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Click Here for Last Mailing: http://204.128.208.250/docs/mailings/20011016.txt
SPEC's EVENTS THE GREAT UNKNOWN: Wine From Off the Well-Worn Path Whether you're a wine adventurer or you're just tired of drinking the same old thing, this is the class for you. On THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18TH at 7:00pm, SPEC's and the Wine School at l'Alliance Francaise will offer a class and tasting entitled THE GREAT UNKNOWN: Wine from Off the Well-Worn Path. This class will look at and taste twelve very-good-to-great wines from lesser-known wine growing areas in France, Spain, and Portugal. The class will focus on how the wines are made, the grapes used to make them, and the land they come from as well as how they match-up with food. Twelve wines representing a range of styles including both red and white wines will be tasted. THE GREAT UNKNOWN: Wine from Off the Well-Worn Path will cost $46.00 "cash" per person ($48.42 regular) with a $10.00 discount available for 1000 SPEC's Key points. For directions, reservations, or more information on this class, please call SPEC's at 713-526-8787. This class will be held at l'Alliance Francaise. L?Alliance Fran?aise, the French cultural organization in Houston, is located at 427 Lovett Boulevard (on the southeast corner of Lovett and Whitney, one block south of Westheimer).PLEASE SEE WINE SCHOOL CANCELLATION POLICY AT BOTTOM. A SECOND LOOK AT 1999 ZINFANDEL On Thursday, October 25th at 7:00pm, please join the Wine School at l'Alliance Francaise and SPEC's wine manager Bear Dalton for A SECOND LOOK AT 1999 ZINFANDEL. This is the second in a series where we'll look at a dozen of the best 1999 Zins released to date. We'll talk about how and when Zinfandel got to the US and the changes in winemaking that have brought us to the styles we drink today, the emergence of terroir as a factor in Zinfandel, and where Zin is headed in the future. We'll taste 13 wines. The anticipated lineup includes Karly Warrior Fires Zinfandel 1999, Fife Red Head 1999, Elyse Rutherford 1999, Deloach Estate Bottled 1999, Ridge Lytton Station 1999, Ridge Pagani 1999, Ridge Paso Robles 1999, Ridge Lytton Springs 1999, Ridge Geyseville 1999, Turley Dogtown 1999, Turley Pringle 1999, Turley Moore-Earthquake 1999, Turley Hayne 1999. The wines should prove to be excellent. A SECOND LOOK AT 1998 ZINFANDEL will cost $65.00 per person (cash) with a $10.00 discount available for 1,000 SPEC's KEY Points. For directions, reservations, or more information on this class, please call SPEC's at 713-526-8787. This class will be held at l'Alliance Francaise, 427 Lovett Boulevard (on the southeast corner of Lovett and Whitney, one block south of Westheimer). PLEASE SEE WINE SCHOOL CANCELLATION POLICY AT BOTTOM. CHATEAU HAUT BRION Tasting & Dinner at Four Seasons Hotel On Tuesday, October 30th at 7pm, please Join SPEC's Wine Manager Bear Dalton, Stacole proprietor Chris Lano, and Ch. Haut Brion's father-and-son management team Jean and Jean Phillipe Delmas for a tasting and dinner featuring the wines of Ch. Haut Brion, Ch. La Mission Haut Brion, and Ch. Latour Haut Brion (all adjacent properties owned by the Dillon family). The tasting will feature three white wines and nine red wines. Another three white wines and five red wines will be served with dinner. The white tasting lineup is Plantiers du Haut Brion 1998 (the white second wine of both Laville Haut Brion and Ch. Haut Brion Blanc), Laville Haut Brion 1997 (the white wine of Ch. La Mission Haut Brion), and Ch. Haut Brion Blanc 1997. The red line-up is Bahans Haut Brion 1997 (the 2nd wine of Ch. Haut Brion), Ch. La Mission Haut Brion 1997, Ch. Haut Brion 1997, Bahans Haut Brion 1998, Ch. Latour Haut Brion 1998, Ch. La Mission Haut Brion 1998, Ch. Haut Brion 1998, Ch. Haut Brion 1996, and Ch. Haut Brion 1989. Four Seasons Chef Tim Keating is still working on the dinner menu but the first course will be served with Laville Haut Brion 1998 and Ch. Haut Brion Blanc 1998 followed by another course to be served with Ch. Haut Brion Blanc 1990. The next course will be served with La Chapelle de la Mission Haut Brion 1998 and Ch. La Mission Haut Brion 