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Chateau Purcari — Freedom Blend Tribute Edition

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Chateau Purcari — Freedom Blend Tribute Edition “The heart of Georgia, the terroir of Moldova, the free spirit of the Ukraine.” 65% Saperavi, 20% Rara Neagra, 15% Bastardo Indigenous grape varieties from each nation: Saperavi— Georgia— late ripening, high yield, high altitude, hardy grape Bastardo (cross of Trousseau & Saperavi)- -Ukraine Rara Neagra— Moldova Aged for 12 months in French oak barrique Color- ruby Viscosity- high Nose- leather, ripe red berries, Acid- low medium Body- medium Tannin- soft, medium Flavors of overripe strawberries, blackberries, vanilla The History At the end of the 12th century, the region surrounding the Moldovan village of Purcari and the Agon Zograf monastery vineyards were already recognized as favorable land for viniculture. This land, being in the heart of the special terroir, made Moldova’s wine industry a major sector of Southern Europe’s economy.  French settlers recognized similarities with Bordeaux in France in climate and soil. They then partnered with the monastery and began producing special vintages from Purcari in the 18th century. In 1827,  Emperor of Russia Nicholas I issued a special decree that gave Purcari special status as the first specialized winery in Bessarabia. It took two decades for Purcari to win its first gold medal in the competition. The Paris World Expo saw Negru de Purcari win its first gold medal in the International Exhibition, surprising French wine experts with a dry wine with an intense ruby color that was NOT from Bordeaux. For a long time after this, Purcari wines were as popular as wines from Burgundy or Bordeaux, being served to European Royalty such as Emperor Nicholas II, King George V, and Queen Victoria of Great Britain. In 1950 (after World War II), Purcari entered a new era with the Moldovan winemakers restoring classic production techniques. Wineries were rebuilt, new…

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Pairings Spirits Wine

Double Pairing with Four Kicks

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Double Pairings with Four Kicks

Double Pairing of Crowned Heads Four Kicks LE 2021 with 2016 Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage Les Jalet and Milam & Greene Triple Cask Bourbon Straight Blend Often times you’ll come across a cigar that you’ll want to pair with multiple drinks. The Four Kicks LE 2021 by Crowned Heads fit this category. I knew that with its profile it was a cigar that I wanted to pair with a full-bodied red wine and with a blended whiskey. For the wine I chose the 2016 Crozes-Hermitage Les Jalets by Paul Jaboulet Aîné and for the whiskey I went with the Triple Cask Bourbon Straight Blend from Milam & Greene. Cigar: The Crowned Heads with its Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper open up some some coffee notes along with some leathery and earthy notes both on the cold draw and the initial draws.  The coffee notes while subtle at first slowly build up and the earthy notes become more prominent over the leather notes, reminding me of a dusty dirt pathway while hiking through the woods. The back of the draw brings out some sweet cooking spices, nutmeg, and hints of white pepper that was also present on the retro-hale.   Wine: The 2016 Crozes-Hermitage Les Jalets by Paul Jaboulet Aîné was an absolute joy to drink. I had the opportunity to taste this Syrah from Rhone for the Wine Society of a local Wine and Spirits shop. In tasting this, I was able to enjoy the wine by itself, with some food, and then finally with a cigar.   The bouquet has some subtle hits of citrus along with some earthy barnyard notes. Reminding me of walking through a barn and out into an orchard on a spring morning.  This experience continued on into the first tasting of the wine with the citrus notes…

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Pairings Wine

Clos De La Butte Muscadet paired with a Mil Dias LE 2021

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Clos De La Butte Muscadet with a Mil Dias LE 2021

Clos De La Butte Muscadet paired with a Mil Dias LE 2021 I was challenged the other day to pair a cigar with white wine. Let me tell you that my experience with white wines is still minimal, but I’m not one to avoid many challenges. Upon accepting this challenge, I had to approach it a little differently than I have other pairings and chose a white wine, learned about the grape, and then chose a cigar I was familiar with. For this pairing, I chose the Clos De La Butte Muscadet from Eric Chevalier.  The Muscadet is a lighter-bodied dry white wine which presents a challenge in pairing because you don’t want the cigar to overpower the notes of the wine.  The cigar I chose for this pairing is the Mil Dias LE 2021 from Crowned Heads. So, let’s get into the notes and see how this turns out for us. Wine: The Muscadet opens up with a nice bouquet with Oakey, grassy notes that also have subtle floral and fruity notes.  On the palate, the wine opens up very crisp with strong citrus notes and a bit of acidity, refreshing on a hot summer day. As the body opens up, you may notice that a bit of the Oakey grassy notes is present with hints of green apple and pear, bringing you a nice medium finish to close out.  Cigar: The Mil Dias has long been one of my favorite cigars, so for me, there wasn’t any question about choosing the LE 2021 for this pairing.  The cold draw on the cigar has a lot of leathery notes, reminding me of opening a brand-new pair of boots you just got home from the store. On the initial draw, I got some creamy, nutty notes similar to cashews with…

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