Bradley Liquors saves the day

When you order a turkey sammich, and the deli man instead gives you a smoked turkey sammich, your first instinct might be to open that thing up and show him the exact difference between what you asked for and what he gave you. And by “show” I obviously mean mashing it all over his face.

Not me. I’m more of a jesus-type character. Maybe it’ll be just as tasty as what I ordered. I don’t really have to impose the precise specifications of my will on everybody around me.

I’m talking, of course, not about deli meats but rather about the case of Clay Station Viognier I ordered last week. When they brought it out, I saw immediately that the case was marked “2005”. Huh, that’s funny. They definitely said they could get the 2004 vintage when I asked them. Well, they did special-order it for me, why don’t I just take this thing home and not bother them about it. It should be just as good.

Well, it wasn’t as good. It was still pretty good, especially for $13/bottle, but it wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I decided to get twelve of them.

“Hey, can you guys get your hands on the 2004 vintage?”

Without hesitation, “No, only the 2005.”

It was this lack of hesitation that strongly suggests to me the matter had already been looked into. They had apparently attempted to get the 2004 as I asked and then, when they couldn’t, ordered the 2005 without consultation. This was insolence, not ignorance!

Anyway, I returned the case and was able to triumphantly track down (what I was told was) the last case of 2004 Clay Station Viognier in the region. Cheers to Bradley Liquors!

I’d like to assure you (readers) that I am not snooty and pretentious about my wine. This is a story about getting what you pay for, and about being wary of skullduggerous wine shop workers!

As for the Viognier itself? It comes up on the sweet side with lots of (banana and peach?) fruit, and then three seconds later a refreshing acidic balance plays out on the palate. I may have been imagining things, but somewhere in there I thought I tasted a hint of butterscotch. After it's gone there's a long finish and a detectable volatility, the alcohol lingering and vaporizing in the mouth. Pretty tasty.