La Petite Frog, Denver Post's Wine of the Week

Ooooh! I just saw this one last night on the Kysela Père et Fils website, and now here it is this morning, Denver Post's wine of the week!

Wine of the week, 11/8
La Petite Frog Picpoul de Pinet, $34 for 3 liters
This is the wine to stock in your fridge for the entire holiday season. Light and tangy as limeade, it's a no-brainer for that first glass of wine when you get home from work, as well as a brilliant refresher after a long day of shopping. It's as good with takeout Chinese (essential when holiday burnout hits) as it is with celebratory oysters (it's practically designed for oysters, having grown in vineyards around the Etang de Thau, a lagoon in the south of France with prime oyster beds). And the box, which holds four bottles of wine, will stay fresh for weeks after it's tapped.
Imported by Kysela Père et Fils, Winchester, Va.

DenverPost.com - Wine of the week, 11/8

Thanks to of importers like Kysela Pere et Fils, and sourcing companies like JuiceBox Wine, French wines just making their way into the US market. What a joy to be able to enjoy these wines as "a glass a day wine" (after that long day of shopping) or as "party wine" or "outdoor wine" (that oyster party at the beach). I was intrigued when I found this on the Kysela site. Now I must find some, as oyster season is just coming into full swing here! The words "brilliant refresher" have grabbed me!

Related Tags: box, boxed, cask, wine, Picpoul, Cave de Pomerols, France, French

L de Chateau Mercier Bordeaux 3 Liter Box

Another addition to the list of bag-in-box wines:

L de Chateau Mercier Bordeaux
Chateau Mercier
France, Cotes de Bourg, Bordeaux
3 liter box, vintage dated
Available in France

Balance, harmony of the fruits, flexibility of the structure.

Chateau Mercier

technorati tags: box, boxed, cask, wine, Bordeaux, Chateau Mercier

Forget the Corkscrew, Tap the Box

On August 3, 2005, Randy Buckner reviewed several boxed wines in Forget the Corkscrew for These Up-and-Comers, for the Tacoma News Tribune. It's nice to see a tasting list that ventures outside of the Black Box - Delicato - Wine Cube neighborhood. The Avery Lane wines come from Washington, and El Paseo is, of course, Spanish. Buckner's favorite was the Avery Lane Chardonnay. In his 100 point scale rating system, the first number indicates quality, and the second is relative value.

NV Avery Lane, Red Blend, Columbia Valley, Washington, $20, 3-liter cask.
A blend of four red grapes, the wine gives off aromas and flavors of black cherries, berries and vanilla. Crisp acids and soft tannins make it an easy quaffer; 81/81.

2004 Avery Lane, Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, Washington, $20, 3-liter cask.
This is the best of the box wines that I tried. Pears, apples and citrus notes float on a crisp, creamy background. This is perfect for those block parties; 83/85.

2004 Block Wine, Chardonnay, California, $10, 1.5-liter box.
Straw-colored, crisp and clean, the wine offers apricot, pear and oak aromas and flavors. This will make an ideal, inexpensive beach party quaffer; 80/80.

NV El Paseo, Valencia Red, Spain, $16, 3-liter cask.
The wine is 100 percent Tempranillo. It’s a simple but easy quaffer, with raspberry and blackberry fruit and smooth tannins; 80/80.

NV El Paseo, Valencia White, Spain, $16, 3-liter cask. Pale yellow in color. You’ll find floral aromas and pineapple nuances on the nose and palate. Nutty, figgy characters linger on the finish. Simple but slurpable; 80/80.

Forget the corkscrew for these up-and-comers | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA

technorati tags: box, boxed, cask, wine, review

Has Robert Parker Ever Boxed?

A reader recently left a comment on a post which was put up prematurely, and then deleted. It was a great question, so I'll try to answer to the best of my knowledge at this point.

A Thing of Beauty asks: Is there a boxed wine that Robert Parker has liked? What about Steve Tanzer?

I do have some info on ratings of some boxed wines in the serious wine press. Here are several boxed wines that have ratings from Wine Advocate (Robert Parker), Wine Enthusiast, Wine Report, and Wine Spectator (Steve Tanzer) (oops, correction - Tanzer not represented in this list - Thanks A Thing of Beauty).

• Black Box Chardonnay 2004, Wine Enthusiast 83
• Black Box Merlot 2003, Wine Enthusiast 84
• Delicato Shiraz, Wine Report 89
• Delicato Chardonnay, Wine Report 88
• Delicato Merlot, Wine Report 87, Wine Enthusiast 86, Wine Spectator 86 (Best Buy)
• Chateau de Pena Cuvee de Pena 2003, Wine Advocate 86, Wine Spectator 87

The Chateau de Pena Cuvee de Pena 2003 has gotten a lot of attention

Chateau de Pena Cuvee de Pena 2003

The Wine Spectator
Ripe, dark fruit flavors dominate this medium- to full-bodied red, with lovely chocolate pudding notes and smoky elements on the finish. Drink now through 2007. 20,000 cases made. Score: 87. —Kim Marcus, August 31, 2005.

