Wine & Cheese Tasting
July 28th & July 30th
Thursday 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Saturday 12 PM – 5:00 PM
Domaine Du Poujol Coteaux Du Languedoc Rose 2010
Origin: Languedoc, France. Domaine du Poujol is a family-owned winery north-west of Montpellier, France. At Domaine du Poujol, they use only organic fertilizers, and plough the soil to control the weeds.
Varietal: The Rosé is a blend of 30% Cinsault, 30% Carignan, 30% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre.
Tasting Notes: Bright orange-pink. Fresh strawberry and raspberry on the nose, with complicating notes of white pepper, lemon thyme and rose, really smells like Provence. Supple red berry and cherry flavors provide very good palate coverage, with tangy acidity adding back-end lift and refreshing bite. 88 Points Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
Food Pairing: This is a very versatile food wine, which
also drinks well on its own. We think
you'll change your mind about pink wine after trying this one. Try it with chicken, pork, salmon, veal, and
Lobster.
Clayhouse Adobe White 2009
Origin: Clayhouse is a small boutique winery located in the California central coast town of Paso Robles. They boast that their wines are "created from the earth", cultivated by hand, and nurtured by family traditions".
Varietal: The final blend is 40% Viognier, 25% Princess, 20% Grenache Blanc and 15% Roussanne. The Princess is not listed on the label because it is not yet an approved varietal for table wine. (They are petitioning the federal government to add it to the list.)
Tasting Notes: The Adobe White is a proprietary blend with a golden straw color, and fine floralnotes of orange blossom and lemon citrus. Pear, peach and honeydew melon aromas jump from the glass. The creamy mouthfeel comes from a short time on the lees. The mouthwatering fruit flavors are of apple and stone fruit, with nuances of pumpkin pie spice and tea. The finish is crisp and balanced.
Food Pairing: This is a great anytime wine that will pair well with everything from seafood and salads to grilled chicken or pork and turkey. This white has enough body to pair with barbecued ribs and most other sauced foods on the grill. You may even want to sip it chilled on its own.
Terra Andina Reserva Pinot Noir 2009
Origin: Central Valley, Chile
Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes: Rich, somewhat earthy black cherry and raspberry flavors and aromas. There's no excessive oak character to this, reflecting the second and third use barrels for 10 months. Solid and intense; medium full bodied and substantially structured for three to five years of cellaring. Terra Andina combines the promise and innovation of new world winemaking with the tradition and passion of old world ideals. The resulting wines are as seductive in their fruit forward style as they are harmonious in their balance.
Food Pairing: Pinot
Noir is well-suited to pair with poultry, beef, fish, ham, lamb and pork. It will play well with creamy sauces, spicy
seasonings and may just be one of the world's most versatile food wines.
Bonny Doon Contra 2009
(Worth a trip to the shop to taste this unique blend!)
Origin: Central Coast, California
Varietal: 55% Carignane, 16% Grenache, 14% Mourvedre, 7% Petite Sirah, 5% Zinfandel and 3% Syrah.
Tasting Notes: Winemaker’s Notes:Contra unites the earthy rusticity of old vine carignane - that hard, stoniness that if untempered may be a tad too austere for some - with the luscious, opulent fruitiness of a number of the softer blending grapes. In the wine, you’ve got rocks and raspberries (or maybe they’re mulberries or blackberries), a lively acidity, tannins that are firm but perfectly ripe, and the result is an amazing experience that is both intellectual and sensual. It is hard to really articulate why this experience is so special, but the yin and yang of soft and hard, of fruit and earth, creates the most electrifying aesthetic frisson. Top 100 Wines of 2010 - “Bonny Doon’s 2009 Contra, which uses as its backbone the same sort of Carignane that Randall Grahm once put into his Cigare Volant. This is old-vine fruit from obscure corners of Contra Costa County (think Phillip Garrido territory) that has long been hunted by diligent and mindful vintners. Contra gets its name from the obvious geography, and with a bit of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Syrah in the mix, it’s a rambunctious, instantly drinkable thing...” ~ Jon Bonné, San Francisco Chronicle
Food Pairing: Pairs
well with rustic dishes including sausages and herbed poultry. Also try with
grilled greens and meats, pasta dishes and herbed salads.
Clayhouse Adobe Red 2008
Origin: To create this lip-smacking, juicy red they blended grape varieties grown throughout California’s Central Coast. Much of the fruit came from their estate Red Cedar Vineyard, just east of the town of Paso Robles.
Varietal: Adobe Red is a fun and tasty Zinfandel-based blend. The finished wine is 40% Zinfandel, 17% Syrah, 13% Petite Sirah, 9% Malbec, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Tempranillo and 3% Merlot.
Tasting notes: The Adobe Red is a proprietary Zinfandel-based blend with effusive aromas of cherry spice, blackberry and pepper, with hints of brambles and plum. Cherry/berry flavors dominate on the palate. The tannins are fine and supple, and a bit of oak character adds vanilla notes to the balanced finish. Aged 14 months in neutral French and American oak. After picking and pressing, the different varietal lots all fermented separately. Approximately 31% of the lots were barrel aged, while the majority of the lots stayed in stainless steel to preserve their forward fruit characteristics. The final blend was put together in early 2010, and the new wine was bottled in March, 2010.
Food Pairing: The fruit of the zinfandel and syrah along with the earthiness of the malbec make this an easy drinker to pair with barbecued ribs, smoked ham, and red sauced Italian dishes.