Dinner with a wine maker …

posted by John in Snooth, Wine, Guest Bloggers, Food

I admit it; I love to go out for dinner.  I love it even more someone else pays.  So when it came time for the annual Loxton Cellars winery dinner, I made sure I was available.  I get the best of both worlds, I get to go to a good restaurant, the El Dorado Kitchen in the town of Sonoma and the winemaker paid.

Not only did he pay, he pulled some wines from his personal collection to pair with what we were going to have.  In addition to great food, we were going to sample the great wines listed here: 2004 William Selyem Hawk Hill Chardonnay, 1992 Galah Sparkling Shiraz, 2002 Rochioli Estate Pinot, 1985 Bordeaux & 2006 Peller Estates Riesling Ice Wine.

Pre-Dinner: 2004 William Selyem Hawk Hill Chardonnay.

While we were winding down the day in the tasting room we opened a bottle of William Selyem Hawk Hill Chardonnay.  What was very intriguing about this wine is the fruit is sourced from a vineyard we get Chardonnay from as well.  The styles are different but similar … if that makes any sense.  The Hawk Hill Vineyard is very close to the Pacific Ocean which means a long growing season.  Typically these grapes are harvested in November, much longer after a lot of red varietals are harvested.  What does this mean?  A lot of sugar.  High sugar means high alcohol.  And with the William Selyem example … this is true … 15.1%.  This high level of alcohol was exhibited in a lot of heat in the wine.  It didn’t feel very balanced and the finish was a bit odd.  Knowing William Selyem to be a high quality producer I had to wonder (out loud) how this could happen.  It appears for this particular year, the wine maker was in Baltimore when the grapes should have been harvested resulting the grapes were picked too late resulting in very high alcohol.  After the Chardonnay, we closed up the winery and headed out to the El Dorado Kitchen.  5 people squeezed into my little car and off we went.

Appetizers: 92 Galah Sparkling Shiraz

Sparkling Shiraz is definitely an Australian specialty.  Yes, other countries do sparkling red wines but for some reason, for me, I associate sparkling red with Australian.  I can honestly say that this wine was probably the hit of the night.  All the sparkling Shiraz I have tasted had some sweetness like a demi-sec champagne.  This wine was big and bold.  Apparently, it had been aged for five years and an 8 year old port was used for the dosage.  The wine had a big mouth feel, tannins, and lots of flavor.  For an aged sparking wine it showed incredible structure and paired incredibly well with appetizer we had.

house made charcuterie

smoked paprika cured pork loin - meyer lemon, shaved parmesan
cabernet sauvignon cured beef eye of round - caperberries, pickled red onion
fennel sausage - olive & pepper tapenade, fennel pollen
pork terrine - cornichons, whole grain mustard
duck rillette - endive & orange marmalade
crispy baby artichokes - onion rings, garlic confit, meyer lemon, sweet carrot puree, fines herbes aioli

Second Appetizer: 2002 Rochioli Estate Pinot

Next up was a great wine from one of the greatest cult wine producer in Sonoma.  We had a nice aged estate example.  The estate wine is a blend of the different vineyards and blocks.   Once again I had high expectations which weren’t quite met.  It was a very good wine but not great.

prince edward island steamed mussels - creamy sauvignon blanc broth, tarragon, crispy fries

Main Course: 1985 Bordeaux

Okay, I know I should have taken better notes but I forgot.  All I can remember it that this 85 came from a super second (growth).  Had a great aroma that got better as the wine opened up.  Leather, cedar and smoke.  It was robust with great tannin.  One problem with having one wine to try and pair with every main course is that it doesn’t work.  Below are the entries that were ordered.

red wine braised short ribs - truffle fries, horseradish crème fraiche
liberty duck trio - seared duck breast, leg confit, pate, sunchoke, fresh organic huckleberry sauce, benziger family ranch biodynamic braised greens
bacon wrapped pork tenderloin - spaetzle, brussels sprouts, whole grain mustard sauce

Since the Bordeaux was aged nicely it had softened up quite a lot but it still have some strength.  The surprising thing was that it didn’t hold up to the short ribs.  It didn’t overpower the pork or the duck.  It actually complimented very well.

Dessert: 2006 Peller Estates Riesling Ice Wine

By this time there wasn’t much room for dessert … but I wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass me by.  I really wanted to try the ice wine / crème brulee paring.  I picked this one:

orange crème brulee - infused orange peal, chocolate shortbread

As it turns out, this works pretty damn well.  The acidity in the wine balanced off the creaminess of the dessert.   I am very happy that I made room for dessert.  And just like that, the night was over.

John Andrews is a software product manager during the week and is a professional Tasting Room staffer at Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, CA on the weekends.

Wine Year in Review

posted by John in Snooth, Wine, Guest Bloggers

As the year draws to a close it is time for me to reflect on the year that has past.  There were many, many events in my life that were of significance.  As I sit and recall through them I can’t help but think about the significant events that have happened to me involved wine.  Many of them were firsts for me this year and I thought I would share some of them.  Consider this my 2008 year in (wine) review.

