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1999 Bollinger Grande Annee

The full-court press of the holidays is upon us! By the time the end of last week rolled around just about everybody needed a little pick-me-up. I was happy to celebrate our hard work an add a bit of excitement to our usual Friday staff tasting by popping the cork on some bubbles.

Cappellano Back-Vintage: Piedmont in Ecstasy

Finding the elite bottlings of Piedmont great Teobaldo Cappellano is hard enough; finding his wines from top vintages like 1996, 97, 98 and 99 is basically impossible. Y

French Flamboyance + German Discipline Trimbach's Outstanding 2001 Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile

Undoubtedly, someone will bring up the great stereo

Tom's Purchases: Case #27 - Assorted Rieslings

1 x Fritz Haag Braunberger Juffer Kabinett 2005
1 x Fritz Haag Braunberger Juffer Auslese 2001
1 x Christoffel Urz Wurz Auslese * 2005

Three lonely bottles that had been hanging around the 'end-of-bin' section for months, begging me to grab them. I finally gave

Helmut Donnhoffs Profound 2006s - Pre-Arrival Offer

Fresh from a trip to Germany, David Schildknecht of the Wine Advocate recently noted: "Apropos 2006, I don't think word has really gotten out in sufficient detail and with appropriate perspective

Sancerre Sans the Scary Price2004 Mellot Sancerre "Les Romains"

Today's offer is in response to a number of requests we received for a similar summer steal whose style is more on the "serious side." Enter 2004 Sancerre 'Les Romains' from Alphonse Mello

A $4 Bottle of Air Conditioning! Gazela Vinho Verde

This wine isn't about complexity, mouthfeel or minerality.

It's about an icy and refreshing glass of wine to fend off the overbearing heat and humidity of August. With temperatures peaking in the 90s for the inaugural weekend of August, this month promises heat with high h

The Lower Mosel Rises!2005 Clemens Busch "Vom Roten Schiefer"

It's rare that all of us - myself, Joe and Tom - are able to sit down and taste together. But when we got a call from a new German importer bringing in the top producers of the often-ove

Germany's Lower Mosel

The Lower Mosel is famous for its frighteningly steep vineyards and its drier wines of compact complexity and filigreed finesse.

This region includes, perhaps counter-intuitively, the most northerly section of the river, from roughly Zell down to the suburbs of Koblenz, where the winding Mo

2004 Servin Chablis "Cuvee Massale"

Crush Staff Pick for June!

While 2005 Red Burgundy has been getting a lot of attention recently, it's important not to forget that the great 2004 White Burgundies are some of the best ever made.

There's just no denying the invigorating cut and

THE Summer Sipper! 2005 Berlioz Chignin

The thermometer is finally rising - as are your requests for an imminently sippable, crisp and classic white wine to pair with the 80+ degree days that are already upon us.

Yes, it's time to "Back Up the Truck" for summer! From vineyards that date back to t

2006 Rudi Wiest "Riesling Preview" Barrel Tasting at Grand Sichuan

Joe Salamone and I were lucky enough to attend this excellent lunch in February which highlighted barrel samples from a medium swath of Rudi's producers. Here are our long overdue notes:

We are reticent to provide any definitive conclusions based on this modest (but fun) selection of barre

Jean-Louis Chave: Crozes Feat!

A Crush Exclusive!

As many of you know, the Hermitage of Jean-Louis Chave is a very personal wine to me. I've written this before, but it bears repeating: If I were restricted to only one producer in the Rhone, it would be Chave. There is just no one who can coax the intens

2005 Vatan Sancerre "Clos de Neore": Legendary Sancerre from Chavignol

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Edmund Vatan is thought of in many circles as the single greatest producer in Sancerre, tenderly fashioning a minute amount of wine that is renowned for its purity, depth, expression of terroi

Domaine des Grecaux: Rhone has Fallen!?

Gone are the days when one could pick up top-notch Chateauneuf-du-Pape for under $30. Even Côtes du Rhônes, what can amount to the bargain-bin category of the region, are fast pushing $20-$25.For those

Pinot Noir - 2004 Vignoble Guillaume

Since Crush opened, I've had the hardest time finding a great Pinot Noir for under $20.

California has pretty much priced itself out of the market; same with Oregon.

And you can forget Burgundy.

The New Zealand Pinots are often good but have never inspired me the way a truly exc

Back to Scholium: A "Noble" Lesson for Sauvignon Blanc

Abe Schoener's Scholium Project is definitely one of the most interesting, outrageous and original Cult Wine endeavors taking place in California today.

We've previously offered a number of his sometimes luscious and always cerebral wines and have been blown away by the responses.

F

Simon Says: 1989 Ex-Cellars Riesling for Under $40

I have to admit, I struggled with the idea of yet another Riesling email so early into 2007. After your strong interest and support of the 2005 vintage led to its enormous success, I felt that perhaps we should take it easy with the Riesling offers - even though Germany, along with Burgundy and C

Bob's Wine of the Year: 1981 L�pez de Heredia Vi�a Bosconia Gran Reserva

Arriving at a singular wine, one that I would anoint as the “Wine of the Year,” is a daunting task. Obviously, my choice would have to be a wine that truly stands apart from the hundreds of great e

Wine of the Year: Schäfer-Frohlich Bockenauer Felseneck Spatlese

Obviously, my wine of the year had to be a Riesling. I love Riesling and this year I tasted more Rieslings than one could possibly shake a stick at.

This summer I went to Germany with importer extraordinaire Rudi Wiest and tasted over 400 Rieslings in nine days. (My dentist will be able to

Wine of the Year: Schäfer-Frohlich Bockenauer Felseneck Spatlese

Obviously, my wine of the year had to be a Riesling. I love Riesling and this year I tasted more Rieslings than one could possibly shake a stick at.

This summer I went to Germany with importer extraordinaire Rudi Wiest and tasted over 400 Rieslings in nine days. (My dentist will be able to reti

Stephen's Wine of The Year: Montesecondo Rosso

I knew Silvio Messana痴 2004 Montesecondo would be my "Wine of the Year" the first time I had it.

A Tuscan red with supercharged fruit, fresh acidity and a thrilling vibrancy, it痴 one of the greatest food wines I致e tasted in 2006. It is honest and unpretentious, a wine that doesn稚 o

Magnum Force: The Ultra-Rare 2005 J.J. Prum 1.5s

Due to your groundbreaking support of our �Riesling Futures� campaign and our corresponding support for some of Germany�s best vintners, we have secured some serious rarities that seldom see the American market.

It certainly helped that we were visiting these same winemakers this sum