Online Fine Wine Auctions

If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes greater than great, as is the case with today’s wine from Fritz Winery.

SUMMER REFRESHER ALERT!

We declare this bright, delicious and fresh Estate Chardonnay to be the perfect summertime refreshment!

Savings Alert!

Clever Operatives will receive FREE Ground Shipping on 6 bottles or more – when they enter this coupon code at checkout: SPYSONOMA (discount will be shown before you complete your order)

Mission Codename: Life in the Underground

Operative: Agent White

Objective: Return to Operative favorite, Fritz Winery – this time to retrieve their fantastic 2006 Ruxton Chardonnay

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Fritz Winery

Wine Subject: 2006 Fritz Ruxton Chardonnay – Russian River Valley

Winemaker: Christina Pällmann

Backgrounder: When The Wine Spies first infiltrated Fritz Winery, we were blown away by the quality of their wines. The Fritz Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon that we showed here recently were among the most popular wines we have featured here. Today, Agent White gets a chance to visit Fritz – and he returns, victorious, with a limited quantity of their wonderfully refreshing Ruxton Chardonnay! Read his tasting notes and mission report below for the full scoop on this great wine.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Golden straw yellow – like a Champagne without bubbles, with perfect clarity, glittering edges, a fast and bouncy surface that, when swirled, leaves behind skinny legs that streak down the glass

Smell – Sweet an inviting, with instant tropical notes that are followed by more subtle apricot, butterscotch, acacia flowers, peach and pineapple

Feel – Round and light at first, then slightly creamy with a hint of acidity. The wine is fast across the tongue, then soft tannins grip the edges of the tongue and the roof of the mouth

Taste – Delicious and juicy, with tropical, peach and apricot flavors that echo the nose, but also present here are wonderful hints of soft coconut and banana, with the softest lemon curd

Finish – Begins sweet and light and fruity, then is followed by a mineral softness as flavors tail off slowly while a supple dryness gradually takes over

Conclusion – Our previously stated opinion that ”There is a special something about Fritz wines”, is reinforced by today’s terrific offering. The perfect summertime sipper, this wine is one to be enjoyed as easily on its own as with more interesting and even challenging pairings. We enjoyed ours with a gourmet bevvy of fine cheeses, crackers and crispbreads. Delicious through and through. Of note: We stuck a sealed bottle in our cave overnight and tasted it again in the morning. The flavors, while more pronounced, became more balanced and exciting as well. We recommend decanting this wine for best enjoyment.

Mission Report:

Longer-term Operatives know that we have placed Fritz Underground Winery under surveillance in the past. You also know that once we recruit a winery into the Wine Spies Nexus, well, that winery is happily in for life.

When our mole at the winery fed us some intel on their new 2006 Ruxton Chardonnay, I immediately flew (in our Spy Plane, of course) to the winery to secure samples.

My counterpart, Agent Red, was the first Wine Spies agent to review wines from Fritz, but since this was a special white wine, I got my chance. Thank goodness, too, for today’s wine turned out to be great.

Once I had my samples in hand, I conducted a detailed analysis. The wine not only passed with flying colors, it refreshed and left me feeling happy to have tasted a Chardonnay, a varietal that is sometimes difficult for me to enjoy.

Chardonnay, especially those from California, can tend to be overly bland and buttery, like a slice of Wonderbread slathered with soft butter. Usually, yuck!, but this wine is wonderfully fresh, flavorful and even refined.

This wine is rife with juicy flavors and aromas that seems perfectly natural. If you enjoy fresh, bright and very tasty white wines – even if Chardonnay is not your favorite – this wine is likely to please you. It pleased even me.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Fritz Winry Estate Vineyards can be seen in this satellite photo.

Read Full Post »

If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes greater than great, as is the case with today’s wine from Fritz Winery.

SUMMER REFRESHER ALERT!

We declare this bright, delicious and fresh Estate Chardonnay to be the perfect summertime refreshment!

Savings Alert!

Clever Operatives will receive FREE Ground Shipping on 6 bottles or more – when they enter this coupon code at checkout: SPYSONOMA (discount will be shown before you complete your order)

Mission Codename: Life in the Underground

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Return to Operative favorite, Fritz Winery – this time to retrieve their fantastic 2006 Ruxton Chardonnay

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Fritz Winery

Wine Subject: 2006 Fritz Ruxton Chardonnay – Russian River Valley

Winemaker: Christina Pällmann

Backgrounder: When The Wine Spies first infiltrated Fritz Winery, we were blown away by the quality of their wines. The Fritz Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon that we showed here recently were among the most popular wines we have featured here. Today, Agent White gets a chance to visit Fritz – and he returns, victorious, with a limited quantity of their wonderfully refreshing Ruxton Chardonnay! Read his tasting notes and mission report below for the full scoop on this great wine.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Golden straw yellow – like a Champagne without bubbles, with perfect clarity, glittering edges, a fast and bouncy surface that, when swirled, leaves behind skinny legs that streak down the glass

Smell – Sweet an inviting, with instant tropical notes that are followed by more subtle apricot, butterscotch, acacia flowers, peach and pineapple

Feel – Round and light at first, then slightly creamy with a hint of acidity. The wine is fast across the tongue, then soft tannins grip the edges of the tongue and the roof of the mouth

Taste – Delicious and juicy, with tropical, peach and apricot flavors that echo the nose, but also present here are wonderful hints of soft coconut and banana, with the softest lemon curd

Finish – Begins sweet and light and fruity, then is followed by a mineral softness as flavors tail off slowly while a supple dryness gradually takes over

Conclusion – Our previously stated opinion that ”There is a special something about Fritz wines”, is reinforced by today’s terrific offering. The perfect summertime sipper, this wine is one to be enjoyed as easily on its own as with more interesting and even challenging pairings. We enjoyed ours with a gourmet bevvy of fine cheeses, crackers and crispbreads. Delicious through and through. Of note: We stuck a sealed bottle in our cave overnight and tasted it again in the morning. The flavors, while more pronounced, became more balanced and exciting as well. We recommend decanting this wine for best enjoyment.

