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Saturday, August 18, 2018

Bozal - limited releases



Bozal Mezcal Ensamble Espadin Barril Mexicano...$39.99
On the steep precarious hillsides of Oaxaca and Guerrero varieties of agave, indigenous to the region, grow wild and are heavily sought after by the local mezcaleros. These varietals produce flavors that are exotically intense, with rich earth tones and savory smokiness. From the heart of the maguey these flavors are traditionally extracted to produce mezcal that is wildly refined. Because we at Bozal believe that something wild produces a far richer spirit.
Espadín:  The Espadín agave, known as the genetic Mother of the Blue Weber Agave, is used to produce tequila, and is also the predominant agave used in mezcal production. Unique in itself, the characteristics of this agave showcase the aromas of wet earth, a rich smokiness on the mid-palate, and a finish reminiscent of wild flowers.
Barril:  This thick-foliaged, wild agave, often used as fencing to divide land in Oaxaca, intensifies the complexity of this mezcal. As citrus and floral notes arise, hints of green peppers compliment the nose. The palate is a delightful balance of citrus and creamy banana.
Mexicano: The Mexicano agave thrives in the moist environment of lower elevations. This wild agave can grow quite large and is usually harvested when close to ten years of age. The concentration of sugar in the fully mature agave produces an extremely powerful mezcal. The palate is distinctively herbaceous and earthy with a long lasting finish in the mouth.



Bozal Mezcal Coyote Reserva....$91.99
On the steep precarious hillsides of Oaxaca and Guerrero varieties of agave, indigenous to the region, grow wild and are heavily sought after by the local mezcaleros. These varietals produce flavors that are exotically intense, with rich earth tones and savory smokiness. From the heart of the maguey these flavors are traditionally extracted to produce mezcal that is wildly refined. Because we at Bozal believe that something wild produces a far richer spirit.
agave
Coyote: Part of the American Oaxacensis agave family, the Coyote is particularly hard to find in the wild. Sourced from Villa Sola de Vega in Oaxaca, this agave is typically characterized by its herbaceous and earthy aromatics with a spicy finish.

Coppola Chardonnay Pavilion



Great value!
2016 Coppola Chardonnay Pavilion....only…$13.99
Compare to $17.99 at Wine.com
Compare to $20 at the WineryPavilion Chardonnay offers up a complex profile featuring succulent tropical fruit flavors from the finest sun-ripened fruit of Santa Barbara County coupled with a hint of cool minerality and citrus out of Sonoma County. Barrel fermentation in French oak gives Pavilion a smooth, vanilla finish, making it the perfect accompaniment to most every occasion.

Dow's Late Bottle Vintage Port

2011 Dow's Late Bottle Vintage Port...$21.99
This offers more immediate pleasures than the vintage Dow's declared in 2011—it comes across as an idealized LBV rather than a baby Vintage. Formidable in its black density and red spice, fragrant with persimmon-like scents and tannins that have the grit of stone-ground chocolate, this is compellingly drinkable and delicious. Stock up for the holidays.
Rated 94/100 Wine and Spirits

2015 Ridge Lytton Springs



2015 Ridge Lytton Springs....$39.99 / 750ml
The 2015 Lytton Springs is very, very closed. Readers should not think about opening a bottle anytime soon. Intensely aromatic, but also tightly wound, the 2015 only hints at its true potential. Deceptively medium in body, the 2015 packs a real punch.
Rated 94+/100 Vinous Media
Briary and subtly potent, with floral black raspberry and licorice aromas and zesty, well-built dark cherry, smoky anise and pepper flavors that finish with ripe tannins. Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane and Mourvèdre. Best from 2019 through 2024. 9,750 cases made.
Rated 92/100 Wine Spectator

Jim Beam Repeal Batch Bourbon



Jim Beam Repeal Batch Bourbon...$14.99 / 750ml
Non chill filtered
86 poof

SweetWater in stock and now online



SweetWater 420 Pale Ale...$8.99 / 6pk
Dry Hopped with a fat stash of Cascade hops.
Our most popular brew! A tasty West Coast style Extra Pale Ale accentuated with a stimulating hop character. First conceived in our bat cave on 4/20, this kind of beer keeps the wheels on the bus going round and round!

