Monsieur Riviere Of La Famille Riviere Wines : The " New Face " Of Bordeaux Wines In The Washington D.C. Metropolitan Region : Cheers, Sante, Bonne Chance A Vous Et Pour Nous Aussi!

Bordeaux wines that we like to sell that are balanced, flavorful, distinct and well-priced, and where the owner himself pictured above on the right pouring comes himself! LOVE that! Cheers and bravo. 1/28/14 Look at the bottles lined up : those are some " well-loved " bottles! What a brilliant smile - love that, too. And pretty much every year or two we get a visit like this and we get a chance to speak about the wines like these 2009 and 2010 red Bordeaux - both excellent vintages. And the most expensive is the CHATEAU Cheval Brun Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2009, On Special for $31.99 now. ...  Tuesday, January 28th, 2014 - also on our Facebook page at Cleveland Park Wine & Spirits, check it out there as well, LIKE us and keep up! Cheers, sante a tous! TONY



I read Dave McIntyre's article this Wednesday morning printed in the Washington Post Food Section Page F4. Jan. 29th, 2014 titled : " Bordeaux concocts an elite competition to cultivate the collectors of tomorrow " and I was alarmed, upset, worried and ready to explode as I read paragraph after paragraph and the idea that kept hitting me was how stuffy, pompous, rude, assuming, exclusive and haughty-tauty/taughty this all was. What an insult, what a joke! The idea of selecting a small, elite audience that can afford to pay, that will be cultivated and coddled with the promise of better contacts, associations, privileges, audiences at the finest, most expensive Bordeaux chateaux in France with their owners and their winemakers : SMACKS of privilege and elite rights and so very exclusive and " only for those that can afford to pay ". I was getting worked up, my blood was racing, my head was starting to throb as I read on. Fortunately towards the end of the article there were comments made that needed to be made and that sounded the alarm of much of what was wrong with this picture. I will quote here from it :  Dave starts by writing : " The Left Bank Bordeaux Cup targets a small demographic of the affluent and upwardly mobile and gives them that experience. " I say, you are right Dave, now let's expand the audience to include and college or university student that wants to be invited to compete here?  Donald Zilkha says : " Yet the competition is also narrowly focused on the classified growths of the left bank... to attract a broader customer base, the industry will have to focus on the wines people can afford " Zilkha said. I agree wholeheartedly with this. Sounds to me like money talking to make more money and not be fair or equal or encourage and develop anything more than for their immediate small and elite base of customers that needs to grow as it has been shrinking at least in the United States. Then Dave writes : " Teeter, ever the marketeer, agreed. " They need to target the shops, " he said. " Get someone to rake a chance of a $15 or$20 bottle on the way home from work. Then you can change perceptions. " I agree wholeheartedly with this.

I would like to meet this " 30-year-old Adam Teeter of Auburn, Ala., who will complete his business degree studies at Stern Business School in the spring ... " He has a new start-up wine company, VinePair.com. Sounds like he's got some good ideas. I certainly agree what he said here. I said the same in a response to Dave's first article published last Wednesday, 23rd, 2014 I believe, also here in The Washington Post's Food section. I still have to get a response from Dave on that. Cheers , and stay-tuned for more. Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn 1/29/14

Dave McIntyre What's wrong with encouraging people to learn about the best of Bordeaux? Does the MW or MS program make you angry? Given that demand for high end BDX is supposedly all in China now, it's interesting that there is such demand and interest at this level in the US.


Written in response to Dave McIntyre now : Nothing is wrong with that : it's done all the time here and in other wine stores around the country. Plenty of people living in the United States know about Bordeaux wines and already enjoy them on a daily or weekly basis. I just sold some more an hour ago of the Chateau La Coudraie 2010 Bordeaux Vignobles Jolivet ' mis en bouteille au chateau ', $13.99, 13.5% alcohol by volume that you have written up now twice. We've been selling it for awhile and are thrilled to recommend it as it represents great value for the money. We were pleased to see you mention it now twice in you articles in the Washington Post. We will need to order more as we are almost out. I mentioned to our customer Clark that you had also recommended it and that pleased him. Here we are working together to promote these wines and we give you credit, too. What makes me angry is that our local rep shows up an hour ago that sells us the wines of Elite Selections and did not know anything about this article and the wines written about that they sell. And it made me angry or upset with the tone of elitism with this small group of Bordelais reaching out now, being reactive and not proactive , in my opinion, to an audience of ' new ' customers to buy their wines as the market may be dropping some now in China? I just want to open a conversation and make the whole category of Bordeaux more available to anyone interested. It's exciting and I enjoy putting bottles of Bordeaux in our customers' hands like those we buy from the Famille Riviere sold through William Harrison, or those available through LVDH imports like the DOMAINE De LESCOURS Grand Cru Saint-Emilion ( 2008-2011, $32.99 a bottle I believe are all available now? ), and other wines like the CHATEAU La Grange Clinet 2010 Cotes De Bordeaux, $16.99 ... and many more : reds and whites, and Sauternes, too the 2010 Chateau Gravas Sauternes 375ml bottle at $17.99 that we buy from Kysela Pere Et Fils Imports. And I encourage the MW and MS programs enthusiastically. ... and there is both a " demand and interest in the US " on all levels, that's encouraging, that's wonderful. Cheers, Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn 1/29/14

• Paul Jameson I used to drink Classed Growth Medocs all the time, even as a poor student, when they were generally between $7 and $10 a bottle. I won't buy them anymore, because the price has become ridiculous.
  
  Still buy the Cru Bourgeois and below, though.

