A Cab from Argentina

Posted on June 21, 2012 by thewineraconteur

I was just at a family get-together and my brother-in-law brought a bottle of ’09 Kaiken Ultra Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendoza, Argentina.  He said you have to try this wine.  Now my brother-in-law has a wine cellar that makes mine look like a rank amateur.  So I was intrigued.

Most of the wine I have had from Argentina is of the Malbec grape variety, so I thought a Cab might be different.  My Bride had brought a marinated filet that we were going to have barbequed and then sliced up for everyone to enjoy, plus there was chicken and stuff for the children.

Back to the wine.  The winemaker is from Chile and has developed two wines in Argentina.  One is a Malbec and the other is a Cabernet Sauvignon.   It had a deep color and a good nose.   It was a Cabernet Sauvignon for sure, and not as heavy as a Malbec.  I think maybe that I expected it to be a bit heavier, just from being an Argentine wine.

It hit the spot with the barbequed food, pairing quite nicely and not overpowering the food.  The good news is that it is very affordable and won’t break the bank, which is what one expects at a barbeque.

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The French Laundry – My Finest Meal Ever

Posted on June 20, 2012 by thewineraconteur

Is there a bona fide “foodie” that has not heard of, dined there or wants to dine there?  Prepare to gain weight just from the vicarious pleasure of going through with me again the finest meal that I have ever had, and perhaps will never be topped.

Thomas Keller has through his acknowledged travails, achieved a hallmark in the restaurant annals hall of fame.  It is the restaurant that I knew that I had to go to, and it was trial just to get the reservation.  You have to book your reservation sixty days prior, not fifty-nine or sixty-one days prior.   They accept one reservation for every quarter hour of time for that evening, as the lobby is small and they do not want crowds forming to make it uncomfortable for the guests.  The first two attempts we were shut out and I knew I had a week’s “window of opportunity.”  Finally our friends got a reservation for a 9:30 dinner, we kept that one book, but I proceeded to see if we could get an earlier reservation for the next day.  The next morning I dialed at 9:00 California time and “bingo” I was able to get a 5:15 reservation, I was already in heaven.  So we had our friends cancel the reservation from the day before.

When we seated at our table, the big decision was which prix-fixe dinner to order.  I went for all the gusto and ordered the “Chef’s Tasting Menu,” my Bride and the other man ordered the “Dinner Menu,” and his wife ordered the ‘Tasting of Vegetables.”   The next decision was to order the wines for dinner.  The first bottle for the early part of dinner would be a Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc.  I was talking to the sommelier for his suggestion of a relatively unknown wine that he enjoys and he suggested Pleiades (and what a great suggestion it was).  Pleiades is a wine from Marin County, California and is a non-vintage blend of different red and white wine varieties – the “Chefs Tasting Menu” of wines, and it differs year after year.  The wine had was Pleiades VIII Old Vines and bottled in July 1999.

Before I get into the menu and its choices, I will let you know that while I was ordering my choice, I informed our waiter that during the cheese course that I have an allergy to “bleu cheeses” and to goat cheeses.  I told him that I presumed that they would be serving some of the finest artisan choices of these two categories and I would not want them to be wasted.  I joked that they cut probably cube up some Cheddar and Swiss and that would suffice.  The waiter informed me that they could work on my request and find a suitable alternative.

And now without further delay the dinner:

A cornet of tuna Tartare with red onion crème fraiche.

“Oysters and Pearls” a sabayon of pearl tapioca with poached Malpeque oysters

and Osetra Caviar.

Crispy skinned Atlantic Black Bass with wilted Arrowleaf spinach, Salsify and

Saffron Vanilla Sauce.

“Macaroni & Cheese” sweet butter poached Maine Lobster with creamy lobster

broth and Orzo enriched with Mascarpone Cheese.

“Rouelle” of Liberty Valley Duck Breast wrapped in Savoy Cabbage and served

with caramelized cabbage.

Filet Mignon of nature fed veal, garden herb risotto cake and a “Ragout” of Forest

Mushrooms.

While everyone received “Le Papillon Roquefort” I received this large wedge of

an Artisan Brie stuffed with black truffles, with more truffles fanned

around the wedge and accompanied with a fresh Fennel Drizzle.  This

was wonderful, but it did create a minor stir in the dining room, as I heard

other diners asked why they did not receive this dish.  I felt like royalty.

“Blackberry Pancake” with Middleton Farms Organic Blackberry Sorbet and

Maple Syrup.

