Cork & Thorn

Posted on February 21, 2017 by thewineraconteur

I am always looking for new venues to try wines, and Cork & Thorn is one that I discovered through Social Media. As we took our daily walks from our hotel to Tivoli Village across the road we found this unique setting. This is a wine shop and a floral shop by Naakiti Floral. Upon walking into the shop one immediately noticed a large bar in the center. One can order an arrangement and while it is being created, one can sit back and enjoy a glass of wine and relax. They also offer classes on floral design and arrangement.

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The shop was very quiet when we walked in, and I knew that they had only opened a week or two earlier, so I was not sure what to expect from the shop. We were greeted by the manager and I told him how I had discovered the shop and a mutual friend. The conversation slowly started building and I found out that the manager was from the East side of Detroit and we began discussing schools and areas, and I kind of brought him up to speed on the many, many changes that have occurred in Detroit since he had left the area. I tend to be a talker and the conversation went into all sorts of tangents and it was a pleasant experience.

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Of course, all of that talking made my mouth a bit dry, so we settled on some wine, so that we wouldn’t dehydrate out in the desert, after all we were in Las Vegas. They were still working out the wine list to offer, so we settled on Lo Nuevo Covello Albarino Rias Baixas 2015. A very pleasant and easy to drink wine that evokes the flint from the terroir of the Rias Baixas district. To carry that designation, the wine must be a minimum of seventy percent Albarino, and this wine was pure Albarino. The wine is called Lo Nuevo because they use a modern approach to winemaking for the area, and they have adopted the small town of Covello as their mascot in name. The wine and the conversation was great and it was a splendid way to spend some time, until we would be back with the family later in the day.

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Naggiar Barbera

Posted on February 19, 2017 by thewineraconteur

One of the nice things for us to do in Las Vegas when we weren’t with our children and grandchildren was the chance to take some leisurely walks and have some casual lunches. I was also able to find another wine that I have only read about since I began writing these articles. I have been following the winery blog almost from their beginning, and I had my chance. Some wineries have limited production and due to the three-tiered archaic structure of the wine trade in Michigan, there is plenty of wine that is just not available here, and some of the wineries do not ship here as well.

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On one of our daily walks we went to Tivoli Village, actually we haunt that area quite a bit, because of its convenience and its ambience. There is a spot that we really enjoy going to, the View Wine Bar & Kitchen and we have partaken of their services several times in the past. We will go and have a light lunch after walking around and we usually share a couple of different dishes, because the View offers small plate servings, as well as Charcuterie and Artisanal cheeses. We took the table that we enjoy the most, because it has a great view of Tivoli Village and it is very near to the bar. We shared three different dishes on that trip. There was Prosciutto wrapped Tiger Prawns on a bed of seaweed salad and drizzled with an aioli dressing. A Charred Caesar Salad with truffle croutons and the proper dressing, though not as good as my Bride’s recipe. The third dish was a plate of Brussel Sprouts with beets, carrots, browned butter, pumpkin seeds and almonds. The three dishes were ample enough to hold us until we had dinner later on with the family.

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My Bride was not feeling very adventurous that day with her wine selection, as she went safe with a glass of Tisdale Vineyards California Chardonnay NV and it had that soft buttery flavor, but I could really not find very much about this wine. It was just an easy drinking wine and that is what she wanted. I on the other hand immediately knew the wine that I wanted to try, namely Naggiar Vineyards Sierra Foothills Barbera 2012. Since I have been writing there have been certain wines that I just really wanted to try and this was another one off of my bucket list. Naggiar Vineyards is in the Sierra Foothills, which is probably the largest AVA in the United States and it is known for having great success with classic Mediterranean varietals. Naggiar Vineyards has sixty acres of land and they are able to grow eighteen different grapes for their Estate Grown, Produced and Bottled wines and they still are able to supply some other winemakers with fruit as well. This particular vintage was aged for twenty months in French Oak, of which thirty percent were new barrels and a total production of one-hundred-ninety-five cases were made. It was a pleasure savoring this wine and I kind of nursed it along to enjoy all the richness and nuances that I could discover. I know that my Bride enjoyed my choice much more over hers, but I did share. I was as giddy as a teenager over this find, so much for my so-called maturity.

