A wine treasure hunt - Episode I

In these days of closed-before-they-are-open winery mailing lists, rocketing auction prices, and flipping the latest Robert Parker 99-pointer, wine collecting may seem more like a business than a sybaritic hobby.  But, sometimes, tracking down that special 

bottle of plonk reminds me more of a treasure hunt, or maybe even an Easter egg hunt!

One of my favorite local wine haunts is the Costco store located in Waltham Massachusetts.  I'll let you in on a little secret that surprisingly few wine snobs (maybe not surprising at that) and neophyte wine lovers alike don't know:  Costco is not just a great place to buy a six-month supply of toilet paper; it is also a terrific place to find a wide variety of interesting, even hard to obtain, wines at bargain prices that can't be matched by your traditional bricks-and-mortar wine shop.  So I usually try to stop by at least once a week to check out what new arrivals their wine buyer has selected (often differing between Costco locations).  Sometimes I will pick up of a nice bottle for the weekend, and sometime an unplanned 1/2 case of age-worth juice to stash away for enjoyment a few years down the road.

Since the spectacular '05 Bordeaux continue to arrive on this shore (apparently slightly delayed by a transportation strike in France!), I've had my eye out for a few select bottles to supplement my earlier en primeur purchases (1/2 cases of Chateau Haut-Bailly and Chateau Guiraud).  One wine that I wasn't able to pick up as a future (shipping wine into Massachusetts from most out-of-state retailers has certain legal implications, but please don't get me started about the antiquated Prohibition-era laws of our supposedly progressive state!) is the '05 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, a largely Sauvignon Blanc-based Bordeaux blend from Pessac-Leognan on the Left Bank.

So I was thrilled to see 4 bottles of SHL's distinctive pale-yellow label peaking out from the top shelf of the French/Cali Cult corner of Costco.

"According to Fabien Teitger, in-house enologist at Smith, the 38-year-0ld vines at the estate, which sink their roots several meters into the gravelly soil, were well able to cope with the drought during the summer of 2005.  Dannie and Florence Cathiard, owners of Smith since 1990, believe that they are now making the best red and white wines ever from the 165.5-acre estate (138.3 acres red; 27.2 acres white).  These wines are proof."

~~ James Suckling, "Bordeaux to Buy", 31 March 2008, Wine Spectator

And:

"Honey, apple tart, light toffee, cream and piecrust.  Very complex and full-bodied, with lively acidity and beautiful clove honey, red apple and lemon flavors. Long, balanced and very lively.  A massive white. Layered and beautiful. Made to age, but  who can wait to drink this?  Best after 2010.  3,000 cases made.  96 points."  [3ed highest score for a dry white Bordeaux after 97-point Domaine de Chevalier and 100-point Chateau Haut Brion.]

~~ James Suckling, 31 March 2008, Buying Guide, Wine Spectator

My prediction?  A possible Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of the Year for 2008!  I'm going to sock my 4 bottles away for 2011-2017.  Sorry guys, those were the last 4!

[Release, $83; Costco, $83.49; Zachy's, $100; Corporate Wines, the only other place I'm aware of that has it in MA, $101.83.]