Amador Foothill Winery 2005 Shenandoah Valley Sauvignon Blanc

Another half bottle from my local grocery store that I had to try... The 375 ml bottles are convenient and perfect when you just want a glass of wine and don't want to pop open a whole, 750 ml, bottle.

The Amador Foothill Winery 2005 Shenandoah Valley Sauvignon Blanc is made from 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon.
It has a golden, light, straw color in the glass, and the nose shows prominently apple, but also citrus and green pear.
The wine has a round mouth feel with apple, citrus, slight spice, and touch of minerals. The finish is long and carries good acidity.

The very round mouth feel made this wine feel slightly to rich for my preference, considering it is a Sauvignon Blanc. I prefer a more lighter and crisper style. However if this is not the case for you I would deem this to be a good wine at a great value, available at Wine-Searcher.com from $9.60.

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WhiteHaven 2006 Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

Before summer comes to an end it's time to try a couple of more Sauvignon Blanc. Last night we opened a WhiteHaven 2006 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. I have enjoyed several great Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough this summer and this was a new arrival on the shelf in my grocery store that I had try.

Greg and Susan White, and wine maker Simon Waghorn, established the winery in 1994. The production in 1995 was 5000 cases and next years production, 2008, is estimated to 200,000 cases so this is a winery that have grown quite a bit over the years.

The wine has a clear, very light straw color in the glass. The nose is vibrant of citrus, under ripe white peach, and hints of grass. The palate is equally pungent with apple, citrus and kiwi, with really nice acidity. This is a dry and very refreshing wine but intense and bright on the nose and in flavors. If you like more austere whites with more emphasise on the mineral component my guess is that this is not so much for you.

I found it fun and tasty and for $11.95 at Wine-Searcher.com and Winezap.com you can't really ask for a much better "budget" wine for late summer evenings...

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Lodi Wine Tasting

My birthday is coming up and yesterday my two good friends Robyn and June picked me up in the morning to go to a, for me, unknown destination for a day of fun.

An hour or so later we arrived in Lodi. Now, I have never been to Lodi before, but I do know that they make quite a bit of wine there, so of to wine tasting we went.

We started off with Jewel Winery were the majority of the wines are under $10. They pride themselves with offering great wine for a great price. I started of by tasting the 2005 "Un-Oaked" Chardonnay ($9.99). Not to bad at all for the price. Good amount of fruit while refreshing from the acidity, and non existing oak. Got myself a bottle of this one. The 2004 Firma (blend of Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Syrah), has a nice balance of dark fruit and smooth tannins. For $9.99 it is not to shabby as a crowd pleasing table wine. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon ($9.99) was really not all that bad either but it was lacking a bit in structure with to much fruit, although not to ripe, and not enough tannins and acidity to carry it up. The 2005 Petite Syrah ($9.99) had a good amount of dark fruit but was way to high in firm, edgy tannins. Did not enjoy this wine. Last up was the 2002 Estate Raffaele "Diamant" ($24.99). This was the most complex of the wines poured. I did however not care for it a big deal considering the price. I can find better bottles in this price range. Over all I do think they achieved their goal. These are good wines for the price you pay.

Lodi Wine and Visitor Center

Next we visited the Lodi Wine and Visitor Center where they pour wines from many different wineries in Lodi. We had a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable young man pour us the wine and he really enhanced our experience. Thank you Fungai! We started with the 2005 Vino Brio Pinot Grigio ($16). It had very soft, muted nose and palate with not enough acidity to make it interesting. This wine did not really do it for me. Moving on to the 2005 Gustavo Thrace, Mohr Frey Ranch, Sauvignon Blanc ($16.50) I kind of had the same experience. These are certainly not bad wines and nicely chilled they are a good option for a hot summer day, but not much more then that. On to some red wines we were poured the 2005 Jessie's Grove "Ancient Vine" Carignane. This was a real surprise coming from 117 year old vines. It is not very often you see a "pure" Carignane wine (81% Carignane, 15% Petite Sirah and 4% Syrah) as it is mostly used as a blending grape, especially to a high extent in France. This wine however was full of dark red fruit and berries with nice supporting acidity and tannins to give this very smooth medium bodied wine a medium length finish. Had to get a bottle of this one... The 2004 Mettler Syrah was up next. This Syrah was made in a more elegant style than many other syrahs, with just medium dark fruit and less spice than usual. At the first sip I really liked it but then I discovered a funky note on the nose of wet hay. Can't say that the wine was spoiled or defected, maybe a stylistic approach, but not to my liking... Last up was a Cabernet Sauvignon and the sad thing is that I really enjoyed it but I do not remember the maker or vintage... Oh well...

