Celebrate Maryland Day with Mills by tasting some great beer brewed in Maryland by Union Brewing! Save 15% if you choose to purchase any of the beer. This is a complimentary tasting, no reservations required.
Sample our current favorites for the month, 6 sampled on Saturday and 6 on Sunday, all representing great values and pairing well with seasonally appropriate foods.
Tasting Saturday
Hugel Gentil 2013 White Blend, Alsace, France
24% Pinot Gris, 19% Gewurztraminer, 15% Riesling, 40% Sylvaner and Pinot Blanc, 2% Muscat. A light bodied, appealing palate of green melon, apricot, spice and citrus zest. This is a great starter wine if you’d like to explore Alsation wines! Try this with lobster, fish, sushi and lightly spicy Indian or Mexican dishes.
Regularly: $13.99
Mills Club: $12.59
Case Price: $11.19
Butternut 2012 Chardonnay, California
Looking for a great new buttery/oaky Chardonnay that’s reasonably priced? The name says it all in this Chardonnay with grapes sourced from Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Monterey! Aromas of peach, hazelnut, and spiced candied apple accent round, beautifully creamy notes of fig, butterscotch and sweet oak. Pair with eggs benedict, rich fish such as turbot, rich cheeses, and late harvest vegetables such as squash or pumpkin (i.e. pumpkin ravioli!)
Regularly: $16.99
Mills Club: $15.29
Case Price: $13.59
Babich 2010 Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand
Our love affair continues with a highly underrated category: New Zealand Pinot Noir! New Zealand has been producing Pinot Noir for about the last 20 years and are establishing a respectable presence. The New York Times declared Babich an “excellent value in Pinot Noir,” and we couldn’t agree more. The bouquet is a mix of strawberry, plus, and savory forest floor. Strawberry is also on the palate with a touch of earthy spice, with finely textured tannins produce a soft and supple wine. Try with game dishes such as quail, turkey and duck, salmon, or pork or lamb dishes.
Regular Price: $19.99
Mills Club: $17.99
Case Price: $15.99
Joseph Carr 2012 Merlot, California
If you enjoy Merlot from St.-Emilion in Bordeaux, you must try this wine! This is a delicious 100% Merlot, sourced from Oak Knoll and Yountville within Napa Valley. Enjoy cherries, blackberries, porcini mushroom, violet, coffee and rosemary on the nose and palate. Balanced acidity and elegant tannins lead to a long finish- pair with roast chicken, roast duck, or beef bourguignon. Joseph Carr also created the very popular “Josh” wines- he has a knack for producing great wines that provide a superb value.
Regular Price: $23.99
Special Sale Price: $19.19
Montes Alpha 2011 Malbec, Chile
Red fruit, clove, spices and black pepper mark this soft, elegant wine with silky tannins and a long, delightful finish, rated 91pts by James Suckling. 12 months of French oak barrel aging impart superior complexity in aroma and flavor. This wine would compliment leg of lamb or lamb burgers.
Regularly: $29.99
Mills Club: $26.99
Case Price: $23.99
Alias 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, California
93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Syrah. This is a serious value wine! Tea and tobacco on the nose and big blackberry, dried cherry and chocolate on the palate, this wine is very smooth and has a wonderfully long finish. Try with a steak, braised beef, or barbecue.
Regular Price: $12.99
Mills Club: $11.69
Case Price: $10.39
Tasting Sunday
Clovelly 2013 Vidal Blanc, Maryland
This Vidal Blanc has a bright nose of orange rind and litchi and melon and vanilla wafer on the palate, with a touch of spiciness on the finish. The Gibbons-Neff family established Clovelly Farm, located in Chestertown overlooking the Chester River, and has been operating it for several generations. This dry wine would pair wonderfully with a cheese platter, salads, fruit, or chicken dishes.
Regularly: $21.99
Mills Club: $19.79
Case Price: $17.59
Alexander Valley Vineyards 2014 Rose of Sangiovese, California
Alexander Valley consistently makes what is considered one of the best if not the best domestic rose in the country, receiving accolades year after year. Aromas of guava, watermelon, raspberry and flavors of peach and berry with a hint of minerality on the palate keep you coming back for more. Try with salad or appetizers.
Regular Price: $13.99
Mills Club: $12.59
Case Price: $11.19
Paul Jaboulet Aine “Parallele 45” Blanc, Rhone, France
This is a delicious white Cotes du Rhone, a blend of 50% Grenache Blanc, 20% Marsanne, 20% Viognier and 10% Bourboulenc grown 2km from the 45th North parralel-the nearby village of Pont de I’lsere has monument bearing the inscription “the south begins here.” Wonderfully aromatic with aromas and flavors of white flowers and citrus fruit, this would pair beautifully with mussels, salmon, or white fish.
