October Beer and Liquor Specials

Big Sky "Moose Drool"
Regularly $7.29 ~ Sale $6.59

A chocolate brown color & creamy texture lead you to a malty beer with just enough hops to keep it from being sweet. Moose Drool is brewed with pale, caramel, chocolate, and whole black malts; and Kent Goldings, Liberty, and Willamette hops.

Myers Original Dark Rum 750ml
Regularly $15.99 ~ Sale $14.39

This rum has been setting the standard since 1879 & is still made with 100% pure Jamaican molasses at the Monymusk Distillery. Traditionally distilled in a pot still & aged in white oak barrels, it is the final aging that determines the distinctive dark color & rich buttery flavor that is Myers.

October Jug Club Wines

RED
2005 Domaine de la Chanteleuserie "Bourgueil"
Retail $15.99 ~ Jug Club$13.59

How 'bout a little jaunt to France for this month's red? After all, they've been doing this for QUITE some time now...Since 1822 at this small facility in fact. This wine is "stereotypically" French in that it is not fruit driven...Aromas of lead pencil, fresh herbs, subtle spicy blackberry & black currant, rocky earthen notes, unsweetened cocoa, espresso & maybe a "leafy" quality are full of complexity. Earthy flavors of subtle dark fruit, olives, coffee & chocolate are present, but what you notice first is the HUGE tannins and acidity. This is why we recommend that DECANT this wine, or at least pour a glass and forget about it for awhile, unless you like IMMENSE red wines, and then, well, knock yourself out...A CLASSIC food wine. This vineyard is 3 hectares...small, and the name & label do mean something...Chanteleusery means "place where the larks sing" in French.

WHITE
2006 "The White Knight" Viognier
Retail $11.99 ~ Jug Club $10.19

FINALLY! We have been looking for a good California Viognier to show you ever since we started this Jug Club thingy...but all the good examples we've tried so far have been $20-$30. Our patience has been rewarded. From the Sebastiani Family comes: The White Knight. Classic Viognier aromas & flavors of honeyed peaches, mineral, honeysuckle, acidity, it's all here! Get deeply into this wine & smell what we're steppin' in...orange blossom & lemon meringue aromas, flavors of mango, breadfruit, vanilla, lemon curd & that GORGEOUS white peach all come together with the perfect amount of acidity on the finish. This wine is also very versatile. It works well alone, with light appetizers, with entrees like Jerk chicken or fish tacos and we've heard that stirring a bit into fresh fruit sorbet is to DIE for. Enjoy it, we are...

October Wine Specials

RED WINES:

2006 Goats do Roam
Regularly $11.50 ~ Sale $9.99

Funny name, serious wine. A traditional Rhone-style blend with a twist...Our South African friends have added a bit of their own native grape, Pinotage, to the typical Syrah/Grenache/Mouvedre/Cinsault/Carignane blend. Not the same grapes every year, but the quality is remarkably consistent. Purple, plush & juicy, this wine serves up red plum & cherry fruit with maybe just a hint of tobacco on the finish. Just a little spice, and low tannin & acidity make this wine an easy sipper. Multiple "Best value" awards.

2004 Hope Estate "The Ripper" Shiraz
Regularly $14.49 ~ Sale $12.99

Lots going on in this BIG Shiraz from down-under...Blueberry, plum, chocolate with some nutmeg & white pepper spice flavors that just go on and on...This is what people are talking about when they say a wine has a long finish! Pair this with as rich a meal as you like...Definitely red-meat friendly. You could cellar this bad boy fro another 7 years or so should you desire, or decant it to smooth it out now. Rated 89 points by BOTH Wine Spectator & Wine Enthusiast. Great value!

2005 Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon
Regularly $17.99 ~ Sale $15.99

Actually, it's MOSTLY Cabernet Sauvignon...83% to be exact, with 11% Syrah & 6% Merlot blended in. Black cherry, chocolate, caramel aromas draw you into complex flavors of currant, blackberry, more cherry, a bit of mocha & a subtle peppery spice. Darkly colored with a rich finish, this is a classic California Cabernet.

WHITE WINE:

Dog House "Charlie's Chard" Chardonnay
Regularly $10.99 ~ Sale $9.99

A very consistent wine from year to year, this Chardonnay has won more awards than you could carry, and can always be found on "Best Buy/Great Value" lists including, but not limited to, the Wine Spectator & Wine Enthusiast. A floral, fruit driven wine with beautiful citrus aromas, the mouth feel has that creamy-buttery-Chardonnay-thing present, but the flavor is more vanilla with an intriguing caramel apple. A fresh, clean acidic finish always helps to bring it all into balance as well.

CONNOISSEUR CORNER:

2004 Merryvale "Starmont" Cabernet Sauvignon
Regularly $28.99 ~ Sale $25.99

Another "deceiver," this is also a blend...86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot (to help tame the tannins), and 1% each of Cabernet Franc (aromatic complexity) & Petite Verdot (fruity depth) making it a Bordeaux-style blend. This is serious stuff. It WILL improve with age (probably peaking between 2009 & 2011), but it's hard to wait when it tastes this good now! Extended skin contact ("maceration") & extensive use of native yeast make this powerful wine, and the fruit comes from some VERY notable vineyards; Beckstoffer, Georges III, ToKalon & Merryvale's own estate, all in the Napa Valley. Round, harmonious, complex & supple aromas & flavors of blackberry & cassis will confirm your choice to spend a little more...