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2004 Panarroz, Jumilla. Just put out today at the Pentagon City store. Robert Parker reviewed in issue #159 of the Wine Advocate thusly:

"The 2004 Panarroz may be even better than the 2003, which received the same rating. Even better news is that the USA received 60,000 cases of this 42% Mourvedre, 38% Grenache, and 20% Syrah blend. An amazing value (RP lists it at $9), it boasts an inky/ruby/purple color as well as a big, sweet nose of scorched earth, chocolate, blackberries, and cherries, and an opulent, medium-bodied, fruit-filled personality with lovely glycerin, a savory texture and a pure, long finish. One hundred percent tank-fermented and aged, it is a gorgeous Spanish red to drink over the next 1-2 years. Don't miss it! Importer: Dan Kravitz, Hand Picked Selections, Warrenton, VA..."

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Not a cheap wine find, but may provide an opportunity to find one.

UNDER-$10 TASTING (Thur, Mar 30, 6-8 pm) -- With wine prices on the rise in recent years, it may sometimes seem difficult to find exciting wine values these days -- you know, incredibly good wines that sell for $7 or $8 a bottle.  Believe it or not, super bargains are still available at low -- sometimes almost incredible -- prices.  Want to see what we mean?  Join us this Thursday for a grand tasting of some of the best value wines we can find, all of which price at under $10 (some well under) -- and that's before the tasting bar discount!  Selections include a Moscato-like sparkler, a sensational South African Shiraz, textbook Argentine Malbec, and mouthwatering Muscadet.  Of course, you'll still enjoy the tasting bar discount on all your favorites.  At these prices, you can also afford to buy them by the case and save even more!  Reservations are not required; just stop by anytime between 6 & 8 pm.  Hope to see you there!

The Curious Grape

4056 South 28th Street

Arlington, VA 22206

703-671-8700

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Hello all,

On Sunday, I am co-hosting a co-ed, non-traditional baby shower (no baby games, etc.). Among other things, I am responsible for purchasing the wine. We are expecting about 40-50 people or so. I am looking for wine that's under $10 a bottle. Under $8 would be even better.

Since I am looking to spend far less that $15 per bottle, I started this thread. I did check the under 15 thread and found a couple of fairly recent recs under $10, so I will try to find them, but if you have seen or enjoyed anything "cheap" recently, i'd love to hear about it. Thanks!

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Hello all,

On Sunday, I am co-hosting a co-ed, non-traditional baby shower (no baby games, etc.).  Among other things, I am responsible for purchasing the wine.  We are expecting about 40-50 people or so.  I am looking for wine that's under $10 a bottle.  Under $8 would be even better. 

Since I am looking to spend far less that $15 per bottle, I started this thread.  I did check the under 15 thread and found a couple of fairly recent recs  under $10, so I will try to find them, but if you have seen or enjoyed anything "cheap" recently, i'd love to hear about it.  Thanks!

I recently discovered Jip Jip Rocks 2004 Shiraz at Arrow Wine in Arlington, for about $10. It's a really fine wine for the price. Arrow Wine usually features a 6 pack of the month where you get 3 whites and 3 reds at a discounted price from a specific region. This month it is wines from Spain for around $74! I have been picking up this 6 pack for the past few months, and I have never been disappointed by the selections. The link below will take you to the Newsletter for May. I hope this helps

http://arrowine.com/news.html

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Hello all,

On Sunday, I am co-hosting a co-ed, non-traditional baby shower (no baby games, etc.).  Among other things, I am responsible for purchasing the wine.  We are expecting about 40-50 people or so.  I am looking for wine that's under $10 a bottle.  Under $8 would be even better. 

Since I am looking to spend far less that $15 per bottle, I started this thread.  I did check the under 15 thread and found a couple of fairly recent recs  under $10, so I will try to find them, but if you have seen or enjoyed anything "cheap" recently, i'd love to hear about it.  Thanks!

You may want to look at a good Muscadet. I enjoy the Muscadet de Sevre et Maine from Chateau di Chasseloir. According to wineaccess.com it is available at Calvert Woodley for $8.99/btl.

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2004 Falesco Vitiano received 90 points from the Wine Spectator which is an absolutely remarkable score for a wine that lists for $11.99. Many stores in the D. C. area are selling this for under $10 including Calvert Woodley where it is $7.99. Columbia Crest Grand Estates is another very good under $10 label; their merlot and cab are both $7.99 also. Estancia cabernet is $9.99 there. Magruder's has Guigal Cotes du Rhone at $8.99 for the first two bottles, $9.95 for all additional. Columbia Crest Grand Estates is $8.99 there. (Note the distinction: Columbia Crest has a number of labels.) A bit more expensive is 2004 Shotfire Ridge for $12.99 at Paul's who have all of the above wines at or under $10.00. Marquis Phillips at $11.99 is worth a serious look, too. Total also carries all of these and, if you buy by the case where there is a 10% discount, you may be in the same ballpark for price.

