Taylor's Wine ShopOctober 2013
Greetings!

Time to eat some of Bill's great BBQ for a good cause.

This Saturday (October 19th) from 11am - 2pm, you can buy a plate of our very own pitmaster, Bill Brown's BBQ.  Plates are $10 each and include slaw, potato salad and a roll.  BBQ sandwiches, handmade desserts and BBQ by the pound will also be available.  All proceeds will go to the Gail Cash Memorial Endowment Fund to benefit the AE Finley YMCA.
 
There are only a few raffle tickets left for the autographed Cam Ward items. Come by the store and enter our charity raffles to win an autographed Cam Ward Jersey or a game used Cam Ward goalie stick.  Tickets are $20 for the jersey and $15 for the stick.  The drawing will be held during our fall charity BBQ October 19th.
Top 10 Wines for October

1) Shinas Estate Reserve - The Executioner Red -  $30 - For some unimaginable reason, somebody passed on their 2.5 case allocation of the superb Executioner Red, which we immediately snapped up.  Only 10 barrels of this amazing Cab/Shiraz/ Viognier blend were made.  It shows a complex, perfumed bouquet of blackcurrant, cherry-vanilla, pipe tobacco and spring flowers. On the palate it's spicy and dense with dark fruit flavors, notes of black plums and cardamom. The spice notes linger on the finish for incredible length.

2)  Mouton Noir "O.P.P." Pinot Noir $23 - A delicious Oregon Pinot for under $25.  Accessible and food friendly, its earthy, spicy and floral with herb framed cherry fruit and bright acidity.  All that and still soft and velvety on the finish.  Very complex for a Pinot at this price.

3) La Berangerie Cuvee Maurin Cahors $20 - Tight, tannic and inky garnet in color this 100% Malbec hails from the grape's original homeland in the Cahors region of France.  A massive and full throttle wine that tastes almost as medieval as the traditional winemaking techniques use at this family run estate.  Cedar, tar, plum, raspberry jam and rosemary notes, its absolutely fantastic with grilled duck.

4) Poggio Anima "Asmodeus" Nero d'Avola $15 - Despite the creepy label, this is no Halloween, gimmicky label we brought in just for October.  This is great stuff, made by the same guys who make the Lilith Primitivo, which has been one of our best selling wines lately.  The Poggio Anima Asmodeus Nero d'Avola is a ruby colored wine with notes of cherries, plums and blueberries. Well balanced on the palate with lots of red fruit and spice characters, soft tannins and a long, elegant finish.

5) Pittnauer Burgenlander Red $17 (1L) -   A biodynamically farmed blend of Zweigelt, Blaufrankisch and St. Laurent (Austria's best red varietals), this is one of the best Austrian reds we've come across lately.  They tend to be either inexpensive and on the watery side or dense and rich but $30+.  The Pittnaur is laded with cherry and lingonberry fruit along with smoky, earthy notes and a distinct umami note.  A superb value and a wonderful introduction to Austrian reds if you've never tried one.

6) Lange Twins Lodi Zinfandel $15 - An "old school" style of Zin perfect for this type of year.  Fifth generation farmers, the Langes make their zins much like their parents did... balanced, nuanced and not over-ripe.  Bright crushed blackberry and blueberry fruit. On the palate, loads of fresh vibrant blackberries meld with notes of spice and are balanced by a touch of vanilla oak and soft tannins.  

7) Plouzeau Touraine Sauvignon Blanc $16 - Cory's favorite new white wine in the shop.  Better than most Sancerre's at double the price, its classic Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc.  Green apple, lime, peach and hints mint married perfectly to a solid backbone of razor sharp acidity and flinty, salty minerality.  Perfect for oyster season.

8) True Myth Chardonnay $16 - Remember this Chardonnay from last week's newsletter?  It just got 91 points and an editor's choice award from Wine Enthusiast.  On one hand, it feels good to have our wine picks validated by the national wine press, but on the other hand, it means the supply will run out faster and the price will probably go up.A beautiful chardonnay, loaded with crisp and rich flavors of pear, pineapple, light citrus, vanilla bean, and hints of toasted oak.

9) Bodegas Atalaya "Laya" Red $10 - One of our best selling wines from last year is back and just as good as ever.  Another amazing 90 point score from Parker, this stuff is a steal.  a blend of 70% Garnacha and 30% Monastrell, has a superb bouquet of pure dark cherries, blackberry and incense that would normally grace a wine far more expensive. The palate is medium-bodied with layers of succulent black fruit that is neatly entwined with the subtle French oak.

10) Dornier Cocoa Hill Red $12 - Normally $16, this is a great bargain that is perfect for fall.  A blend of Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot from South Africa, its great with stews, roasts and is fantastic with grilled meats.  The palate is full, fresh and lively with a dense yet supple tannic structure over dark juicy fruit.  Its the hints of spice and smoke though that make this a sublime match with grilled fare.   
Fall Calendar
Annual Fall Charity BBQ
October 19th
11am-2pm

Our annual fall BBQ is set for Oct. 19th.  As usual, our own pit master Bill Brown will be cooking the pig and each $10 plate will include pulled pork, slaw, potato salad & roll.

Bring The Kids! 
Winterpast Farm Petting Zoo will be bringing out some of their animals for the kids to interact with.  

October Wine Tasting #2
October 11th, 6:30-8:30pm

Natural, organic and biodynamic wines are creating quite a buzz in the wine world.  Sour Grapes distributing specializes in finding small, family owned wineries who make delicious wines AND do it with the least amount of artificial chemicals and processing as possible. 

Riedel Stemware Seminar & Tasting  
November 20th, 6pm
$55 per person, RSVP required
If you haven't been drinking your wines out of the proper stemware, then you've been missing out.  The size and shape of your wineglass has a profound effect on how your wine tastes.  For this sit-down class/tasting we'll taste four wines from a "regular" glass and the proper Riedel glass and we guarantee you won't believe its the same wine.You get to take home your $60 value tasting kit.

Parking for Taylor's  
Taylor's Patrons - please remember to park on the Taylor's side of the parking lot when attending any of our events.  Everything to the north (right side) of the porch and pumps belongs to Bayleaf Vet clinic.
Beer of the Week
Napa Smith Brewery
Hopageddon
$14.99 4-pack



According to just about every winemaker we've talked to, it takes a lot of good beer to make good wine.  This special Imperial IPA is from Napa's only brewery and has attracted quite a following among the locals, and we're pretty excited to get it here on the East Coast.  Many claim that it is similar to and as good as the Bell's Hopslam, and at 144 IBUs, it certainly has plenty of hoppy kick.

Coffees of the Week

Carrboro Coffee Company
Two great new coffees arrived this week from the Carrboro Coffee guys.

"Harvest Selection" Yergz from Ethiopia
$14.99 16oz

This high altitude coffee features a light roast to preserve its delicate and unique flavors of lemon zest, cocoa, molasses and baking spices.

"Grounds for Health" Buremera from Rwanda
$14.99 16oz
This medium roast coffee is from the Gikongora region of Rwanda.  One of the prettiest "pure coffee" aromas of any coffee we have at the moment, its natural sweetness is balanced by vibrant acidity,  with notes of lime zest, white pepper spice and cacao.