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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Cathedral Square

Looks like St. Louis might have some more bottled beers soon. Cathedral Square brewing just got a few labels approved....cannot wait!!

Cathedral Square's Website



Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Wine Advocate #186

Some wines in stock from the new issue of The Wine Advocate by Robert Parker
2006 Anderson's Conn Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve....$52.99
"The unfined, unfiltered 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve spends two years in French oak and another year in the bottle before being released. This cuvee has a long track record of aging (the 1990 and 1991 are still going strong). The dense ruby/purple-tinged 2006 offers notes of new saddle leather, black currants, autumnal vegetation/forest floor, cassis, and cherries, superb richness, and a full-bodied, powerful finish. Cellar it for 5-6 years, and drink it over the following 25 years."
Rated 94/100 The Wine Advocate

2006 Anderson's Conn Valley Eloge Proprietary Red Wine....$79.99
"The 2006 Eloge’s dark plum/ruby color is followed by a sweet kiss of plum, black cherry, earth, licorice, and spice box, a medium to full-bodied wine, abundant tannin, and impressive concentration, purity, and overall complexity. Reasonably evolved, and extremely seductive aromatically, with a slightly structured finish, it can be enjoyed now and over the next 15 years. It is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot, and 3% Merlot."
Rated 95+/100 The Wine Advocate

2007 Anderson's Conn Valley Right Bank....$53.99
"Composed of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the inky/purple-hued 2007 Right Bank exhibits a celestial bouquet of blue and black fruits interwoven with notions of camphor, spice, subtle smoke, and incense. Full-bodied, powerful, youthful, and ageworthy, it needs 4-5 years of bottle age, and should drink well for three decades. These brilliant 2007s are some of the strongest efforts that have emerged from Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards over the last decade."
Rated 95-97/100 The Wine Advocate

2007 Beau Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon Juliet....$49.99
"A very good value in top-flight Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is Beau Vigne’s 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Juliet. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, it exhibits a dark ruby/purple color in addition to abundant amounts of creme de cassis and floral characteristics, full-bodied power, supple tannins, a layered mouthfeel, and a long, savory finish. It can be enjoyed now and over the next 15+ years."
Rated 93/100 The Wine Advocate

2007 Beau Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve.....$96.99
"More backward and structured, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve possesses copious black fruit, licorice, and forest floor notes as well as a boatload of tannin. While neither as charming nor accessible as the Juliet, it needs 3-4 years of cellaring, and should last for two decades thereafter."
Rated 94+/100 The Wine Advocate

2006 Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon....$134.99
"The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, a candidate for Cabernet of the vintage, reveals a gorgeous perfume of chocolate, black raspberries, flowers, ink, and graphite, followed by a full-bodied, textured, superbly concentrated wine with terrific purity as well as density. Drink this outstanding 2006 over the next 15-20 years."
Rated 95/100 The Wine Advocate

2006 Chappellet Pritchard Hill Estate....$129.99
"The prodigious 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill Estate showcases this extraordinary area. Blue fruits intermixed with black raspberries, black currants, blackberries, camphor, spring flowers, and a forest floor-like character contribute to the complex aromatics. Opaque purple-colored, full-bodied, and seamlessly constructed with superb integration of wood, tannin, alcohol, and acidity, this beauty will be even better with 5-7 years of bottle age, and should last 30 or more years."
Rated 96/100 The Wine Advocate

2007 Far Niente Chardonnay....$39.99
"Far Niente’s beautiful 2007 Chardonnay Estate offers up copious aromas of lemon blossoms, poached pears, and brioche, crisp acidity, a hint of tropical fruits, a greenish-light gold color, and medium to full-bodied, elegant, pure flavors. It should drink well for 3-4 years."
Rated 91/100 The Wine Advocate

2006 Maybach Materium....$119.99

"Virtually all Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2006 Materium boasts complex notes of lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, licorice, new saddle leather, and loamy soil undertones. The wine possesses extraordinary purity and texture as well as full-bodied power, elegance, sweet, velvety tannins, and impeccable balance. It can be drunk now and over the next 25+ years."
Rated 95/100 The Wine Advocate


