Au Cheval

Prime your wine-tasting palate and come sample a sundry of wines; Taste Around Town is at Au Cheval from May 14-25, 2012. We are carrying three featured wines— see below for details— that are available by the glass or in a wine flight (the wine flight will consist of 3 ounce pours of each of the three wines) and the Taste Around Town menu has a suggested pairing for each wine.

After you’ve sampled, go to the Taste Around Town website http://www.bottlenotes.com/tastearoundtownchicago and enter your tasting notes from the wines. The site is a great way to learn about wines, discover your own taste preferences, and meet other wine enthusiasts. Look out for menus and informational flyers at the host stand! Here’s a peek at the three diverse wines we’re offering:

Naked Grape Pinot Grigio Varietal: Pinot Grigio Vintage: NV Producer: Naked Grape Region: California Production: stainless steel fermentation Taste: Lemon meringue, melon, green apple (fruits), acacia, dried honey, white tea (secondaries), light. Great pair with mixed raw vegetable salad, chopped chicken liver and mixed green salad. minerality, medium body, medium acidity, medium alcohol. Summary: Fresh, light and approachable. Great summer wine.

The Naked Grape is a negociant working in California. They produce 4 different cuvees that each focus on a single varietal. Their wines are approachable and a great value.

Muga Rosado Varietal: Garnacha (60%), Viura (30%), Tempranillo (10%) Vintage: 2011 Producer: Bodegas Muga Region: Rioja, Spain Production: fermented in large oak vats Taste: Fruits are soft & mello: watermelon, pineapple, white peach. Secondary characteristics: white flower, sage & thyme. Broad, stony minerality. Medium body, medium plus acidity, medium plus alcohol. Great pair with the omelette of the day, raw vegetable salad and salmon Summary: This rosé is rich, complex and mineral driven.

Bodegas Muga is one of the oldest, most historic wineries in Rioja. All of their vineyards are located in Rioja Alta, where they own 620 acres of vines. They ferment all of their wines in large, wooden vats that consist of a variety of oak types ( French, American, Hungarian and Slovenian). The winery is classic and traditional.

Saint Cosme “Les Deux Albion” Varietal: Syrah, Grenache, carignan, mouvedre Vintage: 2010 Producer: Saint Cosme Region: Cotes du Rhone Production: aged in concrete & large wooden vats Taste: Fruits: Blackberry, raspberry, black cherry. Secondaries: violets, licorice, black pepper, game. Broad, stony minerality, Forest Floor. Medium plus body, medium plus acidity, medium tannin medium alcohol. Dark, structured and mineral; more serious than most Cotes du Rhone. Great pair with the duck heart hash and bratwurst. Summary: This wine is rich, smoky and earthy; a full bodied red with dark fruits.

Saint Cosme is located directly North of Gigondas and has been making wine for over 400 years. Unlike most Cotes du Rhone, this wine is 100% estate fruit and aged in a combination of concrete and large wooden casks. The resulting wine has pure, dark fruit and a spicy minerality. This is an excellent example of terroir; earthy, spicy and gamey, all elements that can only be achieved in the Southern Rhone Valley. Even though Saint Cosme is a negociant, it prides itself on making quality wines that emphasize terroir. ‘Les Deux Albion’ is a cuvee composed of only Cotes du Rhone Village fruit and has the quality of a Gigondas.