Sonoma Brunch

Posted on June 20, 2016 by thewineraconteur

Since my Favorite Daughter was in town, we decided to try the brunch at Fleming’s Steak House, one of our favorite haunts. She was here for a “girl’s get-away” and we took advantage of the time we could, after all, how much time, does she want to spend with dear old Dad, when she is planning on having fun? We also invited our Son and his charming Wife along for the event. I know that I am always trying to find independent restaurants to try, but the “bar food” at Fleming’s is always dependable, and so is the wine selections. Since we have a couple of Fleming’s near us, when we go out of town, we do not have to venture into another one for dinner, so I guess that is a good trade-off. The last time we were at the bar having a bite to eat, we saw a placard about “Sonoma Brunch” at our local establishment, and my Bride put that information aside for a possible later time.

Wycliff Brut NV

There were five of us for the brunch, and two of us ordered the prixe-fixe brunch of three courses, and the rest of us, just ordered ala carte. The three course package started with Fresh Seasonal Fruits with Moscato d’Asti and Mint Leaves, and I have to presume that it was very good, because the dishes were finished quickly. The two people that had the special brunch pricing, and then had the French-folded Blue Crab Omelet, which consisted of whipped eggs served Crepe-style with Gruyere cheese, wilted spinach and mushrooms topped with Blue Crab, blistered tomatoes and a Dill Hollandaise sauce. My Bride was a bit disappointed, because she felt that the dish was a bit dry and very light on the crab meat. Our Son had the dish that I was considering; the Prime Rib Hash which was blended with fresh vegetables, potatoes, herbs and spices, pan crisped and served with scrambled eggs, and he said that it was a very good dish. My Favorite Daughter and I had the Filet Mignon Benedict, which was sliced Filet Mignon served on a crisp potato cake with wilted Arugula and Béarnaise sauce, and we were both happy. Since two of us had ordered the three course special, the five of us split the Beverly Hills Flourless Chocolate Cake of dark Belgian chocolate, Strawberry sauce and Chantilly cream; the two cakes were more then ample for the five of us.

MI Fleming's Logo

While our Son was enjoying some Craft Beers, only my Bride and I opted for Mimosas. To me Mimosas are the drink of choice with brunch. As is my usual routine, I asked our waitress to bring out a bottle of the sparkling wine that was being used for the Mimosas, so that I may photograph the label. It was the same sparkling wine that we had at our last brunch in Las Vegas, so we were very happy. William Wycliff Vineyards of Modesto, California makes Wycliff Brut California Champagne NV and they are under the giant umbrella of E. & J. Gallo Winery, and it is because of the parent company, I would have to presume that they are allowed to called the wine “California Champagne” as they have been Grandfathered in with that name, as most domestic sparkling wines cannot use the term “champagne” any more. The traditional grapes used for this wine would be Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier; and this wine is produced in the more economical Charmat Method for bulk sparkling wine. Wycliff Brut California Champagne NV is basically only sold to the restaurant trade, and probably used for drinks calling for champagne in the mix, as it even comes with a screw cap. While we enjoyed the Wycliff wine the last time, this time the Mimosas were made with Passion Fruit juice and the taste was disconcerting for the most part and totally overpowered the sparkling wine and neither of us could get used to the taste. Oh well live and learn, and just perhaps if we have brunch there again, I hope that we can request our Mimosas to be made with Orange juice

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A Memory for Father’s Day

Posted on June 18, 2016 by thewineraconteur

My Father was what they used to call a Man’s Man. He was a tough guy with a great smile and everybody noticed him when he walked into the room, and some people thought he looked like a gangster. He was a Depression child of immigrant parents who were lucky that they survived the Armenian Genocide. His parents wanted their children to be Canadian and not to be looked at as foreigners, so they tried to speak English as much as possible, though Armenian was also spoken. As was the case for the majority of Depression children, he did not finish high school, and when the war broke out, he like so many Canadians volunteered to be soldiers in the United States of America, to be a citizen, because his parents were denied that privilege when there were quotas in place. He was a paratrooper and he used to joke that he never landed in a plane until the Eighties. After the war, he got married and they ended up living in an Armenian section in Southwest Detroit, where I was raised. It was a very colorful life with plenty of characters that had nicknames, they all had nicknames, and they could have been Damon Runyon inhabitants. All of the men had learned to be men from the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable and other rogues that were manly with a twinkle in their eye.