1996. The entree will be served with Ch. Haut Brion 1995 and Ch. Haut Brion 1990. A cheese course will be served with the final wine, the classic Ch. Haut Brion 1982. As soon as the menu is available, it will be posted to Spec's web sight at www.specsonline.com. The CHATEAU HAUT BRION Tasting & Dinner will cost $460.00 per person (Cash). Please note that the high price is due entirely to the cost of the extraordinairy wines we are serving. For reservations or more information on this one-of-a-kind event, please call SPEC's at 713-526-8787. PLEASE SEE WINE SCHOOL CANCELLATION POLICY AT BOTTOM. OUISIE'S TABLE MORGAN VINEYARDS OCTOBER WINE PAIRING DINNER Ouisie's Table at 3939 San Felipe Road is hosting their last wine pairing dinner of the year on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 (Halloween). The evening will begin at 6:45p.m with a cocktail reception. The guests will enjoy a multi-course meal along with wines from the Morgan Winery produced out of the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation and Monterey County in California. Dan and Donna Lee founded Morgan Winery in 1982, with a goal of creating the finest wines possible by obtaining the highest quality fruit. The Lee's farm the only organic vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands. The tariff for the dinner is $85.00 per person plus tax and gratuity. For reservations please call Ouisie's 713-528-2264 Tuesday through Saturday. Any questions regarding the menu or wines may be directed to a Ouisie's manager. OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS (Details to be Announced) 11/07/01 (Wednesday, 7pm) - Oysters and Fevre Chablis Dinner 11/14/01 (Wednesday, 7pm) - BV Georges de Latour Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1998 Release Party WINE SCHOOL CANCELLATION POLICY If for any reason you need to cancel a reservation for a class, dinner, or other event, please let us know at 713-526-8787 as soon as possible. Reservations canceled before 4pm on the last business day before the event (usually 27 hours) will not be charged. Cancellations received after 4pm on the business day before the event will be charged unless those seats can be resold. All no-shows will be charged. OCTOBER 2001 TWELVE-UNDER-$12 STERLING Sauvignon Blanc, North Coast (California), 2000 12x750ML $10.21 $112.42 Here's a well-balanced, medium-weight Sauvignon Blanc offering classic grass, pear, melon, and lemon-drop aromas and flavor and a nice bit of malo-lactic richness (but has ample fruit and acidity to keep it fresh and lively). Long in the mouth with good Sauvignon fruit to the end. Clean and refreshing - quite tasty. Fine. SPEC's Score: 88 points. LOUIS LATOUR Pinot Noir, Bourgogne Rouge, 1999 12x750ML $7.87 $86.58 Here's a super, bargain-priced Burgundy featuring lots of juicy dark-cherry fruit with hints of cola and chocolate and good earth notes. Long and focused, it really lasts in the mouth. It has enough tannin to offer some weight and chewiness but not so much that it overwhelms the wine. Serve cool (55-60?). Fine. SPEC's Score: 88 points. TOAD HOLLOW Chardonnay, California, 2000 12x750ML $10.99 $121.08 A blend of 50% Sonoma County Chardonnay and 50% Mendocino County Chardonnay all grown in cooler areas and fermented in stainless steel tanks with full malolactic fermentations, the result is a lovely, balanced, pure, juicy, ripe Chardonnay offering lots of fruit in the banana and pear range with good richness and no "splinters" (of oak). Finishes fresh and clean. Fine. SPEC's Score: 89 points. GOATS DO ROAM Red, Western Cape (South Africa), NV 12x750ML $7.61 $83.78 A blend of 33% Pinotage, 22% Syrah, 13% Cinsault, 13% Grenache 10% Carignan, 5% Gamay, and 4% Mourvedre, this Cotes du Rhone-style (get it?) red shows good richness and plenty of dark grapy fruit with notes of spice and pepper. The texture is nicely chewy with good weight in the mouth and a good feel. This is a solidly enjoyable, quite versatile, everyday drinking red. Very Good+. SPEC's Score: 87+ points. LA VIS Pinot Nero, Trentino (Italy), 2000 12x750ML $10.71 $117.30 Unusual fresh, lively, red-berry and red-cherry fruit-oriented Pinot Noir (Nero) from the Trentino region of