xobc – love, wine, and paying it forward

Jul 29, 2021

Paying it forward

I was recently taking a wine class online, there was a question in which we were asked to discuss the Napa Valley region. One of the students veered off the path. He was enamored with the Rocks District of Milton Freewater and wrote about that region. This started a discussion between the two of us about this great AVA. I have only tasted one wine from this AVA and was interested in how the soil here affected what you get in the glass. He generously offered to have a sample sent to me.

That was immensely generous. But it goes a bit further. The wine he had sent to me comes from Brandi Carlile’s xobc. These delicious wines are for club members only, so it is highly unlikely I would have the opportunity to taste these otherwise. I look forward to an opportunity to make this up to Gary, as well as an opportunity to pay it forward.

Paying it forward is kind of what this wine is all about.

xobc is the creation of “the mother of Evangeline” with her wife and a couple of friends. We will get to what’s in the bottle later (it is delicious), but for now, let’s get to what this is about.

The backstory of xobc

A while back Brandi was approached by GM to use the music from her song “The Story” for a commercial for them for the Olympics. She is an impassioned environmentalist, and the idea of doing a commercial with a car company known for the Hummer and other gas-guzzling vehicles, just didn’t sit well with her and she said no.

As she tells it, they came back saying that it was crap that she said no, when she didn’t know anything yet about the project. They decided to do a commercial about sustainable environmentally-friendly vehicles. They even let her write some of the copy for the commercial. She figured, she could spend all day “preaching to the choir” or she could put her voice out where maybe she could change minds.

When the money came in from the project, they donated it to environmental organizations. To do that they needed to have a 501C3 number. So they created Looking Out Foundation. It’s evolved since then toward humanitarian outreach.

The Looking Out Foundation

Go to the Looking Out Foundation page. Watch the video. Have a good cry, it shows you are human.

The foundation, founded in 2008 with the twins, her bandmates, Tim and Phil Hanseroth, puts $1 out of every ticket sold into the foundation. On top of that, they have multiple campaigns partnering with War Child UK and Children In Conflict, their Fund Racial Justice Campaign, and “the if…project” with Inmates at the Washington Corrections Center for Women, just to name some of the most recent.

and xobc was born

From that Brandi, her wife Catherine, and friends Amy and Jeri Adams, founded xobc wines. It’s a members-only wine club that directly benefits the Looking Out Foundation. 100% of the profits go to the Looking Out Foundation.

The name? Well, that’s pretty simple and authentic, it’s the way Brandi signs all of her emails and letters.

The wine

Sean Boyd of Rotie Cellars in the Rocks District is their winemaker. The crafted wines are named for the family, the Walla Walla Syrah is named for her wife Catherine, there is a rosé named for Evangeline, a Grenache for Elijah, a BC Cab Sav, and then their new XO Sparkling Rosé.

The 2018 xobc Catherine Syrah

When we talk about the richness of this wine, we can’t separate that from the richness of life, in all its ways. Through the joy and the sorrow, the cloudy days when we hit rock bottom to the days at the beach. For all that we are ashamed of, and all that we dream of, it all weaves together into the complexity of who we are. The stains and scars often make things more beautiful.

The tasting notes from their site:

“Dark, red, decadent fruit greets you with an exotic and perfumed distinctive depth. Pomegranate, sun-warmed blackberries, ripe plum are concentrated with bacon fat and the scent of the morning’s first cup of coffee. Immensely complex, this bold wine boasts Aleppo pepper and olive, with classic Rocks funk. Catherine is the true headliner.” from the xobc website

Other reviews mentioned wet rock, hoisin, nori, and black cherries. I was anxious to see if I got all of that in the wine. The nose for me lived up to the hype with black cherry, blackberry, wet stone, black olive, and bacon drippings, with secondary notes of Spice, cedar, coffee, and cocoa.

When I took my first sip, I burst out with a “Wow” out loud. It is like sipping fresh blackberry juice and it’s an explosion of flavor. My gums tingled in a joyful way, but the wine did not come across as hot, it had the coolness of blue fruit. I’ll admit that on the palate it was hard to dig through the blackberry, I found a bit of subtle spice, like nutmeg and black cherry cola with maybe a touch of mocha.

