- Sante South - April 4, 2013
Spring has sprung and again, it is time for one of the top wine events in the entire country–Sante South Wine Festival. This year we return to Highland Village for the festivities and it is sure to be a memorable one. More than thirty winemakers from all over the world will convene in Jackson for wine tasting and good conversation. Wine growing regions represented include California, Oregon, Germany, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand and Spain.This year’s Sante South will be on Saturday, April 13. The VIP Tasting is 6:30-7:30 p.m. and the Grand Tasting will begin immediately after from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. This year is the ninth for Sante South and the event, as always, will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association of Mississippi.
What makes Sante South unique is the opportunity to meet and get to know internationally renowned vintners and winemakers who have come to Jackson to show their wines. Our little wine festival gets more vintners/winemakers and has much better wine selections than either Sandestin’s or New Orleans’ events.
Sante South will also feature a silent auction replete with rare wines, exclusive tastings, wine country packages, and more! In addition, many of the state’s top restaurants will be offering selected fare for enjoying with the wines. Tickets are $80 for the Grand Tasting and $125 for the VIP Tasting and can be purchased by visiting http://santesouth.com/or by calling 601-987-0020.
This year’s participants can be found by visiting http://santesouth.com/wineries. And as usual, Colony Wine Market will have for sale all the wines shown at Sante South.
- Sante South, That's What! - March 29, 2013
The arrival of spring brings the premier wine event in the state–Sante South. This year we return to Highland Village for the festivities and it is sure to be a memorable one. Over thirty winemakers from all over the world will convene in Jackson for wine tasting and good conversation. Wine growing regions represented include California, Oregon, Germany, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand and Spain.
This year’s Sante will be on Saturday, April 13. The VIP Tasting is 6:30-7:30 p.m. and the Grand Tasting will begin immediately after from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. This year is the ninth for Sante South and the event, as always, will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association of Mississippi.
What makes Sante South unique is the opportunity to meet and get to know internationally renowned vintners and winemakers who have come to Jackson to show their wines. Our little wine festival gets more vintners/winemakers and has much better wine selections than either Sandestin’s or New Orleans’ events.
Sante South will also feature a silent auction replete with rare wines, exclusive tastings, wine country packages, and more! In addition, most of the state’s top restaurants will be offering selected fare for enjoying with the wines. Tickets are $80 for the Grand Tasting and $125 for the VIP Tasting and can be purchased by visiting http://santesouth.com/or by calling 601-987-0020.
This year’s participants can be found by visiting http://santesouth.com/wineries. And as usual, Colony Wine Market will have for sale all the wines shown at Sante South. - Larressingle V.S.O.P. Armagnac - February 19, 2013
Nearly everyone has sipped a Cognac at one time or another, but few brandy enthusiasts have more than a passing familiarity with Armagnac. Armagnac and Cognac are sibling regions, so to speak, and we might think of Armagnac as the big brother. More intense and powerful than Cognac, brandies from Armagnac have a rustic edge that complements the intense fruit and spice profile of the spirit.
Chateau de Larressingle is located in the northern reaches of Armagnac, which sits southeast of Bordeaux in France’s Gascony region. This V.S.O.P Armagnac is distilled from the Folle Blanche and Saint-Emilion (Ugni Blanc) grapes, and is blended from spirits that have been aged for no less than eight years; this is twice the region’s minimum aging requirement of four years in barrel to bear the V.S.O.P. designation.
Straight from bottle, the nose offers intense notes of ripe bosc pear, oxidized Granny Smith apple, coriander, nutmeg, and allspice, with faint undertones of stone fruit and chalk. When left in the glass for a few minutes, the spice emerges and begins to push the fruit to the background. The spice component pushes through initially on the palate, after which ripe green apple, dried date and fig, hints of prune, and straw emerge. Interestingly, the finish turns to candied red cherry after twenty or thirty seconds, which, combined with the astringency imparted by eight years in barrel leaves the taster with an unmistakable impression of red Burgundy.
This stunning brandy should be served neat, in a white wine glass or snifter.
*In a rare addendum to our review, we must note that this is one of the most complex and interesting spirits we have tasted in any price range. The evolution of the nose and the palate over time is simply astonishing.
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