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BRICK ANGEL "Littlefoot" 2007
The Undisputed "Iron Wine" Champion
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Greetings!
Beautiful, sunny days in these parts, with air seemingly scrubbed-clean by recent rains, makes me think about crisp whites. The late winter thaw may have you thinking the same, wherever you may be. Ah, but I'm too wise for that now. I've jumped the gun too many times and promoted Rose wine in April. But as soon as I do, the cold and the rain return. I'm sticking with big reds for a little while longer.
On this note, boy do I have a story, and a wine, to tell you about today!
Check out today's Money Wine.
Four straight days of tasting events this week. 
Thursday through Sunday: a different tasting each day. Check out the right hand columns, just below for info on Thursday (Great White Burgundies) and Friday (Taste Tour of France).
This weekend, our tasting is in unison with the
Napa Valley Mustard Festival Marketplace,
a street fair revolving around dunking pretzel sticks in jars of mustard. We too will have our Mustard & Pretzel Bar. Plus, guest winemakers and importers will be pouring wines to match. For $5, it's a great deal. More info on these weekend tasting is below.
Do you love the big, luxurious Napa Cabernets
and Cab-based blends? Please let me know if you'd like to receive my "Napa Cab" email newsletter. What is this newsletter?
I don't know yet...just thought it up. Seriously though (although I did just think it up), I find that featuring amazing Napa Cab for, say, $75/bottle in this email doesn't do me much good. Super-premium, tiny-production Cabernets are a big part of Back Room's business. I recommend and sell them to a core of very receptive customers EVERY DAY. I have no doubt that I'm missing folks who'd like to know, by email, when amazing, super-limited become available at Back Room Wines.
So then, would you like to receive my Napa Cabernet email communique?
If so, please reply to this email and write back "Napa Cabs" or "Cabs yes" or something to that effect. And place an order while you're at it ;-).
There she goes again. Dan
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Money Wine
March 10, 2010
Money Wine: a wine that anyone who loves good, rich, utterly delicious wine will enjoy A LOT, and is an EXCEPTIONAL VALUE.
Today, a Napa Valley red blend that lapped the field in last Friday's "Iron Wine" competition.
BRICK ANGEL"Littlefoot" Napa Valley Red Wine 2007 $28
Last Friday's "Iron Wine Competition" pitted Orin Swift
"The Prisoner" 2008 (the "Iron Wine") versus 4 challengers.
We had 45 tasters/judges come in for the event. A good cross section of tasters and a fair sampling.
The "challengers" to "The Prisoner" (which ended up finishing in 3rd place) were Window Pane 2008 (2nd place), Banknote "The Vault" (4th) Alary Cairanne (a Southern Rhone, 5th place) and Brick Angel. Every wine is currently recommended and sold at BRW. No slouches in the bunch, and all wines got their share of first place votes.
When I tabulated the votes, to my surprise, Brick Angel "Littlefoot" was far and away the winner of the tasting. Wasn't surprised that it won, but by how much. We're talking Secretariat at The Belmont here.
22 tasters, almost half, voted "Littlefoot" as their favorite wine of the group. With mostly 2nd and 3rd place votes, and the lowest number of last place votes with 4, "Littlefoot" was the undisputed champion. Maybe it helped that Littlefoot herself, Natalie Claire Ball, stopped in for the tasting. She observed in her Mother's (Angelique's) arms as Dad (and winemaker Jason Ball) tried the wines.Needless to say, Angelique  and Jason were happy to hear the wine did so well. With my report came an order for more and a request not to raise the price. They agreed! Brick Angel "Littlefoot" Napa Valley 2007, $28/bottle
In stock now.
Case price: $300
(10% off).
"Littlefoot" is a blend of 60% Syrah, 24% Petite Sirah, 15% Zinfandel and 1% Viognier. Jason was patient and let the wine age in bottle a while before releasing it last fall. Good move, because as Friday's tasting showed, it has blossomed. Smells of cherry liqueur, toasty French oak, black pepper, allspice
& chocolate. The first sip, right after pouring, is a little tight. We found that just 5 minutes of swirling opened it up nicely. Black, hearty berries and cherries emerge with mocha, violets black pepper & tobacco flavors too. It's showing the concentration, structure and layers of flavor that is making 2007 the latest "vintage of the decade." As for food pairing, it'll work every season, from wintertime braised meats and stews to summertime BBQs. Dang, what a kickin' wine this is!
3 ways to order:
Buy Brick Angel "Littlefoot" online here,
Just reply to this email with your order,
or call us, toll-free, at 877-322-2576
Thank you!
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Mustard Festival Weekend
Visit Back Room Wines and dip your pretzels in Festival Mustard.
Guest winemakers and importers will serve you wines to match.
This Saturday
March  13,
from 2 to 5 P.M.
Spanish wines &
Local Pinot Noir
This Sunday
March 14,
from 2 to 5 P.M.
French wines and Cal-Italian
Just $5 for the tasting.
Stop by before, during or after the Mustard Festival Marketplace.
You do not need a Marketplace ticket for this tasting.
and check out our visits to France this Thursday and Friday night!
This Thursday, March 11, 5 to 8 P.M.
White Burgundy Tasting
Chablis, Meursault, Puligny, Corton...killer wines.
The highlight: DOMAINE LEFLAIVE Puligny-Montrachet
"Les Pucelles" 2007, $225/bottle
This Friday, March 12, 5 to 8 P.M.
A Taste Tour of France
Travel, by glass, to Alsace, Loire, Rhone, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Roussillon and Banyuls.
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New art adorns the walls of
Back Room Wines
On Monday morning, Napa artist J. Panter (call her "J.P.") put a dozen of her watercolors on Back Room's walls. For the next 6-9 months, visit Back Room Wines and enjoy J.P.'s original works, including the Geishas you see below. (They're in our featured spot, over the big bottles...can't miss them). Always with a strong tie to nature and happy, soft colors that relax and entertain the mind, J.P.'s work is a natural fit at Back Room Wines. We're very happy to have them.
All works on display are for sale.
Here's J.P.'s website.
ARTIST RECEPTION FOR J. PANTER (J.P.)
Saturday, March 27, 5 to 7 P.M.
Wine and snacks served.
Meet J.P., sip, snack and see.
Of course, the wine shop will be open!
| | Daniel Dawson
Back Room Wines
Corner of First & Main Streets (First Street Entrance)
Downtown Napa, California 94559
Phone: (707) 226-1378 Toll Free # is 877-322-2576
email: daniel@backroomwines.com
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Great
White Burgundy Tasting
This Thursday,
March 11,
5 to 8 P.M.
Take this opportunity to taste five White Burgs, each from a different region.
-Chablis
-Meursault
-Puligny-Montrachet
-Corton-Charlemagne
-Rully
The highlights:
DOMAINE LEFLAIVE
Puligny-Montrachet
"Les Pucelles" 2007
$225/bottle
and
ROLAND RAPET
Corton-Charlemagne
2005 $99/bottle
$35/Tasting
More details here
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A Taste Tour
of France
This Friday, March 12
5 to 8 P.M.
We'll pour you a very good wine from each of these appelations:
-Burgundy
-Loire Valley
-Rhone Valley
-Bordeaux
-Alsace
-Roussillon
-Banyuls
$15/tasting
Click here for more information
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