Wine Nation Underdog

New Release from Foxen

June 24, 2010 in Wine News | Tags: Foxen, Pinot Noir, Rosé, Santa Maria Valley, wine, wine tasting | Leave a comment

2008 Foxen Block N Pinot Noir

Just released: 2008 Foxen Pinot Noir Block N – Bien Nacido Vineyard – just four barrels (only 100 cases) of this gorgeous wine were made. I was fortunate enough to taste it recently at an event at Foxen and fell in love. Block N is the oldest Pinot Noir block planted at Bien Nacido, which is planted with the “California Heritage” Martini Clone. The fruit was picked early in the day on the 6th of October. The whole berries were destemmed, and fermented in a small open top fermenter for 10 days. Twice daily punch-downs helped to extract color, tannins, and the classic red summer fruit qualities into the wine. It was bottled (unfined and unfiltered) in early March 2010 after 16 months in 50% new François Frères barrels.

2009 Foxen Rosé of Mourvedre with Foxen vineyard in the background

Catching up

June 23, 2010 in Uncorked Musings | Tags: Ethan, Hundred Acre | Leave a comment

2000 Hundred Acre Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard & 2003 Ethan Syrah

Fourteen years ago my boyfriend (now husband) and I were invited to a dinner being hosted by a woman I knew from work and her husband. I was the webmaster at LAWeekly at the time and she was (and still is) a fabulous writer. I didn’t know what kind of wine they liked to drink, so I simply asked if we should bring “white or red?”. “Red” was the answer and so brought one of our favorite red wines, a Vieux Telegraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Over that wine (and many more that evening), we realized that we all shared a deep love of wine. Even after our friends decided to move to the Caribbean we still managed to get together to share wine. Even if it has been a while, we just pick up right where we left off. This year marked their 19th wedding anniversary, clearly a good excuse for me to pull some special wine from the cellar to celebrate. So, we headed to Root 246 for dinner and brought along a 2000 Hundred Acre Kayli Morgan Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (beautifully integrated flavors of black cherry, cassis, mocha, hints of anise – and a long finish) and a 2003 Ethan Syrah (fewer than 300 cases of this wine were made, this was bottle number 1571 – beautifully smooth on the palate, heavy with condensed blackberry, cassis and white pepper flavors with a satisfying, long finish). What a pleasure to share great wines with old friends – and catch up while eating delectable farm to table style food from Root 246! Life really *is* good!

Many thanks to Bobby Delmeyer of Root 246 for taking such good care of us!

Santa Barbara County Wine Futures Tasting 2010

June 23, 2010 in Uncorked Musings, Wine Tasting Adventures | Tags: ampelos, Ballard Inn, Beckmen, Brander, central coast, Cold Heaven, de su propia cosecha, dragonette, Kaena, Santa Barbara, santa barbara county wine futures, Santa Ynez, Wine Hound, wine tasting | Leave a comment

The second annual Winehound Santa Barbara County Wine Futures Tasting was an enormous success. The selection of wines was staggering, the food was fabulous (wood fired pizzas from Flatbread) and the venue (the Fess Parker Doubletree) was far superior to last year’s event. This year there were more than 125 wines from 50 different vintners. The list is impressive to say the least: Alma Rosa, Ampelos, Au Bon Climat, Autonom, Babcock, Beckmen, Brander, Ken Brown, Cargasacchi, Carhartt, Carr, Cent’Anni, Cimarone, Clos Pepe Estate, Cold Heaven, Costa de Oro, Demetria, Dragonette, Epiphany, Ethan, Flying Goat, Blair Fox, Happy Canyon Vineyard, Harrison-Clarke, Holus Bolus, Jaffurs, Jelly Roll, Jonata, Jorian Hill, Kaena, Kenneth-Crawford, Paul Lato, Lea, Longoria, Margerum Wine Company, Melville, Native9, Ojai, Fess Parker, Point Concepcio, Qupe, Rey, Samsara, Sanguis, Shai, Stolpman, Tensley, Tercero, The Paring, Tyler, Verdad, VIE, Vogelzang, Whitcraft. With this many wines, I had to carefully pick and choose my way through the options. Some of the wines were barrel samples, while many others were bottled, though unreleased. Though I wasn’t able to taste everything, here is a list of the ones that really, really stood out for me :

Ampelos 2007 Rho Pinot Noir – cola, black cherries, earth, hint of vanilla. 465 cases produced. Scheduled release late Spring 2011.

Ampelos 2007 Gamma Syrah – pepper, leather, dark berries, bacon. 655 cases produced. Scheduled release Winter 2010.