2008 Orin Swift "The Prisoner"....$34.99
I love what he’s done with his 2008 The Prisoner, a blend of 46% Zinfandel, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance Syrah, Petite Sirah, Charbono, and Grenache. With over 15% alcohol, this is a big, sexy, fruit bomb boasting abundant amounts of black, blue, and red fruits along with pepper, spice box, earth, and herbs. It tastes like the unmanipulated essence of the fruit of a Mediterranean vineyard. Soft tannins, medium to full body, and a heady mouthfeel make this a seductive wine to enjoy over the next 2-3 years."
Rated 90/100 The Wine Advocate

2006 Phelps Insignia....$186.99
"The 2006 Insignia (95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot; 16,000 cases produced) is a superb effort in this vintage. Another 30+ year wine, it boasts a dense plum/purple color as well as abundant notes of licorice, black currants, charcoal, black olives, and graphite. Full-bodied, pure, and rich with moderately high tannins, it represents a California version of a Bordeaux from Pauillac or St.-Julien. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2045."
Rated 95+/100 The Wine Advocate

2007 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon....$106.99
"Displaying a more saturated ruby/purple hue, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate offers a sweet perfume of blueberries, black raspberries, black currants, and spring flowers. More open aromatically than on the palate, it reveals medium to full body, and an elegant, finesse-styled personality. Togni’s wines always have a Bordeaux-like structure. It is a gracious, savory effort that should age for 20-25 years."
Rated 95/100 The Wine Advocate



Stone Brewing Update....

As reported passionately by Mike Sweeney on STLHops.com, Stone Brewing is looking to open a brewery in Europe. Read his post about their possible expansion (Still no Missouri). Follow the comments from St. Louis' beer enthusiasts including a response from Greg Koch of Stone. Maybe Stone should put a brewery/brewpub here in St. Louis. It is the heart of the country and the beer capital of the world. This would keep their beer fresher for distribution in the Midwest and the East Coast. Worry about Europe in the future. Do they realize how affordable everything is here in the St. Louis? It would be a bargain.

As many people mentioned in the comments on STLHops.com, we might not have Stone here, but we have an amazing array of beers to choose from here in St. Louis. Just tonight at the store we had the pleasure of drinking Founders Double Trouble Imperial IPA, Odells Bourbon County Stout, Odells Mountain Standard Mahogany Ale, Lagunitas Hop Stoopid, Lagunitas Cappucino. How fun is it to taste and talk with customers and friends comparing Hop Stoopid with Double Trouble -- that is what it is all about! Both fresh and delicious. The night before we were drinking BrewDog Chaos Theory and Dogma plus some Goose Island Bourbon County Stout and Lagunitas Maximus. All very sought after beers around the country.

Count our blessings -- Look what we get in St. Louis.....
Bells (16 + different brews-Two Hearted, Expedition Stout, Double Cream Stout, Third Coast Old Ale, HOPSLAM -- just weeks away)
Founders (Porter, Breakfast Stout, Backwood Bastard, Imperial Stout, Devil Dancer, Reds Rye, Kentucky Breakfast Stout (March 2010), Canadian Breakfast Stout plus more)
Odells (Woodcut 1,2, and 3, Single Serve Series, plus all their classics)
Bear Republic, Anderson Valley, New Holland, Moylans, Southern Tier, Mikkeller, Nogne, BrewDog, Dieu du Ciel, Fantome, and Cantillon
Plus local favorites like Schlafly, O'Fallon, and Boulevard. All 3 have amazing stuff and even more stuff up their sleeves. O'Fallon starting "big beers", Schlalfly AIPA and Reserve Series, and Boulevard Smokestack Series plus the collaboration with Orval.

I see how lucky we are everyday. It is fun to see people from other states coming to our store to stock up on beers that they cannot get back in their home state. Just today, I talked to customers from Oklahoma, Georgia, Michigan and Kentucky (plus plenty of Illinois customers) filling up cart loads of beer to take back home.




Here is their video announcement from Stone's Blog.....


Stone to open a Brewery in Europe? from stonebrew on Vimeo.

Beer Tastings...

