Closeouts: Are they really a good deal?

I'm sure that many of you have seen quite the impressive number of price reductions, wholesaler and retailer based closeouts so far this year. Considering the weak economy and the steeply rising prices of many wines, it's only natural for there to be a large number of price corrections in the market, with many more ahead of us. If you closely scour a store's inventory, either by paying a visit to scan the shelves, or shopping online, you are likely to spot some terrific deals. Buyer beware, though. What seems like a good deal on paper may actually disappoint.

Though I'm in the business, I too am not immune to huge price reduction fever. I purchased a mixed case recently which I had thought would make me very happy in the months and years ahead. A few bottles '04 Chateau Brown Blanc at $12.99 (marked down from $29.99), six bottles of '06 Domaine Ostertag Riesling Fronzholz at $9.99 (marked down from $39.99) and a few '05 La Parde de Haut Bailly ($14.99, down from $29.99). All but the last wine, I think, were bad mistakes, even considering the huge savings. On the '04 Brown Pessac-Leognan, I remembered liking it quite a bit more, though it did follow a line-up of big, oaky, tannic '05 and '06 Bordeaux. What was relatively balanced, bright and tasty that day I have since discovered is just another oaked white wine I don't much care for, not even at $12.99. For the Ostertag, '06 was a far from stellar year in Alsace. Big ripe wines with more botrytis are the norm; even someone like Ostertag must have had a tough time producing wines which balance power, mineral and acidity. Granted for $10 a pop, it will be an interesting experiment to see where this wine is at in five years, though I'm not optimistic about the results. As for the '05 La Parde (Haut Bailly's second label), I'm cautiously optimistic as the wine is big, but also very mineral and Haut Bailly's stuff is a lot more honest and well made than many other Bdx out there.

So before you pull the trigger on any 'deals,' it may help to first remember what you actually like.

Dennis Bovell, DUB MASTER

For all the late night lurkers, the midnight ravers, blog trollers, and dub seekers, listen....

FAVA BEAN HARVEST!

The first larger harvest from our garden in a long while is these beautiful favas. Looking forward to sauteeing them up, and serving with some homemade quiche and a green salad. For wine, we'll probably go with an '04 Domaine Philipe Tessier Cour-Cheverny. OK, off to the kitchen to prep.

Enjoy your weekend.

Eric Asimov likes Terroir Natural Wine Merchant and blogs about it

Big up to Cory Cartwright for bringing this one to my attention.

And a huge congratulations of course to Dagan Ministero, Guilhaume Gerard and Luc Ertoran, for conceiving of and building up the coolest damn wine shop/bar in the United States. What I have learned from these guys by spending time drinking in their wine bar over the past year and a half or so has been invaluable towards adding to my understanding, and appreciation, of all things wine.

Authentic, confident, fiercely opinionated. That's how I'd describe these folks and their wine bar and shop. It's clearly more than a business for them; it's a vocation and a life's pursuit. That cannot be overstated and I have nothing but respect for these three.

So guys, keep that in mind when I start grumbling about how there is not enough room to even stand and drink after you earn your first print mention in the New York Times.

Here's the link to New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov's praise for Terroir in The Pour.

Brand Nubian - 'Slow Down'

Obvious classic here, going way back to 1990. Brand Nubian in their prime, with the terrific, chopped up Edie Brickell sample providing an ideal backdrop for Sadat X, Lord Jamar and Grand Puba (in that order) to rip it. CLASSIC.

Cider on Cinco de Mayo

On the left, Isastegi Sagarda Naturala, to the right, 2007 Henny's Still Cider - care to guess which one is filtered?

Leave all the margarita swilling, Corona sipping and Pacifico slugging to everyone else on this most amateur of amateur evenings. That's what I say, anyway. It's Tuesday night, the mood is right, and I decided upon a different course of action for el 5 de mayo, one that is near and dear to my heart: comparative tasting.

Recently I fell in love with Isastegi Sagardo Naturala, a natural Spanish Basque cider imported by that champion of all things Basque, Andre Tamers of De Maison Imports. The cider is essentially still, just slightly fizzy, and tastes of tart apples. It's sour, light, crisp, invigorating and most refreshing. Also unfiltered and very naturally made from apples indigenous to Pais Vasco. Only in really tiny harvests will the producer supplement with apples from Galicia and, if things are really rough, from France. While I doubted I'd find anything its equal for the price (usually $9-$11), I thought I'd give another highly reputed still cider a try, 2007 Henny's Cider from England. It's also imported by some passionate folks, the Shelton Brothers in Belchertown, Massachusetts.

The result? Henny's is definitely more appley, tasting more of the fruit and the juice that I recognize as an apple, and as a result also sweeter. Though sugar is added (as well as malic acid). The apple flavors are rounded out by darker, burnt brown sugar notes and a pleasantly bitter finish. All in all a very decent cider, but nowhere near as gulpable and impressionable as the Isastegi.

Pues, los vascos ganan. The Basques win (anyone care to offer a basque translation?) Regardless of the result, I'm just happy to have enjoyed a couple of tasty ciders and not have been stuck in an overcrowded dive taking shots of tequila with a back of Corona.

Chapeau Melon: Natural wines and Bistro in the 19th

[OK, thanks so much for bearing with the lack of activity on these pages of late. Collarbone recovery has been the focus of late. It takes me more time to do stuff - from work, to eating, to getting around, even sleeping - I seem to need an hour more sleep per night post collarbone fracture. Not to complain, just saying that I haven't updated as often as is typical and now you know why. Hopefully a change for the better this week.

My feedburner feed and widget seem to be back on track thanks to a little toying around (thank you Mateo). So if you'd like to subscribe, or have attempted to subscribe without any luck, or had subscribed way back in the day and then mysteriously lost the subscription, go ahead and enter your email to get your subscription to the world that is old and the school that is also old.]

And now, back to adventures in Paris....

The 19th arrondissement is to Paris what Queens is to New York: a diverse cross section of immigrants, the working class, and others who who make up a lively, colorful part of the city, that unfortunately goes under-appreciated by most tourists and even many city residents. What brought me here, besides taking a break from the touristy Paris, was actually Le Baratin, billed by none other than Terroir's Guillhaume Gerard as a 'must fucking go!' establishment for the quality of the food and the wine list. Since I tried to book a same day reservation for dinner, I was not surprisingly told that they were booked for the night.

I did happen to hear that another local spot, Chapeau Melon, was doing interesting things with natural wines. So I checked them out and confirmed this fact. They have a nice selection, with many of the usual French natural wine suspects, as well as Radikon and some other international representation, much more so than Le Verre Voleé. After purchasing a bottle of sous voile Arbois chardonnay as a thank you gift to one of my terrific hosts in Champagne, I discovered that this wine shop, as do many in Paris these days, doubles as a bistro at night.

I was able to make a reservation for two for that evening. While the 16 or so seats were full, the dinner did not quite deliver as much as I had expected. Salmon tartare with julienne granny smith apples in a soy sauce and olive oil dressing was a tasty start. After that, however, dishes were not as memorable: a plain chilled cream of asparagus soup; overdressed baby greens; overcooked pork. Given the enthusiastic reviews I've heard about this place, I might well have caught it on an off night. If you're around the neighborhood during the evening, I would encourage you to give Chapeau Melon a try for dinner, otherwise just check out their wines during the day and head elsewhere for dinner.

Chapeau Melon
92, r. Rébeval
75019 PARIS
T 01 42 02 68 60
m° Pyrénées / Belleville