Autonom 2007 Rhône Cuvee Central Coast – 55% Grenache, 36% Syrah, 9% Mourvèdre, black pepper, dark berries, meat, clove, mocha. 130 case produced. Scheduled release Summer 2010.

Beckmen 2008 Syrah Purisima Mountain Vineyard – black fruits, fig, baking spices, bacon, mocha – next to my tasting notes I scribbled “this is a wine the critics will love”, I love it too. 400 cases produced. Scheduled release Fall 2010

Clos Pepe 2009 Pinot Noir Estate – black cherry, cola, Dr. Pepper, cocoa – a blend of clones 665, 777, 513, Pommard. 1000 cases producedscheduled release Spring 2011. Clos Pepe’s Wes Hagen was also pouring what he said was the “first ever sparkling wine from the Sta. Rita AVA” – a 2007 Brut Rosé, made by Norm Yost of Flying Goat Cellars. Unfortunately my palate was blown out after so many fabulous reds…dang.

Ethan 2009 Grenache Blanc – heady nose of apple, melon and florals, good acid and minerality. I was head over heels for this barrel sample – it was gorgeous – one of the top 5 wines I tasted at the event. I spoke with winemaker Ethan Lindquist who indicated that this is the first time he made a Grenache Blanc. With only 150 cases made, get it while you can when it is released. Scheduled release Fall 2010.

Ethan 2009 Sangiovese – red cherry, garrigue, ripe strawberry, good acid. Fabulous “food wine”. 150 cases produced. Scheduled release Fall 2010.

Jaffurs 2008 Grenache – spice, tart cherry, chocolate covered raspberry, 50% Thompson Vineyard, 50% Stolpman (all Alban and Tablas clones). 390 cases produced. Scheduled release late Summer 2010.

Jaffurs 2008 Syrah Larner Vineyard – heady and beautiful, blackberry, black pepper, mocha, allspice, super long finish. 340 cases produced. Scheduled release late Summer 2010.

Kaena 2008 Grenache Larner Vineyard – bright and gorgeous with flavors of red raspberry, cranberry, leather, super long finish. One of the top 5 wines I tasted at the event. 100 cases produced. Scheduled release Winter 2010.

Kaena 2008 Hapa – 56% Syrah, 22% Grenache, 11% Mourvèdre, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon – blackberry, garrigue, cedar, clove. Again, one of the top 5 wines I tasted at the event. 200 cases produced. Scheduled release Winter 2010.

Rey 2007 Syrah – 10 % Grenache and a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon – blackberry, black pepper, mocha. Wonderful wine for $20. Available now – but only 100 cases produced so get it while you can! NOTE: Rey is a second label – the reserve label is De Su Propia Coshecha – if you see it buy it – your mouth will thank you.

Samsara 2008 Syrah Melville Vineyard – Unexpected nose of florals, black plum, black pepper, earthy. Only 120 cases produced. Scheduled release Fall 2010.

Samsara 2008 Syrah Ampelos Vineyard – Very integrated flavors for a 2008, black fruits, black pepper, garrigue and herbs. Only 75 cases produced. Scheduled release Fall 2010. Anyone who reads this blog knows that Ampelos is a big favorite of mine; I love what Samsara’s winemaker Chad Melville has created with the wonderful Ampelos fruit.

Vogelzang 2008 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard – Fiddlestix is a fabulous source of fruit in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, intense flavors of tart cherry, ripe raspberry and caramel, well integrated flavors for such a young wine. Only 100 cases produced. Scheduled release Spring 2011.

What a wonderful way to spend the day – I only wish that the event were spread over two days, so that I could taste *all* the wines. Maybe next year? Many thanks to Bob Wesley and his team from the Winehound for putting on such a fabulous event!

Brown Bag Tasting

May 26, 2010 in Industry Insider-Only Wine Events, Wine Geek Group Tastings | Tags: ampelos, Beckmen, Bounty Hunter, Brewer Clifton, brown bag tasting, Chateau Montelena, Clos Saint Michel, Delas, Rey, Syrah, Tre Anelli, Wine Hound, wine tasting | 1 comment

