Cheese and Wine Tasting

France, Sunday January 29th

Cheeses

Fol Epi Emmenthal

A creamy cow’s milk from the Loire Valley. Served as a classic style fondue with apple and bread.

Ossau-Iraty, Pyrenees

One of the first cheeses ever made in France dating back thousands of years from the Aquitaine region. Made from raw sheep’s milk, this firm rind cheese yields a dense richness of the floral milk it is made from.

Tomme de Savoie

Semi-soft cow’s milk from the French Alps. Thick gray-brown rind with a slightly salty, mild flavor and a hint of nuttiness.

Fourme d’ Ambert, Auvernge

Creamy and rich cow's milk blue from the Auvergne region of France. It has a thin, yellowish rind mottled with sandy molds. Its interior is bone white with distinctive bluing. Although its scent is very earthy, Fourme d'Ambert has a creamy and mild flavor with a slightly nutty finish. The paste is both soft and smooth.

Wines

Eric Montintin, Sauvignon Blanc, Loire, France, 2009

100% Sauvignon Blanc from a single vineyard meters from Sancerre. Crisp with citrus fruit of pineapple, grapefruit and gooseberry. Perfect with mild dishes and fruit.

Michel Gassier, Cercius, Cotes du Rhone Villages, France, 2009

Composed of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah. “It represents a naked expression of Cotes du Rhone as it is aged completely in concrete prior to bottling. This medium to full-bodied wine possesses a deep ruby/purple color in addition to copious black currant and black cherry fruit interwoven with graphite, crushed rocks, and spice, excellent fruit intensity, a full-bodied mouth feel, good acidity, and light tannins.” 91 pts Wine Advocate

Chateau Pesquie, Cuvee de Terrasses, Cotes du Ventoux, France, 2010

A blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah, with 65% aged in tank and the rest in old barrels and foudres, it is bottled unfined and unfiltered for the American market. It’s just terrific, and the good news is that there are 7,000 cases, which is a rarity in this business – finding something spectacular in quality, low in price, with excellent availability. Its stunning dense bluish/purple color offers up notes of sweet blueberries, black cherry liqueur, licorice, incense, and a hint of hot rocks (almost gravelly, in the Bordeaux sense), but the wine hits the palate with amazing texture, succulence, fabulous fruit intensity, vivid purity and a vigorous, long, fresh finish that goes on past 30 seconds.

94 pts Wine Advocate

Claudie & Bruno Bilancini, Les Pins, Monbazillac, 2007
Next town over from the famed Sauternes region and consisting of 100% Botrytized Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, this gem offers honeysuckle, apricot and candied lemon peel with just enough acid on the finish.

Join us for this fun and educating event!  The cost is $25 per person; you receive a glass and start sampling!  We ask that you arrive between 5:30 and 6:30 PM, there is not a set ending time.  We recommend reservations so the proper amount of cheese and wine can be prepared, call 970-686-1477 for more information.