Napa Cabs

Jonradus, just wanted to comment on your rating on the Showket Cab:
http://www.pawinetalk.com/detail/?id=1000854
I was wondering if you maybe got a bad bottle? Neither at the 3rd PIT tasting nor when I had a bottle at home a couple weeks ago did I get any heat or rough tannins. Granted I didn't get the urge to run out and buy a case but still...

They did have a bunch of Beringer Private Reserve Cab in the program several years ago. They got a string of vintages from 1995 to 2001, all were $60 (and later on had the '02 for $65), and each was "best price in the country." So while $20-30 would be great for that I gotta think it's not going to happen. Have you tried the Ramey Larkmead? I haven't had a bottle as it's still young but did have a taste at the wine festival last spring and really enjoyed it.

I remember the Showket at the 3rd Pitt Tasting event. I wasn't a real big fan either and gave it an average score. I thought it was a little "off" compared to the other wines.

I also remember the old Beringer Private Reserve Sale. I bought the 1996 for my 10th wedding anniversary and brought it to St. Martin. My wife fell asleep early after a long day at the beach, dinner, and drinking so I got to consume most of the bottle :-)

btw.....the nude beach is not always as great as anticipated!

I did get some of the '01 and '02 Beringer Private Reserve a few years back and still have three '02s and two '01s (wish I would have bought more of the '01) . What I meant by the $20 to $30, was to mark it down to around $70 from $100. I know they're not going to have it for $30. If they did, I'd buy all of it.

You know what, I haven't tried the Ramey Larkmead yet. But, I definitely will now. That has been catching my eye and it is now time to try it.

I guess I've just had a bad run on the Chairman's Selections Napa cabs recently. The Showket was no good, the Rockledge and Carini were okay, and the '01 Mondavi Reserve was just pretty good. Maybe I'm just expecting too much from them. I loved the '00 Modavi Reserve a couple years ago (still have one left), and I do really enjoy the Chalk Hill cab they have right now (but it's not a Napa cab, so it was hard to lump it in).

I'm going to try the Carini Cuvee 65 one last time tonight and see what I think of it. I'll post a review later tonight. My fingers are crossed...

jonradus

The Cabs that were CS at year's end (which sounds like the batch you bought into) were a bunch of $35 deals - that's a big difference in price point from the Beringer Reserve's or even the discounted Mondavi Reserve. Usually the $35 point is a pretty good bet for the better CS surprises but the '05 Napa Cab hype was pretty big. Could be a $35 Showket in '05 would have been $20 in '04.

If you're in the $60-$80 market the quality steps up quite a bit & PLCB brings a fair amount of Napa Cab in that range (though not in CS). Year-in year-out the Ch Montelena, Caymus, Duckhorn, Charles Krug, Phelps & many lesser known labels that would restore your faith in Napa. The Carini 65 probably won't...

Yeah. I was extremely happy with the Montelena Estate cabs being marked down to $60-$70 on the pawineandsprits website. The closeout section offers great deals on wine, but you've got to check it everyday so you don't miss out. I contemplated on the d'Yquem ($150) for a few hours because it was above my normal price-point and it instantly sold out. I was lucky enough to snatch up four of the '04 Cos d' Estournel ($60) before those were gone...in a day I might add. Does anyone happen to know how often and when they update the closeout section on the website? They also sometimes have seasonal deals on regional wines. I remember the Burgundy deal a few months ago. What's the frequency on these deals also?

I read all the other posts in this thread and I can't get the image of J2K out of my head on a nude beach. Thanks man.

About a year ago they said that they were going to be having monthly sales, and for several months they did. But eventually they stopped and there hasn't been one for a while now. I'm thinking/wondering/hoping that they'll have another Chairman's Selection blowout to make room for new arrivals, but it's purely speculation at this point.

Incidentally I was in California (but not wine country) for all of 72 hours last week and visited a couple stores. I almost picked up a bottle of Shafer Hillside Select for bigred to bring to the Cab tasting -- $220 but I know he's good for it -- but it was an '05 and probably not ready to drink yet. Was also tempted by '05 and '06 Lewis Reserve Cabs, have read lots of goot things but never had. But at $115 I managed to restrain myself.

eric

My younger is a psych major at Pitt & may be able to get you into a researech project for traumatized adults. It's mostly for post-traumatic stress & the like but if you explain j2k a little they may understand how deeply disturbing the image is (not to mention the Shiraz oveload)

@Mark: "About a year ago they said that they were going to be having monthly sales, and for several months they did. But eventually they stopped and there hasn't been one for a while now. I'm thinking/wondering/hoping that they'll have another Chairman's Selection blowout to make room for new arrivals..."

Word I got was that, at about the time of the last sale, the CS team changed leadership. The New Regime came in stating that they did not want to have any more of these sales, because they felt they damaged the brand. So far they've held the line on this. They also wanted to make this possible by buying smaller quantities of better wines, and aiming for sell-through. Not as sure about this one, though I have noticed narrower distribution on some things.

At this point, I find myself playing retail chicken with the PLCB, waiting for them to break. But a lot of the things I'm interested in have been dropping off the list while still at full (CS) price, so maybe they win... this round!

By the way, Admin types: the quoting function seems to be unavailable - just gives me an "Undefined" message.

"Damage the brand"? What a joke. It's not like we have a choice. If you are right Capaneus (and I have no reason to doubt you) then it is just another example of the sad state of wine in PA. Those sales were one of the few things the PLCB had going for it, in my opinion.

Not sure whether I'm "right" - it's what I was told, and the sales do seem to have stopped. What I inferred about the thinking is that they felt people were doing exactly what we seem to be doing: holding off buying at the initial price in the expectation of an eventual big markdown.

I have no idea whether the new approach is working: like I said, I missed out on a couple of things, but I have no idea where the program stands,overall, other than vague rumors about slow sales. Certainly seems like a perverse choice of economic circumstances to choose to hold a hard line.

My fear is that this will turn into a gradual death by strangulation of the whole CS program, as declining sales dictate smaller buys which lead to lower sales, usw. Be a shame if that happened, particularly at a time which could, if handled differently, be full of possibilities for a buyer like the PLCB.

Corrected!

Thanks

Mark, the 05 Lewis Reserve is a huge wine. If you like muscular cabs and dont mind a little heat, it definitely for you. Havent had the 06. 05 HSS is awesome with a little air. Seems to be on the same curve as the 04, which never shut down...