Summer & Fall 2001

Cellar Notes on the Web: A Change in Our Delivery

This is a shortened version of our normal Cellar Notes to alert our readers that we will be going exclusively to a Web Site edition for future issues. This is the trend for most newsletters we subscribe to, and we wanted to participate in the newest medium for communication by including our own newsletter. There will be an option for those who do not have internet access.

Simply contact us and we'll produce a printout edition for you. Our Web Site offers us the opportunity to update our communications to our clientele on a more frequent basis. At the same time it becomes more cost efficient. Previous issues are available here on the Site as well.

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Vintage 2000 - Bordeaux

We haven't seen so much hype and activity surrounding a Bordeaux vintage as we are witnessing for the 2000 Bordeaux Futures. Prices have soared dramatically and there has been some rationing of supply. Demand seems extremely strong, particularly for the higher priced First Growths and the hand crafted, small production wines. The prices for both 1998 and 1999 were very high, and yet 2000 has moved into another plateau for the top wines of the vintage.

Many of the retailers and distributors of the 1999 wines presently hold unsold positions, with the wines not due for release until early next year. Some have bundled the 2000's that have a strong demand with the unsold 1999's, in an attempt to reduce their positions in the 1999's. We have managed to acquire a broad selection of the 2000's even though we refrained from purchasing the 1999's.

Our Futures Offering for 2000 is available through our Web Site, or we'd be pleased to provide our readers with a copy. Please call our Service Desk to obtain a copy of our Offering.

Vintage Bordeaux 2000 is a very good vintage. The wines are generally well colored, with ripe tannins, excellent concentration and depth of fruit, all built on a firm structure of good acidity. Overall consistency throughout the region makes this vintage stand apart from some others, as there are many wines which are harmonious, rich and with excellent keeping power.

Demand has been exceptionally high, probably in no small part because of the strength of the U.S. Dollar. The year 2000 marks a change in Century, and therefore there is a strong demand to include such wines in collectors' cellars. The prices for the First Growths aside, there are many excellent wines from this vintage that are affordable, and will make excellent wines for your cellar.

Our 1998's have just arrived and we have a broad selection of these wines available at some extremely attractive prices. You may want to check these out.

Change is part of our everyday lives and appears to be escalating rapidly, with new and exciting technology touching virtually every aspect of our lives. The wine industry is no exception, as we have witnessed dramatic changes there as well.

Over the years of visiting wine producers we have seen much change in the vineyards and also the wineries. Mechanization and computer technology have become more commonplace, and have contributed to improvements in the wines.

Changes take place at The Wine Cellar, too, and on the previous page we are notifying our readers that future issues of Cellar Notes will be published exclusively on our Web Site. For us it's a much easier medium for communication, and it's much more economic, too. Each issue of Cellar Notes that we have mailed out results in a number of returned items, as changing addresses are not current. We'll continue to make issues available to those who may not have access to the internet, of course, but it will be on a request basis.

With our current Offering of 2000 Bordeaux, some may ask how the wines will age. That's a question for speculative answer. Hopefully they will, and there is much evidence in the wines themselves to suggest that they will keep for a very long time.

A suitably aged Bordeaux offers great pleasures. I've commented in previous issues of Cellar Notes on the 1970 vintage - how it initially didn't receive the generous accolades of the critics. These same critics changed their views when it became apparent that all of the elements within the wines were in perfect harmony. I'm still enjoying these wines, and opened a couple of bottles of the 1970 Chateau d'Angludet from my cellar earlier this week. The ullage was just above the shoulder of the bottle ; the colour was dark and rich in appearance ; the bouquet was marvelous and the wine glided effortlessly over the palate, with fine structure, and extended to a very long fruit laden finish. Really superb.

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Cellarmaster's Notebook

Another change at The Wine Cellar will allow me to spend more time pursuing other endeavors - some long overdue projects at home, playing more tennis and golf, and catching up on reading some books and other publications not connected with wine. I will not disappear altogether from the shop, though, and plan to be there from time to time, and also do some travelling to the wine regions. This cutback in my day to day involvement is made possible with the appointment of Wade Brintnell as Managing Director. Wade has been with The Wine Cellar since 1989, and is an integral part of our concept of customer service. As a full partner in the business he has demonstrated a strong understanding of our business and the wines we carry, and he has earned the right to implement his own style of management. Lorraine has been urging me for the past couple of years to reduce my activity at the shop, but it's been difficult to back away from something I have enjoyed so much. I still hope to see many of you from time to time, but I know you are all going to enjoy working with Wade.

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Cellarbuilder: Eight Years and Still Going Strong

As we look back on many of the innovations we pioneered in our market, the one that seems to stand out is our Cellarbuilder Program. Commenced in August, 1993, we have since introduced nearly 100 new and exclusive quality wines to a group of customers seeking wines upon which to build their personal wine cellars. We purposely limited participation in the Program so as to keep it viable and also within a price point that remained attractive. Many of these wines have since become regular stock items for us, while others could not due to limited supply from producers.No part of the wine world was exempt from our scrutiny to find new products for the Program, and we even included some Futures purchases from Bordeaux and Burgundy.

Throughout the eight years of this Program there has been some turnover with our members, but each time there has been someone stepping in to replace the departing members. The tastings have been fun, although we probably haven't held enough of them. Hopefully that will change commencing this Fall. If this Program is of interest to you, please contact Wade directly for a complete explanation of the Program.

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