Sharing the Passion

I love the wine business this time of year! Not only do we have an opportunity to pass along our passion and knowl - edge to our customers but we also get to show off the vast amount of new arrivals. At last count there were 75 new wines from over 10 countries that have hit the shelf in the past 4 weeks. These are wines Ugo and our great staff, as well as, I have selected over the year to arrive just in time for the Holiday season.

I am especially happy to intro - duce two wines from a cult winery in Napa Valley called Cornerstone. First is the 2002 Steppingstone Cabernet Franc . Like no other Cab.. Franc you have ever tasted, this wine has fragrant aromas of lavender and roses, rich with flavours of blueberry, black cherry, cassis and hints of chocolate. A tasty treat with marinated meats and spicy dishes. The second wine is Cornerstone’s flagship wine. It is the 2002 Napa, Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Strong black raspberry, black

cherry, sweet tobacco and black pepper on the nose. The palate is full, with silky smooth tannins and round fla - vours of vanilla, sage grilled fruit, rosemary and toasty French oak. Only 839 cases produced.

From the South of France we have a new red and white wine from Le Paradou . La Paradou is named after a stun - ning 400-year-old farmhouse in Provence. The white is a Rhone blend of Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay and Roussane, and has an aro - matic nose of ripe peach, apri - cot and mandarin orange with a touch of stone and mineral. Ruby red grapefruit, green peach and melon flavors end with an edge of mineral. The red is a blend of Grenache and Syrah and offers a blast of mouth filling blackberry and black currant with chocolate, spice and tobacco and wellbalanced acidity.

Whether you are collecting wines like the Cornerstone or just after good quality for sup - per, visit us and share our passion for food and wine.