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Bottomless Mimosas

Posted on February 17, 2017 by thewineraconteur

Is there anything more enticing than the two words “bottomless Mimosas?” Ever since our last trip to Las Vegas, we have been discussing the great Sunday brunch that we had just across the street from our hotel. We could have had breakfast by room service, or even at several of the restaurants in our hotel, but we wanted to go back to Echo & Rig Butcher and Steakhouse at Tivoli Village. Over the many years that we have been staying in Summerlin we have watched as this prime corner went from nothing and now it is growing in a well-organized manner and I am sure that in a few years we could spend a whole day there without even noticing the passing of time.

Wycliff Brut NV
We were escorted to our table on the upper porch overlooking the entrance to Tivoli Village and though it was chilly that morning in Las Vegas, the propane torches and overhead heaters made it perfect to enjoy our meal. My Bride had the Smoked Salmon Benedict, which is kind of self-explanatory in that it was house-made Smoked Salmon, poached eggs, Crème Fraiche, red onions, sautéed greens and Hollandaise Sauce, but instead of over an English Muffin, it was served atop a potato pancake. Try as I might, I had to repeat my last year order, which is the house specialty. The Short Rib Hash with Yukon Gold potatoes, bell peppers, poached eggs and Smoked Paprika Hollandaise Sauce was just too good to pass up.

NV Echo & Rig BC
Now as for the “bottomless Mimosas” they were true to their word, as the wine goblet was filled as often as the water glass. The fresh orange juice must be more dear than the sparkling wine, because the juice was brought out in a small carafe for us to pour, while the sparkling wine was almost filling the goblet. The last time we were there, I had never heard of the wine that was being poured, but since then I have noticed other restaurants back home touting the same wine for their Mimosas. Wycliff Brut California Champagne is by the William Wycliff Winery which is under the umbrella of the Gallo Winery group. This screwcap bottle of sparkling wine is geared strictly to restaurants and catering companies, so that the consumer cannot check the retail price of the wine or buy it on their own. Since it is part of Gallo, I am sure that they have made sure that they were grandfathered in with the term “California Champagne.” This wine is made by the Charmat Method, which is a more economical way of producing a sparkling wine and since it was being mixed with orange juice, it was more than adequate. Traditionally the wine would be made with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier and I will presume that all or part of those grapes are being used. All I can say is that it was a great way to start the day off.

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St. Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 15, 2017 by thewineraconteur

Armenian wine and food interrupt my memories of wine in Las Vegas for a day, but it ties in, in a way, since the wine was a gift from “My Favorite Daughter” who lives in Las Vegas. There are a couple of St. Valentines that are listed in the lore of this canonical holiday and it now has become an exploited commercial day. As a kid in elementary school, I remember giving out little cards to the other kids, and one hoped that one was going to take home a similar number of cards at the day’s end. The day is for romance, but alas, it is one of those days that I try to avoid the restaurants, not that I don’t want to have dinner with my Bride, but the restaurants are over-booked, a lot of them use an abbreviated menu and the worst part is that the service is usually under-par, because the wait staff is over-burdened with diners that only eat out on these designated holidays.

Zorah Karasi 2012
The Sword of Damocles was dangling over me and what to do? I decided to make a dinner while my Bride was at work. I am by no means a chef, while I love to indulge in fine dining, the Heavens know that I cannot reproduce splendid dinners, even with our library having cook books by Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud. I decided to make “Potato Boereg” an Armenian dish, similar to what is known as “Shepherd’s Pie.” The Armenian version is just spicier with the lamb seasoned with garlic, allspice, peppers and onions. The old country recipes don’t have time suggestions, just wait until the egg wash is a nice golden brown. The dish is not really intricate, just time consuming to prepare, so I was off to the races.

