DEAR FRIENDS OF GROEZINGERS,
Did you realize February had so many occasions and holidays? I didn’t. Now that the holidays are over, here are some fantastic reasons to get back to celebrating: 1.The Daytona 500, 2.Valentine’s Day, which is coincidentally  2b. National Condom Day       3. Cherry Month and Cherry Pie Day  4. Chinese New Year 5. Jell-O Week (a big deal in Utah & Iowa)  6. My birthday (hint, hint)  7. Ground Hog Day (good luck Northeasterner’s)  8. The Day the Music Died (1959) 9. President’s Day 10. Black History Month  11. Boy Scout Day  12. National Freedom Day  13. Mardi Gras…..Here’s where it gets kind of weird…..14. Marijuana Awareness Month (don’t forget) 15. Children of Alcoholics Month  16. Sword Swallowing Day (ironically not on Valentine’s Day), and lastly….16. Adopt a Rabbit Month (wtf? Really?)  That’s just a few of them. I started looking for orphaned rabbits immediately. What does this all mean??? It means you’ll need some of these great selections-o-vino to help you celebrate February when you’re watching “the 500”, pigging out on cherry pie, fried chicken, and cherry Jell-O shots while being extra nice to your kids, wearing beads, feeding your new rabbit, blowing off fireworks, rocking some Buddy Holly with your sweetheart, and trying to remember to or not to get stoned while you skip work on President’s Day. And be sure to put a condom on that rusty old sword in the basement to avoid getting tetanus or lancing your esophagus. The other thing that’s great about February is……
GROEZINGER’S STILL HAS THAT INCREDIBLE 3 CASE SHIPPING DEAL. It’s true…………..About $100 ships three cases anywhere in the continental United States!!! $25 per case ships a case to our neighbors in CA, OR, WA and NV.  $35-$50 ships one case via UPS to most other states, and, if you live in a state still suffering from prohibition era restrictions, we’ll bootleg it to you for between $55 & $65 for one case, $90 for two, and $100 for three cases! These prices make it CHEAP and EASY to get great wines no matter where you reside.  Out of state orders are tax free, saving you a big chunk of dough to spend on wine.  You don’t need to order full cases of wine as we can ship you a 3-pack, 6-pack, or 9-pack for a reasonable price too. We also ship to Ontario and Alberta now!
HEY!! FLORIDIANS, REDNECKS, AND TEXANS,,, BUY & SHIP YER WINE NOW WHILE IT’S NICE & COOL.
1.) 2008 CHAPPELLET, “Pritchard Hill” Cabernet Sauvignon, Pritchard Hill, Napa Valley–$125.00  Hello? Anyone?
2.) 2006 PARADIGM, Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley–$56.00  Heidi Barrett’s most affordable Cabernet
3.) 2008 DELILLE, D2, Columbia Valley, Washington–$36.00 (55%ML, 39%CS, 4%CF, 2%PV) **This is a typo correction from last month. It’s 39% Cabernet Sauvignon and only 4% Cab Franc. This wine puts the hurt on pricey Napa blends for cheap.
4.) 2006 LIPARITA, Cabernet Sauvignon, “V Block”, Yountville, Napa Valley–$54.00 Liparita is back and on fire. Jason Fisher is crafting the small production lots from some of Napa’s best vineyards. The “V Block” is the finest of the bunch. Dark & spicy black fruit is wrapped up in sweet oak with a very light hint of herb. Very Californian and slightly Bordeaux-like.
5.) 2004 SADDLEBACK, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley–$25.00 Normally $52, the winery is gonna kill me if they see this price. I only have four or five cases left. This ’04 is at its prime with just a bit of bottle age. Big and slightly oaky.
6.) 2007 VINEYARD HOUSE, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley–$150.00 This is the “next generation” of Far Niente. Gil Nickel’s son, Jeremy, heads up this project from a vineyard behind the legendary Far Niente winery. Just starting to catch the eye of the press, it’s already made it on the wine list of the French laundry and other local retailers sell it for $180+.
7.)  2008 ANDREW WILL, Merlot, Washington–$27.50 You want some Merlot that’ll blow your doors off? This ain’t your typical, boring Merlot. It has muscle, power, depth, complexity, and a long finish usually found in MUCH pricier wines. After that stupid movie, f-ing Sideways, put the hurt on Merlot, this wine will give Mile’s and ass-whooping he won’t forget. There’s not much left from this great vintage so call soon. This is 50% Ciel du Cheval fruit with a blend of 25% Cab Franc. Truly great.
8.) 2007 PELERIN, Sangiovese, Mesa de Sol Vineyard, Arroyo Seco–$22.00 Only 85 cases produced. Here’s another one….
9.) 2007 BENESSERE, Sangiovese, Napa Valley–$21.00 This is $17 cheaper than the winery’s price. If you like Sangiovese and haven’t found a “love connection” in a while, the Benessere and the Pelerin are the best I’ve had in over a year. I recommend both and the prices are finally where they should be. A crappy economy does have its benefits. Get your pasta on.
10.) 2008 PALAZZO, Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley–$68.00 92 Parker points, this is a must have for the lover of Cab Franc.
11.) 2007 ROCKPILE, Petite Sirah, Madrone Spring Vineyard, Rockpile AVA, Sonoma County–$36.00 This is a big, bad, Leroy Brown of a Petite Sirah. So dark in color, this is a great wine to celebrate Black History Month. Nothing petit about it.
12.)  2008 ADASTRA, Pinot Noir, Carneros–$37.00 Adastra, usually producing a $60 “reserve” Pinot called Proximus, chose not to bottle it in the ‘08 vintage. That means all the Proximus juice went into this Pinot boosting the quality to a level not usually found in the standard Adastra. If you’ve enjoyed their Pinots in the past, this will shoot you to the moon. Bold yet balanced, the concentrated spicy cherry, strawberry, and cola flavors are amplified and sustained with an extra thick midpalate from the addition of the Proximus juice. I feel this is the best Carneros Pinot you can purchase for under $40. Don’t miss this great ’08.

