Beginning on Friday (Aug 7), and continuing through the following week, we’ll pour Flights of Cabernet and Cabernet Blends and Mixed White wines.
Our Cabernet Sauvignon and Related Blends Flight will include:
- À Côté 2007 Red Blend (Cab & Merlot) Santa Barbara County
- B Cellars 2005 Blend 25 (Cab & Syrah) Napa Valley
- Silver Stone 2005 Onyx Red Wine (Cab, Merlot & Syrah) San Luis Obispo
- Liparita 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District Napa Valley
- Schweiger 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District Napa Valley
Our Mixed White Flight will include:
- Brassfield 2007 Serenity White Wine High Valley
- Secret 2007 White Wine Santa Ynez Valley
- Silver Stone 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Cedar Lane Vyd Arroyo Seco
- Point Concepción 2008 Celestina Pinot Grigio Santa Barbara Co
- Hoopla 2007 Chardonnay Yountville Napa Valley
New Wines:
- B Cellars 2005 Blend 25 Napa Valley @ $40.00
- Silver Stone 2005 Onyx Red Wine San Luis Obispo @ $29.00
- Liparita 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District Napa Valley @ $45.00
- Brassfield 2007 Serenity White Wine High Valley @ $16.00
- Silver Stone 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Cedar Lane Vyd Arroyo Seco @ $15.00
- Hoopla 2007 Chardonnay Yountville Napa Valley @ $15.00
Based on bottle sales last week, the best selling red wines were the Phantom Rivers 2005 Syrah Central Coast and the Phantom Rivers 2006 Paso del Sol Central Coast, while the Phantom Rivers 2007 Chardonnay Edna Valley was the winner among the whites.
Last Friday night turned out to be the biggest Friday we’ve had this year. Sue and Steve Mathis’ Phantom Rivers line up drew a lot of regular guests, a lot of Sue and Steve’s friends and a whole lot of new guests; and everybody was buying wine!! Our thanks to Sue and Steve and a great wine loving crowd for their support.
We are planning another Wine Class in August. We’ll have the details next week.
The West Wall show will be changing next week, so this will be your last opportunity to check out the display of the unique letter / sign art of Mindy Martinsen. Mindy is a native of Monrovia, but has travelled extensively photographing letters or letter-like impressions that she uses to build words which express places or themes. Stop in and if you like what you see, maybe you’ll want to commission a piece appropriate to your home or office.
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.
Tax Free Wednesdays. On Wednesdays, all retail purchases will be discounted 9.75%. As previously noted, this discount will not compound with others already available.
The Cheese Corner
In the last few months, Jeff has enhanced the cheese plates with a variety of confit selections paired with the cheeses. The confit was imported from France by French Farms. We have now added their full line-up to the shop and they are available for purchase at the cheese counter. Each of them notes on the label the ideal cheese selection to pair with. The “Pineapple with Penja Pepper” paired with some Comté caught my eye.
Upcoming Events:
There will be a wine dinner at Ciao Bella Restaurant in Riverside this Saturday evening, August 8. Six courses paired with six Laetitia Wines. Go to www.winewisdomandwit.com It’s the first event listed.
On August 8, the Paso Robles Rotary will host a Winemakers Cook off. Thirty (30) wineries will be serving “gourmet” foods right off the grill which will be paired with “some of their best wines.” This will be an evening event which will take place between 6 and 9pm at the River Oaks Hot Springs (just north of Paso Robles). See details at http://www.winemakerscookoff.com/
The Rhone Rangers Annual Trade and Consumer Tasting is set for August 9 at Pier 59 Studios West in Santa Monica. There will be 100 wines. along with appetizers, available for sampling. The trade portion of the event runs from noon until 2:00pm, when it is then opened to the public. General Admission is $35., if purchased before July 31. Go to www.rhonerangers.org and check their calendar for more details.
If you got the bones, Bistro 45 has the wine! On August 17, they will do a wine dinner featuring the wines of Peter Michael, Kistler and Marcassin. The dinner is limited to 24 persons and it costs $245.
Kiwanis Wine Tour Part Deux. This wine tour of Temecula will take place on August 29and include three winery visits, lunch and a stop at the Pechanga Casino. The fare is $100 (with $40 being a tax deductible donation). Reserve through any Kiwanian or call Ryan Garcia @ 626-340-3782.
Sake fans will want to check out Bistro 45 and Matsuri combined efforts on August 30. Six sakes will be paired with with dinner jointly prepared by the chefs from both restaurants. Go to www.bistro45.com for more details.
Cafe Massilia, offers a Wine Dinner on the first Wednesday of each month (except June though August). The dinner prices vary depending on the region of France on which the meal is based. The next dinner will be on both September 2 and 3 and the food and wines will be native to the Bordeaux region of France. The reason for doing it on two evenings is because he is almost completely booked on the 2nd already!! Call the restaurant at 626-471-3588 for details (Located at 110 E. Lemon Ave).
We’re working on plans for an evening of Halter Ranch wines and wine friendly hors d’oeurves by Chef Claud Beltran. Jim Witt will be here from the winery, and Claud, who found the love of cooking in his grandmother’s kitchen, honed his skills under the tutelage of Thomas Keller at Checkers, and wowed locals at Cayo, Restaurant Halie and Madeleines, will be in the shop making magic between food and wine! This event will take place in mid-September. More details to follow.
One more Bistro 45 note. They will present a Wine Dinner on September 28, featuring the wines of Walter Hansel. I’ll have more details later in the month, or go to www.bistro45.com
Please visit our shop at 115 W. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia, CA 91016. Tastings occur whenever the door is unlocked!! That would be Tuesday through Thursday, 11:00am to 8:00pm; Friday and Saturday, 11:00pm to 9:00pm; and Sunday from noon until 6:00pm. Cheese plates designed to complement the wines are always available.
