Merlot Madness!
Monthly Tasting @ Tip-ups Tavern (formerly Bocalino’s)
Friday, March 30th, 2007 5 pm
Tasting Etiquette:
Please allow us to serve you.
We appreciate your Kokua so that everyone may share in the same experience.
Mahalo, from your dedicated cheese & wine team!
Note of appreciation: Perfumes and other fragrances are discouraged at all tastings.
#1. Domaine Millier Merlot Vaucluse – Rhone Valley , France $14.99
Grown in sandy, clay-based soils, this Rhone Merlot is earthy, with a soft, herbal roundness. It gets better with air with some nice cherry and cedar notes. Easy texture and red berry flavors make this wine super with light dishes.
Tomme de Savoie – France – $22/#: An honest and unpretentious cheese, this guy has an unmistakable raw flavor—beefy, hazelnut, slightly salty, and milky. It is made from milk that has been gathered from several herds from animals pastured within that particular region. This is the perfect cheese to take on a picnic as it loves fruit, bread, salami, and lighter wines, especially Merlot.
#2. Montes Alpha – Chile $13.99
Handsome ruby-red color. Outstanding fruit, with a noseful of red berries, black cherry, black pepper, hints of tobacco. These elements come through on the palate, revealing a full-bodied wine. In mid palate it’s round and velvety with an added touch of vanilla and toast, followed by a long and smooth finish.
Urgelia – Spain - $24/#: Cow’s milk cheese from the Catalan Pyrenees mountain region of northern Spain. This semi soft, washed rind cheese is dipped in salt brine and cured only for a short period of time. Its flavor is nutty, creamy, and truly satisfying.
#3. McManis – San Joaquin Valley, California $11.99
This bright little guy is very ripe fruit forward. Slight oakiness provides a rich, smooth texture. The finish is long and full of toasted oak. McManis Family Vineyards currently operates over 1200 acres of winegrapes. The company was founded in 1990 by Ron and Jamie McManis - fourth generation family farmers. The McManis family has been growing grapes in this region since 1938.
Cheshire – England - $23/#: Cheshire is considered to be the oldest British cheese. It is mentioned in the Doomsday book and probably dates back to Roman times. Genuine Cheshire is said to be made with the milk from cattle grazed on the salty pastures of the Cheshire plain in Cheshire, Shropshire and Clywd. It has a pleasant light salty flavor, moist and crumbly texture and a beautiful aroma. The flavor becomes more pronounced with age.
~over please~
#4. Selby – Sonoma, California $23.99
This Merlot is a ripe, balanced blend with deep jammy flavors with intriguing notes of savory herbs. An opulent Merlot with concentrated cherry and plum flavors and a rich velvety mouth feel finished by flavors of lingering chocolate.
Fromage au Poivre Vert – France - $18/#: This mild and creamy cow’s milk cheese has a pleasant spiciness due to the presence of whole green peppercorns. It is light and fluffy in texture, similar to a Havarti. Fancy up your grilled cheese with this little Frenchman and a nice glass of Selby Merlot!
#5. L’Ecole No. 41 – Walla Walla, Washington $32.99
L’Ecole (meaning “the school”) is well known for its Merlot. Aged for 18 months in French and American oak barrels, this Merlot has rich black cherry and berry fruit flavors which sit in balance with the tannins. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Pont L’Eveque – France - $26/#: One of the oldest Norman cheeses still in production today, Pont L’Eveque is a slightly stinky semi-soft cheese that is closely related to Camembert. Rich and full bodied, it is said that its bouquet is reminiscent of the Norman countryside.
~Ask about our super secret special tasting~
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Next month’s tasting: Brassfield Family of Wines
Who Cut the Cheese
1279 S. Kihei Rd.
Azeka II
808.874.3930