Pairing with Bubbles – Gloria Ferrer and the amazing Sarah Tracey

Dec 31, 2018

It’s the season for bubbles and this past October I was able to do an amazing tasting and pairing event with sparkling wines from Gloria Ferrer at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla Washington.

I met Sarah Tracey of The Lush Life the evening before her Bubbles and Bites Seminar at WBC18. At the dinner at Doubleback Winery, we finished with the hors d’ouervres in the winery and headed back into the beautiful tasting room to find a seat for dinner and as luck would have it, I ended up sitting next to Sarah. We had great conversation throughout the evening (we both fell in love with the AMAZING lobster bisque) and at the end of the evening she mentioned that she was hosting Wine Discovery Session “Gloria Ferrer Bubbles and Bites” which I had signed up for.

The Amazing Sarah Tracey of The Lush Life (and no, that’s not her dog, just a friend she made who was happy to pose with her for this shot!)

Sarah has quite the history! She writes a column for Martha Stewart (you can check that out here) . She’s a Somm, a wine educator and is spectacular at putting on events. She loves to travel and loves bubbles! (my kinda girl!).

The Bubbles

Gloria Ferrer

Before we get started with the pairings, I should probably tell you a little about Gloria Ferrer. This winery is located in the southern part Sonoma County. We visited one early morning and enjoyed glorious views from the patio while doing a seated tasting. I love their sparkling wines. We loved them enough to join the club. When a morning is tough, I just close my eyes and picture myself sitting there on their patio with a glass of their sparkling in hand. It inevitably makes the day better. We wrote about our visit in Bubbles to Start the Day at Gloria Ferrer and give you a little background in Gloria Ferrer – a Little History

The wines of Gloria Ferrer, while always well received, particularly by the critics, have continued to improve over 30 growing seasons. The family legacy of uncompromising quality is passed down through generations. The Pinot Pedigree born of decades nurturing our Sonoma Carneros Estate vineyards. The patience-testing méthode champenoise process of aging and blending is paramount. It’s all coming together in the perfect blend of savor and celebrate. Find them on Facebook, Twitter at @GloriaFerrer, and Instagram.

Source Gloria Ferrer

Pairing Strategies

Gloria Ferrer 3546 — Gloria Ferrer Sparkling Wines

Wines and pairings for the Bubbles and Bites seminar. — Gloria Ferrer Sparkling Wines

The Bubbles and Bites Session with Gloria Ferrer, was more than just showing you a pairing…this was meant to get your brain thinking about what makes a good pairing and why. Think of colors. There are complimentary colors and contrasting colors. Food and wine are the same way, you can match or contrast

Sarah laid down 4 pairing strategies

Acid needs Acid
Flavor Match
Contrast Pairing
Texture Match

Within these strategies, she paired a Gloria Ferrer Sparkling wine with a small bite. Let’s walk through these delicious pairings. While we do this, keep in mind the flavor profiles and how you can use these to create your own pairings.

Acid needs Acid

For this strategy Sarah chose the Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut. This wine is 86.5% Pinot Noir and 13.5% Chardonnay. It is aged in stainless steel and then aged en tirage for a year and a half and you can find it for about $22

The pairing Sarah chose for this wine was a Classic Bruschetta with grated parmesan and a balsamic glaze. The acid in the tomatoes and the vinegar call for a high acid wine, a low acid wine would end up tasting flat.

This pairing worked! Keep this in mind when pairing dishes with tomatoes, lemon or vinegar and reach for a wine with higher acid to keep the flavors bright in both the wine and the food.

Bruschetta in the foreground and Turkey pinwheel in the back Bubbles and Bites — Bruschetta in the foreground and Turkey pinwheel in the back

Flavor Match

The second pairing strategy is one that I often employ. Flavor Matching pulls from the wine and matches the food (or vice versa). I often use this when I picking up a wine I have not tasted. I can read the tasting notes on the shelf talker (or that I have looked up) and pull from that for my pairing. Syrah’s often have blackberry notes and I will pair them with a dish that has blackberries or a blackberry sauce. Spice notes on a wine, can inform the direction of your seasoning.

The wine for this pairing was the Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs. This wine is 91.6% Pinot Noir and 8.4% Chardonnay. (I know, they are so exact with their percentages!). This wine is hand harvested and whole cluster pressed. They blend 5-7% Vin Gris (cold-soaked Pinot Noir juice) into the base wine. This Vin Gris with it’s skin contact gives the wine it’s bit of color. It is again stainless steel aged and a year and a half en tirage.

Sarah paired this with a Turkey pinwheel with Cougar Gold, strawberry preserve, boursin & arugula. Okay…if you are asking, “What is Cougar Gold” you are not alone. When she announced this half the room murmured with smiles on their faces while the rest of us looked about bewildered. Okay here’s the deal.

Cougar Gold

Cougar Gold is a cheese. A canned cheese developed in the 1940s at Washington State University, funded by the US Government. The idea of a canned cheese that would last indefinitely was appealing at this time. It’s a white cheddar. You can find it online at the WSU siteor on Amazon, where a 30 oz can will set you back $64.99. You can watch a quirky fun video called The Making of Cougar Gold Cheese on Vimeo.

Okay, now that that is out of the way…so this pinwheel is turkey with Cougar Gold, which we now know is a white cheddar, plus boursin (a rich crumbly Gournay cheese made of cows milk), strawberry preserves and fresh arugula.

The strawberry notes in the wine match with the strawberry preserves enhancing both the wine and the food.

Contrast Pairing

We head now to pairing the Gloria Ferrer Brut Rosé. This wine is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. To get that lovely pink color they macerate half of the Pinot Noir on skin for 36-48 hours. This also developes the nose and flavor. This is aged en tirage for 2 years. This wine runs about $29.

