Wine Tasting Christmas Eve ’11

This week has been an interesting experiment, being open almost every night, and continuing Friday, December 23, 4-7pm. We haven’t had a lot of visitors, only a select few, but we have had fun sharing some wines we rarely get to drink, and can’t afford to pour for our Saturday $5 tasting. Quite a treat!

On Monday and Tuesday evenings we offered Betz syrah La Serenne ’04 and the Betz cabernet Pere de Famille ’06 (see previous posts), and they were delightful. In case you haven’t had the experience, a really nice bottle of wine can take the edge off just about any kind of blues, angst, or general ennui. A little luxury goes a long way toward alleviating frustration. So even though we don’t have them out on the shelves, we do have a stash of, um, therapeutic wines in the cellar for restoring a positive outlook. Or making a great gift. Just ask; we have something to please everyone, even the most discriminating connoisseur.

Our $99 per case offer continues till Dec 30. This is a great chance to stock up for the holidays and for January (when we will be mostly closed). We’ve had many takers, and the shelves are starting to look a little leaner, but there is still a LOT left, and this is the biggest sale we have had in our six years with the wine shop. It’s an experiment to see if volume really can make up for idiotically low pricing. (The jury is still out, so I suggest you take advantage while you can…)

Friday night we will continue the “Week Before Christmas” evening tasting, offering two exceptional wines from our cellar for tasting, $5 for one, $8 for both. One we opened tonight, the 2006 Pedestal Merlot ($55) from Long Shadows. The Long Shadows family are wines made in Washington with Washington grapes, by some of the world’s best winemakers. Here’s Parker’s review: 94 pts; The 2006 Pedestal features Michel Rolland who was at Long Shadows on the day of my tasting to do some blending. His wine is 86% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec aged for 22 months in 85% new French oak. Purple-colored, it offers an alluring bouquet of sandalwood, pencil lead, spice box, incense, black currants, and black cherry. Seamless on the palate, this plush wine has layers of ripe, savory flavors, well-concealed tannin, excellent aging potential, and a 60-second finish. It will provide much pleasure between 2013 and 2026.”

As for the second wine…who knows? Ryan will be here as usual on Friday night (think festive!), and I think he has some ideas about that. Just know that it will be good, so please drop by.

TRUFFLES

I can tell you that Pat has been working all week to fill the huge number of orders that have come in for Christmas truffles. All you need to know is that they are done, they are delicious, and they are now available for pickup. Regular hours before Christmas are Friday from 4-7 and Saturday from 2-6. If those times don’t work, please call (758.2959) to make other arrangements.

Who goes wine tasting on Christmas Eve? Even when it’s on a Saturday when their favorite wine shop is open? Well, we hope YOU do! We would love to see you and wish you good cheer and a warm hearth on this Deep Winter observance, which our ancestors have been celebrating for tens of thousands of years, the time when the sun stops going away and starts coming back. Yes, Winter has its comforts, and high among them are warm fires, warm food, and the fruit of the vine!

Sixth Annual “East Coast” New Year’s Eve Gala Extravaganza

From 7-9pm on New Year’s Eve! We provide the wine, you bring something delicious to share, and when the ball drops in Times Square we hoist our glasses and toast the Year of the Dragon. You young folks can move on to your next party, and we old timers can get to bed at a decent hour! It’s our chance to thank you for your support this past year, and to look ahead to more fun in aught-twelve. Mark your calendars and start planning your finger food. And please–RSVP if you are coming! (758-2959)

Christmas Eve wines:

Nera ‘La Novella’ nebbiolo ’10      Italy         $15
White wines (like riesling) can pair magnificently with traditional holiday dinners. This unusual white (nebbiolo is typically a red wine) offers surprising complexity: zesty lemon cream, yellow apple, and white grapes, with a touch of nut skin, white pepper, and dusty earth.

Terre Margaratelli Mirantico ’09      Italy       $17
This delightful blend of sangiovese, canaiolo, merlot, and cab sauv is fresh, dynamic, organic, and delicious; a beautiful wine in search of a rich meal to pair with!

 La Rocaliere Lirac Rouge  ’09      France      $18
This little winery in Lirac, just across the river from Chateauneuf du Pape, was among our favorites on our visit to France in October.  Aged in cement tanks with no oak at all, this lovely grenache blend shows a profusion of ripe raspberry and black cherry, with notes of violet, spices, wild rosemary, thyme (i.e. “garrigue”); velvety and brightly focused, finishing with a clean minerality.

Lost River Merlot 06   Washington   $20
Notes of black currant and cassis, cherry, and licorice. 2006 represents a near perfect vintage for Washington Merlot…you’re gonna like it!

 

 

 

Wine Tasting

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