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Thursday, July 7, 2011

Sam Adams Utopia coming to The Wine and Cheese Place

gone


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Info from Sam Adams website:
Sweet fire, with a rich malt and wood complexity.

Truly the epitome of brewing's two thousand year evolution, Samuel Adams Utopias® offers a flavor not just unlike any other beer but unlike any other beverage in the world. The 2009 release is a blend of batches, some having been aged up to 16 years in the barrel room of our Boston Brewery, in a variety of woods. We aged a portion of the beer in hand-selected, single-use bourbon casks from the award-winning Buffalo Trace Distillery. The latest batch also spent time in Portuguese muscatel finishing casks, as well as sherry, brandy and Cognac casks. This flavorful, slightly fruity brew has a sweet, malty flavor that is reminiscent of a deep, rich vintage port, fine cognac or aged sherry.


The history of Samuel Adams Utopias comes from the extreme beers of Triple Bock and Millenium that came before it. With those brews we began the exploration of aging beer in barrels for a different flavor contribution. With Utopias, we took that process to another level by introducing a variety of casks that the beer was aged in, each offering their own unique flavor. We also experimented with blending different vintages of beer to create its final character. The idea of aging in casks and blending was inspired by the techniques of whiskey makers in how they were able to craft the taste of their liquid from several of these elements. We expanded that notion to include casks of different origins. Applying these techniques to beer not only led to a completely unique beer, but also to a new taste experience.

The latest in our strong brews, Samuel Adams Utopias has been brewed in three small limited batches to date, growing stronger with each batch. The first batch which was released in 2001 topped out at 24%ABV, for the fourth batch in 2009 we reached 27%ABV. Each batch was only released once in limited quantities.


Samuel Adams Utopias was brewed at a very high gravity using a wide variety of malted barley and a touch of maple syrup. It was then aged in a blend of scotch, bourbon, port and cognac casks for up to 10 years.

Flavor: A unique flavor of vintage port, old sherry and fine cognac. Layers of dark fruit, wood and vanilla.
Color: Ruby black
Original Gravity: 40° Plato
Alcohol by Vol/Wt: 27% ABV - 21.31%ABW
Calories per recommended 2 oz serving: 107
Malt Varieties: Two-row pale Harrington and Metcalfe, Caramel 60, Munich
Hop Variety: Hallertau Mittelfruh, Spalt and Tettnager
Yeast Strain: Two Samuel Adams yeasts
Availability: Limited release
First Brewed: 2002




Salvador Dali....

Salvador Dali labels.....

2004 Bodegas Altanza Lealtanza Rioja Reserva Miro...$61.99 / bottle
3 different labels
"The 2004 Lealtanza Reserva Spanish Artist Collection features a gorgeous Salvador Dali painting on the label attached to the heavy, custom-made bottle. As with last year’s Miro label, the wine stands up to the quality of the art work. The Tempranillo grapes were sourced from 75+-year-old estate vineyards and aged for 18 months in new Allier French oak. Opaque purple-colored, the wine features a splendid perfume of wood smoke, vanilla, fresh road tar, mineral, spice box, black cherry, and blackberry liqueur. On the palate the wine is obviously youthful yet elegant. There are layers of spicy black fruits, ripe tannin, excellent balance, and a long finish. Give it 5-7 years in the cellar and drink it through 2030."
Rated 93/100 The Wine Advocate












Torre Galatea Perelada Rose Cava "Salvadar Dali"...$28.99
"Visitors to Salvador Dalí’s visitors house in Port Lligat were always greeted with a glass of Castilla Perelada Rosado cava. Castillo Perelada has joined forces with the Fundación Gala-Salvador Dalí to create a cava to commemorate this fact. The Torre Galatea that gives its name to this cava is one of the most identifiable images in Dali’s universe. Dalí and Miguel Mateu, founder of our bodega, were prolific correspondents over the years, and the Dali-style typography used on the label originates in these letters." -- importer


"After it had been baptised and decorated by Salvador Dali, Torre Galatea was to become the painter's last residence and, later, part of the museum and the foundation that bear his name.  The enigmatic ants which run over so many of the surrealist genius masterpieces now also surround the bottle of Cava Brut Rosado Torre Galatea" -- bottle.


to order or reserve some call 314.727.8788

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Hot new Italian wines in stock at Forsyth





2007 Moccagatta Barbaresco Basarin....$52.99
"With a touch of oak adding sweetness and spice, this red is totally seductive, from the floral, cherry and licorice aromas and flavors to the supple texture and harmony to the lingering aftertaste of sweet fruit and spice. Ripe and charming, with a soft feel to the dense tannins. Best from 2013 through 2032. 833 cases made. –BS"
Rated 95/100 The Wine Spectator
Rated 92/100 The Wine Advocate


