Salut! POE Rose
Note - this post was first published 05.23.2015
Rose wines are the most interesting thing this Spring. Refreshing, crisp, dry, fragrant, with inciting color. Also a great wine to pair for appetizers through the main course. Recently, we had one of our favorites so far: Poe Rose 2014.
POE Wines produces small production, single vineyard wines, focusing on Pinot Noir. This stunning Rose is unique because it is made from Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir (the grapes most often used together for champagne). Salut!
Our food pairing - The main course:
Roasted lemon chicken breast: recipe here
Side dish - roasted butternut squash with thyme
The Wine. The Dinner
Note - this post was originally published 04.23.2015
Sauvignon Blanc is the latest grape gaining respect here in Napa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is still king and commands the highest price. Many of the top or cult wineries in the valley have added a stand out SB to their portfolio.
What I like about this change is the opportunity to taste site-specific SB's that due to selective vineyard sites show unique traits and elegance beyond the crisp, refreshing wine we enjoy. I hinted at this in our post about Rudd's Mt. Veeder Sauvignon Blanc. I also recommend checking out this article published in The Wall Street journal last year about serious SB's.
This leads to me to the SB we enjoyed this week with dinner.
The wine: SR Tonella Cellars Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc 2014. This wine is unique in that the grapes were sourced from the west bench in Rutherford and that the wine was aged in a combination of neutral French Oak, Acacia, and Stainless steel - resulting in a lovely SB with light aromatics, a round, lush palate, with minerality and acidity on the finish that won't tire your palate.
The dinner: Vegetable curry served with fresh cheese, lime wedges, and tortilla chips.
Salut!
Salut! Covenant Cabernet
Note - this post was originally published 04.14.2015
Sometimes, a special not-so-little bottle doesn't need a food to pair with, just a little introduction.
This week we enjoyed a glass of Covenant Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004. Covenant Wines is located in Berkley and produces natural wines made with indigenous yeasts, and with out fining or filtration. Lush with refined tannins, beautiful color, and subdued red fruit flavors, this Kosher wine is ready to share.
Salut!
From Our Table to Yours
Note - this post was originally published 04.12.2015
I love nights when culinary inspiration strikes our kitchen and my mood lends itself to a great pairing. Tonight's wine: Rudd Mt. Veeder Sauvignon Blanc 2012. If you ever have an opportunity to enjoy this wine, take it. It is spectacular and not your every-day Sauvignon Blanc. The pairing: Salvadorean Pupusas with Pickled Cabbage. Yum.
This takes a little time, but is well worth the effort for this little satisfying meal. So pop the cork, pour yourself a glass, and make the beans ahead of time. We prefer pinto beans. Rinse the beans, and boil them for a couple hours until tender. Don't forget to add a little salt. (Can be done the day before and stored in the refridgerator)
Tonight I started with the Pickled Cabbage Salad. I used 1/4 the ingredients for our dinner for two, and this recipe from Smitten Kitchen.
Pupusas - I used a reduced version of this recipe: Fried the beans, made a mixture of corn meal and water, and lightly fried the pupusas in canola oil. No cheese, no onion, no masa. Delicious.
Salut!
Good Wine: Kale Rosé
Note - this post was originally published 04.01.2015
We have a unique opportunity here in Napa Valley - access to small production, high quality wines. From our dinner table to yours, we thought we'd start including some of our recent favorites.
Good wine: Kale Napa Valley Dry Rosé 2013
Juicy, lush, refreshing. This wine was an excellent accompaniment to dinner and enjoyable on its own to sip and relax.
"Who makes wine from kale?" Luckily, the answer to that is still, no-one, that I'm aware. Turns out Kale is the name of the winemaker; Kale Anderson (whose resume includes Colgin, Cliff Lede, and Pahlmeyer) produces wines with his wife Ranko under their own label Kale Wines. "I make wine with my senses, and I use science to gauge risk." - Kale
This Rosé is comprised of 68% Grenache and 38% Syrah. The fruit was sourced from Rutherford and Atlas Peak. The wine was bottled unfined. Only 176 cases produced.
Salut!
Backyard Tourist: Napa Valley
Note - this post was originally published 03.22.2015
It's great when you get a restaurant recommendation based on the wine list. Restaurants should have amazing food and presentation. But what if you want to start your meal with an awesome glass of wine and make your food selection based on the wine?