SweetWater IPA...$8.99 / 6pk
"A hophead's beery dream" - Beer Advocate
This mammoth IPA is defined by generous quantities of juicy American hops. The extensive dry hopping process contributes to its bright and flavorful character. This beer is unfiltered to leave all the natural flavors intact and bottle conditioned to stay super fresh.

SweetWater Goin Coastal...$8.99 / 6pk
Goin’ Coastal IPA
Cash in a sick day and grab another!
Slip into some sunshine and step off the grid by Goin’ Coastal with this pineapple laced IPA. The bright aromas of the five citrus hop additions are accentuated by the tropical fruit of the pineapple. And just like those three day weekends, its finish is quick. Golden copper in color with a full malt bill to bring the balance to our year round offering.

SweetWater Hop Hash IPA...$16.99 / 15pk CANS
Hop Hash Easy IPA
Keep on Keepin' On.
We kept the malt bill light to allow the hops to shine through. We dosed this sucker with a boatload of Amarillo Hop Hash. Pungent with floral, tropical citrus fruit flavors, and the hop hash gives it that one of a kind chewy, gooey, resiny mouthfeel. As the chaser, we are giving it a hefty dry hop to enhance the potent aromas. Ahtanum gives it orange and grapefruit tones, Crystal for a little kick of spiciness, and El Dorado bringing some pear and watermelon characteristics.

Alaskan Cranberry Tart


Alaskan Cranberry Tart...$8.49 / 6pk bottles
Ale brewed with cranberries and spruce tips

SweetWater Pit and Pendulum





Another case showed up!!
SweetWater Pit and Pendulum...$9.99 / 375ml
A golden ale soured with lactobacillus and fermented with three brettanomyces strains, then aged for six months on American and French Oak with 3,000 pounds of Montmorency and Balaton cherries. Freshly harvested house brettanomyces was added for bottle conditioning, ensuring evolution in the cellar.

Schonauer Apfel Liqueur




Schonauer Apfel Liqueur...$18.99
Bright slivery straw color. Delicate, pure, fruity aromas and flavors of spicy green apple cider and sauce and light molasses with an even, vibrant, fruity medium body and an even, appealing, breezy lemon spirtzed apple and honey finish. A delicious and pure apple spirit.
Rated 92/100 Tastings.com

La Crema Pinot Noir Monterey

Best buy!
Compare to $23 at the Winery!

2016 La Crema Pinot Noir Monterey....$14.98
Aromas of black plum, cherry, RHUBARB and hints of EARTH and loam. Flavors of red plum, raspberry and BLOOD ORANGE are underpinned by distinctive riverstone MINERALITY and savory UMAMI character. Plush and richly textured with juicy yet balanced acidity and integrated toasty barrel spice.

Worthy Park Single Estate Rum



Worthy Park Single Estate Rum...$59.99
An authentic and traditional Jamaican rum and our first release under our Worthy Park range of bottling’s. A blend of our 100% copper pot-still rums that have been aging between 6-10 years; this blend has been created to showcase the unique complexity and distinctive taste that Worthy Park has to offer. 100% single estate product; batch distilled, aged, blended and bottled on site.
Tasting Notes: A natural, light amber color; the nose is punchy with upfront aromas of light tobacco and toasted oak with spicy fruit – raisins and plums. With time light notes of vanilla become evident. On the mouth luscious and tropical fruits with a soft, buttery and almost creamy texture. Dry a slightly bitter, soft tannins are rounded out by toasted oak and nutmeg. A hint of black pepper finished off with a touch of ginger as it lingers with it’s soft, dry finish.

Limited Maybach wines from Thomas Brown


Just 3 bottles left!
2016 Maybach Pinot Noir Irmgard Vineyard...$89.99
Only 110 cases made for the world!!
The far reaches of the Sonoma Coast tend to produce wines with distinctive notes driven by the unyielding conditions of their locale. From this vineyard you can see the Pacific Ocean, which puts the site near the fringe of where it is possible for nature to allow the cultivation of wine grapes.