Bittersweet Valrhona Chocolate “Brownie” with Caramelized Butternut Squash,

Bartlett Pear and Toast Hazelnuts.

Coffee

Cognac

And several different servings of in-house assorted chocolate candies.

It was a most wonderful meal, several meals have come close, but none have ever surpassed this dinner.  When we got back to the house we were renting, I had to walk down the steep inclined road and back a couple of times to work off dinner, before retiring for the evening.

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Cain Vineyard and Winery

Posted on June 19, 2012 by thewineraconteur

Most wineries in the valley are easily accessible and just a short drive.  Going to Cain we turn off onto a pleasant mountain road and drove, and drove, and drove.  I felt like the little kid “are we there yet?”  We are steadily going uphill and uphill, to the point that I thought we were going to go over the mountain into another valley or worse yet another state.  We finally see a small sign up the road, and I figured it would say “Cain” instead it read “End of county maintenance of the road.”  All of a sudden this country mountain lane went from two lanes to one and a half gravel road.  Then to give us a scare this big truck is coming down hill and we actually pulled over to the edge of our side of the lane and stopped hoping that there would be enough room for the truck to maneuver by.  Thank God, it did not end up a stand-off.  We continued up the road and eventually we came to Cain Vineyard and Winery.

 

 

Now I have to say that I had the pleasure of drinking both the Cain Five and the Cain Cuvee at different restaurants prior to our even making our decision to go to Napa Valley.  This winery was one of the first that I made reservations for, and is it turned out that was the only way that one could do a tasting.  We arrived just moments before our group was to begin the tour of the grounds, facilities and then back for the tasting.

 

 

We toured the grounds and looked out at beautiful but difficult mountain terrain.  Hence the need for hand harvesting, as there was no way for big machines even to get up there, let alone to work the land.  They stressed how proud, that they were a hand harvested winery, so that not all the grapes had to be removed at the same time.

 

As we entered into the winery from the outside rather than doors, they had these big rubber panels that you walked through, like a beaded curtain.  There were a lot of bees around, and I believe that they mentioned that there was an apiary nearby.  These big rubber panels were effective in keeping the bees outside.

 

In one part of the winery was a huge array of barrels stacked and aging for prior vintages that were not ready for bottling.  There was another section where they had stack barrels waiting to be filled when the time was right.  One thing that I did notice is that even though this was harvest time, nobody was frantic or scurrying about, and how very neat and orderly everything was.

 

 

We then entered the tasting room, all in polished wood with a very solemn atmosphere.  One felt that this tasting session was to be educational experience, and not a loud and carefree environment.   They had crystal goblets and pitchers of water, as well as three crystal wine glasses per seating.  They also had wonderful crackers to cleanse the palette after each tasting of the wine poured.

 

 

The first wine offered was a 1998 Cain Musque (a clone of the Sauvignon Blanc) and this was grown and hand harvested at the Ventana Vineyard in the Monterey area.  This was an experimental wine for them, as they felt that most Sauvignon Blanc grapes were harvested at the wrong time.  The Cain Musque is longer offered.  It was a very aromatic and crisp Sauvignon Blanc and is this wine that my brain always recalls whenever I have this type of wine.

 

 

Next was served the 1996 Cain Cuvee.  This was a blended wine of grapes and areas of the valley (not all the varieties were mountain grown).  This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.  This wine is blended not to be big oak and drying tannins, it has been made to be a silky and satiny finish.  It was created with the lighter and spicier cuisine that was just trending in California, and later around the country.

 

Finally the third glass was tried, and this was the 1995 Cain Five, their Bordeaux style blend.  I did ask why they don’t refer to the wines as a Meritage; they informed me that they were doing this prior to the creation of the Meritage association, and that they felt there was no reason for them to be a member.  This wine was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.  As a side note, I have noticed that the percentages of the grapes change per vintage.  This is a full bodied, lush, over the top wine to be savored; and to be paired with a big meal.

 

 

Another side note, to mention is that about a year later, my Bride and I were having dinner and discovered another wine from Cain.  It was a 1996 Cain Concept which was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  Even though it was a ’96, the wine master at Cain must have felt that it needed more barrel time.  Another smooth and thoughtful blended wine that I have found it pair with any “red” entrée that I have tossed at it.

