Wines of the Month – 2010 Shaya Verdejo & 2010 Rio Madre Graciano

October 25, 2012 · by BishopsStock ·

Featured wines for November are 2010 Shaya Verdejo from Rueda, Spain and 2010 Rio Madre Graciano from Rioja, Spain

2010 Shaya Verdejo Old Vines $16

This is a bright, green-tinged straw colored wine. Intense green apple, pear skin and lime aromas are complimented by white pepper and herbs. On the palate the wine is taut and refreshingly bitter, with attractive herbal and mineral accents to the ripe citrus and orchard fruit flavors. Finishes clean and long, with an echoing peppery note. Alcohol 13.5%

2010 Rio Madre Graciano $13

Rioja winemakers use Graciano grapes to add a floral bouquet to many blends. Rarely has it been used on its own. It was discovered several years ago Bodegas y Llurce Rio Madre was producing estate owned grapes on 20 year old vines that could stand on their own. This wine is rich, savory and luscious and tastes like a cross between Grenache and Tempranillo. The palate starts sweet and sappy with juicy red currant and blackberry fruit, good acidity then ends with a dash of spice sprinkled over the finish. Alcohol: 14%

Filed Under: Wine · Tagged: Featured wine, Graciano, Rio Madre, Rioja, Rueda, Shaya, Spain, Verdejo

Artist of the Month Ann Hayden

October 2, 2012 · by BishopsStock ·

Ann Hayden

In 2009, Ann Hayden waved goodbye to midtown Manhattan and a creative director career in advertising, to paint full time on Virginia’s eastern shore. As featured artist at Bishop’s Stock for October, Ann’s new work, a collection named Flyby, focuses on birds in flight.
“Lately, I’m caught up with the sculptural quality of the birds I see around our house. Osprey, heron, gulls…as well as enormous flocks of geese, blackbirds, etc. They can be so sleek, other times so heavy. Their shapes are endlessly fun to paint, full of curves and surprises.”

Ann grew up in Buffalo, New York, where the nearby Albright Knox Art Gallery was full of American abstract art. Experiences of running through that gallery as a kid, with huge Klein’s and Motherwell’s and Clifford Stills, are creeping into her painting, especially evident in the use of black, strong colors, and plenty of open air.

This will be her Ann’s fifth featured show since 2009, and her debut at Bishop’s Stock.

Filed Under: Art · Tagged: contemporary art, Featured Artist, large format, oil on canvas

Wines of the Month – 2010 L’Ecole No. 41 Semillon & 2009 Milbrandt Traditions Merlot

October 2, 2012 · by BishopsStock ·

Featured wines for October are 2010 L’Ecole No. 41 Semillon and 2009 Milbrandt Traditions Merlot from the Columbia Valley, Washington State

2010 L’Ecole No. 41 Semillon $18

Remarkably brilliant with vibrant fruit and balanced acidity, this wine shows fragrant citrus blossom and honey aromas, with pretty layers of lemon bar, apricot and key lime expanding on a balanced finish. Few Semillons show their richness and complexity as those produced in Washington State. Our cool harvest nights help to ensure crisp natural acidity, making this a wonderful food pairing wine. This wine received 89 points from Wine Advocate. Alcohol: 14.5%

2009 Milbrandt Traditions Merlot $17

Eastern Washington is known for producing some of the best Merlot in the world. Traditions Merlot is a deep garnet red featuring aromas of ripe stone fruit and rich notes of vanilla, mocha and caramel. The flavors are ripe and generous with berries, cocoa and vanilla. On the palate the wine is fresh and vital, playing out its blackberry and floral flavors on an open-weave bed of refined tannins. This wine is very approachable and polished with velvety tannins. Alcohol: 13.5%

Filed Under: Wine · Tagged: Columbia Valley, Featured wine, L'Ecole No. 41, Merlot, Milbrant Vineyards, Semillon, Washington State

Artist of the Month Leslie Belloso

August 9, 2012 · by BishopsStock ·

Leslie Belloso

Leslie Belloso was born in the Philippines and moved to Crisfield on Maryland’s Eastern Shore during middle school. Her aptitude in art, particularly painting and drawing, was evident in high school. However she put art aside during college to pursue a career in medicine.

It was not until her second year of internal medicine residency in 2001 that she began to take art classes at the Maryland Institute and College of Art in Baltimore. The classes reawakened her passion for painting. Since then she has felt a persistent pull to create art. She has since taken workshops from top artists around the U.S.

However the turning point came in the summer of 2009 when the incredible opportunity arose for her to study with the master painter and brilliant colorist Louis Escobedo in Easton, Maryland. In the fall of 2009, she decided to take the leap into a career in art. She has taken time off from her medical career to concentrate on painting (and on her family.)

Currently she paints almost exclusively from life. She paints still lifes, portraits, figures, and landscapes. Striving to get the feeling and the gesture of a subject through her brushstrokes and color, she is an abstract artist at heart.

Leslie has made a commitment to art and is beginning to get recognition and awards for her paintings. Her most recent awards include Honorable Mentions in both “Paint Annapolis”, and “Dueling Brushes” in 2010, as well as “Best In Show” in Easton’s Local Color Competition in July 2011.

Filed Under: Art · Tagged: Featured Artist, Leslie Belloso, painting, Still Life