Season’s greetings! Thank you for shopping at Paris-Madrid Grocery this year. It’s been delightful to hear about your travels, menus, and wine tastings during this crazy year of uncertainty. Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and safe New Year.
Our holiday hours are:
Friday, December 31, New Year’s Eve, Open regular hours (10 AM-6 PM)
Saturday, January 1, New Year’s Day, CLOSED
Sunday, January 2, Open regular hours (11 AM-5 PM)
New Cheeses: A plethora of incredible holiday cheeses arrived late last week. They came in later than expected but now that they’re here, pick up a luscious array of cheeses for New Year’s!
Ferme de la Tremblaye Farmstead cheeses:
Tremblaye Brie Jouvence Fermier is made exclusively with milk from the farm’s own animals, produced and aged in the traditional manner all on their farm. Certified biodynamic, it is one of the only farmstead Bries available in the U.S. Sweetly earthy with a soft, creamy texture it has buttery mushroom notes with a more intense & nutty finish. This is an authentic Brie, which although pasteurized is the closest that you can get to a raw milk Brie of old.
Tremblaye Camembert Jouvence Fermier echoes the mushroom and butter flavors of the Brie Fermier but with the vegetal notes toned down. Its aroma is mustier, with a suggestion of herbs. The texture is more uniform, on the springy side but still creamy.
Located about an hour southwest of Paris, the tiny Tremblaye farm has 150 Jersey + Holstein cows and 350 Alpines Chamoisees + Murciana Granadina goats. The farm is certified biodynamic and is also full circle in its energy requirements, self-sustaining for the farm’s needs but also providing electricity for 600 houses in the village of La Boissiere Ecole.
Explorateur Triple Creme – Invented during the 1950’s space-age, it’s named after the first U.S. satellite Explorer and has the rocket on its label. Made from pasteurized cow’s milk, Explorateur is a soft-ripened, triple creme cheese with a bloomy, edible rind and a fat content of 75%. With a fluffy texture, it is buttery rich, with subtle flavors of mushrooms and truffles. This is wonderful with Champagne.
Beaufort d’Été is a raw-milk cow cheese from Savoie. The cow’s summer diet of fresh grass and flowers lends extra flavor components to the cheese. Its texture is smooth and creamy, and its flavor is nutty and floral-reminiscent of a traditional Gruyere, but subtler and with deeper nuance and complexity. Enjoy with rustic bread or melt it into fondue. It would also pair wonderfully with a tawny port.
Comte, aged 30 months Matured on boards of spruce in humid caves where it develops a thick rind. Intense buttery flavors with hints of caramel notes and salt crystals throughout. Rich, sharp, and nutty with grassy flavors and hints of dried fruit. Makes a fantastic croque-monsieur! (Croque-Monsieur is similar to an American grilled ham and cheese sandwich but taken up a notch by brushing the bread with French butter and perhaps filling it with bechamel sauce. Then it’s grilled or broiled until it’s reached toasty deliciousness with soft and runny cheese).
Brie de Nangis – Creamy texture with a subtle buttery flavor, hints of earthiness, and a salty tang.
Try these cheeses before the onset of January’s cleansing diet.
Now in stock: Sliced and packaged Saucisson Lynnaisse with pistachios, Jambon de Bayonne, and Jambon de Paris for making Croque-Monsieurs.
Individual Duck Foie Gras Terrines: A 6-ounce terrine of 100% Duck Liver Foie Gras made with Cognac and spices. Pork-free, fully cooked, and ready to enjoy.
Stop in and let us make you a New Year’s stay-at-home assortment! We’ll select an array of fantastic cheeses, pâté, or small terrines with cornichons, olives, vegetable or fish spreads, and crackers with a bottle of champagne or wine, according to your preferences. To order, you may stop in at the store, reply to this e-mail, or call us by 2:00 p.m. on 12/31, New Year’s Eve. Let us know any food preferences or allergies
NEW YEAR’S BUBBLES:
Champagne Boizel Grand Vintage 2008 ($94.00) A fantastic price for vintage champagne that spends 8 years on the lees and is sourced largely from Grand Cru sites. This cuvée is 50% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, and 50% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims. A unique expression of the vintage, the Grand Vintage is only produced in the best years.
“A skein of fragrant spice unwinds through flavors of plum, pineapple, smoked almond and pink grapefruit zest, firming the well-cut backbone of acidity and the lively, lacy mousse. Offers a crisp, minerally finish. Drink now through 2025” 92 Wine Spectator Founded in 1834, Champagne Boizel is one of the oldest champagne houses with the 6th generation now in charge.
Champagne Moutard Rosé de Cuvaison Brut ($40.00) 100% Pinot Noir macerated on the skins in wooden vats for 4 days and then fermented until the desired density is reached, before bottling and further aging. The grapes for this champagne are grown in the Côte des Bar, a warmer area that allows Pinot to thrive and produces a bolder fruit note. The beautiful coral color is ever-so festive looking in the glass. “Ripe raspberry, cherry, graphite, and blood orange notes leap from the glass, riding a satiny bead and married to mouthwatering acidity on the palate. Bright and expressive, with a chalky, lingering finish.” 92 points Wine Spectator
L. Aubry Fils Brut, NV, 1er ($48.00) One of our go-to champagnes for its incredible price-to-enjoyment ratio. 35% Chardonnay, 30% Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir, 5% Arbanne, Petit Meslier and Fromenteau. 50% of the blend is the 2017 base vintage and 50% is from the perpetual reserve going back to 1998. The fruit comes from four Premier Cru villages – Jouy-lès-Reims, Villedommange, Pargny-lès-Reims, and Coulommes-la-Montagne. Undergoes malolactic fermentation. The Chardonnay is aged in used barrique, and the remainder in stainless steel, then the blend is aged on the lees for 24+ months. “A creamy viscosity complements the texture of this harmonious version. An accessible crowd-pleaser, with lightly juicy acidity and delicate flavors of chopped almond, baked pear, saline, and citrus.” 91 points Wine Spectator
Avinyó Brut Reserva Cava 2018, Penedés ($18.99) This beautifully crafted, organic cava looks so unpretentious but it really overdelivers for a modest price! 60% Macabeo, 25% Xarel-lo, 15% Parellada fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged 18-24 months on lees. Fresh and bright notes of orchard fruit have a toasty note. Rich brioche flavors are lively with beautiful bubbles, and a persistent, delicious finish.