Cameron Hughes Wine Tasting

Cameron Hughes Tasting TODAY!!

Saturday February 9 from 11-am-3pm

The Wine and Cheese Place - Forsyth

7435 Forsyth, Clayton MO 314.727.8788

2009 Cameron Hughes Chardonnay LOT 220

VINTAGE: 2009

APPELLATION: SONOMA CARNEROS

PRODUCTION: 8400 CASES

Taste: Rich golden center with pear, apple and fresh banana on the nose.  This wine shows the classic buttery qualities with subtle sorbet notes on the   nish. On the palate, it’s rich and full-bodied with a bold mid-palate of meyer lemon and nuances of baking spice.

Cameron Con dential: This is another beautiful Chard hailing from one of the most prestigious producers from Carneros. This producer has incredible vineyard management and a top of the line crush facility. They focus on more Burgundian varietals, really utilizing the cooler climate of Carneros. Their overall knowledge of the cool-climate varietals gives these guys the ability to put out top-notch Chardonnay with just enough excess to give us a Lot or two! This wine easily compares to Chards at twice this price.

2009 Cameron Hughes Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford LOT 285

PRODUCTION: 3000 CASES

Taste: The nose is sweet, focused and pure with ripe blackberry, raspberry and currant aromatics and an underlying sense of minerality. The palate is classically styled with pretty fruit and ripe tannins. We used about 40% new oak with this wine, mostly French with a tiny bit of Hungarian with a low to medium toast to lift the fruit. The result is a delicious Cabernet. It’s a classically styled Rutherford Cabernet notable for its faceted complexity, purity of fruit, and outstanding balance. Of course the best is yet to come as this wine will age gracefully over the next decade.  This is a wine that we’re required to keep under wraps. The 2009s from this source vineyard have yet to be reviewed (there are quite a few high-end brands sourcing here), but I can tell you that of the 2007s and 2008s, I have not seen a score less than 93 points (most in the 95-97 point range) from both the Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate with prices ranging

from $95/bottle to well over $400 at auction. I think these blocks are in the top 3% of Napa Valley pricing/quality and are clearly archetypal Rutherford Cabernet. In fact, Lot 285 2009 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon has already won a Double Gold medal in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.  It certainly goes to show you how tough things were for growers in the Napa Valley in 2009, that even a vineyard like this had fruit available.

2010 Cameron Hughes Meritage Lot 335 Oakville

GRAPES: 89% MERLOT, 5% CABERNET SAUVIGNON,

4% CABERNET FRANC, 2% MALBEC

PRODUCTION: 2000 CASES

Taste: Lot 335 is laced with delicate layers of raspberry bramble, black cherry and spice box notes. Fine grained tannins provide silky texture and a long and penetrating nish. Delicious and easy to drink now, yet very cellar worthy. This Bordeaux-style blend presents the best of Oakville in an aggressively priced bottle of wine. Enjoy! 

Cameron Con dential: This wine is part of a series of wines we will be producing with one of Napa Valley’s premier grape growing families.  It’s a match made in heaven. They own and farm thousands of Napa Valley’s best dirt, but have only a small brand of their own. This is a fantastic Oakville Meritage sourced, again, from the heart of Oakville and with plenty of structure and stuffi ng for Cabernet lovers.

New Ballas Beer selection

Here are a few pictures from New Ballas' new beer selection 

we are still adding, but it is filling up..

Now in stock...

Tilquin Geuze

Girardin Geueze Black Label
Lambicxx

Aecht 

Professor Brum Berliner Weiss

Leipziger Gose

4 Hands Brewing

Urban Chestnut Wolpertinger and more

Southern Tier Old Man

New Albion

Wild Onion

J.W. Lees- multiple

Old Engine Oil and Reserve

Cuvee Trolls

Posca Rustica

Monk's Stout

Saison Dupont
Evil Twin
Stillwater
St. Peters
plus much much more...

Sam Adams IPA Hopology

in stock now at Forsyth

Sam Adams IPA Hopology

Includes :

1. Dark Depths
2. Grumpy Monk
3. Tasman Red
4. Lattitude 48
5. White Water
6. Third Voyage

New Albion Ale

Sam Adams brings back a classic....

In stock now at Forsyth!

New Albion Ale...$8.49 / 6pk

Brewed solely with American Cascade hops, New Albion Ale is a golden American Pale Ale that holds a distinct citrus hop note and subtle piney character. A delicious brew, it's no wonder New Albion Ale inspired so many of the Pale Ales we drink today.

