Ms. Yoga while she was in town for holidays, spent a full day with us and she had a full itinerary, but of plans that she wanted to accomplish as well. I was off that day, but I declined to spend the whole day with her, not because I don’t enjoy her company, but because I knew that she would have preferred to spend the time with my Bride. They were going to go shopping, visit a mutual friend that is in the midst of redoing her new home, have lunch and of course more shopping. They even had time to sneak in a movie, and they really didn’t me tagging along, as it was a Ladies day of things to do, and I understand that.
They eventually made it back to our house, and Ms. Yoga was going to spend the night, so I had preparations here as well as other things that had to be done while I was off. Originally, we were going to go out for dinner either at a Mexican restaurant or an Italian one, but it turned out that Chez Raconteur was where she wanted to be. That was not a problem, because if you ever saw our refrigerators and freezer, one would marvel how every square inch is utilized. My Bride has a phobia of being without food. So, we just had an ad hoc meal that evening from appetizers on out and we just sat in the breakfast nook having a grand old time.
Ms. Yoga is a Chardonnay devotee and my Bride is still very partial to it as well, and I would venture to say that there is always at least one open bottle of it in the refrigerator. We tried a couple of new wines, instead of our usual house brands. The first bottle that we opened was one that my Bride had tried on a whim and she had liked it. It was JaM Cellars Butter Chardonnay 2015 and is made by John and Michelle Truchard, a husband and wife team of vintners, and they also own a boutique line of wines under the John Anthony label in Napa. The Butter Chardonnay was their venture into a popular price wine and the fruit came from Mendocino County, Santa Barbara County and Clarksburg, so the wine carried a California appellation. The Butter name came from their proprietary blend of oak, and they used oak pellets for the flavoring, instead of aging in oak barrels, which is becoming popular in the more affordable wines. The wine had that butter taste that so many people think of when they have a California Chardonnay. The second bottle that we opened was from an old standby for us, but a new label. We had a Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay 2014. Jess Jackson founded Kendall-Jackson in 1974 and his Vintners Reserve is found everywhere and is a staple wine for a huge part of the wine drinking populace. While both the Vintners Reserve and the Grand Reserve both carry a California appellation, the Grand Reserve comes from estate owned properties and the fruit comes from Santa Barbara County and from Monterey County. This wine I enjoyed a bit more, only because the oak was subtler and that seems to be my preference these days. It was just fun to catch up again with Ms. Yoga and we all had a great time.
When you get a group of people together even for New Year’s Eve, there will be no consensus of what sparkling wine is best. Everyone has different tastes and there really is no one-size-fits-all, in fact that is true for any type of wine. I have noticed that even at weddings when there is sparkling wine poured for all of the guests for toasting, afterwards there are plenty of glasses that have been barely touched. I think that some Brut finished wines are just too dry for many people, and really that is not sacrilege. I have always espoused that people should drink what they enjoy, and in that manner, they will eventually try other wines and that is what all wine lovers do. I know for a fact that I have learned to embrace many of wines.
I have to admit that that I like to go out for dinner quite a bit and you may have noticed, as I like to write about restaurants almost as much as I like to write about wine. Suffice it to say, that there are a few nights that I do not like to venture out on and New Year’s Eve is one of them. Over the years, I have found that the menus shrink, the prices rise and the service diminishes. I guess in my youth, I didn’t notice it as much, but now I do, so I know that there are other nights where everything will line up more favorable. Though I do miss the chance for some dancing, as bands seem more prevalent on that evening. So, for the last ten to fifteen years we seem to have everyone come here to ring in the new year, though some of the younger relatives skip our dinner to be with the crowds and that is understandable.
For everyone that celebrates Christmas, while the holiday is so special, it is also hectic. For those that are having big dinners at their home, it is an all-day affair of cleaning and cooking. For others, it is traveling to sometimes two or more different houses to give everyone the Christmas Cheer; and that is what we do on Christmas Day. We try to cover as many relatives as possible. On Christmas morning, it has become a tradition to have breakfast at my Mother-in-Laws home and since she has five daughters who are all married with children the house gets quite cozy with the ability to get everyone seated. There were doughnuts and Danishes, omelets, bacon and pancakes, enough to sate everyone for the morning. And then there are Mimosas, that wonderful breakfast drink of orange juice and sparkling wine. This is a drink where one does not have to splurge when making it, as any sparkling wine will work. We used Cook’s California Champagne Brut Grand Reserve NV, and you will notice that it is a “California Champagne” and since Cook’s was established in 1859 they have been grandfathered in for using the term “champagne” since it is now only legally used for wines from France, except for a few wineries that were allowed to keep the name, because of longevity. Cook’s proclaims that they are the “#1 Sparkling Wine in the U.S.” and I am sure that it is true, because they are a popular priced sparkling wine, made in the bulk process method using Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grapes and it is festive.
