Wine & Cheese Tasting
December 1st & 3rd
Thursday 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Saturday 12 PM – 5:00 PM
George Vigouroux Pigmentum White 2010
Origin: Cahors
Southwest, France
Varietal: 60% Ugni Blanc and 40% Colombard
Tasting Notes: In the glass the Pigmentum Blanc presents itself in a mellow yellow with green reflexes. White blossoms, citrus fruits and pale fruit conquer the nose and make this wine an ideal party wine. A well-balanced sweetness-acid relation and the medium body, make this white Cuvée a complete harmonious wine.
Food Pairing: This is a great party wine or pair it with seafood, white meat or blue cheese
.
Chateau Beauchene Cotes-du-Rhone Grand Reserve Blanc 2010
Origin: Orange, Rhone, France.
Varietal: 25% Marsanne, 25% Clairette, 25% Grenache Blanc, 20% Roussanne, and 5% Bourboulenc from 10 to 50 year old vines.
Tasting Notes: Appearance: Extremely pale golden-yellow. Nose: Bouquet of meadow flowers, acacia and honey. Palate: This is a rich, unctuous wine. There is wonderful harmony of length and roundness on the palate with hints of cinnamon and vanilla in the finish. Alcohol 13%
Food Pairing: Serve at 54 degrees. Pairs well with asparagus, fish, shellfish, chicken, pork tenderloin and soft cheeses.
Lolonis Redwood Valley Merlot 2006
Origin: Redwod
Valley, California
Varietal: 100% Merlot. Grapes are organically grown on 40-year-old vines. Ladybugs, not chemicals, are used to combat pests.
Tasting Notes: This classic Merlot has a good fruit complexity, a nice balance and a broad pallet impression. Plum, cassis, cherries, toasty oak, hints of vanilla, spice, caramel flavors and aromas with nicely balanced tannins, make this best to enjoy now, through 2016. 14.6% Alcohol
Food Pairing: The wine pairs beautifully with any red meat, salmon, pork, poultry and yes even Pasta with Marinara sauce.
Alpha Domus Hawkes Bay Navigator (Meritage Blend) 2006
Origin: Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. Hawkes Bay is an area of New Zealand that is noted for its success with Bordeaux varietals. Long, hot summers and cool winters characterize this temperate area.
Varietal : This wine is a blend of 41% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Malbec and 12% Cabernet Franc.
Tasting Notes: A complex aroma of ripe berry fruit, plums, violet, licorice and hints of leather. Influences of sweet vanilla and toast result from oak barrel maturation. On the palate you will find plum and blackberry supported by clove and spicy notes. Game and leathery characters add complexity. The ripe fruit, sweet oak and firm tannins create a robust, complex wine with excellent length.
Food Pairing: Great with red meats and game, pasta, cheese or any full flavored dishes.
Cyan Toro Zamora 2005
Origin: Toro, Spain
Varietal: 100% Tinta de Toro. This wine has been produced with selected Tinta de Toro grapes coming from vineyards between 30 and 60 years old.
Tasting Notes: This wine has a deep black cherry color, with an intense nose with aromas of dark fruit preserves, spices, liquorice, roast coffee and marked menthol notes. In the mouth it is very concentrated, powerful, broad and warm, with very ripe, well-rounded tannins. Black fruit flavors and light balmy and menthol tones followed by a long finish clearly marked by black fruit and balmy tones. Aged 14 months in French and American oak barrels with an additional bottle aging of 14 months. This is a big wine at 15.3% Alcohol.
Food Pairing: This is a big and complex wine that will pair well with beef, game and other hearty meat dishes
Valckenberg Madonna Eiswein 2004
Origin: Rheinhessen, Germany
Varietal: 100% Riesling
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.