Archive for June, 2012

Dr. Loosen Blue Slate Wins Gold Medal in LA Competition

Tuesday, June 26th, 2012

Invoke the hoo!

We’re pleased and honored to share that our Dr. Loosen Blue Slate Kabinett received a Gold Medal at the 2012 Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition.

Now in its 73rd year, the competition featured more than 3,200 wines. They were judged in May by a panel of 75 of the world’s leading wine experts, headed by master sommelier Michael Jordan, honorary chairman of the competition.

All wine entries were blind-tasted and carefully evaluated by four-judge panels. After much discussion, the judges came to a collective decision using a standard point system. The Gold Medal winners all must have ratings of 90 points or higher.

Thanks, everyone!

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Wild Ginger at the Bravern in Bellevue, WA, Riesling Dinner

Thursday, June 21st, 2012

Pacific NW Riesling fans!

Join Loosen Bros. VP Kirk Wille at Wild Ginger at the Bravern in Bellevue, WA, for a special dinner featuring Dr. Loosen Maximin Grünhaus, & Robert Weil wines.

July 6
Wild Ginger at the Bravern
Bellevue, Washington
For reservations, cost and more details, please phone 425.495.8889

Celebrate Summer of Riesling with a Wild Ginger’s celebrated pan-Asian flavors of the East, served family-style. The menu will be flexible, depending on what’s freshest and in season that day, but is sure to be wonderfully tasty!

There will be three rounds of food and wine. Each round will have three wines – one each from Dr. Loosen, Maximin Grünhaus and Robert Weil – and will be grouped by style: dry, off-dry and sweet.

Here’s the line-up:

Reception
Dr. L Riesling Sparkling

Flight/Course 1: Off-Dry Riesling
2008 Robert Weil Tradition
2010 Dr. Loosen Kabinett, Blue Slate
2010 Von Schubert Kabinett, Grünhäuser Herrenberg

Flight/Course 2: Dry Riesling
2010 Von Schubert/Maximin Grünhaus Riesling Trocken
2009 Dr. Loosen Riesling Dry, Red Slate
2009 Robert Weil Kiedrich Turmberg Trocken

Flight/Course 3: Sweet Riesling
2010 Von Schubert Spätlese, Grünhäuser Abtsberg
2008 Robert Weil Spätlese, Kiedrich Gräfenberg
2002 Dr. Loosen Auslese Goldkapsel, Ürziger Würzgarten

Hope to see you there!

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2012 Customer Tour

Sunday, June 17th, 2012

This year’s customer tour was a crazy five days of driving, tasting, eating and hiking through vineyards. Here are a few photos from the whirlwind.

Immediately upon our arrival in Burgundy our host Nicolas Potel, of Domaine de Bellene, took us out into the vineyards. That’s the famous Corton hill in the background. Our guests this year were (l to r): Elke Brendel, portfolio manager at L’eft Bank Wines in Wisconsin; Randy Wautlet, owner of Steve’s Wines in Madison, Wisconsin; Chris Lozano from Atlanta Wholesale Wine; Nicolas Potel; Bill Erwin from Classic Wine Imports in Massachusetts; Cameron Mills from Verity Wine Partners in New York; Ken Fredrickson and Doug Marello from Tenzing Wine & Spirits in Illinois.

In his organically farmed Domaine vineyards, Nicolas Potel uses a horse instead of a tractor to do the tilling. This causes less compaction of the soil and reduces the carbon footprint of his operation.

Nicolas sources fruit from throughout the region for his Maison Roche de Bellene négociant wines, so he knows every inch of the vineyards. Here he explains to the group how the soil, climate and farming practices all affect the wines.

The group poses on the low wall above the Premier Cru Amoureuse vineyard in Chambolle-Musigny. The famous Clos de Vougeot is in the background.

The group gathers at the entrance to Domaine de Bellene, Nicolas Potel’s winery in Beaune, the very center of Burgundy. The domaine’s name is new, but the buildings are a former Cistercian abbey from the 16th century.

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Nicolas Potel Tastings in SFO and Las Vegas

Saturday, June 16th, 2012

Nicolas Potel

Nicolas Potel
2010 Vintage Tastings

Please join us as Nicolas debuts the 2010s from his new Domaine and Maison.

SAN FRANCISCO
Monday, June 18
1-4 pm
Foreign Cinema
2534 Mission Street

LAS VEGAS
Tuesday, June 19
11:30 am – 2 pm
Lotus of Siam
953 East Sahara Avenue

RSVP TO: Ira Harmon, MS iharmon@southernwine.com

Nicolas Potel will be there to show you these wines personally!

Maison Roche de Bellene blanc
2009 Bourgogne Chardonnay VV
2010 Meursault VV
2010 Puligny-Montrachet VV
2010 Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru
2010 Vosne-Romanee VV
2010 Volnay ler Cru “Pitures”
2010 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru “Les Champeaux”
2010 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
2010 Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru

Maison Roche de Bellene rouge
2009 Bourgogne Pinot Noir VV
2010 Savigny-les-Beaune VV
2010 Gevrey-Chambertin VV

Domaine de Bellene rouge
2010 Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru “Les Hauts Jarrons”
2010 Beaune 1er Cru “Pertuisots”
2010 Beaune 1er Cru “Clos du Roi”

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June 16: Our Doug Krenik talks Denver Food & Wine on Radio Show

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

Doug Krenik won't be playing any radio guitar, but he'll be dishing about Denver's wine and food scene.

DENVER (USA) PEEPS: Don’t miss our Director of Sales, Master Sommelier Doug Krenik, when he does a guest appearance on Culinary Collectors Radio Show. Doug will be talking about our wines and the Denver food scene.

June 16 at 2 pm MDT
AM 760/iHeart Radio

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Dr. Loosen Wins Four U.K. Decanter World Wine Awards

Saturday, June 9th, 2012

GREAT NEWS! We are honored to share with you that four Dr. Loosen wines received Decanter World Wine awards at the U.K. judging in May. Here they are:

  • Dr Loosen Urziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett 2011 (COMMENDED)
  • Dr Loosen Erdener Prälat Riesling Auslese 2010 (SILVER)
  • Dr Loosen Urziger Würzgarten Riesling TBA 2009 (GOLD)
  • Dr Loosen Dr L Riesling 2011 (BRONZE)

    • With 14,119 wines tasted it was the largest entry ever for the Decanter World Wine Awards, now in its 9th year. More than 200 wine merchants, sommeliers, journalists and authors, including 54 Masters of Wine and 11 Master Sommeliers, took part in a week of judging in April.

    Although the majority of wines entered come from the world’s great wine regions, a particular strength of the Decanter World Wine Awards is its championing of lesser-known and smaller regions.

    Read more about Decanter World Wine Awards.

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