2007 Moccagatta Barbaresco Bric Balin....$52.99
Superfresh and focused, delivering pure flavors of blackberry, black currant, violet and mineral, with a hint of tar. It's all backed by refined tannins and bright acidity, providing structure that should allow this to develop over the next 20 years. Best from 2014 through 2030. 1,916 cases made. –BS"
Rated 94/100 The Wine Spectator
Rated 93/100 The Wine Advocate


2006 Luigia Pira Barolo....$35.99
"A tightly wound red, this is firm yet elegant, offering cherry, tobacco, licorice and mineral aromas and flavors. Boasting intensity and length, this needs time to unwind. Best from 2013 through 2032. 416 cases made. –BS"
Rated 93/100 The Wine Spectator
Rated 90/100 The Wine Advocate


2006 Ciacci Piccolomini d Aragona Brunello di Montalcino...$61.99
A seductive style, featuring fragrant floral, raspberry, tobacco and mineral aromas and flavors. Firm tannins sweep in on the finish, which is tight and unyielding now. It's all there, just needs time. Best from 2013 through 2025. 3,750 cases made. –BS
Rated 93/100 The Wine Spectator
Rated 90/100 The Wine Advocate





Devil Dancer coming today

In stock now.  bottled June 17




Since I left the store, I turned it "off online".
There is still a few left -- call if you would like them to hold one for you.
Forsyth -- 314.727.8788
Rock Hill -- 314.962.8150
New Ballas -- 314.989.0020


Very limited --
Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA...$18.99
"When you dance with the Devil the Devil don’t change. You do. Massive in complexity, the huge malt character balances the insane amount of alphas used to create it. At an incredible 112 IBU’s it’s dry-hopped with a combination of ten hop varieties. This one can age with the best of them."
-- Founders
Rated 99 percentile on RateBeer Rated A- or Beer Advocate






Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Bells Two Hearted Ale fresh and back

Bells Two Hearted just arrived back in stock today -- fresh again -- bottled 6/26/11



Monday, July 4, 2011

Fleur 4 packs arrived last week....



2011 Goose Island Fleur....$9.99 / 4 pack
Rated 96/100
RateBeer



Brewmasters Notes:
A Belgian style pale ale blended with hibiscus and kombucha tea, Fleur is a beautiful, rose-colored ale with an aroma of strawberries and hibiscus flowers. Her flavor balance starts with a hint of sweet, ripe berry and finishes tart.


Recipe Information:
Style: Belgian Style Pale Ale
Alcohol by Volume: 7.0%
International Bitterness Units: 32
Color: Rose
Hops: Super Styrian, Styrian Golding, Saaz
Malt: 2-Row, Caramel, Sugar


Serving Suggestions:
Preferred Glass: Wide Mouth Glass






Saturday, July 2, 2011

Boulevard Nommo Dubbel

Boulevard next Smokestack Series beer is coming in September.
If you made it to The Wine and Cheese Place Beerfest 2011 back on May 14th, you got a chance to preview this beer.   Boulevard brought a keg of this beer for your tasting pleasure.  The label just got approved and The Wine and Cheese Place should have it sometime in September.  You can order other Boulevard beers online now while you wait (including Saison Brett - we only have about 3 cases left) - click here




"Our Nommo Dubbel has a brilliant deep amber color and a sweet caramel malt profile. This beer showcases the coriander, cinnamon, and star anise used in the kettle, complementing them with clove and banana notes contributed by the Belgian yeast. The rich complexity of Nommo’s flavor makes it a worthy partner to a variety of meats and game, as well as aged or aromatic cheeses. The name “Nommo” is derived from a Dogon word meaning “to make one drink.” No, really. Nommo, usually described as amphibious, hermaphroditic, fish-like creatures, were created by the sky god Amma, who caused them to multiply by splitting them into doubled sets of twins. Maybe it’s farfetched, but we think the story of the Nommo makes this whole enterprise a little more fun and interesting." -- Boulevard


Click on picture to read the full sheet.



A new 2009 from Cabirau

This is the estate is owned by importer and our friend Dan Kravitz
He has hit a home run with this one.... Dan brought us a sample when he was in town last month and our staff loved it.  The new issue of the Wine Advocate that just came out a few days ago also apparently like it.






