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Please note that many of the items in this email are available in limited quantities. As a result we must reserve the right to allocate them as fairly as possible. |
| Frequently quoted wine publications |
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Weekly Wine News: 4/3/07
By Sterling Pratt
 Weekly Wine News is is published every Tuesday evening. It contains wine news, opinion, and special sales info for our subscribers. Weekly Wine News is available by email or at our website, Schaefers.com, and it is also posted in our store. |
Big Reds - Small Allocations
For this week's email we've assembled an unrivaled selection of amazing reds that need your immediate attention. There are cases available of a few, but only bottles of others. When you've made your selection, please get back to us immediately so we can put you in the running for some of the greatest, most collector-worthy reds we'll see this spring.
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Termanthia 2004, Castilla Leon, Spain - Due: one week. $179.97/bottle. Extremely limited. Order now.
"100 points. Believe it or not, the 2004 Termanthia is even better than the Numanthia. From an 11 acre plot, 2600 feet above sea level, planted with 100+-year-old ungrafted vines, the yields were well under 1 ton of fruit per acre. The wine was barrel fermented and received the "200% new oak" treatment over 20 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Opaque purple-colored, the wine has an awesome nose which is already multi-faceted. There are elements of pain grille, lead pencil, mineral, violets, blueberry and blackberry with just a bit more subtlety and nuance than its two colleagues. On the palate the wine is an infant developmentally with densely packed ripe fruit, sensational balance, and a seamlessness that must be tasted to be believed. It should age like a great vintage of Lafite or Latour and have at least a 50 year life span. If you have a soul, sell it to the devil for a few bottles of this extraordinary liquid. There are only 1500 bottles for the American market." - Wine Advocate
Termanthia 2003, Castilla Leon, Spain - Order for pick up next week. $159.97/bottle.
"96 points. A 'thermonuclear' fruit bomb, the 2003 Termanthia is a selection of the best grapes from the finest parcels that was aged in 100% new French oak for 20 months, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. It is an incredibly rich, dense purple-colored offering that possesses all the characteristics found in the Numanthia in addition to extra fragrance, intensity, and richness. Already drinkable, this stunning Spanish red will be fascinating to follow over the next decade."- Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
**Order the pair, one bottle of each, for $324.97, and save even more!**
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Rubicon 2003, Napa - Order for pick up next week $115.97/bottle.
 Call me star-struck. Is it the Coppolla connection? No, I don't think so. Francis Ford C. has made several of the iconic films of our generation, and yet still makes great wine. Rubicon has always been  one of my all-time favorites from Napa. And it struck me as I was reading what James Laube had to say about the 2002 in the Spectator: "For those who seek a Bordeaux expression from NapaValley, this is a good candidate." Exactly! This may be why this wine consistently misses the "98" point scores reached by some of their neighbors - it's just not that big a fruit bomb. When I tasted this against the 2003 Ducru-Beaucaillou, this was clearly the more expressive and balanced and promising of the two. Always a success! Highly recommended at Schaefer's.
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| Heitz "Trailside" Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, Napa - Order for pick up next week $89.97/bottle.
 Years ago I was blown away by the amazing Cabernets made by Joe Heitz, one of Napa's legendary 20th-Century pioneers. The unique nature of his Martha's Vineyard Cabernet, with its mint and elegance was always one of the finest examples in my memory bank of what used to be. Then I lost track of the Heitz wines. The Martha's Vineyard had to be re-planted due to phylloxera, and many of the later Napa Cabernets I tried instead were too big, not the world-beating wines Heitz could make. Wow! Where have I been? And this is where I disagree with James Laube at The Wine Spectator. He gave this 2001 only 82 points. I say he's just wrong. The 2001 Trailside Cabernet is an excellent example of the best of the best. Balanced, with claret-like pencil box definition on the nose. Dryer than the lush, sweet fruit bombs popularized in Napa recently, this easily rivals any second-growth and should be added to any collection of similar wines. |
| Paul Hobbs "NapaValley" Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 - Order for pick up next week $79.97/bottle.
 Little needs to be said about Paul Hobbs' reds. These are benchmarks anywhere you can find them. Always scoring in the low 90s in the Spectator reviews, this is a serious Cabernet collector's wine. We have a tiny amount available, and like the Chardonnay, will have to allocate it. Please call or email us today. |
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Two Outstanding Whites - Welcome New Arrivals
 Paul Hobbs "RussianRiver" Chardonnay 2005, Sonoma, Napa - Order for pick up next week $49.97/bottle.
