Memorial Day is a good time to reflect on the sacrifices and services all of the American soldiers and veterans, Memorial Day is an opportunity for us to honor the people who work in the various branches of the military. Pinehurst would like to say ”Thank You” by offering all active duty military 15% off your purchase of wine, beer and liquor. Everyday - all year [...]
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A phenomenal wine with power and concentration, the 2008 Gunfighter Cabernet Sauvignon boldly explodes from the glass with aromas of blackberry and crème de cassis. Mouth-filling black fruit dominates the palate with hints of crushed rock, vanilla and licorice on a long finish. This is a lovely Cabernet from the small Scharf family vineyard on the southern slope of Dry Creek valley, and easily rates as one of the best values in California Cabernet.
Gunfighter Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Bottle Price: $32.99
Case Price: $329.99
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This is truly one of the most approachable entry-level Bordeaux values on the market. It has everything you want in a wine, beautiful color, great aromas and a fabulous taste. What is more – at $15.99 a bottle – it will not break the bank!
Deep dark purple coats the glass just as smoke and cassis release from the glass. Black fruit and dark chocolate coats your palate culminating in a good finish with plum-tinged, drying tannin that makes this the perfect companion for cheese and creamy sauced pasta dishes.
Read More...After many weeks of work – here it is – our new web site. We hope that you will be frequent visitors! Here you will find our new wine blog, with reviews on new wines, information on upcoming and limited quantity offers/tasting as well as some background on many of our wines. Watch for blogs on your favorite wines, or on those you have not yet tried. Leave a comment or a suggestion of new wines to review.
This week on the blog, discover why “Good wine makes good neighbors!” We want Pinehurst feel like a valuable place in our community, a place that you can visit online or pop in on your way home from work. So please visit frequently and let us know how we can better serve you.
We hope to see you soon!
Bob, Gordy and all the Pinehurst Team
There are few better ways to share time with friends, or those you do not yet know well enough to call friends, than over an open bottle of good wine. What better excuse to put away the weekend tools a little early, than to pop the cork on a refreshing bottle of wine and invite your neighbor to share.
Pop in to Pinehurst this week. Take a moment to explore the beautiful varietals we have in stock for the warmer months. Allow us to help you select from a range of wines for spring including – try a fruity Viogner or crisp and refreshing Sauvignon Blanc. Explore some Rhone blends ready for spring or some of the luscious red fruits in a west coast Pinot Noir. Go ahead – treat yourself right. Besides, wine is cheaper than a good fence!
Read More... Memorial Day is a good time to reflect on the sacrifices and services all of the American soldiers and veterans, Memorial Day is an opportunity for us to honor the people who work in the various branches of the military. Pinehurst would like to say ”Thank You” by offering all active duty military 15% off your purchase of wine, beer and liquor. Everyday - all year long.
Brooding and bold, the 2008 Gunfighter Cabernet Sauvignon explodes out of the glass with aromas of blackberry and crème de cassis. Mouth-filling black fruit dominates the palate with hints of crushed rock, vanilla and licorice on a long finish. This is a lovely Cabernet from the small Scharf family vineyard on the southern slope of Dry Creek valley, and easily rates as one of the best values in California Cabernet.
Gunfighter Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Bottle Price: $32.99
Case Price: $329.99
The 2009 Chateau de Brondeau is one of the most approachable entry-level Bordeaux values on the market. Deep dark purple coats the glass just as smoke and cassis release from the glass. Black fruit and dark chocolate coats your palate culminating in a good finish with plum-tinged, drying tannin that makes this the perfect companion for cheese and creamy sauced pasta dishes. What is more – at $15.99 a bottle – it will not break the bank!
Chateau de Brondeau 2009
Bottle Price: $15.99
Case Price: $159.99
After many weeks of work – here it is – our new web site. We hope that you will be frequent visitors! Here you will find our new wine blog, with reviews on new wines, information on upcoming and limited quantity offers/tasting as well as some background on many of our wines. Watch for regular updates on your favorite wines, or on those you have not yet tried. Leave a comment or a suggestion of new wines to review.