The Year of Snooth!

It is hard to believe that I have only been part of the Snooth community for less than a year.  It has been a great find for knowledge, competitive pricing and a great community. Like many of you, I’ve become hooked and can’t stay away.

-    Blogging for Snooth – This was probably one of the most surprising events for me.  While I can say that I have a passion for wine and that I may know more than the average bear about wine, I don’t consider myself an expert on wine at any level.  I have a passion for wine and have access to information but I am no expert.  I am very happy to be blogging for Snooth and hope that my contributions have helped to develop the community.

-    Attended Snooth Panel Tasting – I love being in Manhattan for the vibe, the energy, the food and people.  Now, I have another reason to love Manhattan.  There is always a potential to participate in a Snooth Panel wine tasting.  This is something that I highly recommend to every Snooth member that has an opportunity to participate.  The panel tastings give you an opportunity to try a lot of wines, experience what a panel tasting is like and see how other people perceive the same wines.  Click here for Greg’s summary of the night of the panel tasting I attended.

Wine, Travel & Me

If you had told me at the beginning of this year that I’d have travel to three continents and have time to visit wine country in each area I would have jumped for joy.  As I look back I am still amazed that I was able to do what I did.

-    Visit the Willamette Valley – The first wine trip of the year for me was to the Willamette Valley in Oregon.  If you are looking for diversity in varietals then Oregon is NOT for you.   Pinot is king and I’m not talking about Pinot Gris.  The Pinot Noir produced here ranges from the floral, cherry styles reminiscent of the Russian River Valley in California to earthy, elegant styles that draw comparisons to Burgundy.  It is just a short flight from the Bay Area to Portland (or a long drive) and if you are a lover of Pinot Noir (like I am) this is definitely a wine destination.

-    Visit to Champagne – This was somewhat of a pilgrimage for me.  I managed to squeeze a few days in France with a trip I had planned to Italy for a friend’s wedding.  Over the past few years I’ve grown to love sparkling wines and have long wanted to visit Champagne being the birth place of this style.  Now that I have I am able to check off an item on my ‘must do list’.  It was everything I expected and I can’t wait to return.  I blogged about here and here.

-    Visited the Yarra Valley – My trip to Australia was somewhat unexpected but, my full time job made this a reality.  Yarra Valley is a less heralded wine region in Australia but one that shows that it is a mistake to stereotype a country’s wines by the style they are most known for.  There is more to Australia than Shiraz.  Yarra Valley has a number of great wine finds and is on my highly recommended list.  Check out my thoughts about the Yarra Valley here.

The Wine Virgin
A friend of mine here on Snooth, RBoulanger, sent me a link a little while ago.  It was a link to the Wine Century Club, a club where you can become a member if you have tried wines from a 100 different varietals.  I downloaded the form and filled out as many varietals that I have tasted … 45.  So, as much as I know (or think I know), I’m still a wine virgin.

-    Tried Sauternes for the first time – Sauternes had always been a mystery for me.  I couldn’t understand how a sweet wine could command so much money on release.  I couldn’t understand why people would buy so many futures of a sweet wine.  Lastly, I couldn’t understand how a wine, derived from a mold infestation, could be considered one of the worlds wine treasures.  And then, I tried one.  WOW.  I know understood.  A good Sauternes shows depth, complexity and character.  It has balance between sweetness, acidity and fruit flavor.  If you haven’t tried a wine from Sauternes it is something I highly recommend.

-    Bought my first $200 bottle of wine – Okay, I’m not sure in this economy that this was such a good idea but I had an opportunity to get a bottle of 2004 Joseph Phelps Insignia.  Many of the wines I buy (and, most people) are consumed within a short time of the purchase.  So buying a $200 wine is my first purchase of an ‘age’ worthy / collectable wine.  I’m not sure if I’ll keep it for 20 years but I won’t be drinking it next week.
A little knowledge goes a long way.

It is fair to say that wine can be a little intimidating.  There are a hundreds of grape varietals, tens of thousands of producers and a mind boggling number of rules and laws that govern production.  For the new wine enthusiast it can be bit overwhelming so it is natural to gravitate to a person or a publication that can help to guide the way.

-    Started a wine tasting group – One of the best ways to learn more about wine is to share your interest and passion with others.  I’ve found a great way to do that is to participate in a wine group.  I’ve gathered a number of my wine enthusiast friends together to form a wine tasting group.  The themed events allow for us to try new wines.  If you are thinking of starting a wine tasting group you need a strong leader and idea person.

-    Became the wine steward for my mortgage-paying job – It was a bit of surprise to me that my passion for wine became widely known through my company.  The result has been requests for wine tour itineraries, wine recommendations and in general, a lot of questions.  I’ve become the ‘Go-To’ guy for wine knowledge in my company.  I’m still not sure if it is a good or bad thing but it has helped me dig deeper into my passion.

As I look back, this year has had a lot more wine related significance than I had thought.  I can see now that wine has become an integral part of my life and not just a hobby.

John Andrews is a software product manager during the week and is a professional Tasting Room staffer at Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, CA on the weekends.