|
|
|
Wine Bar Menu
Back Room Wine Bar
Open Seven Days a Week from 10 A.M. to 7 P.M.
Except Sundays, which is Noon to 7 P.M.
Open Thursdays & Fridays until at least 8 P.M. for our Special Tasting Events
Visit our Wine Bar anytime for our
Featured "Wine Flight"
JULY Wine Flight theme is
FOUR REDS - FOUR GRAPES
A) MOSHIN Pinot Noir, Sonoma County 2008 $17.10/bottle
Moshin is a tiny, family-owned winery in the heart of Russian River Valley. We like this “classic” Pinot Noir for its juicy, medium bodied, spicy Pinot flavor and soft mouth feel. Medium-low acidity, light on the oak. The Pinot Noir comes from both the Carneros and Sonoma Coast regions. 493 cases made.
B) GREEN & RED Zinfandel
“Chiles Mill Vineyard”
Napa Valley 2007 $23.40/bottle
Estate Zin from Chiles Valley. This is a house favorite! Black cherries, sweet spicy oak (just the right amount), deep Zin fruit, perfectly ripe. Silky texture like a strong Pinot Noir. Sweet sensations as a good Zinfandel should have.
C) SHELTER Cabernet Sauvignon “27-29” Napa Valley 2006 $40.50/bottle
From undisclosed, prime-time Napa vineyards and made by an undisclosed prime-time Napa winemaker. Real cloak-and-dagger stuff, here… Doesn’t the suspense just grab you? Well, grab a bottle and check it out. 100% Cab Sauv, about 350 cases made. Rich, dark, creamy and powerful. Sure to please lovers of big, rich, modern style Napa Cab!
D) T-VINE Petite Sirah, Napa Valley 2007 $33.30/bottle
A glorious example of combining potency and intensity! Two vineyards: “Frediani” and “Louis Martini.” Starts tight, then quickly sheds it tannic shell and shows mulberry, baking spices, dark chocolate, black pepper and cloves. Very rich, good acidity, and robust as all get-out. 770 cases.
Wine Flight: $10.00
Wines featured at the wine bar are 10% off. WHAT A DEAL: Buy any bottle in the shop and drink it in the wine bar for retail price. Service fee: a taste.
For a tasty snack, we suggest:
Wine & Cheese for Two
Petit Agour (sheeps milk cheese from the Pyrenees. French Basque)
and a
half bottle of Qupé Chardonnay "Bien Nacido Vineyard" 2007 $23
Smoked Goat Cheese Cheddar Plate (from Redwood Hill Farms)
and a
half bottle of DASHE Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley 2008 $25 Half Bottle Menu
Enjoy in the wine bar. Pay retail price. Perfect for two or three. We suggest:
Bubbles
DIEBOLT-VALLOIS Champagne Blanc de Blancs a Cramant, $33/half bottle
From Diebolt-Vallois's Côte de Blancs vineyards. Very minerally with lemon zest, green apples, spring flowers and grapefruit flavors. Light on its feet and very complex. A great example of excellent Côte de Blancs Champagne.
Crisp White
Crocker & Starr Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley 2008, $19/half bottle
Sauvignon Blanc flavors and intensity with Chardonnay body. Grapefruit, melon, orange, Key lime, Granny Smith apples and Meyer lemon flavors. Oily and a touch creamy. Without a doubt this is one of California’s best SBs.
Rich White
QUPE Chardonnay "Bien Nacido Vineyard-Y Block"
Santa Maria Valley 2007 $12/half bottle
Bright citrus and melon fruits and sweet butter ride high in this delicious half bottle from Santa Barbara County. Taste peaches, lemons, mangoes, sweet butter and flint. Satisfies seekers of butter Chards while keeping ample acidity and “brightness.” Basically, it’s just a darn good HALF BOTTLE of Chardonnay!
Spicy Red
Tablas Creek "Esprit de Beaucastel" Paso Robles 2007, $24/half bottle
Robert Parker writes: "The profound 2007 Esprit (44% Mourvèdre, 29% Grenache, 21% Syrah, and 6% Counoise) boasts a glorious perfume of roasted herbs, Peking duck, soy, blueberries, blackberries, and bouquet garni. This elegant, powerful, dense, multi-layered wine saturates the palate, possesses multiple dimensions, beautiful nuance, and a stunningly long finish lasting over 40 seconds. Will provide pleasure the next 10-15 years.”
Fruity, elegant Red
SHAFER Merlot, Napa Valley 2007, $26/half bottle
Famous for their exceptional Merlot for many years, this could be Shafer’s best yet. 15% Cabernet Sauvignon adds structure and complexity.
Robert Parker writes the ’07 Shafer Merlot has “elegance and substance. Its dark ruby/purple hue is followed by notes of wood spice, forest, flowers, berries, mocha, and wood smoke, medium to full body, sweet tannins, and good freshness.”
