Ask Doc I love wine... Drinking it, making it, and sharing it...
Regular readers already know the benefits from drinking wine in moderation. And Stansberry Alliance members likely know that I even launched my own Cabernet Sauvignon from Dry Creek Valley last year (a spectacular success, but made in very limited quantities).
What folks may not know is that the grower of my wine's grapes is a guy named Jim Ricci.
Technically, he's a grape farmer. He grows fantastic grapes in the Dry Creek Valley in California... But he also takes some of the grapes from his property and in the right year, in the right conditions, and with the right winemaker, he makes incredible wines himself.
Jim recently released his 2014 Tre Ricci Chardonnay. Four years ago in Retirement Millionaire, I praised the 2009 vintage of this same wine. My friend and famous winemaker, Phyllis Zouzounis of Deux Amis Winery, helps make the Chardonnay with Jim.
It is a spectacular effort. Off the charts. In fact, it's easily a $100-quality Chardonnay in my opinion...
It's not a typical California Chardonnay, with that oaky, buttery style. Instead, it's competition for that legendary White Burgundy style of Chardonnay with a little bit of what the wine gurus call "terroir" that distinguishes it among French whites.
Read my tasting notes below (and yes, feel free to ridicule me and my wordiness about wine via e-mail at [email protected]):
The color is gorgeous. A tinge of color in light shows the moderate and complex legs on the glass. Aromas of dried hay, lemon peels, tonic, and hints of tropical fruit. The hints of multiple layers of flavor in the nose taste crisp and clean across my mouth. There's a classic hint of minerality that Chardonnays from France are known for.
I catch coconut, but not woody nor oaky. A hint of hazelnut. The acid and fruit marry perfectly to leave a crisp Granny Smith apple tart finish that lingers. Some folks are saying they detect peach and pear. Did I mention that the flavors linger and I'm still smacking my lips?
Here's the thing, this wine from anywhere else other than Dry Creek Valley would be a $100-$120 Chardonnay. Go down Dry Creek three miles south to the Russian River Valley and this would be a rock star. Put it in the Côte de Beaune, and it would be a Grand Cru class of white wines.
But most people who drink Chardonnay from California only want to spend $18-$20 a bottle... And I get that. Here at Retirement Millionaire Daily, we're all about a good deal in everything we do... which is why I think the deal Jim is offering is absurd.
A case of 12 bottles is only $400 and a half case is $250, and he'll include shipping with those purchases. If you want smaller quantities, you'll have to call him. But I wouldn't waste my time... You'll want a half case if you're at all interested.
This wine is off-the-charts delicious, and at less than $40 a bottle, it's probably the best white wine deal in the world today. And yes, I have a complete conflict of interest... He grows the grapes for my Cabernet... and he grows delicious Merlot, too.
To order the 2014 Chardonnay, call Jim at 707-484-4676. The only thing he'll need from you is your mailing address, credit card, an e-mail address, and a phone number for delivery.
You won't find a better price on an outstanding white wine for this spring and summer. Plus, you can do what I do with great whites like this... Tuck a few of these away in your basement or cellar for several years. That's how perfectly balanced Jim's wines are.
And before I get to today's questions and answers, here's another great wine. It's probably the single best wine deal today in rosé...
My friend and fantastic wine maker Brenda Lynch of Mutt Lynch Winery has a crazy deal. She's made a wine called Rosie Rosé.
As she says, "It's delicious, and simply refreshing." Normally, Rosie Rosé costs around $180 a case, and shipping is included for all case orders. But here's the crazy deal she'll do... Just use the code "MILLIONAIRE ROSE" in the code box when you're ordering on www.muttlynchwinery.com. That'll save you $60, plus you'll get free shipping.
This stuff is beautiful... And if you're like me, at $10 a bottle, I start using it to brush my teeth (OK, I'm kidding).
In fact, Brenda just sent me her tasting notes:
The wine is attractive, well rounded, has a soft blush color, and beautiful, bright, delicate notes of peach and strawberry. The aroma has hints of white flower. It's silky with traces of stoniness on the finish.
But I do love to pour it over ice. And when it's really hot out, do what I do and add soda water for a refreshing rosé spritzer. Plus, it's guiltless because the price is so stupid cheap.
Q: What are those basic requirements to set up an account qualifying to trade in to options/covered calls? I am desirous of doing so in my IRA account with Wells Fargo. – S.V.
A: It depends on the broker... Some brokers require a minimum annual income or that you keep a certain amount of cash in your account.
With most brokers, you should just need Level 1 approval to sell covered calls, and requirements for this tend to easy to meet. E-Trade, for instance, only requires a $2,000 account minimum to open the account. You can usually find the options approval form on the broker's website. (Although, it looks like you might have to call Wells Fargo to get the approval form.)
If your broker won't let you sell covered calls, fire him and find a broker that will.
Next Wednesday, I'm broadcasting a special, free training event. I'll discuss why selling covered calls is one of my favorite ways to boost your income. And I'll share my key secrets behind the strategy. Click here to reserve your spot.
Q: Doesn't donated blood get tested for Hep C? I've been a blood donor for a long time now, and I would think that I would be notified if my blood had this virus in it. – D.K.
A: Yes, donated blood now gets tested for diseases like hepatitis. However, we didn't start regular screenings like this until the 1990s.
The Red Cross tests each unit of donated blood for things like hepatitis, HIV, West Nile virus, and others. (You can see the full list here.) If you give blood and any tests come back positive, the Red Cross will contact you to discuss the results. However, if there's any chance you have a disease (or don't know), you shouldn't use the donation as a way to get a free screening.
You can look up locations for free hepatitis C screenings right here. Put in your zip code, and then on the following screen select Hepatitis Tests from the drop-down menus. They'll have results for both free and fee-based tests.
[optin_form id="73"]
Q: You addressed folks who are between 52 and 72. I am 76, am I expected to be out of the woods? – E.K.
A: Hi E.K., although Baby Boomers are at the highest risk, the exposure to hepatitis C comes from being treated at a medical center before the switch to using disposable needles. That means if you're 76, there's a chance you were also exposed.
Interestingly, research from the University of Glasgow traced the earliest cases of hepatitis back to WWII. Poor conditions in military field hospitals most likely spread the disease to unknowing soldiers. When those soldiers returned home, they spread the virus further, particularly in medical centers that reused needles (as was common in the 1940s and 1950s).
It's worth asking your doctor if you've ever had a test done and, if not, see about scheduling one.
Q: I have faithfully spent $10 a week on the lottery for the past 30 years. It is discretionary money so not a concern for me. I enjoy dreaming about what I would do were I to hit the lottery.
If I had invested the $10 a week in the stock market for the past 30 years what would my gain have been? The $10 a week, plus the gain, would be what value today? – M.B.
A: Interesting question, M.B. You got the attention of my team – they wanted to know the answer as well.
So we ran the numbers, and here's what we found out...
If, for the past 30 years, you invested $10 per week in the stock market, you'd have put a total of $15,600 into the market. (That's also how much you'd have spent on lottery tickets in the past 30 years.)
If you had put that money into the market, and assuming you reinvested your dividends, you'd have $51,277 today. That means your money would have more than tripled.
Our question to you is... Would you rather have that $51,277 or spend your money to maintain the dream of winning the lottery?
Let us know at [email protected].
What We're Reading...
- What "The Melt Up" means for the bull market.
- Something different: It's Saint Patrick's Day... Are you wearing blue?
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Retirement Millionaire Daily Research Team
Baltimore, Maryland
March 17, 2017