This week we are featuring Decoy Pinot Noir & Cabernet Sauvignon. Both wines are brought to you by the Duckhorn Family of Wine. Decoy wine holds a unique position within the Duckhorn Wine Company. They started the brand in 1985 and quickly realized that it would play a huge supporting role in preserving the integrity of the Duckhorn Vineyards brand. The Decoy brand is not a second label. They do not source marginal or lower-cost fruit to produce a wine of high volume. All grapes sourced are from their own Vineyard. Their goal is to offer Decoy Napa Valley Fine Wines at affordable prices.

Decoy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon offers a rich and appealing expression of Cabernet crafted to be ready upon release. Aromas of blackberry, boysenberry, cigar box, toffee and mint lead to fresh dark berry and red currant flavors and hints of dried herbs. The palate is soft and inviting, and the finish offers lingering notes of dark fruit, caramel and almond.

Zinfandels are made in a variety of styles in California’s several wine regions, those coming from Dry Creek Valley have earned a reputation for being the standard against which others are measured. It is therefore appropriate that one winery from this appellation has decided to produce a wine that is a tribute to Alexander Hamilton: The Federalist Dry Creek Valley Visionary Zinfandel. This decidedly elegant wine has lively dark fruit and spice aromas that lead to beautifully orchestrated raspberry, currant, and black cherry flavors complicated by hints of allspice and cocoa, with a deft touch of vanilla-oak emerging on its polished, lingering finish. It is hard to imagine a dinner wine that would better complement a wide range of fare, from the humble (burgers or barbecue) to the sophisticated (beef tenderloin or lamb), but in any event, the pleasures of any meal would be considerably amplified by a glass of this classic Zinfandel.

In a sense, The Federalist Visionary Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel fully rewards Alexander Hamilton’s faith in the American spirit, since its crafting combines both viticulture (agriculture) and viniculture (manufacturing). Were Hamilton alive today, I think that he would be pleased by the tribute; I’m certain that he would love the wine.

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The Dreaming Tree” is the name of a Dave Matthews Band song, and now it’s a wine brand as well, crafted by Sonoma County winemaking legend Steve Reeder, whose resumé includes stints with Chateau St. Jean, Simi and Kendall-Jackson. In joining forces, Matthews and Reeder sought to make high-quality wine available to the masses.

Don’t drink the water – drink the wine. Is it time for a re-write of the lyrics that made Dave Matthews famous? The Cabernet Sauvignon provides classic aromas of blackberry, cherry and dry herb notes wrapped by toasted vanilla and soft, mouth-filling tannins which are both elegant and effortless. The  Chardonnay jumps out of the glass with aromas reminiscent of roasted pear, complimented by robust fruit and citrus flavors unique to the Central Coast. For the Crush – a proprietary Zinfandel and Merlot blend which shares its name with the popular Dave Matthews Band song, “Crush,” – Reeder and Matthews succeeded in creating a multi-dimensional wine with smoky notes and a pop of raspberry.

4 Pack

$5.97

Sale runs from Thursday January 26th – Sunday January 29th

This week we are proud to showcase Raymond Lot #7 Field Blend. This wonderful wine is blended using Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel. This wine starts out a touch on the jammy side but finishes nicely with spicy notes that linger on for ages.  With a medium-to-full bodied weight, good fruit and nice acidity, this is a wine that drinks well solo or easily would hold it’s on with grilled meats and veggies.

750 btl

$8.97

Sale Runs Thursday January  26th – Sunday January 29th

Optical illusion – an optical phenomenon that results in a false or deceptive visual impression

Hoptical illusion- an optical phenomenon that results from drinking highly hopped beers such as IPAs

This week, as if the definition didn’t give it away, we will be enjoying Blue Point’s Hoptical Illusion IPA. Blue Point comes to us from Long Island, New York and with it comes quite a few beer medals. 2007- Silver- Australian International Beer Award. 2006- Bronze RAP New York Festival “Best Beer”. 2005- Bronze- Great American Beer Festival. 2005- Best IPA- US Beer Tasting Championship. No small feat for a small scale brewery, but this beer deserves every medal it earned. This beer pours golden-blonde with a nice citrusy and piney hop aroma as we have come to expect from well-made IPAs with a malty nose as well. All of these aromas transfer over into the taste with a pleasing, sweet yet dry, finish. Keeping in mind that this is an east coast brewery, Hopitcal Illusion is not a “hop bomb” like many of the west coast IPAs. This is an excellent way to introduce yourself to IPAs if you find yourself drinking a lot of pale ales and need a change of pace. So, what are you waiting for? Stop in to any of our locations and grab yourself a six-pack or two. You never know what you might see when you are done drinking Hoptical Illusion…

Luke Girman

I am so happy we are showcasing these two wonderful wines this week. As some you know I featured both Cercius wines a few weeks ago in Panama City Beach for our Friday Night Wine Down. They were such a hit, clearly the stars of the show. Now we are offering them at such a crazy low price!!! If you are someone who is a little intimidated about French wine or just getting started… this is the wine for you. Nothing fussy here, just great wine.

The Cercius Red, a Visan Cotes du Rhone-Villages, is composed of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah. It represents a naked expression of Cotes du Rhone as it is aged completely in concrete prior to bottling. This medium to full-bodied wine possesses a deep ruby/purple color in addition to copious black currant and black cherry fruit interwoven with graphite, crushed rocks, and spice, excellent fruit intensity, a full-bodied mouthfeel, good acidity, and light tannins. Cercius Blanc, a blend of 70% Grenache Blanc and 30% Sauvignon Blanc, all aged in concrete prior to bottling. Light straw-colored with a greenish hue, it exhibits attractive freshness along with plenty of melon fruit with honeyed citrus, and flowers. Medium-bodied, with some underlying minerality.

Bradley Chauvin… Wine Geek