From here we just walked a few steps to have lunch at Wine and Roses (a hotel, restaurant and spa resort). I have read about this place and I was very excited that my friends had planned for this as our lunch stop. We started of by trying the Dungeness Crab Cocktail, with mango, avocado, and topped with wonton chips. The crab tasted super fresh and was deliciously sweet and well paired with the avocado, mango and some other ingredient that I can not recall. We also tried the Squash and Zucchini Soup with green zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and some additional vegetables in a broth. Light but so incredibly flavorful. A great soup for the summer.

For entree I had the Grilled Scottish Salmon glazed with a BBQ sauce, on Israeli couscous, sauteed pea tendrils and baby organic beets. The salmon was perfectly moist and the beets soft and sweet. Altogether an awesome dish! I would have it in a heart beat again. After that I was surprised with a birthday dessert. The plate consisted of three chocolate items. A Chocolate Irish Cream Mousse with a Butterscotch Cream Center sitting on top of an Oatmeal Crust. To die for! On the side was a Dark Chocolate Ganache Chip studded with chocolate chunks and a creamy, Frothy Vanilla Drink with a Chocolate Dipped Tuille. Trust me when I say that I was in heaven after this meal. Outstanding! If you ever pass by Lodi make sure to stop here for a meal or two...

Lunch was over and we were stuffed as we headed of to the next winery, Van Ruiten Family Winery. The 2004 Rose of Cab-Shiraz ($12) was bone-dry with nice rose petals and raspberry on the nose and palate. I am usually not a big rose fan but this one was actually really nice. Next up was the 2003 Cab-Shiraz ($15) that had nice full body, with dark fruit, dark cherries, black currant and some spice, but nothing special. My favorite from this winery was the last pouring, the 2002 Old Vine Zinfandel ($18) It had dark, ripe, lush fruit and berries with a nice spiciness from pepper and good acidity and tannins as backbone.

Last stop was the Michael David Winery. I had not heard of them before and to my surprise they produce the wines I so often see in the grocery store, like Seven Deadly Zins, Seven Heavely Chards, Incognito etc. We tasted to many wines for me to keep track of here, but let me talk about the ones I do remember. Sparkling Duet is a sparkling wine made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Without giving to much detail (because I do not quite remember), it was slightly sweet, but light and refreshing. I am guessing a nice little bubbly, but since I did not take mental note of it I suspect nothing extraordinary. The 2005 Seven Heavenly Cards ($13) is a crowd pleasing, tasty chardonnay with fresh citrus, apple, some creaminess and good amount of acidity to keep it relatively light and refreshing. One of my favorite here was the Don's Lodi Red because it is so simple and plain but still satisfying to an extent. This is a blend of Carignane, Syrah and a touch of Symphony. A great everyday wine that I can see working great with meaty pasta dishes. A fruity, pleasing, simple blend that will not blow anyone away, but will be sure to please a lot of people as an all around table wine. On to the 2005 Seven Deadly Zins ($15). This is another budget favorite year after year. This zinfandel has great dark fruit with, black cherries, blackberry, and some pleasing peppery spice. Unfortunately it has to heavy oak for my taste, but on the other hand the majority likes this. This wine would be better (for my palate) with less oak and a little bit firmer tannins. Last but not least was a new interesting wine from the winery. The 2005 Petite Petit is a blend of Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot. I did not take any specific tasting notes for this wine but I remember it having pleasant flavors of dark fruit and relatively balanced, and I brought home a bottle and I'll make sure to review it in the near future. What made my whole day in the end was that Don, the father of Micheal and David, was in the store and when he learned that my big

Robyn, myself, Don and June

three zero was coming up he came up and wished me happy birthday and gave me a bottle of his Don's Lodi Red and signed it with a birthday wish for me. Plus he threw in a bottle of the Seven Deadly Zins. What a kind man and what a great way to end our wine tasting! Thank you Don! And thank you Mark, (the tasting room guy who poured us the wine and entertained us), you did an awesome job!

