Sweet Wine Tasting Preview

On Saturday, February 18 from 1-3pm, we’re hosting a wine tasting focusing on sweet wines. Sometimes sweet wines can get a bad reputation, with most people thinking of mass produced and poorly made products. The truth is that sweet wine have been around for hundreds of years, and for good reason: they’re delicious!

Charles & Charles Riesling

This excellent, single vineyard riesling is everything one can want from a Washington riesling. Its sweetness is held in balance by a taut acidity that accents. The resulting wine is a gorgeous, full-flavored riesling with aromas driven by stone fruit, mineral notes, wet rock, citrus, and floral scents. Its palate has a beautiful focus with lingering notes of honeysuckle and crushed rock. For those looking to try a Washington state or a new world riesling, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better one than this.

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Tintero Gramella Moscato

With this wine, the Tintero family provides a rarity among Italian moscatoes, a single vineyard bottling. The Sori vineyard is located on the southern facing slope of a hill named “Gramella” which creates a perfect microclimate for growing moscato. Full of fruit flavors like peach, apricot, and quince, this wine is an ideal pairing for light meals or an afternoon of steady sipping. Its light body and low alcohol level make it an ideal wine for parties and social events.

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Le Tertre de Lys Sauternes

Bright golden color with pale gold hue, the nose contains top notes of honeyed apricot followed by some raisin, toffee, and spice. The wine’s rich and luscious palate texture shows excellent concentration with mouth-filling flavors of honey, raisins, apricot and apple. The finish is clean with a long aftertaste of honey, apricot, and raisin. Though only a 375ml bottle, this wine is meant to be sipped and savored. Pair it with an array of sweetbreads or desserts for the end of a meal, or, opt to recreate one of the world’s best wine pairings: foie gras and Sauternes.

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Cocchi Asti

Asti Cocchi is a sweet sparkling produced in the hills, just north of the Italian city of Asti. Made from the moscato grape, the wine has a rich and intense aroma with notes of wisteria, acacia and honey on the palate. It features a well-balanced sweetness and a low alcohol content (7% Vol). It’s ideal with desserts and is a must with almond or hazelnut pastries. It also makes a wonderful accompaniment with orange juice in a morning’s mimosa. Out of all the Italian sparkling moscatoes, few achieve this level of balance. Even those who claim to not like sweet wines will be coming back to this one again and again.

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Montinore Borealis

Mouthwatering and multi-dimensional, this perennial crowd-pleaser is a blend of our favorite cool-climate whites: gewurztraminer, muller-thurgau, pinot gris and riesling. Intensely aromatic, with a nose of tropical flowers, ripe kiwi and melon, the silky soft palate is brimming with rose petals, pink grapefruit, mango and white nectarine then finishes on a high, clean note of bright key lime.

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Rosa Regale

Sparkling wine from the brachetto grape as long been a traditional sign of affection in Italy. Legend has it that both Julius Ceaser and Marc Antony sent it to Cleopatra in hopes to win her heart. Rosa Regale is a wine that fits any occasion and is an ideal match for any palate. The slightly off-dry nature of the wine makes it a perfect pairing with anything from seafood to spicy Asian cuisine. In the glass, it shines a bright and festive pink with striking fruit aromas that are followed by dramatic notes of raspberry and strawberry that dance across the palate.

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Wine Tasting with Cliff Lede Vineyard

We’re partnering with One Eleven at the Capital Hotel to offer an evening of incredible wine and food. 

Join us on Tuesday, August 16 for a wine tasting featuring the wines of Cliff Lede Vineyards. Jason Lede, the son of winery founder Cliff Lede, will be pouring his wines in our store from 4pm until 5:30pm.

Afterwards, at 6pm, enjoy these incredible wines again with an amazing dinner at One Eleven at the Capital Hotel. Tickets for the dinner may be purchased here.

Established in 2002, Cliff Lede Vineyards encompasses sixty acres in the famed Stags Leap District. Cliff Lede, Vineyard Architect David Abreu, and Winemaker Chris Tynan have come together to form an unrivaled team, making the most of this remarkable property.

Featured Wines

Cliff Lede Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon

Inky purple with blood-red tinged edges, the elegant and seamless 2013 Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon’s multilayered perfume fills the glass with notes of violets, lavender, and spring flowers. Intertwined with the floral notes are heady layers of plum, blackberry, and red currants. Silky, unctuous flavors of smoked cardamom, cinnamon, and black licorice lay out on the palate and finish with the taste and texture of liquefied rocks.

Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc

The 2015 Sauvignon Blanc is loaded with aromas of Meyer lemon and candle wax atop layers of honeysuckle, ginger, and tangerine. Spring blossoms of wisteria, lupin, and California buckeye abound in the upper register of the seductive perfume. The full-bodied, coating mouthfeel expands out on the palate with a rich crème brûlée like texture as unctuous notes of bosc pear, orange marmalade, and lavender honey coalesce along the long, satisfying finish.

FEL Pinot Noir

The aromatics of this wine are bright with sweet notes of black cherry, pomegranate, boysenberry, and truffle. Hints of cinnamon, caraway, and toast are reflective of both Anderson Valley’s spice driven terroir, and the extended aging in French oak barrels. In the mouth, the wine is loaded with rich flavors of dark fruit, cocoa, and spice. The palate is refined with pleasant acidity and elegant tannins that continue to unfold after the last sip. This is a generous wine that will continue to evolve and drink well for at least half a decade.