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I thought of the perfect wine for the evening, as it was a gift as I said from “My Favorite Daughter” who we had just seen in our last trip to Las Vegas. The bottle of wine is Zorah Karasi Areni Noir 2012. Karasi means “from amphora” the vessels that were used way back in the day for wine storage. Zorah Karasi and their first wine was a tribute to a sixty-one-hundred-year tradition of wine making in Armenia. During excavations of “Karmir Blur” or “Red Hill” near the capital city of Yerevan in Armenia, four hundred ancient wine barrels were found. Around the same time excavations in Areni 1 cave in the Yeghegnadzor region they found the world’s oldest winery and the first historical evidence of wine making on an industrial scale. The vineyards of Zorah in the small village of Rind are in the heart of the Yeghegnadzor region and continue the tradition of the earlier vintners of antiquity. Zorah Karasi is made from the Areni Noir grape, which is indigenous to Armenia and of course later on in Turkey. It is its own grape dating perhaps back to the time of Noah, when his famed Ark landed on Mount Ararat in Armenia. I guess it is only fitting that this Armenian grape is just as singular as the Armenian language and alphabet are as well. Bloomberg listed this wine as one of the “Top Ten Wines of 2012,” quite impressive for a new winery. The wine was earthy with a detectable amount of heat to the taste and it really worked well with the hot spices of the dish. “My Favorite Daughter” did a great job in getting this particular wine.

Heart of Corks

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Back to Grape Street

Posted on February 13, 2017 by thewineraconteur

A little free time while in Las Vegas we went to Downtown Summerlin which is a quaint outdoor shopping mall anchored by some large department stores and the usual mix of specialty stores that one can find anywhere in the country, which is one of my pet peeves, there are hardly any independent stores left, let alone independent restaurants. It can be difficult to find experiences that are singular to one city. I know you will say that Las Vegas is singular because of the flash and glitter that one associates with it, but if you actually look at all the chains, it is very similar. We like to walk around to get some exercise and I like to look at the stores, not that I have a need to buy anything, but after years of being a retailer, I just find it interesting.

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We found ourselves having a light lunch at Grape Street Café, Wine Bar & Cellar once again. The name explains it all and why they are celebrating nineteen years of business. The wine shop had some interesting labels, the bar was extensive and I even noticed that they were also getting into the craft beer trend as well. The décor is brick walls and industrial components visible from the rafters, but my favorite is that all the tables are paneled with end crates from wine cases and there were many wines that were old friends. My Bride had the Orange Chicken Salad of mixed field greens, Mandarin oranges, roasted red peppers, wontons, peanuts and a Sesame Ginger dressing. I also went for a salad, but mine was the Steak Salad of iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, cherry hot peppers, pepperoncini, red and green onions, shave Parmesan and a Lemon-Oregano dressing.

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Of course, we had to have some wine while we were at it, and picking wines for salads can be a bit trickier because of the dressings. My Bride went with Miner Family California Viognier 2015. The Miner Family Winery is celebrating their Twentieth year of vintages and while they are located in Oakville in the Napa Valley, they own no vineyards, but have long-term buying agreements to make their wines. The wine that my Bride had was pure Viognier, but a blend of sixty-two percent from the Steinbeck Vineyard in Paso Robles and thirty-eight percent from Naggiar Vineyards in the Sierra Foothills and hence the California appellation. I was excited to see that some of the fruit came from Naggiar Vineyards as it is the first chance for me to give a “hello” and a salute to another blogger that I follow and enjoy reading and that is Danielle who goes by DWDirwin. The wine was aged in Stainless Steel and that allowed the wine to show off its crispness and its unique scented nose. I on the other hand had a red wine to go with my salad and I thought something basic to work with the dressing. I enjoyed Ontanon Rioja Reserva 2005 which was a blend of ninety-five percent Tempranillo and five percent Graciano. In Rioja, the rules for a Reserva wine is a minimum of one year in oak and then in glass for three years before release, and this wine was aged for twenty-four months in American and French Oak (a mix of new and old) and then a period of twenty-four to twenty-six months in glass. It was just what I expected from a Rioja Reserva and I have been enjoying them for decades. After lunch, it was time to get back to the hotel and get ready to be with the families again, after the grandchildren did their homework.