Regular Price: $12.99
Mills Club: $11.69
Case Price: $10.39
DFJ Vinhos 2009 Grand’Arte Touriga Nacional, Portugal
This is a knockout value that earned 92pts and a “Best Buy” designation from Wine Enthusiast magazine. The combination of blackberry fruit and firm, dark tannins provide plenty of complexity. Try this big, dry wine with rich, mature cheeses, robust meats, or sausages-great with food off the grill!
Regularly: $15.99
Mills Club: $14.39
Case Price: $12.79
Fox Creek 2012 Shiraz “Short Row”, McLaren Vale, Australia
Fruit from Fox Creek’s best McLaren Vale parcels form this wine that is aged in French and American oak barrels for 19months, making it and intense and rich Shiraz. Rated 92pts by Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, “Sexy, oak-spiced aromas of cherry compote, blueberry and vanilla, with a smoky nuance building with air. Fleshy and sweet on the palate, offering intense black and blue fruit flavors lifted by a juicy acidity. Dusty tannins come up late and add shape to the very long, smooth, intensely fruity finish.” Pair with roasted or grilled meats!
Regular Price: $24.99
Mills Club: $22.49
Case Price: $19.99
Chateau Maris 2011 “Natural Selection” Syrah, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
Chateau Maris is a new producer for us, an impressive example of biodynamic and organic farming in Southern France. This is 85% Syrah with 15% Grenache, rated 91pts The Wine Advocate, “This Syrah is a smoking effort hat gives up perfumed kirsch, toasted spice and licorice aromas and flavors in a medium to full-bodied, voluptuous and textured package. It has a great midpalate, loads of fruit and a beautifully balanced, layered feel.” Pair with cheeseburgers or flank steak off the grill.
Regularly: $19.99
Mills Club: $17.99
Case Price: $15.99
Tasting Sunday
Clovelly 2013 Vidal Blanc, Maryland
This Vidal Blanc has a bright nose of orange rind and litchi and melon and vanilla wafer on the palate, with a touch of spiciness on the finish. The Gibbons-Neff family established Clovelly Farm, located in Chestertown overlooking the Chester River, and has been operating it for several generations. This dry wine would pair wonderfully with a cheese platter, salads, fruit, or chicken dishes.
Regularly: $21.99
Mills Club: $19.79
Case Price: $17.59
Alexander Valley Vineyards 2014 Rose of Sangiovese, California
Alexander Valley consistently makes what is considered one of the best if not the best domestic rose in the country, receiving accolades year after year. Aromas of guava, watermelon, raspberry and flavors of peach and berry with a hint of minerality on the palate keep you coming back for more. Try with salad or appetizers.
Regular Price: $13.99
Mills Club: $12.59
Case Price: $11.19
Paul Jaboulet Aine “Parallele 45” Blanc, Rhone, France
This is a delicious white Cotes du Rhone, a blend of 50% Grenache Blanc, 20% Marsanne, 20% Viognier and 10% Bourboulenc grown 2km from the 45th North parralel-the nearby village of Pont de I’lsere has monument bearing the inscription “the south begins here.” Wonderfully aromatic with aromas and flavors of white flowers and citrus fruit, this would pair beautifully with mussels, salmon, or white fish.
Regular Price: $12.99
Mills Club: $11.69
Case Price: $10.39
DFJ Vinhos 2009 Grand’Arte Touriga Nacional, Portugal
This is a knockout value that earned 92pts and a “Best Buy” designation from Wine Enthusiast magazine. The combination of blackberry fruit and firm, dark tannins provide plenty of complexity. Try this big, dry wine with rich, mature cheeses, robust meats, or sausages-great with food off the grill!
Regularly: $15.99
Mills Club: $14.39
Case Price: $12.79
Fox Creek 2012 Shiraz “Short Row”, McLaren Vale, Australia
Fruit from Fox Creek’s best McLaren Vale parcels form this wine that is aged in French and American oak barrels for 19months, making it and intense and rich Shiraz. Rated 92pts by Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, “Sexy, oak-spiced aromas of cherry compote, blueberry and vanilla, with a smoky nuance building with air. Fleshy and sweet on the palate, offering intense black and blue fruit flavors lifted by a juicy acidity. Dusty tannins come up late and add shape to the very long, smooth, intensely fruity finish.” Pair with roasted or grilled meats!
Regular Price: $24.99
Mills Club: $22.49
Case Price: $19.99
Chateau Maris 2011 “Natural Selection” Syrah, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
Chateau Maris is a new producer for us, an impressive example of biodynamic and organic farming in Southern France. This is 85% Syrah with 15% Grenache, rated 91pts The Wine Advocate, “This Syrah is a smoking effort hat gives up perfumed kirsch, toasted spice and licorice aromas and flavors in a medium to full-bodied, voluptuous and textured package. It has a great midpalate, loads of fruit and a beautifully balanced, layered feel.” Pair with cheeseburgers or flank steak off the grill.
Regularly: $19.99
Mills Club: $17.99
Case Price: $15.99