From the director of Gilda's Club of Nashville

Hoyt – I want to also say THANK YOU SO MUCH for the fabulous wines you provided for Cathy/Clay and crew last night.  I saw both Cathy and Pam at lunch today and they went on and on about how great the evening was.  Pam couldn’t stop talking about the champagne – it made me really wish we were having a liquid lunch – I so wanted to taste the bubbly for myself!  J  Please know that I never take for granted your generosity and understand even more what a special gift you have given during these somewhat economically challenging times.  I will stop by soon since a true thank you from me would not be complete without giving you a really big hug.  I appreciate all you do for us and am deeply grateful for your support. Til I see you to pass on a real hug I’m sending one thru cyberspace!

From a client

It has now only been just under four years that I have developed a passion for all things related to wine.  I want you to know how much we appreciate you being our wine merchant.  There are a very limited number of other wine merchants in Nashville that I frequent.  They each offer a different service I appreciate.  However, you rise far above all of them combined.
 
Your greatest asset is not the breadth of wines that you bring to us (albeit this is incredibly valuable); it is your knowledge and your true passion.  We can trust you.  As you can tell by my purchasing, I enjoy trying new wines and thus I rarely repurchase the same.  Your email marketing makes this possible for me.  It is suburb and is, undoubtedly, one of the keys to your success.  I do look forward to what you bring to us in 2011.  Thank you!

From The Nashville Scene

 

BEST GRAPE MONGER: HOYT HILL, VILLAGE WINES

Hidden behind the Pancake Pantry parking lot and nestled between a beer shop and a nail salon, Village Wines doesn't necessarily look like the most impressive wine store in town. But it's not the exterior that makes a fine juice shop, it's what's inside — and what's inside here is a spectacular selection of special occasion wines, affordable pool-pounders, limited availability boutique wines, and (most importantly) the voluminous brain of owner Hoyt Hill. Sign up for his email blasts and prepare to receive multiple missives daily that can serve as the Cliff's Notes for your growing wine library. He'll rarely steer you wrong, so go ahead and sign up for that unlimited bandwidth plan. CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN

From NFocus magazine: 

The Oenophile

Take one step into Village Wines and you'll know that the folks in the shop know wine. Behind the counter, cases of juice that well-heeled Nashvillians and wine lovers have special ordered line the wall behind the register. Back in the corner of the shop, owner Hoyt Hill sits in front of his computer, working on inventory, researching products and reviews, communicating with the world's greatest winemakers.

When a customer walks in and says, "I need something that would go well with…" Before the shopper finishes the sentence, Hoyt has strode purposefully across the room and pulled out the perfect bottle. Really. The man should insure his tastebuds and nose.

Hoyt's love of wine stems in part from his first job during his senior year at Vanderbilt at Julian's. After graduation, Hoyt was offered the position of maitre d' and accepted. "Working for John Haggard was an inspiring learning experience in terms of an unrelenting pursuit of excellence," he shares. From there, Hoyt moved on to F. Scott's, which quickly became one of Nashville's most popular and enduring restaurants, and the Wild Boar. His next step—Village Wines.

How could such a petite shop be filled with so many gems? In addition to Hoyt's knowledge, there's his clout with winemakers. He explains, "Our focus is to bring true value to our customers in terms of the price and quality of the wines we sell—that applies to our $500 wines as well as to the $15 ones. When we find a wine which we think is a special example of its type, we try to negotiate pricing."

Hoyt's passion for the grape has helped fulfill his interest in helping others (you'll see his name listed frequently as a benevolent donor a societal function) as well as his love of travel. He recalls one of his favorite wine journeys: "I was walking in the vineyards in Burgundy about 15 years ago with a well-known American wine exporter named Russell Hone. Russell asked me to walk about two meters across the hillside and tell him if I noticed any change. Well, I walked two meters and it actually seemed to get warmer. When I pointed this out to Russell, he informed me that I had just walked from Batard-Montrachet to Montrachet, and the extra warmth in Montrachet results in riper grapes That is why Batard-Montrachet sells for $150-$350 per bottle and Montrachet sells for up to $3,000!"

You know Hoyt loves his job when he explains the best part of his day: "When you open a bottle of wine with dinner, the TV gets turned off and music gets turned on. It's also more likely that you will prepare dinner rather than bringing something home...Dinner lasts one and a half hours rather than 30 minutes, and all kind of things are discussed that would not have been without the wine." EN

 

An email received on 8/23/10: "I have recieved many thanks from those who attended that having you there was an awesome ingredient and they appreciated what you added to the event. So many thanks to you for adding something special to my evening. Of course I expected nothing less from you, you are the best and that is why I frequent your establishment and promote you. Talent speaks for itself. Cheers."

