I have no first hand knowledge of these wines, but they were well-reviewed and you can't beat the prices. Check it:

La Rougette Cabernet Franc Napa Valley 1997

Originally $20,
only $6.99

From the Wine Advocate #132, December, 2000:
“…offers heady, intoxicating aromas of cigar box, smoked herbs, cherry jam and cassis. Elegant, medium-bodied, intense and supple-textured, it is delicious to drink now and over the next 5-6 years. 89 points”

L’Ecosse Cabernet Franc Napa Valley 1997

Originally $33,
only $8.99

From the Wine Advocate #132, December, 2000:
“…a denser, richer, fuller effort with more concentrated blackberry, mineral and currant flavors nicely dosed with wood. There is fine acidity, well-integrated wood, and the wine is neither overbearingly rich nor heavy. Drink it over the next 7-10 years. 90 points”

L’Ecosse Cabernet Franc Napa Valley 1996

Originally $33,
only $8.99

From the Wine Advocate #124, August, 1999:
“Exceptionally fragrant, juicy, expansively-textured, and voluptuously rich, it possesses the complexity and mouth-feel of a top-notch Pinot Noir, but neither heavy nor ponderous, this medium-bodied, gorgeously-textured Cabernet Franc should be consumed over the next 4-5 years. 90 points”

L’Ecosse Pinot Noir Atlas Peak 1997

Originally $28,
only $8.99

From Winex.com:
“Ruby color, spicy nose of cherries and clove, good sweet core of fruit with notes of toast, spice and earth, and the refined balance and harmony that bottle age brings. It’s smooth, classy, and clearly an aristocrat out of place in such a “ruffian” price range. Lots of style for a little price…”

these are excellent prices. the only thing i would be concerned about is storage. they have probably been sitting around in a non climate controlled warehouse for awhile, therefore drink up right away.

That's correct, ojeffso. But, I never buy anything that old from Store(s). Not worth the chance, to me. But, these are some discounts, yes.

Yeah, I thought of the storage issue, but Wine Exchange is pretty reputable and the wines aren't that old. For those prices, I thought it was worth the risk.

For that price I bit also, 3 each of the 96 and 97 Cab Franc.

I tasted the the '96 and '97 side by side last night. These are an increadible value. No formal tasting notes, but if you go for these I would highly recommend the '96, which for me was far superior to the '97. The '96 had more elegance and grace, while the '97 showed it's 15.7% alcohol a bit.

This may be common knowledge to a lot of the forumites,
but I didn't know until recently that L'Ecosse is a label owned by
Cornerstone Cellars.
The reason I find this interesting is that on my last trip to Canal's
in Marlton, the 98 Cornerstone cabs were all marked down to
$19.99 with little or no fanfare. Sounds like some serious dumping
is going on here.

Budman,

Cornerstone had just changed management with the financial partners forcing out the winemaker/GM, Bruce Scottland. It is now under new management and Celia Masyczek is making the wine. A big step up in my opinion. I hope I don't offend anyone by saying that I think the L'Ecosse is on the 10 worst labels list.

\bob

Bressler,
Thanks for the update.
Any idea why they booted him?
Didn't Celia used to be the winemaker at Staglin??

budman,

I have no first hand data, so I should not gossip - but having said that, what I've heard is that Bruce didn't involve the investors in decisions about the business, including an offer to sell the business. If this is incorrect, I apologize to those concerned.

Celia has a long excellent track record including Staglin, Hartwell, Pillar Rock and a few others (senior moment here).

\bob

My understanding is that Bruce wanted to buy Cornerstone (Vineyards, label, inventory, ...) and the owners didn't want to sell so the parted ways. I think this happened some time early last year. The 1997 Cornerstone Vineyard CS is a mighty taste drink.

skwid/Bressler,

Where did he go???

I am not sure Budman, but he had some money available to him. I haven't heard from him since he left Cornerstone (although Bressler would be more tuned in to Napa happenings than I).