The pairing is Ahi Poke with sunomono cucumbers, sriracha, seaweed salad & pickled ginger. The wine with it’s vibrant fruit sits in contrast to the heat and umami in the dish with the seaweed, sriracha and ginger. For other contrast pairings think, sweet and salty or sweet and tart. Think Thai food and Riesling or lambrusco and chinese food. (somehow I’m always drawn to Asian pairings here, but there are many more!)

Right to left, Ahi Poke with sunomono cucumbers, sriracha, seaweed salad & pickled ginger and Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Meyer lemon aioli

Texture Match

Wine, most especially sparkling wine, has a definite texture in your mouth. Sarah used this pairing to highlight this. The wine was the 2010 Anniversary Cuvée by Gloria Ferrer 67% Pinot Noir and 33% Chardonnay this wine only uses the first press of juice. It ferments in stainless steel and spends 5 years en tirage. The growing season for this vintage was very cool. This lovely bottle runs $45.

The pairing here was elevated, as was the wine and was a bacon wrapped scallop with meyer lemon aioli. The creamy texture of the scallop and the creamy texture of the wine are gorgeous together in your mouth. Then you add the fat and salt of the bacon…yep…pretty heavenly.

The wrap up

Gloria Ferrer sparkling wines Sonoma Brut and Blanc de Noirs

These 4 strategies for pairing wines, work with sparkling as well as still wines and you can use them beyond that, with beers and spirits and even with creating a menu or a dish.

I encourage you to drink bubbles often. They are not all the same! And put them in a wine glass, not a flute, you will be able to enjoy the aromas in the wine even better.

Bubbles are joyful and these bubbles we discussed are affordable. Don’t just hoard your bubbles for an “Occassion”, life is short, make Thursday an Occassion!

Thanks to Gloria Ferrer for sponsoring this seminar and to Sarah Tracey for such an interesting seminar. And of course thanks to the Wine Bloggers Conference (newly rechristened the Wine Media Conference) for making this all possible!

A couple of quick disclaimers. I went to the Wine Bloggers Conference as a Citizen Blogger and this tasting was part of the conference. The conference is offered at an amazing rate for citizen bloggers to entice us to write about the different wineries and areas we visit. So…this great tasting and pairing, cost me next to nothing. BUT, I assure you that had it been crap, I would not have written about it. So there you have it. Second side note, I’ve written about Gloria Ferrer before and enjoy their wines on a regular basis as a paying wineclub member, so yeah, I like their wines.

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

Balletto Vineyards in the Russian River Valley

Feb 8, 2018

I had a plan, well sort of. It was Day 3 of our Flash tour and Flash tours are pretty busy! We had spent a day in Sonoma and this day was to start in Napa and end up in the Livermore Valley. That’s a lot of ground to cover. I had a plan to start the day and to end the day, but the middle was a bit mushy. There was much driving to be done, so the wine needed to wait until later in the day and I had not done enough research to find a proper stop. Michael dove online and saved the day. A mid afternoon stop that could be our final Sonoma destination that had a patio for a picnic lunch and a hike! Balletto it was! Since then I have had multiple people tell me how much they like this winery, but at the time…I knew nothing about them.

Balletto Vineyards

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Balletto Vineyards is located in Sonoma, with their winery just a little bit off the 12 on Occidental Road. The address says Santa Rosa, but they are closer to Sebastopol. They were farmers first, with John Balletto starting the business running the family’s 5 acre farm growing vegetables in 1977. John’s father had passed away and to care for his family, he gave up college athletic scholarships to start the business. They expanded the property they owned and grew more and more produce. In 1995 they had 700 acres and grew 70 different varieties of produce and were one of the largest vegetable farms in Northern California. Multiple El Ninos in 1998 wiped out much of their crops and as they looked at potential future water crisis’ they determined to turn their properties to wine grapes. They began with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and sold fruit to Sonoma Wine Producers. In 2001 they created Balletto Vineyards, keeping 10% of their fruit from their Russian River Valley Vineyards for themselves. Their produce packaging and shipping center, became the winery.

#VineyardAdventures

In the tasting room you can ask about the self guided tour and they will give you a laminated map to guide you. These are done in conjunction with Sonoma.com and on their site you can find details on multiple Free Vineyard Walking Tours.

Balletto Vineyard, Vineyard tour

: Balletto Vineyard, Vineyard tour

: Balletto Vineyard, Pinot Noir Grapes

We started out with the hike, it was a beautiful day and getting to see the soil and the vines and a little of the story of this place seemed to be a good way to set the mood for the wines we would taste later. The tour had 7 stops, each telling you a bit of behind the scenes information on things Balletto Vineyards is doing to be sustainable, to care for the land and the people on it. Because after all…that really does make for better wine.

Preservation of Habitat

Balletto Vineyard, Vineyard tour

Located in the Russian River Valley the vineyard and winery sit next to the Laguna de Santa Rosa which is a major tributary of the Russian River. This part of the Russian River Valley is flat and open and the Laguna de Santa Rosa is a wetland habitat where you can see a variety of birds, including osprey, pelicans and Great Blue Herons. Diversity in species and landscape are vital to keeping environments healthy.

Water Conservation

: Balletto Vineyard, Vineyard tour

: Balletto Vineyard, Pond

: Balletto Vineyard, irrigation

When Balletto began as a vineyard, they already understood the importance of water conservation. Here next to the winery they have 3 holding ponds where they reused water from the winery. The water is specially routed to the ponds from the winery where it is treated. It is then reused for irrigation and in the spring for frost protection. In addition they have mobile fans for the vineyard. Frost protection can be quite the water guzzler, so the fans allow them to use less water. They also utilize recycled water from the City of Santa Rosa’s Laguna treatment plant.