 

As we were getting ready to place our order for all of the wines we tried, I was willing to wreck havoc on our budget by asking for a case of the Cain Five.  I was stopped dead in my foot steps, as I was informed that there was an allocation of two bottles, so I said that I would buy two bottles and my Bride would buy two bottles.  This was also nixed; thankfully the other two wines were not allocated.   I do know that now, all the wines at Cain are on an allocation, and you must sign up.  I guess the secret of how great their wines are, is not a secret anymore.

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Peju Province

Posted on June 18, 2012 by thewineraconteur

This is a winery that was touted to us by another winery, so we decided to check it out.  A beautiful entrance and a grand tower are waiting to greet you.  Unfortunately, this was also lost to our disposable camera.  The tower is featured as the center of their logo.   Around the grounds are beautiful gardens to enchant the visitors.

 

 

As I look at my tasting notes, I will mention all the wines that we tried.   There were three Chardonnays (including a late harvest dessert wine), a French Colombard, a Rose, Provence (a blend of Cabernet Blend, Merlot and Cabernet Franc), two Cabernet Sauvignons (one was a reserve), a Merlot and a Cabernet Franc.

 

 

I think it was here, that my Bride developed a love for Cabernet Franc; she tends to buy at least one bottle offered by any vineyard.  This is OK, because most wineries do not offer a pure Cabernet Franc.

 

 

 

We ended up purchasing the ’96 Cabernet Franc, ’96 Cabernet Sauvignon, ’96 Merlot, ’97 Chardonnay, ’97 Late Harvest Chardonnay and the ’98 Late Harvest Chardonnay.

 

I am happy to say, that on occasion we can now find some of the Peju Province wines locally, and we are happy to acquire more for our cellar.

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Tasting Wines in the Back of a Semi

Posted on June 17, 2012 by thewineraconteur

In the old days, one heard about “items” falling off a truck, that day we did a tasting in the back of a truck.  We were informed that the new tasting room was not completed, but we were going to do a special tasting.  A small step ladder was provided and we climbed up into the back of the truck, each of us with a glass.  We then moved some cases of wine around and made seats for all of us to relax on.  Then slowly but surely different cases were opened, a bottle removed from each case and opened for us to try.  What a unique experience.

 

We started first with the Migration series of wines, of which there was a red and a white.  The Migration collection we were told was a blending of different grape varieties and different contract and owner properties that were not being used for other wines that we would taste.  Our host went on to explain that the term Migration was used, because every year the blend of grapes and different vineyards may change, but it was the final result that was the concern.

 

Next we tried the Paraduxx which was their homage to the classic grape of California, the Zinfandel, but it was blended with Cabernet Sauvignon.  Not being a Zin fan, I was a little concerned, but when I sampled it, I was won over, and realized that I have to curb my earlier biases and be more open to trying something new.

 

We then tried some of their hallmark wines that are single variety wines that they were very proud of.   I do have to mention that the two white wines that we tried were carried out with us to the truck, because they had been chilled.   We started with a Sauvignon Blanc which was very crisp and light, a classic interpretation.  We then had a Cabernet Sauvignon which was full and robust.  I remember having to walk to the end of the truck to look at each wine in the glass, in full sunlight to study the colors.

 

We then proceeded to try the Merlot wine offerings; this is the grape that the Duckhorn family had fully embraced from the beginning.   We started with a basic Merlot, then the Estate Grown Merlot, and finally the Howell Mountain Merlot.  Each bottle surpassed the earlier one.  Our host regaled us with stories about each bottle in this quiet setting and we felt like royalty.

 

After the tasting session was completed we then proceeded to make our purchases.   We had to decide on what wines to purchase, and we finally made our decision.   We ended up getting some of the ’97 Merlot, ’95 Howell Mountain Merlot, ’96 Estate Grown Merlot, ’96 Cabernet Sauvignon, ’97 Paraduxx, and the ’97 Migration in both the red and the white.  They also had a product that we didn’t try, but we had to get was King Eider vermouth.  I enjoy vermouth, prior to a great dinner.  The last time I checked their website this is not being produced, so I am glad that I have some still to enjoy.

 

 

Since our trip, the Duckhorn Vineyards have added other products, which I will discuss at some point, but they do not belong here and what we experienced that day.

 

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Duckhorn Vineyards – The Harvest

Posted on June 17, 2012 by thewineraconteur

Getting ready for our trip, I was always mentioning it to clients and friends.  One day, someone said you have to talk to my father as he is an investor in Duckhorn, because I had gone to school with one of the sons.  This was a new winery for me, but my curiosity was piqued.

