Editorial

The days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer, and garden parties, wedding showers, and spring holidays are all around the corner. Now is the perfect time to stock your cellar with fresh spring picks to quench your thirst now and through the sweltering summer months! Selected by Wally’s expert buyers specializing in domestic and international wines - the list below is what we’ll be enjoying as the sun begins to shine again, and represent the top of the line at every price point.

2018 Hampton Water Rosé

Wally's Price: $25.00

Hampton Water is the newest superstar on the rosé scene and definitely a Wally’s favorite! This stunning wine is an incredible collaboration between our friends Jon Bon Jovi, his son Jesse Bongiovi, and famed French winemaker, Gerard Bertrand. Wine Spectator recently named Hampton Water the best rosé of 2018 and for good reason. Hand-picked and crafted to perfection, it is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvèdre grapes. Gorgeous strawberry, raspberry, and melon flavors delight the palate while its bright, crisp acidity leads to a mouthwatering finish. Elegant and smooth, yet incredibly refreshing makes Hampton Water Rosé the perfect pairing for all of your backyard soirées!

2017 Miraval Rosé

Wally's price: $25.00

Pitt, Jolie, Perrin. Since it’s inception, this co-production between Hollywood and Rhone royalty has been a smash hit. It’s beautifully balanced and one of the best Provence roses on the market full stop!

2017 Liquid Farm Vogelzang Vineyard Rosé

Wally's price: $28.00

Made with inspiration from Bandol and Provence, and with notes of rose petals, wet stone, tea leaves, and peachskin on the nose and blood orange and strawberry on the palate, this rosé is light as air, crisp, clean, and delightfully refreshing. Just what we'll be reaching for as the days start to heat up!

2017 Tyler Santa Barbara County Rosé

Wally's price: $28.00

Nestled in Santa Barbara County, Tyler Vineyards produce some of the best wines in the Central Coast. Released in very small batches each year, the 2017 Tyler Rosé is a bright acidic treat that won't last long!

2017 Tayson Pierce Rothchild Rosé

Wally's Price: $29.00

Tayson Pierce has contracts with some of the most hallowed names in Napa including Stagecoach Vineyard and Hudson Vineyard. This fantastic rose was one of the best California roses we've tried this year.

La Bulle de La Coste Extra Brut Rosé

Wally's price: $33.00

From Chateau La Coste comes something a bit different from your regular Provence Rose. This lovely sparkling Rose marries the refreshing character of a Provence Rose with the fun and celebratory feel of Rose Champagne. At $33 this is a delightfully different take on Provence Roseand a great value.

2016 Clos Cibonne Tibouren Rosé Cuvee Speciale des Vignettes

Wally's price: $35.00

Clos Cibonne is one of the few vineyards producing the enigmatic Tibouren varietal that produces incredibly rich and complex roses. The Cuvee Speciale des Vignettes is a selection of their oldest vines. One of the most enjoyable and thought-provoking Roses in the world.

2017 Domaines Ott Rosé Clos Mireille Provence

Wally's price: $55.00

This one needs little introduction. The king of Provence Rose produces three different estate Roses. This one from the Clos Mireille estate is a more delicate expression of Luxury rose, a beautiful choice for summer that drinks like a whisper.

2017 Tempier Bandol Rosé

Wally's price: $60.00

The finest name in Bandol Rose, Tempier produces this amazing quality Rose that can actually improve over the course of a few years in the cellar.

2016 Chateau d'Esclans Garrus Rosé

Wally's price: $110.00

The world’s most exclusive luxury Rose, Chateau d’Esclans’ Garrus is produced from their oldest hilltop vines. This is the ne plus ultra of Luxury Provence Rose.

For investors looking to diversify their portfolio, wine offers an asset class comparable to art, cars, and jewelry. However, it’s obviously the most delicious thing to collect (what other asset class can you enjoy with white truffle tagliolini?) If you do it right, wine can pay serious returns! Read on for the tools and tricks to set yourself up for wine collecting success.

STORAGE

Wine is a living thing, which means it needs to be properly cared for to perform at its best. The first step to caring for your wine is to have proper storage space. Wine storage vessels can range from 10 bottle fridges to entire rooms, but the most critical thing is to keep your wines in a cool, dark environment with a temperature of about 55 degrees and approximately 70% humidity. If you don’t want to invest in home storage, there are numerous professional wine storage facilities that can take care of all the hard work for you. It’s also important to figure out how much room you need. As a rule of thumb- you will always need more room than you think because once you acquire the “wine collecting bug” it’s hard going back. Make sure to also leave extra room in your cellar for new regions and styles of wine as your tastes may change. At first, juicy California Zinfandels may make your taste buds dance. However, as your tastes evolve you may find yourself gravitating towards earthy Italian reds or ethereal Burgundies.