The Napa Valley Vintners organization released its "2015 Napa Valley Wine List Award" to recognize restaurants that support great local wines (the list isn't short - we are talking Napa Valley). Cheers!
Pressing Off the Wine
Note - this post was originally published 11.14.2014
It's been a busy harvest season. This morning we're pressing off some wine. The wine has finished fermentation and we're pressing the grapes and draining off the wine. Cheers!
September = California Wine Month
Note - this post was originally published 09.11.2014
It's official. The governer decreed it: September 2014 is California Wine Month. Not every September, just this one as an effort to boost morale and let tourists know that we're still here and we still have lovely grapes to harvest and wines to pour and sell.
Governor Brown includes a history of the wine industry in this State (and we thought he'd talk about economic impact): http://gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=18686
Below are a couple photos we took this week of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes ripening in the afternoon sun in St. Helena. Cheers!
Limoncello Update
Note - this post was originally published 07.08.2014
After waiting an extra two months, we moved on to phase two of our limoncello project. We were waiting for all the essence, color, and natural oils to infuse into the alcohol and out of the lemon peel. This should have left the peels white and crisp. With our last batch, this process took about two months. With this batch, we used more lemons and if it’s possible a more yellow type of lemon, and after four months the color and aroma were amazing, but the lemon peels still flexible. We made the executive decision that it was time to continue.
Next, we made a simple syrup and allowed it to cool to room temperature. We then removed the peels from the limoncello with a large slotted spoon. Then filtered, and filtered, and filtered the limoncello. We returned our liquid gold to the sterile glass container we use for aging and slowly mixed in our simple syrup. Now we wait. Again.
Bubbles!
Note - this post was originally published 07.07.2014
There are so many reasons to celebrate during this festive and outdoors-friendly season. And with the warmer weather chilled drinks are more than appropriate, so we say bring out the bubbles! We love to share a bottle of champagne and whether you serve it as an aperitif, with your meal, with dessert, to bring in a touch of romance, or to invoke a celebratory mood, by all means pop the cork, sip, and smile.
Here is some general information to keep in mind or guide you as you look for bubbles to suit your day:
Prosecco - Italian sparkling white wine. Secondary fermentation (which creates the bubbles) typically occurs in large stainless steel tanks, unlike champagne where secondary fermentaion occurs in the bottle and the wine is aged before release. This results in a wine meant to drink young and taste fresh, light, and simple. Think $10-$20 bottle from the grocery store.
Champagne – Sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region of France. Secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle and the grapes used for the wine are Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. The wine is aged a minimum of 18 months. In exceptional growing years the wine is made from a single vintage, otherwise the final wine is a blend of both grapes and vintages. Think $60 - $250/bottle from your local wine shop.
Cava - Spanish sparkling wine, white or rose, produced in the traditional Méthode Champenoise / Método Tradicional (secondary fermentation in the bottle), made mainly from indigenous Spanish grapes. Great value $6 - $20/bottle from large wine shop or local grocery store.
California Sparkling wine - modeled after French champagne, including using French grape varietals grown in California. Prices can vary from $15 (Korbel) – $150 (J. Schram), other California sparkling houses to note – Iron Horse (served at the White House), Mumm, Rack & Riddle, Roederer (their estate brut is an awesome value), and Schramsberg.
Food pairings: bubbles and crisp acidity balance creamy or fried dishes such as fish and chips, buttered popcorn, lobster, a creamy chowder, or even cheese cake.
Inspiration and good sparkling read: Tasting Dom Perignon from Various Decades
Saving the Wine: Storing the Wine
Note - this post was originally published 6.11.2014
We've had another little heat wave (highs over 100 deg F) this week. Which beyond the desires for mounds of frozen yogurt and to seek the nearest swimming hole, has brought up the topic of how to store wine.
Wine is fragile. It's important to keep it out of direct light and heat - think of the ideal conditions of an under-ground cellar: consistently cool, dark, and damp. Then make sure you keep the cork wet by storing the bottles on their side or upside down and you've got potential to age your wine and enjoy it in the months or years to come.
It's also important to remember that it can even cook as you're touring around or on your way home. Here in wine country there are so many wonderful opportunities to pick up a bottle you wouldn't be able to get else where. At temperatures over 70 deg F the wine will start to cook and worse case scenario, the cork will push out of the bottle, the wine leak out, and to say the least your special bottle will be spoiled. So, save the wine. Think of it like chocolate. Don't put it in the trunk of your car, keep it in the cabin with you and if you must leave it in the car, then park in the shade and crack the windows.
