The first perfect (100pt) score ever awarded by Robert Parker to an American wine was to the 1985 Groth Reserve Cabernet. Their new releases have just arrived in the store and I took the chance to sample through them.  Yes, yes – I hear you say it “lucky man”, and I am but you can be too.  So take a look at my notes and place your orders.

2012 Groth Sauvignon Blanc – Beautiful wine that shows grapefruit and melon with hints of white flower and orchard fruit. The nose and the palate are perfectly matched. This was a lovely wine. Sale Price $19.99/btl (Retail $24.99/btl)

2012 Groth Chardonnay – This wine surprised me. It showed a wonderful blend of lemon zest, allspice, nutty, toasty, creamy components that won me over.  This was a beautifully complex but lacking the flab of some buttery or tropical CA Chardonnay. I enjoyed this in the garden on Saturday evening – a great way to end the night. Sale Price $25.99/btl (Retail $32.99/btl)

2010 Groth Cabernet – This is a muscular beast of a wine that needs some air time or bottle age to really show its elegance but once again not a flabby wine. On the nose it shows plum skin, black fruit and stone dust.  The palate opened over time in the decanter – showing lots of blackberry and cherry. Again spice and rustic earthy minerality featured laid upon a firm tannic frame that will surely soften with time in the bottle. Thoroughly enjoyed this Sunday with burgers on the grill. Sale Price $59.99/btl (Retail $79.99/btl)

2009 Groth Cabernet Reserve – “From the winery’s estate vineyard, on the eastern side of the Oakville appellation, this Cab is incredibly lush and delicious. It dazzles with rich blackberry, cherry pie, currant and cassis liqueur flavors, perfectly accented by sweet, smoky oak. It’s soft in tannins, yet ageworthy.” 93 Points Wine Enthusiast Sale Price $99.99/btl (Retail $125/btl)

Bonus wine this week!

2009 Mt Veeder Cabernet – Great gobs of black currant and blackberry predominate in this wine providing a platform which is embellished by cinnamon and cocoa, stone dust and evidence of new oak. It is another brawny, muscular wine but retains good focus and length on the palate.  This wine is discounted almost 45% – an unbelievable deal. Sale Price $29.99/btl (Retail $52.99/btl)

If you are interested, please call Bob/Gordon (410-435-5200) or email (andy@pinehurstwineshoppe.com) ASAP to avoid disappointment, and mention this email to ensure the best price available.

Every now and again I have the chance to taste a flight of wonderful wines with some of the great distributors who sell to Pinehurst. Last week – I met with the representative from Elite Wines and tasted three outstanding wines.  So even before we have had the chance to order mine, I am telling you about them. If you like the sound of these wines, get your orders in quickly.

2011 Domaine Les Vieux Murs Pouilly Fuissé – $22.31/btl. Great nose, typical of the appellation  – hints of white flowers, fresh squeezed lemon and limestone/chalk. Supple but intense front of palate feel almost buttery but held in check by focused acidity – great presence of citrus peel with lemon and white blossom. The palate is broad but the fruit remains focused and shows great length enhanced by the slightly dusty (chalk) minerality – finishing with nutmeg/spice. A gorgeous white wine for the spring/summer. Andy, 90+ points

2009 Weese Family Winery Rockpile Cabernet, Sonoma, CA – $44.63/btl. Wow, what a gorgeous mouthful of wine (87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot) – but let me take a step back. In the glass it is a beautiful opaque, deep ruby – paling but not translucent at the rim. On the nose an effusive complex aroma of boysenberries, black currant, bitter-sweet chocolate, coffee, vanilla and spice. It invites you to dive in. Equally complex on the palate the dark blue, black and red fruits meld together, shrouding finely grained fruit tannins, edged by great acidity and hints of cured meat.  This wine is in great balance.  Only 400 Cases produced and our allocation is by presale only – order now!  This wine is huge but structured – not a flabby fruit bomb.  These vines have worked hard to retain any water in the poor soil and at the elevation at which they are grown – above the fog line, giving a little extra sunlight and intensity. I would really like to taste this wine again in 5-10 years and think it will drink well in to 2025 and beyond if properly cellared. Andy 92-94 points – my scores may edge to the higher end as this baby settles down & further integrates it’s fruit and tannin.  I believe the acidity and minerality will ensure it’s aging potential.