VARIETY

Balance and variety are also key when building a wine collection. You want to ensure that you always have wine that is ready to drink. After all, life is short, and a delicious bottle of wine can turn a terrible day into a spectacular one. You also want to have a collection of age worthy wines with a drinking window of at least 10+ years (especially if you are interested in collecting as an investment). Some high-end, expensive wines, especially from California, can be very tempting to open when they are young because they can be pretty darn pleasurable. However, quality wines are made to age and patience will surely be rewarded with additional cellar time. Fine wines from old world regions such as Bordeaux and Burgundy generally always need at least 3-5 years before they can be opened and enjoyed. With patience, these varietals can really go the distance of 20, 30 and sometimes even 50 years.

SOURCING

When sourcing wines, you want to make sure that you are buying either directly from the wine estate or reputable merchants. Certain reputable wine merchants, such as Wally’s, receive direct allocations from the vineyards and importers on release. This means that their clients receive priority access to allocations that would otherwise be impossible to acquire. Wally’s also has a deep inventory of rare, library vintages that are always exciting for collectors to purchase. Signing up for winery direct mailing lists is also a good idea to ensure perfect provenance. However, keep in mind, that sometimes it can take 10 years or more to receive an allocation from wineries such as Colgin, Sine Qua Non, or Screaming Eagle. Buying at auction is another avenue to go. Some of the rarest wines in the world can only be acquired at wine auctions. Famed auction houses such as Christie’s conduct both live & online auctions around the world and throughout the year.Wine Auctions in the U.S. have continued to grow at 6% year on year, bringing its revenue share to 56%-it’s highest ever.

INVESTMENT

For the best investments, collect wines that have a truly global secondary demand. For example, first growth Bordeaux (Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Latour, Chateau Haut Brion) as well as top Right Bank Bordeaux (Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau Petrus) have provided sound returns for centuries. The top burgundies (Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Leroy, and Rousseau) have performed well over the past twenty-five years. California producers such as Screaming Eagle, Colgin, Harlan Estate, and Scarecrow, are also becoming more valuable each year.You want to focus on buying the best vintages from top producers, which will further improve the wine’s worth and will give you confidence that what you are buying is truly stellar.Examples of top vintages are 1990 and 2005 in Burgundy, 1982, 2000, 2009, 2010, 2015 in Bordeaux and 1994, 2007, 2013 in California.

Here are just a few examples of how your wine can appreciate over time:

1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild:
Average Release Price: $32.50 (1985)
Current Retail Price: $2,400.00 per bottle
Return on Investment: 7,385%

1990 DRC
Average Release Price: $900.00 (1993)
Current Retail Price: $19,000.00
Return on Investment: 2111%

1994 Harlan Estate
Average Release Price: $100.00 (1997)
Current Retail Price: $1,200.00
Return on Investment: 1200%

2000 Petrus Pomerol:
Average Release Price: $400.00 (2003)
Current Retail Price: $6,000.00
Return on Investment: 1500%

2007 Screaming Eagle:
Average Release Price: $750.00 (2010)
Current Retail Price: $4,500.00
Return on Investment: 600%

Most importantly, collecting wine should never feel intimidating or overwhelming. Instead, it should be a fun joyful hobby that opens your eyes to the world! There are few pleasures in life and drinking great wine is certainly one of them.

For consignment or auction inquiries, please contact our Rare Wine Specialist, Katherine Levy.

The Christie's-Wally's Spring Online Auction, THE MASTERS OF TERROIR, is happening right now until April 9th! The auction is comprised of an assembly of the finest producers of the rarest terroir found on the Côte d’Or. This assortment’s center point rests on the remarkable allocations acquired of the much heralded 2005 Burgundy harvest. This collection is fresh-to-market and represents this collector’s first time at auction. Click here to bid & browse lots now.

Cinco De Mayo is around the corner and it's never been a better time to break open a beautiful bottle of top-shelf tequila or mezcal. Set aside the sugary margarita mixes and watered-down drinks - on our list, you'll find a selection comprised of only the best embodiment of Mexican Spirit Craftsmanship. Now let's toast! Salud and Viva Mexico!

Wally's long-time Bar Manager, Carl Roberts, brings the wit as he shakes up his "Unleash The Dragon" Cinco De Mayo Cocktail - featuring fresh Blood Orange Juice and Casa Dragones Blanco Tequila! | #CarlsCocktails

Casa Dragones Joven Tequila

Wally's price: $275.00

As an independent, small-batch producer with a brand name, Casa Dragones bears a huge responsibility to create outstanding tequila - and the company delivers. Casa Dragones Joven is a small batch blend of 100% Blue Agave silver and extra-aged tequila, aged in new American oak for five years. This is a spirit Wally’s has been proud to stand behind since its genesis.