Trellising

: Balletto Vineyard, Trellis Pinot Gris Grapes in Veraison

: Balletto Vineyard, Pinot Noir Grapes

While water can be in short supply, the morning fog brings lots of moisture to the vines. When you get close to harvest, this can be detrimental as it can increase the chance of fungal diseases. To mitigate this, vineyards use trellising. The Chardonnay vines at Balletto are trellised to keep the clusters of grapes even along the vine, allowing for more air circulation among the leaves and clusters and decreasing the chance of mold and fungus growing.

Grapes

We walked along the vines and were drawn to the beautiful clusters which were going through veraison, turning those beautiful shades of deep purple, bronze, or silvery gray. Balletto grows 9 varieties of Pinot Noir and one Pinot Gris (known as Pinot Grigio in Italy). Pinot Gris is Pinot Noir’s lighter dryer cousin. These grapes thrive in the Russian River Valley’s cool coastal climate. There is Chardonnay here also, so the colors of the berries in the blocks varied from the bright greens of the still ripening Chardonnay to the dusty grey bronze of the Pinot Gris to the deepening purple of the Pinot Noir. Here for your viewing pleasure, a selection of grape glamour shots.

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Soils

Balletto Vineyard, Vineyard tour

Terroir is the idea of the essence of a place. This begins with the soil. The vineyards of Balletto encompass 5 different soil types with the two primary types being Wright Loam and Blucher Fine Sandy Loam. North of the winery near Oxnard road you find Clear Lake Clay. The differences in soil, site and climate are what make vineyards unique. Mind you, we were just standing on one of the Balletto Vineyards, they own 16 estate vineyards in the Russian River Valley AVA from the Santa Rosa Plains to the Sebastapol Hills area and Petaluma Gap. From these vineyards Balletto creates 8 vineyard designate wines, allowing you to taste the difference in terroir.

Pomace for Fertilizer

: Balletto Vineyard, Winery Pomace Pile

: Balletto Vineyard, Vineyard tour, Pomace pile

Pomace is the seeds, stems, skin and sometimes pulp, left over after the grapes are crushed for their juice. Named for the Goddess of Fruit “Pomona” this leftover from the wine making process can be used for fertilizer. It tends to be a little smelly, as any good fertilizer is. Here at Balletto they create piles of pomace after harvest and let them dry for 16 to 18 months, then they use them as fertilizer between the rows. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle…there you go.

Field of Dreams

There is more to wine than the soil and the grapes, the people who make the wine are part of this story. It’s their hard work you taste in the glass. Protecting the land and conserving it’s resources, is good for grapes, but it’s also, more importantly, good for people. A sense of community is important. Here is one story from Balletto on building community.

Balletto Vineyard, Vineyard tour, field of dreams

Next to the winery, it is impossible to miss the “Field of Dreams”. Instead of being in the middle of a cornfield, this field sits on 4 acres in the middle of the Balletto vineyard. In 2004 the Balletto vineyard crew asked John Balletto if the winery would sponsor their league baseball team. John Balletto took it a step further and took 4 acres next to the winery and donated all the materials to build a regulation baseball field. The vineyard crew built the field and now in the Spring and Summer the league plays games here on Sundays. Blocks in the vineyard now sport names like “First Baseline Chardonnay” or “Field/Dream (west) Pinot Gris”. (scroll to the bottom to see the field in our video of our walk)

On to the Wines

Balletto has an extensive tasting list ranging from Sparkling wines (which makes perfect sense since they grow Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), to Pinot Gris, Sav Blanc, Chardonnay and a Gewurtztraminer. They produce a lovely Rosé of Pinot Noir and a Vin de Paille dessert wine from their Pinot Gris. Their Reds are dominated by Pinot Noir (no surprise there), with several vineyard designates. They also have a Zin and a Syrah.

Balletto Vineyard, Tasting Menu

2014 RRV Pinot Noir

Balletto 2016 Teresa’s Unoaked Chardonnay and pairing

2016 Gerwurztraminer

2014 Cider Ridge Chardonnay

2016 Sauvignon Blanc

Balletto 2013 Brut Rosé

2016 Rosé of Pinot Noir

2013 Brut Rosé 2013 $42

This wine spends 3 years in the bottle. In June of 2017 it was given 90 points by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay this Sparkling wine is made the the Methode Traditionelle. It is dry and refreshing with balanced acids and a little mineral note. Stacy at Briscoe Bites did a great review on this wine http://briscoebites.com/balletto-brut-rose/

2016 Savignon Blanc $19

This wine comes from the Balletto Estate Vineyard on Hall Road, where they have two blocks that balance each other. The South block fruit is 80% of this wine with bright fruit and high acidity while the fruit from the north block adds a rich and savory note to balance the wine. My note on this was “Bright without being abrasive”. They note that the wine is pressed lightly in whole clusters and fermented in neutral oak for 5 months on the lees. 20% of this goes through malolactic fermentation. They produce 1200 cases of this wine.

2016 Teresa’s Unoaked Chardonnay $20

The grapes for this wine come from the west end of the vineyard around the winery which has sandy soil and they are a Robert Young clone. The grapes are harvested early, whole cluster pressed and given a long cool fermentation. This is 100% stainless steel, no lees stirring and no Malolactic fermentation. What you get is vibrant with great acidity, but also with a great texture. They made 3,260 cases of this wine.

