A Fish Dinner at Rocky's

Posted on March 25, 2020 by thewineraconteur

There are days when you can eat in, but you end up going out, just because you have been at home all day.  I am one of those people that never post on Social Media that we are at a restaurant or away, first of all, I have always figured that no one cares and I really don’t want to advertise that the house will be empty. We were packing for a trip to see the family in Louisville, and packing is a lesson in logistics.  I mean the actual folding of clothes for the suitcases is easy, there is all the electronic stuff that you have to pack, including extra cords and power packs, I mean I cannot go anywhere without my laptop and neither can someone else I know.  Then there is wine to pack, as one cannot go empty-handed, especially if there is going to be a couple of dinners at their home, and then we need some wine for the suite as well, in case we get thirsty.  We also can and we did travel with an “automobile refrigerator” that can operate both off of the car, and regular electricity as well, and part of it is, that we were bringing about ten filets for one of the dinners.   So, by the time that everything was packed and ready to go, I needed to get out of the house and not have one less mess to contend with, especially for my Bride.

We were going through the list of local restaurants that we could go to, and she kept mentioning fish, and I was thinking it was for Lent, but it was a Thursday evening, but she was trying to watchful of what she was going to eat, as the odds were that when we got to Kentucky, the food would be excellent, but the calorie count could be high.  That is how we ended up at Rocky’s, and to be truthful, I think it has been the first time that I have ever had fish there, but then I am usually a carnivore.  We both started off with a bowl of their Black Bean Soup and I could make a meal of it, it is that good.  My Bride went with her usual Broiled Whitefish, and it is probably the most requested fish dinner in Michigan, but she made a couple of changes and had Basmati Rice and fresh Asparagus.  I went with the Grilled Rainbow Trout with a Whole Grain Mustard Cream, Buttered Redskin Potatoes, Fresh Asparagus and a Dill Cucumber Salad.  Dinner is always great at Rocky’s.

My Bride didn’t want to drink much for dinner, as she wanted to get up early the next day and be on the road, and since we would be sharing the drive, I saw sense in her suggestion.  She immediately ordered a split of J. Rogets American Champagne Brut NV.  Now this wine is a real mystery to me, as I tried to some information on it.  I have seen it listed as a New York wine and as a California wine, though the label says American which is a big AVA.  The wine I guess originates in Canadaigua, New York in the Finger Lakes Region; and the brand was listed in 1979 by Canadaigua Brands which is the second largest producer of domestic wines in America.  The wine also lists itself as “American Champagne” and since it was formed in 1979 (or earlier) it may have slipped through the cracks, since it was perhaps then listed as New York, but it is grandfathered in to use the name “champagne.”  The other mystery is that everyone seems to agree that the wine is produced by the Charmat Method, a bulk process used around the world for popular priced sparkling wine, but the label says “Secondary Fermentation Before Bottling”  and I am neither a winemaker or an attorney, so I shall not go on from there.  The wine is listed by several sources as being made using Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meuniere and since it has an American AVA, the grapes could very well be used and grown anywhere in the fifty states, and the bottle has a screw cap, which negates the pop, but some popular price sparkling wines now use that type of closure.  Now for the good news, it was a decent tasting wine, especially for the price with some yeast, mousse and citrus notes, and bubbles, plenty of bubbles.  As for me, I decided to try something totally different and had Chateau Grand Traverse Ship of Fools White Wine, Old Mission Peninsula 2017 from good old Michigan.  In 1974, Chateau Grand Traverse began with the purchase of a “tired” fifty-five-acre cherry orchard on Old Mission Peninsula, while back then, the smart money was growing Cold-Hardy Hybrids in the western lower half of the state.  Ship of Fools is part of Chateau Grand Traverse Eclectic Wines, which are vintage dated, small production wines.  The wine is a blend of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Muscat Ottonel and it was a very light and easy drinking wine and reminded me of popular priced Pinot Grigio wines and the good news is that it was not sweet, not a real dry wine, but as I said, very easy to drink with a very soft nose.  While the name of the wine evoked Katherine Anne Porter and a film that I saw with my parents with Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, Oskar Werner, Lee Marvin, George Segal and Michael J. Dunn, the choice was lost to me, but what do I know.  The next morning, we were off and running, and oh, by the way, by the time that you read this, we will be back in Michigan resting comfortably at home.