Article from The Boston Globe
Sam Adams re-creates New Albion IPA

"With more than 2,300 craft breweries and counting open in the US, it’s becoming difficult to remember a time when craft beer wasn’t everywhere. That time wasn’t as long ago as you might think. Forty years ago in fact, a retired Navy veteran named Jack McAuliffe quietly started the American craft beer revolution as we know it.

Trying to replicate the beers he drank during tours of Scotland and other parts of Europe, McAuliffe first brewed his pale ale in 1976. Since small-batch brewing equipment was not available at the time, he made his own. He named the beer “New Albion” ale as a reference to Sir Francis Drake, who named the land in what is now northern California “Nova Albion” back in the 1500s.

McAuliffe was forced to stop his brewing operation in 1982 when he couldn’t secure financing (to give you an idea of the timeline, Harpoon, the first production craft brewery in Mass., opened in 1987). But with help from Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams), New Albion has been brewed and released once again.

With help from the pioneering brewer and using McAuliffe’s original recipe, yeast strain and all, Jim Koch and Samuel Adams recreated the beer right down to the label. On it, a ship called the Golden Hinde (a nod to Drake) departs the San Francisco Bay area. The beer is brewed exclusively with American Cascade hops, just like McAuliffe used. It weighs in at 6 percent alcohol by volume and a relatively mild 30 IBUs (international bitterness units)."

Hophead Vodka

Just arrived at Forsyth and online

Anchor Distilling Hophead Vodka...$29.99
HOPHEAD Vodka, the latest creation from Anchor Distilling Company, is distilled entirely from two types of hops from Washington's Yakima Valley, the same hops used in the creation of some of Anchor’s legendary beers. HOPHEAD vodka captures the fresh, aromatic character of hops without the typical bitterness.

TASTING NOTES
Delivers all the delicate fragrance of the hops without the bitterness
- 90 proof and unfiltered to maximize the flavor delivery and strength
- Highly versatile and performs like a gin when sipped chilled or in a martini
- Recommended as the base for a San Francisco Bloody Mary or a San Francisco Vesper, or serve as a chilled shot paired with Anchor Liberty Ale

A San Francisco Original
THE PIONEER 
Anchor Brewing Company was founded more than 100 years ago but was resurrected in 1965
by the Pioneer of modern craft brewing, Fritz Maytag. Fritz was committed to making traditional
crafted beers with no fillers or additives.
THE HOPS 
The essence of many of the Anchor beers is the judicious use of beautifully dried hops from the Yakima Valley in Washington state. Within our brewery there is a small, but carefully looked after Hops Room and anyone who visits Anchor always remarks on the pleasant, but distinctive aroma of the natural dried hops. These sit in bales ready to be added as a natural flavor and preservative to the beers we brew less than 50 feet away.
THE DISTILLERY 
In the early 1990’s, Anchor continued trailblazing the beverage industry, this time helping pioneer the craft spirits movement. In a small distillery beneath the brewery, we began making Old Potrero Whiskey, Junipero Gin and Genevieve Gin in beautiful but small traditional copper stills.
THE VISION 
After nearly 15 years of creating 3 of San Francisco’s finest artisanal spirits, we were inspired to create the next Anchor Distilling product. Knowing there would be some technical challenges, we set out to distill a unique and interesting spirit using our small pot stills and certain varieties of hops from the brewery. After a great deal of experimentation and trial and error, brew master Mark Carpenter and distiller Bruce Joseph, two of the original visionaries of the Company, developed an amazing liquid worthy of a place in the Anchor Distilling Portfolio.
THE FINAL PRODUCT
We are very proud to launch Anchor’s first new spirit of the 21st century while still keeping
artisan craftsmanship at the forefront.

Glenrothes Single Malt Scotch is back!!

It has been a few months since we have seen Glenrothes Scotch --

it is back, but unfortunately they have raised the prices a bit though....

The Glenrothes Select Reserve Speyside Single Malt Scotch...$46.99

The Glenrothes 1995 Speyside Single Malt Scotch....$96.99

The Glenrothes 1998 Speyside Single Malt Scotch....$63.99

Montegioco beers.

