Norm Roby's Unfiltered Guide to Savvy Wine Shopping
Finding the best deals online & direct from wineries
2 Super Deals on Classic Vineyard Designated Red Wines
2017 Steele Zinfandel Pacini Vineyards, Mendocino $17
Super old vine zin that’s a field blend with a touch of Carignane and mixed reds. Made by
Zin master, Jed Steele, before the winery was sold.
2. reversewinesnob.com
2017 Winesmith Cellars Grenache, Bates Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains
A 3-bottle pack for $54.99
This is a great version of Grenache which happens to be a perfect choice for
Traditional holiday meals. Only 212 cases were made.
Fittingly, an exciting early Black Friday wine sale comes from one of my favorite recent discoveries: Tooth & Nail from Paso Robles.
The Black Friday deal: 30% off all wines until November 28th
BTW: for a small limited production winery, a 30% discount is a BFD.
Here are my favorites that were reviewed at winereviewonline.com
2020 Destinata by Tooth & Nail, Santa Barbara County Syrah
When opening a Syrah in a clear bottle, you instinctively brace for something unusual. Destinata is the latest addition to the Tooth & Nail family, and it represents wines made for present enjoyment without fanfare. “Inspired by the experience of Beaujolais Nouveau” this cool climate Syrah was made with native yeasts and bottled unfined and unfiltered. The lush, black fruited aroma is backed by hints of black pepper and the flavors display solid Syrah character throughout. Smooth and vibrant with good acid balance, it is harmonious from start to finish. The winemaker’s motto is: “Pour now. Live for today.” So, yes, it can be served chilled. And with the discount, the price is close to $20 a bottle!!
91 Norm Roby
2018 Amor Fati, Santa Maria Valley Santa Barbara County Grenache Murmur Vineyard
“Wow” is the first impression and the amazement continues as the wine unfolds. Darker than most, this Grenache displays aromas of ripe dark fruits, spice, and hints of lavender, thyme and earthiness. Medium-bodied and loaded with lush, dark fruit, currants and spice flavors, it is plush and has soft tannins that bring it to a strong finish. Powerful, but not over-done with oak in the background, it should age well for 4 to 5 years, but it is lovely now. This cool-climate Grenache is easily one of the top five I’ve ever tasted.
97 Norm Roby
2018 Amor Fati, Santa Maria Valley (Santa Barbara County, California) Syrah Murmur Vineyard
From the same vineyard used for the winery’s Grenache, this is exciting cool-climate Syrah. Amor Fati, which means “love of one’s fate,” is made by the Tooth & Nail Wine Co. based in Paso Robles. For their Syrah, they source fruit from the Murmur Vineyard, which is located about 12 miles from the Pacific. Minimally handled, the wine was aged for 18 months in French oak, 30% of it new. Dark, opaque in color, it is a concentrated, brooding wine that needs time to unfold. With aeration, it displays deep blackberry and black pepper fragrances with some olive and earthiness in the background. Medium full, but no monster, it is well-balanced, with secondary flavors of tobacco and plum. Needs time to unwind, but has all the right stuff.
94 Norm Roby
Love Paso Robles Cabernet? Of course you do.
Well, this following wine could be the best deal of all Paso Cabs for less than $20:
2020 Tooth & Nail Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles
Don’t delay. Go to the website for the discount code.
You can, as always, thank me later
3 Retailers Making A Case for Case Deals
http://www.reversewinesnob.com
The 3-day sale from vintage wine estates, mentioned in my last post, was just the opening salvo in what is looking like a great Autumn for hunting wine deals.
But not a bottle here, a bottle there. Let’s focus on stocking up on wine, replenishing your cellars, and preparing for a long winter by buying wines by the case.
Free shipping, or 1 cent shipping on a case is possible and is a real big deal. It saves you about $40, the normal price for shipping a case of wine.
Then factor in special discounted prices, if they are real, and you shouldn’t hesitate.
Great deals seldom last long for obvious reasons.
As for strategy,
You don’t need to be a genius or an expert.
Go with what you like and don’t be tempted to try something totally unfamiliar by the case.
In other words: Don’t fall for some sommelier’s suggested rare wine from Greenland or the next cult Potato wine from Idaho.
Explore the most successful online retailers (not the wine clubs with their made up brands and labels) offer real wine.
