Team C&J
Wine Searcher – $3.7K Sav Blanc???
Wine-Searcher has a nice read on the most expensive Sauvignon Blancs. Screaming Eagle tops the list at $3,705. The Wine Cellar Insider writes of the 2013 vintage: “Fresh-squeezed grapefruit is at the core of this wine from the nose, through the finish. Add in fresh flowers, honeydew melon, and green apple with refreshing acidity, and you get the picture.” Others who have the luxury of tasting this wine agree, and the great white scores an impressive aggregate of 93 points.
Or you can buy 115 bottles of the Cliff Lede 2021 Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley) which cost $32 per bottle, and Wine Enthusiasts scores it at 94 points.
The Drink Business – Wine buffs fooled by Aldi’s cheap wine stunt
And moving on with wine price snobbery… The Drink Business reports on an Aldi stunt.
But although the guests thought they were drinking fine wine from the world’s top vineyards, they were supping wines that cost as little as £4.99.
Attendees of the show spoke about the aromas, balance, acidity, and earthiness of the wine before it was revealed what the wine was.
Hard to make a wine that isn’t heavily manipulated or that price. So not sure how anyone was fooled. But…
To wrap up this price discussion, Meininger has a nice article about the ever-increasing price of the Sub $15 bottle of wine. And the push for Premiumization.
SF Chronicle – Best wineries to visit in the Bay Area, 2024
Heading to the Bay Area. San Francisco Chronicle Writer Esther Mobley has compiled a list of her top wineries.
We have covered several these wineries here at Cork and Journey, including Hendry and Frogs Leap. This is a nice list, and if you are heading to Napa/Somona wine country you may want to check this out…
We are fans of this small Omakase restaurant in downtown Laguna Beach. And it turns out that so are the people over at the Michelin Guide. Congrats to the team at R|O for all of their hard work. It’s not easy to get a star! On the downside. R|O does not allow any outside Alcohol.
Last week, it was Easter Island; this week, it is Contra Consta. And that is really all we can say about this exciting AVA news. 🙂
SF Chronicle – How much does it cost to open a tasting room in Napa? We have the receipts
And back over at the SF Chronicle, Jess Lander has a nice write-up about what it costs to open a tasting room in the pay area. Here is the bottom line…
● Start-up costs: 21K+
● Construction: 11K+
● Appliances: 6K+
● Interior Design: 11K+
● Branding: 13K+
● Total Cost $64K+
And they still don’t have all of their permits yet.
SevenFifty Daily – We’re Entering a New Era of English Still Wine
And if you have ever had any doubts about climate change. Well, the SevenFifty Daily has a nice article about the amazing quality of wine coming out of Great Britain.
Écluse Wines: Family-Owned Paso Robles Wines
Écluse Wines was founded by Steve and Pam Lock in 1997.
This 30-acre boutique winery is located on the West Side of Paso Robles and is known for producing small-batch wines from Rhone varietals like Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre and some nice red blends. Here is our review of their 2023 Écluse Rosé.
And if you are in the Paso area, you will want to check out our guide to a Perfect Weekend in Paso Robles.
And to keep the Paso Robles theme, our restaurant of the week is the Cello Ristorante & Bar. The Cello Ristorante & Bar, located within the beautiful four-star Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles, is the upscale-casual dining option you’ve been looking for in Paso Robles. And it has a very reasonable $20 Corkage fee.
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