2014 Cider Ridge Chardonnay $38

This wine comes from their new Cedar Ridge Vineyard which sits just 10 miles from the Pacific. It is cold and foggy and windy, but the vines are on slopes that face west, get amazing sun and sit at an elevation of 950 feet. This wine has tropical notes and well as subtle nut tones and a little minerality. The grapes are whole cluster pressed and then barrel fermented, so it is a great contrast to Teresa’s Unoaked.

2016 Gewütztraminer $19

This Gewürztraminer is from their Piner Road Vineyard where they have 2 blocks of Gewürztraminer totaling less than 5 acres on the 58 acre vineyard. With a nose ripe with lychee, beeswax, honey and white flowers, this wine steps away from the traditional Burgundian wines this winery is known for.

2016 Rosé of Pinot Noir $18

Rosé has come back full force and drinking pink is finally fashionable again. This particular Rosé is of Pinot Noir. They specifically farm blocks of Pinot Noir at Balletto for their Rosé, the idea is to have brightness and soft tannins to give the wine structure. This rosé is light in color because they limit skin contact. They do 80% whole cluster pressing and 20% is sanguine (or the bleed off from their regular Pinot Noir fermentation). This gives the wine depth. Luckily they make 4,840 cases of this wine, but you should still plan to get the 2017 as soon as it comes out, and stock up. Our friend Sarah did a review that I will share with you.

Sonoma Magazine – “22 Best Sonoma Rose Wines to Drink All Summer,” June 2017
“A perennial favorite, we loved the easy drinkability of Balletto’s Rosé. The classic strawberry notes are complemented by herbaceous green tea, Kefir lime, candied apple and a bit of minerality. At under $20 a bottle, easily findable at the grocery or liquor store across the country, and family owned and operated, it’s an easy pick for the ice bucket when company comes over.”- Sarah Stierch

2014 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir $29

This Balletto Pinot Noir is a blend from 7 of their estate vineyards. Because the vineyards are diverse and range from warmer to cooler areas and open flat areas like the estate vineyard at the winery to vineyards that are steeper hillside vineyards, these grapes blend to create a wine with depth and complexity. This wine and all of their Pinot Noirs are fermented with native yeast. They ferment in 6 ton open top fermenters and then age in mostly neutral French Oak.

2014 Cider Ridge Pinot Noir $42

This Pinot is from the new Cedar Ridge Vineyard. Balletto has 14 acres of Pinot Noir planted here and this is the first release of Pinot Noir from this site. The Cider Ridge we found to be bigger on the palate than on the nose.

2015 BCD Pinot Noir $44

This wine is a vineyard designate from their BCD Vineyard. This wine had more tannins than the other two Pinot Noirs that we tasted, but was still mellow and very nice.

2014 Zinfandel $28

The Zin had a classic Zinfandel nose, but was lighter on the palate due to the cooler climate. It has spice and a bit of vanilla and is bright on the palate, with a long finish. Their Zinfandel comes from the BCD Vineyard where they have about a 6.5 acre block.

2014 Syrah $28

We are finding that there are quite a few cooler climate vineyards that started out exclusively growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, that are starting to grow Syrah and finding that it thrives and creates a lovely elegant expression of this grape. This wine comes from the BCD Vineyard which is a rolling vineyard with sandy soils. These are typically the last grapes picked by Balletto each season and they get maximum skin contact with lots of gentle pump overs. To soften the tannins the wine is aged in French Oak for 22 months. This was indeed a lovely Syrah, with cocoa, coffee and smoke on the nose and smooth tannins, but quite honestly it could not outshine the Pinots on this list.

We will leave you with a virtual tour of our afternoon at Balletto! But a virtual tour is only so good. Get out to Sonoma and visit Balletto for yourself.

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Flash tour Central Coast Wine Country and Beyond – Day 2 Sonoma

Aug 13, 2017

We continue our 6 day journey through Central Coast Wine Country and a little beyond with Day 2, which is the beyond part. After driving from Vegas to Santa Barbara and making our way up the coast through San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles, we ended Day 1 in Monterey. Our 2nd day takes us to Sonoma.

Day 2 Monterey to Sonoma

Morning Sky at Marina Dunes

The sky was lit up beautifully behind the clouds as we headed out from Marina California, just south of Monterey in the morning. We hit the road to make the drive to Sonoma.

Gloria Ferrer

We started the day with some bubbly at Gloria Ferrer in Carneros. The wine, the view, the gardens and the service all started the day off beautifully. We will do a detailed post on our tasting later…for now, just soak in some of the beautiful scenery and bubbles.

: Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards in Carneros

: The entrance to Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards

: The view of the Carneros Vineyards from Gloria Ferrer

: Sparkling Flight to start the day at Gloria Ferrer

: Vineyards over the lavender at Gloria Ferrer

: The beautiful Tasting room at Gloria Ferrer

: Chardonnay in the morning at Gloria Ferrer

: Chardonnay grapes at Gloria Ferrer

: Sparkling tasting at Gloria Ferrer

Viansa

This is the southern end of Sonoma and we made one more stop in the area at Viansa. The grounds here are beautiful and the views phenomenal. They are committed here to preserving the wetlands habitat that surrounds the vineyards. After soaking up the views, it was time to head into the city of Sonoma.

: The view of the wetlands from Viansa Vineyard in Carneros

: Viansa Winery

: The beautiful property at Viansa Vineyards in Carneros

: Beautiful urns at Viansa

: The Tasting room at Viansa

: Beautiful touches, at the Viansa tasting room

Sonoma Plaza

We had time for a visit to the Sonoma Plaza to relax and watch the ducks and take in some of the art.

