Ansley Wine Merchants - Atlanta, Georgia - 404-876-6790

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2009-08-12T12:22:00.000-07:00

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2009-07-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

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Guigal Cotes Du Rhone

2008-10-09T12:53:00.001-07:00

For an everyday table wine that never fails - look to Guigal. We here at Ansley love value - and this little Rhone is a perfect example of the kind of quality available for very reasonable prices.

Guigal
Cote du Rhone 2005
$12.99
Parker 90 "A blend of 50% Syrah and 50% Grenache, the 2005 Cotes du Rhone is a real head turner. Full-bodied, with a deep ruby/purple color and sweet notes of berry fruit, a hint of road tar, and some pepper, the wine is dense, chewy, ripe, and a surprisingly big mouthful of juicy, velvety-textured wine to drink over the next 3-4 years.

Wine and Climate Change

2008-10-08T17:02:00.001-07:00

Did you know?

As we move into a time of growing need to become less dependent on energy in general, we strive to make our lives less harmful to the earth. The wine world is starting to listen, and in some cases, winery owners are speaking out and encouraging others to join in the cause to eliminate their carbon footprint. And many in the vineyards know just how much Climate Change has and will continue to effect their wines.

What's a carbon footprint?

Well, simply put, it's the direct effect a winery's practices have on the environment, in terms of carbon dioxide emissions (to figure out what your carbon footprint is, check out http://w.plant-a-tree-today.org/NewQuickOffset.asp). Those of us in the wine industry have become increasingly concerned about the effect winemaking has on the environment. For an in depth understanding of wine's effect on the world via carbon footprint check out http://www.nature.org/tncscience/misc/art25684.html.

Alamos Malbec Seleccion 2007

2008-10-02T09:00:00.001-07:00

I really like this upgraded, special selection Malbec. It's rich, velvety and full bodied.
(and on another note, I don't know who thought 'fruitcake' would be a good descriptive word for this wine! No offense to fruitcake lovers... if there are some, but come on!). Try this one out folks. I promise you won't be disappointed with the value of this little Malbec.

Alamos
Malbec Seleccion 2007
$13.99
WS 90 and Smart Buy!
"Round and fleshy, with enticing spice, blueberry, fig and boysenberry flavors backed by hints of fruitcake and melted licorice. Stays fresh and vivid on the finish, with a lingering mocha hint. Drink now through 2009. Tasted twice, with consistent notes".

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Spanish Values Never Quit!

2008-09-18T09:58:00.001-07:00

These are our favorite values out of Spain - they are, without a doubt, all fantastic wines at reasonable prices. We carry these virtually all the time - as long as they remain available in the market. Stop in and pick some up - or give us a call and we'll set some aside for you.

Bodegas Campos Reales
Tempranillo La Mancha 2006
$6.99
Tanzer 88 “Bright purple. Primary dark berry aromas are complicated by licorice, dried flowers and cured meat. Complex for this price point, offering deep blackberry and blueberry flavors and a firm, chewy texture. It's rare to find this seriousness at this price.

Campo de Borja
Monte Oton 2007
(100% Garnacha)
$7.99
Parker 87 "A complex, dark ruby-colored wine with additional fruit and body, it possesses good underlying acidity, loads of freshness, fruit, and sweetness, and a medium to full-bodied finish. Drink it over the next several years".

Las Rocas
San Alejandro Garnacha 2006
$10.99
Parker 91 "The 2006 Las Rocas Garnacha is dark crimson-colored with an alluring nose of spice box, mineral, black cherry, and black raspberry. Smooth-textured, round, and with no hard edges, this tasty effort is designed for immediate gratification. This is one worth buying by the case".

Vinas de Cenit
Mazzaron 2005
$14.99
Parker 91 "The 2005 Venta Mazzarron is one of the finest values in Spanish wine. Made from 100% Tinta de Toro, it offers up a smoky, complex bouquet with notes of mineral and blackberry. Ripe, sweet, forward, and altogether pleasurable, it can be enjoyed over the next 6-8 years".

Volver
Tempranillo
La Mancha 2005
$15.99
Parker 92 points and a "Best Buy " "Sexy, oak spiced cherry & cassis aromas offer an array of Asian spices, vanilla and mocha. Suave dark fruit liqueur-flavors are velvety & seemingly tannin-free. Gains focus on the sappy, sweet finish."

Bodegas Muga
Rioja Reserva 2004
$25.99
Parker 93+ "The 2004 Muga Reserva is dark ruby-colored with an enticing nose of pain grille, pencil lead, crushed stone, and blackberry. This leads to an elegant wine with layers of flavor, several years of aging potential, and a lengthy finish".

Great Values out of Argentina and Chile!

