I have a friend who appreciates fine wine, particularly French and is looking for a new online retailer with the finest of reputations and selections. They are of means, so high-end is not an issue.
Can you please give me a few options that I can forward along. Thank you in advance.
FWIW, I just got back from a trip to London, where I went to the Rugby World Cup. This trip was quite the food and wine festivus including dining at Le Gavroche, Scotts, Cinnamon Club and Seas of London! I have to say it was also a bit of an educational experience… good Lord, could it be true… have I become a Francophile? I think I’ve seen the light. One wine in particular was transformational - a Syrah from Côte-Rôtie. Unfortunately, I was at a restaurant where they don’t appreciate indoor photographs and I didn’t write down the name. What I do recall E. Guigal written on the upper label toward the right hand side of the bottle. It was a 2009 and the label was one of the most beautiful designs I’ve ever seen. I’d walk on red hot coals for a case of that sublime juice.
Re: your French Syrah, Cellartracker has pictures of the labels; just search for “E. Guigal Cote Rotie 2009” and click on the pics in the upper right-hand corner of the screen to go through the five possibilities. I’m going to guess that it’s one of the La Las… Your pocketbook had better be deep!
After looking through several options I believe it was 2009 E. Guigal St. Joseph Vignes de L’Hospice. The Cellartracker rating is not that high, but it suffers from reviewers consuming the wine too early. Rest assured this was easily a 95 Pt. wine - for whatever worth that score may bring. Again, I can’t be 100% certain, because I only got a couple of glances at the bottle.
The wine was presented in a way I’ve never seen at a restaurant. As the wine was being decanted the bottle was held over a lit candle to check for sentiment - nice touch. The Somm poured a small glass and sampled it himself. After it passed his test we were poured a glass.
So I’ve got K&L and William Gladstone Wines. Any other suggestions?
On the East Coast, Cellaraiders (Ben & Ben in NY/CT area) and B21 (Tampa area of Florida) are both very good and have never let me down. Cellaraiders is good for older bottles. In the Midwest, Hart Davis Hart (Chicago IL) is great. Lots of good place on the West Coast - Santa Rosa Fine Wine, Old & Rare Wine (James), and the aforementioned K&L.
Isn’t Zachy’s the “gold standard” for great customer service and selection if price is no object? (And while they aren’t known for great prices, they actually do make some very good personalized offers/pricing available to their regular customers…)
Thanks for the link.
I just bought 6 bottles of budget Bordeaux that I had already cleared off the shelf of a nearby liquor store.
Total including shipping was still less than the local store price.
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
I have to say it was also a bit of an educational experience… good Lord, could it be true… have I become a Francophile? I think I’ve seen the light. One wine in particular was transformational - a Syrah from Côte-Rôtie. Unfortunately, I was at a restaurant where they don’t appreciate indoor photographs and I didn’t write down the name. What I do recall E. Guigal written on the upper label toward the right hand side of the bottle. It was a 2009 and the label was one of the most beautiful designs I’ve ever seen. I’d walk on red hot coals for a case of that sublime juice.