 

I did some research on the winery and liked what I read, and I liked even more from what I heard from my friend’s father.  So I made some calls and I finally booked a tour and tasting.

 

In one of my earlier postings I mentioned that the disposable panoramic camera that we bought for the trip ended up being a total disappointment, but our trip to Duckhorn was not.

 

When we arrived at Duckhorn, we eventually were introduced to one of the sons of the Duckhorn family.  As busy as they were, he took us on a tour of the facility from where the freshly harvested grapes arrived to be placed in the machinery to be gently destemmed and deseeded.  We basically followed a batch of grapes each step of this process.  Then we were taken to the vats and the storage area.  It was the best tour of the trip for the information that we gathered and stored somewhere in the back of our brains.  I cannot say with authority, what all of the steps were, but through osmosis and the wonder of the brain and memory, each step helped in my appreciation of the winemaker’s toils.

 

I am showing some of the pictures that we took from our other camera, and lament about the other lost photographs.  This just gives me a reason to go into the cellar and grab a bottle of Duckhorn, and allow it to be my muse for the second part of my trip to Duckhorn.

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Opus One

Posted on June 15, 2012 by thewineraconteur

The first glass of Opus One that I ever had was in 1986 at a charity event for the grand opening of a restaurant in Detroit called Opus One.  James Kokas was the third generation of restaurateurs in Detroit, and he followed his father’s lead, who had a great restaurant in Dearborn called Chambertin.  I would say that the Kokas family is partial to great wines.  At the grand opening each guest was served a miniature Opus Wine carafe along with the wine.

 

This was my first introduction to a great wine that was created by a joint partnership between Robert Mondavi of Napa Valley fame and Philippine de Rothschild, proprietress of Chateau Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux.  Two fine firms with traditions of wine making and innovations for a singular goal to create an exceptional wine in Napa Valley.

 

I knew that I had to make an appointment for a tasting session and tour at Opus One.  It was serene and an almost religious atmosphere at the winery.  It was cool and shaded and lacked the tumultuous movement exhibited at other wineries, even though this was the harvest season.  The tasting room was very sleek and sophisticated for the pouring of two wines.  When I heard two wines, I was surprised until I found out that the wine that was created in the barrels, if it didn’t fit all the criteria for Opus One was bottled as Ovation.  The Ovation wine is only sold at the winery and was not offered to any distributors.   They also did the tasting using Riedel crystal wine goblets etched with the logo and the names of the two winery owners.  After the tasting, the glass was given as a souvenir, which we carried about as we placed our order for the two wines.

 

As we were loading our wine order into the trunk of our car, to go to another winery I looked some of the other patrons that were loading up their trunks.  It seemed like it was three cases of Ovation to one case of Opus One was the norm.  I suggested that maybe we should go back and get some more of the Ovation, but my Bride said that I was going to break the bank as it was.  Maybe my palette is not that sophisticated, but I could not find any fault with the Ovation wine, especially at a quarter of the price.

 

As I look at my collection of labels, I was amazed at the number of vintages I have tried.  We have opened and decanted ’89, ’92, ’94, ’95, ’96 and ’02.  We still are cellaring some more of these as well as a ’91 that I have not tried.  We still have a few of the Ovation left, so that I can see how well it ages in comparison to the big boy.  Once you have had Opus One, you always would like to have another one, and as of yet, I have not had a bad bottle.

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“He Looks Like a Burned Out Old Hippy”

Posted on June 14, 2012 by thewineraconteur

That was a statement I heard from a lady talking to her companion after meeting the gregarious Jim Prager of Prager Winery and Port Works.  We entered a very quaint tasting room and retail shop, and everybody’s whispers could be shared by the room, because there was very little space to be by your self.   The building if by design or just outgrowth was a very eclectic hodge-podge of wine and everything else.  Everywhere you looked there were coins, tokens and currency from world-wide visitors to this establishment.

 

He may have looked like an old hippy, but to me he personified the individualism of the winemakers and the dreamers of an early Napa Valley.  To have the dedication and desire to create Port wines in the classic style requires time, patience and the economic ability to achieve these hopes.

There were signs that said “Our wines are only sold at the winery and can be shipped.”  A true maverick who enjoyed being with his customers to regale them with stories of his artistry and his individualism.  The day that we were there he was pouring a ’95 Cabernet Sauvignon, a ’94 Aria White Port, a “Summer Port,” a ’95 Royal Escort Vintage Port, a Noble Companion Ten Year Old Tawny Port, a ’97 Sweet Claire (a late harvest Johannisberg Riesling) and a ’94 La Croix Zinfandel.  He also had for sale his Prager Chocolate Drizzle, Mousse Balls and a large selection of quality cigars that would be perfect with a Port wine.

