Gilt Groupe has perfected the art of private sale and has diversified into practically every field to offer the widest range of products and even services and luxury vacations and hotels to a very large customer base who have become addicted to the discount luxury shopping site. They had launched Gilt Taste earlier that offered specialty foods like Murray’s Cheese, D’Artagnan Serrano Ham and wild morel mushrooms. Its unqualified success has encouraged them to now launch Gilt Taste Wines with a selection of luxury wines bottled in small estates in France and California, including some mailing-list rarities like the 2008 Bryant Family Cabernet Sauvignon.
The grand launch was made with some sixty varieties of wines on offer. The selection was made by an impressive panel that included Reichl and Master Sommelier Laura Maniec and Joe Campanale, owner and beverage director of L’Artusi, dell’anima and Anfora. Some of the offerings were rather rare to say the least. The 2006 Derenoncourt Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as the ’06 Cabernet were from the 100 cases that were made as a limited edition. Stéphane Derenoncourt, the famous Bordeauz winemaker’s first American wines were also part of the list available on the launch day of the new site by Gilt.
The initial list seems to weigh heavily in favor of Napa cabs but I am sure the choice and variety will grow as we go along. Most of the wines on the list also seem to be on the rare and expensive side. The only exception is a $12 rose from Chateau de la Selve. Otherwise the list is dominated by the likes of 2004 and 2005 Chateau Valandraud Blanc de Valandraud and the 2009 Freeman Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir as well as the 2009 Freeman Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Another interesting feature of the site is the food pairings suggested by the editorial team of Gilt Taste.