2009 Domaine Cabirau Grenache Serge & Nicolas...$19.99
"Dominated three-quarters by old vines - some of which informed in 2007 a memorable separate bottling known as "Le Bonte des Amis" that he no longer plans to produce - Kravitz's 2009 Grenache Serge & Nicolas is redolent of black raspberry preserves and grenadine, along with overtones of kirsch, herbal distillate, peat and smoked meats. Sappy concentration of dark berries and grenadine syrup are mingled with herbal liqueur in a palate performance that for all of its sheer ripeness preserves startling verve and invigoration, bitterness of cherry pit and schiste-licking mineral notes - along with an exposed seam of tannin - serving for robust counterpoint in a sustained finish. This terrific value ought to be even more expressive - and possibly more refined in finish - in another year or two, and be worth following for at least half a dozen.....Dan Kravitz has scored renewed success with his latest Domaine Cabirau releases"
Rated 91/100 The Wine Advocate



Paul Hobbs - tremendous wines.

In stock at Forsyth now...




The Wine Advocate
Rated 94/100
2008 Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Ulises Valdez....$69.99 
The outrageously tasty 2008 Chardonnay Ulises Valdez reveals caramelized tropical fruits such as oranges and pineapples intermixed with brioche, creme brulee and hazelnuts. Deep, rich and full-bodied, this authoritative Chardonnay is classically Californian with a nod to French structure and minerality. Consume it over the next 4-5 years. 


The Wine Advocate
Rated 94/100
2008 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Ulises Valdez.....$69.99 
Even better is the 2008 Pinot Noir Ulises Valdez, which is made from a suitcase clone smuggled in from Vosne-Romanee and the Calera clone, which is believed to have come from the most famous vineyard of that appellation. Forest floor/mossy notes intermixed with fresh porcini mushrooms, black raspberries and black cherries emerge from this medium to full-bodied, luscious Pinot Noir. It is ideal for drinking over the next 5-7 years. 



The Wine Advocate
Rated 94-96/100
2009 Paul Hobbs Chard Richard Dinner....$65.99
The 2009 Chardonnay Richard Dinner Vineyard has more nectarine, apricot and white peach notes, crisp acids and a hint of wet rocks that gives the wine a steely backbone. Medium to full-bodied, more restrained and more dominated by its minerality than the Ulises Valdez, it should be consumed over the next 4-5 years. 


The Wine Advocate
Rated 92/100
2008 Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Russian River....$45.99
One of the great buys in California Chardonnay is Hobbs’s 2008 Chardonnay Russian River, which offers abundant notes of orange blossoms, tropical fruits, white peaches and a hint of smoky oak. This fleshy, full-bodied Chardonnay exhibits a steely backbone because of good acidity. Enjoy it over the next 2-3 years. 



Amazing new Pinot Noir...

A must try in a new Pinot Noir -- first time in Missouri....


We were all excited about this wine when we tasted it a few months back....finally arrived.....


2010 Calathus Pinot Noir...$21.99


"Named after the ceramic vases that were used to serve wine in Roman times, Calathus is produced by Finca Don Carlos in Tupungato, in the heart of Mendoza's Uco Valley, at 3,200 ft above sea level. With its wealth of old vines and a new, state-of-the-art winery, Calathus represents a perfect union of terroir, tradition and technology.
Tasting Notes: A complex, well-balanced wine with aromas of black cherries on the nose. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it offers dark-berry fruit and round tannins with a delicate touch of oak, ending with a long, lingering finish.
Serve With: Enjoy with a wide range of cheeses, stewed meats, and hearty pasta dishes." -- importer


Some of the best Gigondas







2009 Domaine St. Damien Gigondas Les Souteyrades....$31.99
"The top cuvee is the 2009 Gigondas Les Souteyrades, which also comes from 60+-year-old vines and is a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre. Again, it is all aged in old wood foudres and bottled unfined and unfiltered. This wine plays it closer to the vest, and one can see that there is a level of density and richness that might eclipse the other two wines, but there is also more tannin and a striking near-liqueur of minerals in this wine. It is very reserved and restrained, but super-concentrated, full-bodied, and incredibly impressive, with much of the character of the La Louisiane but tighter. It may have more up-side potential that any of these wines, but will probably need 1-3 years of bottle-age and then drink well for at least 15 years."
Rated 91-93+/100 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate 


2009 Domaine St. Damien Gigondas Les Souteyrades....$29.99
The 2009 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes (a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre from 40-year-old vines) is a rich, full-bodied Gigondas with notes of crushed rock, boysenberry, black raspberry, camphor, and a hint of pen ink. The wine displays terrific fruit on the attack, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel with good acid, superb purity, texture, and length. This deep ruby/purple-colored wine should drink well for at least 10-15 years. 
Rated 91-93/100 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

Friday, July 1, 2011

Fresh Schlafly

Fresh batches have arrived at Forsyth


Schlafly AIPA -- now 6/20/11
Schlafly Pale Ale -- now 6/24/11
Schlafly Pilsner -- now 6/23/11