2008 KOBALT, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley–$81.00
Those of you fortunate and intelligent enough to have had the incredible 2007 vintage of this production should jump on this like Charlie Sheen jumps on porn stars and eight balls. Over the past few vintages, this winery has earned an impressive track record from consumers and the press. They used to make a $125 reserve wine called “Special-K”, that was until a guy named Tony the Tiger, a.k.a. Kellogg’s, put a cease and desist on that project. I don’t know where that juice went but you could probably guess. This is big, fat, mean, ripping Cabernet that’ll put the hurt on wines that cost $50 more. It’s crafted by Mark Herold who used to make the coveted Merus wine. With 2008 turning out to be an incredible vintage, this wine boasts super heavy, heady, black fruits, tar, black currants, and blueberry with sweet oak, and luscious, sweet tannins. This wine is the epitome of what most serious California Cabernet lovers crave. It’s a wine that gives it all up on the first sip and will keep it coming for years to come. It’ll age for a good ten+ years and drinks like a champ right now. Get it now before it’s gone, the 2007 vanished without a trace.

2009 WINDOWPANE, Napa Valley–$34.00
Made by the same fry-heads who make Kobalt, Mark Herold and Kevin Carriker have made this more affordable version of a Kobalt-esque wine that is sure to have you tripping your face off upon first sip. During the middle of the economic shit-storm they decided to make a bit less Kobalt and more Windowpane. Timothy Leary would’ve been proud. That said, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah is more potent and powerful than previous years with a fat chunk of the Kobalt juice being blended into this nearly hallucinogenic wine. The trippiest thing about this wine is the price. Some stores sell it for almost $50. Why? Because they’re jerks and are out to screw you over, plus the wine is worth it and if you didn’t know better, you’d buy it and still be happy. Like when the price of LSD went from $2 a hit to $5. Nobody seemed to mind because they were all still trippin’. Anyway, at the modest price of $34, this wine will melt your palate into a technicolor dream of big, black and purple swirls, with fractals of queen’s violet, indigo, and ultramarine. Pyramids of dusty cobalt tannin balance the intense dark fruit for a drinking experience you’ll be flashing back to for years to come. You should seek psychiatric help if you don’t purchase this wine.

2008 SOTER, Pinot Noir, Mineral Springs Vineyard, Willamette Valley, Oregon–$44.00
Here’s a wine made by a living legend, Tony Soter, who has surely made wines that have crossed and amazed your palate in the past. After many memorable years of making some of California’s best Pinots and Cabernets at Etude in Napa Valley, Tony moved on to Oregon to make his mark there. This truly world class Pinot possesses a modest alcohol level of just 13.8%, allowing the brilliant fruit to shine and display the flavors of the Mineral Springs Vineyard. After fermentation the wine is given a 7-10 day “extended maceration” to soften the tannins and extract the maximum potential of flavor before it’s put into 60% new French oak barrels. Flavors of black cherry, strawberry, and black raspberry, are complimented and enhanced with nuances of exotic spice, toast, and dark floral notes. The mouthfeel is thick and satiating, with perfect acidity and mild tannins. This is beautiful Pinot for the serious connoisseur from a truly great vintage and will age for a good ten years or more.