At the center of the plaza is the City Hall built in the early 20th century. It was built with all 4 sides identical, so as not to offend any of the merchants and businesses on the surrounding square. It has a beautiful duck pond on the corner where I rested soaked in the calm and enjoyed some of the wonderful large art pieces.

: Sonoma Plaza with City Hall in the background

: Ducks on the pod at Sonoma Plaza

: Buildings on the historic Sonoma Square

: Art in the Park in Sonoma

Corner 103

Now it was time to head across the street to Corner 103 where we had a 2pm Cheese Experience Scheduled. This is a great way to start a wine trip, they will guide you through a tasting of Corner 103 wines, paired with cheeses and help you to find our what your preferences are. Schedule in advance and allow at least an hour and a half. (And watch for an in-depth posting on our experience here)

: Corner 103 Tasting Room in Sonoma

: The tasting room at Corner 103 in Sonoma

: The Cheese Experience at Corner 103 in Sonoma

Day 3 has us exploring Napa, more of Sonoma and taking a trip out to the Livermore Valley! Come back for more of the trip!

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Adventures with Savignon Blancs

Jan 25, 2013

I’ve been on a Savignon Blanc kick lately and it’s totally by accident. I had a day off and Michael was working and I took myself to a movie and lunch. I asked for a recommendation to pair with my lunch at The View Winebar and Joey took the time to be sure to find something I would like. After determining that we were going white and that I was having gnocchi au gratin she suggested a Sav Blanc. I hesitated. I am not usually a Sav Blanc girl, it’s a little too tart and often…I searched for the word and she replied “metallic”. “Yes”. “Wait” she said. She popped open a new bottle and poured me a bit. It was lovely. Definitely a Sav Blanc and with the distinct grapefruit on the nose, but without that overly sharpness that I often get from a Sav Blanc. So I enjoyed a glass or two of this lovely Savignon Blanc from Francois Chidaine Touraine Blanc 2010 from the Loire Valley. It was perfect to cut through the fat in my luscious gnocchi au gratin and was really pleasant to just drink on it’s own.

Last night Michael and I went out to dinner at Grape Street Cafe. It’s been awhile since we have had the opportunity to have dinner together with our schedules. I ordered the Smoked Salmon pasta and asked for a recommendation for a flight to pair with it. Our waiter suggested the Sav Blanc flight as the dish has a creme sauce. This flight included Walnut Block “Collectibles” from New Zealand, Auntsfield Estate from New Zealand, Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc from Napa and Vogelzang 2009 from Napa. Okay so not really Napa. I came home and did my research today and found that the Vogelzang makes estate Savignon Blanc with fruit from their vineyards in Happy Canyon. The winery itself is located in Santa Barbara.

So first my tasting notes on these wines. Last night I snapped a shot of the flight menu, then put it away so that I could just taste the wines without being influenced by the winery or location. The first wine (The Walnut Block) had a gorgeous nose! There were lovely floral notes (it felt like more than one) lime leaf and zest and then subtle grapefruit. I wanted to dab this wine behind my ears. It was heavenly to smell. On the palate it was aromatic with perfect acidity. It was light and clean and was beautiful to balance the fried calamari we had as an appetizer. The second wine (the Auntsfield Estate) was everything you expect from a Savignon Blanc. It had big grapefruit on the nose and on the palate it was bold and tart. The third wine (the Ferrari Carrano) was the Fume Blanc. It reminded me of the Carhartt Savignon Blanc that I love so much. The nose is a nuanced grapefruit and citrus but on the palate it is much more dimensional. It is less tart and more balanced and rounded with a touch of sweetness. The final wine was the Vogelzang 2009 Savignon Blanc. I was immediately surprised that the wine was more golden, but I didn’t look too closely in the dark light. On the nose I immediately got oak. On the palate I got the tartness of a Sav Blanc but then also a peat note that made me wonder if someone had scotch in this glass. At the end of the night as I was getting to the bottom of my tasting glass, I noticed a squiggle of something burnt on the bottom of the glass. Well, that would do it. So my tasting on that wine has to be tossed out. But….after visiting the website I did find that this wine is aged in neutral chardonnay oak for 10 months. So…maybe I did taste some in there? Who knows.

Okay so now for my research on the wineries!

Francois Chidaine has been producing biodynamic wines for a while, but that’s not what he’s about. As is typical of french wines this is not 100% Sav Blanc, it has a small percentage of Chardonnay. His 40 to 80 year old vines are trained low to hug the ground and by hand harvesting happens in mid October. He does not encourage malolactic fermentation but lets the wines sit typically for a year on the lees.

Walnut Block in Marlborough New Zealand is named after the iconic walnut tree that is the regions oldest at over 100 years old. The vineyard uses a three cane system and organic practices. The Savignon Blanc is a wine that they say will cellar for up to 3 years.

Auntsfield Estate is Marlborough’s first and oldest Vineyard. The history page on their website is fascinating! Filled with great stories! My favorite….Bill Paynter who took over the property in 1905 and ran it until 1931 when the vines were removed and the land turned over to other farming had his final cask of wine hidden away and his sons were told it was only to be opened at his wake. During shearing season while he lay ill his sons realize that the shearing shed was very quiet. They found the shearers all asleep in the shed, having found and imbibed on the hidden cask the night before. They now grow Savignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on the property.

Ferrari-Carano is a winery that I go way back with. I remember enjoying their wines at their Casino in Reno at the opening of the state of the art theatre with Smokey Joe’s Cafe. So I have a fondness for them. As to Fume Blanc, well that I fell in love with thanks to Mike Grgich and the fabulous pourer at his winery that suggested we take a split and pair it with the Tuna Burger at Gott’s Roadside. So…here I bring together two loves. And mind you last night, I had put the wineries out of my head as I tasted the wines, and this was one of my favorites.