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Marche Bacchus

Posted on February 11, 2017 by thewineraconteur

Marche Bacchus is a wine shop, a wine bar and a French Bistro that overlooks a small lake populated with black swans in a residential section of Las Vegas, which is in the middle of the desert. Since we were trying to maintain some semblance of Michigan time while we were visiting the children and grandchildren, an early dinner was around our lunch time, because we were saving our dinner times to spend with the family. It is amazing how we sometimes could sneak in an appreciation of wines during our days, while waiting for the grandchildren to get out of school. Since we were staying at a casino in the Summerlin district of Las Vegas to be near the families, we made a short trip north about ten minutes away and ended up in the Desert Shores community and I really thought that we had made a mistake. We drove into a residential area and made a turn and there was a small office complex and our destination.

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I have to say that the wine shop was very impressive and I could have gotten totally carried away and spent all of the money earmarked for the trip and then some additional funds. Thankfully I had the keeper of the treasury alongside of me and she knew what was going through my mind. I mean there in one of the wine cellar lockers were bottles of Lafite and even a Petrus, that one bottle that always calls my name, as I never had the chance to try it, and the odds are at this point in my life that I will not. As I meandered around the bins of wine, I discovered that for a corkage fee of ten dollars, I could take a retail bottle into the restaurant and have it with dinner, but we refrained, and that Petrus was like a Siren calling me for the grandest lunch in my life. We were seated for lunch at a window-side table to enjoy the lakefront and my Bride was trying to figure out, if we could afford to move here, and I don’t think so, much to the chagrin of the families in town. We got down to more realistic goals and decided to begin our meal, by sharing an order of roasted Foie Gras with poached fruit, arugula and a Port wine reduction. I guess we may have been the first customers that ever-ordered Foie Gras from our waitress, as she had no idea that the restaurant had Sauternes, because it was not on the regular wine carte, so I had to ask for a dessert menu to find a wine to pair with our appetizer. I must say that, believe it or not, we were trying to eat “light” for lunch and my Bride ordered grilled Rosemary Chicken and Asparagus Salad with oven-dried tomatoes, olives, bacon, red onions with a Citrus Vinaigrette. I looked at the menu and decided that I had to try something that I hardly ever have, as most of the time they tend to disagree with me, I was going to have a hot dog. Now I grew up in Detroit, the world center of Coney Islands, and for me there is only Lafayette Coney Island and I don’t even get a hot dog there, so this was a major decision. Of course, my selection was a Snake River Farms Kobe Beef Wagyu “Haute Dog” with house pickled slaw, Truffled Mozzarella Black Pepper Aioli on a fresh baked croissant with a side of Caesar Salad, and it didn’t seem like that much of a gamble. I was even magnanimous to share some of the “Haute Dog” with my Bride, and to be truthful, it was wonderful and I am sure that I could have even ordered several more of them, they were that great. There will always be more trips to Vegas.

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The wines for lunch were equally enjoyable, after we showed our waitress that there was Sauternes available by the glass. With our appetizer, we enjoyed Chateau Gravas Sauternes 2010 a delightful amber glass of pure “Nectar of the Gods” from Bordeaux. It is just amazing how Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blend so harmoniously in Sauternes to deliver such a pure drop of sunshine to pair with the richness of the Foie Gras. My Bride chose a glass of Pazo Senorans Albarino 2015 to go with her salad. This wine is from the Rias Baixas district of Spain and to carry this designation, the wine must be at least seventy percent Albarino, but this wine was one hundred percent Albarino. This charming wine spent four months on the lees in Stainless Steel vats which gives it the crisp and youthful taste. I am always cautious of wine with a salad because of the dressing, but the crispness of this wine and the light dressing worked perfectly. For my “Haute Dog” I had to select a wine that would have been incongruous for a hot dog, but paired perfectly with my culinary treat. I had a glass of Albert Bichot Mercurey Premier Cru Champs Martin 2014 from their Domaine Adelie. Albert Bichot was established in 1831 and they now have four estates in the Burgundy region to handle all of the different wines that they produce; they have an estate in Pommard, Nuits-Saints-Georges, Chablis and Mercurey. The estate in Mercurey, which is one of the five communes in the Cote Chalonnaise is Domaine Adelie. There are thirty Premier Cru designations in Mercurey and of course the grape is Pinot Noir. This wine was so smooth with my dish, that it was actually making me think of ordering a refill of both, as I really didn’t want to leave this idyllic setting. I guess the Petrus will just have to wait.