This week, discover why “Good wine makes good neighbors!“ We want Pinehurst feel like a valuable place in our community, a place that you can visit online or pop in on your way home from work. So please visit frequently and let us know how we can better serve you.
We hope to see you soon!
Bob, Gordy and all the Pinehurst Team
Robert Frost said “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors” but I think he may have been mistaken. Rather, good wine makes good neighbors. There are few better ways to share time with friends, or those you do not yet know well enough to call friends, than over an open bottle of good wine. As the days get longer and the yard beckons, stop for a second or two and consider that your neighbor is likely facing the same list of tasks. You have been inside for much of the winter and may hardly remember what they look like. What better excuse to put away the tools a little early, than to pop the cork on a refreshing bottle of wine and invite your neighbor to share.
Pop in to Pinehurst this week. Take a moment to explore the beautiful varietals we have in stock for the warmer months. Allow us to help you select from a range of wines for spring including – try a fruity Viogner or crisp and refreshing Sauvignon Blanc. Explore some Rhone blends ready for spring or some of the luscious red fruits in a west coast Pinot Noir. Go ahead – treat yourself right. Besides, wine is cheaper than a good fence!
Andy
Rioja refers to the region of northern Spain that makes some of the best Tempranillo-dominated wines in the world. Note that many Rioja wines will also include some Grenache to provide additional body. Bottles of Rioja may be labeled Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva to denote the amount of time spent on oak and aged in bottle. Crianzas are frequently bright and fresh. Both the Reserva and Gran Reserva more frequently display additional age-dependent complexity and characteristics of oak and spice.
This week I opened a bottle of the 2007 Covila II Crianza made by talented young wine maker Gloria Molinet. The wine is similarly a bright, young over-achiever. The wine is bright ruby in color, with beautiful aromatic blackcurrants and crème de cassis on the nose. The palate shows sweet tannin, with medium weight. Dark fruit melds with acidity to provide a good finish. Drink now – with tomato-based pasta. Do not be afraid to chill this a little! It will be a great red option for the heat of summer.
Andy
2007 Covila II Crianza
Bottle Price: $14.99/Case Price: $149.99
What is it that makes a wine great? Is it a storied Chateau from an even more storied vintage? Is it the discovery of that great little sipper for the bargain price. These are surely part of the story but I think we are missing something if these are the only things we consider.
I have been very fortunate, in my wine-loving life; to have friends much wiser and more experienced than I in the ways of wine. Perhaps equally important, they have also been very generous with their wine cellars. This means that I have had opportunity on several occasions to enjoy phenomenal wines that I might otherwise never have tasted. Interestingly, over time I have heard the same refrain from each of them – “A wine cannot be considered GREAT until it is opened and enjoyed with good friends”. Prior to that point it is just grape juice in a bottle.
The generosity of the phrase is genuine. You can see it in the knowing expressions on their faces as you swirl the wine in your glass and the smile on your face grows. It’s an experience you now share – the color, the nose, the palate, and the evolution of the wine in the glass. Even on those rare occasions when the classic wine has long since left behind its best years, there is no time spent grieving. After all, it is just “grape juice!” and there’s always another bottle waiting to be opened. The idea is equally applicable across the spectrum of wines. Alternatively a great wine can also be discovered in the simple act of sharing a new find of a great guilt-free quaffer that doesn’t stretch the wallet.
It might sound odd but like music or art, wine comes in all shades and complexities. Whether it is contemporary or classical, simple or thought provoking, wine can be enjoyed alone but it is so much more fun with friends. Find an excuse to share a bottle with a friend this week.
Andy
The numbers seven and eight may not immediately jump off the page at you but to Launny and Weezie Steffens they hold great significance. The Steffens’ own the spectacular Vineyard 7 & 8, on Spring Mountain (CA), and have dedicated themselves to the highest standards of winemaking. Seven and eight refer to lucky numbers in the US (lucky number 7) and China. The word for eight in Chinese sounds very like the word for wealth and has long been considered lucky. This fabulous family-owned winery bottles only four wines (two Cabernet Sauvignon and two Chardonnay).