Available online also

Montegioco Demon Hunter...$19.99 / 750ml 
(alc. 8.5% vol.)
Strong Ale clearly inspired by Anglo-Saxon, in the glass has a beautiful deep amber color, deep, with ruby ​​highlights. The nose is very rich, but not heavy, showing notes etiliche, dried figs, walnut, caramel, berries (blueberries in alcohol) in the mouth it is full-bodied, round, ethyl, powerful, but the final clean thanks to the beautiful English hop (East Kent Goldings), enriched by memories of gentian and licorice. Very long, of retrolfattivo robust, in the final syrup and mineral notes emerge. Powerful, well-balanced, well-structured, very well built. Serving suggestions: big blue cheese, stews, game.

Montegioco Dolii Raptor...$11.99 / 375ml
Demon Hunter Aged in Barbera Barrels
(alc. 8.5% vol)
Produced with the addition, at the end of boiling, the wort Produced aging a Demon Hunter for 10 months in barriques (ex Barbera Bigolla Walter Massa). Shows a beautiful ruby ​​color, with hints of amber, almost clear. The nose is fortified, complex, with notes of plum, wood, red flowers, fruit in alcohol and a scent reminiscent of an autumn forest. The taste is warm, ethyl, intense, net notes of chestnut honey, dried fruit, black cherry, cocoa. Very round, round, complex, shows remarkable length in the mouth, in the end emerge hints of bitter roots. Beer complex, ethyl, evolved. Serving suggestions: for cooking stews, or with great cheeses.

Montegioco Dolii Raptor...$11.99 / 11.2oz

Demon Hunter Aged in Dupont Calvados Barrels
Brewed in 2009

SARDINE AND AVOCADO TOASTS

Recipe from Something Elegant Catering....

SARDINE AND AVOCADO TOASTS

Wine Suggestion:  Serve this with a nice crisp Sauvignon Blanc from California or for value, try it with La Croix  Gratiot Picpoul de PInet at $9.99 a bottle

Makes about 8 to 10 toasts

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil   ***

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 scant tablespoon sherry wine vinegar   ***

salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cans Cole's Portuguese Sardines, packed in olive oil  ***

1 large, firm ripe Hass avocado

1 Tribeca Oven baguette    ***

2 scallions or 1 small shallot, cut lengthwise into thin strips about 1 inch long

***Available at The Wine and Cheese Place

1. Make a parsley vinaigrette by whisking together the olive oil with the parsley and vinegar in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Drain the sardines, divide into fillets, and soak in the vinaigrette for about an hour. For easier slicing, chill the avocado in the refrigerator for an hour.

3. Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, carefully slice the avocado paper-thin. Remove the skin and pit as you slice.

4. Slice the baguette into ¼-inch slices on the diagonal and grill or toast under the broiler until nicely browned on both sides. Drain the sardine fillets and lightly brush the toasts with the vinaigrette.

5. Pile 3 or 4 slices of avocado onto each toast, top with a portion of the sardines, and scatter scallions or shallots on top. Serve at once.

Linda Pilcher

Something Elegant Catering
linda@somethingelegantcatering.com
2200 Yale Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri 63143
314-781-7722

Adapted from Paula Wolfert's, The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen

Rare - Borgo Dodici Oude 25

In stock at Forsyth and online

Very limited, we only have 12 bottles.

At this point we are the first place in the WORLD to show distribution on RateBeer - not a single rating yet either.

Borgo Dodici Oude 25.....13.99 / 11.2oz

1/2 ale brewed with bitter orange peel - 1/2 ale brewed with bitter orange peel and aged in oak barrels.  

Blend of fresh and 2 year old wine barrel aged 25 Dodici

25 Dodici description: A warm and enveloping Christmas Ale, with a nice dried fruit nose, particularly of raisins and nuts. The mouth feel starts with caramel and chestnut honey notes and then lead torwards fruity notes of cherries and blackcurrant. 

4 Hands Anniversary beer releases....

We are very excited about these releases.   

We have been getting a lot of emails and phone calls about this exciting St. Louis beer release.

• Limit 1 bottle of each beer per person
• No phone reservations
• This is our whole allocation for all 4 stores
• You can choose which store you want to pick up from
• You have until Saturday February 9th to pick up or it goes back out for sale
• Watch our blog here, or facebook or twitter for the release and link tomorrow

We are done taking online reservations.  There is just a little left for in store pick up.  First come first served.

Happy Anniversary to Kevin and 4 Hands Brewing!