Ch Eyquem Bourg

I was the eldest of three children and even though I was totally immersed in this lifestyle that was second nature to me, I guess I became more “American” and I had the chance to graduate from high school, which was not the norm for the generation before me. My Mother had passed away when I was in the Tenth Grade and his whole lifestyle changed and in looking back he made quite the adjustment. We were never like the families on black and white television, but he did all that he could and he did a grand job. I was a bit of challenge to him, but I mostly knew my place, but I remember that I wanted a graduation party and I started to make the plans without consulting my Father. The old Armenian Church in the neighborhood had originally been built as a Masonic temple and it was a grand structure. In the basement of the building there was a coffee shop where the old men used to play cards, smoke and drink and on the far side from them, there were several rooms that the youth organization had, as a place for socialization. In between the two sets of rooms was the basement banquet hall, in fact the banquet hall on the main floor was where my parents had their wedding reception years earlier. My Father was not pleased with my commandeering the basement banquet hall and making plans, but he still ended up cooking up a storm for all the people that ended up at the party.

ACC Plate

As I look back at my insubordination in creating this party, he could have said “no,” but he did not. He was not pleased with his goofy kid, but he put out quite the spread of food with the able assistance of my Aunts and my Grandmother. We even had an Armenian band that was cobbled together for the occasion. There was Molson Canadian beer, at that time I am not sure if I even knew there were other brands being made, there was Canadian Rye; Canadian Club for the guests and V.O. for the family. There was even wine for that pain in the arse kid that caused this whole mess. We had some Chateau Eyquem which sounds like a much more famous chateau, but this wine was from the Cotes de Bourg. The Cotes de Bourg was originally going to be part of the larger Cotes de Bordeaux, but it ended up with its own Appellation. The Cotes de Bourg is more known for Merlot, and this wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. My Father grumbled about the party for years, but I think (I hope) that he still enjoyed the moment. He was singular in his demeanor and all that met him, remembered him and most with good memories. I guess that it was fitting that since he was with me when I first arrived that I would be with him when he left.

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Osteria 222 (Part Two)

Posted on June 16, 2016 by thewineraconteur

So here I am sitting in Dearborn with my Bride and my Favorite Daughter across the street from where I worked for thirty-five years with a sense of deja-vu, because I had been in the building and even the restaurant in prior times and names. I had the good fortune to meet the manager of the business and we had a mutual friend to start off our conversation. I was not only in a neighborhood restaurant, but one of quality. As I looked around at wooden crates and at the wine carte, I was able to see many old names that are friends to me. I mean if I was on the Upper East Side of Manhattan at a local bistro, but I was not expecting to see some of the wineries that I did. I mean I was impressed to see Sassicaia, Gaja, Tenuta dell Ornellaia both as “Ornellaia” and “Massetto,” Duckhorn Estate, PlumpJack, Silver Oak, Rudd, Ramey and Pahlmeyer; as well as a collection of affordable, but more esoteric labels that showed some thought in the selecting.

Meret 2012

My Bride and my Favorite Daughter had decided to share two different entrée choices. The first dish was Risotto di Pere e Noci, which was a dish of brown butter and Sage Pear, roasted walnuts, cream, butter, Pecorino and Arborio rice. This dish was an eclectic combination of flavors and textures that showed nuance and taste and they were both glad to have split the dish as they felt that it would have been light for dinner. The other entrée that they shared was Persico Croccante, which was crispy Lake Perch, Idaho and Yukon Gold potatoes, carrots, grape tomatoes, green beans and Lemon Caper Sauce. My Bride was apprehensive as she is not a fan of fried foods, but this will light and non-greasy, so she was very happy. As we were all looking at the menu, the two ladies immediately knew what I was going to order. I had the Petto D’Anatra Tricolore which was a dish of Culver Farm Duck breast prepared Medium Rare, along with roasted beets, Brussels sprouts, Cannellini beans and Cherry Fig Mostarda. The breast was perfectly cook and arranged on the plate, and I was completely happy.

