A big shout out to Carol for yet again providing us with a super display of flowers in front of the shop. After the failure of the cosmos plants last year we decided to go with geraniums and dahlias this year. Despite the lack of direct sunshine this summer the plants have thrived and have given a decent display.

Thanks also to our army of waterers and deadheaders – Amanda and Trish – who keep things going so the display lasts for as long as possible.
And a final thank you to Shipston in Bloom for filling the tubs along the front with begonias, they have also done well. All in all we’ve enjoyed a nice colourful shop front this year.

Hello Digby! He’s a delightful black lab puppy full of energy. As you can imagine, we tried desperately to catch Digby with a bottle of Digby Fine English but would he sit still? Would he hell. So here he is without the bottle and looking majestic and ready to play.

Many thanks to Harry (and by proxy Charlotte) for bringing Digby in to see us. There is no competition with Chester here, is there? Good luck to Chester’s Mum and Dad with the house move.

Interestingly we have another young woofit looking for a name and Digby has been mentioned but dismissed. If you have any suggestions for what this little chap should be called let me know – and I’ll pass on your thoughts to the owner. Isn’t he cute? The dog that is, not David the owner (who I should say is NOT in the picture).

P.S. the ducklings still don’t have names yet and I think they have feathers now. I’ll see if C&E can send us another picture.

The point of the Guest Beer slot is to allow us to try something new, and occasionally something a bit different. After a string of delicious, perhaps some might say “predictable” IPAs, this week we have something a little ‘out there’.

Sour beer is not like normal beer. Unlike the sterile environment which is used to produce normal beer, sour beer is produced by encouraging naturally occurring wild yeasts and bacteria into the brew. The two most common microbes are Lactobacillus and Pediococcus, while the yeast Brettanomyces can also add acidity. Historically this natural method of production often resulted in fermentation taking months or even years, but modern methods have helped to speed up the process. The tart, sour taste of this type of beer is intentional.

We have had an IPA from Yonder Brewing before as a guest beer, so it seemed logical to go back to Yonder to try one of their sours. We have selected Blueberry Pie, which when we tried it showed a distinct sour cherry flavour. This certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste, but perhaps try one to share with friends. Everyone should experience a flavoured sour once in their life. This could be the week to do it. Very limited availability in the shop.

I did promise a bounty of New Ins this week, mainly because Esther has returned from her well-earned break and all of the new bottles are loaded onto the till. Here goes:

Staglin Family Vineyard

I hinted at the fact that we were going to make some serious investments in wines from the Napa Valley, California a little while back. Following on from the introduction of Chateau Montelena a few weeks ago (famed for it’s performance at the 1976 Judgement of Paris), I am delighted to announce the arrival of three wines from Staglin Family Vineyard. While the estate may have been acquired by the Staglin family as recently as 1985, the viticultural history of the vineyards stretches back to 1864. Located on the Rutherford Bench and benefiting from alluvial soils washed down from the Mayacamas mountains, the estate has just 51 acres under vine and is fully certified organic. Be under no doubt, these are serious Napa Valley wines, showing all of the characteristics of the environment in which the grapes are grown. We have chosen three wines, a Chardonnay and two Cabernet Sauvignons. To a degree the reds represent the two extremes of Napa which is why we have selected them.

2019 Staglin Family Vineyard Estate Chardonnay (£120) – the climatic conditions in 2019 were a little up and down. A wet winter was followed by a dry, sunny April and a rainy May. These conditions slowed down the ripening process, allowing the grapes to reach a good balance of fruit flavours, sugar content and retained acidity. The resulting wine is described as “autumnal”, with baked apple and poached pear, autumn spices, some saline notes and a clean finish.

2015 Staglin Family Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (£250) – the 2015 Estate is a full expression of Cabernet from this producer. A near-perfect growing season resulted in fully ripe grapes, with the 2015 harvest taking place earlier than in any of the previous 12 vintages. This is Napa Valley decadence, with rich, intense dark fruits, tannins that show themselves but still have a silky quality that integrate perfectly with the concentrated fruit profile. I rather like Staglin’s description for this wine: “the perfect hug from a distant relative” – I couldn’t resist including it here.

2011 Staglin Family Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (£195) – 2011 was in contrast a trickier climatic year. A long, wet winter and difficult spring resulted in poor fruit set, reducing yields. A sunnier period followed, allowing grapes to ripen with lower-than-usual sugar levels and high acidity. Much more akin to a European growing season, the outcome in the bottle is a more restrained expression of Napa Cabernet, similar in many ways to a well crafted top end Bordeaux. In many circles it has been more popular in the UK because of our preference for Bordeaux-style wines. The 2011 may represent an easier introduction to California for those with more traditional tastes.

Fizz:
Ruinart NV Rose (£70) – to add to our stocks of Ruinart NV Brut and Ruinart NV Blanc de Blancs.

White:
Pieropan Soave Classico “La Rocca” (£33) – one of our lovely customers asked if we could source this wine, the issue is I have forgotten which one of you it was. If you are reading this and it rings a bell, pop in and grab some bottles before the hoards scoop them up.

Red:
2020 Minimalist Wines Stars In The Dark (£30, Cape Agulhas, South Africa) – a Sam Lambson wine made from 100% Syrah, we had just 6 bottles of this wine from the 2019 vintage and it sold out immediately on arrival. This is a superb red wine for lovers Syrah. Sam is making wines in a style similar to those from the Northern Rhone. Produced from vines on the very tip of South Africa where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean. This wine has already achieved ‘cult’ status and we are only in the third vintage.

Aged Claret:
2000 Rauzan Segla (Margaux)
1996 Duhart Milon (Pauillac)

….and finally….
1996 Chateau Margaux – for those who like the finer, or should I say exquisite things in life.

Tonight’s car has been a regular visitor to the shop over the years but it was only the other day that I realised it hadn’t been the car of the week. So here we have it – a delightful Mazda MX5 Mark 1 Monza. All Monzas were finished in British Racing Green, with the spec being less-is-more, focusing on the pure roadster driving experience. This car still has its original Monza decals on the bonnet and side panels, rare to see.

Many thanks to David for bringing the car over to see us (on a frequent basis). You keep it in such excellent condition. Oh, and the sherry is in the fridge, in case we forget when you next pop in.

That concludes another edition of the Sheldon’s Drivel. It seems the summer came and went this week. Nice to have two days of sunshine I suppose. Shame it didn’t last. On the upside I think this weekend is supposed to be dry. You may find a few of us at the Moreton Beer Festival tomorrow evening, seems like too good an opportunity to miss. Until then Trish and I will be on duty in the shop so perhaps see some of you tomorrow.