My Wine Guarantee
I am well aware what happens at 99% of wine tastings' in Minnesota and that is why I serve only the best wines for the money. Many restaurant tastings are run by distributors who want to sell you wine not provide the best for the money.
If we need to ship wines in from another state (legal only) then that is what I will do to save you the consumer money and time. Since I don't sell wine for a living, I don't have any pressure to serve wines I represent.
My research is the best in the business and my pricing can't be beat at any corporate function. I challenge anyone to come up with a better line up of wines for the money.
It is actually cheaper to hire me to plan your corporate event then to attempt to do it on your own. I am the best at negotiating wine pricing in the Twin Cities.
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Under $25 Gems
Wines at some of the recent tastings:
2006 Dr. Loosen Wehlner Sonnenuhr Spatlese Riesling
Color: Medium gold
Nose: Mineral, honey, apple
Taste: Slate, honey, nice acidity, crisp
Finish: Medium with slate, honey, sour apples
Evaluation: Slate as in Terroir here. A great before dinner sipper or try with some fresh fish. 92 points
2004 Jeff Runquist “R” Petite Sirah
Color: Dark Purple
Nose: Plum, cherry, smoke, earth tones
Taste: Spice, violets, smoke, pepper
Finish: A lot going on in the finish with floral notes, pepper, cinnamon, and moving into a buttery finish. The finish is pushing two minutes and is multi layered.
Evaluation: This is one of the more interesting wines I have had this year with so much complexity going on it is incredible that I paid around $25 for this wine. One of the best values of the year! 94 points
2005 Conquista Mendoza Reserva Malbec
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Toasted oak, plum, cherry, vanilla, the fruit is intense
Taste: Toasted oak, spice, floral, plum, and earth
Finish: Spice, floral, crushed rock, earth, vanilla, buttery finish. This is a solid medium finish.
Evaluation: The best Malbec I have had to date. Extremely complex! 91 points
2006 Marquis Philips Shiraz
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Blackberry, plum, spice, black pepper, crushed rock
Taste: Blackberry, plum, spice, black pepper, crushed rock, flavor, tannins smooth
Finish: Long and impressive. Totally balanced wine with all of the above.
Evaluation: Number one wine under $15 of all time. 93 points
Over $25 Gems
2003 Leeuwin Artist Series Margaret River Chardonnay
Color: Medium gold
Nose: Big with apple, oak, vanilla, pear, and noticeable alcohol
Taste: Wow with oak, vanilla, apple, pear, spice
Finish: Long with a nice buttery finish. Spice, oak, pear, vanilla on this multi layered effort.
Evaluation: Third best Chardonnay I have ever had! 93 points
2002 Shafer Relentless Napa Valley Syrah
Color: Dark purple
Nose: Big with pepper, spice, plum, cherry, oak
Taste: Wow. Best US Syrah to date with pepper, spice, plum, cherry, oak, vanilla
Finish: Long and satisfying. Complexity is amazing.
Evaluation: This wine will improve with age and is a great value at $55. 95 points
2004 Domaine du Pegau Cuvee Reservee Chateauneuf du Pape
Color: Dark purple (darkest wine)
Taste: Medium tannic structure with plum, mineral, cherry, crushed rock, violets, and raspberry. I had to analysis this one very carefully as there was a lot going on here.
Finish: LONG with raspberry, mineral, crushed rock, violets, and cherry. No funk on this wine.
Evaluation: Buy and cellar. Drinking great tonight after 4 hours decanting but ten plus years will do this justice. 94 points
2004 Joh. Jos Prum Graacher Himmelreich Auslese $$$$
Color: Medium gold
Nose: Honey, tropical fruit, mineral, Intense!
Taste: Wow. Honey, slate, peach, pear, and really balanced
Finish: Long and intense.
Evaluation: A treat to say the least. 94 points