MI Osteria 222 BC

When the manager was having a chat with us, we ended up talking about wine, and I was looking to see what I should order to pair with the duck, and the Pinot Noir that they had was not what I was thinking of. He left for a minute and returned with a bottle that was not on the wine carte, and it was a wine in the category of what all the restaurants like to term as “Super Tuscan” and I asked him if it was available by the glass and he assured me that it was. My Bride was happy with the Orvieto Classico and my Favorite Daughter was having Iced Tea, and I was going to have a glass of Cantina dei Colli Viccentini Meret Veneto Rosso IGT 2012. The wine was a blend of seventy percent Merlot and thirty percent Cabernet Sauvignon. The Veneto IGT was created in 1995 to allow greater flexibility and freedom for the wineries, especially in the use of non-native grape varietals. The evening was wonderful for having the chance to spend some bonus time with my Favorite Daughter and that we found a charming restaurant that does not break the bank and was not offering just the run of the mill selections of Italian food, we shall return.

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Osteria 222

Posted on June 14, 2016 by thewineraconteur

My Favorite Daughter came to town for a quick trip and visit and of course she wanted to dine in Dearborn, which is her home town. Alas, the city has changed and so many of her favorite haunts are now just memories. I had heard some great reviews about Osteria 222 and thought we should try there for dinner. I am so glad that they did not seat us along the window, because I would have been over looking the empty strip center, where once the clothing store that I had worked at for some thirty-five years was, but the store was a victim of eminent domain and all for naught. The building that this particular restaurant was located in was at one time a furniture store, that was famed for their clocks and clock repairs as well. The furniture store also was famed for having an old fashioned ice cream parlor, which has been relocated to Greenfield Village and not relegated to the garbage dumps. After the furniture store left, the large building was converted into a “mini-mall” and I would frequent the assorted restaurants that once did business there; at one time it was “Peaches” and later became “Bistro 222,” and the funny thing is, there is still a sign outside that still reads “Bistro 222.” I kind of felt like the proverbial country bumpkin coming to the city when I entered the restaurant, because the room arrangement was totally different, and not to mention the stacks of empty wooden wine crates that were artfully arrayed proclaiming some spectacular wines. It was going to be an interesting evening. After we were seated, another couple was seated near us, and I remembered them from the clothing store and I think they were surprised that I recognized them. Also there was a pianist with an accompanying singer, and the singer knew my daughter, it was a very small world that night.

Il Frascati Monte Porzio Catone 2014

We started off by having some appetizers, and there was so many choices to be made, and since we ordered a couple of different glasses of wine, so the pairings may have been a bit odd, but that was alright, since they had some rather unique choices by the glass and why should we try something basic, when there were some fun options to choose. My two ladies decided to split a salad and it was good that they did, because if they had each ordered the salad alone, they might not have had room to enjoy the entrée that they were selecting. I so enjoy listening to my Bride try to pronounce the dishes that she is ordering and though I and the waiter may have winced, she did accomplish it. The salad that they were splitting was Barbabietole e Capra, which was a medley of roasted beets, roasted pine nuts, dried cherries, red onions, goat cheese and Nebbiolo vinaigrette. My order was much more basic, the Morsi di Manza “222” which was organic grass fed beef tips, seared and served with a red wine demi-glace.

Barbanera Orvieto Classico 2014

I was trying to find a different white wine for my Bride, as my Favorite Daughter doesn’t drink wine normally, and yes we all have our crosses to bear. The first wine that I selected was no longer available, and the waiter offered a suggestion of a fine California Chardonnay, but I thought with the ambience of the evening, that she should have an Italian wine. She had a glass of Barbanera Orvieto Classico DOCG 2014, and I have to admit that I had selected it for her, as it had been some time since I had tried an Orvieto wine. Orvieto is from Umbria which is in Central Italy and sixty percent of the production is in white wines, of which eighty percent of the white wine is Orvieto and Orvieto Classico. Orvieto Classico is only used for white wines, both sweet and dry, and the wine she was enjoying was dry. The Orvieto blend is traditionally Procanico (Trebbiano Toscano) and Grechetto, and these two varietals must be sixty percent of the blend. The balance is usually Canaiolo Bianco and Malvasia Toscana. Since we had come in from an early hot Spring day, I was also looking for a chilled wine to begin the meal with and I had chosen Cantina Sociale di Monte Porzio Il Frascati DOC 2014. This wine comes from Lazio, which is also from Central Italy. The wine was a blend of Trebbiano (Ugni Blanc, which is used in France for Cognac production) and Malvasia Bianco. The first taste was a bit off-tasting, but as it sat in the glass and opened up, it was quite mellow and refreshing, though my Bride thought it reminded her of the wines of the Jura. It may not have been the best selection to pair with my appetizer, but I made it work, and as I said, as it opened up, it was much more enjoyable. I shall discuss the dinner entrée choices in the next article, as just like the evening, there was too much to absorb in such a short span of time.

