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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)
Jason and I had a wonderful dining experience at the picturesque Ballard Inn restaurant last night. We were seated immediately at a romantic two person table near the fireplace. We took a look at the wine-by-the-glass list and were impressed with the carefully chosen list of fabulous –mostly local- wines. I ordered a glass of the 2007 Ampelos Rosé of Syrah (gorgeous deep pink color, bright taste –no oak, no malolactic fermentation, nose of citrus, watermelon, florals, mineral qualities, soft tannins). Ashley, our young but very well informed and professional server, recommended a wine for Jason – the Kaena Hapa (a mouth filling, fruit/spice bonanza of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre – nothing short of WOW). Kaena (which means “potential for greatness” in Hawaiian) is the personal label made by Mikael Sigouin whose day job is head winemaker at Beckmen. This talented and hardworking young winemaker is officially on my radar as one to watch! Potential for greatness, indeed! But, I digress. Getting back to the food, we started off with two beautifully presented appetizers. First, room temperature short rib meat with truffle oil served on a bed of watercress, garnished with small dollops of aioli and four purple potato crisps. I’ve never thought of making a salad out of short rib meat, but this was amazing – moist, flavorful and rich, but not too heavy to eat in the summertime. And who knew potato chips could be so decorative – and pretty? Our second appetizer was crispy sweetbreads served with mizuna salad and arugula with macadamia nut pesto. All the different textures and tastes in this dish blended harmoniously together. Wow! Ashley surprised us with a hamachi sashimi appetizer with soy-yuzu vinaigrette which paired beautifully with the Ampelos rosé. Our entrées arrived soon after we finished the hamachi. Jason’s entrée was the crispy skin barramundi with chive risotto and soy mushroom broth. Barramundi is a white fish, though not as delicate in taste or texture as halibut. Its firm texture and rich taste was complemented well by the chive risotto. Jason ordered the 2007 Kaena Hapa Blanc (a white Rhone-style blend of Grenache Blanc and Roussanne – well balanced, elegant, tropical fruit notes, luscious mouth feel and a long finish- only 170 cases made) to go with his fish.
Duck entree at the Ballard Inn
I ordered the pan seared duck breast with sweet potato purée and balsamic reduction. I decided that the Kaena Hapa (red) that we had with our appetizers would be wonderful with the duck – and it was! Dessert was almond panna cotta with strawberries and coconut tuile, and a bottle of 2005 Cold Heaven Late Harvest Viognier (wonderful florals on the nose, rich on the palate with peach, apricot and honey). Chef Budi Kazali, who was recently won the 2009 Ultimate Chef competition, came out of the kitchen for a few moments to greet diners. Jason and I were happy to thank Chef Kazali in person for all the amazing food we enjoyed tonight!
Wine Nation Underdog 
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