Villa Fiore is Ferrai-Carano’s hospitality center. They have tastings upstairs but I suggest setting up for a reserve tasting in the Enoteca Lounge downstairs. It is well worth it. And allow yourself time to stroll the stunning Italian gardens on the property. We enjoyed visiting a few years ago and long to return. There is a coveted bottle of their Tresor in my cellar.

Vogelzang Vineyard with it’s tasting room in Santa Barbara as I mentioned before grows it’s fruit in Happy Canyon, CA one of California’s newest appellations. Located in the Santa Ynez valley (which has become one of my favorite areas) they have a longer stretch of heat during the day because the morning fog burns off earlier than in the rest of the valley. In addition to Savignon Blancs they grow Cabernet and Bordeaux Varietals. Like most Santa Barbara County vineyards they don’t just grow grapes for themselves, they also supply grapes to well known wineries including Foxen, Dragonette, Fiddlehead and others. I look forward to getting to Santa Barbara and doing a tasting here!

So…no longer afraid of Savignon Blancs I have a new appreciation for the range of this variety!

Wines that I can’t forget, part one

Oct 24, 2012

Michael and I do quite a bit of wine tasting on our vacations. As you know if you have read our blog before, we love to visit wineries taste and get the feel of a winery. Often you can get caught up in the moment (and the wine) and join a club or buy several bottles to take home. On other occasions if you have flown in and it’s the wrong time of year to have wine shipped, you go home empty handed. Today I want to explore the wines I remember and still want and maybe some of the why’s to that. Was it the location, the people, the wine itself or a combination.

I started this by just going through by memory of some of the wines that as we traveled and tasted stood out to me. Wines that I want to drink again.

Stoller Tempranillo, Lange Pinot Noir, Hart Family Vineyards Syrah and Chardonnay, Argyle Black Brut, Longoria Lovely Rita, Grgich Hills Fume Blanc, Carhartt Pinot Noir, Tablas Creek Vermentino, Terry Hogue Syrah, Vino Robles Petite Sirah, Lone Madrone The Will, Veritas Cabernet Franc, Wildhorse Unbridled Bien Nacido Pinot Noir and Trisaetum Riesling.

As you can see the list is long and this is just me quickly running through this in my brain, not going back (as the wine geek in me so desperately wants to) and scanning all the wineries that we have tasted at in all the different areas we have tasted. You will also note that I didn’t include years. I’m trying to keep my list short and I would have to research to remember the years and that would make my list grow! So we will try to keep this simple. I have a list of 15 wines that off the top of my head I loved and want to drink again. My list leans toward Syrahs and Pinots and then expands to many different varietals and includes a blend. So….with a list this long I will break it up into groups of 5 (cause I will want to wax poetic on each and you don’t want to be here reading all day!).

Stoller Tempranillo

Stoller Vineyard Circa 2011 Dundee Hills Oregon

Stoller is located in the Dundee Hills in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Tempranillo is definitely not the first wine you would think of there. I was a bit taken about when I heard they grew it right there by the winery. The climate is much cooler than you would expect for a Tempranillo. It was enchanting. Dark and rich and a big contrast to the lighter more delicate Pinot Noirs we had been tasting. Also my friend Adam was with us and he knew the person doing our tasting. She was talking about her boyfriends new restaurant that he was opening and telling us about the bee hives they had in the blackberry patch in the middle of the vineyard and the blackberry honey they looked forward to getting. So….the atmosphere had me pretty enchanted also. Adam left with 3 bottles of the Tempranillo, so I will have to check with him to see if the wine lives up to the memory I have of it.

Lange Vineyard, Oregon 2011

Lange Pinot Noir

Jack the Vineyard Cat at Lange 2011

This particular Pinot that I remember was a blend of several vineyards and had a smokiness that I love. I had researched Langebefore going there and was exited to see Jack the cat. He actually greeted us at our car. There had been a blog post about Jack who they had adopted as a stray and named Jackie, only to find he was really a Jack. They had won Snooth’s winery of the year distinction earlier that year and I was excited to see the small family winery that I had heard so much about. They are again in the Dundee Hills.

Hartford Family Syrah and Chardonnay

In my research for our trip to Napa/Sonoma I had come across Hartford Family Vineyards who were doing a fund raiser while we were there for a local food bank. They were serving an appetizer to pair with their chardonnay and the proceeds from the appetizer would go to the food bank. Great food and wine pairings and for a charity? I was in. So we stopped by on a rainy December day to their beautiful Estate and had the crab cakes paired with their coastal Chardonnay. The pairing was perfect…the wine seemed to have a slight salinity that spoke to the crab cakes. I actually tried to order this wine once when I found it on a wine list to pair with seafood, only to have the waiter come back and tell me they were out! In addition we had a wonderful Syrah that smelled like bacon in the glass. I was enamored. One of the guys working in the tasting room was full of fantastic information and was so passionate speaking about the wine…I felt sure that we were looking at a future superstar winemaker. We did leave with a bottle of the Syrah and I long for more.

Argyle Black Brut

Argyle Tasting room Dundee Hills Oregon 2011

Michael does not like champagnes or sparkling wines usually. He says that the effervescence mutes the flavor for him and he has been known to allow a sparkling glass to sit and go flat before tasting it. Me…I like my bubbles. So Michael tasted Pinots and Chards and I tasted the bubbly when we got to Argyle. Argyle has great appeal because Rollin Souls is just so cool! He is microbiologist who was roomates with Lyle Lovett in college. The tasting room is lovely with a big wrap around porch and the tasting room staff were down to earth. When they poured the Black Brut for me I was in heaven. Think cherry cola elevated to an extreme. I still dream about this deep dark sparkler.

