Friday Grab Bag

Our usual collection of information that you need to get through the weekend.

Events

Lawrenceville will resume the weekend wine tasting schedule next Friday, July 18.

Woodbridge will have the regular wine tasting this weekend, Friday from 4-6pm, and 1-3pm on Saturday. The tasting menu is here.

New Stuff

Black Dirt Bourbon takes its name from the dark, fertile soil left by an ancient glacial lake that once covered Thousands of acres of upstate New York. Perfectly suited for growing crops such as corn, this Black Dirt has never been used for Bourbon production – until now. The mash bill is 80% local Black Dirt corn, 12% malted barley and 8% rye.

Extremely limited availability. As of this writing, there are only 6 bottles in each store. $42.99 for a 750ML bottle.

J. Lohr 40th Anniversary Red

One of our most popular wines is the J. Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon, along with their other varietals. The winery is celebrating their 40th anniversary with a special bottling.

According to the team at J. Lohr, "The J. Lohr 40th Anniversary Red Wine from Paso Robles is an inspired blend of our most popular varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with Petite Sirah, Merlot and Malbec, which pays tribute to our first bottling in 1974 and to Jerry’s 40 years on the Central Coast."

J. Lohr’s 40th Anniversary Red Wine is a mélange of four varietals from different vineyards in the Paso Robles appellation that come together as a dense, bold blend that recalls J. Lohr’s very first wine produced—a 1974 Petite Sirah. Coming from vineyards surrounding the Paso Robles Wine Center, as well as their vineyards to the north near San Miguel and to the south near Creston, they have combined their most popular varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon (61%), with the density of Petite Sirah (31%) that thrives so well in the warm, dry climate of Paso Robles. For fruit and dimension, they have added Merlot (5%) and Malbec (3%), which provide the finishing touches to this celebratory blend.

"This deep colored blend lays nearly opaque in the glass with just a youthful ring of magenta to brighten its edges. The French oak bouquet of roasted hazelnut blends with savory blackberry reflecting the confluence of the Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon varietal character. This rich and voluminous wine leaves black fruit and a touch of fine talc on the palate." -Steve Peck, red winemaker.

Pairs well with aromatic herbs and pan-seared meat dishes. Try with rosemary lamb chops and roasted fennel.

Ripped from the Headlines

Scotch Distilleries Innovate Without Changing a Thing. Popular Mechanics (!) magazine takes a look at Scotch whisky. Click here to read the article.

Have a great weekend, everyone!