Lot 18 Finds

A few months ago, one of my magazines had an invitation to join Lot 18, a members-only wine sales website. I joined, and we've been enjoying ever since. Lot 18 has a wide variety of wines at discounted prices, although usually only six to nine are available at any given time, and all sales have time limits. What I like about the site is that if the wine is rated, the ratings are disclosed along with the review, so I have some idea of what I am buying when I don't know the winery or vintner. The wines have arrived within days of ordering, another nice bonus, although the flat $10 shipping makes some less expensive wines not worth buying from the site.

What we drank:
Stolpman Vineyards, La Coppa Sangiovese 2009 Estate Grown, Santa Ynez Valley
First, I am a fan of the Sangiovese varietal, which typically pairs well with tomato sauces and tomato-based dishes, pizza, richer seafood and meats. This wine is a very nice example of the varietal. It starts with a full-bodied nose of oak, currant, and bright red cherry. The front of the wine is a big pop of fruit, with notes of currant, cherry, and nice oaky tannins. The mid-palate is smooth and develops into plum and pepper, and the finish is a lovely lingering oak and pepper velvety smoothness. This is quite young, and as it sat in the glass, the wine continued to improve and develop some lovely layers in the mid-palate and on the finish. I originally gave this 8 out of 10 points, and after just tasting it again, I am upping it to 9 out of 10. I really like the finish on this wine, and I think it will be stellar with food.

There are so many ways to buy wine here in California - at wineries, at tasting rooms, at wine bars, and online. Each method offers something to the buyer, and typically I prefer to taste before I buy. However, with some online wine websites including wine ratings and reviews, it takes some of the risk out of buying this way. In addition, because Lot 18 is only a wine broker, the wines ship directly from wineries, so you have some reassurance that the handling will not damage the wine. You just have to be home when the delivery comes (or ship to work...hmmm...might be tempted to drink it at work!)