TASTING NOTES:  In planting this vineyard in 2007, we chose two different California Heritage clones, Swan and Calera, to produce a distinct wine that reflects the soil and climate. This Pinot Noir has leagues of depth and aromatic notes of forest floor, cassis, and cinnamon. On the palate, notes of plum, cranberry compote, rosemary, oolong tea and a zesty acidity draw out into a clean perfumed finish. —Thomas Brown


Only 5 bottles left
2014 Maybach Amoenus Cabernet Sauvignon....$169.99
The 2014 Amoenus comes from a western hillside vineyard near Calistoga that is actually cooler than the general area. This wine always exhibits plenty of crushed rock, wet gravel minerality, notes of forest floor, spring flowers and copious quantities of blackberry and crème de cassis with a hint of lead pencil shavings and pen ink. The 2014 is dense and full-bodied, but with low acidity and ripe well-integrated tannin. It is strutting its stuff, however it should be even better with 5-7 years of bottle age and last 25-30 years. They produce 330 cases of this glorious wine that tips the scales at 14.7% natural alcohol.
Rated 98/100 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

2017 Red Car Rose of Pinot Noir



2017 Red Car Rose of Pinot Noir...$19.99
This enticingly aromatic wine is bone dry, delicate in structure, with racy acidity, and 12.9% alcohol. Consistent with the 2016 vintage, we blended two cool-climate appellations: Sonoma Coast (38%) and Mendocino Ridge (62%). The Manchester Ridge Vineyard and Mariah Vineyard from the Mendocino Ridge appellation sit at about 2000 feet elevation, situated extremely close to the vast Pacific Ocean, offering us unparalleled acidity. The vineyards from the Sonoma Coast appellation are all located within 8 miles of the coastline, set in the rolling hills of the West Sonoma Coast. Fruit from these vineyards perfectly complement those from Mendocino, offering ideal conditions to achieve the crisp, lively style of Rose we strive to produce.

Friday, August 17, 2018

New Holland Ichabod Pumpkin Ale





New Holland Ichabod Pumpkin Ale...$9.99 / 6pk cans
Ichabod combines malted barley and real pumpkin with cinnamon and nutmeg in a delicious and inviting brew. After dinner, try it with your favorite dessert.

4 Hands Father Time Barrel Aged Barley Wine






4 Hands Father Time Barrel Aged Barley Wine...$11.99 / 22oz
ALC/VOL: 11.5% Father Time is our English Barely Wine aged in Bourbon Barrels. Huge notes of toffe, caramel, vanilla and bourbon dominate this thick and chewy beer

4 Hands Smooth Operator Mango Vanilla IPA




4 Hands Smooth Operator Mango Vanilla IPA...$9.49 / 22oz
ALC/VOL: 6.5% 
Smooth Operator was inspired by the Diamond life, lover boy. Huge notes of Mango blend effortlessly with a blend of tropical hops and vanilla bean. This low IBU is a crusher!

Lapierre Morgon scores 94 - new 2017



2017 M. & C. Lapierre Morgon....$31.99
Some very stony and flinty aromas with graphite. Red and dark plums, too. Smells fresh and very complex already. The palate has great density and a fine, compressed tannin texture, as well as a very focused finish. Spiced black cherries and blackberries, cassis and dark chocolate to close. Short carbonic maceration and juice is racked off during the carbonic process. A captivatingly powerful but focused Morgon. No Côte du Puy due to the hail in 2017. Best from 2020.
Rated 94/100 James Suckling

2015 Bordeaux




2015 Chateau Haut Bergey Pessac Leognan....$28.99
Attractive violets, cassis and wild herbs on the nose, which leads into a sturdy palate, which has a firm wedge of tannins amid flavors of currants and cassis. Best from 2020.
Rated 92/100 James Suckling
Rated 91/100 The Wine Spectator