One of the world's superstar winemakers releases wines in such small quantities that we sometimes see almost none of it. Paul Hobbs' reputation has grown every year to the point where he is now revered as one of the most talented individuals on any continent. The 2004 scored an impressive 92 in the Spectator last year, but we can guarantee that if you want to see what they say about the 2005 it'll be gone. This is a beautiful wine to snap up now.
 Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Marlborough - Due in the store later this week (good supply promised) $19.97/bottle.
What better way to start off Spring than with a case of the southern Hemisphere's most exciting Sauvignon Blanc? This wine is hand-crafted from estate fruit grown on some of the best sites in Marlborough. Ivan owns about 35% of the vineyards supplying CloudyBay, maker of "New Zealand's most famous wine," says The Wine Spectator, and is "a benchmark for Sauvignon Blanc, not just in New Zealand  but the world." Dog Point yields are low and the grapes are hand-harvested. The winemaking is non-interventionist. Bottling is done insofar as possible without fining and filtration. The resulting wine is intense, complex, with racy natural acidity and ripe, full fruit flavors. Hand-harvested, fermented cool in stainless steel. Racy and complex with incredible texture. "Concentrated, with a ripe wash of guava, grapefruit, lime and gooseberry flavors. Mineral accents and fleshy sweet-and-sour nectarine notes carry through the lingering finish. 91 pts." -- Wine Spectator
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 Free Tasting This Saturday, 11-5
Join us as we lay out a range of Easter-perfect wines and foods to try. Get your ideas and advice before the big family dinner. We're also glad to see our friends from North Shore Distillery here, 11-5 sampling their latest creations. Also, Black Tie appetizers will be here with their easiest, tastiest treats.
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Learn Italian The Easy Way! Wine Class April 12
 Join us on Thursday, April 12 at 6:30 for a class on the wines of Southern Italy. This is a territory that has been receiving a lot of critical acclaim as of late, with a great variety of intriguing wines from the spicy Nero d'Avola of Sicily to the sleek Greco di Tufo and regal Taurasi of Campania. Among the featured wineries will be Mastroberardino and Feudi di San Gregorio from Campania, Tenuta La Querce of Basilicata and Cusumano and Donnafugata from Sicily. The class will be taught by Italian wine authority and former Schaefer's employee, Tom Hyland. Hyland has made 30 trips to Italy and writes about these wines for several publications. The cost of the class is $40 per person. To enroll, please do not contact Schaefer's. Contact Tom Hyland, who will be handling enrollment. Seating is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Contact Hyland at (773) 293-6790 or by email at thwinewriter@comcast.net.
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Wine Find Of The Week
 The perfect cross-over white. And perfect for fish! It's still chilly outside, not as steamy as August, so what we're preparing for dinner may be grilled or seared. And as any great chef will tell you, March and April are the greatest months for fresh seafood. So stock up on this great white Chateauneuf-du-Pape from Domaine du Vieux Lazaret, the 2005. Crisp, but complex, with a subtle scent of mushroom and Cerignola olive; this makes our short list for grilled salmon steaks or fire-roasted scallops. $25.95 a bottle.
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Two Very Special Champagne Events!
Join us for two special events featuring the delicious Champagnes of Laurent-Perrier in two equally wonderful venues!
On Thursday, April 26, there will be a VIP dinner at the Kendall College dining room (312-752-2328). Kendall College Dining Room is an extraordinary classroom that has produced some of the finest chefs and pastry chefs in the Midwest. It provides students the opportunity to gain real-world experience in a professionally run fine dining restaurant under the supervision of Kendall's experienced faculty. This evening's event will pair meals by Kendall College students with the beautiful bubblies of Laurent-Perrier.
On Saturday, May 19, there will be a second chance to experience Laurent-Perrier's lovely Champagne, with a delicious brunch at Convito Café and Market (847-251-3654), located in Plaza del Lago. Convito Café and Market has provided Chicago's North Shore with 20 years of excellence in two different formats: as Convito Italiano, a celebrated Italian food & wine market that recently combined with Betise Bistro, its sister restaurant. Together, the revised Café offers dishes which best reflect the homey flavors of the French and Italian countryside.
Contact either venue for more information, or call Schaefer's
at 847-982-WINE (9463).
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Droplets
Some droplets of interesting wine news you may have missed. Just click the links for interesting reading.
California cult wineries fight fakes with technology
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See you next week!
 That's all for this week. If we may be of any further service, please stop by our store at 9965 Gross Point Road in Skokie (for directions, click here), visit our website at http://www.schaefers.com, give us a call at 847-677-WINE (9463), 800-833-WINE (9463), or click here to contact us.
Sincerely,
Your Friends at Schaefer's
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