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Bonanza at Kruse and Muer

Posted on March 23, 2020 by thewineraconteur

The other night I had the chance of riding shotgun and keeping my Bride company as she had to drive out to Rochester, Michigan; and yes I am of the age that whenever I hear Rochester I immediately think of Jack Benny, but that is a whole different story and article.  It has been ages since I had been to the downtown area, as we have been to other parts of the city and the Hills as well.  We decided to have dinner first and we went to Kruse and Muer.  Now the Muer name has been famous for food for decades in the Detroit area, first there was Joe Muer and then there was Chuck Muer.  Chuck Muer had numerous locations in the area and once when we were in Palm Beach, we had a charming lunch at Chuck & Harold’s which was near the bridge over the causeway and a short pleasant walk from the Breakers Hotel.  Imagine my surprise when we approached the restaurant, because there were two carved figures surrounding the entry door that brought a smile to my face, as I am old enough to remember them belonging on the façade of The Brass Rail in Downtown Detroit and it was a landmark then. I really sound old.

The Muer name is always associated with fish and seafood, though one could always get a good steak as well.  We were in a bit of hurry and my Bride was stoic and did not have a drink with dinner, because she was working, me on the other hand maintained my hedonistic personality.  My Bride never passes on the chance to have fish and this was no exception as she had the “Jimmy’s Lake Perch” with lemon caper butter, tomato relish and mashed potatoes.  I went with the “Maryland Chicken” with shrimp and crabmeat stuffing, a lobster cream sauce and rice pilaf.  I also enjoyed the fresh bread, that is one of the hallmarks of the Chuck Muer restaurants, though I am still in love with the bread in the teacup at Meriwether’s. 

As for the wine that evening, I felt that I was rushed and selected a red wine, thinking that I would have a steak, but it was still fine with my chicken, perhaps a bit overpowering, but it was a great wine for food.  I selected a wine that I have had before from the Wagner Family of Wines, as in Chuck Wagner of Caymus Vineyards. The wine was Bonanza Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 2 California NV. I have stated before that it the old days, this wine would have been perhaps in a gallon jug with a finger ring, but with the pedigree of the winemaker, even for a wine with no vintage, it was very tasty.  While there are plenty of Cabernet Sauvignon wines that less expensive, they are not nearly as good as this wine.  This is an excellent food wine and one that will keep the dinner bill down.  I might add that the dinner, the wine and the business meeting later were all successful, so maybe I should ride shotgun more often.

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Bernardus Cabernet Sauvignon

Posted on March 21, 2020 by thewineraconteur

The last of the three wines that I unpacked from the latest wine club shipment from A Taste of Monterey.  One day, I will have to go back and figure out when we started our club membership, but we have been members for some time and with no complaints about the service, the quality and of course the wines that they select.  Of course, as I have stated often, it helps that we went with their Private Reserve Club, and with that the wines selected are not the opening price wines, but usually smaller production wines, and of course wines that would otherwise never arrive in Michigan.  The Bernardus Cabernet Sauvignon will be the second one that I had, the first being the 1998 vintage.  My Bride and I had a wonderful time visiting Bernardus Winery, and the Lodge, along with a tasting and dinner at their acclaimed Marinus Restaurant.

 Bernardus Winery and Vineyards was founded by Ben Marinus Pon about twenty-five years ago with the intention of creating premier wines in the Carmel Valley.  His intent was to produce single vineyard designated wines and a Bordeaux blended wine.  Bernardus has three estate vineyards: Marinus planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec; Featherbow planted with Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon; and Ingrid’s Vineyard planted with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  All fifty-four acres of estate vineyards are in the Carmel Valley AVA.  To compliment the estate vineyards Bernardus also has contracts with vineyards the Arroyo Seco, Santa Lucia Highlands and others in the Monterey County. I am sorry to say, that Mr. Pon passed away in September of 2019 and his vision will be continued by Robert van der Wallen the current owner, who also understand the passion that Mr. Pon had for his winery.  As a non-wine note, they have recently opened Bernardus Golf in Holland, and it will be the host for the Dutch KLM open.

