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  John's Archive |
February is a month filled with numerous special days, Washington’s Birthday, Lincoln’s Birthday, President’s Day, Ash Wednesday, and of course Valentine’s Day. In Latin America, Valentine’s Day is known as Dia del Amor y la Amistad ( Day of Love and Friendship), and it is common for to people perform “acts of appreciation” for their friends. Here in the United States, it is an annual commemoration celebrating love and affection between intimate companions (Wikipedia). The world wide celebration involves the giving and sharing of flowers, gifts, and a nice bottle of wine. What better choice for this day than “Sweet Bliss” a sweet red wine. Think of ripe red fruit, subtle toasted oak with deep cherry flavors followed by a velvety chocolate feel. What a wonderful wine to go with barbecued spare ribs, chocolate cake, cheese cake or cobblers. It can also be drunk as an aperitif all on its own. I was nicely surprised when I first tasted this wine, and immediately brought a bottle home for my wife. Loved It! |
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I want to start off by wishing all of you a wonderful, healthy, and happy New Year. My wine pick for the start of the New Year is a wonderful, healthy and happy Prosecco from 90+ Cellars. Upon pouring you will receive a wonderful aroma of fresh peaches with hints of lilac and ginger. What a wonderful combination! You know how some bubbles are small and fizzy, and than other bubbles seem larger, and fun to have on the tip of your tongue, well these bubbles are wonderful on your tongue and burst into an unusual crisp fruit taste. All in all 90+ has done it again with one of their wines. Try it, enjoy it, and be happy. |
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Here we are getting ready for the holidays, yet it seems like only yesterday we were getting ready for the 4th of July! My wine pick for December is a white wine; dry, spicy, and full bodied. Gundlach Bundschu Gewurztraminer. A wine with intense lychee, tangerine, and white pear aromas and flavors, it is crisp with a bright finish. Also, did I mention DRY? A very pleasant wine to enjoy with turkey and ham. I also want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours the very best for the holidays and new year. It has been a pleasure meeting & helping all of you during this past year. One of the greatest things about the retail business is the getting to know the wonderful customers we serve. |
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Here it is November already, we got past Halloween and now we prepare for Thanksgiving. I’m thinking a really nice deep red wine will go well with all the festivities. I have selected ‘Museum Real’ a very nice Spanish wine with coffee, tobacco, plum and cedar notes that mingle in this austere red. This wine makes an impact and follows through. I’m sure you will enjoy it. Just a little note about next month (December), the ‘old farmers almanac’ suggests that we may have heavy snow (blizzard) between the 20th and 28th. Oh joy. |
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This is actually the very first wine I had as a child growing up. My grandparents were from Pau at the base of the Pyrennes and had St. Emilion as their wine of choice. Chateau Laroque St. Emilion is full bodied with soft chewy tannins and a long and ripe fruit finish. A delicious wine to have with cheese, warm French bread and beef. My idea of a wonderful wine to welcome the Fall on Cape Cod. |
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Can’t believe it is September already, traffic counts are down, and peace and quiet is returning to the Cape. Keeping with that feeling I am picking ‘ The Beach House’ wine as one of those wines perfect for Cape Cod; sitting on the deck, beach, in front of a bonfire, on the back porch, or in your boat. A South African wine that blends Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion offering hints of lemongrass and gooseberries with a stunningly fresh and delicious flavor. This wine will go great with any seafood dish, salad or Oriental food. I hope everyone has had a good summer. |
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This is a no-oak chardonnay for those that are looking for a change of pace drink. Nice flavor, with a nice mild chardonnay taste. Pleasant change, if you are looking for a different chardonnay. Always fun to try something new and different |
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90+, Lot 28, Willamette Valley, Pinot Noir, only 1,200 cases purchased nationally. What a ‘superb’ bottle of wine. I tasted this wine a few days ago and was shocked at how much flavor it had. Cherry and red fruit aromas precede more subtle flavors of lush violets, damp earth and mocha. It really is a wine to try and enjoy. Try it you won’t be disappointed. Have a great 4th!!!! |
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Mad Dogs and Englishman, a Spanish wine, vino de la tierra, blended from Shiraz, Tempranillo, and Carignane. A big, bold, beautiful and well bred wine with elegance and structure, on top of depth and ripeness of flavor. Ripe raspberry and black fruit aromas and flavors, with hints of black pepper, cinnamon, and vanilla oak cask. A very full-flavored wine with gentle rounded edges of enjoyable taste. A really wonderful glass of vino |
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This may surprise some, but my selections this month are from the Truro Vineyard, here on Cape Cod. My wife and I visited the vineyard late in April and thoroughly enjoyed the visit and wine tasting. I was pleasantly surprised with their Sauvignon Blanc, which was fruity, crisp, light and dry. I also found their Cabernet Franc a very nice varietal red wine pleasantly dry and with a full after taste. My wife prefers something a little sweeter and she enjoyed the Cape Blush Rosé, which is a mix of Cayuga and Cabernet Franc. All in all I am very comfortable in recommending these wines. Nice wines, nice people, and a great spot to visit. |
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Spring has officially arrived, along with a few snow storms, a typical Cape Cod Spring. However, crocus and forsythia are blooming and the birds are back and singing. My pick for April may surprise you, but I am picking a wonderful Chenin Blanc from South Africa. Ken Forrester, Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch Petit, 2009. This is a clean refreshing green plum and green almond taste backed by a refreshing floral tinged finish. I found that the taste really exploded when the wine was a little shy of room temperature. Try it and enjoy. |
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Given the uncertainty of March, the weather, gas prices/economy and pretty much whatever else you can think of, I have chosen a reliable oaked Beaujolais for my selection of the month. I actually had a tasting of Georges DuBoeuf Morgon 2008 the other night and found it to be an intriguing wine for its personality. The aroma is of rose petals with hints of strawberry, raspberry and spice. A good deep color and nice length of taste. Wine Spectator score is 89, and it is currently selling here in the $16/$17 dollar range. |
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Selecting a wine on Feb. 2, with all the rain/snow/sleet/rain makes one think of something you can curl up with. My selection for this month is Gundlach Bundschu Mountain Cuvee 2006. This wine is a blend of 70 % merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1 % Petit Verdot, with an alcohol content of 14.7%. Fragrant aromas of anise, coriander and warm cherry compote, with dense flavors of raspberry and red cherry laced with notes of orange pekoe and ultra dark chocolate lead to a long , chewy finish. A lush, fruit-forward wine intended to be enjoyed within five years of vintage. Enjoy. |
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