Le Chai

An introduction to the Piemonte

Le Chai's Newsletter Volume 1 Issue 1
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Le Chai will be closed Monday, September 18 and Tuesday, September 19.

The F.A. and myself will be attending a couple of distributor shows in Atlanta seeking out a new batch of wines that the monkeys haven't gotten ahold of.

Normal shop hours will resume on Wednesday and if you happen to see me in Atlanta feel free to buy me a beer.

I'm sure I will need one.

Le Chai will be closed from Thursday, August 17 through Friday, August 25.

Regular operational hours will resume on Saturday, August 26 from 1.00 pm to 7.00 pm.

The F.A. and myself are getting out of Dodge for a bit to go see the wonders of Quebec and the city of Montreal.

Phone contact will be kept to a minimum but email will be active. Feel free to contact me via email: christian@lechai.com.

Have a great third week of August. I know I will.

Christian

It is no understatement to say that this is my favorite time of the year - every four years.

That's right, it's the WORLD CUP!!!!

For the duration of the competition, the matches will be shown at the shop. Feel free to stop in and enjoy the greatest competition in the world.

And one more thing...



GO GERMANY!!!!!!

Sorry for the lack of updates on the site but things have been quite busy at the shop....thanks to you all.

Le Chai will be closed this weekend as I am traveling to York, South Carolina to witness my sister's wedding. All indications are that it should be a great time and I assure you good wine will be consumed.

So the shop will be open tomorrow - Thursday, 20 April - from 1.00pm to 7.00 pm. Closed Friday, 21 April as well as Saturday, 22 April.

Le Chai will resume regular hours on Monday, 24 April.

Have a great weekend and get ready for the roses. The season is quickly approaching.

Here we go again...the big holidays are upon us and with them, the need for copious amounts of wine. As I have said many times over, this is an issue that should be addressed sooner than later. For those of you who have waited to the last minute, here is a run-down of the hours I will be keeping over the next week or so:

Monday, 19 December - 1.00pm-7.00pm

Tuesday, 20 December - 1.00pm-7.00pm

Wednesday, 21 December - 1.00pm-7.00pm

Thursday, 22 December through Monday, 26 December - CLOSED

Tuesday, 27 December - Abbreviated hours, should be open mid-late afternoon

Wednesday, 28 December - 1.00pm-7.00pm

Shop hours will return to normal with the exception of New Year's Day. Le Chai will be closed.

Happy Holidays and Safe Travels.

-Christian

Le Chai will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. In the event you waited to the last minute and you need some wine, I will be on call until around 3 o'clock in the pee em. After that, you're on your own. 912.713.2229

Not to sound like a broken record, but the holidays are upon us. As I stated before, let me know sooner than later what your holiday needs are going to be. The options right now are myraid but the longer you wait, the fewer choices there will be.

So, with that said, have a good Thanksgiving and I'll see you soon.

Well, it's that time of year again...Late September/early November when most, if not all of the distributors in Georgia have thier 'holiday' shows. In short, this is when they pour more or less their entire catalog and yours truly is 'forced' to find the real deal that many of you have come to expect. Unfortunately, many of these are conducted in the parking lot that is Atlanta and thus I must make that oh-so-enjoyable trek up I-16 to see what's what. As a result, my presence at the shop might be spotty over the next few weeks, but never fear, I will find the stuff you need. One bit of advice, give me a call before you come by.

Speaking of holidays, that time is coming up fast (faster than seems reasonable, but alas). I know you are going to be having parties. You know you are going to be having parties. So know we know you are going to be having parties. Do well by both of us and let me know of your plans sooner than later. The selections are myriad, both in style and price. However, the longer one waits, the more limited the selections become. This is simply a reality, and one dictated by the delivery schedules of my distributors.

What's the point? Don't wait to the last minute! You have or will spend a great deal of time and effort to make the party is proper, shouldn't you afford the same to the wine?

I hope you know the answer.

See you soon.

