The last year has seen some extraordinary additions to the wine “list” available to wine consumers and those of us in the business as well. In the 9 years, the dinner party has been opened I can’t recall a year when we have gained access to more “Hard to Find” wines. Many are arriving just in time for your holiday celebrations. While some of these bottles have just finally cracked the market, others are new productions from existing wineries and still others have been here before but now are back in solid supply.

Almost from the time we opened we have been in pursuit of the wines from Jean Louis Chave. This year they finally arrived. We first got tipped when one of our local distributors showed up with the Chave Selections wines for us to try last spring. We pounced! We put the Chave St. Joseph Offerus on the shelf and the customers responded. This fall we received allocations of the Chave Estate wines including the Hermitage perhaps one of the most sought after wines Jean Louis produces. The Chave family has been producing spectacular wines in the Rhone Valley of France for hundreds of years and we could not be more pleased to have them.

Pride Mountain Vineyards is one of our favorite California wineries and has been since we lived in Sonoma County. Pride is a beautiful and unique place. It sits high in the Mayacamas Mountains straddling the county line between Napa and Sonoma Counties on Spring Mountain Road. They even have a mobile crush pad at the winery that can be “rolled” from one side of the parking lot to the other depending on which counties’ grapes they are crushing. Location and beauty aside the wines are wonderful, and while spendy they are not outlandishly priced the way many from Northern California now are. We have had them on the shelves from time to time in the last nine years but we are thrilled that the Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah are back in stock.

Like the Chave wines the Billecart Salmon Champagne has been one of our favorites for years. After the winery sold the “Billie” as we affectionately refer to it was not only not available here, it was no longer imported to the States. It remained out of the market for a couple of years, sadly. Well its back and in regular supply and we could not be happier, as are many of our regular Champagne buyers.

J. LaSalle is a wonderful grower and producer in Champagne as well. Earlier this year we were not able to get any of the wines. We began digging and learned that supply had been interrupted between the winery and the importer. Thankfully the interruption was brief and the wines are back in stock. The LaSalle is lovely sparkling with fine bubbles and a dry presentation, and more importantly it fills a mid-price point for Champagne where finding wines can be tough.

Our friends at Corliss Estates in Walla Walla launched a new product this year that has turned out to be one of the runaway hits of 2017. The Secret Squirrel wines are delicious as all of those from Corliss, and it is combined with hilarious and great packaging. It is one of those wines that seems to be favored by most every customer, they all come back to get it over and over again.

Ehren Jordan is owner winemaker at Failla Winery in Napa. He has produced Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and a small amount of Syrah for some time now. The wines have always been spectacular and some of the favorites of customers here in North Idaho. We have heard for two years now that a Zinfandel was on the way. We now have the 2015 Day Zinfandel from Ehren and it is every bit the measure of his previous efforts.

Some of these wines are allocated and others are just difficult to come by and represent the “super premium” price category of the wine universe so they may not fit into everyone’s budget. Having access to them though for special occasions and for those who enjoy them it is great news that they are now found and no longer “hard to find.”

If there is a topic you would like to read about or if you have questions on wine, you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com, or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d’Alene Press.

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George Balling is co-owner (with his wife Mary Lancaster) of the dinner party, a wine and table top décor shop located by Costco in Coeur d’Alene. George worked as a judge in many wine competitions, and his articles are published around the country. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. Be sure and check out our weekly blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com/home/blog-2. You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/#!/ dinnerpartyshop.