American Wine Tasting at Cafe Maxx
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
6:30 PM
We will feature an array of wines from all over this great country of ours. The best wines in this country can rival the best of the world and the Paris tasting of 1976 proved that American wines are among the best of the best, they fooled professional French and British experts and this event put California wines on the map but today Washington, Oregon and other states are making world class wines. Come out and discover what our great country has to offer in terms of wines from all over the USA. Chef Oliver Saucy will be sending out a few small courses to accompany the tasting wines. This is a pre-poured sit down tasting and is limited to 35 tasters, the fee for this tasting is $35 + Gratuity + tax for reservations call 954-782-0606.
Gruet Brut Rose New Mexico N/V
This nearly garnet Rose, like all our non-vintage sparkling wines, is aged 24 months en tirage. It has a lovely, bright floral bouquet with hints of strawberry, raspberry, and cherry. On the palate, it is rich and fruity in a dry, Brut style. The flavor of berries continues on the palate, revealing more strawberry, raspberry, cherry.
Elk Cove Pinot Gris Willamette Valley 2012
The 2012 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Gris has sweet and unctuous aromatics while showing crispness on the palate with vibrant citrus and grapefruit. True to Elk Cove Vineyards’ style, a rich mouthfeel leads to a full and satisfying balanced finish. Drink this lovely white wine as an aperitif or with a variety of food pairings from salmon and main-course salads to Asian and Thai influenced dishes.
SchugCarneros Chardonnay 2011
This wine is made from Exclusively Carneros fruit and a better selection, all barrel fermented in French oak 17% new with a good bit of ripe tropical fruit, lightly toasted oak spice vanilla and cinnamon spice with a bit of mineral showing. PH was low in 2011 so a bit more malo here, ripe juicy tropical fruit white peach and pear with a nice touch of lightly toasted oak spice, with good minerality on the finish. Finish 40 Some fresh buttered popcorn. Very Good
Expression 44 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2010
A cool growing season in 2010 followed by two weeks of warmth allowed for slow, even flavor development and full phenolic ripeness. The resulting wines exhibit bright fruit, lush tannins and lower alcohol levels than in previous years. Winemaking began with cluster sorting and destemming, after which secondarily sorted whole berries underwent a prolonged cold soak, followed by gentle fermentation in small batches. Our wine lots demonstrated diverse personalities based on vineyard sites and clonal selections. These qualities become further refined during 11 monhts of barrel aging in French oak. Reductive winemaking techniques helped further define and sculpt these wines. The final blend is representative of the spirit of the AVA,with complex aromas and flavors of sweet candied red fruit, delicate minerality, a plushtextured mouth-feel and an exteded, ripe fruit finish tapering into cedar-spice...
Stolpman Estate Syrah Santa Ynez 2010
(90 points) A delicious entry-level wine, the 2010 Syrah is laced with subtle yet expressive dark red berries, black pepper and flowers. This is a fabulous entry-level Syrah from Stolpman with tons of immediacy and terrific overall balance. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018.Stolpman is one of the larger estates in the Santa Ynez Valley. The property spans 220 total acres, 150 of which are under vine. This is a solid set of wines, with a number of highlights. At the same time, I feel an identifiable house style has yet to emerge. This is most evident in the Syrahs, which are all over the map in terms of their personalities. For example, use of stem inclusion is driven by the qualities of each individual site, rather than by an overarching philosophy. While that sounds great in theory, it can lead to wines that are stylistically very different from each other. Still, the best Stolpman wines are compelling. In 2010, the heat spikes that were so challenging for Pinot Noir were less of an issue for Syrah, as the grapes were much less further along in their development, and the skins were thus more resistant to the conditions. Winemaker Sashi Moorman reports that some sorting was necessary to remove sunburned fruit, but that dehydration was not a major issue. (8/ 2012) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Barnard Griffin Merlot Columbia Valley 2010
Opens with a beautiful expression of oak spice and fragrant dried fruit aromas accented by hints of cinnamon and baking spices. Plush-textured cherry fruit greets the palate with a tart edge to the flavors.
Gordon Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2010
This big, bold Cab practically leaps from the glass with enticing aromas of cassis, anise, hay, blackberry and dark chocolate along with a delicious smokiness. To the palate, the wine is firm and concentrated with robust flavors of leather, raspberry and chocolate. As air is introduced into the mouthful of wine, one experiences the headiness of a cigar box. The finish is long and smooth with a lingering hint of dried fig, tobacco and chocolate. Pair this wine with a sumptuous ribeye steak, maybe with a blue cheese and herb compound butter. Bring out your best dark chocolates for dessert!
Barboursville Cabernet Franc “Reserve” Virginia 2010
Dark garnet core, brilliant clarity in the glass.Intense, effusively luscious flavors of ripe red berries with caramelised notes of fig, cherry, and plum, elegantly woven together in barrel.Long-finishing and tannically vivid, yet with a remarkably soft palate.