This Catherine feels young and vibrant and will evolve into something even more magical.

While the wine is labeled Walla Walla, it is from The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, and they note that it comes with that “signature Rocks funk”. It sits at 14.3% abv and I believe will run your $40 if you are in the “Collectors” club.

What to pair?

When I read the winery tasting notes I started formulating a way to tie these notes into the dish.

I can’t help but think of Brandi Carlile as a bit of Americana. Her soulful songs tie in with what I believe my America to be. I’m grateful for that because it felt that the whole idea of Americana, got hijacked for a while.

In that spirit, I decided to go for buffalo with this pairing. I think of wide-open plains and a species that we almost decimated, that luckily is still around in some form. Not roaming open plains any longer…I can dream about those fences and barriers coming down.

Buffalo Strip loins in a coffee blackberry Syrah pan sauce

So we begin with Buffalo. I found strip loins at the market and we seared them and did a pan sauce with wine, coffee, and blackberries. This will pull out the notes of coffee and blackberry in the wine.

Roasted red mashed potatoes with herbs, bacon and bacon fat

I mean…they mentioned bacon fat in the tasting notes, how could we not? In addition to the bacon fat, we brought in the bacon and allepo pepper notes in the wine, mixing bacon in the mash and sprinkling the top with dried allepo pepper.

Arugula salad with plum, pomegranate, thyme and prosciutto in a coffee balsamic dressing

I can’t have a dinner without some green, so we went for the peppery notes of arugula, topped with plum, pomegranate and thyme. All these again tie into notes in the Syrah. We finished it with a coffee and balsamic dressing.

Finally, we gathered at the table with this wine. For now, I just want to enjoy this wine, that tastes delicious and is doing good and give gratitude to the universe (and Gary) for this bottle coming to me, as I find a way to pay this kindness forward.

Buffalo strip loin, roasted bacon mashed potatoes and xobc 2018 Catherine Syrah

How to find a bottle

If you want to taste some of this and you don’t have an amazing stranger pop into your Universe to send you some, you can visit xobc and join their Collectors.

Want to dive deeper?

Find more information on Washington Wines at the Washington State Wine Commission

If you want to know more about the Rocks District…well, while this is a nested AVA inside the Walla Walla AVA, it sits on the Oregon side of the state line, so you will find that information here on the Oregon Wine Board Site

More from Crushed Grape Chronicles on the wines of Washington and Oregon

Bison strip loin with a blackberry, coffee, syrah pan sauce

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Seared bison is delicious as it is, but paired with blackberry, coffee, syrah pan sauce, and a good bottle of syrah...well that's heaven. This is quick to make and is perfect with our roasted mashed potatoes with herbs and bacon.

Ingredients

2 - 8 oz bison strip loins steaks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup premade coffee
1/4 cup syrah
1/2 cup of blackberries
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Take the bison out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature (30 minutes)
Blitz the blackberries in a small blender, food processor, or (best idea) in a dish with an immersion blender
Remove the blackberries and push them through a sieve to remove the seeds
Heat a rod iron skillet on the stove on high
Season the steaks with salt and pepper
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and let it heat up
Add the bison to the pan and turn the heat to medium
Let the bison cook for 3 minutes (do not move it)
Flip the bison and cook an additional 3 minutes
Remove from the heat to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes
While the meat is resting deglaze the pan
Stir in the wine and the coffee scrapping up the deliciousness from the bottom of the pan
Add the blackberry juice, stir and let reduce slightly
Reduce the heat to low
Add the cold butter and whisk until melted and glossy (*see notes!)
Slice the bison on an angle against the grain
Plate and drizzle with the pan sauce

Notes

Mounting with butter is a skill. You can see my sauce is broken, but if you lower the heat and whisk the very cold butter in slowly, it should emulsify making a beautiful glossy sauce. But...if your sauce breaks as mine did? Well, you are not on chopped, and it will still taste delicious.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 641Total Fat 47gSaturated Fat 21gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 21gCholesterol 195mgSodium 481mgCarbohydrates 2gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 47g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Roasted mashed potatoes with herbs and bacon

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

We often make delicious things, but these potatoes? Full stop! They are amazing. The baby potatoes are roasted in herbs and butter, then mashed with all their pan drippings, warm 1/2 & 1/2, crumbled bacon, and bacon fat. They get topped with a bit of crushed aleppo pepper. OMG, you will never want to make potatoes any other way again. We paired this with bison strip loin and a beautiful Syrah.