The Wine Advocate
Available in a 3-liter bag-in-a-box, the 2003 Cuvee de Pena reveals plum and blackberry aromas. Light to medium-bodied and silky-textured, this excellent value (3 liters for $20 comes out to $5 a bottle!) displays spicy dark fruits intermingled with hints of cedar in its expressive character. Drink it over the next year. Score: 86. —Pierre Rovani, June 2005.

Chateau de Pena Cuvee de Pena 2003 - Market Fine Wine and Spirits - Wine and Spirit Retailer

Avec Restaurant in Chicago actually has the Cuvee 3 liter box on the wine list ($89)!! Dr. Vino says they are completely unabashed about it:

Eduard Seitan, Avec's co-owner and wine buyer, likes the wine so much he keeps three boxes on display at the bar. "I'm very proud of it," he said.

Dr. Vino's wine blog: Drinking inside the box

Does anyone out there know of any others that I've missed?

technorati tags: box, boxed, cask, wine, Robert Parker, Steve Tanzer, Advocate, Spectator, Cuvee de Pena

Black Box Pinot Grigio 3 Liter Box

Another addition to the Boxed Wine Spot's no-frills list of bag-in-box wines:

Black Box Pinot Grigio
Black Box Wines (Pacific Wine Partners, Constellation Brands)
California
3 liter box, vintage dated
About $17 - $20

Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Gris as it's called in France, is a light and refreshing wine perfect for that warm summer day or as an aperitif/cocktail wine. Clean and crisp, it primes the palate for food, pairing well with all seafood, whether raw, lightly sautéed, or served with a light cream sauce. Our 2005 California Pinot Grigio "displays aromas of lemon peel, pear and a dollop of fresh peach. Juicy flavors of citrus and apples lead to a finish that is bright and delicious."

Pinot Grigio Wine

Reviews in the press

Craig LaBan, December 6, 2006, Philadelphia Inquirer (vintage unknown, box)

Party Worthy . . . Black Box pinot grigio ($23.99)

Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/06/2006 | Wine in a box: A taste test

Reviews in stores and newsletters

IAS, August 23, 2006, Unfiltered (The Wine Source, Baltimore, MD) (2005 vintage, box)

Black Box was one of the first successful producers of vintage dated box wine from California designed for retail shelves. They have struck pay dirt once again with their newly released remarkably vibrant 2005 Pinot Grigio. The rather translucent color belies a subtle creamy richness and varietally characteristic mineral note. Try this delicious wine next to a host of insipid mass-produced Italian Pinot Grigio and you’ll be shocked by the cleanliness and verve of this spectacular value.

winemail issue 17, August 23.p65

technorati tags: box, boxed, cask, wine, Black Box, Pinot, Grigio

AC Nielsen on the Box Wine Boom

There's been lots of talk since last summer about the ACNielsen report on trends in the wine market. The focus of all the buzz has been the phenomenal growth of the boxed wine segment. Since we all keep talking about it, I thought I'd go ahead and post some of the article, Three-Liter Boxes the Fastest Growing Wine Packaging Segment, from Wine Business Insider.

According to scan data from ACNielsen, premium three-liter boxed wine sales are the fastest-growing premium wine packaging segment, with 204 percent growth since September 2003. In terms of volume, premium three-liter boxed wines have grown 107 percent over the same timeframe.

While the growth has been phenomenal, it is still a very small category in terms of market share - three-liter boxed wine sales account for less than 1 percent of overall dollar sales and just 1.5 percent of total volume. Then again, in September 2003, three-liter wine market share was about half what it is now.

There are myriad factors for the rapidly increasing sales of the three-liter category, but one of the main reasons has been the increased acceptance by the trade.

While the greatest volume of three-liter boxed wines is seen in the under-$12 category, those priced above $12 are showing the greatest growth rates. Wines in the under-$12 have grown 72 percent since September 2003, while those priced between $12 and $15.99 have grown 126 percent in the same time period. In terms of market share, the lowest-priced three-liter boxes account for fully half of all three-liter box sales, while the mid-tier, priced between $12 and $15.99, claims under 10 percent of the three-liter market.

Three-Liter Boxes the Fastest Growing Wine Packaging Segment

Even with the growth, note that 3L box still accounts for only 1% of dollars, and 1.5% of wine volume. That's a far cry from the percentages in Australia and the Scandinavian countries.

technorati tags: box, boxed, cask, wine, AC Nielsen

Clark County Premium Pinot Noir 3 Liter Box

Another addition to the Boxed Wine Spot's no-frills list of bag-in-box wines:

Clark County Premium Pinot Noir
English Estate Winery
Washington, Clark County
3 liter box, vintage dated
Also available in bottle
About $65

2002 Clark County Premium Pinot Noir. Our second Clark County Pinot Noir blend is a well-balanced, easy to drink wine. The grapes came from 3 vineyards in Clark County: about 45% from our own Gravel Mine Vineyards, about 45% from La Center Vineyards and about 10% from the relatively young Yacolt Valley Vineyards.

3L BIBB 2002 Clark County Premium Pinot Noir

technorati tags: box, boxed, cask, wine, Pinot, Noir, Clark County, English Estate Winery