My friend Louise hosts a wonderful brown bag tasting every time she and friends feel like they need to cull their wine collections. She calls it a Winemergency. She specifies a type of wine or a few types as the unifying theme. Then attendees bring appetizers to share and a bottle or two. All the bottles are bagged, tasted and then everyone compares notes at the end just before the bottles are removed from the bags. This evening we tasted no fewer than twenty nine wines: seven Chardonnays, six Grenaches, nine Syrahs and seven blends. Needless to say we weren’t drinking the wine, we were tasting, spitting and then scribbling a few notes. I know some people feel like it is a waste to spit out wine – and I wholeheartedly agree with them. With that said, these events present an opportunity to taste many wines side by side, which is one of the best ways to train your palate. After every wine was swirled, tasted, compared and contrasted, there were a few bottles that really stood out from the crowd: 2006 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, 2008 Brewer Clifton Chardonnay, 2007 Tre Anelli Grenache, 2004 Beckmen Estate Grenache and 2006 Rey Grenache (Note: priced around $20, the Rey is a great buy though it can be hard to find – try the Wine Hound in Santa Barbara or the Bounty Hunter in Napa if you’re trying to find Rey wines), 2005 Ampelos Epsilon Syrah, 2004 Beckmen Estate Syrah, 2006 Clos Saint Michel Châteauneuf-du-Pape (blend of 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre), 2006 Ampelos Syrache (blend of 73% Syrah, 27% Grenache), 2008 Delas Saint-Esprit Côtes du Rhône (blend of 70% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 5% Mourvedre, 5% Carignan and a with a price of $15 a great buy). In between tasting, spitting and scribbling notes, I managed to take a few snapshots.

The brown bagged lineup of wines

After the reveal - the Chardonnays

After the reveal - the Grenaches

2006 Rey Grenache - Lots of taste for very little money

After the reveal, the Syrahs

After the reveal, the red blends

Cold Heaven

May 25, 2010 in Wine Tasting Adventures | Tags: barrel room, Cold Heaven, La Vina Vineyard, Le Bon Climat Vineyard, Morgan Clendenen, Saints and Sinners, Sandford and Benedict, Second Sin, Viognier, Vogelzang, Yves Cuilleron | Leave a comment

I’ve enjoyed Cold Heaven winemaker Morgan Clendenen’s Viogniers for many years. I especially love a glass of her late harvest Viognier after dinner in lieu of dessert. Jason and I stopped by to taste at the new Cold Heaven tasting room in Buellton the other day. I’ve never seen a red wine from Cold Heaven, so I was thrilled to see that there was a Syrah, called Second Sin, at the end of the tasting menu. We started with the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc ($20) which had a nose of white grapefruit, and florals. Ripe tropical fruit, citrus and bright acidity – the result of stainless steel fermentation- linger on the palate. This would be a fabulous wine to have with scallops or oysters. The 2008 Le Bon Climat Vineyard Viognier ($33) was next on the list. With a heady floral nose, flavors of guava and peach and a soft mouthfeel this is a gorgeous wine. We then tasted a richer and more full bodied Viognier – the 2008 Sanford and Benedict Vineyard Viognier. This had a beautiful nose of apricot and violets and well integrated flavors and a sweet, lingering finish. Next up was the 2008 Vogelzang Vineyard Viognier which had a nose of orange blossom and tropical fruits (especially pineapple core) and crisp acidity. The 2007 Domaine des Deux Mondes Saints and Sinners is a wine made from a collaboration between Morgan Clendenen and Yves Cuilleron, an expert on Viognier from Condrieu. Domaine des Deux Mondes is French for “Domain of Two Worlds” signifying the coming together of two worlds to make a single wine. This was an absolutely beautiful wine with just the right amount of richness on the palate to make it luscious. Only 3 % new oaks was used, so the fruit from Sanford and Benedict really shines. Another product of the collaboration between Morgan Clendenen and Yves Cuilleron is called Deux C which is French for two C’s (one “C” for Clendenen and the second “C” for Cuilleron) is composed of wine made here in California combined with wine made in France. This is quite literally a marriage of Old World and New World with two barrels of wine made in California combined with two made in France. The vintage is 2005 however due to labeling regulations, this wine’s label cannot indicate a vintage. Next, we moved on to two reds. We tasted first the 2004 and then the 2003 Second Sin Syrah. The 2004 Second Sin was made with fruit from top notch vineyards – Bien Nacido, Beckmen and Vogelzang. The wine is a mere 13.5% alcohol (the fruit was picked slightly less ripe) – far lower than many if not most California Syrahs. The wine tastes far more like a French wine than one from California. I think this will age beautifully for a decade or more. The 2003 Second Sin is a glassful of beautifully integrated flavors including meat, black cherry and baking spices. This is truly an elegant wine that gets better with each sip.

Be sure to stop by the tasting room and wine making facility at 92A Second Street in Buellton CA 93427. The tasting room is open Friday through Monday from 12pm-5pm.