2008-07-16T18:28:00.001-07:00

Wallet feeling a little tight these days?
These are some great in house bargains you shouldn't pass up (that we carry virtually all the time) - some of these are perfect for parties and daily table wines, others are more special - yet still a great value. And I would agree with Parker when he says that Catena, the winery responsible for both the Catena Alta, Zapata and Alamos labels, is the winery of reference in Argentina, in which all others must measure up.
Big Tattoo - the first wine offered on this list, donates 50 cents of each bottle they sell to Breast Cancer research. Since 2001, they have raised over 1 million dollars. Wow! You get to drink wine and feel good about it.

Big Tattoo Red 2006
Cabernet, Syrah
$7.99
Parker 85 "The 2 Brothers Big Tattoo Red, a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Syrah, has been a major hit for the Bartholomaus brothers, one a tattoo artist and the other the blender/importer of the wine. A portion of the receipts supports breast cancer research and has already raised a remarkable amount of money. As for the wine, the 2005 Big Tattoo Red offers generous quantities of pepper, cassis, currant, and cherry aromas and flavors. It is a supple, easy-drinking wine with no hard edges. Drink it over the next 12-18 months".

Alamos
Chardonnay 2007
$9.99
Tanzer 88 "Pale green-tinged yellow. Aromas of peach, spice and butterscotch, with a hint of exotic fruit salad. Sweet, slightly exotic flavors of ripe peach, nectarine and spices are nicely framed by surprisingly brisk acidity and lifted by some unabsorbed CO2 This very fresh midweight offers a lot of flavor intensity for the price. Substantial and appealing"

Alamos
Malbec 2007
$9.99
WS 88 "Very polished. Soft plum and boysenberry fruit flavors are layered with mocha and vanilla notes. Creamy finish. Almost too soft, but will have fans for its fruit. Drink now".

Alamos
Torrontes 2007
$9.99
WS 87 "Nice and plump, with pink grapefruit, tangerine and persimmon notes and a rich, pure finish. A step up for the grape. Drink now".

Alamos
Bonarda 2006
$10.99
WS 88 "This is dressed up a bit, with mocha and black tea notes leading the way for supple plum and licorice flavors, followed by a toasty finish. A crowd-pleaser. Drink now".

Alamos
Seleccion Malbec 2006
WS 89 "Nice vivid purple and blue fruit flavors run through this red, with creamy-textured mocha, spice cake and licorice notes and a lively, fruit-filled finish. Drink now".

Cousino Macul
Antiguas Reservas Chardonnay 2006
$14.99
WS 90 "Many Chilean wineries have difficulty with Chardonnay due to problems integrating oak and fruit components. Cousino Macul seems to have mastered the production of value-priced Chardonnay. The outstanding 2006 Chardonnay Antiguas Reserva has no such problem. Featuring toasty pear, apple, and tropical fruit aromas and flavors, it has excellent depth and concentration, superior balance, and a lengthy, pure finish. It is a great value in well-made Chardonnay competing with wines twice the price".

Catena Malbec 2005
$19.99
WS 90 and Among Outstanding Values from around the World "Rich and polished, with alluring fig, mocha, boysenberry, ganache and sweet spice notes that glide along creamy tannins and through the long, velvety finish".
Parker 91 "Catena’s 2005 Malbec was sourced from four vineyards, was aged for 12 months in 70% French oak, 20% new, and 30% new American oak, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Deep crimson-colored, it has an attractive perfume of cedar, pencil lead, mineral, and black cherry. Medium-bodied, it has a silky texture, serious depth and length for a wine of this price, well-concealed tannin, and a pure finish. Although it can be enjoyed now, this stylish Malbec will continue to improve with several more years in the bottle. It is a great value".
Tanzer 90 "Bright medium ruby. Varietally expressive aromas of blackberry, black cherry, licorice, dark chocolate, game, leather and fresh blood. Densely packed, suave and dry, with a creaminess to the flavors of black raspberry, leather and licorice. Quite suave and supple in texture; classically dry but fully ripe. Finishes with a hint of leathery reduction but also lovely aromatic lift and lingering sweetness. (A second bottle of equal quality finished lush, suave and clean, without any sign of reduction.)".

Catena Chardonnay
$16.99
Tanzer 91 "Yellow with a gold tinge. Deeply pitched aromas of stone fruits, spices, honey, flowers, dusty stone and toasty oak; showed a note of apricot candy with aeration. Rich, ripe flavors of peach, apricot and sexy oak spices show a lovely sweetness. More viscous than the Alamos chardonnay but kept fresh by strong acidity. This silky, very concentrated wine finishes with an impressively persistent flavor of ripe apricot. Catena continues to be in a class of its own for chardonnay in Argentina".
Parker 90 "Catena Zapata’s 2006 Chardonnay was sourced from three estate vineyards and fermented with natural yeasts. It then spent 10 months sur-lie in French oak, 40% new. Light gold-colored with a slight green tint, it exhibits a nose of slate, toast, butterscotch, pear, and apple. Medium-bodied, the wine is nicely balanced by crisp acidity, and the flavors are intense and persistent. Drink this outstanding value over the next 1-2 years".