What a day! And as if that was not enough my friends now took me back to Wine and Roses for a 90 minute ultimate spa treatment. I do not get spa treatment very often but when I do it is usually at pretty descent places around the world, and I have to say that this was one of the best ones I have ever had. Thank you June and Robyn for an absolutely wonderful day!!!
Cheers!

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Easton 2004 Sierra Foothills Sauvignon Blanc

When we went up to El Dorado wine country in April earlier this spring I picked up a bottle of this Sauvignon Blanc at the Terre Rouge/Easton winery. Tonight, beeing Friday night, BBQing in the backyard, I thought this would be a great wine to start with as the food is cooking. I reviewed this wine briefly before, after our wine trip. Today I will go a little more into detail.

This wine was cold fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged in neutral French oak on the lees for 9 months. The majority of Sauvignon Blanc are aged in stainless steel to keep it clean and crisp. The oak, in this case, gives this wine a certain creaminess. It did however not go through malolactic fermentation which gives it the characteristic crispness we usually see in Sauvignon Blanc.

This wine has a clear, light straw color in the glass. On the nose light tropical fruit, pear, citrus and a hint of butter scotch vanilla. On the palate there is citrus, light peach and pear, with a slight round creaminess on the mid palate. The finish approaching, a more crisp and clean taste emerges from moderate acidity, with minerals at the very end.
This wine has a nice roundness while still maintaining it's crisp and refreshing qualities. It lacks a little bit in fruit, but overall I enjoyed it.

You can find this wine from $17.99 at Wine-Searcher.com and WineZap.com. Although a couple of other Sauvignon Blanc comes to mind in this price range, that I enjoy more, this is still a fair price.

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Galante Vineyards

We were in Carmel this weekend for Mother's Day. Passing by the Galante Vineyard Tasting Room I just had to stop by to taste their wines. I had not heard about this winery before and I got some good information from the very knowledgeable and friendly tasting room staff. They explained the wineries wine making philosophy and methods. The wine maker strives for the wine to express what in France is called terroir. That means, in short, letting the soil, surroundings, location and weather express itself through the fruit in the wine and intervene as little as possible. The wines are gravity racked and have not gone through fining or filtration.

On to the tasting. I tasted around eight wines and I will mention the ones I liked the best.
First out was the 2006 Carmel Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($25). It has intense peach aroma and flavor, with a hint of tropical fruit. Good acidity gives this wine a nice freshness.
The 2005 Carmel Valley Petit Sirah is much more delicate than most Petit Sirahs that I am used to. Soft medium dark berries and soft tannins. Very easy to drink. Recommended by the tasting room staff as a summer BBQ wine.
On to the Cabs. I got the 2002 ($40) and 2003 ($30) Red Rose Hill Cabernet Sauvignon side by side to compare. The 2002 is a more elegant wine with red cherries and berries and softer tannins. The 2003 was my favorite with dark cherry and berries, and a hint of violet, with more pronounced acidity and firmer, but still moderate, tannins.
Their most expensive Cabernet is the 2003 Blackjack Pasture Cabernet Sauvignon ($60). This is their most intense and complex wine with dark fruit, black berry, black currant, and a hint of oak. Great medium big, smooth tannins, medium plus acidity, with the dark fruit, gives this wine a long finish. A really nice Cab.

Find these wines at Galante Vineyards website.


