I continue to
be reminded that I am a very inconsistent blogger. Sorry about that. I continue to hope that I will get better at
this.
Those of you
who know me and those who have followed this blog know that I consistently try to
find the best wines at the best value.
After all, if you’re paying $100 or more for a bottle of wine, it ought
to be great.
In this quest
I have become a HUGE fan of négociant wines.
Négociant wines are those made by one wine maker and labeled by the négociant wine company.
Famous and prestigious wine makers often make more wine than they can
use. Once they have built their brand
and the demand for their wines, they have an interest in controlling the
supply. Here is where the négociant wine
company comes in and negotiates a price that is often pennies on the
dollar. Sometimes the wine is purchased
while in the barrel or vat, other times it is already bottled. In some cases the original wine maker will
even put the new, secondary label on the bottles.
There is a
shroud of secrecy surrounding these wines.
There is nothing like a nice confidentiality clause in a contract to
keep the price of those big name wines up and constant. Why would you pay $60 for a label when you
can get it for $16 on the négociant market?
In most cases, at least for me, the taste of the wine is far more
important than the label or knowing the pedigree of the vintner.
Of course
buying wines on the secondary market requires a certain amount of trust but I
have been working with these wines for several years with my friend, Hunter
Vogel, of KitFox and Treasure Hunter wines.
Today I want to introduce another company that works to provide great
wines at value prices: Cameron Hughes
Wines: http://www.chwine.com/
Last week,
the Mid-West Territory Manager, Steve Wiley, stopped by with about a dozen
wines. I believe Steve covers 7 states,
but he spent about an hour with me and I tasted through the collection. (I know, you feel sorry for me!) I brought in four of the wines.
Remember that
most of these négociant wines are very limited in their availability. In many cases there are just a couple hundred
cases for national distribution.
Consequently they will move through our inventory very quickly. My hope is that we will continue to have
these wines presented so that I can bring them to you.
While the
wines are great, the labeling is confusing.
All the wines are named Cameron Hughes followed by a lot number and then
the varietal. Depending on the offerings
there can be a number of any varietal each with a different lot number. It does save them from coming up with clever
names for the wines, but as their offerings grow, I think it might be hard to
keep the wines straight in your mind.
Here are the
wines we have:
Ø
Cameron
Hughes Lot 217 Russian River Sauvignon Blanc 2009 with a retail of $8.99
Ø
Cameron
Hughes Lot 240 Albarino 2009 with a retail of $12.99
Ø
Cameron
Hughes Lot 271 Russian River Pinot Noir 2009 with a retail of $15.99
Ø
Cameron
Hughes Lot 258 Malbec 2010 with a retail
of $9.99
Just an idea
of how limited the distribution of these wines is, all of these wines are
currently sold out on their website. I
was going to be lazy and send you there for the information on each of them
but, alas, I will tell you why I brought them into the Inn.
The Lot 217
Sauvignon Blanc tasted like a tremendous value to me. It has the great citrus notes that have
really taken over from the herbal characteristics that once typified the
varietal. Sauvignon Blanc is summer to
me. At the end of most days you can find
me on my patio enjoy a glass or two.
Lot 240
Albarino is from Spain and one of the less known white grapes. For years and for the same money I have purchased Martin Codax Albarino which is
distributed in the Gallo family of wines.
When I tasted Lot 240 it had the characteristics of the Martin Codax but
a richer color, a more intense nose, and a bit more body. I couldn’t pass it up.
The Russian
River Pinot Noir that is Lot 271 has more of the earthiness of a French
Burgundy and less of the fruitiness of a New World Pinot Noir. I generally tend toward the New World style. I know that some of you prefer a bigger, dryer
wine. I don’t remember tasting a pinot
noir of this complexity at $16 a bottle!
The final
wine on this buy is the Malbec that is Lot 258.
This wine is from Argentina, the place on the planet where this grape is
most popular and most produced. Malbec
was originally a blending grape in the Bordeaux region of France, a region
where by law all wines are blended. Each
grape brings a particular quality to the party.
Malbec principally brought color and tannin (the compound that brings
the dry pucker to wine). Years ago, when
I first tasted Malbec as a varietal wine, it was too tannic, it was difficult
to drink. Over time, the winemakers have
learned to balance the tannins with the fruit qualities of the grape. While still a deep red wine great for grilled
meats and BBQ, the added fruit qualities actually move it into a New World, fruity,
food-friendly style.
If you’re interested
in any of these wine, stop by. Mark your
calendar for the Cameron Hughes Wine Dinner that we will have on Friday,
February 15, 2013 at The Wooster Inn.