We at Ansley call this Catena Alta a baby Corton-Charlemagne!

Catena Alta
Chardonnay
Adrianna Vineyard
$29.99
Parker 92 "The 2005 Alta Chardonnay comes from the Adrianna Vineyard at 4850 feet of elevation. It is 100% barrel-fermented using natural yeasts and went through full malolactic fermentation. It was aged sur-lie for 12 months in 60% new French oak. Light to medium gold in color, it has a distinguished aromatic profile of mineral, white flowers, toast, vanilla, apple, and poached pear. This is followed by a medium-bodied, concentrated, layered Chardonnay with flavors of fig and citrus also emerging on the palate. The wine has great balance and should evolve for another 2-3 years. It should age in the manner of a top-level white Burgundy and provide pleasure through 2014".
WS 92 "Really enticing nose, with flavors of pineapple, cherimoya and yellow plum fruit. Has a suave grilled hazelnut streak and a long finish that shows excellent clarity. Drink now through 2009".

Catena Alta
Malbec
$44.99
Parker 94 "The 2004 Alta Malbec was aged for 18 months in French oak, 70% new, and was also bottled unfined and unfiltered. It offers greater aromatic complexity with notes of pepper, clove, leather, and chocolate in addition to violets, black cherry, and blackberry. Medium-bodied and elegant, it has a plush texture, layers of spicy black fruits and minerality, excellent balance, and a 60-second finish. It will evolve for 5-7 years and drink well through 2025".
Tanzer 91+ "Good saturated medium ruby. Very ripe black fruit aromas joined by strong torrefaction notes of bitter chocolate, roast coffee, tar and licorice; plenty of evidence of expensive new oak here. Quite ripe and thick but with impressive delineation to the deep dark berry, leather and chocolate flavors. This actually comes across as less sweet than the regular '05 malbec bottling. A seriously structured malbec that finishes with substantial broad, dusty tannins. Give this one some time in bottle".

Icewine from Washington

2008-07-10T13:24:00.001-07:00

Who doesn't love that Eiswein? well here's a good domestic alternative - great price, great rating.

Kiona
Icewine 2006
Yakima Valley, Washington
$26.99
Parker 93 "The 2006 Ice Wine is a Chenin Blanc-Riesling blend with 20% residual sugar. The aromatics are quite heavenly with notes of peach, tangerine, mango, and kiwi. On the palate the wine is smooth textured, racy, and nicely balanced. It should evolve for quite some time given the acid backbone. It is also a fabulous value in sweet wine".

Please Note: This will be available until it runs out. This is not in the store but is available for order.

New and Improved (we hope)!

2008-03-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

We're back! Or perhaps I should say - I'm rebooting this blog site.
Debbie has gone, but I've taken her place (as hard as that job may be,
I'm up for the task). This blog will change form and morph into
something of a website.

What's Australian for value?

2007-07-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Thorn-Clarke Terra Barossa Cuvée Barossa 2005 $12.99
Wine Spectator 90 and Smart Buys “Supple, round and distinctive for its violet-tinged currant and dusky spice flavors, lingering effectively against refined tannins. Shiraz, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2013.” SOLD OUT

Great red wine for a summer barbecue!

2007-05-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

Domaine d'Andezon Cotes du Rhone 2004 $ 9.99
Parker 89 "There are 4,000 cases of the 2004 Cotes du Rhone, a tank-fermented and aged blend of 80% Syrah (40-year old vines) and 20% Grenache (60-year old vines). Deep ruby/purple-hued with loads of cassis fruit, blackberries, and a hint of charcoal, this fleshy, fat, attractive 2004 is ideal for restaurants and consumers seeking a delicious, personality-filled, inexpensive red that can be drunk over the next 1-2 years."

Sale on Allende Rioja!

2007-05-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

Jim tried this on his most recent trip to Spain as a barrel tasting. He says "it was the single best cuveé we tasted under $75. Phenomenal wine. It blows Muga out of the water." He called it his reward for 2100 miles on a bus, adding "I've been waiting patiently for it to come in and now it's here."

Finca Allende Rioja 2004 $19.98 net!
Parker 92 "The 2004 Allende, a 100% Tempranillo cuvee, was barrel fermented in a mix of new and used French oak, remained in barrel for 13 months, and was bottled unfiltered. The wine is inky purple-colored and has a superb nose of pain grille, mineral, violets, cranberry, and blueberry. The youthful palate reveals layers of fruit, ripe tannin, and excellent balance. The wine merits another 3-4 years of bottle age and should drink well through 2020. Kudos to Finca Allende for a magnificent set of 2004 Riojas!"