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Summerland Winery 2006 Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc

The Summerland Winery 2006 Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc has a very pale, brilliant, straw color in the glass. Stick your nose in the glass and discover tropical fruit, white peach and citrus. On the palate a milder citrus with sweet pear and the tropical fruit again. The finish is clean and fresh with uplifting, crisp acidity. A not to shabby Sauvignon Blanc.
I got this at BevMo's 5 cent sale, which means that you buy one bottle for full price and get the second for 5 cents. So, I basically got this bottle for $ 8 ($15.99/bottle when not on sale). I say that is a very attractive price for a decent bottle. This would be a great crowd pleaser for that big summer BBQ, when you want to serve something good that won't brake the bank.
Find it online at Wine-Searcher.com from $12.60.

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One day in the El Dorado wine country

Yesterday our good friends and neighbors had rented a limo and invited us to come along for a day of wine tasting in Shenandoah Valley (45 min from Sacramento, CA). I am not the one to decline such an invitation and after accepting I was told that I was in charge for the itinerary. This is how our day panned out.

We started of with a visit to Villa Toscano. I had been there before and really enjoy their wine and the beautiful architecture and surrounding garden. Being after noon we were all starving and started with a meal from their Gourmet Bistro. We all shared a mix of freshly baked pizza, salad, panini, anti pasto mix, cheese and crackers. You can enjoy it at a table in their garden or in the big tent they have set up in it. And so it was time for tasting... They poured around 15 wines + four futures right out of the barrels. They produce chardonnay, viognier, sauvignon blanc, sangiovese, barbera, merlot and several bottlings of zinfandel. Although all the wines showed very well the zinfandel is the wineries forte. The 2003 Fox Creek Old Vine being my favorite. The oldest vines in this vineyard is over 110 years old. Producing a very round, concentrated zin with some lighter spice and made in a little more elegant style.

After this we moved on to Terre Rouge and Easton Winery. We had a great tasting here were they did a separate tasting for the eight of us in our group. The gentleman who did the tasting explained the grape and style of wine for every tasting he poured. Very educational and a great opportunity to ask questions and get in depth information. They had a really good sauvigon blanc here. The 2004 Sierra Foothills Sauvignon Blanc is aged in oak as opposed to the more traditional stainless steel tanks. That gives this wine a little bit rounder, more creamy, palate with some vanilla oak, but still shows tropical fruit, great acidity and freshness as it has not gone through malolactic fermentation. A great wine to sip on in your backyard a warm summer day. The other standout was the 2001 Amador County Mourvedre. A traditional grape in Rhone blends, here on its own with great dark fruit and berries and the characteristic spiciness.

Our next stop was supposed to be Vino Noceto. They had their annual spring release party, and it was so packed that we decided to stop at a newer winery, that we had not heard of, next door instead. Stonehouse Vineyards and Winery offers Chardonnay, Viognier, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. All of them really nice wines, my favorite being the 2003 Shenandoah Valley Zinfandel with ripe blackberry and cherries, a hint of oak and spice, all nicely balanced with medium round tannins. Stonehouse is owned by Mitchell and Maarit Shultz, and reacting to Maarits name as seemingly Scandinavian my husband found out that she was born in Finland but grew up in Sweden. As you can imagine I got very excited and the two of us talked for quite a while. Great and unexpected treat to be conversing in Swedish on our little trip! Mitchell and Maarit are friends of Thomas Kinkade and therefore have the privilege to feature a Thomas Kinkade Signature Gallery in the wine tasting room. Visits for wine and art...

Last stop before dinner was the Bella Piazza Winery. This winery have the same owners and wine maker as Villa Toscano and is also located in a very beautiful building surrounded by a great garden with water features. You can tell that not only the wine but the architecture and surroundings are very important to the owners. Just like at Villa Toscano, they had a massive list of about 15 wines being poured and then four futures in barrel tastings. Again all very good and well crafted wines. They grow a few not to common grapes around here, Primitivo and Montepulciano, that was a real treat to taste. Another fun wine was the 2002 Bella Rosso. A blend made from Sangiovese, Merlot, Syrah, Barbera and Cabernet Franc. A really smooth red, with soft but ripe black fruit and berries, a hint of spiciness, and good balance of acidity and tannins.