Longoria Lovely Rita

Santa Barbara and the Santa Rita Hills are known for great Pinot Noirs and Longoria makes some of the best. This tiny tasting room in Los Olivos is in a historic building. I had read about Richard Longoria in Steve Heimoff’s book, “New Classic Winemakers of California”, so my expectations were high. I was surprised when I enjoyed the Lovely Rita more than the vineyard designated Pinots. We left empty handed since we had flown in but this is one wine that is on my list to order and have shipped to me this fall!

Okay….that’s a start. If you enjoyed this and are interested in the other wines I can’t forget, stay tuned for the next couple of posts!

Wine pairings, no longer by the book.

Mar 13, 2012

The thing I love most about the gym is catching up on podcasts. This morning I was listening to a great Splendid Table podcast and Lynne was speaking with Matt Kramer abut his new book On Wine. He was discussing wines of fear and wines of conviction. The difference between wines created for the market that could be from anywhere and the wines that are created out of conviction for a place or a grape that express so much more and can be so exciting and different.

This got me thinking about pairings and pairing apps. Recently I spoke about the night and day Pinot Noirs that we tasted on our last trip. The Bien Nacido Pinot’s that are rich and savory and full of fantastic barnyard (and yes this brett is fantastic!) and the glorious elegant Pinot we tasted at Carhartt which was floral and elegant but beautifully layered. These didn’t seem to be the same varietal! I think back to our trip to Portland and tasting at Erath where they do a bottling with the same varietal from three different sections of a row and they are all different! There is so much variety in wine, that’s the amazing beauty of it, so how can we have a wine app that tells us that Pinot Noir pairs well with Salmon? It seems so limiting and uncreative.

I am of course a huge fan of the Mayo Family Reserve room. There the pairings come from the wine. They taste the wine and determine which foods will pair well. I remember Max (a previous chef there) saying that they would drink the wine and see what foods they wanted to eat with it. Brilliant! So really…you cannot pair a type of wine with a food, well you can but that is just too basic for me. I think that wine pairing suggestions must come from the winery or from a chef who has tasted that wine. The pairings have to be for the individual wine and vintage, not from just what varietal it is.

I am often frustrated in restaurants. I think I have mentioned this before, when a server has no suggestions for a wine pairing. I feel that if you are a restaurant that serves wine, you should be able to pair your dishes with one or two of the wines you are serving. I suppose I am too much of a wine geek dining in restaurants without sommeliers. Ah well.

This weekend’s wine…Poggio all a Pietra

Feb 3, 2012

My weekend is different from most of yours. It encompasses Wednesday and Thursday each week. The great thing is that if we choose to go somewhere it is typically less crowded. The downfall is that special events in the area typically happen on Saturday and Sunday, so we miss those. But…as most of your weekends are yet to come, maybe I can share what I did over mine and inspire you for yours.

My weekend was nothing exceptional. Lots of relaxing with Michael. Thursday saw us at the Farmer’s Market in the morning, then off to see “The Decendents” and then a relaxing afternoon, reading, researching and playing on the computer and then a nice dinner and finally enjoying our new fire pit out back under the stars.

Before dinner, I heard Michael popping the cork on a bottle of wine, and waited to see what he was bringing out. He had opened a bottle of Poggio alla Pietra Brunello di Sonoma from Petroni Vineyards. We were lucky enough to visit Petroni last year while in Sonoma. A co-worker and friend set up an appointment for us. I must admit this was the first “appointment only” vineyard I had ever visited. The grounds were lovely and Elizabeth the Tasting Room and Events Manager graciously greeted us and set us up out by the pool for our tasting. We had a wonderful time and joined the wine club and the Poggio all a Pietra was one of the first wines we received. This wine is a rich Sangiovese made from the high intensity Sangioves Grosso grapes originally from Matalcino Italy. It is aged in French Oak for 20 months.

We had picked up a quick to fix dinner of steak pinwheels filled with spinach and cheese, butternut squash risotto and asparagus spears in herb butter. Fresh, healthy and quick from “Fresh and Easy” this romantic dinner for two was under $15, before the wine. Normally I would not have steak with a Sangiovese, these tend to go best with pasta in a red sauce, but this wine is bigger and much more intense than your typical Sangiovese. It paired nicely and was a joy to drink on it’s own. You definitely get oak on the nose along with a coolness that I associate with Eucalyptus. It was spicy and rich and deep without the big fruit kick.

If you find yourself in Sonoma, give them a call or visit them at the famous North Beach Restaurant in San Francisco. The vineyards are beautiful and they also produce and outstanding Olive oil! They are currently working on caves built into the side of the mountain under the vineyard. On their website you can find a virtual flyover tour showing the steep terracing and the stunning location.

Deerfield Ranch, here and there.

Dec 2, 2011

When Michael and I were in Sonoma last December, we stopped by Hartford Family Wineries and had a great conversation with one of the guys in the tasting room. After chatting with him for a while we realized that a wine that he suggested was very likely to be one we would like so we asked for recommendations for wineries to visit. He recommended Deerfield Ranch. So we squeezed it in before heading to a scheduled tasting/pairing at the Mayo Reserve room.

Deerfield is in The Sonoma Valley near Kenwood. As you drive in you pass through the Kenwood Marsh, 14 acres of the last remaining wetlands ecosystem that once covered the entire Sonoma Valley. After purchasing the property PJ and Robert Rex spent 6 years restoring the wetlands after 30 years of them being grazed by cattle. They established the Kenwood Marsh Checkerbloom society and were granted a conservation easement for the land. The Kenwood Marsh is one of only two places on earth where the Kenwood Marsh Checkerbloom grows.

