Category — Drink

My good friend Mike Steiner, after encountering some major personal tragedy, decided to take some time off from the New York rat race. He was given a fantastic opportunity to live and work in France at Chateau La Gatte, a beautiful vineyard and bed and breakfast in France’s Bordeaux region.

Michael documented his travels and experiences in his blog, MJScribe. He has since been transitioning back to New York life, and in the meantime, wanted to share some of the great wine that he had a hand in producing this past year.

I quote from Michael:

Many folks have asked me about where to get Chateau La Gatte in the United States. I have connected with one of Michael and Helene’s retailers here in NY, Michael Houdek, who can facilitate delivery to NY and all other states that allow it. Michael has also agreed to a 10% reduction on all case orders — mix or match. No pressure here folks, just passing along the info if you want to order some great daily drinkers. All wines will be in stock by November 11th. Basic shipping rates follow below. See attached for history and info regarding La Gatte and the vineyard specs.

2007 La Gatte Rose - $13.99/bottle
> 100% Merlot, free run juice, bled 3 hrs after coming in from being picked.

2005 La Butte (my fave) - $20.99/bottle
> 100% Old Vine Merlot

2004 Chateau Montalon - $14.99/bottle
> Approx. 65% Merlot / 35% Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Chateau Montalon - $20.99/bottle
> Approx. 65% Merlot / 35% Cabernet Sauvignon

Rough Shipping Costs (1 case)
> NYC = $20.
> L.A. is in the $40’s
> Chicago is in the $30’s.

To order any wines, kindly contact Michael Houdek at mike@houdeks.com, and tell them you are friends with Michael Steiner.

The Photos

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You can also read more about Chateau La Gatte by reading their PDF here.

Alice Feiring, about whom I’ve written in other posts, is currently stirring up the pot with her guest-blogging stint for the New York Times.

In her most recent post, she talks about her near-miss experience in becoming a winemaker.

Seems she had an offer from the Letts family in Oregon’s Willamette Valley to create her own vintage.

Read more about her near-brush with winemaking in her recent “The Crush” New York Times wine blog post.

During my review of the Burgundy Wine Company in my last post, I stumbled across WineAccess.com as the “engine” that powers its back-end e-commerce platform. Looking into the service a bit more deeply, I’ve discovered a comprehensive multi-faceted array of products that intelligently interlock and serve everyone from the casual wine enthusiast to the wine store, to wine importers, to the vineyard owner.
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