Rutherford is arguably Napa Valley’s most prestigious wine growing appellation.  Ever heard of Scarecrow?  It’s $1500 per bottle and is grown and produced in Rutherford.  How about Quintessa, B.V. Georges de Latour, Caymus, Staglin or Rubicon Estate?  Tired of me asking you questions?  Trick.  That was another question.  Okay, here’s a statement: Those wines all hail from Rutherford and their price tag shows.  Of the wines I listed, Caymus is the cheapest at $60.  Needless to say, when a Rutherford Merlot came along at $7.99, I had to try it.

MSH is a value-focused project of Tom Gamble, owner of some of Napa’s best vineyards.  He teamed up with other high-end wine growers and took surplus grapes from top-notch vineyards to create incredible tasting wines for Yellow Tail prices.

The MSH Merlot is an incredible expression of Napa’s take on this noble grape.  Deep purple bubbles lead to cocoa on the nose and rich chocolate on the palate.  This wine is exceptionally polished for it’s price and will impress any fan of Napa Valley Merlot.  A friend recently shared a bottle of 2002 Rubicon Estate Merlot with me and I would be proud to serve him this wine.  In fact, next time he’s over, I just might!

Buy Here: MSH 2009 Rutherford Merlot $7.99

You’ve seen it at the grocery store.  You’ve seen it at the local wine shop.  And you’ve seen it at the wine superstore:  Buy 6 or more bottles and get 10%, even 20% off.  “How can they afford to do this?”, you’re asking yourself.  Here’s how:

The vast majority of wine retailers make out-sized margins on the casual shopper- the people who are looking for a bottle for a party or picking something up to drink with their steak on Saturday night.  Because of this, they are able to discount “bulk purchases” significantly and STILL make a healthy margin.

Have you ever gone into Costco and expected a bulk discount because you are buying six cases of paper towels instead on one?  Of course not.  You know that they are already selling that case of paper towels at a lowest possible price, and you are getting a good deal whether you buy one or six.  The same should go for your wine shop.  If you find a place that never has sales and doesn’t offer case discounts, you can almost guarantee that you are getting a great deal.  Are good deals available at retailers that offer bulk discounts?  Occasionally.  But you should always check their pricing.  Personally, I’d rather shop somewhere where I know I’m always getting a good deal and don’t have to go through the trouble of price shopping.  Remember: their costs don’t change with the quantity you buy, so why should yours?

That’s why you will never find a sale or case discount at LA Wine Company.  Every wine in stock is always sale priced whether you buy one bottle or 10 cases.  Compare for yourself!

Here at Nickel and Dime Wine, we’re all about great wine values. But values can come in all shapes and sizes. A bottle of first growth Bordeaux for $250- that’s value. Likewise, a 90 point Napa Cabernet for under $20 is also a great value. So we want to know what price range your typical wine purchases fall into. The winning price range will get a special blog post of (in our humble opinion) the absolute best wine in that range.

So vote away! It’s as simple as the click of your mouse and much more enjoyable than filling out the U.S. Census.