The Grab Bag

We've made it the weekend, which is always a good thing. Hopefully, the rain this week means we'll be able to enjoy some outside time on Saturday and Sunday. We hope you'll include a stop at Joe Canal's while you're out and about.

Our tastings and events are always good reasons to stop in. Click here to access yesterday's blog post, where we offered details on this weekend's in-store programming. That includes the Christmas in July Toy Drive and Sampling at our Woodbridge store.

New Products

Chateau St. Jean Sonoma Chardonnay 2011. This is one of those special purchase opportunities that we are occasionally offered. The wine is a perennial favorite, and we have it available at a price we can't even publish.

The warmth of vanilla and brown spice aromas in this classic Sonoma County Chardonnay are lightened with notes of creamy lemon and sweet pear. A palate of soft fruit, including apple and pineapple flavors and notes of toasted hazelnut, finish with a bright acidity, taking the rich mouthfeel to a long, satisfying finish. 100% Chardonnay.

Your blogger enjoyed a bottle of this Chateau St. Jean earlier in the week. The apple was really prominent on the palate, and the acidity was pleasantly present. The wine is drinking very well right now, so take home a few for the backyard or the beach.

Kavalan Single Malt Whisky. This has been on our wish list for a while, and we will have only a few bottles of Kavalan available for purchase. Please consult our managers if you're looking for a bottle.

Kavalan, which means "people of the flatland", is a world-class whisky from Taiwan. Since its first production run in 2006, Kavalan has received over 100 Gold Medals for its exceptional range of whiskies. Earlier this year, Master Blender Ian Chang was awarded the Master Distiller of the Year in the World Whiskies Awards. In addition, the distillery was voted Best Distillery of the Year in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In other words, if you enjoy whisk(e)y, you need to check this out.

Ask one of our managers about Kavalan Single Malt, King Car, Soloist, or Concertmaster.

Tomasello Cherry Moscato. This delightful Cherry Moscato is a blend of Cherry wine made from Michigan Montmorency pie Cherries and Moscato wine which combine to create a decadent combination of fruity tart Cherry and honey melon.

News

Our regular readers know that we don't usually get very serious at the end of our Friday blog posts. This week will be an exception.

If you followed our social media earlier this week, you already know that one of our employees was the victim of a hit/run in Edison on Sunday, July 5th. He is still in the hospital, and the driver remains at large. Click here for the news story, and please share that news story, so that the driver can be brought to justice.

We extend our condolences to the Daly family, on the loss of Michael, loving father and husband. Three of Michael's children currently work at our Lawrenceville store, and the other two are former employees. We all mourn with them.

See you on Monday!