The Candy House of Davis, Davis CA

My friend brought me some truffles from The Candy House of Davis, after a visit there, knowing I am a chocoholic.
After eating them (all of them in one evening...) I thought I would share my thoughts with you in case you ever run into them.
All the truffles are pyramid shaped and handmade. They also make supposedly amazing fudge, that I have yet to try.

I started with biting into the Amaretto Truffle that has a pleasant mellow almond/nutty flavor. As I am usually not overly thrilled with liquor added to my chocolates I was pleasantly surprised by the subtle flavors, and the lack of alcohol "flavor".
The Kahlua Truffle has a mild coffee flavor with a texture falling right in between a soft caramel and truffle. Covered in dark chocolate.
Black and White was my next victim. White chocolate filled with a dark chocolate sticky ganache, with a slight hint of mint. Very nice.
Praline was just that. A milk and white chocolate shell filled with semi firm, sugary, sweet caramel/praline. A touch to sweet, but surely satisfying.
Gourmet Dark was my favorite. A dark chocolate ganache covered in dark chocolate. Simple, clean and pure. They way I like it...

The truffles were all very tasty, and if flavored with liquor they just had a soft touch of it , which I really appreciate. The Praline was a tad to sugary, and the Kahlua had an odd texture, but they were all charming with a small scale, handmade, touch.
For the holidays the store adds an array of different shapes and flavors that goes with the season. A great place for a holiday gift for that friend with a sweet tooth...

The Candy house of Davis
901 3rd Street
Davis, CA
(530) 758-3652


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Three reds...

The other night we had neighbors over for a glass, or two (or three) of wine. I took some brief note that I thought I would share with you...

We started of with the Alexander Valley Vineyards 2003 Alexander Valley Syrah. A slightly cloudy and dark red/purple wine. On the nose bright black cherry, blueberry and vanilla. The palate showed raspberry, blueberry, ripe cherry and oak. We all thought this medium to full bodied wine was enjoyable on its own, with integrated firm tannins and long fruity finish.

Find it from $14.99 at Wine-Searcher.com

Next up a bottle that our friends brought, Summers Winery 2004 Villa Andriana Vineyard Napa Valley Charbono. It is not very often you see a 100% Charbono and I was very excited to try this wine. The color in the glass was extremely dense purple/black color. On the nose first perfume with violet and rose. Then dark cherry, blackberry and a touch of creme brulee at the end of the nose.

Palate was lively with ripe, dense fruit and soft tannins with a slight edge. A very interesting and quite nice wine.

Find it from $24.99 at Wine-Searcher.com.

Third out was the Fratelli Ponte 2004 Barbera D'Asti Superiore. I was recommended this bottle in our local grocery store for $10.99. At that price I had nothing to lose and grabbed a bottle.

This was a medium bodied wine characterised by fresh yeasty bread, dark cherry, and a slight touch of plum and raisin. For the price I guess it was not to shabby, but I would personally not buy this wine again.

This was a night with a wide variety of flavors and impressions. Isn't that what makes wine tasting (and drinking) so much fun? You never know what's next and what surprises it might bring...

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Achaval Ferrer 2006 Mendoza Malbec

Achaval Ferrer was founded in 1998 and is located in the province of Mendoza, Argentina, at the foot of the Andes mountain range. The area's desert-like conditions are perfect for growing Malbec, giving low yields, poor and well drained soils, and warm days with cold nights, which concentrates and gives depth to the final wine.
Roberto Cipresso is the winemaker and he also owns a winery in Montalcino, Tuscany.

Achaval Ferrer 2006 Mendoza Malbec has a beautiful, dense, dark purple color.

Heavy dark cherry, blackberry, blueberry, lingonberry, and vanilla greats you on the nose.
Tasting the wine it shows big, ripe, dark fruit with blackberry, sour cherry, plum, and touch of smoke at the finish.
This wine is big, pleasant, and a great wine for a cold night in the fall. Don't expect great things but certainly good. Serve it with a hearty stew and light the fire place...

I found this wine at Costco for $16.99 and thought I would give it a try. I am glad I did. I would describe this wine as something in between a Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. It has the big fruit of a Zin, but the finesse of a Cab.
Find it at your local Costco or at Wine-Searcher.com from $16.99.