Wines that are bottled at the winery, and not trucked in tanker trucks 100s of miles to some custom bottling cellar.
Not custom made wines, or somebody’s leftovers.
Shop for Wines from proven wineries with track records. Wines from proven places.
Let’s get specific. Every friday morning, a website named napacabs.com offers
Wines by the case at serious discounts and free shipping.
Here’s what looked good to me at http://www.napacabs.com from the most recent offering, and prices are for 12 bottle cases:
These are fine wines selling for $12 to $15 a bottle for those of you not into math.
Ironstone, arguably, makes the best Lodi Zin and its Old Vine tops the list.
La Playa is one of Chile’s most reliable names, especially for red wines.
Both Malbecs are the real deal, and at $12 a bottle, are so much better than what’s available in supermarkets or online giants.
Cabernet from Paso Robles is a no brainer at this price. A fellow wine writer wrote this in the Wine Enthusiast: “This is a fairly amazing wine for the price, competing with bottlings that are four times the cost.” Oh, and he rated it 92 points.
Coming Soon:
Now that you’re curious, let’s move on to another big wine retailer, www.WTSO.com. This former flash seller now has a wide selection of wines to go along with the daily deals.
So here’s the big news: from October 26 through the 28th, WTSO has scheduled a special case sale with wines selling for $120 a case, shipping included.
It’s worth emphasizing that WTSO also stocks real wines. Wines with a proven track record.
As I write this, it is offering several wines at extremely attractive discounted prices:
Such as
And this website regularly scores many fine values from Rioja, Chianti, and Bordeaux.
But I don’t know what specific wines will top the list over the 3 day sales. But each day there will be new wines in the mix.
Still hesitant to buy a case? Okay, how about great 6 bottle deals, then?
Best site is one called reversewinesnob.com
I’ve been following this one for a long time and, overall, it gets high marks.
Shipping for 6 bottles is usually a flat $5.
Best recent example is the 2017 Canoe Ridge “The Explorer’ Cabernet from Horse Heaven vineyards for $13.33 a bottle when buying a 6-pack.
The site also recently offered the much sought after Kukeri Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast.
There you have it.
I rest my case.
Super Savings: 2 Days Left
If This is your Wine Mantra:
Just say “no”: to over-hyped “culty wines.”
Wines are for drinking.
You wouldn’t pay $20 for any Pinot Grigio.
But the Swanson Pinot Grigio at $12.60 might get a look.
Then check this sale out
Running from October 21-22nd
At www. vintagewinestates.com
https://www.vwecellarevent.com
With 1 cent case shipping!!
Browse the large offering, find a wine, go for it.
3 that caught my attention:
2017 Kunde Family Estate Zinfandel at $12.10 a bottle
2017 Firesteed Chardonnay Willamette Valley $11.90
2015 Qupe Syrah, Edna Valley $20.80
And a Columbia Valley Cabernet for $13.20 also sounds like a fine deal.
What are you waiting for?
You can thank me later
August 26 and 27th
9:00 am Napa Time
Plus, FREE GROUND SHIPPING on ALL ORDERS (contiguous states)! TRUE, UTTER MADNESS. Yup, you read it right — FREE SHIPPING ON EVERY AND ALL ORDERS, regardless of # of bottles.
That’s it – madness it is, and all first come, first served!!
This year is different & This is Awesome!!
This 2021 marathon is all about TEACHERS, supplies, and support. We’re donating $1 per order (last one was 83,000) to the Napa Valley Education Foundation to directly benefit teachers’ needs for nearly every school in Napa County, many of which are strained to the maximum post-Covid.
A Little Background
I have bought from this site, and never had a problem.
I also still enjoy the crazy, super-paced descriptions.
Based upon the flash sale model, lastbottlewines is headquartered in Napa Valley and has been gaining momentum and clients since its humble beginning in 2011. Its Three partners (Cory Wagner, Stefan Blicker and Brent Pierce) have good connections in the wine world.
If you order too late, you get an empty wine case image with the not so subtle snooze you lose message. If you happen to buy the last bottle, they give you a $25 credit.
The comments are obviously aimed at millennials with an overuse of CAPS, preponderance of buzz words from awesome, bang, boom, wow, and references to a killer Vintage or “Rockstar winemaker. Then you usually encounter more exclamation marks and 3 dots than your English teacher ever thought possible in one paragraph.
