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Tuffe
Love:
Chateau du Hureau!
Located 15 miles west of
Chinon, this historic property is considered one of the top producers in
Saumur-Champigny. The château has been in the family for 5 generation, and there
are 13th century wine caves built into an enormous tufa-limestone shelf that
borders the back of the château. This underlying tuffeau (a soft chalk from the
Cretaceous Period) is the common thread that gives the Saumur-Champigny its
distinctive quality.
The 2008 Chateau Hureau "Tuffe" (100% Cabernet Franc) is a superb example of the vintage and a lovely wine for drinking over the next dozen years or so. The nose offers up a superb mélange of cassis, woodsmoke, dark berries, nutmeg, coffee and tobacco leaf. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and complex, with beautiful balance, an excellent core of fruit, with modest tannins, fine focus and superb length and grip on the really refined finish. Just a classic bottle of Saumur that is drinking beautifully already. |
The Root of All Goodness
In the 1700's, it was called "Root Tea." An herbal remedy made with sassafras, sarsaparilla, birch bark and other wild roots and herbs. Native Americans taught the recipe to colonial settlers. As it was passed it down from generation to generation, it grew in potency and complexity. Particularly in the Pennsylvania hinterlands, where the ingredients naturally grow in abundance.
At the close of the 19th century, as the Temperance movement conspired to take the fun out of everything, a Philadelphia pharmacist removed the alcohol from Root Tea and rechristened it (ironically) "Root Beer". He did this so that hard drinking Pennsylvania coal miners and steelworkers could enjoy it in place of true alcoholic refreshment. He introduced his "Root Beer" in a big way at the still legendary 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia.
The distillers at Art in the Age have now turned back the clock and recreated a certified organic, true pre-temperance alcoholic Root Tea.Certainly like nothing else we have ever tasted before- it is NOT Root Beer flavored vodka or a sickly sweet liqueur. It is is distilled from organic sugar cane grown in the U.S. and boasts notes of birch, peppery herbaceousness, spices, citrus, and vanilla bean. This is a rich and aromatic elixir and truly unlike anything we have sampled here at the store. Highly recommended and available now ($36) at Smith and Vine!
For
its 120th anniversary, the House of Cocchi has resumed production of
its original recipe Vermouth di Torino, first offered in 1891. The
flavor profile is wonderfully rich with vibrant notes of cocoa, citrus,
rhubarb and a balanced bitter undertone.
A true Vermouth di Torino, it uses Moscato from the family estate as the wine base and is produced in the historic Asti region outside of Torino. Vermouth di Torino stands apart as one of only two protected geographical indications of origin for vermouth.
Delicious on its own, and ideal for use in numerous classic mixed drinks, the Cocchi Vermouth di Torino ($22) is highly recommended and is available now at Smith and Vine!
