Ken's Blog from Sonoma - September, 2005
September 10, 2005
I’m so glad we’re doing it right – picking a couple of wineries a day at most, and enjoying them rather than rushing from one to another and trying to keep track of what we’ve tasted.
We drove back “over the hill” to Chateau Montelena. We had recalled in the car that Chateau Montelena was the winery that sent a few shockwaves to the “other” country with the red, white, and blue flag when, in 1976, their chardonnay won first place in a major world tasting. Denise was waiting. The neat thing about this tasting was the opportunity to walk to the garden with our glasses.
Down the steps from the chateau and past the bocce ball court there’s a lake … and an island with striking red bogotas centered on it. Beauty in its own right and a photo op, too. What’s really exciting is looking over your shoulder and gazing on the vines still carrying their nearly-ripe fruit. It was the taste – no the entire wine experience – that sent us back into the chateau to ship a few bottles home.
We were heading back to the house and decided to stop by Landmark Vineyards – just a lark. Past bushes and bushes of white roses, we arrived at the tasting room. It was just a lark but we really enjoyed the Damaris reserve chardonnay. Yep. Bought some.
As I said, that stop was a lark … we didn’t count it as part of our two for the day. Kaz Winery, on the other hand, was on the list. Kaz wasn’t there when we first stopped so we drove the couple hundred yards back to the Kenwood Villa, grabbed a bite and sat out, intending to sun ourselves for about fifteen minutes. The Chateau Montelena Riesling turned that into an hour and a half, but no one was counting. Anyway, it gave Kaz time to get to the winery. Rick Kasmier is, well, different. He’s fun, loves to laugh, and, yet shoots straight about wine. In addition to making about 1000 cases a year from a variety of grapes, his Bodega Bay portworks puts out a white, syrah and tawny port. If you’re near there, stop for a tasting. I’ll bet you wind up grabbing a bottle or two to take with.
September 9, 2005
We ate in (a frittata, toast, melon, assorted meats and coffee) then headed off to a morning encounter at Frei Ranch. We were so fortunate that Gina Gallo and Chris O’Gorman had the time to meet. It turned into a fun session of tasting and talking. The Gallo wineries have definitely undergone a metamorphosis, emerging with wonderful tastes. You may still find the “hearty burgundy” but we had a chance to taste the wines of Gallo of Sonoma including a pinot gris that had terrific apricot and grapefruit flavors. We also sampled the Gallo Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, made by aging portions in dark, air-dried toasted oak and portions in stainless steel. The two are married then blended.
The Frei Ranch Vineyard zinfandel 2000 had a deep earthy taste capable of supporting big food tastes. We finished with a big and chewy Cabernet Sauvignon – the 1999 Gallo of Sonoma.
Throughout the tasting, Gina took us through the microclimates that are Sonoma and the differences that create the great and varying tastes of the region. It’s reassuring to see the zeal that a third generation winemaker brings to the table – well, to the vineyard.
Chris took us down to meet Antonio Serrano, the vineyard manager for Barelli Creek. We had a fun discussion about brix and where do you cross the line in terms of the count being too high, dehydration setting in, and the economics of production. According to Antonio, the strangely cool September has pushed off the zin and cab harvest for two to three weeks.
Our hour with Gina, Chris and Antonio turned into three and we jumped in the car and wound our way over to Pegase for a feast of art and wine. Ginny took us on a long tour of the winery and the artwork that bedecks the entire plot. We laughed at the comparison of the DuBuffet designed label which, for a time managed to rile the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms due to its sexual content. Today we look at it and think about, well, frankly, who the heck cares. It’s a fun label on a great wine. We sent a bunch home – and not because of the label.
We also brought some back to the villa with us. That combined with the Gallo of Sonoma we received formed the lynchpin of one of the greatest evenings ever. We cooked in for a total of six. The air really was cold and we threw on a couple of logs. I marinated some chicken breasts (my recipe on winexperience.com) and threw them on the grill. I was in and out of the kitchen enough to see that it was just big enough for the five others, all of whom had a hand at part of the meal.
Dinner didn’t wrap up until about quarter of eleven. A little coffee, a little more wine and we gathered around the fireplace – big enough for a couple of Santas – and just talked, a little Ramsey Lewis, Diana Krall then Sarah Vaughn providing a soothing background. Simply fantastic, and I don’t use that word often.
September 8, 2005
Well, Monday on the website, I said that by any standard, San Francisco is the gateway to wine country. Land there and you can go just about any direction (but west, of course, I mean, c’mon). Well, we spent some time in San Francisco before getting started.
That was definitely worth it . . . in the past I’ve usually had to take SF for granted – in for business and back out. In past trips to wine country, I’ve flown in but this time I made a concerted effort to see the city. Arts, sports, you name it, it’s here.
Last night we had a great dinner at Bacar. Treated ourselves to the 2003 Martinelli Bella Vigna Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley. Liked it so much we treated ourselves to some more! Like I’ve always said, if you find an experience that works for you, don’t be afraid to stick with it.
This morning, we headed out for Sonoma. Such a beautiful trip and if someone blindfolded you ‘til you were out of sight of San Francisco, you’d swear you were in Tuscany.
We arrived about 11AM and were hungry. Stopped by Mayo’s Reserve Room for an experience that’s beginning to “take root” in California – a wine and food pairing-tasting. Chef Billy Oliver took us through seven petite courses with matching wines. This is such a great way to go. It takes wine tasting that extra step, allowing each of us to decide which pair worked best and why. One of our group has sworn that he doesn’t like sauvignon blanc and absolutely abhors goat cheese. What a convert he became when Billy got finished with him. And that was the first course. We moved on through scallops and viognier – Henry’s Cuvee 2003 to be exact – then smoked duck breast and pinot noir. Time for a breath!
On to pork loin, polenta and a 2002 Zin followed by rosemary lamb burger and merlot then grilled hangar steak and the 2002 “Julie’s Block” cab. One more breath, some great conversation with Billy about Carneros and we celebrated with edible gold covered bittersweet chocolate dipped strawberries and the Ricci Vineyard 2003 Zinfandel Port.
A single word: Fantastic. Two words: Do it!
You’d think the day was over but before we headed to the Kenwood Inn Villa and the wonderful open yet private gardens, we had a special date with Hal McCown at the Benziger Family Winery. Hal took us through the vineyards, explaining their philosophy of biodynamic farming, the wholistic approach that works to bring all living systems together. Beyond organic, it relies on a closed system that then lets nature do her work. That also calls into play the spirit of the land and the living systems it supports.
Well, that was the tip of the cork . . . there’s so much more to it. Another wonderful stop to put on your Sonoma list.
As we left, we looked at each other and at the bottles we had purchased in both places and decided, “to heck with dinner reservations, we’re cooking in.” So we did. We attacked the market, making off with pork tenderloin, some tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella, onions, beans, and lots more.
After a little time for a marinade – enough for a massage at the spa - we enjoyed it all with Benziger Sonoma Mountain Red 2003. A blend of cab, merlot, petit verdot and cabernet franc, it was a great partner for the pork.
More to come tomorrow.