While, one doesn’t immediately think of Cabernet Sauvignon for Carmel Valley or Monterey County, Ben Pons had the desire not only to create some fine California interpretations of classic wines from Burgundy, but he also wanted to create a wine that would equal and compete with the fine wines of Bordeaux.  The Bernardus Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmel Valley 2017, is the latest endeavor and there is ten percent Merlot that has been blended with the ninety percent Cabernet Sauvignon. The fruit was harvested from selected blocks on the estate and underwent cold-fermentation and then aged for six months in twenty-eight-year-old neutral French Oak barrels.  This allows the wine to be more fruit forward with a nose of red fruits and a taste that shows the red fruit and fresh acidity.  They produced about two-thousand cases of this wine between standard bottles and magnums.   A perfect wine to make us sentimental for another trip out there. 

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Travieso Amaranta Syrah

Posted on March 19, 2020 by thewineraconteur

A Taste of Monterey always seems to be able to make me smile when I open their shipping carton.  Four times a year, we receive their shipment of Reserve Wine Selections and that means twelve bottles of excellent offerings from Monterey County and all of the AVA regions there, and it makes us relive our past holidays there. 

The second bottle that I unpacked from the carton was Travieso Amaranta Syrah Santa Lucia Highlands 2013.  I have found very little information about this winery as I believe that all of their wine is produced from contract growers.  In 2005 they became a bonded winery and they have maintained a tight control over the grapes that they purchase as they only buy, by the acre and they have kept long term working relationships with their growers.  Their philosophy is that rather than making a French wine, they wish to make a California wine.

This is the third wine that I have received from Travieso, and the other two were also the Amaranta Syrah, one was a vintage of 2008 and the other was 2011.  The fruit for this wine all comes from Kirk Williams’ vineyard which is also known as the Fairview Ranch.  They use minimal sulfite addition during the crush and they try to use domestic wild yeast for the fermentation.  The fermenting period is from seven to eighteen days and they let the must rest for additional contact before pressing.  They use from thirty to fifty percent new French Oak.  The winery ages their wines for twenty-four to thirty-six months and looking at the current vintage of this wine, I would venture to say that this wine had the latter.  Since I have had other Syrah wines from here, I know that they are big with spices and pepper along with red fruit and they have aged well. 

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Mer Soleil Reserve Pinot Noir

Posted on March 17, 2020 by thewineraconteur

There is an old advertising line that says “when it rains, it pours” and it seems that lately this has been true, because we just received another parcel from A Taste of Monterey, the original wine club that we joined.  We joined this club, way back in the dark days of Michigan wine laws, only because we were informed that they could legally ship us wines.  The governor of Michigan was actually sued and lost a court decision, which allowed the residents of the state to actually get wines shipped to their homes.  I remember the days when I had to send cases of “olive oil” from California to my work address, until the case was settled, and thankfully it was only a one-term governor, who ended up moving to California afterwards. 

I opened up the carton from A Taste of Monterey and the first bottle that I grabbed was Mer Soleil Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands 2017.  To my way of thinking and drinking the Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines are as close to French Burgundy wines as I have found and it is consistent.  Mer Soleil is a name created from “la mer” or the sea as it is close to Monterey Bay and “le soleil” which means the sun.  This winery is actually part of the Wagner Family of Wine, the Wagner family originally began in Napa Valley in 1906 with the purchase of seventy acres of land and the winery was established in 1915, just to be ceased in 1919 by Prohibition.  In 1972 the Wagner family re-entered the wine business with the creation of Caymus Vineyards.  In 1988 they began planting Chardonnay vines in the Santa Lucia Highlands. In 2001 Charlie Wagner had taken the reins from his father Chuck and began branching out.

This may be one of the largest volume production wines from the Santa Lucia Highlands and unfortunately there is no information on the production of this wine, either from The Wagner Family of Wines or A Taste of Monterey.  I will go out on a limb and opine that the wine was probably aged in oak, but for how long, I cannot say.  The wine is said to offer a nose of ripe cherries with cocoa, pomace, blueberry, toasted wood and a whiff of lipstick.  With flavors of cherry cobbler, cola and a hint of anise, and very fine tannins and a balanced finish.  This is a wine that I will probably want to try sooner, rather than later, even with a suggested aging potential of six to eight years.