2009 PATRICIA GREEN, Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon–$22.00
So maybe you’re on a budget these days but hate compromising quality due to your sophisticated palate. If so, then this is your Pinot. It’s unbelievably great for this ridiculously low price. The wine is bright red in color with hues of fuchsia and pink around the edges. Being a 2009, this Pinot is young and slightly immature, but with some discipline and a good slapping around this youngster behaves like an expensive call girl with a Phd. and very low mileage.  The “reserve” Pinot from Patricia Green is the main focus of their program, composed of several vineyards and multiple clones, making it complex, intriguing, and extremely satisfying for a wine with such a modest price. Over 60% of the grapes in this wine come from vines over twenty years old giving this inexpensive wine impeccable quality. Bright cherry and spicy raspberry overtones are followed by subtle, toasty aromas and minerality with a finish that lasts for a good minute and a half. A good decanting and some extra swirling in your goblet will crack this beauty open like Pinot Noir piñata, spilling the beautiful and layered flavors of Willamette Valley’s finest vineyards.

2007 RAMEY, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley–$38.00
Normally priced at $51, the winery said they would do unspeakable things to me if I sold it for less than $38, so here it is at $38. The grapes are from the famous and fabulous Larkmead Vineyard between St. Helena and Calistoga, so this non-vineyard-designate wine is actually Larkmead Vineyard Cabernet without the $70 price tag. The deep, dark purple color is the first hint of the extreme quality in this somewhat, they hate to hear it, “discounted” Cabernet Sauvignon. Of course many places will still sell it for fifty bucks, but since I just do this for my health and for fun you should take advantage of this smokin’ deal. Your glass will be blasting with blackberry, licorice, black currant, tobacco, cedar, and black cherry. You can drink this ’07 now or lay it down for about another seven years if you’re into exerting your patience. With 2012 around the corner, I’m chugging mine in case the end is near…Ramey won’t be using ANY Larkmead fruit in his future Cabs. That said, this is the last chance to get Ramey “Larkmead” Cabernet from the vineyard that helped put Ramey’s Cabs on the scoreboard. Dave (no-shit-takin’) Ramey will surely source excellent fruit in the future, but not from this vineyard. Call to get the scoop and some of this great Cab for $38.

2007 DASHE, Zinfandel, LouvauVineyard, Old Vines, Dry Creek Valley–$32.00  (422 cases produced)
This is old vine Zinfandel at its finest from a great growing season in Sonoma County. These 80 year old vines produce fruit with incredible texture and complexity. Cocked and loaded with black raspberry, spicy cherry, pepper, and a hint of oak, this Zin aims to thrill and shoots to kill. It has beautiful structure and balance with a silky and simultaneously gripping texture. Dashe has been producing great Zinfandel for a good long while now and this is one of their finest to date. It has a 2% kiss of Petite Sirah and was aged in French Oak, only 12% were new barrels, expressing the stunning and complex flavors of these historic old vines.

2007 SCHOOLHOUSE, Mescolonza, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley–$40.00
Known to some as the Chateauneuf-du-Pape of Spring Mountain, this “venerable field blend” is one of the most unique and intriguing blends from Napa. Comprised of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and a mish-mosh of old Rhone varietals like Carignane, Alicante Bouche, and Cinsault, it delivers a fantastic drinking experience if you’re looking for something outside of the norm. You’ll get flavors of plum, raspberry, clove, spice, earth, cherry, strawberry and blackberry. In fact, there aren’t too many flavors you won’t find in this wine. It’s a great food wine that’ll pair with anything off the grill or with some char on it. Like the Windowpane, I’m not sure if they put mescaline in it or not, but you’ll be one happy tripper when it touches your tongue.
2007 SCHOOLHOUSE, Pinot Noir, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley–$85.00
I only have three cases of this epic Pinot this year so I must sadly put a four bottle limit on this wine and you can only get it if you buy some other stuff too. Light crops mean high quality so don’t mess up and skip out on this stellar vintage of Schoolhouse.