The best article we've read about this lately is last week's article in the Financial Times by Jancis Robinson, How to keep wine.
Suckering Time
Note - this post was originally published 04.09.2014.
Spring has sprung and so have our schedules. We're finding ourselves busier and busier which is exciting. The Russian River Valley grapes are a little ahead of the Napa Valley vines in growth. We started suckering this week and getting excited about this vintage of grapes. Can you see the little clusters to-be in this photo?
Out here suckers are what we call the new growth. And the vine sends out shouts all over, not just the places we've prepared for during pruning. So, suckering is when we remove the extra shoots. Less shoots leaves more resources (nutrients, water, etc) for the grapes to-be and gives us higher quality fruit.
All this lovely green after the last couple of winter/rain. Here's a photo... making wine in the rain and hail last week:
Update: White Wine
Note - this post was first published 3/15/2014.
This week we racked our white wine. After aging for 5 months in stainless steel, it's really coming around. We're excited about the color, clarity, aroma, and flavors. We're shooting for another month of aging or so, and then hopefully we'll be ready next month to rack the wine again and bottle our first vintage!
Which leads us to our favorite photo this week: racking our white wine:
Lees
Note - this post was first published 3/8/2014.
lees: the sediment of a liquor (as wine) during fermentation and aging > Merriam-Webster
lees: Heavy sediment left in the barrel by fermenting wines; a combination of spent yeast cells and grape solids > winemag.com
lees: sediment consisting of dead yeast cells, grape pulp, seed, and other grape matter that accumulates during fermentation > Wine School of Philadelphia
We took this photo when we racked some of our wine off the lees (just taking the clean wine, taking care).
Our Wine Project
Note - this post was first published 3/1/2014.
We're working on our dreams not only in the vineyard, but in the cellar too. 2013 is our first vintage as winemakers! We're still hard at work; the wines aren't quite ready for release, but with a little patience the flavors are starting to shine and we're getting excited.
We've got a red and a white going. Recently sampled our wine and took it to a local wine laboratory.
When we received the results and a little insight into how the is wine aging, we racked the wine (moved the clean wine off any sediment that had settled at the bottom) and looking down at the bottom of the empty barrel was one of my favorite photos from this week:
Valentine's Wine
Note - this post was originally published 2/11/2014.
It’s Valentine’s Day on Friday! What ever your thoughts, beliefs, conflicting holidays (Happy Birthdays, Jodi and Walter!) it’s a reason to celebrate and take a little extra time to enjoy.
Of course, when it comes to wine the classic choice is to opt for sparkling. We were in a wine shop recently that specializes in California wines specifically those hard-to-find amazing wines from around the state. In their sparkling section, however, the options were more international, because, well, you have to have Champagne. Legally, sparkling wine can be called champagne only if it was made in the Champagne region of France.
Our vote for this year is to go a little sweet and linger and savor your dessert with port or a dessert wine. These wines are often sold in half bottles, which are perfect for two and an evening, one with a sweet tooth, or a unique gift. There are two general categories of port style wines – tawny and ruby. Unless you really prefer the taste of hard liquor and the earthiness of something aged for years and years and years, we suggest trying a ruby this year. Ruby ports are often made from just one vintage, only aged a couple years (like a traditional red wine), and have a more fruity flavor (not dried fruit flavor). Ports are fortified wines, with alcohol contents ranging from 17 – 24%.
Ports traditionally come from Portugal. Like the French with Champagne, they’ve now trademarked the name, so to speak. So unless it’s made in Portugal or the winery was somehow grandfathered in, the wines will be labeled Dessert Wine or port-style. It’s always good to ask and talk to your local wine shop when making a selection. Ruby ports pair wonderfully with your favorite chocolate or a nice cheese plate with intense cheeses (blue cheese for example) and nuts.
In Portugal, port is generally made from a blend of red wines. Here in California we’ve found and enjoyed more varietal specific ports made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, or Syrah. For those of you who don’t enjoy reds, white port is not as common, but available and often made from Chardonnay. Also, you could opt for a late-harvest dessert wine; for these, the grapes are picked at the end of harvest and have more sugar content, which then translates to a sweeter end product.
Salut!
