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Just Arrived - A Bourbon Barrel
Aged Shiraz
Only Dan Philips and Chris Ringland Could Pull This Off
Well,
leave it to one of the most creative winemaking duo's of all time,
Dan Philips of The Grateful Palate Imports, and superstar Aussie
winemaker Chris Ringland, to figure out how to take Shiraz to the
next level. Just add used Bourbon Barrels. Not just any
barrels, but ones from Kentucky's own Pappy Van Winkle Distillery
that had held their famous whiskey for 20 years.
And you know with Dan, the story can't just stop
there. With three different labels that tell a story of
Southern culture, designed as a collaboration of American graphic
designer Jeff Keedy with illustrations by American artist James
Jean, each bottle can be enjoyed alone but are better together (like
a gathering of friends over dinner).
What about the wine? Well just like a
Southern Belle it is coy and petit. Light on her feet, well
mannered, behaves with food, but is more than a little feisty and
sometimes a bit naughty and misbehaved. Even downright nasty from
time to time, bless her heart.
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2008 Southern Belle Shiraz
Barossa Valley
$24.99
Wine Advocate 90 Points
The 2008 Southern Belle Shiraz was aged in
seasoned oak including some ex-bourbon barrels. A
glass-coating opaque purple, it displays a nearly
room-filling nose of smoke, game, incense, and blueberry
that leaps from the glass. Opulent and full-bodied on the
palate, it lacks only complexity. Drink it over the next 6-8
years. It is an outstanding value.
This wine is limited, so come in
and grab some before it is all gone.
Taste This Wine at Our BBQ
and Shiraz Fest Next Tuesday Evening, March 16th.
Get all the details on our "Tastings
and Events" page. |
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Wine
Meets Whiskey
Kentucky and Australia blend in a new Shiraz
by John T. Edge, Garden & Gun Magazine
"It is my sincerest hope that this wine
offends every sommelier and Frenchman in the world," Dan
Philips said to me the other day. He was talking about a new
wine in his portfolio: a 2008 Shiraz, sourced from the
McLaren Vale, south of Adelaide, the capital of South
Australia.
He calls the new Shiraz Southern Belle. And if you have any
doubt that he coined the name with tongue planted firmly in
jowl, the labels, featuring twisted takes on traditional
moonlight-and-magnolia belles, should clue you in. The true
perversion, however, took place back in Australia, where
Philips convinced a cadre of winemakers to age some of their
most promising juice in used whiskey barrels, sourced from
Julian Van Winkle, proprietor of the Pappy Van Winkle
Distillery in Kentucky. (Before those charred oak barrels
held wine for eighteen months, whiskey slept in that same
wood for twenty years.)
I recently drank an early-release bottle. It was a heady,
fruit-driven bomb of a wine, with a nose full of vanilla and
a spine cobbled out of post oak. It was a wine that defied
the dictates of terroir and tradition and begged for a rack
of ribs. When I told Philips as much, he said, "I've always
thought there's more of an affinity between the American
South and Australia than there is between the American South
and the American North. The winemakers feel it; I feel it."
Now you'll get to taste it."
Taken from Garden & Gun by John T. Edge
http://gardenandgun.com/article/wine-meets-whiskey
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Other New Wines Just Arriving
We have been doing quite a bit of tasting lately
and have found a great group of new wines for you to try.
These are now in stock on our shelves. Drop in a mix a
case of these wonderful selections.
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2008 Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde Portugal $10.99
Now One of Our 20/20 Values Selections
Harmonious with a fresh,
fruity and delicate aroma full on notes of tropical fruits and white
flowers. It is well balanced with flavors of tropical fruits and
citrus, with a very nice, clean, crisp finish. One of the best Vinho
Verde's we have found. It simply dances in your mouth! |
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2007 Marquis
Philips Hudson Yards Chardonnay, California $15.99
Now One of Our 20/20 Values Selections
Done by Aussie
superstar winemaker Chris Ringland in California from Lodi and
Monterey fruit, it is a complex mix of rich tropical fruits and
mineral notes. Ripe Bartlett pear, peach and melon on the nose, and
delivering a lush, unctuous mouth filling flavor profile that
follows on from the bouquet. The hint of sweetness leaves a rich
honeyed backdrop to a long finish that remains refreshing. We think
it is outstanding! |
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2008 Mountain View Pinot
Noir Carneros $16.99
Now One of Our 20/20 Values Selections
This wine is a lovely medium weight Pinot Noir with layers
of herbal notes and cherry, plums, cloves and modest vanillan oak.
Shows off the Carneros fruit in fine style and show a quality far
above the price! Robert Parker, Jr. of the Wine Advocate writes:
"Some of the best values in the marketplace have come from Mountain
View" We certainly agree on this one! |
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2006 Marquis Philips Shack
Shiraz SE Australia $16.99
Now One of Our 20/20 Values Selections
A blend of fruit from the
Barossa Valley and Riverland, it has a deep, nose of dark berry
fruits with tons of spice and vanilla. Vibrant ripe berry fruit,
plums, kirsh liquor, dark chocolate and caramel all are present in
the super luscious palate. A very dense, concentrated wine with far
more complexity than you usually find at this price, even for a
Chris Ringland made wine! We highly recommend! |
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