2008 JOHN ROBERT EPPLER, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley–$19.00
I remember back when we were so poor we ate cereal with a fork to save milk. That’s when I learned how to find great wines for next to nuthin’.  Just when I thought there was no such thing as a great Napa Valley mountain Cabernet Sauvignon for under $20, I was amazed, blown off my slanted porch, and floored by this wine. $omehow this fruit comes from Pritchard Hill which is one of Napa’s priciest appellations, home to places like Bryant, David Arthur, and Chappellet just to name a few. If you want some ultra sensational Cabernet on the cheap you MUST try the “JRE” Cabernet. Load up on this and put it in front of your pricier treasures to keep your broke-ass, thirsty friends away from your gems. It’s big and bold with dark color and loads of full throttle mountain flavor and a structure that most $40 Cabernets wish they had. Black cherry, cassis, briary blackberry, blueberry, and black plum are propped up with solid tannins and rich, earthy, loamy nuances rarely found in wines this price. This is my “sweet-deal”, cheap Cab-of-the-month, as I always do my best to have super affordable, high quality treats for you. I seriously don’t know how he got Pritchard Hill fruit which is probably $6,000 a ton and got it into the bottle for this incredible price.

2006 PIERSON MEYER, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley–$68.00
This is one of those situations where I ride the line of pissing people off while offering a phenomenal wine at a lower price than I previously sold it for. This was originally $85 and I sold it for $77. A few weeks ago the wonderful people at Pierson Meyer offered me a ripping deal on this balls-to-the-wall Cabernet. They just released their 2007 vintage of this Cabernet and still had some 2006. So, as the leading account for the 2006 Cab they gave me a sweet discount that I’m passing on to you. For $68 this is, by far, the best Cabernet Sauvignon I have in the store. I’ve had it next to all the other highly rated, expensive, “culty” things from Napa and it consistently buries them. Many of you have purchased and loved this wine over the last year so you know how good it is. Don’t think I was jacking you for your dough, I’m just paying less for it now and so are you. This wine is cellarable for as long as you can stand, has more color, tannin, flavor, and phenolic content (the actual solid matter in wine) than the 2007 does. There were under 200 cases produced and for some strange reason they still have some left. So many stores sell, and so many people buy wine based on ratings that off the radar wines like this sometimes go unnoticed. This is also a Pritchard Hill Cabernet from the incredible Versant Vineyard which was unfortunately just sold to the Mondavi’s for their overpriced Continuum project.
This is truly Napa Cabernet at its finest showing the greatness of the under-rated 2006 vintage. Not buying this wine at this price is like punching yourself in the balls or making that one, really bad decision you made and still regret to this day.  I don’t know what that might have been (marriage, business, real estate, DUI?), but I promise this Cabernet will help ease the pain.

2007 LONG MEADOW RANCH, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley–$44.00
This Cab just got the #5 wine of the year from the Wine Enthusiast and Long Meadow Ranch is selling it just for the month of February before they put it away for a couple more years. It’s a wonderful Rutherford hillside Cabernet with fuzzy tannins, classic Rutherford dust, spicy red fruits complimented by black cherry, cedar, and French oak. Not “officially released”, this pre-sell offering is a special opportunity  to purchase this wine before the winery’s mailing list gets a hold of it. The vineyard is organically and biodynamically farmed on the western slopes of Rutherford. While a lot of Cabs from this appellation are lean, dusty and tannic, this wine is rich and meaty with some nice curves, big sweater cows, and sexy hips. While Long Meadow ranch has a good track record of excellent wines, this is better than their “reserve” wines and is their best Cabernet to date.

*****WHITE WINES*****
2009 DELILLE CELLARS, “Chaleur Estate”, 67%Sauvignon Blanc/33%Semillon–$31.00
If you’ve been reading this dirty newsletter for the past few months you’ve probably noticed my new “love connection” with DeLille Cellars. Their Chaleur Estate is one of the most memorable white wines I’ve ever had. I can’t imagine anyone not loving this incredible white blend. They slap it in 100% new French oak which is perfectly integrated with intense and vibrant fruit producing flavors of pear, fig, citrus, gooseberry, hazelnut, and a round texture with mouthwatering acidity. It’s a truly spectacular wine that shouldn’t be overlooked. If you “only drink Chard”, you’ll love this too. If you like Sauvignon Blanc you’d better be ready to get drunk because you won’t be able to stop drinking this. I love it and am struggling real hard not to chug it.

2008 KISTLER, Chardonnay, Les Noisetiers, Sonoma Coast–$65.00
No, you are not hallucinating. I have landed a small amount of Kistler’s Sonoma Coast Chardonnay but you should call me quick because there isn’t much. It’s thick, rich, big, and bold with a creamy texture and awesome Sonoma Coast acid that is sure to make you trip out. The only bad thing is coming down off the Kistler. It’s depressing when it’s gone and your “dude” is sold out.