  6 hours ago · Like
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  Anthony Quinn That's what has happened, fortunately Paul there are plenty that are still affordable. Thanks for your comment. TONY

• Dan Terrasa Thanks Tony!! I appreciate the support and all you have done to help bring good Bordeaux to the everyday person who can't afford the ridiculous, inflated, and over priced Classified Growth Bordeaux. Those wines are such a joke and are a clear and focused look into what the wine business "used to be" Thanks to people like you, they aren't the future!!

  about an hour ago · Unlike · 1
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  Anthony Quinn I appreciate this Dan, more than you know, especially for having the vision and conviction to comment here. Cheers, we will continue to work together on this for many years! TONY 2/5/14

  a few seconds ago · Like

From my comment on Dave McIntyre's first Bordeaux article last Wed. Jan. 23rd, 2014 I believe : from my first blog here at chatwine.blogspot.com.  Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn  1/29/14

My Response To Dave McIntyre's Article On Bordeaux Wine In Last Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014 Article Published In The Food Section Of The Washington Post Newspaper. Cheers, Drink More " Value " Bordeaux Red @ Home, Then Ask For It In Restaurants, Too!1

Dave, in your article : " Bordeaux tries to recapture the imagination of U.S. wine lovers  I want to point out that, in our store, in a D.C. retail atmosphere their imagination is alive and healthy and doing really well. We sell lots of " value " red Bordeaux wines like the ones you just wrote about. People ask for them, return for them, are pleased with them, spend a lot of time looking at them on our shelves deciding which to buy and take home and enjoy. This is essential, it really is, and it's practical, too as many U.S. wine lovers want to be able to afford to enjoy these fine dry red, white ( and even rose and Sauternes-Barsac ) wines with their meals. For many it is much more economic to buy them in a fine retail wine store, take them home, prepare their own meal and have a wonderful evening and experience. Their imaginations are " well and alive " and I see no need to worry. The one observation that I would make is that very few seem to take the time to visit us at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. I can count them on my fingers , Michel the owner of CHATEAU de LESCOURS has come last year, so did the owner of CHATEAU CALLAC and one other. They come so infrequently that it is hard to always remember their names and , for that, I am sorry for my part in this as I try very hard to remember who comes to visit us. I would advise they visit more stores because it is in a store that many connections are made and solidified over time. If they would taste with more customers in stores then they would be more on the tip-of-the-tongues of the consumers/ customers that also go to restaurants to enjoy fine meals with wine. And those consumers/ customers would note to solidified over time. If they would taste with more customers in stores then they would be more on the tip-of-the-tongues of the consumers/ customers that also go to restaurants to enjoy fine meals with wine. And those consumers/ customers would note to the sommeliers in these restaurants that they are unhappy to find so few listed. This is my advice, work from the ground up and make the connections and the impressions that will make more people living in the U.S. fight to have them on the wine lists! Cheers, Anthony Quinn 1/27/14 

" Tony! " Jagir at the register calls out to me as I type here. " I come out of the office and see Nan holding a copy of the Washington Post Food Wednesday newspaper and she points to a spot and says : " Do you have this? " She's got the wine column of Dave McIntyre open to that page that he wrote about Bordeaux wines. She's pointing to the CHATEAU LA COUDRAIE Bordeaux 2010 Vignobles Jolivet Mis en bouteille au chateau, $13.99, 13.5% alcohol that Dave mentions. I say : " Yes! " Nan perks up, happy with my answer. I walk to the display by our tasting table and hand her a bottle. I tell her it's really good. She smiles again and asks : " Do you have more? " I say " Yes " again and tell her that we are running low but have more on order. She tells me that if she likes it she will be back for more. I feel sure that we will see Nan again asking for more LA COUDRAIE Bordeaux red that we get from our salesperson Mark Congdon of J.W. Sieg that brought it around about two months ago for us to try. Thanks Mark, thanks Dave, thanks Nan! Cheers on this brisk, bright, cold and refreshing Thursday morning here in Cleveland Park, Northwest Washington D.C. 20008 on January 30th, 2014. TONY   ...   and later after Nan leaves Jagir shouts out to me : " Tony, the coffee's ready! " Thanks Jagir, I am looking forward to that.


THERE ARE ' Other ' IMPORTANT FACES of Bordeaux as well to consider like Pierre Haury that is the son of Michel Haury that owns CHATEAU LA GRANGE-CLINET, and that visits Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits frequently. Pierre has come with his father Michel as well. I really do appreciate that : seeing the Bordelais producers. owners and winemakers themselves in the store, It is a rare occurrence and to be treasured as a result. This should change in my opinion. More should venture out of Bordeaux and visit us. Cheers. Here's a picture below of Pierre that I took on his most recent visit. He's on the left. TONY 2/3/14


AND JUST ADDED , Thursday, DEcember 11th, 2014 with Pierre Marcelin, ...

Fun, yesterday we had Larry Irving here to pick up some of the PH ( Purple Hands ) Oregon Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2013, $24.99, written up in the Washington Post Food section this Wednesday. ( we were the only DC store listed for having it ) , and he introduced himself to Theresa Morrison, Pierre Marcelin of Maison Riviere was here pouring fine-quality red Bordeaux wines, and Lisa stopped by : and we all were introduced and we all tasted and it was a great spontaneous moment! WE used Larry's phone to take these pictures as Pierre rushed off to another appointment. Theresa sells us the BUEYES Extra Brut Malbec dry rose, sparkling, that is balanced, fruit-forward, really pleasing : a delight to sip ) ... Pierre tasted the CHATEAU GAUDIN 2010 Pauillac red On Special for $43.99, regularly $48.99 a bottle, and we sold three bottles while he was here! ... it was a fun moment for us all. Thanks everyone, merci Pierre ...  TONY  Happy weekend, happy Friday all,  

Come taste the wines of Peru here tonight with Danielle of Dionysos Imports from 5-8PM : NO CHARGE ...