Gran Patron Smoky Tequila

Wally's price: $225.00

Elegant silver tequila with smooth, smoky, and sweet, all balanced into one. The piñas are roasted with mesquite for about seven days in small underground stone pits at Hacienda Patrón in Jalisco, Mexico. They’re then crushed with a tahona wheel, fermented, and distilled. Even the bottle is sumptuous.

Artenom 1146 Anejo Tequila

Wally's price: $85.00

This is a blend of two- and three-year-old tequilas aged exclusively in French oak barrels. Once they are blended into one, the tequila is aged for at least an additional year in American oak barrels seasoned with red wine. The aroma is fresh O.J., cinnamon, vanilla, and cocoa, leading into delicate dessert flavors with notes of toffee, walnuts, and orange flan. This tequila is certainly sugar and spice and everything nice.

Codigo Wally's Anejo Single Barrel Tequila

Wally's price: $125.00

Now this is tequila the way you imagine tequila: pure, powerful, and refined. Matured in French oak wine casks, this spirits really showcases the agave notes of citrus and oaky flavors of sweet spice.

Mandala Extra Anejo Tequila

Wally's Price: $175.00

A stunning, eye-catching bottle with an equally stunning tequila inside! Aged 7 years in French Oak barrels, Mandala exudes aroma of rich fruits and toasted oak, with hints of vanilla and a long profound finish on the palate. A smooth and unique tequila that's a must-have addition atop your home bar.

Fuenteseca Blanco Tequila

Wally's price: $90.00

This tequila is a gem for any tequila aficionado. Harvested from a single orchard of agave grown at 5,250’ elevation, this spirit redefines what terroir means to tequila.

El Silencio Joven Mezcal

Wally's price: $75.00

El Silencio Joven is a tremendous mezcal blended from various types of agave, resulting in a graceful and delicate libation, highlighted with floral, chili, and subtle spice notes. This is a top-notch tequila for those are ready to play with the big boys.

La Venenosa Puntas Racilla

Wally's price: $200.00

This limited-release spirit is made from 100% Agave Maximiliana. It’s a sublime gift for a serious mezcal fan or anyone looking to try a one-of-a-kind expression of agave.

La Higuera Sotol Wheeleri

Wally's price: $45.00

Sotol La Higuera Wheeleri has a rounded balance of smoke, herbs, and fruit. The nose is herbal with hints of smoke. Similarly, the palate is herbal with hints of pineapple.

Pescador de Suenos Cuixito

Wally's price: $400.00

This mezcal is made from Cuishito Agave, a plant that is truly rare as the species is almost extinct. A mere one-hundred bottles are produced a year. This is spicy with hints of agave, caramel, fruit, and mint.

The first annual Four Seasons Maui Wine & Food Classic ended a few weeks ago....

Recently, renowned professional golfer and four-time major champion, Rory McIlroy, was asked during an episode of The Rory and Carson Podcast, "If you had $100 to spend anywhere in the world, where would you go?" His answer? ... Wally's in Santa Monica.

On behalf of the entire Wally's Team we're touched by this recognition and are excited to be able to inspire one of the world's greatest sportsmen with food and wine.

McIlroy, who had just finished in the Top 5 in the Annual Genesis Open at the Riviera Country Club in the Pacific Palisades, explained that it was the tournament that brought him to know of Wally's.

In the midst of an interview for their self-named podcast, Carson Daly proposed the question to McIlroy,

If you had $100 to spend, tell me where you are, what city, and what would you spend it on?

McIlroy responded,

"For me, I'd go to Santa Monica and I'd go to Wally's. I discovered it when I played at the Riviera a few weeks ago. It's a wine shop but there's a restaurant inside as well. And it's got really great food - but the wine list is incredible."

And you would know the wine list? You like wine?

"Wine's a big thing for me!"

But your wife Erica's a big foodie, so did she know of the restaurant?

"No - it was actually something that was recommended to us."

That sounds like the perfect place for you and her, because of the wine and good food!

"It was unbelievable!"

You probably couldn't buy anything for $100 there though, right?

"No, you could though because it's wholesale price but in a restaurant setting, so bottles that you could buy for $100 there -"

So give me a $100 bottle of wine. Like a French Bordeaux?

"Like a French Bordeaux of a good vintage! like a 2010."

You know the years that the wines were good and all of that?

"Yeah, I'm a bit of a wine geek!"

We're happy to have you back at Wally's anytime, Rory! Click here to listen to full episodes now of The Rory & Carson Podcast

"Retail isn't dying, it's changing. We need to evolve with the times."