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Dracaena Wines

Posted on February 9, 2017 by thewineraconteur

I was thinking about a Weimaraner dog and Cabernet Franc in my preparations for the trip to Las Vegas. That may sound like an odd combination, but I contacted Lori Budd to see if she and her husband Michael had representation of their wine in Las Vegas, because they do not ship to Michigan. She did not, but she could ship wine to Nevada, so I had to ask if she could ship a three pack to my daughter’s house and that was affirmative. I was in Seventh Heaven and so was my Bride when I told her what I was up to.  The funny thing is that this wine has been haunting me now for a couple of years, because I could not get it, which only makes one try harder, at least for me.   Dracaena Wines only offers one wine and it is a Cabernet Franc and they are so smitten with that particular grape that they even started a movement of a Cabernet Franc Day. I have been a fan of this grape from the first time that I tried it.

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We were having a casual night at my son’s house and we picked up three assorted pizzas and other goodies for the night and my daughter brought my package of wine to me. That evening I could care less about eating, but we were both looking forward to the wine. I opened up a bottle of Dracaena Cabernet Franc 2014 and it was wonderful.  For a young fresh new wine, the color was impressive, the nose was there and it reminded me of some other great Cabernet Franc wines that I have had over the years and it may even been   more velvety smooth compared to even some of the wines that I have had from the Loire Valley.  It is a mixture of ninety percent Cabernet Franc and ten percent Petite Sirah from the West Side Ranch in Paso Robles, and it appears that they only make about one-hundred-fifty cases a year.  The wine was aged for two years in one year old French Oak barrels, and while I knew that I was drinking this wine way too young, I wasn’t concerned, because I knew that I had two more bottles to place in my cellar for additional aging and I think that five to eight years before I even try it again, if my Bride will let me cellar it that long without trying another bottle.  I even knew that the shipping carton with all of its protection would fit into one of our suitcases for our return trip.

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I really wanted to try the wine and sometimes I am like a little kid. When I first started writing, and my first year of articles as I look back were not that impressive, not that I am getting any better, but Lori was one of the first to “like” what I was doing, and I really wanted to repay her for her kindness and her attention. My Bride who watches me like a hawk as she thinks I can get crazy buying wines, at the expense of our near future plans of retirement, but she didn’t complain at all, since it was for Cabernet Franc.  I may have to do this end run game of ordering in the future.  In case you were wondering why I mentioned a Weimaraner dog earlier, it was their first dog Draco that adorns their label.

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Symphony’s Restaurant

Posted on February 7, 2017 by thewineraconteur

After having finished our second wine tasting in Nevada and while still at Pahrump Valley Winery, we walked around the corner and had dinner at Symphony’s Restaurant. A very pleasant white linen restaurant on the grounds of the winery. The restaurant is named after their Gold Medal winning wine.  We worked up an appetite, because wine tasting is such hard work.  The restaurant was very elegant and their only caveat was that men should not wear sleeveless shirts, hats or flip-flops; well I did have a hat, but I take it off indoors and since it was in the forties outside, I don’t think that they had any worries about the other requirements.