So many ROCKSTARS, so little time. The 2018 Ridge Lytton Springs quickly sold out.
The 2016 Luna Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford was an out and out steal.
Other recent examples of wines offered that’ll rock your world are excellent Brunello and Barolo. Recently a 2016 Douro was tempting as was a Malbec from Cahors. Yes, they have an importer’s license and can offer super discounts on imports. Sorry I missed out on a super St. Emilion, the 2016 Château Haut-Sarpe, the real deal from St. Emilion.
I couldn’t resist the 2019 Sauvignon Blanc from Matahiwi Estate, NZ, for $10. The 2018 Rivetto Langhe Nebbiolo for $18 was so tempting. And so on and on…
Direct from the winery: Navarro Vineyards
take advantage of three wines perfect for casual sipping this Spring:
2017 Chardonnay, Mendocino, $18 $216 case)
2017 Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley $18 ($216 case)
2018 Pinot Blanc, Mendocino $13.75 ($165 case)
Now the details:
Bottle Prices are for one case, 25% off regular bottle price
Shipping is one cent, yes, only one penny per case!
Why We Like This Deal:
Check these and other Spring deals at www. NavarroWine.com
Final Four NCAA basketball, Spring Break, and Baseball is Back.
Add Easter weekend, Passover, and we have all kinds of reasons for special sales offers and deals.
We began the season by following 36 candidates, each claiming to have the best deals for members, exclusive offerings of super-duper values, rare wines and great vintages and, of course, the next cult wine.
But we are now down to the 4 teams that have been working the hardest to offer exceptional wines and/or exceptional deals.
has played extremely well over the last two weeks.
It continues to find new ways to score, locating unusual wines such as the
Vaughn Duffy Pinot and Sauvignon Blanc.
Current exciting offers:
2013 d’Arenberg d’Arry’s Original
Grenache, Shiraz | Australia, $14.99
2017 Sancerre, Laporte, $27.00\
Showing great depth with recent selections of a Hermitage, a Tollot-Beaut Savigny, and a Ribeiro Blanco from Galicia, a ballsy play. Also outstanding Gigondas but the Bouzy Rouge was odd. Here are examples of an unusual find and a rare culty wine:
2017 Ribeiro Blanco, Galicia $22.00
2016 Coche-Dury’s Meursault “Les Chevalières, $75.00
These folks have truly upped their game recently. A longshot a few months ago, this week it turned heads with several exciting wines. I liked the way it balanced big names and excellent discounts:
2015 Beaulieu Vineyard Private Reserve Cabernet, Napa Valley for $89.99 (regularly $149)
2010 La Colombina Brunello di Montalcino, $29.97
2013 Geyser Peak, Alexander Valley Reserve, $19.97 (60% off)
Made it into the final four for being so unpredictable but always managing to come up with a surprise play. An excellent Muscadet for under $10 or the 2016 Cos d’Estournel for under $200 may seem unlikely, but this site has them both. I am wildly impressed by the depth of the offerings from the Loire Valley.
Two versatile players:
2018 Bourgueil, Domaine Cotellergie, $16.76
2016 Scott Paul Pinot Noir, Chehelam Mts, $19.71
What about the pre-season favorites and especially www.vivino.com with its 35 millions fans?
That’s a story for another time.
So, I have to confess my picks for the Sweet 16 college teams did not fare well. Each one has, alas, gone home.
My game is online wine shopping, and here is my choice for one of the Final Four
garagistewine.com is the most peculiar online retailer I follow. One reason is that its founder Jon Rimmerman who has been offering wines for over 20 years often presents his daily offers late at night. He is based in Washington State which may explain some things.
He sometimes seems a bit chatty and becomes so excited and enthusiastic that he might belabor a point about a particular wine or region.
He is also insistent about when he will ship your wines and specifies the required temperature and humidity for proper shipping.
But these minor quirks are greatly offset by the pluses.
I enjoy reading his detailed notes because he truly knows his stuff. His background insights about vintages and regions are extremely useful. He is particularly on top of the vintage variations in France’s Burgundy and the Rhone.
He provided a detailed report on 2016 and 2017 based on travels and tastings throughout France and it is spot on. His remarks about 2015 and 2016 Bordeaux are the most reliable in the wine trade.
