Your Weekly News & Updates
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Well done Minnesota!!! Now back to the grind.
Heads up everyone - Valentine's Day is almost upon us! We have plenty of wine to gift or get you through.
Keep Reading for Valentine's Day wine ideas.
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Coming Soon
: Scotch Class
Thursday, February 22nd
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Scotch Tasting - The Debate: Independent Bottlers vs Small Distilleries
Jeff Peterson and William Skelly will be guiding us through this comparative tasting of 8 outstanding Whiskies in our cellar.
Find out more details including the full tasting lineup and buy tickets on Eventbrite (link below).
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Mix it Up (staff selections):
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Katrina's Pick:
Jacques Chaput Brut Tradition (NV)
Skip the bread basket and treat yourself to a deliciously bread-y champagne instead! This earthy, grower-producer bubbly is crafted from 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay, planted by 8th generation winegrowers. If a French baguette married the perfect juicy tart apple, these delicate bubbles would be their love child. Cheers! -$38.99
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Patti's Pick:
Podere Grattamacco Bolgheri Rosso 2015
Hailing from a young but prestigious appellation on the Tuscan Coast - this "Super Tuscan" is super yummy. The nose is full of fresh black cherries, blackberries, mineral, wood, and mediterranean herbs. On the palate the fruit is the star with firm tannins, mocha, and black pepper for balance. Complex and age-worthy this wine is consists of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Caberent Franc, 10% Merlot, and 10% Sangiovese. Try pairing with game dishes and red meat. -$35.99
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Darrin's Pick:
Domaine des Ramparts Sauvignon Saint Bris 2015
Besides being an anomaly (Sauvignon Blanc from Burgundy, France - the land of Chardonnay), this is also really tasty. Citrus fruits are still the core of this wine, but the nose and palate are expansive to include gooseberry, apple and pit fruits. The cool climate and limestone/rocky soils give plenty of minerality, saline qualities and hints of fennel. Not quite as smokey/flinty as Sancerre, but there is still significant complexity here. -$16.99
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Emily's Pick:
Matteo Correggia "Anthos" Vino Rosso 2016
Brachetto is a Piedmont grape that is typically made into sweet wines--wines that are often referred to as the red version Moscato d'Asti. The Anthos, on the other hand, is a unicorn dry Brachetto. It's a light, juicy bundle of joy that refreshes the palate with tart and ripe, bright red strawberries and a just-right amount of bergamot. -$18.99
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HAPPY VALEN-WINE'S DAY
(Wednesday, February 14th)
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Ideas for Valentines Day:
Bubbles (Pink or Tradtional)
Rose (Because it's Pink - Duh!)
Vintage and Age-Statement Ports (Special Date?)
Wines that say "I Love You" OR even better "I Love Myself":
Terra Valentine, Cabernet Sauvignon
Love Block, Sauvignon Blanc
Two Hands, "Sexy Beast" Cabernet Sauvignon
Flowers, Chardonnay
Flowers, Pinot Noir
Monteventrano, "Core" Aglianico (Heart on label)
Slo Down, "Sexual Chocolate" Red Blend
Lafage, "Cote Est" White Blend (Flowers on label)
Chateau Coupe Roses, Minervois
Alvaro Palacios, Camins Del Priorat (Flowers on label)
Molly Dooker, "Two Left Feet" (Dancing Couple on label)
Chankaska Creek, Coeur de Colline (Heart on label)
Chateau Saint Amour, Saint Amour - Cru Beaujolais
Georges Duboeuf, Julienas (Flowers on the Label)
G.D. Vajra, Barbera D'Alba (Flowers and kissing birds on label)
Tiamo, Red Wine 375ml Can & Underwood, Rose Bubbles 375ml Can
(Because nothing says "I love you" like wine in a can!)
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FRIDAY & SATURDAY'S FREE WINE TASTINGS
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Friday's Tasting Lineup (4-8pm):
Pfeffingen Dry Riesling, Pfalz, Germany
Fossil Point Chardonnay, Central Coast, CA
Caffagio Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy
Cline Farmhouse Red, California
Coudelet de Beaucastel Cotes du Rhone, France
Duas Quintas Douro Tinto, Portugal
Plus, an awesome "
Secret Sipper"
: please ask discreetly to taste the 2014 Pingus "PSI" Ribera del Duero (scroll to the bottom for details on this killer, 94pt-rated Spanish red).
We are still picking the wines for the
Tasting
on
Saturday (3-7pm)
.
We will post the lineup to Facebook prior to the tasting.
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New - Just in Time for Valentine's Day Beer
:
Indeed's "In the Thicket Raspberry" Golden Sour Ale
(Packaged in cute 375ml bottles with Pink Labels!)
New Wines
:
Villa Caffagio Chianti Classico "Single Estate" 2013,
Tuscany, Italy, Reg. 19.99, Sale $13.99
This is not just Chianti Classico, but classic Chianti; that is to say that it is lighter in body and color, with a focus on freshness and balance to go with a wide variety of foods. So if your pasta or pizza has seafood or chicken involved, this won't overpower it with tannins and over-concentrated dark fruits. Taste it with us this Friday!
Domaine Lafage "Bastide Miraflors" 2015, Cotes du Roussillon, France, $16.99
"
This wine is almost too good to be true. A blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache that was brought up in concrete tanks (Grenache) and demi-muids (Syrah), the 2015 Bastide Miraflors Vieilles Vignes reminded me of a mini Syrah from California's Manfred Krankl (yes I just this to Sine Qua Non). It's a ripe, sexy, heady beauty that exhibits a deep, purple color as well as killer notes of smoked meats, chocolate, blackberry and black raspberries. Deep, unctuous, open knit and layered, it continues to change in the glass, has a seamless and silky profile, and not a hard edge to be found. It's a sensational value that needs to be tasted to be believed. Drink it anytime over the coming 2-4 years." 94pts WA, **only a few cases left!
Lucky Star Petite Sirah 2014, California, Reg. 11.99, Sale $8.99
This vintage not yet rated, but here is the Wine Enthusiast's 89pt review of the 2013 for referrence: "
It will be a lucky day for people who scoop up this great-value wine. Dark in color and rich in flavor, it is medium to full bodied and tastes ripe and grapy. Smoothly tannic on the palate, it has enough concentration for a lingering, darkly fruity finish. **This is a likely candidate for Saturday's tasting!
Dominio de Pingus "PSI" Ribera del Duero 2014, Spain, $35.99
"
Fresh and classy nose of cherries, currants and raspberries with hints of pepper. Full body, beautiful and fine-grained tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Delivers the Pingus magic! Drink now or hold." 94pts JS
Campbells Shiraz "Bobbie Burns" 2013, Rutherglen, Australia, $23.99 "
Richness and personality. Excellent release. Blackberry, iodine, leather and toast, with musky notes adding an extra layer of appeal. Grainy, earthen tannin gives it an authoritative stamp. Excellent value." 94pts -James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion
August Clape Cornas 2015, Rhone Valley, France, $129.99
"Clape’s flagship 2015 Cornas is enormously complex and compelling. Almond skin, cherries, blood and herbal notes all combine on the nose, while on the palate this medium to full-bodied wine is firmly tannic but ripe and balanced, with a rich, velvety and nearly endless finish." 97pts WA, **There are only a few precious bottles of this wine available; happy hunting!
Key:
WA=Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, WS=The Wine Spectator, JS=James Suckling, V=Vinous (Tanzer & Galloni), IWC=Steven Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, WE=Wine Enthusiast
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Thank You for Reading,
Everyone at North Loop Wine and Spirits
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