Ok. Back from a whirlwind trip to the west side (sieee'd) and there is lots to tell. Where to begin? Wines. We have several new wines that were just added to the shelves this morning here is the list:
Bodegas Borsao Campo de Borja 2008-Even if this wine was priced at $20 it would be a great value. That it is priced at $9, is tremendous. From old vine Spanish grenache and tempranillo, this wine continues to deliver layers of flavor straight out of the bottle, year after year.Oh and it just scored 89pts too.
Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha 2007-100% Old Vine Garnacha. Vanilla, plums, leather. Seriously what else do you want for $15?! RP gave this 91pts, not that it matters, but. . .
Chateau Planeres Cotes du Roussillon Prestige 2006-If you don't like this wine, you may as well just stop drinking altogether. A blend of Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah. A Medaille d'Or 2008 winner too.
Chateau Planeres la Coume d'Ars 2006-Another Cotes du Roussillon, where the Prestige is chewy and rustic, this is soft and polished. Very sexy wine.
Silvio Grasso Barolo Bricco Luciani 2001-"Aromas of blackberries and coffee follow through to a full-bodied palate, with velvety tannins and a long, caressing finish. A beauty. Very fine. Best after 2008." so sayeth Wine Speculator, and they gave it 93 pts too!
Moccagatta Barbaresco Bric Balin 2005-"A super fruity red, with strawberry and milk chocolate aromas that lead to a full body, with very soft tannins and a long, long finish. Very balanced and fruity. Juicy as well. Best after 2012." and again with the 93 pts!
Sea Smoke Pinot Noir 2007 Southing-"Elegant, well-propotioned and full-bodied, with spicy sour cherry, fresh earth, mineral and dusty sage notes." Every year we only get a very small allocation of Sea Smoke, this year is no different. We have 4 bottles of the Southing and 1 magnum.
Sea Smoke Pinot Noir 2007 Ten-"Intense, ripe and vibrant, exhibiting a mix of blueberry, wild berry, black cherry, spice, mineral and crushed rock. Elegant, balanced" 4 bottles of the Ten to go around, it will not last long. . .
La Spinetta Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina 2001-"Lovely aromas of berry, plum and hints of new wood follow through to a full-bodied palate, with silky tannins and a long finish. Refined and well done." 92pts WS
Domenico Bertiol Prosecco Veneto NV-This Prosecco has a pale hue with good bead and a fragrance and taste of fruit and almonds. It is delicious! Although this wine is a Brut it has ample fruitiness and elegance to make it attractive to those not seeking bone-dry austere sparklers.
Livio Pavese Prosecco Extra Dry NV-This is not totally dry as you might expect, this is extra dry i.e. with a touch of sweetness. Trust me this is not offensive. In fact it is rather refreshing. This is a great aperitif or even desert wine with a cheese plate.
Brewer Clifton Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills 2007-A big rich California Pinot to make those ones from Oregon hide in shame. "Aromas of black raspberry, dried rose petal and lavender followed by flavors of pomegranate, black cherry and dried orange peel. Firm, chalky and lingering mouthfeel."
Santa Barbara Winery Pinot Noir 2005 Santa Rita Hills-You seeing a pattern here? Some of the best Pinots are being made from Santa Rita Hills fruit and Santa Barara Winery has been making good Pinot since I was in college.
Santa barbara Winery ZCS 2008-A blend of Zinfandel 60%, Carignan 24%, Sangiovese 16%, this is classic Californian Italian Immigrant wine. Most of the old Italians that started vineyards in California would plant "field blends" like this. This was the Sunday table wine for all occasions. This is NOT your Sunday communion wine, trust me.
Rasa Vineyards "QED" 2007 Walla Walla Valley-Ok, kids time to get serious. QED (Quod Erat Demonstrandum) Latin for "put that in your pipe and smoke it", ok maybe I am paraphrasing here, but this is serious juice. A blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre this is one of THE BEST syrah based wines I have ever had. You need to get some, now. No BS, seriously if you miss out on this you will be very, very upset.
There are even more wines, but there are other items we need to get to.
BEER! No long prose (we know how you beer drinkers are. . .) just the straight poop.
Chimay Red, Chimay White, and Chimay Blue. Duvel, Orval trappist, Blackthorn Cider, Ommegang Witte, and they just keep coming.
Loads of cheese, including: Caerphilly, Shropshire, 5yr Gouda, Fleur Vert, Fleur du Maquis, Chimay cheese (to go with your beer!) Roquefort Gabriel Coulet, Wensleydale, Appenzeller, HumboldtFog (properly aged), Cave Aged Gruyere, Cave Aged Emmenthaller, and many more.
Newsome's Hams have arrived!! We have three whole hams for the holidays. Through December we'll be slicing these by hand in the store or you can purchase a whole one to get you through the holidays. If you have not tasted these you are missing out on one of the greatest secrets of the south.
We have also just started carrying Dry Soda, for those of you looking for something with out that "holiday spirit" in it. Dry Soda is an all natural soft drink developed by a Seattle woman who was tired of the lack of options when she was pregnant. Lightly carbonated, flavored with all natural ingredients and no corn sweeteners! If you are looking for a break from the holiday cheer, come in and try a Dry!
Also our 3rd Annual Parmigano Reggiano Wheel cutting will be taking place at the store on Saturday November 28th at 12p. We'll be offering specials for the first hour and you'll get to see how an 80+lb wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano is broken down.
If you need more information, please come in to the shop and ask us questions as there is just TOO much information to post here. Cheers.