 

As the owner and the winemaker, he was very proud of his products.  The “Summer Port” was in celebration of his twentieth anniversary.  His Royal Escort was his fifth “vintage’ Port in twenty years made from Petite Sirah grapes.  His Noble Companion Ten Year Old Port was made from Cabernet Sauvignon and he claimed that he made it to be enjoyed with a good cigar.  The Sweet Claire was a classic late harvest dessert wine, and his Zinfandel was a well aged unpretentious wine that he produced for casual dining.  As I said he was very gregarious and loved to talk about his goods, as it should be.  Looking at our purchase log of this trip we ended up with two mixed cases that had the Royal Escort, Noble Companion, Aria, Sweet Claire and the Cabernet Sauvignon.  From the tasting, these are the wines that we enjoyed the most.

 

A couple of years later, our friends that we went to Napa Valley with on this trip, returned for another vacation and brought us a beautiful laser-etched and painted bottle of Sweet Claire.

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Domaine Chandon

Posted on June 13, 2012 by thewineraconteur

 

The first French owned winery in California is by Moet & Chandon, called Domaine Chandon.  A beautiful designed winery that blends into the hillside and the environment.  I wish that I could show you the pictures that we took, but we had one of those disposable panoramic cameras (where you take the whole camera in to have the pictures developed, unfortunately the camera was defective and we lost some great pictures).

 

This new winery was built with all state-of-the-art equipment, but with the desire to maintain the Methode Champenoise.  This brand new facility was sculpted into the setting for a serene setting even with the tumult of the harvest season.

 

We took a tour of the grounds and the winemaking process, and all the discussions of how they were being ecologically sound with sustainable agriculture and land stewardship.  They also had a magnificent terrace with grand mountain views, a salon (the wine tasting room) and a four star restaurant that featured “modern French cuisine with a California accent” where all of the food was designed to pair wonderfully with “Champagnes.”

 

We took advantage of the restaurant’s art to enjoy several plates of hors d’oeuvres to munch on, during the tasting flight that Domaine Chandon was offering that day.  We enjoyed Duck Foie Blond Pate, Hamachi Carpaccio, Home Smoked Salmon Tartare and Home Smoked Trout.

 

I have to admit, I enjoyed the appetizers more than the wines, which were all excellent, but I am not a major Champagne maven.   My Bride enjoys the “sparkly” more than I, which is fine for both of us.

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St. Supery

Posted on June 12, 2012 by thewineraconteur

I remember trying a St. Supery Cabernet Sauvignon in a restaurant on a business trip to Chicago and thought it was a great value.  When I got home, I had no luck finding any of the wines.  So when we were making our plans, this was a winery that was on my to-do list.

 

Since it was harvest time, we did a self-guided tour, so we could take extra time watching the bee-hive activity.  The owner was from a wine family with production in the south of France and in Algeria, came to Napa Valley and liked what he saw.  After our stroll, we entered the tasting room.

 

We tasted nine different wines from my notes.  A house red, a Zinfandel Rose, a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Merlot, a Moscato, a Chardonnay and a Sauvignon Blanc.  They also had two Meritage wines, a red and a white.  It was a lively tasting with a lot of discussion back and forth on the virtue of the different wines.  I was also surprised at a couple of the choices my Bride insisted on, as they were out of her normal likes.

 

The two Meritage wines were outstanding and I knew that we would be leaving with some of these, especially looking forward to having them during a dinner party.  The Cabernet Sauvignon was as good as I remembered it, and then I was informed that there was also a ‘91 Limited Edition Cabernet Sauvignon that was not being offered during the tasting.  Well information like that, I was a fish caught hook, line and sinker.  I knew we had to get some of that as well.  My opinion was that it was a no-brainer, even without tasting the wine that it would be great, especially cellared.

We bought some of the Sauvignon Blanc and some Chardonnay as well.  What surprised me was that my Bride wanted to buy some of the Zinfandel Rose and the Moscato.  The rose was spicy and had a tinge of sweetness and the Moscato was a luscious dessert wine.  These are not wines that my Bride normally gravitates to, but that is the wonder of wine.

 

There is always a new taste to discover and to savor.  One can be cavalier in selecting wines and be a winner, and even better when you find that you like it more in a quieter setting than a tasting room.

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