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We were taken to a table that overlooked the vineyards and the staff in the restaurant was much more attentive and professional, especially when comparing to the hostess that handled our wine tasting. We were just having a quick lunch as we were going to meet our children and grandchildren later for dinner. We were also quite hungry since we were still on Michigan time which is three hours later. We started off with a bowl of soup, my Bride had the Lobster Bisque laced with Crème Sherry and I had the Steak Chowder. Since she eats much healthier than I do she followed it up with the Lump Crab and Avocado salad on field greens and their Symphony wine vinaigrette. I had the Sirloin French Dip sandwich and we both refrained from having any dessert.

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The restaurant offered the wines from the winery and that made total sense. My Bride had a glass of the Charleston Peak Sauvignon Blanc 2015 and the wine was from Lodi, California. Most of the wine was aged in Stainless Steel, but a small batch was barrel aged and then the two were blended together for a nice crisp wine and the way we both prefer a Sauvignon Blanc. I had a glass of the Charleston Peak CZS “Vintner’s Red Blend-Barrel Reserve” 2013. This was a delightful blend of Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Zinfandel and paired very well with my sandwich. Our lunch redeemed the winery and we left very happy; and for those inquisitive minds, we still did not make a side trip to the Chicken Ranch.

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Pahrump Valley Winery

Posted on February 5, 2017 by thewineraconteur

A short six and a half miles from Sanders Family Winery and there was Pahrump Valley Winery and in one morning I had the chance to visit fifty percent of the wineries in Nevada. What a difference that six-mile drive was for the attitude of the person behind the tasting counter. While the first was gregarious, the second winery was in the midst of ennui, it felt. The winery had a huge room displaying all of the awards with a bottle of each wine with the awards. Pahrump Valley Winery produces about ten-thousand cases of wine per year and most of the wine is sold within the state on Nevada. The winery had three brands featured. The first brand was Pahrump Valley Winery for “fun, fruity, friendly” wines and there were four different labels. Their Charleston Peak line were touted as “carefully crafted classic” wines and they offered twelve different wines for tasting. The first two brands either carried California or American appellations. The last brand that they offered was Nevada Ridge which the claim of “making history” and all seven wines had a Nevada appellation.

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We were each offered seven tastings each, but we ended up only trying nine different wines. My Bride wanted to taste two of the Charleston Peak wines and I wanted to try all seven of the Nevada Ridge wines. My Bride tried the Charleston Peak Pinot Grigio 2015 with a California appellation and it was a soft Pinot Grigio. The other wine that she wanted to try, as she is always looking for wines to give as gifts to her friends that are really not wine drinkers and the wine she chose was Charleston Peak Sweet Melody NV a blend of a red wine and dark chocolate; very similar to wines of this ilk that we have tried at other wineries.

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The other wines that we tried were all from their Nevada Ridge line and they all carried the Nevada appellation. The Nevada Ridge Mourvedre 2014 was the first bottling of Mourvedre in Nevada and it was on the thin side, perhaps the vines need a few more years of maturing. The Nevada Ridge Barbera 2014 had eighteen months of barrel aging and was a bit more interesting, and easy to drink. The Nevada Ridge Primitivo 2014 had eighteen months of aging in both French and American oak and was a bit sweeter than I expected, but it was fuller tasting. The Nevada Ridge Tempranillo 2014 was also aged for eighteen months in French and American oak and showed more style, but a lighter relative of what one could find elsewhere, but it has been one of their highest award winners for years. The Nevada Ridge Zinfandel 2014 was the first “Estate Grown” wine and it had a higher alcohol count and was done in a jammy finish; this wine was also aged for eighteen months in French and American oak and reminded me of a California Zinfandel. The Nevada Ridge Silver State Red 2014 was a blend of nine different varietals; as our hostess related they were Ruby Red, Merlot, Mourvedre, Primitivo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Barbera, Tempranillo and Syrah. This wine was also aged for eighteen months in French and American oak and I thought it was the best of the lot of wines that I tried. The last wine that I tried, the Nevada Ridge Syrah 2014 was also “Estate Grown” and it also was aged for eighteen months in French and American oak. This wine also exhibited some eucalyptus from the eucalyptus trees that were growing adjacent to the Syrah vines, which imparted a unique taste.

charleston-peak-sweet-melody-nv

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Sanders Family Winery

Posted on February 3, 2017 by thewineraconteur

The last time I was in Las Vegas, I tried to get some Nevada wine to try with no success and I thought it would be interesting to try some wine from this state. So, before I left for Las Vegas, I did some research and found that there were two wineries about an hour away from where I would be staying, so off for an adventure.