Kristy took us on a tour of the winemaking facility and barrel room. Here are a few snapshots I took:

In the Cold Heaven barrel room

Spinning, mirrored Buddha head watches over the barrels at Cold Heaven

Barrel of Cold Heaven 2009 Le Bon Climat Vineyard Viognier marked with a horseshoe symbol

Barrel of Cold Heaven 2009 La Vina Vineyard Viognier marked with a pistol symbol

Barrel of Cold Heaven 2009 Le Bon Climat Vineyard Viognier marked with a high heeled shoe symbol

Barrel of wine at Cold Heaven marked with lotus symbol

Dierberg’s Industry Event

May 16, 2010 in Industry Insider-Only Wine Events | Tags: Ballard Inn, Bello Forno, Brander, Budi Kazali, Carhartt, Consilience, Corkd.com, Dierberg, Jessica Foster Confections, Pattibakes, Petros, Scott Cellars, Star Lane, Tre Anelli | Leave a comment

Just a quick little newsflash – I’m happy to announce that I’ve been asked to write for Corkd.com. =) Here is a link to my first in a series of articles on large format bottles of wine.

The 2nd annual Dierberg / Star Lane industry open house was fabulous! There are many fun industry open house events during the course of the year, but Dierberg sets the bar high! The food is always wonderful! This year featured raw oysters paired with Sauvignon Blanc. Also, Bello Forno was there with a wood fired oven turning out incredible pizzas. The Ballard Inn‘s Chef Budi Kazali was there with amazingly tasty pork belly. The guys from Petros restaurant were there dishing up bite-sized Greek meatballs – these were perfect with Syrah. There was also an entire table of handmade chocolates and desserts from Jessica Foster Confections and Pattibakes. A big “thank you” to the folks at Dierberg / Star Lane for hosting such a great party! I took a few snapshots. =)

Dierberg / Star Lane 2nd Annual Industry Open House

Ashley, Janeen and Anne from Tre Anelli and Consilience

Ashley, Janeen and Anne from Tre Anelli & Consilience

Jason and Jim from Tre Anelli & Consilience

Jason (WineNationUnderdog) and Jim from Tre Anelli & Consilience

Janeen & Jim (Tre Anelli), Mike (Carhartt), Louise (Brander)

Kevin, Angela, Anne & Peggy

Peter (Scott Cellars) and Jason (WineNationUnderdog)

Anne (WineNationUnderdog), Angela and Peggy (Tre Anelli & Consilience)

The witness protection program?

May 6, 2010 in Uncorked Musings | Tags: Au Bon Climat, Brander, Cleb, Consilience, de su propia cosecha, dragonette, Duckhorn Decoy, Full of Life Flatbread, jaffurs, Kaena, La Buvette, McPrice Myers, Omaha Nebraska, Qupe, Shai, stolpman, Tensley, Terravant, The Boiler Room, Tre Anelli, Wine Hound | Leave a comment

So much has happened since I last posted. Nope, I am not part of the witness protection program – I’ve just been really, really busy. Let me try to condense the last month into a few words and some photos. First and foremost I moved from Santa Barbara to a lovely house out in wine country with a view of the edge of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Moving is never easy or fun, but in this case the massive effort was worthwhile. I’m reminded daily about what makes Pinot Noir so good, when I wake up to a view of the Santa Rita Hills. Often times the hills are shrouded in fog that burns off by mid-morning. The east-west coastal valleys combined with fog, wind and rocky soil stress the vines and reduce crop yield. This results in incredibly complex and layered Pinot Noir. If you want to taste what I am referring to, check out Ampelos Cellars’ 2005 Rho Pinot Noir. You’ll be happy you did!

Though I’ve only been in my new place about a month and a half, so much has happened! In the few weeks I:

unpacked a seemingly infinite number of boxes, many of which were full of wine or books…I wonder if I really need all these books?
enjoyed some of my favorite fabulous local wines (De Su Propia Cosecha, Brander, Tre Anelli, Stolpman, McPrice Myers) while unpacking boxes – no wonder it took so long!
poured Consilience wines at an event at Blush in Santa Barbara
ate amazing woodfired pizza at Full of Life Flatbread (and oysters – WOW!) – if you’re into woodfired pizza come to Los Alamos to eat at Flatbread
wrote the tasting notes for a couple of fabulous soon to be released wines from Tre Anelli (2007 Pinot Grigio, 2007 Sangiovese, 2008 Diavolessa)
went wine tasting at Brander (Thank you Fabian and Louise for the tour and barrel tasting!) – I *love* the Purisima Sauvignon Blanc and the reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
encountered all sorts of wildlife out here in the country – deer (see photo below), red tailed hawks, turkey vultures, mice, moles, skunks (unfortunately one of my dogs got too close to the skunk, sigh) a myriad of songbirds, mice, horses and a tree frog (oddly enough the frog was in my shower…go figure)
visited chef Paul Kulik at the Boiler Room restaurant and La Buvette in Omaha – my two favorite places to eat and drink in the Old Market district

