71881 Mon Aug 01 20:35:50 -0700 2005 14 2 Los Angeles Area 0 393551 Ah, suddenly this summer, when 99 cents winehounds delight once again awash in an embarassment of bacchanalian riches. My pick for 99 cents wine of the week is Covey Run Washington State Merlot 2001. Deep ruby red with tart berry overtones, complex and fruity yet smooth and delish. Pair with Stilton or aged gouda, rosemary & garlic infused rack of lamb, wild salmon roasted on cedar planks, Italian style veal chops or marinated grilled flank steak. I'm not big on whites in general, but if that's your thing consider the James Estate Hunter Valley Australia Chardonnay 2000. Semi-dry, light and slightly oaky with white peach and citrus overtones. Pair with brie or camembert, grilled monkfish, pasta con vongole and shrimp scampi. Those who have looked down with disdain at 99 wines, keep up the good work, so the rest of us have more product to partake. And for all those TJ fanatics out there, sorry, 2 buck chuck doesn't even come close to either of the fine choices reviewed above. On a closing note, Bristol Farms seems to have picked up on Just Larry's 7/18 pick for 99 cents Only Wine of the week, Wild Game Red. Bristol now sports prominent displays of this wine for 6 bucks a pop. Now unless it's a loss leader, the wholesale price to 99 is less than a buck, so assuming Bristol gets the same deal the minimum markup is 500%. No wonder Bristol loves Larry all the way to the bank. Mon Aug 01 20:35:50 -0700 2005 0 bernardo 1 393556 Are there any Westside 99 cent stores that carry the wines? I haven't found any that sells wine. Mon Aug 01 20:55:13 -0700 2005 393551 0 yara 2 393566 The one in Mar Vista on Washington Blvd. has wine. Mon Aug 01 22:01:22 -0700 2005 393556 0 Sam D. 2 393626 I'm pretty sure that the giant 99¢ store on Wilshire just west of Fairfax carries wine - or they did last time I was in there about a year ago. For anyone in my neck of the woods who's wanting to know, the crummy little store at Los Robles and Villa in Pasadena carries wine, while the bigger not-so-crummy one near PCC doesn't. And over in Highland Park is a wine-enabled store at York and Figueroa. Well, *someone* needs to keep track of these things... Tue Aug 02 12:13:25 -0700 2005 393556 0 Will Owen 1 393560 I love these posts of yours; please keep them coming. But when you do, could you include the address of the particular store where you found the wine, and, if possible, a list of the .99 stores that you know carry wine? (I believe you've stated before that only a tiny minority of the stores in the chain carry any wine at all.) Thank you!!! Mon Aug 01 21:13:26 -0700 2005 393551 0 Terri 2 393571 Thanks for the kind words. Unless stated otherwise, I shop the Huntington Beach stores at Edinger & Springdale, & at Garfield & Brookhurst. If product is tight in HB, I shop the 99 on Hawthorne Blvd & 149th in South bay, within striking distance of my workplace (there are other 99s on Hawthorne but they get a bit dicier as you progress north). The Hawthorne & 149 is a little cramped but don't be fooled, they move oodles of product. If you can't find the wine cases inside, mount a search for them outside, stacked on pallets in the parking lot & receiving area. Also, if you don't live in the area, considering packing your own wine glass & corkscrew to do a tasting in the parking lot. And if you forget them, you can always spring for a fine crystal wine glass & less fine corkscrew at 99 cents apiece. Ouch. Mon Aug 01 22:47:22 -0700 2005 393560 0 bernardo 2 393572 Thanks for the kind words. Unless stated otherwise, I shop the Huntington Beach stores at Edinger & Springdale, & at Garfield & Brookhurst. If product is tight in HB, I shop the 99 on Hawthorne Blvd & 149th in South bay, within striking distance of my workplace (there are other 99s on Hawthorne but they get a bit dicier as you progress north). The Hawthorne & 149 is a little cramped