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Café L’Europe

Posted on June 12, 2016 by thewineraconteur

The evening that we were in Sarasota, we ended up visiting the great shopping destination of St. Armand’s Circle. The Circle is an island or one of the many keys in the area, and it seems like one big open air shopping center, but fancier. I was clearing out a section of files and found some notes, wine labels, business cards and even a handmade matchbook, and thank God, that somehow I managed to save a lot stuff without ever realizing that I would be writing years later.

Hospices de Beaune Cuve Hugues et Louis Betault 1997

Café L’Europe was this nice restaurant that we had dinner at, and they favored continental cuisine. When I asked for a book of matches, they handed me a blank book of matches, so I wrote the restaurant’s name and the date on it, how is that for a keepsake? Call it serendipity or happenstance, but the restaurant was in the building that originally held the real estate offices for Ringling, and we were at his museum earlier in the day. My Bride had started off her meal with Ahi Tuna; she is very partial to it, especially if they have some Wasabi to go with it. I was less daring and went with a classic dish of Escargot in butter and garlic. She and her girlfriend had Sea Bass, which was very popular at several restaurants that we have been to in Florida, while her husband had a steak, his main entrée request it seems almost where ever he goes. Of course I am not much different because I had Crispy Roast Duck, but it is because it is a dish that we do not make at home. I think one should get something out, that one does not get at home, and otherwise it does not seem special.

FL Cafe L Europe MB

When we travel, if we are staying at a home like we were, I take my one spatula that I have had for years, to help me soak labels off of wine bottles, some come off easily and others are pretty atrocious, but it saves me from bringing back empty wine bottles in my luggage. We had a pretty good bottle of wine that night, and yes it was a Pinot Noir. We were enjoying a bottle of Hospices de Beaune Premier Cru Cuvee Hugues et Louis Betalt 1997. The Hospices de Beaune is the entity that has the auction every year to raise money and at the same time, the auction determines for the most part the price of Burgundy wines for that vintage. I am not sure how many different Cuvees that they own, but over the centuries they have been bequeathed some of the most valuable real estate in France, and sometimes the property is only one row in a vineyard. Hugues Betalt was a Squire and Counselor-Secretary of the King of France, who saved the Hotel-Dieu in the Seventeenth Century and donated some property to the Hospices and later his brother Louis, also made a donation. This particular Cuvee is a blend of Beaune-Greves and Beaune Clos de Mouches, both being Premier Cru properties, as from all that I have learned is one has to be quite learned to know where one Premier Cru ends and another begins. I am kind of amazed that I have had more wines from the Hospices de Beaune then I would have thought; I really should get more organized.

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Sometimes I Get Fooled

Posted on June 10, 2016 by thewineraconteur

I just found a business card and it made me realize how unaware I can be at times. On one of our trips to Florida we ventured into Sarasota. We were visiting some friends down in Venice and that is how we ended up in Sarasota. We saw a sign as we were driving around about the Ringling Museum and that sounded interesting. I immediately thought of the Ringling Brothers’ Circus and I had read how they would spend the winters in Florida and I thought that this was a museum dedicated to the artifacts of the circus. It turns out that it was actually the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, one of the same Ringling Brothers, but it was actually one of the finest art museums in Florida. It was established in 1927 and is still a major draw for the area.  The main building was actually their home, and by the way there was a section of the museum devoted to the circus.  I love art museums, so it was not a wasted morning.

Murphy-Goode Merlot 1999

After touring the museum we had built up an appetite and went looking for somewhere to eat. After all, what does one do on holidays, but see things, sometimes shop and always eat. We were touted by one of the docents to try Café of the Arts and it was not too far away from the museum, so we made our way there for a leisurely lunch. The restaurant was rather easy to miss if one was casually looking for it, as it was a modest home that had been converted over, nothing like the converted house that we had just left.  The restaurant was actually a bistro, leaning towards some French food, so we kind of had a picnic indoors; as we were planning on having a major dinner later on, at least this is our usual manner. We were touted on the Onion soup and it was as good as we were led to believe. Then that was followed by an assortment of pates and charcuterie, cheese and bread, which was enough to hold us until dinner time.

