Oldies but Goodies

I want to tell you, particularly you NYC readers about two sick wines that you might have thought were gone forever, but are somehow amazingly back on the shelves of a few local wine stores. Yes, during some recent Brooklyn browses, I serendipitously stumbled upon some incredible wines that came and went a few years back...except for some reason you can buy them again right now.

But listen - I don't want to be responsible for any injuries to anyone or anything. I mean, no stampeding on my account, okay folks? So I'm going to tell you about these wines, and trust that you will behave in a mature fashion. Walk, do not run, and share.

Listen to this - when I was poking around Prospect Wine Shop, my favorite Brooklyn shop the other day with Marcus while he was in town, I saw something that literally caused my jaw to drop - literally - ask Marcus. I saw several bottles of 2002 Cazin Cour-Cheverny Cuvée Renaissance, at $27 each. This is all Romorantin all the time, that odd and obscure little grape for which the Cour-Cheverny appellation was created. Cuvée Renaissance is the off-dry version made from late harvested grapes. 2002 was a wonderful year in the Loire Valley and I LOVED this wine when I tasted it several times a few years ago. This wine will remind you of a good Riesling as it matures, with its petrol and mineral intensity. A few years ago as a current release (at $18 when the dollar still had some muscle) I didn't buy enough for the cellar, so this time I made sure to grab my fair share. They had a case and a half last time I checked - if you live around here you really should go get yours.

Here is another one, this time a red. The 2001 Domaine des Roches Neuves Saumur-Champigny Terres Chaudes. This is the mid-level wine made by Thierry Germain at Roches Neuves (La Marginale is the top wine, and this one called "Hot Earth" is the mid wine). His wines have been pretty darn concentrated in the past few vintages, enjoyable, but on the concentrated end of the Loire Valley spectrum. I like this one from back in '01 a whole lot. It's a fruity delight in a translucent lighter bodied way, with really nice secondary flavor characteristics - earth, a bit of spice, a bit of dried fruit. And Shawn Liquors on 7th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn has it at under $14 a bottle. Is that some sort of joke? The 05 Terres Chaudes was about $24, and it was nice, but for drinking anytime near today, the '01 blows that wine away.

No, don't waste time thanking me. Go get these wines, and let me know what you think.