but don't be fooled, they move oodles of product. If you can't find the wine cases inside, mount a search for them outside, stacked on pallets in the parking lot & receiving area. Also, if you don't live in the area, considering packing your own wine glass & corkscrew to do a tasting in the parking lot. And if you forget them, you can always spring for a fine crystal wine glass & less fine corkscrew at 99 cents apiece. Ouch. Mon Aug 01 22:47:23 -0700 2005 393560 0 bernardo 2 393573 Thanks for the kind words. Unless stated otherwise, I shop the Huntington Beach stores at Edinger & Springdale, & at Garfield & Brookhurst. If product is tight in HB, I shop the 99 on Hawthorne Blvd & 149th in South bay, within striking distance of my workplace (there are other 99s on Hawthorne but they get a bit dicier as you progress north). The Hawthorne & 149 is a little cramped but don't be fooled, they move oodles of product. If you can't find the wine cases inside, mount a search for them outside, stacked on pallets in the parking lot & receiving area. Also, if you don't live in the area, considering packing your own wine glass & corkscrew to do a tasting in the parking lot. And if you forget them, you can always spring for a fine crystal wine glass & less fine corkscrew at 99 cents apiece. Ouch. Mon Aug 01 22:47:23 -0700 2005 393560 0 bernardo 2 393615 After the last 99 Cent Store wine post, I tracked down a store that sells wine in La Mirada (La Habra Blvd & Leffingwell, I think). I too bought 16 bottles of the Wild Game Red, which was pretty good. (Don't feel bad if I don't finish the bottle...gee, 50 cents down the drain...) Tue Aug 02 10:45:22 -0700 2005 393560 0 Funwithfood 1 393951 The August Wine Spectator lists Covey Run Reisling Columbia Valley 2004 as one of its Best Values at $7, with a score of 89. Wed Aug 03 19:01:15 -0700 2005 393551 0 quiz wrangler 2 393966 The Covey Run white currently available at 99 is a chard-semillon blend, in shorter supply than the reds in fact (female customers appear to favor the whites for some reason). Not being an afficinado of whites I've yet to crack open a bottle but plan to do so sometime over the next week when I throw some super-jumbo shrimps (oxymoron?) on the barbie. Judging from the fine Covey Merlot, however, I'm expecting a pleasant if not pleasurable white as well. Wed Aug 03 23:06:46 -0700 2005 393951 0 bernardo 3 393984 Thanks for the tip, bernardo. Thu Aug 04 15:58:29 -0700 2005 393966 0 quiz wrangler 3 394006 I will have to get a few bottles of the Covey Merlot tomorrow to have a few less full bodied selections in my cabinet. Did you actually drink the Merlot or was it rated highly in a magazine? Fri Aug 05 20:38:01 -0700 2005 393966 0 Just Larry 4 394009 After sampling several bottles from different lots and finding them all to my liking, I decided to splurge on several cases. Hey, at 99 cents a pop doing your own reviews becomes quite viable. Anyway, IMHO the Covey Run Merlot falls short of typical Napa & Sonoma estate reserve vintages, but competes very favorably with their non-reserve cousins. And while I'd prefer slightly less fruit given the price the wine suits me just fine. Just for variety's sake I've also stocked up the Kanga Shiraz, Cab & Merlot in addition to the Wild Game. BTW, I usually restrict my whites to the Voigners, with an occasional Fume or Chard for good measure. Sat Aug 06 13:25:57 -0700 2005 394006 0 bernardo 3 394011 We found the Covey Run Sem-Chard 2002 quite pleasant with grilled shrimp, lighter and less oaky than your average Chard, with a tartness vaguely reminiscent of young Entre Deux Mers but a tad sweeter and less tannic. If you are partial to whites, definitely give this quixotic blend a whirl. Should pair especially well with any soft French cheese including Brie, Camembert, Bibress, Valmeuse, Caprice des Dieux, Chaource, St. Benoit or Valdieue. Sat Aug 06 23:52:14 -0700 2005 393966 0 bernardo