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Stags' Leap Winery 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Stag's Leap Winery is located in the heart of Stags' Leap District, Napa Valley, on a 240 acre estate. Founded in 1893 it has a rich history. Read more about it at the winery's web site.

The grapes for Stags' Leap 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was handpicked and fermented in small lots in a combination of open and closed top frementers. During frementation it received frequent punch downs. Thereafter it was aged in 50% new and 50% used French oak for 24 months. 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Merlot was added for structure and depth.

In the glass this wine has a dark, dense ruby color.
The nose is heavy and earthy with dark plum, cherry, and coffee. Notes of cloves and vanilla enters at the end.
The palate displays dusty fruit of plum, dark cherry, and black currant, with earth, spice and a hint of coffee. The tannins are course and firm in moderate amount, and the acidity plentiful.

This wine showed the heavy and earthy qualities Cabernet Sauvignon can display. We enjoyed it although I would give this wine some time in the bottle as I believe the tannins will become more integrated and mellow out with age, and the fruit become more elegant and structured.
You can find it at WallyWine.com for $44.99.


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Robert Craig 2003 Central Coast Syrah

Robert Craig 2003 Central Coast Syrah is made from fruit from vineyards in Los Olivos, Santa Ynez Valley, and Paso Robles.
It shows a vivid clear, dark garnet color in the glass. Lifting the glass to my nose black currant, dark cherry, dark raspberry, black licorice and a hint of smoked meat and vanilla meets me. On the palate an array of big ripe, and at the same time slightly earthy, fruit and berries with dark cherry, blackberry, with peppery notes, displays. The tannins are big and soft in this medium to full bodied wine.
I enjoyed this wine. It has a lot of nuances and is big and bold at the same time as it has some finesse. For the price it is a good choice.

The original price at the winery was $30. I found it at the local grocery store at sale for only $ 20.

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Zaca Mesa 2004 Z Cuvee Santa Ynez Valley Red Wine

Zaca Mesa Winery is located in Santa Ynez Valley on an 750 acre estate whereof 244 acres are planted vineyard. The winery was founded in 1972 and was one of the first in Santa Ynez Valley since the prohibition ended. It was originally planted with varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, etc. In the early 1990's it was determined that Rhone varietals such as Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Viognier, and Roussanne grew best on the site, and it was decided that these were the varietals the winery would focus on. Since 2002 an additional 100 acres have been replanted with new clones of Rhone varietals.
All grapes used in their wine is grown on their property with sustainable wine growing as the goal.
An interesting trivia is that their Syrah was served in the White House by President Clinton to the French President Chirac.

The Zaca Mesa 2004 Z Cuvee Santa Ynez Valley Red Wine is a Chateauneuf-du-Pape style blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah and Cinsaut. The different varietals were fermented and barrel aged separately for 7 months. They were then blended and aged an additional 9 months in French oak.

This dark ruby red wine shows raspberry, sweet vanilla, cherry and a hint of strawberry on the nose. Once in your mouth the palate reveals soft raspberry, cherry, blackberry and a big kick of peppery spice at the end. The finish is at first fruity but is soon overpowered by the earthy, tart tannins.
This wine did not make me jump with joy but neither was it totally off. I wish it was more balanced and had softer, more integrated tannins for a smoother finish. The vanilla on the nose was also slightly overshadowing the fruit.

You can order this wine direct from the winery for $18. Or you can find it for as low as $13.95 at both Wine-Searcher.com and Winezap.com.


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Chateau St Jean 1996 Sonoma County Reserve Merlot

Today I am doing a quick review of a wine we had a couple of nights ago with good friends. We bought this bottle at the winery as a library wine, I would guess about 5 years ago. This was our only bottle, and this is the first time we have tasted this wine (they did not pour it at the winery when we purchased it). 400 cases was made.

Chateau St Jean 1996 Sonoma County Reserve Merlot has a dark ruby red/brick color in the glass. The nose displays surprisingly concentrated fruit with dark cherry, plum, slight notes of raisin, and soft vanilla. On the palate, plum, cherry, and dark raspberry with an earthy note. The tannins are moderate and silky, but still with an edge, in this medium to fullbodied wine.

My impression of this wine is close to what I had expected. With a little bit more fruit/berries then I thought would still remain (which is a good thing), this was certainly a very good, but not a great wine.

For the price you can find better wine but I would not rule this one out if you prefer older vintages. It can be found at Wine-Searcher.com for $100 at this point.


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