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Sanders Family Winery is the first modern winery in Nevada not far from the California border and in full view of the mountains. We actually got to the winery before anyone else and then we were greeted by the owner Jack Sanders. When we started talking, it turns out that he actually lived about a mile from our house, so he is an old Michigander and in a prior life he was in the local television media of Detroit and he discussed past events and local luminaries of that time. He said that there are four wineries in Nevada, two in Pahrump where he is and two near Reno, Nevada. He said that there is a movement to get Nevada some appellations and that at the moment the winery carries an American NV listing. The winery at the moment grows Petite Sirah and Zinfandel and purchases other fruit from California. The winery was established in 1988.

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There were three white wines that we tried. Sanders Chardonnay NV was a pleasant and crisp Chardonnay that was aged in Stainless Steel and Polyethylene vats. The fruit for this wine was from Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara in California. The second white wine was Serenity NV and is a blend of Symphony (a cross between Alexander Muscat and Grenache developed by UC-Davis) and Riesling and French Colombard from Monterey County. This was an easy drinking wine with some sweetness, but not cloying. The last wine was a Rosé called Harmony NV, which was his “Proprietary Blend” which Jack said meant at most places meant a way to get more money as he said with a twinkle in his eye. Harmony NV was a blend of his Estate Zinfandel and Santa Barbara Pinot Noir and it was another very easy drinking wine.

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There were three red wine plus a dessert wine made at Sanders Family Winery. The Sanders Merlot NV was made from fruit harvested in Lodi, California and was aged for ninety days in lightly toasted oak barrels and it was very easy and a light red wine. The Cabernet Sauvignon NV also had fruit that was harvested in Lodi and aged in Stainless Steel and it had a spicy taste to it. The last red wine was Burgundy NV for those who don’t like red wine as Jack said. He said that he called the wine Burgundy for the color and not to evoke the area in France. The wine was a blend of sixty percent of the Estate Petite Sirah and the other forty percent was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. While the label was not enticing as it evoked memories of the old jug wines that said Burgundy from when I was a kid, the wine was very pleasant and easy to drink.

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The dessert wine that Sanders makes is his Ruby Port NV and is made from the Estate Petite Sirah and fortified with Grappa, also made from his Petite Sirah. This was very enjoyable and was very enjoyable even that early in the morning, of course we were still on Michigan time, so it made it easier to taste the wines. After we had the Sanders Ruby Port NV, Jack then poured some more of the wine in the glass added some Ginger Ale, ice and a wedge of lime and made us a wonderful glass of this Ruby Red Slipper, this wine really won over my Bride.

pahrump-valley-vineyards-original-3-pack
This Raconteur may have met his match as we regaled ourselves with different tales and the wine tasting lasted about an hour and a half. Jack Sanders also had a special wooden three pack case from his original products. The three-pack showed his earlier venture with the winery that he sold, before he opened this one and there was Pahrump Valley Vineyards Dessert Blush, Charleston Peak White and Sunset Rose. While my Bride was not keen originally on this day trip, she was totally won over by the time the tasting finished and we bought some of his wines. As we were getting ready to leave, he mentioned what Pahrump was famed for and it was not the wines, and he gave us directions if we wanted to take pictures of the infamous Chicken Ranch the legal brothel of Nye County of Nevada. We skipped the photo op, but left with Sanders Chardonnay, Serenity and Ruby Port.  So if you are in the Las Vegas area, I would strongly suggest visiting Jack at his winery, you will be glad that you did.

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