Last week, I was fortunate enough to taste their “second wine”, the 2008 “7” Cabernet Sauvignon. Let me preface this by saying, do not be fooled by its description as a “second wine”! This is a quality wine, beautifully constructed with grapes sourced from some of the finest vineyards on Spring Mountain. The nose is a complex interplay of blackberry, raspberry, brown sugar and spice. The palate is full and long, with black fruit, plum and fig in abundance, showing some minerality and a hint of vanilla on the finish. Right now it benefits from an hour or more to breathe before drinking. It will also evolve beautifully in the bottle over the next 3+ years to shed its youthful tannin. This is a serious effort and should be enjoyed over the next 10+ years, with someone you love – or wish to impress!
94+ points, Andy
2008 “7” Cabernet Sauvignon
Bottle: $99.99
Case: $999
Located in the far western expanse of Argentina, Mendoza is the largest and most important of Argentina’s wine producing regions and accounts for over two thirds of all grapes grown. Mendoza sits in the eastern foothills of the Andes that partition Argentina from Chile. Its vineyards are some of the highest altitude vines in the world, growing 1,500-3,500 ft above sea level. Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo and Torrontes are among the most important grapes grown here but more recently, Mendoza has also emerged as a producer of high quality Chardonnay. I want to introduce you to two of many fantastic Chardonnay options from Argentina.
2010 Viño Cobos Felino Chardonnay – Although the Viño Cobos winery is, in part, the inspiration of genius vintner Paul Hobbs, I was still (pleasantly) surprised by their 2010 Felino Chardonnay. Yes, it had classical warm climate Chardonnay features of citrus (primarily lemon) on the nose, accompanied by melon
– all in ample quantity and beautiful proportion. It was the palate that caught me by surprise. A creamy, really creamy, citrus tang – imagine Key Lime cheesecake that combines with tropical fruit and white peach to fill out a voluptuous palate with just enough acid to balance. In this case the creamy palate comes from a second (malaolactic) fermentation that rounds out the edges, providing an excellent finish to a glass-coating and impeccable wine. This will be great over the next 2-3 years but at this price – enjoy it any time now.
2010 Viño Cobos Felino Chardonnay, Mendoza, Argentina
Bottle: $18.99
Case Price: $189.99
2010 Catena Chardonnay – Wine making at Bodega Catena Zapata dates back to 1902, and is to this day a family owned estate. Most famous for their Nicolás Catena Zapata (95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec), they now make a range of wines including high end Malbec and Chardonnay. The 2010 Catena Chardonnay is a beautiful pale green-tinged, golden Chardonnay
from Bodega Catena Zapata. Initially more muted on the nose than the Felino, yielding faint aromas of apple and white blossom. On the palate, the Catena shows pear, mango and good minerality with a hint of buttery vanilla. Grapes grown on these high-altitude vines result in a well-balanced wine, with palate-cleansing acidity, that provides a great companion for food. This is a great wine for quaffing on the patio on hot summer days or for raw oysters and light fare with company. This is an outstanding value from Bodega Catena!
Andy
2010 Catena Chardonnay, Mendoza, Argentina
Bottle: $16.99
Case Price: $169.99
The 2009 Cap de Faugères is the baby brother of the famous Chateau Péby Faugères, and it is truly a remarkable wine. The Chateau Cap de Faugères lies in the Cotes de Castillon, immediately east of St Emilion, a picturesque region in which meandering country roads carve their way through rolling hillsides. The soils are considered an extension of St Emilion clay.
Cap de Faugères is a superb blend of Merlot (the predominant grape) with the remainder made up of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. This is clearly one of the values of this vintage. The nose carries black cherry and cassis to a palate of plum and black fruit mixed with smoke and a hint of vanilla. There is almost a hint of dark chocolate-covered espresso bean. The wine is framed by sweet fruit tannin that suggests it will drink well for a good 10 years but this can be enjoyed right now. Let it breathe for an hour to enjoy it best in its youth. This wine received 91 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.
Cap de Faugères, Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux
Bottle: $29.99
Case Price: $299.99