BEER TASTING THIS WEEK!!
We are closed Friday for the holiday, so lets do some beer tastings....
The Wine and Cheese Place
7435 Forysth blvd
Clayton, MO 63105
So many new ones in we have not tried...
(click on them to read more)
Tonight
Tuesday Dec 22 from 4-6pm
Wednesday, Dec 23 from 4-6pm

Founders Double Trouble

Double Trouble is back....we caught the tail end of this release when Founders first arrived in St. Louis...

Founders Double Trouble Imperial IPA....$8.49 / 4pk
Bottled November 24, 2009

"An imperial IPA that was brewed to turn your world upside down. Hops have got you coming and going. Pungent aromatics up front paired with a malt balanced backbone and a smooth bitter finish." -- Founders
9.4% ABV
86 IBU’S

Rated 99 percentile on RateBeer.com


order Founders online

Monday, December 21, 2009

Odell Brewing

Feature of Odell Brewing....
We have been lucky to be getting Odell beers in Missouri for many years now. They only distribute in 8 states.
Order Odell online now!




Odell Easy Street Wheat 6pk
Light and refreshing, Easy Street Wheat is an unfiltered American-style wheat beer. Leaving in the yeast gives the beer a nice, smooth finish and a slightly citrusy flavor. Easy Street Wheat gets its name by brewers “taking it easy” and not filtering the beer. However, for ultimate enjoyment, we encourage you to work just a little harder in pouring it: pour 2/3 of the beer into a glass, swirl what’s left to stir up the yeast, then pour the rest and enjoy.


Odell Levity Amber Ale 6pk
Levity is our lighter take on the amber ale. Munich and honey malts give it a full-bodied flavor and a happy-go-lucky personality. Then we let the finishing hops shine, for a beer that’s crisp instead of bitter. Levity was named by our brewers partly for its light color – and partly for the way it just refuses to take itself too seriously. Hey, we could all use a little levity once in a while.
5.1% Alc. by Vol.
24 IBUs

Odell 5 Barrel Pale Ale 6pk
The distinctive hop character of our 5 Barrel Pale Ale is due to the extraction of essential oils from select hops. We treat 5 Barrel Pale Ale to an infusion of fresh whole hop flowers in the Hop Back and the Fermentor, as well as four hop additions during the kettle boil. We like how this gives the beer a fresh, lively flavor and aroma.
5.2% Alc. by Vol.

Odell 90 Shilling 6pk

We introduced 90 Shilling, our flagship beer, at our opening party in 1989. For a while, we’d been wondering what would happen if we lightened up the traditional Scottish ale? The result is an irresistibly smooth and delicious medium-bodied amber ale. The name 90 Shilling comes from the Scottish method of taxing beer. Only the highest quality beers were taxed 90 Shillings. A shilling was a British coin used from 1549 to 1982. We think you’ll find this original ale brilliantly refreshing, and worth every shilling.
5.3% Alc. By Vol.





Odell IPA 6pk
We took the traditional IPA, originally shipped from England to India in the 1700’s, and made it bolder and more flavorful – American Style. We’ve added new varieties of highly aromatic American hops to create a distinctive bitterness profile and an incredible hop character.
7.0% Alc. by Vol


Odell Cutthroat Porter 6pk
Not quite a stout but definitely no lightweight, Cutthroat Porter is smooth and robust. Inspired by the classic London porters, we use dark roasted malts to create a deep, rich color and flavor that hint at chocolate and coffee. We named it Cutthroat Porter as our tribute to the Colorado state fish – with its own rich heritage and unmistakable dark coloring. And while we’re big fans of small batches, here’s to the currently threatened Cutthroat population reaching mass quantities.
4.8% Alc. by Vol.

Rare Rittenhouse Rye!

SOLD OUT

Rittenhouse Rye 25 year old....$169.99
Barrel No. 18 -- Bottles 66, 106, and 107
"Notes: This is the last release of the Oldest Rittenhouse Rye series and a new benchmark for age (previous versions were 21 and 23 year old). If you can find any I suggest you grab it now it will probably be a collectors item. Bottling was very limited and this is the last there is in existence.