Ingredients

1 pack (24 oz) baby red potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cups of half & half
6 slices of bacon
2 tablespoons of bacon grease
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425° F
Line a sheet pan with foil and place a wire rack on it
Lay out your bacon on the wire rack
Melt the butter
Chopped your herbs
Place the potatoes in an 8x8 pan or oven dish
sprinkle with the herbs, salt, and pepper
Drizzle with the melted butter
Stir to incorporate
Place the bacon and the potatoes in the oven
After 14 minutes remove the bacon (keep and eye on it so it doesn't burn)
Set the timer for 20 minutes for the potatoes
Drain the grease and set it aside
Let the bacon cool, then cut it into 1/2 inch pieces
Warm the 1/2 & 1/2 on the stove over low heat
When the potatoes come out, mash them in a bowl, adding in all the pan juices
Add the bacon and bacon fat and mix to incorporate
Add the 1/2 & 1/2 slowly and stir to incorporate
Sprinkle with Aleppo pepper and garnish with a piece of bacon and fresh herbs

Notes

If you don't have enough bacon grease, well make more. Toss a piece or two in a pan and render down that fat. This is going to make your potatoes so delicious!

If you like Aleppo pepper, you can incorporate this in when you are mashing the potatoes.

Don't worry if the potatoes seem a little dry. I was worried that mine looked too dry, but they were perfect. These will be stiff mashed potatoes.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 243Total Fat 19gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 46mgSodium 638mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 6g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Arugula, plum, pomegranate & prosciutto salad with coffee balsamic dressing

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Searching for a salad pairing for a Syrah? This salad incorporates some of the wonderful notes you find in a syrah into the mix. Arugula with its pepper notes, black plum and pomegranate for fruit notes, prosciutto for the cured meat notes you sometimes find, and then a coffee balsamic dressing. Yum!

Ingredients

2 oz baby arugula
1 plum
1 tablespoon pomegranate arils
1/4 cup of premade coffee cooled
1 1/2 tablespoons of aged balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Make your dressing by pouring the coffee, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and dark brown sugar into a jar.
Shake to incorporate
taste and season with salt and pepper as needed
Toss your arugula with the dressing
top with sliced plum, torn prosciutto, and pomegranate arils

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 148Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 0mgSodium 161mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 1gSugar 12gProtein 1g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

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

Robin Bell Renken I have always loved people’s stories. I spent a career in Theatre helping to tell stories, as a Stage Manager. Daily enabling artists to freely and safely tell stories through their art. Then I fell in love with wine. There are so many details, so many nuances, not just in the glass, but in the vineyard, the region and the people. As I met winemakers and vineyard owners and even the people in the tasting room excited to pour me a glass and tell me the story of this wine, I knew these were stories I wanted to share. I completed my study and became a Certified Specialist of Wine and continue learning daily as I meet and interview people in this industry.

Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Lenné Estate – Poor Soil, Hardworking Grapes and a Beautiful Reserve Chardonnay

May 27, 2021

Poor soils – great wine

Steve Lutz is extremely proud of the soil in his Lenné Estate vineyard. He brags that his vineyard has the poorest soil in Yamhill County. Vines here must work hard and prove themselves to survive.

The Lenné Estate Vineyard covers 20.9 acres of steep hillside with Peavine series soils. This soil is ancient marine sediment and lacking in nutrients so the vines have to dig deep to survive. They don’t always make it, but those that do, well they make some tasty grapes. Small and concentrated these grapes turn into delicious wine.