2015 Chateau Haut Brisson St. Emilion....$28.99
This is the best Haut-Brisson ever showing ripe dark plums and chocolate on the nose, which is so seductive. The palate is all about the silky tannins and beautiful fruit. Full body, gorgeous fruit and a complex aftertaste. So precise and impressive. Texturally complete. Drink or hold." (2/2018) 91-93 points Wine Enthusiast: "The new wood flavors are strong here. They go with a minty character and bright acidity. The wine is dry and concentrated, with a firm core as well as juicy black fruits. It is beginning to balance well.
Rated 95/100 James Suckling
Rated 92/100 Vinous




2015 Chateau Saintayme Saint Emilion....$21.99
A Denis Durantou wine that is 100% Merlot, located in St-Étienne-de-Lisse. Because Durantou is so attuned to terroir, you get a masterclass here on the effect of limestone. At first this is austere to the point that you are scraping your tongue along a slate wall. I know I am a fan of that style, but wow, this is intense! It showcases stunningly tight tannins, with a freshness that flows right through the bilberry and blackberry fruits.
Rated 94/100 Decanter
Rated 93/100 James Suckling
Rated 92/100 The Wine Spectator



2015 Chateau Rauzan Segla Margaux...$97.99
The 2015 Rauzan-Segla (Rausan-Segla) is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc and was matured in 65% new and 35% one-year-old barrels for 18 months. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it gives up a myriad of softly spoken fresh berry, floral and fragrant earth notes, including crushed red and black currants, black raspberries and menthol notes with touches of cigar box, lavender, violets, smoked meats, black truffles and chargrill. Medium to full-bodied with a firm frame of very finely grained tannins and seamless freshness, the palate possesses an arresting quiet intensity of many tightly wound, subtle layers, finishing on a lingering mineral note. Very polished and precise, this Rauzan-Ségla is truly a triumph!
Rated 97/100 The Wine Advocate
Rated 97/100 James Suckling
Rated 96/100 Vinous
Rated 95/100 The Wine Spectator


Rum Tasting Open House

Rum Tasting - Open House
Time to have some fun with Rums!
We are going to focus Rum Tastings over the next few months!
Get Ready!  We finished our summers series on Vermouth.  Now get ready to taste Rums!
The first one is this weekend!

TONIGHT
The Wine and Cheese Place
7435 Forsyth Blvd, Clayton, Mo 63105
Friday, August 17th from 4-6pm

Open House
Taste these 8 rums!

  1. Origines Reserva Don Pancho 18 Year Old..$57.99
  2. Papa's Pilar Ernest Hemingway Dark Rum...$37.99
  3. Stolen Overproof Rum Limited Edition...$16.99 / 375ml
  4. The Real McCoy Single Blended Rum 12 Year Old...$39.99
  5. Parce Colombian Rum 8 Year Old....$22.99
  6. Seven Fathoms Cayman Island Rum...$44.99
  7. Angostura 1919 Trinidad & Tobago Rum...$27.99
  8. Cartavio Solera Rum 12 Years....$25.99


Origines Reserva Don Pancho 18 Year Old..$57.99
Lowest price on Wine-Searcher is $59.99
Aromas of honey, tea, soft cardamom and figs.A sweet luxurious initial entry on the palate turns to creamy vanilla, then dries to cola nut with some brown spice. Long rich oak finish reluctant to leave the palate.
The youngest rum in the blend has been aged for 18 years in selected American Oak Casks uncharred from Kentucky. A luxury on its own, meant to be drink either neat, on the rocks or with a dash of water.






Papa's Pilar Ernest Hemingway Dark Rum...$37.99
Solera aged rum including rums up to 24 years old in Bourbon Barrels, port wine casks, and Spanish Sherry casks, this custom barreled blend was further aged in Bourbon oak barrels for The Wine and Cheese Place