So much has happened and so many wonderful things are on the horizon! First and foremost, there is lots of great news from one of my local favorites, Dragonette Cellars. Very soon you won’t have to go out to the wine ghetto in Lompoc to visit Dragonette, because they are opening up a tasting room in Los Olivos, right across the street from Stolpman. Also, any day now, Dragonette will release a wine that consists mostly of the co-fermented Syrah/Viognier that I fell in love with while barrel tasting last year (there are a few photos from this below). The wine is a reserve release and is called MJM. John Dragonette, Steve Dragonette and Brandon Sparks-Gillis dedicated this wine to their wives (Mitchi, Jen and Michelle), hence the name MJM. Smart husbands. 🙂 Recently I visited Dragonette and tasted the 2007 MJM with winemaker Brandon Sparks-Gillis. He was quite proud (and rightly so) of the almost released blend of 96% Syrah, 3% Grenache and 1% Viognier. This is a gorgeous wine with layers of flavors – definitely one to save for a special occasion! It wasn’t officially for sale yet (the bottles had not yet been hand dipped in wax) however I was able to convince him to let me go home with a couple of bottles. Thanks Brandon! Last but not least, Dragonette now has a wine club – you can join online too!

On Saturday May 15th, the Wine Hound Santa Barbara County Wine Futures event is happening. Last year was an amazing opportunity to taste incredibly fabulous local wines. Check out my post with details from last year’s event. This year I promise to charge my camera battery. There will be around 130 different wines available for tasting from local producers. Old favorites, including Au Bon Climat, Jaffurs, Qupé and Stolpman will be there and also some newer producers like Rey, Kaena and Shai. I am really looking forward to this event!

Last but not least, my wine tasting group is collecting bottles for a special Colson Canyon Vineyard themed tasting. So far we have collected red wines made from Colson Canyon fruit produced by Cleb, Tensley and Brander. If you know of any other wineries that make a Colson Canyon vineyard designate wine please drop me an email.

Here are some random snapshots of food, wine and other miscellany. Cheers!

Dragonette winemaker Brandon Sparks-Gillis with a bottle of MJM

De Su Propia Cosecha red (Grenache/Mourvedre/Syrah)

Me pouring Consilience wines at Blush in Santa Barbara

Lunch at Terravant (a fun place to taste wine - ask for a tour)

This is the first meal at the new house -we hadn't unpacked much yet

Dragonette 2008 Sauvignon Blanc - it makes unpacking boxes better

McPrice Myers 2007 L'Ange Rouge at Side Street Cafe (we were too tired to cook)

Tre Anelli 2008 Diavolessa - red blend of Dolcetto, Barbera, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel

First course of salad and oysters at Flatbread

Happiness is eating at Flatbread

What a fun surprise - a deer in my yard

2007 Duckhorn Decoy at Urban Wine Company in Omaha's Old Market district

La Buvette - you'll think you're in France, but it is really Omaha's Old Market district

One of the walls of wine at La Buvette

The view from the patio - cool foggy mornings help make good Pinot Noir

Foggy mornings turn into warm, clear days

: Barrel tasting at Dragonette (photo courtesy of pixillusion.com)

Dragonette extracting wine with a wine thief (photo courtesy of pixillusion.com)

Farm to Table to Mouth at Root 246

March 8, 2010 in Uncorked Musings | Tags: barrel 27, Bradley Odgen, farm to table, Root 246, Santa Ynez, solvang, wine | 2 comments

A restaurant called Root 246 opened about a year ago in Solvang. This caused quite a stir because the chef is Bradley Odgen (yes, *that* Bradley Odgen). Needless to say, touristy Solvang, most notable for its kitschy Danish architecture, doesn’t have any other restaurants featuring award-winning, celebrity chefs like Odgen. Jason and I have eaten on the outdoor patio in the summertime. This time, in light of the fact that it is February (and cold), we opted to sit in the dining room.

Menu at Root 246

Odgen’s cooking style in three words is simply “farm to table”. Naturally, the menu changes often – depending on what is in season. Jason and I wanted to try many things on the menu so we decided to order a number of different appetizers in lieu of entrees.

Amuse-bouche of steelhead trout, shitake and a ginger soy emulsion

Shortly after ordering we received a delicious and beautiful amuse-bouche of steelhead trout and shitake mushroom dressed with a ginger soy emulsion. I love these unexpected, tiny treats from the kitchen.