Great value in Bordeaux

2007-03-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

La Cour d'Argent Bordeaux 2005 $13.99
Parker 87-89 “This lower pedigree wine represents undeniable quality/value rapport in 2005. This vintage is so deep in quality among the better run, less heralded estates, that these wines should appeal to readers looking for terrific values from Bordeaux. Most of these wines are Merlot-based and will be drinkable young. Sleeper of the vintage.”

Incredible German Wines

2007-03-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

Riesling - the most collectible white wine in the world of wine! And these are among the best.

Selbach-Oster 2005

Bernkastler Badstube Riesling Kabinett 2005 $17.99
Parker 92 “The 2005 Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett smells vividly of ginger-tinged black cherry right down to the pit. It exhibits amazing richness on the palate yet also true Kabinett elegance, refreshment, and lightness of touch. Sappy, spicy, juicy, and multi-dimensionally mineral in a finish of tonic satisfaction (never, of course, losing sight of the cherries), this wine offers amazingly mouth-coating persistence and – despite harboring nearly 50 grams of residual sugar (high for this estate) – exhibits perfect balance. I’m betting that this exceptional value is a 20-year Kabinett that won’t have a bad day along the way.”

Berkastler Badstube Spatlese 2005 $19.99
Parker 92 “The 2005 Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese brings cherry (fresh and distilled), orange zest, and brown spices in the nose, with a honeyed, ethereal overtone of botrytis. Palate-saturating in its intense cherry, brown spice, and faintly sizzling hint of botrytis, this finishes with enormous richness of fruit that successfully overrides faint warmth, then leaves behind a subtle sense of mineral residue. There is every reason to believe this phenomenal value would stand up to more than two decades in the cellar.”

Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese 2005 $24.99
Parker 93 “The 2005 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese comes from ancient vines in several of the Selbachs best parcels in the core of the Sonnenuhr. Heady, sweet and exotic floral notes waft from the glass, along with scents of vanilla, apple jelly, and pungent grapefruit rind and lemon oil. On the glossy, rich yet bright palate, high-toned peach, pear nectar, and honey ally themselves with apple, vanilla, flowers, and citrus in a colorful reflection of a great Mosel site. There is such intensity and diversity of fruit in the finish that one cannot really talk about subtlety, but one can certainly talk about a superb, ageworthy Riesling.”

Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese *** (3 Star) 2005 $69.99
Parker 97 “The scents and flavors of vanilla, nougat, butter cream, apple jelly, and honey here are themselves practically mouth-filling. Then one sips, and an incredibly dense, bright, concentrate of fruit and nut essences emerges, profoundly layered, coated with honey, vanilla cream, malt, brown spices, and honey, yet never losing a fresh-fruited core, and absolutely clear, pure, refined, and free from any blemish or roughness. It might be only once in a lifetime that a vintner can pick such a wine right off the vine, without selection, opines Johannes Selbach. The finish positively reverberates in its multiple registers against walls of slate. Three or four decades will not be an unrealistic estimate of this wine’s longevity.”

Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Rotlay 2005 $39.99
Parker 94 “From an exceptional red slate portion of the Sonnenuhr, Selbach’s 2005 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese “Rotlay” displays high-toned, diverse esterous fruit distillates along with some of the same dusty, smoky manifestation of botrytis possessed by the two star Auslese from this site. Vanilla cream, apple jelly, and white peach preserve on the palate are layered with juicy citrus, spices, nut oils, salt, wet stone, and indeed all the way down to the milk chocolate end of the spectrum. The enormous sheer density and a goodly measure of bright citricity keep the botrytis from becoming bitter or fatiguing. With such multi-faceted and abundant raw material and energy, this finishes with almost inscrutable intensity. It should make a great display of itself even 30 or more years from now.” SOLD OUT

Decadent Dessert Wine!

2007-02-16T19:05:00.000-08:00

YUM!

Alvear Pedro Ximenez de Anada 2004 $16.99
Parker 96 “The decadently sweet, single vintage 2004 Pedro Ximenez de Anada reveals off-the-chart honeyed richness along with hints of caramel and marmalade. This dark amber-colored wine possesses plenty of fresh fruit characteristics. It is best served as dessert.”

2007-01-20T13:04:00.000-08:00

Special thanks to our wonderful customers for making Ansley Wine Merchants once again "Best Wine Shop of Atlanta 2006" in Creative Loafing magazine. Since 1995 we have been voted Best Wine Shop of Atlanta by either the readers or critics, and on at least a couple of occasions both, of Creative Loafing. Our signs, it's always our signs, and of course our helpful staff, that are most often mentioned. But our Customer Greeter, Jack, was finally recognized for his contribution to the store in this year's write-up. "Listen to the poodle," says Creative Loafing, and we agree.