This week, we introduce “Nota Bene,” a periodic Wine Economist column that briefly highlights short stories that might otherwise escape attention. Use the Comments section to let us know what you think and to suggest future stories.
I suppose it was inevitable that we would stumble across Five Buck Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. After all, there is a lot of surplus Cabernet out there, even in Napa Valley, and at some point, someone is going to decide that getting next to nothing for the bulk wine is better than getting nothing at all. Still, it was enough of a surprise that we took this photo at our local Grocery Outlet store.
Using the “Rule of 100,” a $5 bottle of wine suggests that the grapes were purchased for $500 per ton. That’s unlikely since the average price of Napa Cab grapes has been hovering around $7000 per ton for a while. Someone suffered a big loss somewhere along the supply chain that produced this wine. No, we didn’t buy any of it. Made me sad to see it on the shelf.
(See Blake Gray’s Wine-Searcher column for more on discount wine today.)
Rediscovering Rex Hill
I guess we sort of lost track of Rex Hill Winery. Rex Hill was one of the pioneers in Oregon wine and it was also one of the first wineries we visited when we started visiting the Willamette Valley in the 1980s. Significantly, Rex Hill was built around its vineyards, specializing in vineyard-designated bottlings and the strong reputation those wines earned.
Recently we had the opportunity to taste Rex Hill Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and the Rex Hill Seven Soils Chardonnay. They were both delicious (the heart of Rex Hill is still beating), but the Chardonnay was especially impressive. Sue and I agreed that we’d be very happy to drink it on any occasion.
Diving into Vinho Verde
We started with two single grape variety Vinho Verde wines, an Alvarinho and a Loureiro. Both are Vinho Verde, but so very different. The varieties and the corresponding blend possibilities make for many potential styles of Vinho Verde wine.
But that’s not all. A second pair of wines, Solos de Granito and Solos de Xisto, highlighted the different of soil types for a single grape variety. Interesting! They were so intense and so different, too, both from each other and from our expectations regarding Vinho Verde and Alvarinho wines, too. The Granito was full of tree fruit flavors, golden apple evolving into pear. The Xisto was all about structure and minerality. What a difference soil type can make! A really memorable experience.
And a final pair of wines, which we hope to taste soon, promise to take our explorations to the next level. Parcela do Convento Loureiro and Parcela de Roseiral Alvarinho are single-vineyard expressions of Vinho Verde featuring the Loureiro and Alvarinho grape varieties. Can’t wait to see (and taste) what’s next.
Wow! There is more to Vinho Verde than we thought. That’s a rabbit hole we’d be glad to dive into!
We started today’s Nota Bene with a story about bargain Napa Cab and we end with a story about bargain Napa Chardonnay. This photo shows the bargain board outside our local Metropolitan Market that recently caught my eye. That’s a pretty big discount on a name-brand Napa Valley Chardonnay from a recent vintage. What’s the story?
The explanation became clear with a quick peek at the back label. It was in English and French with the required Surgeon General’s warning pasted on a separate label. No question in my mind: This wine was bottled for the Canadian market, which is a market that doesn’t really exist in the way it used to because of regional boycotts of U.S. wine and spirits.
First time we’ve seen this situation on store shelves, but I understand ex-Canada market wine is available on discount re-seller websites. Have you seen it? No, we didn’t buy any. Made me sad to see it on the shelf.