We ordered the “Artisan Cheese Plate” which came with thin slices of warm, toasted raisin bread, almonds, local honey and house made blood orange balsamic jelly (which was so fantastic I wanted to take some home). All the cheeses sounded

Artisan cheese plate with house made blood orange balsamic jelly and local honey

so wonderful, we couldn’t pick just one. We ordered the cave aged Marisa from La Valle, Wisconsin. This sheep milk cheese is aged for six months in a cave. It was earthy and rich and really tasty. We also had the Ascutney Mountain cheese from Hartland, Vermont. It is made from raw milk and is aged for no fewer than eight months. It is firm, buttery and nutty – similar to a European alpine cheese. Lastly, we chose a French cheese, called Comte Reserve des Granges from (yes, you guessed it) Franche-Comte, France. Made from cow’s milk, this is a nutty and buttery cheese that melts in your mouth. Cheeses like this one are a perfect alternative to dessert (not that we’ll be skipping dessert).

Warm "Bautista Farms" spinach salad, La Quercia proscuitto, quail egg and Minus 8 vinaigrette

Next up was the warm “Bautista Farms” spinach salad, La Quercia proscuitto, quail egg and Minus 8 vinaigrette. The spinach was thicker and more crisp than any I’ve had before, rather more like swiss chard than spinach. Bautista Farms is located in nearby Arroyo Grande so the spinach is super-fresh.

Beef sliders with "atomic" horseradish

After the salad, we tucked into the beef sliders with atomic horseradish and fries with house made ketchup. These were off the bar menu which offers more casual fare than the dining room menu. The sliders were great except I really had my heart set on some spicy horseradish – after all, the menu said “atomic”. In reality, the kick from the horseradish was “sub-atomic”. With that said, it complemented the flavor of the beef and didn’t overpower the dish – which is probably what the chef planned. The fries, served in a paper cone (a fun little nod to street food fare) were warm and crisp and didn’t last on the plate very long. The sliders tasted especially good with Barrel 27‘s 2006 “Right Hand Man” Syrah. Barrel 27 is one of my favorites from Paso Robles. Winemakers McPrice Myers and Russel From are really making some fabulous wine up there.

Miso glazed pork belly with crisp pork and mushroom "spring roll" and soy caramel

We also ordered the miso glazed pork belly with crisp pork and mushroom “spring roll” and soy caramel! This was decadent – the flavors all melded together as the tender pork belly melted in my mouth. Nom, nom, indeed!

Obviously, Jason and I were enjoying our food, what I haven’t mentioned yet is great waitstaff. Our waiters (there were about 4 of them making sure we had enough bread, food, wine and water) were very attentive. When Jason asked about a particular wine, the waiter offered to bring him a taste. I really wish more restaurants would do this. It is a real drag to order an unfamiliar wine (and too often the waiter cannot tell you anything about it) only to find that it isn’t something you like, in the slightest. Thankfully the Root 246 staff is wine-centric enough to a) really know the wine list and b) offer a taste of a wine to a curious imbiber. Kudos!

After all this delicious (and beautifully presented) food, we thought it best to order dessert, actually desserts. As usual we couldn’t pick just one. Jason ordered the butterscotch pudding “taster” with coffee-chocolate fudge cookie. Both the pudding and the cookie were really wonderful – and the size of the dessert is perfect for one person to have a few bites of sweetness at the end a meal. I ordered the 246 donut “puffs”, served with little cups of hot fudge, Tahitian vanilla bean custard and apple compote. I’d pictured donut holes in my head when I ordered this, so I was very surprised to get sticks. The sticks are meant for dunking into any of the little cups. It was a fun and tasty riff on donuts.

Every shelf shows the date that the fruit arrived

One of our wonderful waiters asked us if we wanted a tour of the kitchen. I cannot imagine why he asked me this question…maybe it was the fact that I kept photographing the plates of food? hmmmm… Of course we took him up on his offer! I learned that Root 246 doesn’t have a freezer – everything is fresh. The produce is used within two days from when it is delivered. Immediately upon delivery, all the fruit and herbs (organic and as local as possible) are washed and then stored on dated trays or in see-through bins. Root 246 uses local, organic foods whenever possible. You can taste the quality and the freshness – just take one bite of the spinach salad! But don’t take my word for it – go check it out yourself. And if you like to watch FoodTV, be sure to request the table *in* the kitchen! It is tough to get that table on Saturdays, so call a few weeks ahead to make your reservation.

Here are a couple more photos we took on our tour:

Jason and Anne - interlopers in the Root 246 kitchen

Chef de Cuisine Church in his element

Gotta dig the Converse! No Crocs here.

Pork belly - it's not just for breakfast anymore!