After all of this it was time for dinner. I had made reservations at Bidwell Street Bistro in Folsom and upon arriving we started of with three plates of appetizers shared at the table. Grilled Ahi Tuna with Sesame Asparagus, Prince Edward Island Mussels and Tiger Prawns in a Savory Broth, and Grilled Wild Boar Sausage with Corn Meal Griddle Cakes. All three very good, but the standout was the Wild Boar Sausage, packed with flavor. I ordered the Garden Salad which was nothing special, but my husband really enjoyed the French Onion Soup. For entree I choose the Roasted Halibut on a bed of Cauliflower Puree, Creamed Leeks and a Ruby Port-Currant Sauce. This was Delicious! The Halibut was cooked perfectly and the subtle flavor of the fish was not over powered by the mild cauliflower puree and creamed leeks. It all played very well together and despite of the mildness of the ingredients this was a very flavorful dish. I will order this again in a heart beat. For dessert we shared Profiterols with Vanilla Bean Gelato and Warm Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce. Hard to mess up and it was a great ending to our meal. Over all a great dinner!
So our day ended and it was time to go home...

There are a wide array of great wineries in El Dorado County, far to many to visit in a day or two... Find more information at this website where many of the, however far from all, are featured.

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Domaine Jean Reverdy 2005 Sancerre La Reine Blanche

Domaine Jean Reverdy has 30 acres of vineyards, 9 acres of them being Sauvigonon Blanc. The 2005 Sancerre Le Reine Blanche is made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc from a single vineyard, the vines being 25 years or older. It has not seen oak and has not gone through malolactic fermantation.

Pale straw in the glass. Citrus, green apple, floral note and a hint of grass on the nose. Citrus, apple and minerals play beautifully with the fresh acidity on the palate. This is a great little bottle of Sancerre. Not to much green vegetables and grass like you can find in some of them. Just a light, slightly fruity wine with great freshness from the lively, not at all tart, acidity.

I bought this at my local grocery store for $18.99. A fair price. Find it at Wine-Searcher.com or WineZap.com from $16.99.

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Roasted Beet Salad with Sauvignon Blanc = Great Spring Satisfaction

Tonight I served a Roasted Beet, Fennel and Goat Cheese Salad with the Long Meadow Ranch 2006 Rutherford Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, a match seemed to be made in heaven.
The freshness of the SB went perfect with the sweet roasted beets, the tanginess of the goat cheese, and the acidity of the citrus in the vinaigrette. Mmm...
The 2006 LMR Sauvignon Blanc has a beautiful, very pale straw color in the glass. On the nose, crisp apple and pear. The apple follows through to the palate with some citrus and tropical fruit. This wine is round and full bodied in the mouth but still possesses that refreshing taste you want from a SB. I had the 2005 last year and thought it was great, and the 2006 is right up there with it. A perfect wine with a light seafood dish or salad this summer.
Find it at LongMeadowRanch.com for $18.

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Dry Creek Vineyard 2005 Sonoma County Fume Blanc

Today I have a short review, and I have no idea as to it's accuracy. I've got a cold... I opened this wine yesterday and realized that I could not really asses the wine, nor enjoy it. Hoping to feel better today I vacuum pumped to continue the tasting. Unfortunately today is worse and I am not even attempting to try... This is what I what I got out of my notes from yesterday, take it with a grain of salt...
The Dry Creek Vineyard 2005 Sonoma County Fume Blanc is made of 100% Sauvignon Blanc, and cold fermented in stainless steel tanks to be able to really showcase the grape without any interference from oak.
On the nose crisp apple and tropical fruit with some pineapple. Medium bodied on the palate with tropical fruit, citrus, a hint of minerals, and high acidity. Overall a very crisp, clean and refreshing wine.
You can find it at Wine-Searcher.com and Winezap.com from $9.99 and that is a good price for a good wine. I can see myself revisiting this wine this summer when I am craving something chilled and crisp.

