Greatest Hits

We routinely introduce you to new products. Given that some are available in limited quantities, we think it's important to get that information out as quickly as we can. That being said, we're also going to re-visit some of the items that we currently carry, as a reminder that we have the best variety and value in New Jersey!

With Valentine's Day coming up next Friday, a sparkling wine is a great place to start this review. We know that lots of sparkling wine will be opened on February 14, and we think you ought to start with a Champagne.

L. Aubry Fils Champagne has already established itself as a top seller, and it's a great value as well. This non-vintage Champagne rated 92 points from Wine Advocate, and is only $34.99 in the Bottle Club®. That great price point makes it one of our most affordable true Champagnes. Citrus and mineral notes take the lead with green apple and pear flavors in the background.  A slight ginger note takes hold on the finish.  Aubry has a dry, clean style that has a very attractive green apple juiciness that keeps you coming back for more.

From the Wine Advocate review: "This contains just one-quarter each Chardonnay and Pinot; 45% Meunier; and a mixture of Arbanne, Petit Meslier and Fromenteau (a.k.a. Pinot Gris). Nearly half of it is reserve wine, and more than half of that from a solera going back to 1998. If that sounds like a recipe for delivering complexity, you’re right and won’t be disappointed! Bittersweet perfume suggestive of gentian and iris mingles with intimations of fresh lime and sea breeze that in turn manifest themselves on a seductively silken palate in both juicy, vivacious exuberance and mouthwatering saliva-inducement. A scallop-like sweetly saline and mineral amalgam takes hold in a vibrant finish that leaves me caught between the urge to linger and the urge to take the next sip. This exceptional value by appellation standards is almost sure to prove worth following for several years, even if, sadly, few wine enthusiasts are likely to put that prediction to the test."  

A personal favorite is the Mocali Fossetti Rosso. As an everyday wine, this hits the intersection of quality, value and taste just about perfectly. This is 100% Sangiovese Grosso, the grape used to make Brunello.  This smells like a Brunello and even drinks like one, but the Bottle Club® price of $10.46 can’t be beat.

The 100% Sangiovese Grosso in fermented solely in stainless steel.  This is a deep hearty glass of Tuscan wine with wonderful freshness of fruit.  Made from all Montalcino fruit; it's an incredible value from this zone.  Sangiovese Grosso has thicker skins and smaller berries, yielding a more structured wine with deeper fruits, all that is present here with spiced aromas and dusty tannins.  A wonderful introduction to the wines of Montalcino.

Italian wines are all about Amore, and that's perfect for Valentine's Day.

Of course, the French know about love as well. If you want a very nice red wine for dinner, after the Aubry Champagne aperitif, the Pierre Henri-Morel Côtes du Rhône Villages Signargues is a great choice. Signargues is the furthest South of all the appellations in the

Côtes du Rhône, and consists of four communities.

This also scored 91 points from Wine Spectator, making it another great value at only $13.96 in the Bottle Club®. From their review: "An elegant style, with silky texture and pure, unadorned bitter plum, blood orange and singed alder notes all racing along through the rooibos tea-tinged finish, revealing a buried mineral accent. Drink now through 2016." Our team adds, "Very silky and interesting.  It keeps changing in the glass.  Enjoy with pork, chicken or beef stews."

Our posts haven't given enough love to our beer department, so we want to mention one of our newer beers, Miller Fortune. Chris Spicacci, the Beer Supervisor at our Woodbridge store, just enjoyed a 6-pack and had this to say: "Miller Fortune is a golden lager brewed in part with Cascade hops to give it a citrusy bite and caramel malt to impart an amber hue. The flavor is moderately bitter with hints of sweetness, resting somewhere between a full-flavored craft beer and a light lager. 6.9%ABV."

Miller Fortune is available in 12 ounce bottles, 6- or 12-packs, as well as 24 ounce cans. The 6-packs are priced at $6.99, the 12-packs at $13.49, and the cans are $1.79 each. Miller Fortune is about instigating whatever the night has in store.

We hope that our gentle reminder about Valentine's Day will be helpful. As always, if you have questions, please ask our store staff.