Spices in the Root 246 kitchen

How can you screw up auto-focus? Sigh. Jason, Bradley Ogden, Anne

Municipal Winemakers and Kunin

February 28, 2010 in Wine Tasting Adventures | Tags: Kunin, Municipal Winemakers, Santa Barbara, santa barbara wine tasting, Urban Wine Trail | Leave a comment

Jason and I stopped by the Municipal Winemakers tasting room on Saturday 2/20 to help celebrate the grand opening. Judging by the crowd it was a resounding success. Seriously…people were crammed into the tasting room like sardines. We managed to squeeze our way in the door and then after many “excuse mes” made it to the table where the Municipal Winemakers 2008 Bright White was being poured. This is a dry Riesling which would match well with ceviche, flip-flops and a casual, sunny Santa Barbara afternoon. After this we tasted the Municipal Winemakers 2007 Bright Red which is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah – in the Cotes du Rhone style. Next up was the Municipal Winemakers 2007 Dark Red which is a blend of Shiraz and Cabernet. Winemaker Dave Potter used fruit from outstanding vineyards in order to make this wine. The Cabernet Sauvignon is from Star Lane which just happens to be one of my favorite vineyards located in the newly created Happy Canyon AVA – (American Viticulture Area). He also used Syrah from Tierra Alta and Fess Parker’s Camp Four vineyard. Some Syrah made from Camp Four fruit have some interesting smoky undertones – like the Consilience 2005 Syrah Camp Four Vineyard. The Municipal Winemakers 2007 Dark Red is good wine for backyard barbeques. Lastly, we tasted the Municipal Winemakers 2007 Fizz which is a sparkling Shiraz which is sealed with a crown cap like what you’d find on a soda bottle. While this type of closure seems a bit unusual, it is actually fairly common in Australia where Potter learned quite a bit about making wine.

Municipal Winemaker Dave Potter

After this Jason and I managed to find Potter in this mob of people to congratulate him on the fabulous turn out.

Then we walked over to the Kunin/Westerly tasting room where we found enough space for the two of us at the bar. I have a few favorites here. First the Kunin 2006 Viognier Stolpman Vineyard. This is a classic Viognier with floral and apricot aromas. On the palate it is soft and rich – truly a beautiful wine. My other favorite is the Kunin 2007 Pape Star – this is a red blend of 50% Grenache, 35% Mourvedre and 15% Syrah in the style of wines of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC in France. Kunin’s Pape Star reminds me of wines we tasted in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC with Jason – back when the exchange rate wasn’t so bad. We decided to taste a few wines, head to head from the Kunin library: 2001 Syrah Alisos Vineyard, 2003 Syrah Alisos Vineyard and 2004 Syrah Alisos Vineyard – almost a vertical flight. The 2001 had more of a nose and oddly enough more fruit than the ’03 or the ’04. The ’01 had flavors of black cherry, white pepper with some faint herbal notes on the finish. The ’03 was a bit more reserved and featured less fruit and spice than the ’01. The ’04 was the earthiest of the three wines and Jason thought it would be good with a cigar. All in all a good day of wine tasting – and only 10 minutes from our house!

Library "almost" Vertical tasting at Kunin: 2001, 2003, 2004 Syrah Alisos Vineyard

Margerum Wine Company Open House

February 21, 2010 in Wine Tasting Adventures | Tags: Ballard Inn Restaurant, Budi Kazali, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Chenin Blanc, Doug Margerum, M5, Margerum Wine Company, Pinot Gris, santa barbara county, Santa Ynez, Syrah, UBER Syrah, wine tasting | 1 comment

There are only a handful of days that the Margerum Wine Company is open to the public – the rest of the time it is open by appointment only. February 13th was one of those public days, so my husband and I headed on down to the winery to go taste some vino. We bumped into our neighbors Pamela and Albert who asked us to join them for dinner at the Ballard Inn. Jason and I are big fans of chef Budi Kazali’s creative and flavorful menus so this was a welcome opportunity to go there with fellow foodies. More on this later!

Here is the list of wines from the “official” tasting list of the day (which didn’t include all the surprise bottles that winemaker Doug Margerum opened) and some comments:

2008 Margerum Chenin Blanc – light yellow color, crisp on the palate, flavors of white grapefruit – perfect wine for scallops and other seafood.

2008 Pinot Gris – fermented in 75% stainless steel and 25% barrel, high acid, lean wine

2006 Grenache – my husband Jason (a dedicated Grenache fan) really liked this one. It is expressive, but not dark or big or high in alcohol. It is subtle and would complement many foods…salmon or pork loin came to mind while tasting this wine.

