12-13-2011 Newsletter

Greetings from the Wine Cellar:
Holiday happenings are only intensifying here in Old Town! The Centennial Christmas Village at Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park (201 N. 4^th Ave.) opens to the public at 7:00 PM this Friday, December 16^th and will continue from 5:00 to 9:00 PM every evening for the next week, through Friday December 23^rd.  The Christmas Village is a joint effort by the Yuma Visitors Bureau, Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area and the City of Yuma.
As a new attraction this year, Santa is bringing in tons of snow to blanket a special sledding hill within the park.  The Village will also feature a “trip back in time” aboard the Heritage Express train, which will tour the decorated and brightly-lit historic buildings of the park to let visitors experience Christmas traditions in 1912, the year Arizona became a state.
Polar passes for unlimited admissions are just $5 and include the train ride and lots of interactive fun in the Village’s fanciful kid-scaled playhouses; children five & younger are admitted free.  Sledding tickets are $5 for six rides, and kids under three can play in a special snow fun area.  Snow is guaranteed from Dec. 16^th-20^th, and special “theme nights” have been planned for the remaining nights if warmer temperatures bring a premature end to sledding.  If you’d like a full schedule of all the activities and entertainments planned (there are lots), let me know and I’ll e-mail it to you.  Polar passes are on sale at the Visitor Information Center from 9 a.m. daily, call 783-0071 for more info.
That’s not all – Yuma Crossing Heritage Area Corporation’s 100^th Anniversary Celebration of the Historic Yuma Theatre continues Sunday, December 18^th with “The Four Preps Proudly Present their Christmas Show.”  The group is celebrating their own 50^th anniversary, and will perform pop classics from the 1950’s & 60’s, along with traditional Christmas tunes & carols.  The show begins at 2:00 PM, reserved seating tickets are $23, available at the Art Center box office or on-line at www.yumaaz.gov/events.
There you have it – stay merry!
THURSDAY & FRIDAY WINE TASTING – $5.00 to try all six, or $5.00 for a full glass:

J Vineyards 2009 Pinot Gris (California)    $14.99
J Pinot Gris opens with tropical fruit aromas of pineapple, mango and guava,
mixed with notes of honeysuckle, pear and Fuji apples.  On the palate, flavors echo the nose, full of bright and juicy tangerine, peach and apple flavors that carry on to a crisp, tangy finish.
Markus Molitor 2008 Riesling Kabinett Zeltinger Sonnenuhr (Mosel Valley, Germany)  $18.99
This is a surprisingly rich style of Kabinett, offering enticing aromas of apricots, peaches, pears and floral essences on the nose.  The palate is richly creamy and beautifully layered, imparting a savory quality to the medley of apple, grapefruit and peach flavors.  Mineral tones and mouthwatering acidity support the lingering, buoyant finish.
Masi 2008 Modello Delle Venezie (Veneto, Italy)   $10.99
This ‘Valpolicella-like’ wine melds the color, bouquet and cherry-like flavor of the native Corvina grape with the richness and vitality of the little-known Raboso Veronese.  It’s wonderful by itself, and makes a superb match with just about kind of Italian cuisine.
Chalone Vineyard 2008 Merlot (Monterey County)    $12.99
This supple, full-flavored Merlot features a fine-tuned acidity that lifts and accentuates a brooding core of rich dark fruit.  Ripe black cherry and plum flavors spread thick across the palate, complemented by a hint of spicy clove.  An excellent example of the varietal.
Peter Lehmann 2008 Shiraz The Barossa (Barossa Valley,
Australia)    $14.99
This wine’s bouquet offers hints of classic Barossa chocolate, plus dark plum aromas.  It’s robust and firm, but not at all heavy on the palate with rich, mouth-filling blackberry and plum fruit flavors that get a lift from a pleasant touch of well-seasoned French oak.
Four Vines 2008 The Maverick Zinfandel (Amador County) $18.99
This bright ruby-colored Zin overflows with aromas of ripe black cherry and
plum, plus hints of spicy vanilla. It’s medium in body, well balanced and silky
on the palate, with a tangy blueberry-blackberry flavor profile edged with
white pepper.  It finishes nicely dry, with fine, gripping tannins that linger.
THURSDAY & FRIDAY “PREMIUM POUR” ($10.00 a glass)
Scott Harvey 2007 Reserve Barbera (Amador County)    $27.99
Amador County is extremely well suited to the Barbera varietal.  This one is made with fruit from select Shenandoah Valley vineyards, offering full, rich, fruit-forward flavors that express both the varietal and a distinctive Amador terroir.  This complex red is centered on a core of black cherry, tobacco leaf and cedar, along with pleasant touches of vanilla and spice.
NEW ARRIVALS:
Gundlach Bundschu
2007 Mountain Cuvée (Sonoma Valley)    $18.99
The ’07 version of GB’s Mountain Cuvée is a blend of primarily Merlot
and Cabernet Sauvignon, plus small additions of Petit Verdot and Malbec.  Light scents of toasty oak and spicy aromas of plum and dark cherry emerge on the nose.  On the palate, supple and round flavors of black raspberry and currant fruit are edged with hints of dark chocolate and cedar.
Wolf Blass 2008 Gold Label Shiraz (Barossa Valley, Australia)
$25.99
WB’s Gold Label Shiraz opens with intense aromas of rich dark berries and plums, layered with underlying notes of fragrant spice and dark chocolate.  It’s rich and round on the palate, with plenty of bright, fresh berry fruit, finely balanced tannins, and well-integrated oak.

Marchese de’ Frescobaldi 2009 Chianti Castiglioni (Tuscany, Italy)    $13.99
Tuscany has long been the heart and soul of Italian wine, and the Frescobaldi family has been making fine wine in Tuscany for well over 800 years.   The Castiglioni is a fruity, generous red with raspberry, dark cherry and plum flavors at the forefront, accented by exotic hints of spice and herbs that make it unmistakeably Chianti.
Cheers!
Mike Shelhamer
Old Town Wine Cellar
265 S. Main Street, Suite E
Yuma, Arizona  85364
928-373-0405
http://www.facebook.com/oldtownwinecellar

http://www.yumawine.com