Steve Lutz of Lenné Estate (photo courtesy Lenné Estate )

The Lenné Estate Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA

Located on the East side of the horseshoe that is the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, the vineyard sits between 420-575 feet in elevation. After founding Lenné Estate in 2000, Steve planted the first vines here in 2001. They produce between 1500 and 2000 cases each year.

The style here is mostly minimalist, with the goal to showcase the site with the fruit, letting it develop in bottle.

We received 2 wines from Lenné Estate, one of which was a Chardonnay and we felt it was appropriate to share with you today, which happens to be Chardonnay Day! Now you may have seen some posts earlier about Chardonnay Day, but the official day is not a “date” it is set as the Thursday before Memorial Day in the US. Oh, and it is still Oregon Wine Month! So…

The steep vineyard at Lenné Estate (photo courtesy Lenné Estate)

Lenné Estate 2018 Scarlett’s Reserve Chardonnay

This is only the 2^nd vintage for the Lenné Estate Scarlett’s Reserve Chardonnay. It ages 9 months in oak puncheons then does an additional 8 months “sur lie” in Stainless Steel. That “sur lie” aging gives a creaminess to the wine and a bit of bread or brioche on the nose added to the underlying notes of pear, apple, and something tart and tropical.

The wine is clean, bright, and elegant. Not flashy, but casually poised, and authentic, like a baby grand played in a cabin.

They are primarily a Pinot house, the Chardonnay in the vineyard is just a few rows on the edges. Several rows were planted in the eastern part of the vineyard in 2005 and then more grafted on the eastern side in 2015.

*This wine was received as a media sample. All opinions remain our own.

Vineyard map Lenné Estate (courtesy Lenné Estate)

Lenné Estate 2018 Scarlett's Reserve Chardonnay

Pairing Aromatic Compounds

As I looked for a pairing for this Chardonnay, I wanted to play on the apples on the nose and tie in saffron.

*Geek break: Carotenoids, aldehydes, and terpenes are volatile compounds that give saffron its aroma.

Chardonnay and apples have carotenoids also, so these things work together well.

Baked Basmati Rice with Apple and Saffron

We made a side dish of basmati rice with apples and saffron. This bakes in the oven adding crispy bits and amping up the aromas of the apple and saffron. This dish makes quite a bit! We had rice for days, so luckily it was really delicious. The apples and saffron paired beautifully with the wine. (the recipe is at the bottom)

Sea bass on white beans, cherry tomatoes, and spinach

For our main course, we splurged on sea bass, which pairs well with a crisp white wine. The Lenné Estate Chardonnay was crisp, but it also had some depth from that “sur lie” aging that seemed to call for something a little richer.

We plated our sea bass on a mixture of white beans, cherry tomatoes, and spinach cooked in chicken stock, with fresh thyme and a splash of lemon. The beans gave just the right weight to the dish and worked beautifully with the creamy notes in the Chardonnay.

We did a dessert pairing also. Well, not everything can pair perfectly. Sadly the sweetness of the dessert made the wine too acidic. (Keep in mind, it is the food that changes the wine, not the other way around. You should also make sure the wine is sweeter than the food, to avoid the wine being perceived as too acidic).

Nonetheless, this dessert did pick up on all the notes from the dinner and the wine, it stays thematically in line, just don’t sip the wine while you enjoy it.

Stuffed apples with rabri

This recipe by Tarla Dalai played to both the apple and saffron that I wanted and they are beautiful. Apples are cored and cooked in a simple syrup with saffron, stuffed with a sweetened mixture of cottage cheese (or paneer) and pistachios, and served on a lake of rabri, a North Indian sweet of milk sugar and saffron.

This evokes the flavors of this Lenné Estate Chardonnay, with the tartness of the apples and the richness of the rabri.

Want to know more about Lenné Estate?

Feel like you want to know more about Lenné Estate and its wines? No worries, we look forward to sharing more of this winery’s story with you soon, as we taste the Lenné Estate 2018 Kill Hill Pinot Noir.

Until then, you can visit their website at https://www.lenneestate.com to order wines and learn more about them. If you happen to be in the Willamette Valley and want to visit, you will find details on reserving a tasting and their current hours here.