St. Louis is lucky to have these beers available!!

4 Hands Brewing No Place Like Home...$12.99 / 22oz

Wine Barrel Aged

No Place Like Home is our barrel aged version of Home and our first anniversary beer. NPLH is a double red we aged in Cabernet wine barrels for 6 months.  NPLH pours a dark amber with mahogany highlights - aromas of toffee, stone fruit and oak dominate this rich and beautiful beer.  Enjoy now or cellar up to 5 years.  

Brewed July 2012 and Bottled January 2013

4 Hands Brewing Home Double Red Ale...$10.99 / 22oz

"To commemorate our 1st Anniversary we decided to brew two delicious beers to celebrate!  Home, a double red, is our non-barrel aged version.  Home pours dark crimson in color with aromas of caramel, stone fruit and toffee.  Enjoy Home by itself or next to its barrel aged counterpart, No Place Like Home.

Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout...

99 rated Leinenkugel....

Leinenkugels Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout...$10.99 / 4pk
"The Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout was brewed at Leinenkugel’s tiny 10th street brewery in Milwaukee. This brew boasts a selection of 11 malts and grains balanced by three different and distinct hops. Dark and complex, with chocolate tones and notes of dark fruits, it is daring yet delicious. Travels well. Ages well."
Rated 99/100 RateBeer

New Seasonal from Blue Moon

NEW

Blue Moon Valencia Grove Amber...$7.49 / 6pk

La Mummia Sour Ale

In stock at Forsyth and online

Montegioco 2009 La Mummia....$10.99 / 11.2oz

Brewed in 2009 * Sour Ale aged in Oak Barrels

Aged in different Barbera wine barrels . In the glass it is pale yellow with shades of gold, Crystal clear. The nose offers vinous notes . Notes of citrus (lime, grapefruit), wildflowers, along with woody notes that remind us of the passage in the barrel. The palate is very fresh, tart, but also complex, we find the notes of citrus, accompanied by honey and white fruits. La Mummia is very elegant, refined, with an unexpected savory note on the finish. Soft, very long, but also fresh, reminiscent of a very young lambic, i.e. no CO2.

Back in stock!

Available online - Urban Chestnut Beers

Urban Chestnut STLIPA...$9.99 / 4pks

STLIPA, Revolution Series #3:
We pronounce it “sta-leep-ah”… you pronounce it how you like. STLIPA, which is the acronym for St. Louis India Pale Ale, is actually a DIPA (Double or Imperial IPA…i.e., double the stats of a traditional IPA). We hope it’s a ‘sleeper’ that you’ll include in your set of favorite DIPA’s from one of the best beer cities in the world…St. Louis. Hops- Sterling, Cascade, Mt. Hood, Willamette, Chinook. ABV- 8.5%, IBU’s- 100, OG – 18.5 Plato


Urban Chestnut Schnickelfritz...$8.99 / 4pks
Schnickelfritz, Reverence Series #2
The unmistakable characteristics of this Bavarian Weissbier are achieved with a yeast that is decidedly fruity and phenolic. You may note clove, nutmeg or even vanilla and/or banana-like aromas and flavors. ABV- 5.2%, IBU’s- 15, OG – 12.5 Plato

Six Row 6 packs!!!

Another Missouri brewery is moving into 6 pack bottles!!!

Six Row Whale...$8.99 / 6pkWhat can we say about this one? A bit of luck meets years of homebrewing experience? When it came time to test out our brewing system for the first time, we needed something that we wouldn't feel too bad about dumping if we had equipment troubles. One of our brewers had enough malt in his homebrew stock, which unfortunately wasn't being used due to all his spare time being spent helping get Six Row started, for a batch.
However, it was a bit of a motley collection of ten (yes, ten!) malts, everything from wheat to pale to crystal to aromatic to our namesake. With a little supplemental malt from the local homebrew store, some Cascade and Goldings hops and a blend of US ale yeasts, the Whale (wheat/pale) ale was born. Pale copper in color, this is an interesting beer that has already been enjoyed by many. Let us know how you would describe it.
(ABV: 5.47%, Bitterness Units: 31.4 IBUs, Color: 5.3, Original Gravity: 12.8 degrees Plato)

Fresh Schlafly again...

Just arrived at Forsyth...

Schlafly AIPA bottled on February 1

Schlafly APA bottled on February 4 -- yesterday