Mothers' Day Wine & Cheese Tasting
May 5th & May 7th
Thursday 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Saturday 12 PM – 5:00 PM
Telmo Rodriguez Basa 2009
Origin: Castilla Y Leon, Rueda, Northern Spain
Varietal: Basa is 85% Verdejo, 10% Viura and 5% Sauvignon Blanc blend
Tasting Notes: This Verdejo, Viura and Sauvignon Blanc blend has year after year been named one of Spain’s and the world’s great white wine values. The intense floral aromatics, freshness and wonderful texture are the result of the high elevation plantings in lime and gravel soils, with good drainage, that give rise to some of the best quality white wine grapes in Spain. This is a fantastically refreshing yet serious bottle of wine, with a range of aromas and flavors from stony mineral notes to citrus to tropical fruit.
Food Pairing:
This is
a food-friendly wine that pairs very well with many dishes. Try it with grilled
salmon, seared scallops, or lemon pepper marinated chicken.
This wine also pairs well with spicy foods
and Manchego Cheese.
Boxhead Winemakers White 2008
Origin: Barossa,South Australia. While South Australia is mostly known for its warmer regions and the red production, it also has an abundance of cool climate fruit, with longer ripening periods and extended flavor development.
Varietal: 50% Chardonnay, 40% Semillon and 10% Sauvignon Blanc
Tasting Notes: Like all good dry whites, this wine displays great complexity of aromatics, moving from the citrus aromatic spectrum through to the tropics, with specifics of lemon, grapefruit, passion fruit and melon. The palate achieves great mouth feel intensity and balance of acidity, with the lingering flavors of lychee and lime.
Food
Pairing:
This wine pairs well with shellfish, salmon, white fish and
all white meats.
It also compliments
salads, soft and semisoft cheeses, and many barbecued foods.
Pavilion Crossing Merlot Reserve 2009
Origin: Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California
Varietal: 100% Merlot aged in French Oak
Tasting Notes: The 2009 Merlot is dark with deep, rich dark fruit loaded with condensed plum, black cherry and currants. The palate is rich with explosive flavor of blackberries followed by soft, ripe tannins and hint of toasted French oak to complete its elegant finish. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate - The 2008 Merlot Reserve (3,500 cases of 100% Merlot aged in French oak) possesses the kind of flavor profile and intensity one expects in wines costing 2-3 times as much. Its deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by notes of mocha, black cherries, and currants. This fleshy, lush Merlot is ideal for drinking over the next 2-3 years. Score: 88 points, February 2010.
Food Pairing: The wine pairs beautifully with any red meat, salmon, pork, poultry and yes even Pasta with Marinara sauce.
Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (This is a Joseph Carr wine)
Origin: North Coast, California. Josh Cellars North Coast Vineyards contain obsidian gravel that allows the soils to drain well, which is extremely important for growing Cabernet grapes. The high elevation sunlight combined with the rich volcanic red soils and obsidian fragments produce quality grapes that are extremely unique to the Red Hills. The vineyard itself sits on an East facing slope with varying altitude from 1200 to 2000 feet.
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting Notes : Forward complex blends with ripe fruit flavors; black currant, spicy, berry fruit with gentle oak nuances. Barrel aged in new American oak and 1-2 year French oak for 16 months.
Food Pairing: This wine pairs well with red meats, flavorful and heartier (red) pastas, lamb, strong-flavored cheese, and chocolates (especially dark).
Cline Cashmere Red 2009
Origin: Sonoma, California.
Varietal: Cashmere is a silky and wonderful blend of 41% Mourvèdre, 41% Syrah and 18% Grenache.
Tasting Notes: Cashmere is a very flavorful, smooth wine offering big cherry, raspberry and chocolate notes with hints of cracked black pepper and plum. Aged in 25% new French oak with a dark toast level for nine months. Cline Cellars proudly supports Living Beyond Breast Cancer and over the years has contributed more than $200,000 to breast cancer foundations.
Food Pairing: One of the most versatile reds we have found, try Cashmere as an accompaniment to grilled salmon, pork roast or duck.
Tintero Moscato D’Asti Sori Gramella 2010
Origin: Piedmont, Italy
Varietal: Moscato bianco is one of the world’s most aromatic and alluring grape varietals, and in Moscato d’Asti it reaches its most delightful and jovial expression.
Tasting Notes: Pale and slightly frizzante (fizzy) in the glass, Moscato d’Asti’s fresh, citrus aromatics, clean palate, lively spritz and unbridled deliciousness make it irresistible. Classic Moscato sweetness, with white berries, peach, pear, apricot and green apple. Long finish and excellent freshness."
Food Pairing: With its refreshingly low alcohol content, one can drink this wine any time of the day. We suggest pairing it with omelettes, crêpes, quiches, and other brunch fare, or try it with fresh berries and melons for dessert.
Saturday May 5th Only
Suxx Shiraz 2006 (Limited Availability)
Origin: Barossa, South Australia
Varietal: 100% Shiraz
Tasting
Notes:
"According to
Dan Philips, the Suxx Shiraz was 'made to be big, bad, bold, and over the top,
designed to offend and indulge and arouse.' Although the label states the wine
has 15.9% alcohol, Philips says it may actually be 16.5-17%. The 2006 Shiraz was aged for 14
months in new French and American oak barriques, and hogsheads of various
conditions. Purple-colored, it offers an expressive bouquet of espresso, mocha,
licorice, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. Full-bodied, big, fat, and
voluptuous in the mouth, all components including the alcohol are
well-integrated. Ripe and sweet with a blanket of soft tannins, the wine will
evolve for 2-3 years but can be enjoyed now and over the next 10 years."
91 points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Food Pairing: Shiraz is great for grilled meats or veggies, wild game, richly flavored red meats, beef stew, lamb, and barbecue sauced meats.
Valckenberg Madonna Eiswein 2004
Origin: Rheinhessen, Germany
Tasting Notes: Only if "Jack Frost's icy breath" will blow through the vineyards, bringing down temperatures to below 17 °Fahrenheit, an Eiswein can be produced. The frost turns the water that remains in the grapes into frozen little lumps. If such grapes are then pressed, outflows the most concentrated of essences. If the sweet, concentrated extract is matched by correspondingly high acidity, we have a wine that can be cellared for decades, continually improving in quality.
Food Pairing: Eiswein is expensive to make so it's expensive to buy but tastes fabulous with most fruit desserts. The sweetness of the fruit is intensified by this very sweet wine, especially with aromatic young Eisweins. It also drinks well on its own with a slight chill.