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Please note that many of the
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Frequently quoted wine publications |
Robert Parker
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Say Vino: December 18, 2007
By Brian Flannery
 We
email Say Vino every Tuesday evening. It contains news
from the wine world, our own opinions, and special offers
for our subscribers. Say Vino is available by email, at
our
website
and is also posted in our store.
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Great Gifts Just a Click Away!
We have assembled an excellent variety of gift packages for
every taste and every budget for the 2007 season. These
gifts can be viewed and ordered at our
website
Let the professionals at Schaefer's make your gift giving a
delight instead of a chore. We are here to serve you. |
Major Wow Factor
 Once
in a while, you stumble across a wine that's nearly too good
to be true. The Bruce Wayne Winery's 2005 "Briana's
Blend" is one such wine. Sourced from one of the most
extraordinary high-elevation vineyards in Napa Valley, this
62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Cabernet Franc blend has it
all: the allure of ultra-limited production (only 788 cases
produced), the pedigree (produced by Wayne Hansen and Bruce
Walker of Starry Night fame) and the excitement of being an
inaugural release. Aged in 100% French oak for one year, this
layered, dense and complex wine combines the very best flavor
aspects of the Cabernet family varietals. A gorgeous Bordeaux
style blend, this luscious red is made from juice purchased
from a top Napa vineyard (unconfirmed rumor is Viader). Black
cherry, vanilla, espresso bean and cedar are some of the more
immediate flavors and aromas. These are followed by deep,
rich, dark fruit notes intermingled with very fine tannins.
Well balanced to enjoy now and over the next 10-12 years, it
is long and smooth on the finish.
Literally, blending is the process of combining different
wines with the goal of creating a composite that is better
than any of the wines separately. In the US, anything less
than 75% of one varietal can not legally be called by that
name, so it needs to be described as a blend. More often than
not, the added complexity that springs from the marriage of
different but compatible varieties trumps the single-minded
precision that a single-varietal wine can show. Cabernet Franc
and Cabernet Sauvignon are very similar in structure and
flavor, although Cabernet Franc is not quite as full-bodied.
It is lower in tannin and acidity and more aromatic and
herbaceous than Cabernet Sauvignon, refined and nuanced.
Cabernet Sauvignon is likely the most popular and successful
high-quality red grape, grown throughout the world. It
contributes intense dark fruit flavors, structure, intensity
and longevity to a wine. Together, these two grapes produce an
elegant, intense and long-lasting wine.
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Great Gift Chardonnay
 The
primary source for the grapes in this wine is the winery's
own Double L Vineyard, which contributes 55% of the blend.
It is organically farmed and is the major contributor of
complexity and minerality in the wine. Additional sources in
the Santa Lucia Highlands include Rosella's, Vinco, Black
Mountain, and the Lucia Highlands vineyards. The strong
Salinas Valley winds concentrate flavors by thickening grape
skins and lengthening the growing season. The grapes were
whole cluster pressed to preserve the primary fruit flavors.
The must was barrel fermented in 30% new French oak.
Sixty-five percent of the wine underwent malolactic
fermentation to soften the acidity and enrich the mouthfeel.
The wine is aged on the lees, with monthly stirrings over a
9-month period, then a month before bottling, the wine was
racked off the lees, and the blend was assembled.
This wine shows richness and intensity, with the splendid
integration of fruit flavors, oak, minerality and acidity
that is a hallmark of well-made Santa Lucia Highlands
Chardonnays. Its tastes include pineapple, butterscotch and
lime, with a hint of green tea, pear, walnut, and minerals.
It is well balanced with a crisp finish and elegant style,
and will pair well with fish, chicken and other light
dishes.
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Yuletide Cheers!
 Debowa
(Polish Oak Tree) Vodka
Schaefer's is happy to carry two varieties of the
Debowa Vodka. This vodka is an outstanding spirit
that is the result of a formula crafted from the best
natural ingredients and a centuries old traditional
distillation method. Debowa has won many awards and was
rated 93 points by the International Review of Spirits and
awarded the gold medal by the Beverage Testing Institute.
Debowa has the advantage of combining the finest natural
grain spirits with black elder flower (sambucus nigra), a
well known and highly venerated medicinal herbal, and oak
wood known for its curative powers and dry flavors, giving
it a dry and smooth taste seldom found in other vodkas.
Debowa is not just flavored vodka; it is an infused spirit
uniquely blended to yield an elegant and 100% natural spirit
in the tradition of the ancient distilling masters and a
recipe as old as Europe itself. When thinking of a last
minute holiday gift or something for that special
someone consider this extraordinary spirit.
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Infuse the Holidays with the Spirit of the Season
 Some
drinkers can't seem to resist flavored liquors. Now the
folks at Boz Spirits, Inc. are visual temptation. The truth
is that almost all packaged flavored vodkas are made from
plain vodka doctored with extracts or chemical blends. But
some producers will go to greater lengths: 267 Infusions'
flavored vodka, tequila, and rum do contain real
cranberries, olives and onions and chili peppers. With its
new 267 Infusions, the infused fruits and
veggies are floating right in the bottle. The initial run
features four vodka, two rum and two tequila flavors. In the
chili pepper tequila, bright red peppers practically
illuminate the bottle. A batch of cranberries huddle inside
its cranberry vodka, featuring five-times distilled liquor.
After sampling the olive and pearl onion vodka we found the
result was silky smooth and according to the folks at 267
Infusions, bypass the mixers and drink it straight on the
rocks.
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27th Annual Champagnefest
 Schaefer's
will be hosting our twenty-seventh annual Champagnefest on
Friday, December 28th. Stop by on your way
home from work and enjoy a glass of fine sparkling wine on
us! There will be sparkling wines from Italy, Spain and
California, not to mention a number of top-rated French
Champagnes selling at well over $125 a bottle. This tasting
is always a friendly way to make the right decision about
which Champagne or sparkling wine to serve on New Year's
Eve. In addition, a variety of caviars, cheeses, patés and
hors-d'oeuvre from Schaefer's food department will be served
to complement your glass of bubbly.
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See you next week!
 That's
all for this week. If we may be of any further service,
please stop by our store at 9965 Gross Point Road in Skokie
(for directions,
click here),
visit our website at
http://www.schaefers.com, give us a call at
847-677-WINE (9463), 800-833-WINE (9463), or click here to
contact us.
Sincerely,
Your Friends at Schaefer's
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