Summer has officially arrived and with it brings the days of rose and gruner veltliner.

All sorts of new wine is arriveing nearly daily with spectacular offerings from Spain, the Loire Valley of France, and all over Italy. As stated on the blog, I highly recommend avoiding most white 2003's from Burgundy and the Southern Rhone Valley. Given the freakish temperatures of the vintage, the grapes simply got 'too ripe' and as such the vast majority lack the acidity that makes these wines what they are. With that said, there are exceptions to the rule but I (as usual) am not buying any wine that I have not had first. I suggest you do the same. That or you can leave the heavy lifting up to me (which I've already done) and stop by the shop to pick up the better selections from this most interesting vintage.

By the way, Le Chai will be closed Saturday, July 2. I am traveling to my sister's house for her 30th birthday. July 4 (Monday) I will more than likely be running around to various parties but if you're in a pinch, give me a call and we can work something out. Le Chai will resume regular business hours on Tuesday, July 5.

Later.

I'm out. I'm taking a much needed working vacation to play some music and see some friends.

Le Chai will be closed from Saturday, May 21 through May 31. We will re-open on June 1. Have a happy Memorial Day weekend and we'll see you soon.

Just a little heads-up for the week to come.

The F.A. will be accompanying me on a trip to Atlanta on Wednesday, April 13th. We will be attending a private tasting with none other than importer Neal Rosenthal. As such, the shop will be closed on Wednesday and will re-open on Thursday, April 14th at 1 o'clock in the pee em.

Last Wednesday, Tom Wark and I had the opportunity to speak with Lynn Krielow Chamberlain, she of WineFairy.com. An interesting discussion of blogs and wine, you can click here for the dialer and then get the show in streaming audio. It is also available through iTunes and Live365.

Check it out and let me know if I made any sense.

Thanks to Tom for the recommendation and thanks to Lynn for the arena of discussion.

February 21 and 75 degrees. This is one of the reasons that I love this town. As per usual, I have been on the constant lookout for all things juice. The good news: Mission Accomplished and the mission will continue. Italy, Spain, and the south of France are yielding more and more amazing wines. Price to Quality ratio is going through the roof.

Also, in case you find a copy of the recent Esquire Magazine in your hands, take a look at the article entitled 'The Best Bites of food in the U.S.A.' Number 7 is none other than the Brothers Butch and the house salad served at Elizabeth on 37th. For the record, I agree 100% with Mr. Fussman's comments. Also, even though her name is mispelled, the woman he is referring to in the article is the Financial Advisor herself, Miss Katrina Schimdt-Rinke. We were there for dinner the night Mr. Fussman was in. Unbelievable.

Spring is right around the corner. Prepare for the onset of Rose, Gruner Veltliner, and Prosecco. What a beautiful thing.

Just thought I would wish everyone a happy new year. I trust that everyone's holidays were enjoyable, both in company and wine. Thanks to all of you who patronized the shop throughout 2004 and I look forward to the new year and all the new wines that will be coming down the pike.

Speaking of new wines, the last couple of months have been quite busy and as such, many of the 'stable' wines are sold out or on thier way to being so. Therefore, it should be exciting to see what wines avail themselves.

Be Good and I'll see you soon.

'Tis the season for the distributors 'Holiday' shows and I have been doing my part to seek out the wines that make the grade. I have been impressed by many and disappointed by quite a few. A word to the wise, Italy is blowing up. Spectacular wines and prices to boot. Come by or drop me a line for the goods.

Secondly, keep an eye out for the upcoming issue of Deep magazine. My friends there allowed me to opine for a bit on wines for the holidays.

Lastly, if you are looking to kill some time or maybe to get a chuckle or two, check my blog 'Turn the Screw'. It's a relatively new endeavor for me and an arena where I can blow off a little steam, call a spade a spade, or try to right the world in my own little way.

Be good and drink more Riesling!