The Kenwood Marsh is home to Checkers and Checkmate, two 16 foot giraffe sculptures. You can join the adopt a giraffe program adopting a 5 ft baby giraffe sculpture to take home or allow to roam the marsh and support the Kenwood Marsh restoration project.

Once you arrive at the winery you enter the cave for the tasting. They have a tasting bar, a few table and a very comfortable leather couch seating area. Ben was there to do our tasting and took great care of us pouring a glass of the Sav Blanc for us to enjoy while he finished up with another tasting. There are times when the passion of the person pouring really comes through and this is definitely the case with Ben. We didn’t find anything that we didn’t like. The Red Rex was a fantastic blend. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the opportunity to linger long because we had an appointment at the Mayo Reserve room.

Recently, Khoury’s here in Las Vegas did a Friday night tasting with Robert the owner. Michael and I were not able to attend and were pretty bummed. But….Sarah Rex (sister in law and national sales rep) was at Khoury’s doing another tasting and we were able to go.

Realizing that time, place, what you had for breakfast, the weather…..can all influence your reaction to a wine, I was excited to see if these wines would live up to what I remembered. They did! Across the board we enjoyed everything. We also sampled their new label @ which made from surplus grape juice that they purchase and tweek and make available at very reasonable price points. We tasted the 2009 Alexander Valley (always single appellation wines) Cabernet Sauvignon. At $12.99 this is a great easy drinking wine. It is a Cabernet that you can drink now, it is not too bold or tannic so it goes down smooth. Perfect for a glass in the evening after work. The Red Rex was as good as we remembered. Although the Syrah seemed lighter and fruitier than I had remembered. We had a wonderful time chatting with Sarah and are thrilled to have a local wine shop carrying their wines.

Preston of Dry Creek

Oct 3, 2011

When you think of wine country often it is a French or Tuscan image that comes to mind. Preston of Dry Creek takes you back to simple Americana. It’s located in Dry Creek at the far north end of the Sonoma Valley. It’s way out and then out a little further. The entrance takes you down a country road through the vineyards and into the property. When you arrive you wonder into the courtyard between the farmhouse style buildings.

There are picnic tables and porches and cats (careful not to let them in the tasting room). Wine is just one of the things they do here. This is a diversified farm and they grow plenty besides grapes. In the tasting room you can sample Lou’s breads as well as olives and olive oil. Across the courtyard you can visit the farm store and find fresh organic produce, artisanal cheeses, sauerkraut, salami, fruit and nuts. It’s on the honor system, so you weigh the produce and put the money in the jar.

In the tasting room you the atmosphere was like an old time small town general store. In that I mean, that people knew each other and you were welcomed like a new neighbor. We heard stories about Lou, the owner and the bread baker, who is always trying something new with his breads which he also takes to the farmers market in Healdsburg. His big white loaves are popular, but he is always trying to push the new stuff that he likes better.

We tasted the 2010 Madame Preston which is 58% Rousanne, 21% Viognier, 12% Grenache Blanc and 9% Marsanne. It had apple pie spice to it with a warm nose. It was a little dry with a thicker mouth feel. It felt sweet, without being sweet. Really interesting and nice!

We moved on to the 2009 Barbera which is 100% Barbera. It was warm and rich, bold and bright with great acid. It had a very big mouth feel.

The 2009 Zin has 15% Petite Sirah added. It was peppery on the nose with a long finish and bold fruit.

The 2009 L. Preston is a blend of 55% Syrah, 20% Cinsault, 15% Mourvedre, 5% Carignane & 5% Grenache. This Rhone blend has a long finish on the bottom of my tongue and with it’s tannins they expect it to age beautifully.

The last thing we tasted was the Syrah-Sirah. 88% Syrah and 12% Petite Sirah. I loved this wine. I got herbs on the nose and dark fruit. Lovely balance. I am a sucker for a Syrah. You can drink it now (it’s delicious) or age it for 5-10 because of the Petite Sirah in it!

We visited quite a few wineries in Sonoma and while they were all great, this one felt like it transported me. Driving back out the long drive I heaved a heavy sigh, like at the end of a great vacation.

Their website is stunning and will have you spell bound https://www.prestonvineyards.com and when you get to the winery you won’t want to leave. I would say it is a simpler life there, except they are so busy with picking and baking and making wine, that that doesn’t seem the right term. I guess it’s just prioritizing. They have it right and I secretly want to move there and work for them.

Sonoma, CA

The Bubbles

Gloria Ferrer

Pairing Strategies

Acid needs Acid

Flavor Match

Cougar Gold

Contrast Pairing

Texture Match

The wrap up

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Balletto Vineyards

#VineyardAdventures

Preservation of Habitat

Water Conservation

Trellising

Grapes

Soils

Pomace for Fertilizer

Field of Dreams

On to the Wines

2013 Brut Rosé 2013 $42

2016 Savignon Blanc $19

2016 Teresa’s Unoaked Chardonnay $20

2014 Cider Ridge Chardonnay $38

2016 Gewütztraminer $19

2016 Rosé of Pinot Noir $18

2014 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir $29

2014 Cider Ridge Pinot Noir $42

2015 BCD Pinot Noir $44

2014 Zinfandel $28

2014 Syrah $28

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Day 2 Monterey to Sonoma

Gloria Ferrer

Viansa

Sonoma Plaza

Corner 103

Day 3 has us exploring Napa, more of Sonoma and taking a trip out to the Livermore Valley! Come back for more of the trip!

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