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Brassfield 2005 High Serenity Ranch Sauvignon Blanc

I got this bottle of wine after reading about it in the "Special Best of Year Issue" Wine Enthusiast Magazine. With a rating of 91 points, and ranking 27 in their list of Top 100 Best Buys of 2006, at the modest price of $12.99 (at BevMo), I had some rather high expectations on this wine.
Very pale in the glass. Hard to detect the aroma. Was it to cold? I let the glass heat up in my cupped hands for quite a while. A new try. A very shy, but fresh, nose with hints of pineapple and tropical fruit. Time to taste. Again, hard to detect flavors. Some tropical fruit, some minerals but overall just plain. Was there something wrong with my bottle? It didn't seem corked to me, and the cork had not been bleeding... Maybe it was in a so-called closed/dumb stage?
I was very disappointed in this wine. Not bad tasting, just not tasting at all... I vacuum pumped it and tasted in for three consecutive days. All with the same result.
Maybe I totally missed something here. Maybe it is supposed to be so delicate as to almost not existing. This wine is a mystery to me. I would love to here your comments on this one!

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The Crossings Marlborough 2004 Sauvignon Blanc

I am once again trying a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. This one placed #44 in the Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Wines of 2006 (rated 91 points), so when I saw it at BevMo for only $12.99 I just couldn't pass on it.
The name of the winery has an interesting history. Back in the nineteenth century, early pioneers found a specific spot at the Awatere River where their horses could wade across, and they called this spot The Crossings. This point now lays within The Crossings Wine Estate, and thereof the name. The Awatere Valley is a sister valley of the Wairau Valley where the legend of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc began, and they share very similar characteristics in their climate.
This wine has a very pale straw color in the glass. The nose presents a nice soft peach, tropical fruit and what I interpret as a hint of grass(?). The dry palate shows tropical fruit and some mineral. As it sits in the glass and breaths for a while the dryness softens and gives way to a softer, sweeter note.
I really enjoyed this SB but find myself liking the slightly more fruitier style of the Kim Crawford and the Huia a little bit better. The best deal I found online was at www.wine-searcher.com from $8.95. A really good deal!

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Day trip to Napa Valley

Yesterday I left with a friend for a day trip to Napa Valley. We had a fantastic day with great food and wine, and here is the story...
We started of with a stop at the Cosentino Winery where we got free tasting, as I am a wine club member. Jeff, who poured for us, were very knowledgeable and great to discuss the wines with. My two favorite wines their were pouring was the 2005 CE2V Napa Valley Chardonnay (a fresh, fruity, round, Chardonnay with just a hint of creaminess and oak) and the 2002 M. Coz Napa Valley (a big, fruity, well balanced Meritage). A fun little story that Jeff shared with us that I was not aware of is that the M. Coz label is the shape of Napa Valley and the dots represents the location of the vineyards the wine is from. I love to learn little tidbits like this one...

The Demonstration Room at CIA

Moving on we had reservations at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone for their Demonstration Class. It is only $15 and you get to sit down for a one hour demonstration performed by a professional chef, ask as many questions as you want, and then taste the result. Yesterdays course was Marinated Flank Steak with Horseradish and Green Peppercorn Mayonnaise. This was a lot of fun and the food was delicious. Everybody gets a copy of the recipe so you can make it on your own at home. I know I will!

The finished dish and recipe

After a quick snack it was time for more wine tasting. We went just across the street from the Culinary Institute to Charles Krug. My friend is a wine club member there. So again a free tasting. They had a new release event going on and there were a little bit over 10 wines to try, so a lot of tasting, but I wasn't one to complain. The tasting staff here was one of the best I have come across during my many trips to Napa Valley. They shared a ton of information with us about the rich history of the winery, which is the oldest winery in Napa Valley, dating back all the way to 1861. Read more about it at www.charleskrug.com. They also took time to discuss the growing season,the wine making process, and of course the wine itself. Very educating in a great, friendly environment!
We had a wonderful time at this tasting and all the wines were fantastic. My favorites were the 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley (a crisp, lively, fruity wine perfect for hot summer days), the 2002 Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (wonderful dark heavy fruit and berries with some earthiness and great tannin structure), and the 2003 Limited Release IX Clones Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (same great qualities as the 2002 Limited Release Cab.) They also poured a real treat for us, the 1979 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark red, brick color in the glass and to my surprise, some really nice fruit still present. This was a great example of a wine that really has aged well. Yummy!