2007 M5 – Jason and I have been fans of Doug Margerum’s M5 blend for many years. The 2007 offering had some interesting notes of sasparilla that I don’t recall from previous vintages. I’d recommend cellaring the 2007 M5 one 3-5 more years to increase the flavor integration. While we were tasting the 2007 Doug opened up a bottle of the 2008 M5 which is scheduled to be released in mid March. The 2008 is fruitier and very approachable now. You can drink the 2008 M5 this one while you are cellaring your 2007.

2006 Syrah “Alisos Vinyard” – This is an absolutely beautiful Syrah from its color all the way the finish. The only bad part was that so few bottles were made…only 50 cases.

2006 Syrah “Alondra De Los Prados Vineyard” – This was my favorite wine of the day – which is a high compliment because I tasted some beautifully made wines. The Alondra De Los Prados Syrah or ADP as it is called for short, is actually 5% Viognier. The Syrah and the Viognier are co-planted and co-fermented. The resulting wine has some floral notes which Viognier is known for the Syrah takes center stage with its intensity and power. Margerum recommends that this one be cellared for a few more years, but I will have a hard time keeping the corkscrew away from the case I bought. Only 125 cases were produced, so I highly recommend ordering a few while you still can.

2006 Syrah “Black Oak Vineyard” – This was another great example of the fabulous Syrahs that Doug makes – mmmmm…black cherry and hints of anise.

2006 Syrah “Colson Canyon Vineyard” – Aromas of florals, cassis and anise with flavors of cherry, black plum and white pepper. I bought a few of these to cellar for about 5 years. If you’re into wine scores, Stephen Tanzer rated this one a 90.

2006 Syrah “Great Oaks Ranch Vineyard” – Wines made of fruit from Great Oaks tend to have spice characteristics that I really enjoy. This intense wine offers flavors of anise, cracked pepper, coffee and black cherry.

2006 Syrah “Purisima Mountain Vineyard” – Flavors of cassis, dried cherries, black plum, blackberries and some earthy notes. The finish was long and lovely! Wine Spectator gave this wine 90 points.

2006 ÜBER Syrah – This is an extremely well planned wine. Margerum sourced Syrah fruit from seven different vineyards, and then picked and co-fermented them over 45 days. Then he blends in carefully selected barrels of single-vineyard Syrah – resulting in a powerful, dense wine. This is one of my favorite Syrahs because there is so much going on in the glass – rich, powerful and layered. Drink ÜBER and treat your mouth to an adventure. =)

1995 Antinori Solaia

There were a few other wines that we were able to taste that weren’t on the official list. The most exciting one for me was the 1995 Antinori Solaia. This is one of the most famous “Super Tuscan” wines in the world, made by the Antinori family who have been making wine for six centuries. Needless to say it was a real treat to taste this wine! It is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Franc. The years in the bottle were well spent, leaving soft, well-integrated tannins. On the palate, flavors of blackberry, currant, boysenberry lead to a long and fruity finish.

The evening's lineup of wines.

After the event at the winery was wrapping up we headed over to Doug Margerum’s house to continue our wine tasting adventure. (Thanks again for your hospitality Doug!) Doug opened a number of wines from his collection including a 2001 Vieux Telegraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Châteauneuf-du-Pape happens to be one of my favorite wine-producing regions in the world. Clearly this is my lucky day!

After enjoying Doug’s hospitality and some really interesting conversations (“Hi” to Fisch and Blaine), Pamela, Albert, Jason and I headed over to Ballard Inn for dinner. We ordered most of the appetizers – *all* were wonderful, but my favorites were the “winter turnip soup with duck confit and Fuji apple salad”, the “red roast Kurobata pork belly with Napa cabbage fondue” and the “panko crusted sweetbreads with Madeira sauce”. It was hard to choose an entree because they all sounded so good. The “pan seared duck breast with sweet potato puree and balsamic reduction” is what I usually order, but the “Australian rack of lamb with creamy farro, leeks, fennel and star anise glace” sounded amazing. I eventually settled on the “crispy skin arctic char with roasted fingerling potatoes and horseradish nage”. Everything was beautifully presented and incredibly flavorful! Kazali’s food was the perfect ending to a decadent and fun-filled day!

Disco ball hung in the doorway to the Margerum Wine Company barrel room

Jason, Pamela and Tony in the barrel room at Margerum Wine Company

The aftermath of some serious wine tasting at Margerum Wine Company

Who knew that pork cracklins pair so well with sparkling off-dry German Rieslings?

Pork cracklins + sparkling off-dry German Rieslings = Strangely wonderful wine/food pairing

The text on this painting from Doug Margerum's collection reads "wine is good living". I couldn't agree more.

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