It’s Oregon Wine Month!

We did not drink nearly enough Oregon Wine this month, there are so many amazing wines in Oregon to enjoy! Check out what is still happening in the Willamette Valley to celebrate, as well as what is happening beyond in the rest of Oregon at the Oregon Wine Board Site! (check out their #PourItForward campaign on Instagram & Twitter, where you can find videos of Winemakers paying it forward, tasting and describing another winemaker’s wine!)

10 servings

Baked Basmati Rice with Apple and Saffron

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

This dish beautifully combines tart apple and apricot with the aromas of the fragrant basmati rice and saffron. Sliced almonds and chopped pistachios add crunch. This cooks briefly on the stove, but most of the time is in the oven, where the rice will crisp up on the edges adding another texture to the dish.

It is based on a recipe from FoodandWine.

Ingredients

¼ tsp saffron threads
¼ cup warm water
7 tbs unsalted butter
1 medium white onion
2 cloves of garlic
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 ½ cups basmati rice
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
2 green onions
1/3 cup of sliced almonds
1/3 cup pistachios
8-10 apricots
1 Granny Smith apple
¼ tsp Fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Finely chop the onion
Mince the garlic
Slice the green onions thinly (only the white parts)
Quarter the dried apricots
Set aside
Preheat the oven to 375°F
Crumble saffron into ¼ cup warm water and let it stand for 5 minutes
Heat a large skillet
Melt 4 tbs butter
Cook the onions and garlic on med heat for about 7 minutes
Stir in the cinnamon
Add the rice & stir to coat
Add the chicken stock
Add the saffron & its liquid
Season with salt
Bring to a boil
Transfer to a 9 x 13 glass baking dish
Cover with foil and Bake for 45 minutes
When the rice is done, set aside with its foil still on to cool slightly
Core the apple and slice it into 1-inch pieces, leaving the peel on. (I know this seems big, but trust me it works in the final dish)
Melt 3 tbs of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat
Add the green onions and cook for 30 seconds
Add the almonds, pistachios, and apricots and cook for 2 minutes. The apricots will just be starting to brown.
Add the apple and cook just for 1 minute until it is warm.
Stir this into the rice in the baking dish, scraping down the sides where the rice has browned.
Place in a large bowl and serve family-style.

Nutrition Information

Yield

10 servings

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 231Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 24mgSodium 275mgCarbohydrates 23gFiber 2gSugar 7gProtein 6g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

2 servings

Sea bass on white beans, cherry tomatoes and spinach

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

This recipe marries the freshness of the fish with the warm savoriness of the beans. It is quick and easy to make. We went with 2 larger sea bass fillets, but you could easily cut these in half and serve 4.

This paired beautifully with an Oregon Chardonnay from Lenne Estate.

It is based on a recipe from Cooking Light.

Ingredients

2 (8-oz.) sustainable skinless sea bass fillets
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
5 garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
2/3 cup unsalted chicken stock
1 (15-oz.) can unsalted white beans (Great Northern White, Cannellini or Navy Beans any will do), rinsed and drained
5 ounces fresh baby spinach
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Heat a non-stick skillet big enough to hold your fillets of seabass over medium-high heat.
Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper
Add 1 tbs of olive oil to the skillet and swirl to coat
Add the fish cooking 3 minutes per side
Remove the fish and tent with foil to keep warm
Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in the skillet again over medium-high heat
Add the sliced garlic and cook until golden brown, stirring often (about 1 minute)
Add the thyme and tomatoes and cook for 1-minute stirring often
Add the chicken stock and beans and bring to a simmer.
Add the spinach a handful at a time, stirring until it wilts.
Squeeze in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper
Plate the beans in the bottom of a serving dish, and serve with the seabass on top
Garnish with extra sliced cherry tomatoes and fresh thyme

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 428Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 31mgSodium 607mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 9gSugar 4gProtein 26g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

4 servings

Stuffed Apples with Rabri

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Sweet rabri (a milk sweet from Northern India) makes the bed for these saffron poached apples with a sweet filling of paneer and pistachios. These are the perfect balance of tart and sweet, crisp and creamy. This is based on a recipe from Tarla Dalal.