Me and the Charles Krug 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon

My friend, Robyn, in front of the restaurant at CIA

At this point it was time to go to the Culinary Institute again. We had a 5 pm reservation at the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant. We decided to do a wine flight with dinner. There was about 5 different ones to choose between, all with different themes. I love wine flight as it is a great way of sampling several wines you might not have had before. For starter we did the sampler with five different small items. A Cracker with Fromage Blanc, a Cauliflower Soup with Red Pepper Oil, a Croustini with Fois Gras and Pickled Pears, a Shrimp Wrapped in Fried Strings of some kind, and finally a Fried Pocket with Short Ribs, Salsa Verde and Micro Greens. A delicious sampler!
I had the Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes and Caramelized Cipollini Onions for main course and then ended the meal with their Molten Chocolate Cake with Caramel Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream. Over all a great meal and dining experience.

Molten Chocolate Cake Dessert

Dinner was over and it was time to head home after a great day. We promised each other to return real soon.

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Huia 2005 Sauvignon Blanc

Out looking for something new and exciting to taste I ran into the 2005 Huia Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. I had the Huia Pinot Noir not to long ago and really enjoyed it (read more here). The 2005 Sauvignon Blanc was labeled at BevMo as at 92 pointer from Wine Spectator and was at sale for $16.99. How wrong could I go?
The grapes for this wine was harvested from 5 different vineyards throughout the Wairau Valley. Some early herbaceous grapes and some later harvest fruity, sugar plump grapes. A small percentage had a quick fermentation in old French oak and the rest, a longer in stainless steel tanks. The result is a wine with very pale straw color in the glass. The nose holds tropical fruit with pineapple and hint of citrus. In the mouth, muted tropical fruit with ripe grape fruit, and vivid, fresh acidity with a light creaminess that ends in a lingering finish.
Thanks to the fact that part of this wine was aged in oak it has a touch of creaminess, and is therefore a great Sauvignon Blanc to introduce to somebody who is set on Chardonnay, and thinks that Sauvignon Blanc are to light, crisp and fruity (like my husband).
This wine is one to enjoy with seafood, or do as I did, just sip it while making dinner.
Find it at www.winezap.com for $15.99.

Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2006

I've heard so much about this wine, and ranking as number 40 on Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of the Year, rated 92 for a mere $16 I just had to try it.
The color is light straw in the glass. A ton of tropical fruit, star fruit and passion fruit on the nose. The palate shows beautiful cloud berry, passion fruit and grape fruit that is balanced out with crisp, refreshing acidity on the long finish. I REALLY enjoyed this wine. One of the best buys I have come across in a long time. A must try for everyone!

Find it at http://www.wine-searcher.com/ for only $10.97.

