Launching Year Ten "In the Back"
And we begin a new format of weekly wine picks
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Hello!
Ten is a number to rally around. It's a cultural number of significance.
Top Ten, Ten Commandments, he/she's a ten, hang ten.
Ten year anniversaries, be they happy or sad, are benchmarks.
Well here's a benchmark: 2012 is Year Ten for Back Room Wines.
It was almost ten years ago when my Dad and I "put together" the original Back Room Wines, a 650 square foot wine shop and wine bar, down the street from our current home at First & Main. At the time I lived in a small apartment, so Dad preferred to sleep on an air mattress in between the newly-arrived wine racks.
The official opening date was August 10, 2002.
There will be a good party this summer to celebrate.
Raise your hands if you were a Back Room Wines newsletter reader in 2002.
And if you read my first email newsletters, pre-Back Room Wines, when I worked at Dean & Deluca in 1999, raise both hands!
There's no getting around the fact that it's now 2012, so let's get started. We're launching a new weekly wine recommendation format today. Chris and I will have one weekly wine recommendation each. We're giving more eye & wine candy to the time you give us in reading our emails. Note that this is an exhibition, not a competition, so please no wagering. But if you do wager, please put it toward the purchase of these wines!
I am currently in New York City pulling secret agent duty
(check out our Facebook page for what's going on). Tomorrow night's tasting is in the hands of Chris and long-time friend wine-guy David Dennis. It's a Taste Tour of Europe. Come in and enjoy Champagne (France), Chianti and Montepulciano (Italy), Riesling from Germany and Port. It'll be casual, cool, delicious and a deal at just $10.
Taste Tour of Europe, tomorrow, Friday, night, 5 to 8 P.M.
Drop-in tasting, come anytime between 5 and 8, no reso needed.
Check out the line-up here.
Thanks for spending time with the newsletter today. Happy New Year!
Dan |
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Dan's Weekly Wine Pick
ALTA Cabernet Sauvignon
"Oso Malo" Napa Valley 2009 $42/bottle
Waaaaaay up on Atlas Peak is Alta's 10 acre "Altura Vineyard." Most of the fruit is sold to neighbor John Kongsgaard for his Cab. Alta keeps enough of their own grapes to make 200 cases.
This is their first release, and they under-priced the wine to get us all hooked. This Cabernet keeps no secrets...smell and taste its dark berry/cherry fruit, low acid, spicy, generously oaked (adding to its creamy mouthfeel, vanilla beans and chocolate-filled croissants straight from the overn) and ready to be enjoyed. Finally, hard not to be drawn to "Oso Malo" - Bad Bear.
Chris's Weekly Wine Pick
SANGLIER Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley 2010 $29/bottle
Most of you know that I love Russian River Pinot Noir. And seriously, what's not to love (other than the high prices)? Well, Sanglier Cellars has somehow released a fantastic one for less then thirty bucks. This is no dumbed-down effort, either. This is classic, vibrant, expressive Pinot with really great fruit and acidity. It's got that textbook Russian River cherry cola thing goin' on, along with some nice tannins that finish silky smoothly. Drink it on its own, with red meat, and over and over and over again, because you can afford to do so with this one. ORDER SANGLIER PINOT NOIR HERE.
Four ways to purchase:Click the respective links above, reply to this email,
call us, toll-free, at 877-322-2576, or come on in.
We love to see you in the shop.
Thank you!
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Food & Wine Bloggin'
| Latest entries on our food & wine blog page...
Dan and Holly's Sushi Extravaganza at Sushi Ran in Sausalito. Hamachi and Corton Charlemagne...YES!
And from Chris, a Christmas Eve surprise from Alexander Valley.
Ham and Carignane? You betcha!
Drink more Pinot Meunier.
Dan & Chris
Daniel Dawson, Chris Foster Back Room Wines Corner of First & Main Streets (First Street Entrance) Downtown Napa, California 94559 Phone: (707) 226-1378 Toll Free # is 877-322-2576
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