FL Cafe of the Arts BC

They had some very good wines on their carte, but it was lunch, and no need to get carried away that early in the day. We had a bottle of Murphy-Goode Merlot 1999 from Alexander Valley. Alexander Valley is in the North East corner of Sonoma County as is known for its wines. It is kind of an area that is a balancing act for some large scale producers, as well as some artisan wineries. The funny thing is that Murphy-Goode Merlot now carries the much larger generic appellation of California. It is amazing how one business card can bring back memories.

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Vierling in Marquette

Posted on June 8, 2016 by thewineraconteur

It is that time of year when our thoughts are aimed at the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is an annual occurrence, when my Bride makes a trip up there for business, before the deadly black fly season. There have been years past when I have made the trip with her, and we get a chance to try some new restaurants, as we meandered around that part of the state, even going so far as to be in another time zone. Alas the stars did not align properly and my Bride had to go there are her own, the “road warrior” that she is.

Coppola Rosso & Bianco Chardonnay 2014

One of the nights she found herself in Marquette and she was planning on having dinner at a delightful restaurant that we both went to, and then she went the following year there again, but the restaurant was closed. She called her contact person in that city and asked for a restaurant recommendation and he suggested Vierling, so she walked until she found the place. She told me that the restaurant was very packed, but it was mostly people having drink and appetizers looking out on the lake. She informed that she was only the only single diner there, but she made the most of it. She started off with a bowl of Roasted Red Pepper Soup that she enjoyed. That was followed up with a dish of White Fish Scampi, a kind of unique dish of three large pieces of White Fish along with three large shrimps on a bed of Linguini with Parmesan cheese, with a side of fresh green beans sprinkled with green onions. She told me, that she had no room for dessert.

MI Vierling Logo

Her waitress suggested the new wine that they had just received from Francis Ford Coppola Winery and my Bride agreed. She remembered fondly the time that we took a tour and a private wine tasting at Niebaum-Coppola, the old Inglenook estate. She enjoyed the Coppola Rosso & Bianco Chardonnay 2014 which is an un-oaked Chardonnay with a California designation, so the fruit may be harvested from any where in the state. She said that it was light and very drinkable, and since she was walking back to her hotel, she had another glass of it and enjoyed the view.

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Rocky’s of Northville

Posted on June 6, 2016 by thewineraconteur

Leave it to me, an ardent fan of the Rat Pack, to not keep up with modern music, and is “Rap” considered music. We were going to try a recently opened restaurant the other night, but they were closed. Since we were out, my Bride suggested Rocky’s of Northville, a time honored place, off of the beaten path. The restaurant has that rustic charm from the outside of somewhere in Northern Michigan, and certainly not in a suburb of Detroit. When we were dating, we used to go there quite often, as it was near one of the satellite offices of the company that she worked for, when we met. It still has its charm and yes, the stuffed and mounted Kodiak bear is still front and center when one enters the establishment. In fact there were a couple of young girls posing in front of the bear, and their Mother informed me, that she has to take a picture of the three of them every time they have dinner there.

Luc Belaire Rare Rose NV

Our hostess led us to our table for dinner, actually a huge booth for the two of us, so we sat in the middle of the booth, like a couple of teenagers. We started off our dinner with a couple of bowls of hot and spicy Black Bean soup with some house made bread. My Bride had the Fruit de Mer, a big bowl of Sea Scallops, Atlantic salmon, Gulf Shrimp and Mussels on Fettuccini with a white wine, garlic and tomato sauce. I had the Roast Long Island Duckling with braised red cabbage, baked Spatzle and a Cranberry-Orange relish. Afterwards, even though we really didn’t have room, we shared a Trio of Desserts, which was Bread Pudding, a miniature hot fudge cream puff and a cup of Coconut Crème Brulee. I felt like we were waddling out after dinner.

MI Rockys of Northville BC

Most of you will probably be saying to yourself, “oh, he had duck, so that means he ordered Pinot Noir.” The truth be told that it was an unseasonably warm day, and when I looked at the wine carte, even before I looked at the menu, I saw a wine that caught my eye that sounded interesting. They had a sparkling rose wine and that just sounded refreshing from the heat of the day. I had not heard of the wine, or maybe I just did not pay that much attention, but we enjoyed a bottle of Luc Belaire Rare Rose Sparkling NV. When the bottle arrived, I looked at it, and there was no indication of where it was from, other then being a product of France, and then we got a chance to watch our waiter, who must have been new, trying to uncork a bottle of sparkling wine. It turns out that the wine is from the South of France, and is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah. The wine was delightful on that summer evening. In case you were wondering why I would open my article discussing music of the Rat Pack, it turns out that Luc Belaire Rare Rose Sparkling wine is very trendy, as it is being endorsed by a rapper named Rick Ross. I guess it is a good business decision on their part, as I only remember Frank Sinatra shilling for Jack Daniels and Budweiser back in the day.