Wine Wednesday: Bandwidth is cheap — Chateau d'Yquem is not.

"I've been thinking about this for a little while. Quite often when you find a great retailer, it's like a secret. You don't want to share it, you don't want others to jump on your little lump of gold. But is that fair to the retailers who really help you out? I hate negative selection.

Well, I'm gonna disclose mine. Here's a list of my favorite retailers. To make this list, I have to have done business with them for at least 3 years. They have to offer access to great wines at great prices, and they also have to give me great client service. Yep, allocated wines at great prices with great service. It is possible!

I can't believe I'm doing this, but all deserve a wider audience. Some are well known and I believe some are Not Known At All!

In The UK, in Alphabetical Order

1) Bibendum. Great guys, I went to Burgundy with them, invited by Joe Marchant who no longer works there (more about him, later). Great prices on new vintage Burgs, also very fair on Bordeaux futures. And some occasional good deals on existing inventory.

2) Howard Ripley. As simple as it gets, if you love Burgundy and you're not trying to work your way onto Sebastian's allocation list, you're nuts. Amazing Burgs at great prices, but you have to get in line (and I'm happy to be in line!)

3) Jeroboams. Absolutely outstanding. They get great allocations from the various Burg domaines and they're very fair about distributing these allocations. Call James Wormall and get on his list!

4) Joe Marchant. Not a store, just a guy! Wherever he's worked, he's done it all for me. Found me amazing wines at good prices, and worked really hard as well! And he loves Barbecue ('Q)! Presently at Bordeaux Index. Call Him!!!

5) Ten-Acre. Brian Peacock used to work at La Reserve before it was purchased by Jeroboams. He's gone out on his own, and he's great at finding the 'off beat' guy. Great wines at really nice prices, and he's a great guy.

I could have named a few more (Alban, Richard Kihl, Claret-E, Connolys, etc), and many others have been extremely helpful, but these are my top-5 go-to places in the UK.

Now, on to the USA!

The USA is tricky as so many people have helped me out, over the years. Whether it's Barry at the Rare Wine Co, or Bryan at Vins Rare, Jason at Knightsbridge, or Woodland Hills, Winex, Wine Club, Binnys, Sams, the amazing Gary Vaynerchuk at the Wine Library, there have been a bunch of amazing retailers. And I'm sure I left a bunch off, So many tied for #3..

But I'm only 'outing' 2 in the USA. One well known, one not very well known.

In order.

In my #2 position in the USA... Premier Cru.
You have to talk to Leah, you have to get in the email loop. The deals aren't every day, they're not even every week. But when they come, wow, they're great. Burg, Bordeaux, CDP, etc. If you want the allocated stuff at a great price (not all the time, but sometimes), you have to be in the Premier Cru loop.

And finally, my #1 retailer in the USA...
Village Wines in Nashville TN. Hoyt Hill. He's an occasional poster on this board. Really great long term relationships with both producers and importers. Great supply of allocated wines. Also a good guy. Yes, it's hard to figure out how to get the wines out of the state. You have to go down there, pick 'em up, or have a friend buy 'em and store 'em, and drive/fly 'em home yourself. Crazy laws in TN. But if you buy enough, or live nearby, it's worth the trip!

Anyway, there you go. And just for the record, I have no financial stake in any of these stores or people. Just want to thank them for all the great wines over the years, and more great wine in the years ahead."

 

Another client in an email to us:

I had occasion to open a bottle of the 2005 la Piece Sous la Bras last night. I was converting the leftover Christmas turkey into enchiladas for New Year's Eve. Before I could finish my cooking duties I realized that I was pouring the last of the wine from the bottle. It was not just good, it was delicious! The blend on this chardonnay is just right to soften the wine to perfection. Hoyt this wine is a steal at $5. I would think it could go at $10 a bottle and be a runaway seller. Some people dropped by and I opened another. I asked them to tell what they thought and how much I paid for the wine. They all thought it was $40-$50 bottle and all loved the blend. 

Got your letter. It is nice to occasionally receive an old-fashioned piece of paper you can put your hands on. I appreciate your appreciation and the diligence you and your staff exhibit in everything you do. There are not many stores that purvey wine and/or spirits to which I would feel comfortable bringing my family, but as you and your staff know, our daughters Erin and Lindsay are regular visitors and know most of you by name. And with the girls in tow, your level of service in some cases is the only thing that makes a trip to the wine shop possible: from arranging our purchase ahead of time via email to having someone to carry our boxes out to the car. Although we now live many miles away, Village Wines is still the only place from which we buy wine and spirits. Your diligence comes through loud and clear even in the world of virtual communication.

Thanks guys. Take care

The Priorat was a big hit: best bottle we've had in a good while and the guests loved it.