Stolen Overproof Rum Limited Edition...$16.99 / 375ml
STOLEN discovered Overproof at a historic, family-run distillery in Jamaica that’s over 250 years old, renowned for making some of the best heavy pot still rums in the world. It is the last of a 6-year aged, pot still rum made using hand harvested sugar cane grown by local farmers. The sugar cane mash is fermented using a proprietary yeast strand that is cultured in outdoor wood vats. The mash ferments for seven days in a selection of the distillery’s 50 different traditional cedar tanks. Utilizing mountain rain water collected by the estate’s own rain water retention system, the rum is distilled using very old, traditional pot stills… the same as those found in Scotland to make high flavor single malt whiskies. The distilled rum is then carefully matured in ex-whiskey barrels.  The result is a distinctively smooth 123 proof dark bronze rum with a flavor and profile that is nothing short of amazing. The nose is not the wet grass one might expect but rather offers a dose of white and black pepper spice married with charred oak and ripe banana. On the palate, there is a hint of charred vanilla along with notes of tangerine, banana, and pear. The rum has medium viscosity and lovely long legs, leaving a luscious light coat in your mouth. This is a very limited release.
When it’s over, it’s over. And out.



Distilled by Foursquare Distillery
NOT Solera -  real aged!
The Real McCoy Single Blended Rum 12 Year Old...$39.99
Authentically barrel aged for 12 full years. Rivals world's finest spirits
ROFILE: Exceptionally smooth, mature & balanced, complex wood & spice
NOSE: Buttery oak, earthy notes, spicy dark chocolate
PALATE: Caramel, complex wood & spice notes, orange zest, tobacco hint
FINISH: Soft, structured buttery, peppery spice, hint smoke



Parce Colombian Rum 8 Year Old....$22.99
Lowest price on Wine-Searcher is $29.99 
(average price of $40)
100% REAL AGED - 8 Years!  Not solera
Every drop of rum in our bottle of 8-year has been aged for eight years. . Simply put, it’s true to what the label says.


Seven Fathoms Cayman Island Rum...$44.99
Next lowest price online is $59.99

Cayman Island Premium Rum
Seven Fathoms Premium Rum is a handcrafted, artisanal premium rum that is distilled locally in small batches exclusively in the Cayman Islands. Unlike any other rum, Seven Fathoms is matured under water at a depth of seven fathoms (42 feet). This unique and innovative maturing technique creates superior characteristics and complexity. Seven Fathoms is a distinctive spirit made by meticulously aging the rum underwater in the pristine Caribbean seas giving Seven Fathoms a depth of flavor and smoothness that is incomparable. Seven Fathoms 80 proof rum, is a limited production premium rum, created in individually numbered batches. Experience the waves of flavors!

Angostura 1919 Trinidad & Tobago Rum...$27.99
Lowest price on Wine-Searcher is $29.99
Compare to $34.99 at Total Wine and More in St. Louis
Angostura 1919 is a specially blended multiple award winning rum, which celebrates a very particular date in the development of the rum industry in Trinidad & Tobago, as well as the Caribbean.
After a fire in 1932, which destroyed the Government Rum Bond, the master blender of Fernandes Distillers, J.B. Fernandes, bought the charred casks, only to discover they had been filled in the year 1919.
The prized rum was skillfully blended and called “1919 Aged Rum.”


Cartavio Solera Rum 12 Years....$25.99
Next lowest price online is $27.99 
(average price on Wine-Searcher is $35)
Sight: dark amber color.
Smell: Mild aroma of toffee, nuts, banana and spices.
Taste: Excellent softness. Elegant, integrated and balanced. It has an ending that denotes the significant influence of Slovenian oak casks, bourbon and sherry.
It is made using the famous Solera technique, adopted from the Jerez region of Spain where the finest brandies are produced. 
Product of Peru

Southern Comfort 100 proof



Back to a whiskey base instead of neutral grain spirits

Southern Comfort 100 proof...$25.99 / 1.75 liter
A premium whiskey that's bold and balanced, with core whiskey notes and vibrant caramel and fruit accents. Crafted for true whiskey lovers who want a little extra New Orleans kick whether enjoyed neat, on the rocks or mixed in classic cocktails.


New York Times 
Surprise! Southern Comfort Has No Whiskey. But Soon It Will.
By Robert Simonson
May 8, 2017

When the Sazerac Company bought Southern Comfort from the liquor conglomerate Brown-Forman last year, the business motivation was clear.
“If you and I ended on a desert island and there was a bottle of liquor, there’s an even-money chance it would be Southern Comfort,” Mark Brown, the chief executive of Sazerac, said in a phone interview.