2007 Ca’ La Bionda Della Valpociella Amarone (Corvina) $48.45 per btl. Amarone come from an area just north and west of Verona and is a style of wine not everyone is familiar with.  Grapes grown in this area of Veneto are not usually over ripe. Their maturation is normally impeded by cool breezes and summers that rarely get consistently hot – providing wines that are light in structure and high in acid.  However, rather cleverly, winemakers in the area have learned to partially desiccate / dry their grapes after harvest, intensifying their flavors. One might then expect the wines to be sweet but these undergo a lengthy fermentation which, in the right hands, render bone dry, intensely flavored, age-worthy and beautifully structured wines. 2007 Ca’ La Bionda Della Valpociella Amarone is one such beauty deeply garnet colored but translucent at the rim, the nose yields delicate notes of dried black cherry, cherry blossom, fig, plum, spice and  – the aromatics are intensified but remain fresh.  The palate in incredible – dried cherries, raspberries, cranberries, plums, consistent with the nose but embedded with great cured meat minerality, and acid on a stone dusty tannic frame. Mid-weight with great persistence on the palate. Andy 92+ points.  A real treat and provides the promise of 10+ years of pleasure under the right conditions.

If you are interested, please call Bob/Gordon (410-435-5200) or email (andy@pinehurstwineshoppe.com) ASAP to avoid disappointment, and mention this email to ensure the best price available.

Since  the re-launch of Pinehurst Wine Shoppe in September 2012 we have sought to  develop a brand identity, both we and, the community could be proud of.   We hope we have made good progress in this effort. One of the next steps  in this process has been to offer you a little something distinctive –  something you cannot get elsewhere and that you can enthusiastically share  with your friends.  Today, we take the next step in that process by  announcing the release of two wines assembled in direct consultation with our  staff, and sold under the Pinehurst Wine Cellars proprietary label.   We are very proud of them and we hope that you will all try them and  enjoy them too.

2011 Pinehurst Wine Cellars Chardonnay,  Santa Barbara County – is a beautifully styled Chardonnay.   On the nose it provides great summery notes of white peach, pear, orange  zest and white flowers. The palate is equally summery and pleasing.    A good zesty acidity with granny smith apples, peaches and pears,  good focus of fruit on the midpalate with hints of vanilla bean. The mouth  feel is smooth and supple with a long finish and great cleansing acidity that  means you can enjoy this with food or just sitting outside on a spring  evening.  If you refrigerate this, take is out of the fridge 20 minutes  or so before you drink it so you can fully enjoy the aromatics and palate on  this great little wine.  We tasted a selection of barrel samples before  we arrived at this final configuration and we are very proud of how it shows.   Try it now at the special price of $15.99/btl (Regular $19.99) – and  then tell your friends how good it tastes. Andy, 90 points; WineWiz 90  points

2011 Pinehurst Wine Cellars Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County, Bottle Price $15.99 (regular bottle price  19.99)
2008 Pinehurst Wine Cellars  Cuvée 5 – Proprietary Red Blend, Paso Robles – Pinehurst  may be best known for selling Bordeaux so, although we cannot make our wine in  France, we have found a way to bring you an outstanding Paso Robles  Bordeaux-styled blend. The Cuvée 5 is a blend of the 5 classic Bordeaux grape  varietals Cabernet (41%), Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot (15-17%  each), and Malbec (9%).

The  moment it pours into the glass you know it will be good – a beautiful, deep  ruby, slightly translucent at the rim.  The nose yields incredible notes  of black cherries, cassis and currant with intoxicating aromas of Black Forest  gateaux and mocha.  These notes persist on the palate, where blackberries  and black currant predominate, accompanied by crème cassis and bitter cherries  covered in dark chocolate. This is a well-balanced, food-friendly wine with gobs of mouth-watering fresh fruit acidity, finishing with a lingering plum  skin, cherry stone and spice.  A great little wine, and at under $16 per  bottle, this can be enjoyed almost anytime with grilled meats, cheese or  pasta. Getting wine this good from Paso Robles under $20 dollars is a  challenge but this is a great solution. The 2008 Pinehurst Wine Cellars Cuvée 5 holds its own, even among more expensive options. Andy, 89+ points; WineWiz 90 points

2008  Pinehurst Wine Cellars Cuvée 5, Bottle  Price $15.99 (regular bottle price 19.99)