Last, Paul's is probably sold out of this but if you go there look for one bottle of 2003 Altos de Luzon for yourself. At $13.99 this is an unbelievable wine: 93 points from the Wine Spectator and their #44 wine of last year. It lists for over $20 but Paul's has been extremely competitive on it.

Edited by Joe H
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If you are going to Costco for party food, pick up some Panarroz Jumilla 2004, a rich, Spanish red quaffer which is an amazing bargain for $6.79 (Parker gave it 90 points). I was just at the Pentagon City store early this week, and they have refreshed their supply. There's lots of it.

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If you are going to Costco for party food, pick up some Panarroz Jumilla 2004, a rich, Spanish red quaffer which is an amazing bargain for $6.79 (Parker gave it 90 points). I was just at the Pentagon City store early this week, and they have refreshed their supply. There's lots of it.

I had this last night with some steak, and it was very nice for ze price.

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Here's an update on my purchases. I went to Ace Beverage, and Joe picked out three whites and three reds for me, two bottles of each. I wish I could tell you what I purchased (I fully intended to do so!!!), but in the craziness of the shower, I lost the notecard on which I'd written the information. Bummer!

I will share with you what is written on my receipt (as best I can decipher it), but I don't know vintages, etc.

Outrider

Louisvale Chardonnay

Mival Colonbard (spelling??)

Big House Red

Coston

Toscolo Chianti

(I also bought a case of beer and a jug of burgundy for sangria)

I really enjoyed meeting Joe. He handled my little wine order with great care. If you haven't been to Ace Beverage, then you should check it out. I know I'll be going back soon.

Thanks again for your help, dr.com world!

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Here's an update on my purchases.  I went to Ace Beverage, and Joe picked out three whites and three reds for me, two bottles of each.  I wish I could tell you what I purchased (I fully intended to do so!!!), but in the craziness of the shower, I lost the notecard on which I'd written the information.  Bummer! 

I will share with you what is written on my receipt (as best I can decipher it), but I don't know vintages, etc.

Outrider

Louisvale Chardonnay

Mival Colonbard (spelling??)

Big House Red

Coston

Toscolo Chianti

(I also bought a case of beer and a jug of burgundy for sangria)

I really enjoyed meeting Joe.  He handled my little wine order with great care.  If you haven't been to Ace Beverage, then you should check it out.  I know I'll be going back soon. 

Thanks again for your help, dr.com world!

Why, thank you Monique! It was a pleasure to serve you.

Here are the wines that you bought:

The Outrider 2004 (Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay) (Australia)

Louisvale Chardonnay (South Africa)

Domaine de Mirail, Côtes de Gascogne (Colombard) 2004 (France) *2005 is in now

Ca' Del Solo "Big House" Red (California)

Domaine Coston VdP Saint Guilhem le Desert 2004 (France) (60% Carignane, 40% Grenache)

Toscolo Chianti 2004 (Italy)

I hope that you enjoyed them all :)

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Okay, I didn't want to talk about this until I had tasted the wine and assured myself that it wasn't being dumped on unsuspecting buyers because it was heat damaged or something. It's damn good.

2004 Pazo Señorans Rias Baixas Albariño, which was rated 92 points by Robert Parker. His review in Issue 159 of Wine Advocate says: "From one of my favorite Albariño producers, the 2004 may be the finest Albariño Pazo Señorans has yet made. Low yielding (25-30 hectoliters per hectare) old vines planted in the northern sub-zone of the Salnes appellation have produced a wine with impressive texture (no doubt the result of the stirring of the lees). Exotic peach, apricot, pineapple and honeysuckle characteristics, superb ripeness and richness, good acidity and great length as well as minerality. This is a stunning non-oaked dry white to enjoy over the next 1-2 years."

From the revue, it sounds like you'll be slurping a fruit bowl. While fruit is unquestionably there, I found it somewhat subtle, and the minerality more prominent. I'm not a huge white wine drinker, but this is the style I prefer--dry as a bone, mouth-filling flavor and refreshing acidity.

In his guide, Parker indicates that the retail price for this wine is $25.00. I saw it at one store in N. Va. today for $19.99. I paid $8.99 at the Whole Foods in Vienna. I don't know if they got a special deal from Eric Solomon, or it's been hanging around and they want to clear it out, or what. But this is an astonishingly good wine for the price.

