcurrant and boysenberry, with sexy floral and spice notes adding vivacity. Lively red and dark fruit flavors gain an exotic floral quality with air and become spicier on the back end. Impressively vibrant syrah, with excellent finishing clarity and sweet persistence. As with the barrel samples of ’07 that I also tasted, this is more energetic than the Shanel.”

94 points–Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar“The dense opaque purple-hued 2006 Syrah Rodgers Creek Vineyard offers aromas of melted chocolate, ground pepper, exotic peach and lychee nuts (5% Viognier is co-fermented), and an earthy, blackberry, smoky mid-palate as well as finish. Enjoy this superb Syrah over the next decade.”
92 points–Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate


From now until St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), you can save 10% on green teas from Adagio Teas.   Click on the “green tea” banner to the left to see all of the green teas available for this special discount.  In addition, all orders placed until St. Patty’s Day will automatically be entered to win one of five utiliTEA kettles.  Now that’s the luck of the Irish!

I love this tea.  They have somehow managed to come up with the perfect formula for complete balance in all of their teas.  They are smooth, subtle, authentic and delicious.  I enjoy Chai tea and Adagio Teas has many varietals to choose from – all of which are really good.  Maybe one of their best ideas is that you can actually go on their site and create your own signature blend.  You even get to come up with your own, creative name and label.  Not only will you enjoy it, it will go on their site for others to purchase and enjoy.  Now that’s worth checking out whether you like green tea or not!

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