Mission Report:

Longer-term Operatives know that we have placed Fritz Underground Winery under surveillance in the past. You also know that once we recruit a winery into the Wine Spies Nexus, well, that winery is happily in for life.

When our mole at the winery fed us some intel on their new 2006 Ruxton Chardonnay, I immediately flew (in our Spy Plane, of course) to the winery to secure samples.

My counterpart, Agent Red, was the first Wine Spies agent to review wines from Fritz, but since this was a special white wine, I got my chance. Thank goodness, too, for today’s wine turned out to be great.

Once I had my samples in hand, I conducted a detailed analysis. The wine not only passed with flying colors, it refreshed and left me feeling happy to have tasted a Chardonnay, a varietal that is sometimes difficult for me to enjoy.

Chardonnay, especially those from California, can tend to be overly bland and buttery, like a slice of Wonderbread slathered with soft butter. Usually, yuck!, but this wine is wonderfully fresh, flavorful and even refined.

This wine is rife with juicy flavors and aromas that seems perfectly natural. If you enjoy fresh, bright and very tasty white wines – even if Chardonnay is not your favorite – this wine is likely to please you. It pleased even me.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Fritz Winry Estate Vineyards, where today’s Cabernet Sauvignon was born and crafted, can be seen in this satellite photo.

Read Full Post »

It’s one of those weeks again: look for a second Saxon Brown deal at midnight Thursday morning.

I
know how this looks, Officer. Yes, you caught me prowling in the shrubs
outside Jeff Gaffner’s home. Yes, I tried to gain entry to his
workplace by posing as a Jacuzzi repairman. Yes, I have been following
him all over the Sonoma Valley. But it’s not because I mean him any
harm. I just want him to sell his Saxon Brown wines through Wine.Woot
again.

See, a busy guy like Jeff is awfully hard to get
ahold of. When he’s not meticulously crafting small lots for Saxon
Brown, he’s consulting for other labels like Armida, Xtant, Black Kite
and Stephanie. Or he’s off accepting yet another award for his
superlative wines. I’ve tried calling and emailing, but I could never
quite pin him down. What’s a lowly web wine scavenger like me to do?

Officer,
you’ll understand my desperation after you taste one of these exquisite
reds. How could I miss a chance to bring the Saxon Brown 2001
Zinfandel, Casa Santinamaria “Old Vine” to our audience? They loved the 2000 vintage of this Zin
when we offered it before. The 2001 model delivers the same intense
raspberry and dried cranberry signature as the 2000, with cherry, dark
chocolate, and sweet oak tones. Elegant, complex, structured: this is
what Zin is supposed to be. It didn’t get 90 points from Wine Spectator
for nothing. And Jeff only made 310 cases of it, on a harvest of just
half a ton per acre. To get my hands on a dry-farmed, low-yield,
small-lot Zinfandel like this, I have to act fast before the gourmet
restaurants lap it all up.

Not that the Saxon Brown 2005
Syrah, Flora Ranch Chalk Hill is any easier to come by. I didn’t mean
to frighten Jeff when I approached him in the airport men’s room last
week. I’m not typically the kind of guy who goes crawling under
bathroom stall doors. But when Tanzer gave it 90 points, I knew I had
to act fast to land this one, propriety be damned. As you’d expect from
a Saxon Brown wine, it was harvested gently in the cool morning hours,
and fermented slowly with a low rate of yeast. When you first open the
bottle, you’ll notice dark fruit with floral and lavender notes. Once
it breathes a little, it takes on a mocha, dark chocolate, and roasted
coffee character. And it gets even better, fuller, Syrah-er after an
hour or so. It’s amazing – but then, amazing is what I expect from
Saxon Brown.

So, if you’ll be so kind as to remove these
cuffs, Officer, I’m sure we can clear up this silly misunderstanding.
I’m not a stalker! Why, the very idea! I’m just a wine enthusiast and
e-commerce professional going the extra mile to make a deal. if you
want even one of the 1700 cases Saxon Brown produces each year, you
can’t just sit there and wait for it to come to you. You have to act
fast, get his attention. It’s just business. You can understand that,
right? Oh, uh, you don’t need to look in that pocket, it’s – there’s
really nothing of interest there. Seriously, don’t -

OK,
yeah, I admit it. I found those fingernail clippings in the trash
outside Jeff Gaffner’s home. I made that little wooden box to save them
in, and I lined the inside with velvet. And yes, I carved a portrait of
Jeff into the lid of the box. But so what? Is that a crime? It’s just
business, Officer! Honest!

Rules and restrictions:

• Wine sold by winery (or a retailer in your state where necessary)
• You must be 21 or older to order
• Whoever receives the package must be 21 or older
• If you’re drunk when the package shows up, you will not be allowed to receive it
• Wine cannot be delivered to a P.O. Box
• We highly recommend you use a business address as your shipping address

Thanks to stick-in-the-mud buzzkilling state legislators, wine may only be delivered to the following states:

• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• District Of Columbia
• Florida
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Louisiana
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oregon
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

If your state’s not on the list, you’re out of luck… for now. Keep up with the ever-changing laws over at ShipCompliantBlog.com, and/or sound the alarms with your state assembly person through FreeTheGrapes.org. Meanwhile, all Federal, state and local laws are complied with in providing this wine.

Read Full Post »