Back from Atlanta. The tastings were interesting to say the least. I discovered a number of new wines at amazing prices and revisited some importers that I had let slip away. All and all, a resounding success.

One glaring issue was pervasive throught all the shows that I attended: The 2003's from most of France and almost all of Italy were quite diasppointing. Not to the fault of the winemakers, rather the vintage. My suggestion: Start putting together some 2002's to get you through. Either that or discover German riesling.

During our visit, the Beverly Hills Inn in Buckhead was suggested. I cannot say enough about this place. I highly recommend staying here and the owner, Mit has a very good thing going.

So it's back to the grind (if you can call it that). Feel free to stop in, plenty of new things are afoot.

Le Chai will be closed Monday and Tuesday, September 13 & 14 and will reopen durng the afternoon Wednesday, September 15.

I am off to Atlanta for the big tastings of three distributors and to find more of the wines that you have come to expect.

Stay well and I apologize for any inconvenience.

For those of you that know me, this will probably come as no surprise. For the rest of you, listen up. The word of the day is rose. And I am talking about real rose not "blush" or "pink" but the real McCoy. At this point I recommend you keep breathing and check the bravado at the door, your whole outlook on these wines will soon change.

For the record, let us establish a few basic facts:
1. My good friends out in California have single-handedly done more to ruin the concept of a rose than any other wine producing region in the world.
2. There is nothing wrong or "unmanly" about drinking a wine that is neither crystal clear white or blood red. To the contrary, it has been my experience that serving a proper rose will not only make you a hit with your company, it will improve your general well-being.
3. White Zinfandel is not wine. It may come from grapes grown somewhere and it may get you into a mental state (or lack thereof) that you desire, but that wine does not make. You know as well as I do that the stuff that comes in the green paper can is most definitely not Parmesan cheese.

For those of you who have been by the shop lately, you probably already know about this wine. I have been singing its praises since I first tasted it. For the rest of you, welcome to the world of Austrian white wine.

The grape used in this wine is the Gruner Veltliner and for the longest time it was more or less relegated to that of a table wine, not capable of anything extraordinary and ideal for the daily drinker. Well, it is my opinion that they had it half right.

Through the work of Fred Loimer and a number of others, Gruner Veltliner is quickly becoming a wine of significant importance. And as far as the daily drinker thing, this wine is a spot-on match for the weather we are beginning to enjoy(?). Light, Clean, Bone Dry with a bracing acidity, this should be the first thing you think of for a summer white.

The 2002 vintage is in currently in stock but my good friends at the Wine Spectator have just awarded it 87 points (Thank God!!) so it may not be around for too much longer. The 2003 vintage is on the water as we speak and should be arriving in the next month or two.

So too make a short story long, step up with your cup. At $14.50 per bottle, this is a wine to be buying by the case. And just in case you think you might not be able to drink it all this summer, this wine has the legs to go the distance for another year or two. However, I really don't think this will be an issue.

Taste it and you'll see why.

This man is a maniac. I know of no single human being that produces so many varied wines with such quality as Alois Kracher. If you are not familiar with his work, you should be.

All wines available in this presale come from the 2001 vintage. Bottle sizes are 375ml and are packaged 6 bottles per case. Prices are per bottle - pre tax. All orders due by 08 May 2004.

Traminer TBA No. 1 'Nouvelle Vague' $68.75

Muskat Ottonel TBA No.2 'Zwischen den Seen' $73.25

Chardonnay TBA No. 3 'Nouvelle Vague' $73.25

Scheurebe TBA No. 4 'Zwischen den Seen' $73.25

Welschriesling TBA No.5 'Zwischen den Seen' $73.25

Grande Cuvee TBA No.6 'Nouvelle Vague' $80.55

Chardonnay TBA No. 7 'Nouvelle Vague' $83.75

Welschriesling TBA No.8 'Zwischen den Seen' $94.50

Scheurebe TBA No. 9 'Zwischen den Seen' $94.50

2003 Kracher Cuvee $31.25