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Arcturos Gruner Veltliner

Posted on March 15, 2020 by thewineraconteur

I guess there is joy that is hard to explain, unless you really enjoy wines, when you open up the new carton from your wine club.  This particular club is Black Star Farms near Traverse City in the northern part of the lower peninsula.  Black Star Farms is rather unique in that they now have vineyards, facilities and tasting rooms on both peninsulas surrounding Traverse City, that is Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula; and both have their own AVA. 

Leelanau Peninsula is having two different events one in March and one in May to entice wine lovers to come and join the participating wineries for both events.  Old Mission Peninsula is celebrating Blossom Day on May 16, where they welcome Spring and they release the new wines all along the trail and the participating wineries there.  The good news is that they are feeling Spring Fever up in the wine country, as they had a relatively mild winter and they note that there is only six to eight inches of snow in the vineyards, which is good, as the ground stays cold for a little while longer and there is not even snow to cause in-row flooding during the thaw. 

Black Star Farms Arcturos Gruner Veltliner 2017 is the other wine that we have received.  The Arcturos label is their designation of their premium wines.  Gruner Veltliner is by far the signature grape of Austria and it is the most planted varietal there.  The wine is noted for its citrus nose, most notably lemon peel and grapefruit, complimented by tastes of stone fruits and a finish that evokes green and white pepper.  The wine tends to deliver freshness, crispness and the local terroir, some of the wineries in Austria also show some “spritz” as the wine is bottled so quickly.  This particular wine according to the winery is promising some notes of golden delicious apples and yellow plums, with some traces of grassiness and white pepper.  They suggest that it will be great with fish and white meats, but I think it sounds like it will be better with appetizers and great conversations.  

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Isidor’s Choice Terrace Red

Posted on March 13, 2020 by thewineraconteur

It is that time of the year when we received another club shipment from Black Star Farms.  We have been stopping by there constantly over the years when we are up North in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and if you looked at the back of your left hand, it would be near your pinkie fingernail, and voila, you are now a Michigander.  We are hoping that the end of the snow season is coming, but when you live in Michigan, one never knows and this weather phenomenon has been going on, since they have been recording history in the state and long before weather was politicized.  Later on, this year, we are looking forward to at least one trip to that area and to do some wining and dining.

In 1998 Black Star Farms purchased Sport Valley Farm which was a one-hundred-twenty-acre equestrian facility, and the stylized black star was part of the architectural décor in the main house.  In their Twentieth year, they were honored to receive the 19’th Annual Canberra International Riesling Challenge (CIRC) -Best Wine of the 2018 Challenge and only the second time an American wine came out on top.  There were 567 Rieslings from six countries (Australian, New Zealand, USA, Germany, France and the Czech Republic).  The Black Star Farms Arcturos Dry Riesling 2017 scored 98 points, in addition to taking home Best Dry Riesling and Best American Riesling.  In fact, all six of the Riesling wines that Black Star Farms submitted took home medals, showing a consistency across vintages and styles.  The fruit is sourced from both of the proprietor’s vineyards and from local grower partners in both the Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula.  The winery has three series; the premium Arcturos, A Capella and the Leorie Vineyard labels for sparkling and fruit wines.

The first bottle that I pulled out of the carton was Black Star Farms Isidor’s Choice Terrace Red 2017.  This is a single vineyard wine from one of their partner-growers in the Leelanau Peninsula.  The original wine of this name was a blend of two Italian varietals that were brought here; the Teroldego and the Lagrein.  The Teroldego is a deep red wine grape mostly found in the Trentino region of northern Italy.  It is known for being fruity and making a very soft and mellow wine that is easily drank within three years, but also has the ability to age for ten years or so.  It is considered an ancient grape in that region.  Of course, with DNA testing it has been revealed that it a parent of Lagrein and a sibling to Dureza, and a parent of Syrah, and potentially related to Pinot Noir.  Lagrein is another ancient grape that is found in the Trentino region.  Its wines are deep and full-bodied with dark fruit notes, freshly acidic and slightly astringent in finish which makes it a good match for food.  It is known to have a harsh tannic structure, but when blended and barrel aged the wine is tamed.  This new version has also been blended with Cabernet Franc and Merlot, with the claim that the “savage” has been tamed and softened and giving the wine additional depth.  The wine has been touted to age gracefully for about ten years in a cellar.  It sounds like an interesting wine.

