Traveling to Tuscany? Here is the Best Contact: Ilaria Tachis
Want to travel to Tuscany? Rent a villa; visit cellars; go shopping; outlets, etc., contact Ilaria Tachis, who has the keys to open most doors in Tuscany (and elsewhere in Italy.). Ilaria.tachis@bcc.tin.it, or via Pisignano 34, 50020 San Casciano V.P. (FI) Italy. View her website:
www.atuscandream.it
Ehrhardt Estates Petite Sirah 2003 Clarksburg
Ehrhardt Petite Sirah 2003 is an inky black wine that has wonderful fragrance and flavor, belying its rather fierce appearance. It is a delicious red, particularly for deep flavored dishes served this time of year. I cannot imagine a better accompaniment to a good braise of beef or lamb or a wonderful stew. The sheer seductiveness of this wine is amazing. It is perfect for drinking now. I cannot imagine a more satisfying wine from the variety.
We have 13 cases left.
Clarksburg, just south of Sacramento, produces two wines, which, in my estimation, are rarely equaled in California. They are Chenin Blanc and Petite Sirah. It seems that these two varieties are really at home in the deep soils of the Delta region. It is warm during the day and the Delta breezes from San Francisco Bay cool it at night. The Ehrhardt Estate is one of the oldest farming properties in the area.
A very easy way to make your holiday remembrance to a tea loving friend is to select one or more of our teas from famed tea merchant Wing-chi Ip and his Hong Kong tea house Lock Cha (Happy Tea). We have many types of exquisite oolong teas, two white teas and young Pu-erh tea, for laying down for further ripening and aging. A splendid gift would be a 7 cake “tung,” of 2009 Pu-erh, wrapped in bamboo leaves and tied with bamboo strips. It can be aged for 20-30-50 or more years, gaining in quality and rarity with the passage of time.