FEL Chardonnay

When crafting a wine like the FEL Anderson Valley Chardonnay, a winemaker is rewarded for using a light touch and letting the fruit speak. By not using new oak and avoiding malolactic fermentation, this Chardonnay’s delicate aromas of lemon zest, Granny Smith apple, and honeydew melon are front and center. Subtle hints of freesia, quince, and brioche begin to show as the wine develops in the glass. This is a crisp, acid driven Chardonnay with abundant flavors of Meyer lemon and white grapefruit on the palate that pairs exquisitely with oysters and light seafood.

We hope you’ll join us on August 16 for this chance to taste these incredible wines!

Tasting: 4:30 – 5:30pm

Dinner: 6:00 pm

16th Anniversary Tasting

We’re celebrating 16 years in business with a wine tasting! Join us this Saturday from 1-4pm to taste some of our favorite wines from over the years. Check out the wines we’ll have on hand to choose from below!

Teeter-Totter Cabernet Sauvignon

Owned and made by Napa winemaker Benoit Touquette, this big and bold wine shows off ample deep, dark berry cherry fruits, dark soil, sweet spice, along with a little cigar and black fig smells and flavors.  It’s 75% cabernet sauvignon, 8% syrah, 6% cabernet franc, 6% merlot, 3% zinfandel,  2% petit verdot .It is a medium to full-bodied, round and  juicy wine that could be drunk now or over the next decade or more. 

Siesta Malbec

This is the James Bond of malbecs; smooth, suave, and almost sultry. Full of fruit flavors, but it carries an arsenal of black licorice, tea, and pepper to back it up. The 14 months it spend in oak add a delicate layer of five spice and adds restraint to its long finish. At only 13.8% alcohol, this wine shows a more elegant side than most other malbecs. 

Ferard Brunel Cotes du Rhone

This French blend of grenache and syrah is rather ripe, with plum and boysenberry confiture aromas and flavors lined with singed vanilla and licorice notes. The woodsy spine is more pronounced on the finish than the fleshy fruit, but the overall bright personality of the wine makes it an instant favorite. Lively and fresh, earthy and sophisticated, this wine drinks like a baby Chateauneuf; it has tons of peppery fruit from the Grenache and a strong backbone from the Syrah, with great balance. 

Produttori Barbaresco

The delicious 2011 Barbaresco is a very well-integrated and balanced wine that shows an impressive level of elegance. Soft oak spice is fused with red berry fruit and balsam herb. You feel some of the heat of the vintage in the ripeness of the fruit, but those qualities never subtract from the wine’s overall harmony. Soft fruit flavors are woven between tight tannins and long persistence.

King Estate Pinot Noir

This organically grown pinot noir from estate vineyards is blended with grapes from sustainably farmed vineyards throughout Oregon, where grapes are grown to strictly enforced standards. The wine was ages for 8 months in French oak before bottling, and displays notes of dark fruits, wood, and spice. 

Marques de Riscal Rioja Riserva

This Spanish blend consists of tempranillo, graciano, and mazuelo. It’s cherry-red colour with spicy, balsamic aromas of great complexity, with notes of ripe dark berries and light toasted nuances. On the palate it is full and tasty, with good structure and rounded, elegant tannins. The finish is long and fresh, with a slight reminder of the fine oak.

Raptor Ridge Pinot Gris

Heady aromas of ripe pear, juicy cantaloupe, and a hint of banana are seasoned with honey and an intriguing touch of spice. Rich and plush at first sip, transitioning to a crisp and palate-cleansing acidity that wraps around sunny flavors of lemon and fresh grated ginger. 

Schloss Vollrads Riesling

This riesling is a classic Spätlese (late harvest) without botrytis, very clear and fruity. Sweetness and acidity are perfectly balanced, so that the wine is centred and the taste lingers. Sun and the fruitiness of the grape join together in a dance on your tongue. The Schloss Vollrads Spätlese has a long aging potential.

Wolfberger Gewurztraminer

Gewurztraminer, with “gewurz” being German for “spicy,” is a grape variety used to make full-bodied wines with a powerful aroma. Gewurztraminer is perfect served with spicy cuisines – even those chili-hot – as well as strong cheeses like Munster. Its scent is an explosion of tropical fruits, citrus and spices, all blending into a fragrance that is both powerful and complex. 

Daniel Chotard Sancerre

This wine exudes a pungent mineral nose; you can taste the limestone in the rich, dry flavors. The Chotard family has been making wine for more than two centuries in Sancerre, so you can be sure there is a fair amount of heritage and family pride that goes into this wine. 

Jean Courtault Chablis

Golden color and very aromatic, with white flowers, fresh fruit, lime, citrus aromas as well as a bergamot, this wine has a pleasant mouthfeel.  There is a touch of acidity, revealing a deliciously integrated minerality that makes this an excellent introduction to French Chablis. 

JCB No. 21 Brut Rosé Cremant de Bourgogne

Each JCB wine is known by a number. And each number has deep significance for Jean-Charles Boisset, the collection’s creator and namesake. Jean-Charles’ philosophy of wine has been profoundly shaped by the wine region where he was born and raised: Burgundy’s famous Côte d’Or, which translates to the Gold Coast. No. 21 honors this connection and heritage, for 21 is the French government’s “Department” number for the Côte d’Or.

Raptor Ridge Rosé of Pinot Noir

This beautifully-hued rose is fruit salad in a bottle!  Strawberry, watermelon, pie cherry and kiwi greet the senses with each swirl.  Rhubarb, Rainier cherry, and pomegranate dance across the palate– a zesty interplay between acid and tannin.  Sip as an aperitif or enjoy its food-friendly compatibility with a variety of dishes.