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Another Movie Date

Posted on March 11, 2020 by thewineraconteur

I grew up with movies and I used to love going to see them.  If you think about it, my parents survived the Great Depression and films were a way for the public to escape the doldrums of the time.  They in turn discovered all of their old movies when television invaded their living rooms and of course their children also discovered those movies, plus all the movies that were continually being made after World War II.  There was a glamor to the old films and Movie Stars were distinct and they were emulated and immortalized.  We stayed up to watch the Academy Awards and they were fun and enjoyable.  Somewhere and somehow the films lost their glamor, maybe because acting has taken a back seat to special effects, films were good overcoming evil and now movies and even cartoons have agendas.  Is it any wonder that the Academy Awards has such dismal viewership?  My Bride and I no longer just go to see a movie, and she will pick one movie and I will pick the next, sometimes one of us falls asleep, sometimes both of us fall asleep and if we are really lucky, we both actually watch the movie. 

I guess it was my turn to select a movie, truth be told my first choice she had already seen with our grandson and then she saw it again with one of her girlfriends, so I went with what sounded like a decent movie.  The so-called critics did not pan it, nor did they make a fuss about it, but it had a couple of actors that can act, if the script requires it.  We went to see The Gentlemen, a film about an American marijuana dealer in Great Britain who has decided on retiring and is attempting to sell his business.  One of the great revelations is how the Gentleman has set up his marijuana farms in Great Britain where all of the land is basically accounted for; it shows how the socialists have basically attempted to ruin the old guard families. The brutal scenes were done very stylistically compared to the old days of realism in film.  The clothing which always interests me, from my past life, struck me as what a millennial would think an Englishman would wear and patterns and coordination and colors be damned.  The film was fun though and we did enjoy it and then we went out for dinner.  My Bride went for her usual Thai Crunch Salad of veggies, cilantro and chicken with peanuts, wontons and rice sticks tossed in a peanut dressing.  I stayed true to form, and had the Jambalaya Linguini with blackened chicken and shrimp, crawfish, Andouille sausage and Tasso ham in a creamy Cajun sauce. 

I ordered the Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards Russian River Ranches Chardonnay 2017 from the Sonoma Coast and that is a far and away better than what is normally offered in most popular priced restaurants of this nature.  Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards was founded in 1973 by Brice Cutrer Jones and the main estate vineyard is two-hundred-fifty acres planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  They have several other vineyards in the Sonoma region and they produce five different Chardonnay and four different Pinot Noir wines, all in the Continental style.  This particular wine is a blend of maybe a dozen different vineyards.  The wine is pressed whole-cluster and the juice is free-run and stored in a tank for a few days, before being aged in either new French Oak and neutral French Oak sur-lie and Stainless Steel for the balance; and aged for eight months.  We are partial to this wine and this vintage offered aromas of pear and apple, with some balanced acidity and a nice finish mixing in some smooth buttery notes without being overpowering.  We always try to make the most of our dates.  

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International Women’s Day

Posted on March 9, 2020 by thewineraconteur

I once tried doing themed stories and it just didn’t feel comfortable running with the pack, and not from the standpoint that I am different, but the writing felt forced and not flowing from my voice.  There are many “days” and themes that occur, and I would venture to say that there might be several happening on the same day.  I was just thinking last night about women in wine.  As I have said often, and I am rather proud to say that I learned about wine in the dark ages in a city that was not known for wine, but not proud of how women were treated in business per se.  Detroit back in the Sixties was really an automotive town and there really was not much frou-frou, as I always like to call it. 