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Rodman's (Wisconsin Ave. NW DC) has some nice Italian wines at excellent sale prices for the next week - Zardetto Prosecco, Vitiano Falesco, Zenato Pinot Grigio, Di Majo Norante Sangiovese, Michele Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti - all at well under $10.00. Check 'em out!

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I hate to post about a wine I haven't tasted yet, but I trust myself on this one.

Some of you know of Steve Edmunds and the excellent Edmunds St. John winery, noted for syrah and red and white Rhone blends. He makes wine in a more elegant style, using virtually no new wood, a lot of 500L barrels (larger than the fashionable 225 and 300L most of the modernistes use), etc. I've been drinking his syrahs and blends since the 1993 vintage, and aside from his occasional forays into pinot gris, any Edmunds St. John wine at a decent price is a near-automatic buy.

Unfortunately, the Pax-heads of the world (goop! wood! now!) have relegated classicists like Edmunds too close to the scrap-heap for comfort. For that and other reasons, Steve has chosen to declassify his 2002 syrah (from four top-notch vineyards--Durell, Bassetti, Parmalee-Hill, and Wylie-Fenaughty) and bottle it all as one blend--"The Shadow." Those single-vineyard bottlings go for $40 and up at retail these days. This is less. Much less. Much much less.

I haven't tasted it. But several people on the internets whose palates I trust have.

And our man Riley can get us an extra extra extra good price if we can get a 5-case syndicate together.

Send me PMs. I'll be forwarding a compilation to Joe when we get to 5 cases (which, of course, is not a maximum). Send me your real names if I don't know you (so if he's not there someone else can ring up your invoice). You'll pay him. Please don't welch :P .

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I got a chance to taste the wine last night. It's yummy. Not particularly fruity. Like a good, soft Crozes-Hermitage, with lots of game, flowers, herbs. The tannins are pure. Not a whisper of a hint of wood. It's not a blockbuster (Steve made it, of course it's not a blockbuster), but ol_ironstomach and I sucked down half a bottle in about 15 minutes. From teeny-tiny plastique cups.

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A wine that I've had a couple times now that I've enjoyed is the 2002 Shooting Star Blue Franc Lembarger. Most recently was at a Holiday Party last night. Nice little spicy wine, though I do think it needs to be open for an hour or so to let the hotness on the end to settle down.

Around $12/bottle I've heard. My friend with the Holiday Party found it at Calvery Woodley I believe.

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I popped open my first bottle of "The Shadow" last night with dinner of peppered pork chops and fricasseed veggies in a mustard cream sauce. I'm a very happy boy. More exact tasting notes later when I pop Number 2 and remember to jot something down.

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My compliments to jparrot for setting up the Shadow buy and to Joe Riley for making it happen. We opened the first bottle of our case tonight and were pleasantly surprised at such a delightful wine for the price. It needs a bit of breathing time, but it has great flavors and lingers on the palate nicely. Definitely syrah, but in a lighter, European style rather than the fruit bombs of many Australia and California syrahs. Will go wonderfully with food (we had ours tonight with a smoked turkey tetrazzini, and the subtle smokey tones of the syrah went well with it).

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When I went to pick-up my case of Shadow (by the way a very nice wine), I asked Joe if he had any Cotes du Ventoux. Not many people carry wines from this often overlooked region of the Southern Rhone Valley. He did not have any, but offered to order some that he recently tried. So today I took delivery of a case of the Bishop's Selection CdV. Joe described this as a very old world style of CdV, rather rustic, something you would get if you were visiting Southern Rhone. It was just that. This is the type of wine that makes you want to buy a ticket on the next available flight to France, just to drink the table wine. An easy drinking wine for around $8 a bottle.

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In the ten buck neighborhood, I was surprised to find that the 2005 St. Urbans-Hof Riesling QbA (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) was not merely drinkable, but pretty darn enjoyable. Not much on the nose, but the initial sweetness gives way to a nice balance of mostly lemony notes with some grapefruit and other citrus. If you're not willing to stoop below a pradikat, they also offer kabinett versions, but the few dollars difference makes it a 40-50% more expensive proposition. Not sure where to buy this around DC.

And another plug for the 2005 Cantina Aurora Tortona Moscato Piemonte. I'd forgotten how bloody inexpensive this is (because it's Piemonte, not d'Asti)...Riley will fix you up. It's a smashing Moscato.

