Newsletter | Vol. 3, Issue 22
Beginning on Friday (6-5), and continuing through the following week, we’ll pour Flights of Hall Wines and Mixed Whites.
Our Hall Wines Flight will include:
- 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley
- 2005 Merlot Napa Valley
- 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
- 2005 Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Sacrashe Vineyard Napa Valley
Our Mixed White Flight will include:
- Paraiso 2007 Riesling Santa Lucia Highlands
- Lone Madrone 2008 “LaMezcla” (Grenache Blanc & Albarino) Dawson Creek Vineyard Paso Robles
- Martellotto 2007 Secret White Wine Santa Ynez Valley
- Oso Libre 2008 Volado Viognier Paso Robles
- Lone Madrone 2006 Roussanne “Points West” Paso Robles
New Wines:
- Hall 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley @ $40.00
- Hall 2005 Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Sacrashe Vineyard Napa Valley @ $75.00
- Paraiso 2007 Riesling Santa Lucia Highlands @ $14.00
- Lone Madrone 2008 “LaMezcla” (Grenache Blanc & Albarino) Dawson Creek Vineyard Paso Robles @ $25.00
- Martellotto 2007 Secret White Wine Santa Ynez Valley @ $23.00
- Oso Libre 2008 Volado Viognier Paso Robles @ $28.00
- Lone Madrone 2006 Roussanne “Points West” Paso Robles @ $32.00
Returning to the Racks:
- Hall 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley (New Vintage) @ $20.00
- Hall 2005 Merlot Napa Valley @ $28.00
Based on bottle sales last week, the best selling red wine was the Edward Sellers 2005 Syrah Sèlectionnèe Paso Robles. We had a tie for the best selling white between the Foxen 2007 Chenin Blanc Santa Maria Valley and the Palmina 2006 Arneis Santa Ynez. While the Foxen Chenin Blanc has always been popular in the shop, it’s a pleasant surprise to see a lesser known grape, Arneis, be so well received.
Early Notice: We will be closed on Father’s Day, June 21.
This Friday evening (6-5), we will be joined by Kristin Stuermer of Hall Wines. Kristin will be in the shop while we are pouring the Hall Wines line up. She has been with Hall Wines since their inception, working in both the lab and marketing and has great insight to share about the wines and the winery. Don’t miss this opportunity to sample through these wines, especially the Kathryn Hall Cabernet, which at $75, isn’t going to show up in many local tastings.
Check out the West Wall and enjoy the recently installed art featuring photographs by Frank Zgonc. His last show here included a number of pieces created in his watercolor photography format. Now he has ventured into creating photographs in the “Orton” style. Depending on your proximity to the picture, you see an image either slightly out of focus, or exceptionally sharp. It involves a layering process of two separately shot images. Frank has recently change a few of the pictures and we will be holding another Artist Reception of Friday, June 19, from 5:30 to 8:30pm.
We finally have enough sign-ups for a Saturday Wine 101 class. We are going to schedule it as soon as I can coordinate this with our instructor. We still hope to do wine classes on selected in depth subjects, but have received very sparse interest in these classes. When talking with Larry, our wine teacher, we’ll try to come up with a few subjects that we can publish and see if that might be a better way to generate more interest.
Here’s a heads up on a great wine oriented opportunity. Madeleines Restaurant is offering every bottle on their wine list at 50% off during Sunday evening dinners. Madeleines is located at 1030 E. Green St, Pasadena.
Stop by Sunday afternoons when we’re joined by Norman Davis who will play classical and light jazz pieces for a couple hours. His guitar playing provides a relaxing back drop to the whole wine and cheese experience. The music starts at 3:30PM.
The Cheese Corner
Bally Oak Smoked Irish Soft Cheese is from Five Mile Town, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Hand made with care, this velvety brie is slowly smoked in their kiln using sustainably foraged oakwood from the local Forest of Celadon. Plumes of aromatic smoke circulate around the cheese and impart a wonderful smokey flavor to the silky, butter like texture of the soft cheese and creates a rich, rustic crust that looks beautiful on any cheeseboard.
Boilie Goats Cheese Pearls are likewise from the Five Mile Town Creamery and are hand made and marinated in herbs and peppercorns in a golden, garlic infused oil that gently flavors the cheese and conserves it’s goodness. Boilie is ideal for salads, snacks and picnics while the oil makes a perfect dressing for salads or a marinade for meat.
Upcoming Events:
Cafe Massilia, offers a Wine Dinner on the first Wednesday of each month. The dinner prices vary depending on the region of France on which the meal is based. The next dinner is set for July 1. Call the restaurant at 626-471-3588 for details (Located at 110 E. Lemon Ave).
We have just scheduled a tasting with Minassian Young Winery for June 12. David and Amparo Young will be here to pour their wines and talk about some of their new varietals, i.e., Malbec and Tempranillo. David has also agreed to include his 1000 Vines Zinfandel, along with his better known 2006 Estate Zinfandel to do a little comparison tasting.
We open at 11:00AM Tuesday through Saturday. Tuesday through Thursday, we close at 8:00PM and Friday and Saturday at 9:00PM. We are open Sunday from noon until 6:00PM . Please remember, we stop pouring 30 minutes before closing. Any questions, please call us at 626-358-6500.
Janet and Tom
California Wine and Cheese