I’ve always been one of those irritating people who want that A (90-100 points in my world…and in the wine world, too!) in my classes. Yes, I know, it’s the learning process, love of education, appreciation of the intrinsic not extrinsic reward, but still…there is something about getting an exam or paper back from the professor and seeing that “A” (hopefully circled in red with a “great job” written beside it) as just one of, hopefully, other means of demonstrating knowledge.
So when I met the engaging and uber-friendly Ryan at WineRiot! in Chicago a few weeks ago holding court at the 90+ Cellars table at WineRiot! in Chicago, my interest was peaked. With a name of 90+ are the wines “A” worthy? How hard was the exam that they had to take? What does 90+ really mean? The wines were delicious, but…syllabus, please!
Fortunately, I was able to talk to Ryan (when he wasn’t pouring to the WineRiot! masses..) about the concept of 90+ and their wines. At the end of our chat, Ryan suggested that I take a test…in the form of sending samples my way so that I could engage in some real-life, hands-on/taste-on learning. Now this was an exam I was definitely ready to take! Find the corkscrew and sharpen the pencils, kids!
Prior to my “test”, I had the opportunity to meet Kevin Mehra (at far right in photo below), the founder of 90+ Cellars who was happy to share the story of these wines. Now, Kevin is young, handsome, smart, highly motivated and driven and I’d give him a 90+ just for coming up with the concept which is not a *new* idea to the wine world, but has a twist. Basically…
- The wines of 90+ Cellars are the high quality overruns of wineries around the world which have consistently received 90+ ratings from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Robert Parker, etc.. Most larger wineries produce more than they can sell. When the next vintage is produced, the unsold wines are termed “overruns”.
- 90+ does not produce or bottle the wine. They only purchase the finished wine and put their label on the bottle indicating the region, grapes used, and vintage year. There is no mention of the winery from which the wine was produced.
- Those at 90+ Cellars taste the wine approximately three times before deciding to use that winery’s overrun. If they like a particular wine, they request another bottle two weeks later and often another bottle after that. They are looking for the wine’s consistency in the bottle and they do turn down wine if it doesn’t meet their parameters of high quality.
- Because the wines are overruns, 90+ Cellars sells them at approximately half the cost of the wines which are labelled with the name of the winery. The vast majority of the wines are under $20.00. However, their Collector’s series are from wines which regularly sell over $50.00 and you can purchase them for over $20.00 (still an amazing deal).
- 90+ Cellars wines are not found in Costco, Sam’s Club, or other big box retailers.
- The ratio of quality to value is absolutely important to Kevin and his team at 90+ Cellars.
Not wanting to take the test alone, I decided to make this a (in most cases, but not this time, the dreaded) “group project” with a variety of wine luvin’ classmates so that we could share tasting notes, discuss the concept of 90+ Cellars, and arrive at some individual conclusions. My group project members ranged in age from 27 – 58 years old so that varying tastes and opinions could be represented. We tasted sample bottles of …
*2010 Pinot Grigio from Trentino, Italy ($9.99) – Everyone loved its crisp, light taste. Agreed by all was that this is a perfect porch-pounder!
*2011 Rose from the Languedoc, France ($8.99) – Some of the group preferred a more sweet style of rose, but others (me included) appreciated this dry, acidic, “enjoy all year ’round” version….
*2011 French Blend from the Languedoc, France (Vermentino, Roussanne, Marsanne) – Well, ummm, the group never tasted it because I got to it first! I loved the combination of three of my favorite aromatic and crisp grapes!
*2010 Chardonnay from Monterey County, California ($12.99) – This wine definitely lingers on the palate with a bit of oak…two thumbs up from the group members.
*2010 Barbera from the Piedmont in Italy ($12.99) – The “older” group members loved the firm tannins of this wine and agreed that this is a keeper especially at this price.
*2009 Rosso Toscana from Tuscany, Italy ($15.99) – Everyone loved the Super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. And they started talking about a future trip to Italy…!
*2011 Old Vine Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina ($9.99) – What’s there not to like about a Malbec? This wine was smooth and a perfect choice with a perfect price point to introduce Malbec to those unfamiliar with the varietal..they loved it!
Group conclusions!
- Everyone loved the wine but the majority favorites were the Rosso Toscana and the Chardonnay.
- The label was bold and easily recognizable on the shelf – definitely a plus and everyone agreed.
- The concept of purchasing high quality overruns was interesting to all and no one felt that they were drinking “bad” wine.
- Many of the group members admitted that they really don’t know a great deal about wine and they liked “having the work done for them” by those at 90+ Cellars!
- The price of under $15.00 for all of the wine we tasted was extremely appealing to the tasters.
- Not everyone was enamored with all of the wines but they all stated that the wines were more than good enough to purchase again. NOTE: Everyone’s palate is different (duh) and that’s ok! The idea here is to find a good wine with a price point you can handle.
- Final grade for 90+ Cellars from the group project members? An A!!
Wines from 90+ Cellars are popular on the East Coast and are are making their way in other markets. Malloy’s Spirits and Liquors in the Chicago area carry the full range of 90+ Cellars wines so if you are so inclined, you may want to stop by and purchase some bottles for your next gathering, dinner for two, or just for yourself “to test”! However, if you go to their website, you can find stores in your area which carry their wines. You won’t be disappointed!
As Kevin Mehra likes to say, “90+ wines are only as good as the last bottle we sell”.
Cheers to straight “A`s”! ~ Cindy