2008 KNIGHTS BRIDGE, Chardonnay, West Block, Knights Valley–$59.00
I just revisited this stunning Chardonnay that is drinking absolutely fabulously. It’s big in every sense. The “West Block” possesses massive flavors of pear, apricot, and tropical fruits, is coated with a huge dose of delicious oak, and has enough butter for a hundred pancakes. The “West Block” is massive and complex, made for the lover of hedonistic Chardonnay.

2009 SOLITUDE, Chardonnay, Sangiacomo Vineyards, Carneros–$27.00
If you’re not the kind of guy or gal that has an expensive Chardonnay habit, but you still like to do the stuff every now and again, check out some Solitude. And if you’re like George Thorogood, and you like to drink alone, what could be better than a little Solitude? Wanting to get rid of your significant other? Buy some of this to through them a subtle hint to leave you alone. “Honey,
would you please give me some Solitude?” Have a nasty, stay at home drug habit? This will quench your parched palate and help you get to sleep too. Whatever your situation, some Solitude is always a nice thing to have. This delicious Chard has a great mix of bright fruit with nice richness and a sleek mouthfeel. Refreshing, fulfilling, and satisfying, this is nicely priced, high quality Chard from a great vineyard that supplies fruit to some of your favorite wineries. A Groezinger’s best seller, get a little Solitude.

2009 PHOENIX RANCH, Viognier, NapaValley–$24.00
Richard Phoenix, a young Napa Valley old timer, has a great Syrah vineyard in south Napa with a 600 vines of Viognier planted.
This very small production wine is fermented in stainless steel barrels with the lees being stirred for ten months prior to bottling.
It’s a great wine to pair with a wide variety of foods and I enjoyed chugging it on an empty stomach so you don’t really need to pair it with food to reap the benefits. I poured it for several groups of visitors in the store and they all loved it so I would assume it would be a hit with most anyone who drinks it. Bright and lively with no oak influence, the wine beams with flavors of nectarine, peach, minerality, and exotic spice. After drinking every Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in California, Viognier is a beautiful excursion from the main road. Put some diversity on your palate with this rare and limited, micro production Napa Viognier.

MICHEL TURGY, Grand Cru Champagne, Brut, Blanc de Blanc, Le Mesnil sur-Oger, Grand Cru–$48.00
If you love REALLY GREAT Champagne and have never consumed the Michel Turgy, you MUST check it out. This stuff seriously tastes like $100+ Champagne. It blows the doors off that orange labeled stuff, and absolutely buries anything from California. Many domestic “sparkling wines” are this expensive or even more and can’t come close to the quality and complexity. This grower/producer is next door to Salon, my favorite and one of the most expensive Champagnes in the world. The similarities between this incredible bargain and the Salon are uncanny. It has the classic lemon-ice, butterscotch, and pound cake flavors rarely found in Champagnes of this price. It’s Grand Cru, the highest classification of Champagne and is truly awesome.

HERE’S A LIST OF INCREDIBLE WINES WITHOUT PAINFUL AND TRAUMATIZING REVIEWS TO READ
MICHEL TURGY, Millesime 2004, Champagne, Brut, Blanc de Blanc, Le Mesnil sur-Oger, Grand Cru–$63.00
2008 PONT de CHEVALIER, Sauvignon Blanc, Knights Valley–$33.00
2008 SANS LIEGE WINES, “THE OFFERING”, Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre, 2%Viognier–$23.00  93pts.-Spectator
2006 LAGIER MEREDITH, Estate Syrah, Mount Veeder, Napa Valley–$41.00
2006 WHITE ROCK VINEYARDS, Claret , Napa Valley–$31.50    70%CS,  28%ML, 1%PV, 6%CF
2005 WHITE ROCK VINEYARDS, “Laureate”, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley–$41.00
2007 PAGE WINE CELLARS, “THE STASH”, 90%CS,  5%CF,  5%PV–$65.00 (normally $100, WOW!)
2007 FORMAN, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley–$85.00  Didn’t hear much from you on this one last month. It’s awesome.
2007 HEDGES, Red Mountain, Estate Grown, Washington–$21.00 (56% ML, 30%CS, 8%SY, 6%CF) A killer wine for $21
2007 PHILIP TOGNI, “TANBARK HILL”, Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain District–$37.00
2006 PARADIGM, Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley–$56.00  One of their best vintages so far.