Very likely. But it’s also a 50-50 proposition whether any castaway would actually drink it. Southern Comfort has long borne a double-edged reputation as being both famous and infamous.

The blend of spirits and fruit and spice flavorings is a storied brand, with roots that are believed to go back to the 19th century, and it can be found in nearly every bar in America. Yet it is widely regarded as the drink of unwise youths and undiscriminating palates. The last time it was cool may have been when Janis Joplin made a show of swigging it day and night. (The company thanked her for the free advertising by giving her a fur coat.)

Kevin Richards, the new senior marketing director for Southern Comfort, admitted as much, saying that when Sazerac bought it, the brand was “in danger of losing a lot of relevance in the mind of consumers.”

Sazerac hopes to reverse that. A new-and-improved Southern Comfort will hit the shelves in July, with a redesigned label and bottle. Flavored versions like Lime Comfort and Caramel Comfort will be phased out.

But, most important, Southern Comfort will get back the one ingredient that many people have long assumed it contained: whiskey.

Once upon a time, Southern Comfort did include whiskey, though the complete formula has always been kept a secret. It was created by Martin W. Heron, purportedly while working at a New Orleans saloon. Over the years, it made hay out of slogans like “None Genuine but Mine” and “the Grand Old Drink of the South.” In 1939, in conjunction with the release of the film “Gone With the Wind,” the company promoted the Scarlett O’Hara cocktail, made of the liqueur, cranberry juice and lime juice.

But by the time Brown-Forman bought the brand in 1979, the kick inside the bottle was provided not by whiskey, but by grain neutral spirit — basically a generic alcohol free of character, not unlike vodka.

“I remember having arguments with bartenders who thought black was blue and swore it had whiskey in it,” Mr. Brown said. “We thought, as part of the overall positioning, we would put whiskey in it. And we have.”

Mr. Brown declined to disclose which whiskeys were being used, but said they were all drawn from Sazerac’s stocks of North American whiskey. In addition to the existing 70-proof and 100-proof versions, the company will introduce an 80-proof Southern Comfort that is considerably more whiskey-forward. Sazerac is also working on other whiskey-focused renditions, including Southern Comfort Rye and Southern Comfort Barrel Select.

Sazerac thinks that the drink’s future depends on consumers’ thinking “whiskey” and not “liqueur” when they buy or order it. “For us, whiskey is the root of the brand and we’re going to embrace that, and not play in that liqueur space,” Mr. Richards said.

Sazerac has even played a subtle mind game in giving the 80-proof version a black label, a color favored by another famous whiskey. “If we’re right between Jack Daniel’s and Jim Beam on the shelf,” Mr. Brown said, “that will be fine with us.”

Cheongsam



Tonight Friday August 17th from 4pm-6pm
The Wine and Cheese Place - Forsyth location!
7435 Forsyth Blvd, Clayton MO


Tomorrow - Saturday August 19th from Noon - 4pm!
The Wine and Cheese Place - Ballwin location
14748 Clayton Road Ballwin Mo


Made in China

Cheongsam Smokey Mist Tea Liqueur...$19.99
A unique blend of black teas are gently extracted to create a smooth liqueur that delivers subtle aromas of smoked pine needles and a lingering sweetness of osmanthus flowers.

Cheongsam Jade Oolong Tea Liqueur...$19.99
Jade green Ti-Kuan Yin Oolong tea leaves are gently extracted to create a rich liqueur that has an essence of honey and orchid flowers with delicate toasted notes on the finish.

Brickway Brewery Raspberry Hef Wheat Beer



Brickway Brewery Raspberry Hef Wheat Beer...$8.99 / 6pk
ABV: 5%
Malts: Pilsner & Wheat
Hops: Mt. Hood
Suggested Pairing: Baked Brie & Brie Salad
Description: Our thirst-quenching, Bavarian-style wheat is known for its signature kiss of raspberry freshness