WTN: More Bottom Feeding at TotalWines...(short/boring)

Made my infrequent foray out to TotalWines to do a bit of bottom feeding:
1. Weissenkirchen GrunerVeltliner DAC: Wachau (12.0%; Trocken; SarantyImprts/Stamford/CT) Durnstein 2021: Med.gold color w/ some tiny bubbles; very light floral/GV/slight white pepper slight spicy/earthy pleasant bit simple near vapid nose; soft slight tangy/metallic very light GV/floral/white pepper slight earthy rather simple quite dull/vapid/dilute flavor; short light GV/white pepper/floral slight tangy/metallic rather vapid/simple/dilute/watery finish; speaks of GV with a whisper; an utterly dull/vapid expression of Austrian GV; overpriced at $23.00 (TW)
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2. Golf Rivaner Tauberfranken/Baden (11.5%; trocken; Q; AP.Nr. 052 34 22; Saranty Imprts) JosephDeppisch/Markhesdenfeld/Baden 2021: Light gold color; light floral/pineapple/bit R-like/vaguely fruity some earthy pleasant enough nose; soft vaguely fruity/R-like/floral rather simple/fruity/vapid slight tangy/metallic flavor; med.short light vaguely fruity/bit R-like/floral rather dull/vapid finish; doesn't even rise to the level of a BlueNun Liebfraumilch; a simple dull/watery/vapid white and overpriced at $17.00 (TW)
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3. Ch.Miselle Ad'OP: Sauternes (13%; SarantyImprts/WhitePlains/NY) Dulong/Landiras 2019: Deep golden color; strong ripe Semillon/passito some botrytis/peachy slight earthy light pencilly/oak lovely/perfumed classic Sauternes some complex slight volatile nose; lightly tart strong ripe/Semillon/figgy/passito some botrytis/peachy/apricotty quite sweet slight earthy/dusty very rich/lush classic Sauternes flavor; very long/lingering strong botrytis/peachy/apricotty ripe/figgy/Semillon/passito light toasty/pencilly/oak bit earthy fairly complex classic Sauternes finish; a really lovely classic Sauternes at a stupid/silly price; the equivalent of a Sauternes 2-4 X that price; lovely Sauternes that should age another 4-8 yrs; a steal at $15.00/hlf (TW)
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More zizzlecapper from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Rivaner is another name for Muller-Thurgau, Germany's most widely planted grape. Tauberfranken is a Baden sub-region of Franconia & the wine comes in the traditional bocksbuetel.
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2. The first two whites are pretty much the dull/vapid wines you have come to expect from SarantyImports, the importing company arm of TotalWines (which is not legal in most States); though my research has not been able to prove that ownership.
So I cracked the Ch.Miselle with very low expectations. Holy $hit.... Saranty screwed up. This is not only just a good wine but a very/very good example of a classic Sauternes. Probably some leftover/excess Sauternes of some good Sauternes Chateau. I'd love to know who actually made this wine. The Dulong property who bttld this wine for Saranty Imprts is a Calvet property.
But if you have a TotalWines in your neighborhood, you must go load up on this Ch.Miselle. This is the very first Total Wines wine I have ever recommended and the very first TotalWines I've ever tried & went back and bought more of.
Tom

SarantyImports, the importing company arm of TotalWines (which is not legal in most States); though my research has not been able to prove that ownership

That Sauternes sounds like quite a find. Any guess as to its aging potential? Not that one cares too much at that price.

It is, or at least used to be, not uncommon in Massachusetts for one company to be involved in all three tiers of the wine trade (import, wholesale, in-state retail). Two prominent examples were Winecellar of Silene (Silenus Wines as importer/wholesaler) and Brookline Liquor Mart (Classic Wines as importer/wholesaler). WoS/Silenus is long gone now, and the BLM retail business was spun off from Classic Wines. I don't know if that was due to a change in the liquor laws.

-Paul W.

SarantyImports, the importing company arm of TotalWines (which is not legal in most States); though my research has not been able to prove that ownership

That Sauternes sounds like quite a find. Any guess as to its aging potential? Not that one cares too much at that price.