Earthy and Hearty Red
White Rock Cabernet Sauvignon
"Laureate" Napa Valley 2004 $28/half bottle
From a sloped, sun-laden block of the White Rock Vineyard (just below Atlas Peak). 20% Cab Franc and 5% Petit Verdot/Merlot combined. Dark and rich with pleasing cocoa, allspice and truffle flavors too. Drinking at its best now.
More Beverages
NAPA SMITH BREWERY
Amber Ale & Wheat Beer $3/bottle
FIZZY LIZZY Fruit Soda
Pomegranate, Grapefruit & Raspberry-Lemon Flavors $2/bottle
FEVER-TREE
Ginger Ale & Tonic $2/bottle
Cheese Plates $9
A delicious compliment to a glass or flight of wine at the wine bar.
Here are the cheeses currently on hand and ready to include on your cheese plate.
AppenzellerSwiss Alps. Cow's Milk. Gruyere family. Much like Comte: Nutty, semi-hard, slightly fruity. Great with Zinfandel, Syrah and other spicy reds. (Rhones!!!)
Redwood Hill Farm Smoked CheddarAn excellent cheesery in Petaluma, California. Smoky cheddar made from goats' milk: so tasty by itself, and really good with Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Charbono.
Aged Dutch Gouda
Aged for 18 months. I had my Aged Gouda epiphany just this summer. Golden hue, nutty & buttery flavor, texture that gets creamy as it melts in yo' mouth. We had this in our German Riesling tasting recently and it paired with these wines extremely well.
Vella Cheese Company Asiago PepatoAsiago was created and is made in the Veneto, Italy. Traditionally a sheep’s milk cheese the Vella Asiago is made with cow’s milk. Has a nice sweetness to it. The Pepato in it are green peppercorns, adding a little kick. Good wine with stronger whites and medium-bodied reds.
as for nibbles that are not cheese, and we are offering now:
Spanish Green Olives stuffed with Anchovies
We have a small, local fan club for these olives. So tasty. Those who squeam over an anchovy will not know it's a fish in the middle if not told. Yummy with crisp and aromatic whites. We sell a small(er) can for $5.95 and a Family Size can, to take home, for $19. Speaking of home, we find these good chopped up and added to various pasta dishes we make.
The following cheese we've had before, are currently out, and will probably have again...but not certain when:
Vella Dry Jack
Aged for just about a year, coated with their signature cocoa/black pepper coating. Wonderfully crumbly. Nutty and persistently long ending. Addiction is possible. I think this is the best cheese to accompany Zinfandel.
Shaft's Bleu Vein Cheese "Ellie's Vintage 2 Year Reserve"
My first experience with this cheese, and it's really good. Creamy, very bleu, not too aggressive, good with all strong red wines and sweeties. Shaft's is out of Cedar Ridge, California. In Gold Country (Shaft, as in mine shaft).
Quebec Vintage Cheddar
2003 is the current vintage. Another staple in my Cheese Pantry. Zingy, strong, but with appropriate restraint. It's one of the best I've had for a pretty good price. As you may expect, it's great with strong reds like Syrah and Zins (RHONE!!!)
Cypress Grove "Truffle Tremor"
The classic flavor of truffle meets the velvety perfection of ripened goat milk cheese. Earthy, elegant, and sophisticated, it's sure to make even the most distinguished taste buds shake!
Ossau Iraty-Fermier (Raw Milk)
We're currently serving Fermier Ossau Iraty, meaning it's made in stone huts in the French Pyrenees. Aged at least 9 months to develop its wonderful flavor. Ewes' milk. Buttery, creamy, nutty, velvety. Sinfully delicious. Let it warm and melt in your mouth and deny its immense yumminess! White Bordeaux is a classic match, as is the nearby wines of the Jurancon (dry or sweet). Also, we find fruity, medium bodied red wines are very good with Ossau Iraty as well.
Chevagne Arina
Dutch, 100% Goat milk. Mild and nutty. Consider it a "Goat Cheese Gouda." We find it particularly tasty with stronger white wines like Chardonnay and Rhone Style.
Shaft's "Serendipity"
A veritable layer cake of a cheese. Three layers of Wisconsin Sharp Cheddar and two layers of Shaft's Bleu Cheese. Must be served by the slice!
and in the past, and future...
Creminelli Salami “Felino”
This salami has its origins in Felino, Italy in the central Emilia Romagna region. To prepare this salami requires specific cuts of pork, making it possible to produce only a few pounds from each pig. The meat is coarsely ground, salted and spiced with an ancient blend that is one of Italy's oldest salami recipes.The Felino blend used by the Creminelli family is a closely held secret, but we can tell you that pepper and nutmeg play a prominent role in creating this salami's subtle yet dazzling flavor. Chorizo
From the Rioja. It's "Dulce" Chorizo (not spicy, so very nice at the wine bar). This has wonderful flavor and is not so spicy as to overwhelm most wine. This is best, we feel, with Rosé, fruity whites, and medium to full bodied reds.
|
|
|