This is a single barrel not a small batch from the mixing of a small group of barrels (which is a less distinctive product), so each barrel will be somewhat different from each other." -- spiritsreview.com

Rittenhouse Rye, 25 year old*, (Barrel #1), 50%
Surprisingly lively. Very much like the 21 year old release in this regard, but not as spicy on the nose or palate. Instead, it’s replaced by a layered, satisfying sweetness—not by wood, like the somewhat lethargic, oak-dominated 23 year old release of RR. Older doesn’t mean that it tastes older. Deep, nutty toffee foundation, with nougat, candied tropical fruit, and shoo-fly pie (think molasses). The spices (cinnamon, spearmint, vanilla, cocoa powder) emerge mid-palate and linger, warming the finish. Not as vibrant as the 21 year old expression, but more sophisticated. I can’t speak for the other barrels in this lot, but I think this one is a great example of what a 20+ year old rye whiskey should taste like."
Rated 96/100 Malt Advocate





Also in stock -- very limited!!
Rittenhouse Rye 21 year old....$134.99
Rittenhouse Rye 21 year old Whisky Named "North American Whiskey of the Year"


Rittenhouse Rye 23 year old....$149.99
"This bottling follows the limited edition release of the 21-year-old Rittenhouse Very Rare Single Barrel last Fall, hailed as "the best straight rye I've sampled in 25 years" by spirits expert F. Paul Pacult in Delta Sky Magazine, and awarded "Rye Whiskey of the Year" by whiskey authority Jim Murray in his Whisky Bible 2007. The limited 32 barrel release of the 21-year-old has been completely depleted, with rye connoisseurs snapping up all the available bottles at a $150 average retail price. Much like the landmark first release, the 23-year-old version is a lush, rich and full-bodied 100° whiskey that is dumped and bottled one barrel at a time, and is not chill filtered, preserving all the natural flavors and "mouthfeel" from the barrel. And like the first bottling, the new 23-year-old will be available in a three 750ml bottle case at select fine spirits retailers in major metropolitan areas throughout the country. The new 23-year-old release will be even rarer than its predecessor, as there will only be 25 barrels available, versus the 31 barrels that sold out of the 21-year-old rye. The newest release of the 23-year-old will carry an average national retail price of $170. " -- Heaven Hill press release

Rick Ankiel Wine on Sale!

We have some Rick Ankiel Wine left...

on sale until it is gone...


2006 Rick Ankiel Wine.....$40 / bottle
2006 Rick Ankiel Wine with Autograph....$60 / bottle
Great wine, beat Caymus Cabernet ($63) in a blind tasting with our customers.


Beer gift...


Beers of the World Sampler Pack...$13.99
(8 beers in an attractive box with handle)
Beer selection varies.
Great gift for the Holidays.
Get eight great craft beers from the U.S. and around the world.


To keep the beer fresh, we are only making 12 at a time. Call first if you need large quantites and we will get them ready.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Time is running out!!


Store hours for this week:
Monday --- 9am-7pm
Tuesday --- 9am-7pm
Wednesday --- 9am-7pm
Thursday --- 9am-4:00pm
Friday --- Closed for Christmas
Saturday --- 9am-7pm
Sunday --- Closed


Great story from last Saturday. A customer came in and was a little upset that last month he bought a Single Malt Scotch for $64.99 a bottle and then he said he bought the SAME scotch last week and it was only $45.99. He had both receipts to show me and was wondering why he paid $65 the first time? I took a look at the receipts and sure enough, the $45.99 he purchased last week was correct from OUR store, but the receipt for $65 was from ANOTHER wine shop in the area. We were $20 a bottle cheaper on the SAME Scotch. He said we earned a customer for life!

We have been telling people for years that our prices cannot be beat!! Please recommend our store to your friends and family. We survive on word of mouth as we do not have the advertising budget of the big chains. I am still shocked when I see "sale" prices and they are higher than our regular prices. Do not believe that "on sale" means the cheapest price or even a good price---not only for wine and liquor, but for furniture, electronics and many other consumer goods.

We appreciate your business! Thanks for another great year!!