What I have learned about wine, is next to nothing compared to a woman in the Detroit area that I have met a few times, in the course of her business, but she would not say that she knows me, because she doesn’t, but she is very spectacular in her what she has achieved.  Madeline Triffon was born in Connecticut, lived in Greece, but is known best for her accomplishments in Michigan.  She attended and graduated from the University of Michigan and worked for the Westin Corporation.  There used to be a restaurant in the Renaissance Center called La Fontaine and Madeline was named Sommelier there, which was very impressive, and as I seem to recall, she was the first female with that title in Michigan.  Later she became the Sommelier at the London Chop House, the most famous of the Old Guard restaurants and known across the country.  In 1987, she passed the exam, the first time she tried for the title of Master Sommelier.  At that time, she was only one of nine Americans to hold that title and she was the first woman in America to have that title, and she was only the second woman in the world.  I had met her a couple of times at the London Chop House, as a diner.  She eventually left and became the wine director for a couple of different restaurant chains after that.  I had met her a couple times a during these points in her career, at different wine tastings that she would conduct at restaurants.  She is now the Master Sommelier for the Plum Market chain and I have even attended a couple of wine tastings that she had conducted there.  I might also add that she serves on the board for the United States chapter of the Court of Master Sommeliers. 

The other woman that I am always proud to see at anything that has a wine connection is my Bride, and between the two of us, what we may know, maybe less than Madeline Triffon has forgotten.  I mention my Bride for all of her personal accomplishments that she has persevered at, and has struggled as she has always worked in what for years was a “good old boy” industry and it wasn’t automotive.   When we first met, she only drank white wines and basically only ate fish.  We had actually gone to a lot of the same restaurants and clubs and never met each other back then.  After we met, she discovered that she could enjoy red meat and that she could really enjoy red wine.  It has been fun to watch her evolve both in her professional career and in her wine experiences.  I sometimes think that she has more of a stance on some wines than I do, but it is fun.  I also know that she is the one, that all the merchants enjoy to see, and I sometimes think that they just endure me.  As for me, I just want to salute all of the women that are in the wine industry and I will also like to acknowledge all the women that enjoy a well-made bottle of wine.

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Massolino Barolo

Posted on March 7, 2020 by thewineraconteur

As I slowly try to get reorganized and create a new routine and make time to do things properly, now that the government thinks that I am officially a senior citizen, even though I don’t feel any change.  While I was trying to get some things (wine) ready to restock the cellar, I found that I was remiss and forgot to mention about a gift that I received, and it is in bad form , not to be thankful for a gift, of which I have done privately, but I also think that this gift deserves a public thank you and recognition.

Massolino is a winery in the Piedmont known for its production of Nebbiolo grapes and its Barolo DOCG wines, and that is a good thing.  The winery was founded by Giovanno Massolino in 1896 and has been family owned and operated ever since.  His son and daughter built the first cellar in the 1930’s and were involved in the foundation of the Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliano, an organization that promoted the regional vinicultural areas, before the present-day formal designations.  The estate has twenty-three hectares of vines and all basically in the Barolo sub-region of Serralunga d’Alba.  While Nebbiolo is the most important varietal that is grown there, they also harvest Barbera, Dolcetto, Chardonnay and Moscato Bianco.  The most prestigious wines of Massolino come from their three unofficial cru vineyards of Barolo; which are Margheria, Parfad and Vigna Rionda Riserva.  They also own a one plus hectare vineyard in the neighboring commune of Castiglione Falletto that grows Nebbiolo, but this fruit is used for the single vineyard bottling of their Parussi Barolo.

The Massolino Barolo 2015 is their flagship Barolo wine that they have been producing since 1911 that comes from multiple vineyards of their land, which is their prime seven hectares that has made them famous.  The land that this wine comes from is known for its chalky or limestone soil, and the age of the vines is from ten to fifty-five years.  The fruit is manually harvested and the traditional rules of making Barolo are observed with fermentation and maceration lasting about fifteen days.  The wine is then aged in large oak barrels for at least thirty months and then aged in bottle for an additional year, before it is released. As I stated this is their flagship wine, and what they have made their name from, so it is their pride and joy, and I look forward to opening this bottle, because after all, who doesn’t enjoy an aged Barolo?

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