His analysis of 2016 in Burgundy and of the 2017 Northern Rhone are some of the best I’ve read.
And to this fellow Loire Valley lover, he has the inside track on Loire Valley wines:
“2018 is one of those “pinch me, this can’t possibly be true?” red wine vintages in the Loire. I can’t really compare it to anything else – it has the ripeness of a vintage like 1989 but the freshness of 1996 (another classic year.”
He also looks closely for super wines from Washington, of course but also Oregon. A recent Washington Tempranillo was remarkable.
He often locates super wines under $15 a bottle.
Here are examples of recent offerings:
He recently offered a lovely Provence Rose for sale at $9.99.
He found “the best Bordeaux you’ve never heard of” from 2011.
He comes across as frank, as in these recent notes:
“This is fastidiously produced Chardonnay without a smidge of pretense but the stuffing and expression to, well, pummel just about any other example from outside the Burgundian reach under $30. In addition, the impact is from fruit, stone and clarity, not from alcohol, wood or from winemaker strategic manipulation/enhancement.”
Or
“If you think “bargain” wine is devoid of potential pleasure or cannot be in the league of top-drawer entrants, guess again. This wine can easily compete with Sauvignon Blanc at 2-3 times the $ and many of its competitors are not as delicious to drink.”
Sometimes to keep prices low, he suggests buying 6 or 12 bottles or more which may seem like hype and hustle, but I think he is sincere and honest in his emphasis on offering value.
A maximum number of bottles a person may purchase is always listed, ranging from 6 to 60.
Pros:
Wildly eclectic selection not found elsewhere.
Excellent prices
Seeks out biodynamic and other green products.
Cons:
Complicated shipping procedures and delivery dates but only to assure wines arrive in fine condition.
Now offered by a website that usually over-hypes, and over rates every wine. But it got this one right!
The revamped Eden Rift winery is the old Pietra Santa Winery in the Gavilan Range of San Benito County. That’s not too far from Calera.
I credit SF Gate’s Esther Mobley for discovering this winery and writing about the new developments in San Benito several months ago. She is a brilliant wine writer worth following.
The website offering this wine is http://www.vivino.com which typically mentions Robert Parker and then describes the wine in stange language such as: “A World Premiere — Profound Wild Berries and Violets! Legitimately Spectacular!”
And adds, “This Pinot Noir will put you back in your seat. The tension and vibrance is memorable…”
Impressed by the “profound wild berries,” its sommelier on duty rates it 98 points. Lucky guy, he apparently never tastes a wine rated below 95 points.
My Rating: 94 points
My bad: As much as I enjoy berries, can’t remember any as profound.
Sensible facts:
The winery is owned by Christian Pillsbury.
Cory Walker is the winemaker who was assistant winemaker at Calera.
The Eden Rift name draws from Steinbeck’s East of Eden and the fact that the area sits on the San Andreas Fault.
$22.99 is an excellent price, 40% below retail.
See www.vivino.com
Yes, 2015 is an excellent vintage for most of Bordeaux. I was there during the early harvesting.
The vine in the close-up photo is Merlot at Chateau Monbousquet a few days before the harvest. The best winemakers have sorting devices (often people) that remove the raisined grapes prior to fermentation, in case you were curious.
And yes, 90+ scores are so plentiful as reviewers went crazy when the wines were sampled early on. So there’s little meaningful guidance if you go by the scores.
My buying strategy is to prefer the 2015s from St. Emilion by a slight margin. The growing season favored Merlot which made St. Emilion and, of course, Pomerol, the hit of the year.
www.wine.com just announced its first big offering of the 2015s. No discounts but plenty of choices and shipping options. This is a major, well-established, and reliable seller. See my detailed review at http://www.bestonlinewineshopping.com
My focus, as always, is on wines that are authentic, true to their region, can be enjoyed over the next few years and represent excellent value.
My top 5 picks of 2015 Bordeaux under $35.00 at http://www.wine.com:
Chateau de France, Pessac $24.99
Château Haut Brisson, St. Emilion $31.99
Tour Saint Christophe, St. Emilion $34.99
Château Cantemerle, Haut Medoc $34.99
Château Fombrouge, St. Emilion $34.99
Norm Roby's Unfiltered Guide to Savvy Wine Shopping 