Weekly Wine Tastings

30th of April-1st of May, 2010

Please join us for our FREE Wine and Beer Tastings  - Friday from 3-7 pm and Saturday 1-6; this week we are tasting:

WINE 

While California may be the 800 pound gorilla in the room that is US wines, the wines of Oregon, more specifically the Willamette Valley, are no shrinking violets. Although Oregon may rank third in production in the USA, it's wines are easily some of the best in the world, particularly when the conversation turns to Pinot Noir. That's not to say Pinot is the only game in town; nearly all of the varietals planted in the state have a wonderful balance of fruit and acidity and exhibit a very European sensibility in their balance.

This week we have a look at the wines of two wonderful producers from Oregon - Lemelson and Siduri (and yes they do have vineyards in California, too). So stop by and give them a try as these fairly priced wines will definitely become part of your summer drinking rotation!

2008 Dry Riesling, Lemelson Vineyards
Willamette Valley, OR
A splendid Mosel Kabinett-styled Riesling is vibrant on the palate with a touch of citrus and floral, lemon-grass, and honey accented nose.
90pts Wine Advocate
Bottle: $19.99 Special: $17.99 Case: $16.99

2007 Chardonnay, Lemelson Vineyards
Willamette Valley, OR
Medium-bodied, silky-textured, and lively. This wine's vibrant personality offers citrus-laced minerals that are intermingled with white stone fruit flavors.
Bottle: $24.99 Special: $22.49 Case: $21.24

2008 Pinot Noir "Chehalem Mountains," Siduri
Willamette Valley, OR
Medium ruby-colored, it has an attractive bouquet of earth notes, spice box, and cherry. Velvety-textured with no hard edges, it has plenty of sweet, savory fruit and a pure finish. 89pts Wine Advocate
Bottle: $29.99 Special: $26.99 Case: $25.49

2007 Pinot Noir "Thea's Selection," Lemelson Vineyards
Willamette Valley, OR
Medium ruby-colored, it exhibits a nose of earth notes, cherry, and raspberry. Supple-textured and easy-going, the wine is well-balanced, lengthy, and has no hard edges.
Bottle: $29.99 Special: $26.99 Case: $25.49

BEER

Summer Ale
Brooklyn Brewing (Brooklyn, New York)
Brooklyn Summer Ale is a modern rendition of the "Light Dinner Ales" brewed in England throughout the 1800's right up until the 1940's. They were also called "luncheon ales" or even "family ales", because they were refreshing and flavorful without being too heavy. Brooklyn Summer Ale is brewed from premium English barley malt, which gives this light-bodied golden beer a fresh bready flavor. German and American hops lend a light, crisp bitterness and a citrus/floral aroma resulting in a beer with a very sunny disposition. FOOD PAIRING Excellent with salads, seafood, quiches, and lightly spicy dishes. It's also great at a brunch. SPECS Malts: Two Row British Malts. Hops: German Perle and American Cascade, Fuggle, and Amarillo. Alcohol: 4.5% by volume
$10.99 6pk. 

Pax Nemesis
DuClaw Brewing (Abingdon, Maryland)
The Imperial Alt Ale style is a newer derivative of the Northern German Altbier (or "old beer," from the traditional brewing methods employed) style, characterized by its crisp clean lager-like character and subtle malty/low noble hop aroma. Altbiers are light copper to light brown color and very clear with an off-white to white head with good retention. Typically, they are moderately bitter, yet well balanced by a smooth and sometimes sweet malt character and grainy or lightly caramel flavor. While Pax Nemesis takes its lead from the Northern German Altbier style, it pushes the style to a new level. Named for the Greek goddess of karmic balance, Pax Nemesis boasts a clean crisp mouth feel, equal measures of hop bitterness and solid malt backbone, and a staggering alcohol content (11% alcohol by volume) well hidden by its perfect balance of hops, malt flavors and incredible drinkability.
$9.99 22oz. 

Black Jack
DuClaw Brewing (Abingdon, Maryland)
Russian Imperial Stouts are intensely flavored, big, dark ales, originally brewed in England in the 18th century for export to the imperial court of Russia. They are rich and complex, with variable amounts of roasted grains, maltiness, fruity esters, hops, and a warm alcohol presence. Many variations exist, with American interpretations known for pushing brewer creativity with bold flavors that add to the style's flavor profile (without dominating it) to create unique drinking experiences.

Black Jack Stout, a fixture on the awards podium at the Brewer's Association of Maryland Governor's Cup, won the gold medal in its class in 2005, 2006 and 2007. This classic example of the Russian Imperial Stout style pours jet black with a small tan head and full body. Black Jack is a hearty, full bodied stout boasting a swirl of dark chocolate, coffee, smokey malt, and fruit flavors and a lingering, warming alcohol presence (8% alcohol by volume) well concealed by its big bold flavors. Engineered for an OG of 21 Plato (hence the name) so that every glass, and every drinker is a winner.
$9.99 22oz.

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