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Meet Joe Gilsdorf
at Back Room Wines
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| Greetings!
"Who's Joe Gilsdorf" you ask? And when can you meet him? Is he a local vintner, coming to pour his artisan wines? Is Joe an author, here to sign his new book on California wine?
Tease firmly in place, I introduce Joe Gilsdorf, new Wine Merchant, Wine Bar Manager and Spirits Buyer at Back Room Wines. When you can meet Joe? FIVE DAYS A WEEK!
Joe brings a solid background in fine wine sales, customer service and business ownership to Back Room Wines. He brings to the shop skills to both complement and improve what Back Room Wines offers: a better wine shop, a better wine bar and a better selection of specialty spirits.
Joe came to Napa from Milwaukee almost two years ago with a thirst for the fine wine and sunshine of Napa Valley. After working at local wineries since his arrival, he's now where he belongs: selling a vast array of wines (and spirits) from near and far with humor, knowledge, passion and flair. I'm so pleased he's here. Joe's Bio is below, right after today's MONEY WINES, a pair of delicious Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs.
On the tasting calendar, this Thursday and Friday.
"Two Memorable Wines" returns this Thursday night, July 29.
Anything goes on Memorable Wine Night. Italy, Austria, France, Australia have been featured in tastings past. We go local tonight (Thursday) with KISTLER "Vine Hill" Chardonnay and
CLIFF LEDE "Poetry" Cabernet Sauvignon. Retail price for a bottle of each is a whopping $234. Enjoy them both (1/3 glass of each) for just $15.
But that's not all! Bonus wine will be posted on Back Room's Facebook page around 4 PM today.
We play a game tomorrow (Friday) night, July 30. "Is It $15? Or is it $50?"
This is fun: taste 3 pairs of wine blind (same grape in each pair). One of the wines costs about $15 and the other about $50. Can you tell which is which? It's harder than you might think.
Come drink some good wines and see if you have expensive taste, or if you're a "cheap date."
Conjunction Junction, what's your function?
Dan
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Money Wine
July 29, 2010
Money Wine: a wine that anyone who loves good, rich, utterly delicious wine will enjoy A LOT, and is an EXCEPTIONAL VALUE.
TODAY
Two 2007 vintage Pinot Noirs from one fine Russian River Valley winery. One for Tuesday night roast chicken, one for Saturday night roast duck.
RUSSIAN HILL WINERY came to be in the late 1990s with the purchase of choice vineyard land in the heart of the Russian River Valley. While they make a little bit of Chardonnay and Syrah, Pinot Noir is their specialty. For years, I've enjoyed the "prettiness" of their Pinot Noirs. Spice, perfume, wild berries and cherries, silky texture, balance...the Russian Hill Pinot Noirs have them all. We're pleased to offer two of their Pinots to you today.
RUSSIAN HILL Pinot Noir 
Russian River Valley 2007 $26/bottle
This is Russian Hill's "entry level" Pinot. They purchase the fruit from neighboring vineyards for this very PRETTY Pinot Noir.
Sweet red berries/cherries, pie spice, red roses
and a little bit of oak on the nose. In the mouth, it's velvety, bright,
juicy and perfectly tangy. Finish moves to cranberry nut bread, red
roses, earth, Indian spice and fresh, wild cherries. Medium-bodied with ample fruit and acidity to balance, we call this the Tuesday night wine. Open it up after a long day and enjoy with roast chicken.
Buy RUSSIAN HILL Pinot Noir Russian River 2007 here
RUSSIAN HILL Pinot Noir 
"Estate Vineyards"
Russian River Valley 2007 $37/bottle
All "Estate," meaning Russian Hill owns the land, planted and grow the grapes, and make the wine. It doesn't always equate to a better wine, but in this case it does. Eleven dollars more than the Russian River Valley, but still a bargain for the quality.
The "Estate" is big and full-bodied for Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, but still well proportioned and nicely balanced. Red and black cherries, truffle, allspice and sweet oak on the
nose. In the mouth it's medium to full bodied, rich and exotic like good
Burgundy. Rose garden, wild cherries and framboise on the finish. Very
versatile with food: from fish to most red meats. Merits a special meal, like roast duck with rosemary polenta and a lite cherry/Pinot Noir reduction sauce. Gosh, I just got hungry.
Buy RUSSIAN HILL Pinot Noir "Estate" 2007 here
You may also reply to this email with your order,
or, call us, toll-free, at 877-322-2576
Thank you!
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Meet Joe Gilsdorf
| Our man Joe is a transplant from Wisconsin, where his passion
for food and wine (and beer and spirits) developed as he followed the
customary arc of years in the bar and restaurant trade: a kid
quietly mixing the salt and pepper shakers and melting straws in the
table's candle as his mom dined out with friends in the early years;
dishwasher, busboy, and cook through high school; cook and bartender
through a Philosophy degree; bartender, wine merchant, tobacconist, and
(finally!) restaurateur - cleaning up after fledgling straw-melters -
after that.
As proprietor of the aforementioned  friendly,
neighborhood "bar with food", Joe came to find that he most enjoyed
doing the hard work of developing, growing, and sharing his "remarkable
and ever-changing" wine list. If there was a focus, one could
say that it was to seek out, learn about, and snap up the real wine gems
available in the local marketplace (or not), and make them available at
a fair price to the noble patrons that had come to trust his sound
advice. [Sound familiar?]
The restaurant life and general wanderlust led to plenty of "working vacations" in and around Napa. Not
surprisingly, over time all the sunshine affected his brain and lure of
the "wine country lifestyle" mesmerized Joe like so many others. After
a few years of throwing little tantrums before getting on the plane
headed back home, the proverbial light buzzed, popped, and lit: Why not
just move, and stay? Some arranging of ducks into rows commenced, and
right around harvest of '08 he did just that. So far, he's managed to
survive the harsh California winters without too much trouble.
Presently, Joe couldn't be happier to be working with the venerable Mr. Dawson at Back Room Wines -
a champion of the "little guy", the quality-before-quantity producer,
and the winemaker-as-artist; a purveyor of the delicious, and a
generally good fella.
Welcome aboard, Joe.
Drink more Extra Dry Sparkling Wine. Dan
Daniel Dawson
Owner, 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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MEMORABLE WINE NIGHT
TONIGHT! Thursday,
July 29, 5 to 8 PM
Drink two great, and perhaps MEMORABLE WINES, for just $15.
Tonight:
KISTLER Chardonnay "Vine Hill Vineyard" 2007 ($75/bottle)
and
CLIFF LEDE
Cabernet Sauvignon
"Poetry" 2006 ($159)
Memorable Wine Tasting Sheet
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IS IT $15?
OR IS IT $50?
This Friday, July 30
Come anytime between 5 and 8 PM.
This is fun...
Taste three pairs of wine blind.
In each pair, one wine costs about $15. The other about $50.
Can you tell which is which?
Do you have expensive taste? |Or are you a "cheap date?"
$15 to play
More Details
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