September 25 2006
If you’re the #1 rated wine store in Zagat’s New York City Marketplace survey you’ve earned your stripes.
If you’re a wine shop that has been doing it in the Big Apple since 1934, the toughest retail environment in the country, then you’ve got some chops.
But, that doesn’t mean some of the things they offer still doesn’t make you sit in awe wondering if you’re not hanging out with the wrong crowd, at least occasionally.
I can tell that that I would NEVER, in my current network of friends, run across an invite to drink through a ‘45 that costs thousands of dollars. Not that a guy can’t wish ...
What I wouldn’t give to go to a dinner party where some of the truly sublime stuff is being poured—and all the better if it’s in a “more the merrier” manner, not in a who is the interloper with his glass slipping through the throng kind of way.
And, I’ve heard of retailers having some nice library offerings, but this one is a doozy, particularly outside of the realm of auction. Sherry-Lehmann, the legendary wine shop in New York City, is offering Chateau Palmer from 36 different vintages—ranging from 1945 to 1998 til October 19th.
A third-classed growth according to the 1855 classification, Robert Parker notes:
Palmer can be as profound as any of the first growths. In vintages such as 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1996, 1995, 1989, 1983, 1975, 1970, 1967, 1966 and 1961, it can be better than many of them.
Heady praise. But, rest assured, ahem, the wines are fairly priced. The ’45 has never been tasted in the states and goes for a cool $7,900 a bottle or just $16,000 a magnum. The ’55 is a relative bargain at $4,750 a bottle. The nearer term vintages come back into this stratosphere with a split from ’66 going for $520. And, while the tasting notes are attributed to any specific writer, it is assuredly Parker—the one writer in America that can take credit for popularizing the word “unctuous.” As in:
“Powerful bouquet of blackberry, morello cherry, truffle, and liquorice. Despite its age, this wine has a rich, unctuous texture with no asperity whatsoever on the palate. The bouquet has hints of leather and tobacco. The long, sleek aftertaste makes us forget about the wine’s age. This Palmer is at it’s peak and shows no signs of declining.”
When I check out their website, interestingly, they have a blog. It’s called a webzine, but it’s updated and current content—including some notes from their harvest last week.
Check out the blog here and Sherry-Lehman here. If you decide to buy any, I want to remind you, gentle reader, that I am a hospitable house guest who brings dessert for dinner parties.
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