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Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Posted on June 4, 2016 by thewineraconteur

I guess that I have been lucky that I tried many wines, when I first started my self-studies. Since I was just talking about a Rhone style wine in California, I guess I should mention the real thing as well. As I look back, I really have not mentioned that many wines from Chateauneuf-du-Pape and I should have. Chateauneuf-du-Pape actually means “new castle of the Pope” and goes back to the Fourteenth Century during the time of Pope Clement V, the same Pope that is honored on the wine from Graves Chateau Pape Clement. Pope Clement chose Avignone as his new seat and the town has been historical ever since.

Ch de la Gardine 1971

Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines were listed originally as being from Avignone, in the 1920’s one of the Barons came up with the paper listing quality conditions about the area, and it actually became the precursor to the appellation system that is now in France, and copied around the world. The area is one of the most arid of the Rhone Valley and there are very stringent rules even about watering of the vines. They make both red and white Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines, but the red wine is the most famous and honored. There are about eighteen grape varietals that are allowed by law to be used, but the main three are: Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre.

Domaine de Nalys 1973

As I stated earlier, in my youth I wanted to learn about different wine styles and I attempted to buy wines from many different areas to see what I would like and for future selections. I have to say that three of them, which I looked up, are still being produced. The first was a generic regional wine by the negociant Barton & Guestier. Another wine that I tried was under the umbrella of Alexis Lichine & Co. and that was Domaine de Nalys 1973 and it was an estate bottled wine. The third bottle of wine was Chateau de la Gardine 1971 and it was also an estate bottled wine. Chateau de la Gardine is made in the classic tradition of equal parts Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre and they will probably continue this method as it works perfectly for them

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Flying Saucers Welcome

Posted on June 2, 2016 by thewineraconteur

I wish that I was more organized, but I am not. I found another box of wine labels that I had soaked off of the bottles and all of a sudden I remembered that I had been to a winery that I had forgotten about. On our first trip to Carmel-by-the-Sea we had made many day trips to assorted wineries. The problem, if one could call it a problem, is that the area is much more spread out and hence going from one winery to another was more of an adventure. I had a list of wineries that I had wanted to visit, and if per chance we encountered other wineries along some of the back roads that was considered a bonus.

Le Cigar Volant 2000

Bonny Doon Vineyard was one such winery that we visited by happenstance and not by design. I searched for notes from that trip and I could not find any for the winery and I know that we were quite far, from our dinner plans that evening, which would involve quite a cross country drive back. I looked at the web site for the winery, but the buildings were not bringing my recollections in focus. The more that I think about it, I feel that we may have stopped at either a winery that was featuring a fellow winemaker or perhaps a tasting room that featured a couple of wineries. Even your Raconteur can be stumped, and I say this, because the only wines that I bought from Bonny Doon Vineyard were Le Cigare Volant Red Wine 2000. I know it was the end of a long day of driving and tasting, but this wine really pleased me, because there were three bottles of the wine purchased.

Message

Bonny Doon Vineyard was founded in 1983 by Randall Grahm and he was one of the first to embrace Rhone varietals for this area. He even was featured on the cover of The Wine Spectator as “The Rhone Ranger,” which has become a charming nickname for those wineries that have gone down this path. I can understand why I enjoyed this wine so much, when I look back and see that it is the classic Rhone blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah and just a dollop of Viognier. I think that I had in my haste of tasting and purchasing thought that the wine was being made for the trend that was popular at the time of cigar smoking, hence the name. In hind-sight I realized that I must have been rushed as I missed the charming little note explaining the name of the wine and Mr. Grahm’s wry sense of humor. The note said “In 1954 the village council of Chateauneuf-du-Pape was quite perturbed and apprehensive that flying saucers of “flying cigars” might do damage to their vineyards were they to land therein. So, right-thinking men all, they passed an ordinance prohibiting the landing of flying saucers or flying cigars in their vineyards. (This ordinance has worked well in discouraging such landings.) Further, any flying saucers or flying cigars that did land were to be taken immediately to the pound.” So by accident I had found some charming bottles of Rhone style wines from one of the far-sighted winemakers of his day.

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