It is, or at least used to be, not uncommon in Massachusetts for one company to be involved in all three tiers of the wine trade (import, wholesale, in-state retail). Two prominent examples were Winecellar of Silene (Silenus Wines as importer/wholesaler) and Brookline Liquor Mart (Classic Wines as importer/wholesaler). WoS/Silenus is long gone now, and the BLM retail business was spun off from Classic Wines. I don't know if that was due to a change in the liquor laws.

-Paul W.

Paul,
My guess is that it will improve over the next 5 yrs & probably last out to 10 yrs.

The laws vary widely state-to-state. In many states, if you're a retailer, you can't own a distributorship. Or importers cannot have a retail outlet. In Calif, their are plenty of examples of importers who also own a retail outlet, like the old Draper-Esquin.
Here in NM, a retailer cannot own a distributorship. All the TotalWines sold here in NM come thru Johnson Distributors. By law,
Johnson must sell (and warehouse) their wines to any licensed retailer. But if you're not TW, lots of luck to Kokomans buying
any wine from Johnson. They're given a wine list by Johnson that insures they can't undersell TW. Or told the wine they want is out-of-stock. By law in NM, Johnson must warehouse the wine. In point of fact, for the 3 TW's here in have their order already palletized (by Saranty) and the just do a bump&go down in Albq, exchange some paperwork, & off it goes to the 3 stores. Johnson doesn't have to even touch the wine. Johnson Distributors is owned by TW, but they disguise that ownership so they can get away with it in NM.
Tom

[David M. Bueker]

Rivaner is another name for Muller-Thurgau, Germany's most widely planted grape.

In Germany, there's almost double the acreage plated to Riesling as to Müller-Thurgau.

Rivaner is another name for Muller-Thurgau, Germany's most widely planted grape.

In Germany, there's almost double the acreage plated to Riesling as to Müller-Thurgau.

Well, David, the site I looked at labeled it the 2'nd most widely planted grape in Germany.
I simply missed the 2'nd qualifier. But at one time, back in the '80's, it was the most widely planted.
Tom

[David M. Bueker]

Rivaner is another name for Muller-Thurgau, Germany's most widely planted grape.

In Germany, there's almost double the acreage plated to Riesling as to Müller-Thurgau.

Well, David, the site I looked at labeled it the 2'nd most widely planted grape in Germany.
I simply missed the 2'nd qualifier. But at one time, back in the '80's, it was the most widely planted.
Tom

Don't remind me of the bad old days!

[Jenise]

Considering all the wine you seem to have (or am I going on old information), I can't imagine you needing to bottom-feed anywhere. Or is this just for entertainment?

[David M. Bueker]

Tom is clearly a masochist.

Considering all the wine you seem to have (or am I going on old information), I can't imagine you needing to bottom-feed anywhere. Or is this just for entertainment?

Well, Jenise... I get a great deal of pleasure of going out there & bottom feeding and then making recs on the Internet when I find something really good. That's why I'm such a legendary icon across the Internet!!
Tom

Here in NM, a retailer cannot own a distributorship.

In Massachusetts, alcoholic beverages can only be sold at stores that secure a license for that purpose from the local town. Chain stores are only allowed to operate one retail liquor outlet.

New Hampshire distinguishes between hard liquor and beer and wine. Beer and wine are widely available at a variety of retail outlets and are distributed at the wholesale level by private companies. Distilled liquor and fortified wine are only available through the State Liquor Commission in state-run liquor stores. These stores also sell non-fortified wine but not beer. I think Pennsylvania has a similar system.

NH does allow direct sale to consumers of wines produced out-of-state, but the winery has to get the appropriate paperwork done with the State Liquor Commission and not all producers bother.

-Paul W.

[David M. Bueker]

NH does allow direct sale to consumers of wines produced out-of-state, but the winery has to get the appropriate paperwork done with the State Liquor Commission and not all producers bother.

That's pretty common.