The Gourmet Wine Cellar event

What an event! We had a wonderful night last night at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Gourmet Magazine had their Wine Cellar event featuring local top restaurants, wine and wineries, cocktails, Wine Lab, demonstrations and great speakers. There was a lot of tasting, talking to wine and food professionals and more tasting. The event only lasted for 3 hours and I think another hour would have been great with so much to do and see.
We started of with champagne tasting at Moet & Chandon. They had four champagnes to taste and this was a great start to the evening. Next to them The Dining Room at Ritz Carlton served a wonderful Nantucket Bay Scallop with Sunchoke Puree, paired with Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blancs. So a lot of sparkling wine to start with.
Further down Bloomingdale's served a Sachimi Style Bay Scallop with Micro Greens and a Spicy Sauce, and an out-of-this-world Wild Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil. This was my favorite dish during the night, and trust me everything at the event was delicious!
"Wines of Spain" poured a wide variety of wines and I tried a handful of them. Not usually a drinker of Spanish wines this was a great opportunity for me to try different varieties and styles.
Across from that Sara Moulton did a cooking demonstration. We caught the end of it and got her cook book that she signed.
The restaurant Scott Howard served up another fantastic soup next door, a Carrot Soup with Chervil Sabayon Truffle Oil and they did a cocktail pairing with this, Finlandia Spicy. The soup had a wonderful intense carrot flavor with beautiful creamy texture. A great fall soup. I did not try the cocktail. There was more wine to be had...
Next we attended the tasting lead by Michael Green, Goumet's Wine and Spirit Consultant. Named "Varietals from the Islands: Sardinia and Sicily" Tony Parise VP for Winebow, Inc. co-hosted with four wines. He started of with Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino di Sardegna 2005, a wine made from 100% Vermentino. Straw yellow in the glass, intense on the nose but more delicate on the palate. Moving on to Tasca d'Almerita Regaleali Bianco 2005, made out of three Sicilian native varieties, Inzolia, Cataratto and Grecanico, this had apple on the nose and some tropical fruit on the palate. Red was up next with the Argiolas Perdera 2004 from Sardinia with 90% Monica, 5% Carignano and 5% Bovale Sardo. A very good, rustic wine with red fruit and berries. Last tasting was the Tasca d'Almerita Regaleali Nero d'Avola 2004 with a little fuller body than the previous wine. Dark berries and cherry with a long finish. This was a very exciting tasting with a lot of new grapes I had not heard of or tasted before. I will definitely start to look for and buy some wines from these two Mediterranean islands.


After that the Wine Lab started, with Stephane Lacroix (Director of wine at The Ritz-Carlton) and Rajat Parr (Wine Director at the Michael Mina Group) as speakers. This was a sit down tasting featuring four wines as well. Moet & Chandon Rose Imperial started the tasting. Very nice Champagne with ripe strawberries on the nose. I just love Rose Champagnes! Next was Gallo Family Vineyards Pinot Gris, Sonoma Reserve, 2005. A very fresh and clean wine with apple on the palate. Would pair great with delicate seafood like scallop or lobster. After that they repeated the red wines from Sardinia and ended with the Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2003. This was a cool climate style Cab. with nice acidity, rich dark fruit and good complexity to it. Great tasting with a lot of thoughts and comments from the speakers. Hungry for more food we headed out to that section again and had a Maple Thyme-Cured Duck Breast Canape with Chive Cream cheese from Maple Leaf Farms. They offered a beer pairing with this. But again, no beer for me, still more wine that had to be tasted. On to Town Hall that served a Herb Biscuit with Shrimp Etoufee. Wonderful fluffy biscuit with tender shrimp.
A 16 paired a Lamb Polpettini with Tomato Ragu and Pecorino, bursting with flavor, pairing it with the Gloria Ferrer Jose S. Ferrer 2002 Pinot Noir. A great pairing. The wine really stood up to the very flavorful lamb.
Now it was time for dessert. Americano served up Mini Chocolate Cupcakes and Homemade Gelato in Mini Sugar Cones with Toppings and paired this with a very interesting wine from Italy. The Ca dei Mandorli Brachetto d'Acqui 2005 is a ruby red sparkling wine with sweet berries and raspberry on the nose. Looking at the wine in your glass you expect a super sweet wine and is pleasantly surprised with a not to sweet, crisp wine with ripe raspberries and strawberries on the palate. Rated 90 by Wine and Spirit, you have to try this sparkling wine for only $13.99 at http://www.wine-searcher.com/. It will surprise you.
The Gloria Ferrer station poured three wines, I tried their 2003 Carneros Merlot which I had not tried before. It had currant on the nose and dark fruit and cherry on the palate with a nice long finish.
At this point I was getting really full but decided to head over to Bix that served Crab Rolls in Brioche served with Chance Creek 2005 Sauvignon Blanc. Do I need to spell out that it was delicious? The crisp, full Sauvignon Blanc with tropical fruit and tiny hint of grass complemented the lobster very nicely.
At this point I almost cried realizing there was little time left and no room left in my stomach and so many more restaurants to taste from. But I just could not do it. I had had enough rich, amazing food, and I would have to survive without tasting everything that was offered. It had been a wonderful night with so many great opportunity to educate ourselves further in the world of food, wine and pairings. Happy and content we left the event and decided to come back next year again.