18447.jpgaurora-moscato.jpg

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When I went to pick-up my case of Shadow (by the way a very nice wine), I asked Joe if he had any Cotes du Ventoux. Not many people carry wines from this often overlooked region of the Southern Rhone Valley. He did not have any, but offered to order some that he recently tried. So today I took delivery of a case of the Bishop's Selection CdV. Joe described this as a very old world style of CdV, rather rustic, something you would get if you were visiting Southern Rhone. It was just that. This is the type of wine that makes you want to buy a ticket on the next available flight to France, just to drink the table wine. An easy drinking wine for around $8 a bottle.

AND, it has a Stel-Vin closure, too :P

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AND, it has a Stel-Vin closure, too :P

It was good to see Joe again after several years. The Shadow is a nice QPR if a bit light in the mid palate, very nice bouquet. Joe said he would like to stick this in a tasting of mid priced Nothern Rhones to see how it would perform. I think it would do well.

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It was good to see Joe again after several years. The Shadow is a nice QPR if a bit light in the mid palate, very nice bouquet. Joe said he would like to stick this in a tasting of mid priced Nothern Rhones to see how it would perform. I think it would do well.
I find the Shadow is consistently outperforming any number of wines costing 2-3 times as much. It's so great to be able to pull this out at the drop of a hat and have something delicious and drinkable.
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Hey, check your local Safeway. I just picked up several bottles of 2003 Clarendon Hills Grenache Blewitt Springs for $3/bottle. Yes, 3$! It retails normally for $80 and is a very well respected producer and a well rated bottle which should age well for 10 years or so. I guess when Safeway wants to get rid of it, they want it gone now.

My Safeway in the Cherrydale section of Arlington on Lee Highway has a few bottles left in a shopping cart back by the milk. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it and a big $3.00 drawn in red marker over the label. I guess Gallo buying Clarendon can get it into a Safeway set, but can't sell it off the shelf.

:o

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Good wine--super cheap alert. At Tenleytown Whole Foods, which has been selling wine for about a month now:

2004 Don Salvador Monastrell (dry farmed old vine--a Jocelyn Cambier import)

$5.99 a bottle. I didn't check to see if there is a case discount, but that would really make it an incredible deal. I bought a case of this from Arrowine a few months ago. It drinks like a $15 wine, and has a classy bottle and label. This is a seriously good deal. I brought a couple of bottles of this to the picnic. I've seen it for $7.99 at the Arlington Whole Foods.

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Good wine--super cheap alert. At Tenleytown Whole Foods, which has been selling wine for about a month now:

2004 Don Salvador Monastrell (dry farmed old vine--a Jocelyn Cambier import)

$5.99 a bottle. I didn't check to see if there is a case discount, but that would really make it an incredible deal. I bought a case of this from Arrowine a few months ago. It drinks like a $15 wine, and has a classy bottle and label. This is a seriously good deal. I brought a couple of bottles of this to the picnic. I've seen it for $7.99 at the Arlington Whole Foods.

I just found it for $5.99 at the Old Town Whole Foods and bought a couple of bottles. Thanks for the tip.

I reviewed this thread before going to Total Wine to pick a selection for their 10% off a mixed case sale, which is just about to end (the 9th?) and found it very helpful. If I had thought of it sooner, I could have made even better use of it.

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I reviewed this thread before going to Total Wine to pick a selection for their 10% off a mixed case sale, which is just about to end

Paul's in Friendship Heights always gives mixed case discounts. They even give discounts on 6 bottle mixed purchases. The more you buy, the higher the discount. And, then there is Joe Riley at Ace...who discounts by the bottle for fellow DR members.

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It's pushing the limit in this thread's title, but the 2003 Cotes du Rhone "Bellersuche" from Chapoutier is one of the most delightful reds I've had at any price in quite a long time. It drinks almost like a proper full-bodied Burgundy, with real race and class. $14.99 at Schneider's. If I had a cellar I'd buy cases of this stuff.

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It's pushing the limit in this thread's title, but the 2003 Cotes du Rhone "Bellersuche" from Chapoutier is one of the most delightful reds I've had at any price in quite a long time. It drinks almost like a proper full-bodied Burgundy, with real race and class. $14.99 at Schneider's. If I had a cellar I'd buy cases of this stuff.

CdR "Belleruche" is charming. The '03 is juicy, the '04 more subdued but very good. Keep an eye out for the '05. You may want to buy cases of that.

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CdR "Belleruche" is charming. The '03 is juicy, the '04 more subdued but very good. Keep an eye out for the '05. You may want to buy cases of that.
The Super Fresh in Spring Valley frequently puts the Chapoutier Bellaruche on sale for $9.99. I'm drinking the last of a case of 2003, which is very nice, and will post here when next I see it at that price.
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