This started out as a quick note to let you know about some new arrivals, but I got carried away by all of the deliciousness to describe. Stop in soon and pick up some of these new flavors from Paris-Madrid Grocery!
Dehesa Cordobesa Pata Negra Paleta Ibérica de Bellota HALF PRICE WHILE SUPPLY LASTS (now $12.99, regularly $24.99). Pre-sliced, vaccum packed in 2.5 oz packages, this is jamón paleta from the front leg of the pig which has been fed a diet of acorns. The packages have a best-by date of 10/3/2021, so slice a ripe melon and top with this nutty and buttery Ibérica de Bellota for a fantastic treat, or make a ham and cheese boccadillo!
Just arrived: IGP Jambon de Bayonne dry-cured ham, pre-sliced and vacuum packed in 4 oz packages. Makes a delicious Croque Monsieur! Also, Saucisson Sec Aux Poivre Noir, a French-style sliced pork salami produced in New York. This tasty salami is coated with black pepper, thinly sliced and vacuum-packed in 4 oz packages, it is excellent on a charcuterie board.
Cantal cow milk cheese DPO – One of France’s oldest cheeses, made from the milk of cows which graze the mountain pastures of Auvergne. Aged 6 months, this is a semi-hard cheese, often compared to cheddar. Made from pasteurized milk, it is tunnel aged with a natural rind. With hints of citrus, it is creamy, with a spicier bite than cheddar. This hearty fall cheese pairs wonderfully with apples and nuts or stir it into an omelet.
Wooly Wolly is a sheep milk cheese from Jumilla, Spain. Pre-packaged, it’s easy to take for lunch or on a camping trip. Soft and mild with a crumbly texture, the flavor is rich and sweet with a slight tang. It’s excellent stuffed into piquillo peppers or sprinkled on top of pizza.
CHEESES BACK IN STOCK: Manchego Artesano 1 year aged, DOP raw milk, Valdeon blue cheese and Epoissé a washed rind, stinky cow milk cheese from Burgundy are again in the cheese case.
Mexican Oaxacan mole is back in stock. These delicious mole sauces are traditionally made in Oaxaca, Mexico with a blend of chiles, spices, nuts and vegetables. Choose from Negro or Rojo. Dilute to taste with water or chicken stock and serve over chicken or fish.
WINE CORNER:
Domaine Anita Moulin â Vent Trés Vielle Vignes, Cru Beaujolais 2019 ($25.99) This cuvée is made from a small plot of very old vines (over 100-years-old) located on pink granitic soils. The spectacular fruit from this plot is vinified in a Burgundian method, where grapes are destalked and crushed, rather than utilizing carbonic maceration, resulting in an age-worthy wine with deep complexity and tannins that allow aging. The nose on 2017 Trés Vielle Vignes is compact, showing dense hints of dark fruits, flowers, and minerals. On the palate are savory hints with beautifully ripened black fruit, delicate flavors, and silky texture. Driven by elegant acidity, it shows great balance and freshness. Great purity here, and a long mineral finish. This beautiful wine delivers poise and finesse.
Camille Giroud Santenay Rouge Grand Vin de Bourgogne 2017 ($44.00) I remember being wowed by the balanced elegance of Camille Giroud’s red Burgundies when I first tasted them a number of years ago. These wines have been out of the market for most of this year but a new lot of 2017 vintages just arrived. The 2017 Santenay rouge is a good starting point to experience the Giroud style. The fruit is from 40-year-old vines on average, with two-thirds of the cuvée coming from vines in southern Santenay, near Clos Rousseau, the other third is declassification of Santenay 1er Cru La Comme in the northern part of the village. Aged 18 months in oak, it offers up aromas of fresh red fruit with hints of tobacco and oak. Earthy mushroom flavors with savory hints are balanced with bright concentration and depth. Pair this with pasta and truffle gouda for a stellar meal.
Camille Giroud Maranges Le Croix Moines 1er Cru Rouge Grand Vin de Bourgogne 2017 ($49.00) From vines 70-90 years old, grown on well-drained limestone-scree soils with a substrate of marl with fossils. Aged 18 months in oak, this is a light to medium-bodied Pinot Noir, offering up notes of red cherry. Complex notes of forest floor and tobacco are smooth, with pervasive minerality. Great mouthfeel, savory and leafy hints add complexity to the well-ripened red fruit. Balanced and fresh, the minerals repeat on the persistent finish. This wine can age for a few years, but it is drinking beautifully now.
Camille Giroud Vosne-Romanée Les Chalandins Grand Vin de Bourgogne 2017 ($110.00) The grapes come from vines planted between 1950 – 1970, vinified with 30% whole-cluster fermentation, aged 16 months in barrel. “Here the wood treatment is not subtle though the notes of menthol and wood toast are not so strong as to overshadow the otherwise ultra-fresh and pure essence of highly spiced dark cherry, plum, and lavender. The medium-weight flavors possess a polished mouth feel thanks to the fine-grained tannins that also shape the velvety and sneaky long finish that is quite firm, indeed even a bit austere. This is a lovely Vosne villages that is clearly intended for long aging even though it’s a bit oaky at present so it will need a few years to fully integrate it. Allen Meadows – Burghound 89-91 points