2003 Pico Madama Jumilla Monastrell / Petit Verdot

Dark garnet shiny red. Tight all around on nose and palate initially. Nose opens with freshness and spice. Freshly ground nutmeg, fresh tarragon, balsawood and saucisson. Violets, anis and cassis (fruit is secondary). The texture is seductive with fine, fine, fine tight tannin - like biting into high grade milk chocolate ( Chuao Earl Gray 41% cacao to be exact). Super focused with no hard edges on palate. Finishes long with smoky chipotle pepper and chocolate. Delicious now, but it is so bright that another 5+ years of cellaring might unleash the latent animal soul of this wine. 50% Monastrell / 50% Petit Verdot.

$40

A

2006 JC Vizcarra Ribera del Duero

Bright dark, ruby red. Nose opens with high toned plum skin aromatics. There is a pretty fragrance with perfumed floral notes. It's fresh with herbaceous/straw, dried balsa wood and tobacco complexities. A nice, subtle spicy sausage patty (not link) character sneaks through. The palate is lively with firm mid-palate tannins. The finish is short (some bottle age will do this wine good). Strawberry liquorice on the dusty finish. Overall - beautiful nose, medium bodied on the lean side, and a bit disjointed. This wine may develop more balance in 2-3 years, but then again, it could be overextracted considering the lack of meat on its bones. 100% Tempranillo.

$24

B

2005 Domaine de la Pertuisane Le Nain Violet Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalanes

Red. Beautiful nose - Lavender and perfume jump out of the glass immediately. Loaded with spice, Dr. Pepper, black liquorice, peppermint candy cane. A subtle vanilla sweetness emerges with notes of dried tree bark/bundles of twigs. The palate is rich and full, but with some restraint. Firm, fine grained tannins are broad and coat the entire mouth. Finishes with notes of rocky earth. This could age for another 2-3 years but is too delicious now to wait. 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 10% Carignan.

$19

A

Crottin de Chavignol

This is one delicious goat's cheese! We had the pleasure of having many wonderful cheeses while in France, but this was one of our very favorites.

Crottin de Chavignol is a goat's milk cheese, made in the tiny town of Chavignol tucked in the hills of the Loire valley, with its very own AOC designation. It has a very distinct goaty aroma and taste, which is intensified with aging. When it's fresh, it has an ivory-white rind and a creamy cheese. As it gets older, the rind turns bluish and the cheese more crumbly and intense, and with even more time turns brown and quite hard and super intense. The fresh young cheese we liked most, but believe we could easily develop a palate for the older and stinkier stuff.

The town of Chavignol is a hillside away from the town of Sancerre, home of steely Sauvignon Blanc, and these two together are a match made in heaven.

If you come across any Crottin de Chavignol, be sure to try it (and let us know where you found it!)!

Cheers, and bon appetit!

2004 Havens Black & Blue Red Wine Napa Valley Estate Vineyard

Dark, deep ruby and vibrant. Opens with sweaty wool and metal toolbox and a little sour funk (pickles). Dark fruit, blueberry, cassis and tar bubbles. Nose becomes sweeter with air with Kit Kat and Starbucks cafe mocha emerging. Drastic changes to the nose with air time. The palate is thick and fat, like thick chocolate - melty and gooey on your tongue. Good acidity and finishes with bittersweet chocolate. Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon blend.

$40

A-

Delicious as a stand-alone wine or with a New York Strip Steak.

2005 Stellenzicht Pinotage Golden Triangle Stellenbosch

Nose is very tight, but dense - graphite, cassis, violets. A thread of mineral/volcanic black rock runs through. Cedar emerges late. The palate is focused and packed with dense, supple tannin. Finishes with slightly bitter baking chocolate. Probably opened this a couple of years before its prime.

Gift from Miss Nadia

A-

2005 Dirler Muscat Grand Cru Searing

Light, pale yellow. Extremely aromatic nose of lychee, citrus oils, coriander spice. A floral honeysuckle and creme soda note also there. Quite exotic. The palate is bone dry with a pleasant medium body - not crisp like a Riesling and not oily like a Gewurz. Finishes with zesty grapefruit rind.

$35

A- : a great example of dry Muscat, although a touch more acid would make it complete.

Paired with an Italian crottin-style cheese.