northeastern Italy featuring a hint of cola and fresh crushed berry tannins. Spicy and alive with flavor and character. Medium weight with just a touch of chewiness. Moves toward black cherry as it develops in the glass. Quite refreshing. Serve cool (50-55?). Very Good. SPEC's Score: 87 points. PIERRE BONIFACE Rousette de Savoie "les Rocailles" (France), 2000 12x750ml $9.41 $104.26 This delightful, off-the-beaten-path, balanced, super-fruity, fresh, dry white features a nose that is initially a little closed but the palate reveals plenty of mixed tree fruit (peach, yellow cherry, etc.) and wildflower perfume. It has a lovely refreshing texture and feel in the mouth with a thrilling balance. The super-long finish hints at lemon drops at the end. Wonderful as an aperitif. Delicious and Excellent. SPEC's Score: 91 Points. (This was an email special in July that got such a great response we decided to buy more so that we could offer it in the Twelve-Under-$12) PAOLO SARACCO Moscato d'Asti (Italy), 2000 12x750ML $11.82 $130.90 This delicious, half-sparkling, juicy, ripe, naturally low-alcohol (7%), white is bursting with aromatic fruit in the classic Muscat range: lemon drop, honeysuckle, cirtus zest, and apricot. The palate is light, thrilling, and super refreshing and offers pure pleasure. Lasts and lasts in the mouth; finishes tingly clean. Excellent. SPEC's Score: 91 points. LE FAUX FROG Chardonnay, Limoux - Vin de Pays d'Oc (France), 1999 12x750ML $6.76 $74.46 Also from Todd Williams of Sonoma County?s Toad Hollow, this is a juicy, low-acid, pineapple fruit oriented Chardonnay made in the style of a clean Aussie Chard. It has a good balance and feel with a nice richness but is not tarted up with oak chips and sugar like so many "value-priced" (cheap) Chardonnays. Finishes dry and clean. Very Good. SPEC's Score: 86+ points. FOREST GLEN Merlot, California, 1999 12x750ML $6.88 $76.61 Here's a balanced, juicy, ripe cherry fruit-oriented Merlot with a fine medium-weight style and a nice texture. Dry and mouth-filling with hints of earth and wood that compliment and round out the juicy fruit. Very Good. SPEC's Score: 86 points. PENFOLD's Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon, South Australia, 1999 12x750ML $8.46 $93.11 This blend of 74% Syrah and 26% Cabernet Sauvignon features lots of ripe, earthy, black raspberry and blackberry fruit with plenty of white pepper character, a nice note of cassis, and a touch of tobacco. Quite spicy in the mouth. Fine length. Very Good+. SPEC's Score: 87 points. ALAMOS RIDGE Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza (Argentina), 1999 12x750ML $9.27 $101.57 Quite tasty, very juicy, classically Argentine Cabernet Sauvignon with lots of blackberry fruit layerd over a core of dusty oak and earthy terroir. It has a somewhat rustic character with a nicely chewy texture. Long and dry with a fine, perfumed berry note that really lingers. Fine. SPEC's Score: 88+ points. JEWEL Viognier, California, 200O 12x750ML $10.23 $113.33 Lovely, aromatic, juicy Viognier with crisp fruit in the peach-apricot-and-ripe-pear range with a solid honeysuckle note and a hint of Gewurztraminer-like hops character. Fresh, refreshing, and lively but with a soft texture. Long, perfumed finish. A real deal on a Viognier this good. Fine. SPEC's Score: 88+ points. SPECIAL for SPEC?s KEY holders: Buy a mixed case consisting of one 750ml bottle of each of our OCTOBER 2001 12-UNDER-$12 selections for only $101.28, a savings of $8.94 over SPEC?s already low cash bottle price. UPC: 00000788265 (Special price good 10/4/01 thru 10/31/01). The "12x750ml" means the wine comes in 750ml bottles packed 12 to the case. The first price listed for each selection is the cash discounted bottle price. The second price listed is the cash discounted case price. "Spec's" is a service mark of the Spec's Family Partners, Ltd. and is registered with the State of Texas. Prices are subject to change without notice. Prices listed include SPEC's famous 5% discount for cash."Cash" includes US currency checks and debit cards when you enter your PIN#. Prices listed in 12-UNDER-$12 are good at all SPEC's locations.
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