Ingredients

4 small apples
1 2/3 cup sugar (divided)
1 cup water
10 saffron strands (divided)
¼ cup crumbled paneer (or cottage cheese)
¼ cup chopped pistachios
2 tbs powdered sugar
2 2/3 cups of milk

Instructions

Dissolve 5 saffron strands in 1 tbs of water
Combine sugar and 1 cup of water in a deep pan, mix and boil stirring constantly
Add the saffron mixture and mix
Pull off the heat
Core the apples
Add the apples to the syrup and mix well
Simmer 5-6 minutes till apples are soft, turning twice
Remove and drain apples
Mix the paneer or cottage cheese with the pistachios and powdered sugar
Divide the filling into 4 portions and stuff each apple
Heat the milk in a non-stick pan and simmer stirring constantly until reduced by 1/3
Add the sugar and saffron and mix well.
Simmer 15 min until the sugar is dissolved and the milk is thick and creamy
Just before serving heat the rabri and place the stuffed apples in the mixture and heat
Serve immediately.

Notes

Ideally you would have an apple corer for this job. If, like me, you don't have one (and I couldn't find one at the grocery store!) you can use the old school method my husband taught me that his grandmother used. From the top of the apple make 4 cuts with your paring knife straight down through the apple. Turn the apple over to be sure you can see your cut in the bottom. Push the core out (you might have to check and see if the square is bigger on the top or the bottom, push from the smaller side toward the larger side, if this is the case).

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 574Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 18mgSodium 185mgCarbohydrates 120gFiber 5gSugar 103gProtein 9g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

More on Oregon Wine Country!

There is so much to explore in Oregon Wine Country! Here is a sampling of some of the exploring we have done!

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

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Sokol Blosser Celebrating 50 years – an inside peek at the family behind this pioneering winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley

May 4, 2021

“I remember that story just slightly differently…”.

A family gathered, reminiscing, telling stories. It’s a joyful place to be, as a guest listening as a family shares their stories, with joy and fondness. It’s especially joyful when the family sharing the stories is one of the pioneers of wine in the Willamette Valley.

I was lucky enough to attend a virtual tasting with the Sokol Blosser family. Susan, Bill, Alex, and Alison (assisted by the wonderful Liz Barret), invited a group of wine writers to taste through 4 of their wines as they shared stories of the history of their winery and celebrated 50 years in the Willamette Valley.

When I first became interested in wine, we planned a trip to the Willamette Valley. Before going, I had picked up the book, “At Home in the Vineyard: Cultivating a Winery, an Industry, and a Life” by Susan Sokol Blosser. She shared both the trials and tribulations of being one of the first handful of winemaking families to plant in what is now such a well-known region. I was completely taken in by her story.

The family at Sokol Blosser, Susan, Alex, Alison and Bill (photo courtesy Sokol Blosser)

The story of Sokol-Blosser

The Sokol-Blosser story begins as Bill says with “Dreamers who loved wine.”

Susan’s father had a cellar and many amazing bottles of Burgundy, that the two were lucky enough to experience. Bill spent a year in France. When the two graduated from Stanford and married, both with liberal arts degrees they had the feeling that they could do anything. What they decided to do was move to Oregon and grow Pinot Noir. They began planting in 1971 in the Dundee Hills, 34 years before the area became its own AVA.

In 1977 they had their first vintage. There was no wine industry in the region at that time. As to sustainability? Well, they were farmers first, so sustainability just seemed common sense. You take care of the land if you want it to produce well, and you avoid chemicals because you are raising kids on this land!

The property they found in the Dundee Hills, was the closest thing to a Burgundian climate in the new world. It was an abandoned prune orchard and they bought it just 2 weeks after the birth of their son Nik.

They got in at the right time for land prices. The family joked that while they would love to buy more property to expand the vineyard now, they are priced out of their own backyard. The Dundee Hills when they started had a handful of growers, today there are close to 65.

Not only did they get in at the right time for land prices, but they were also starting as the local Oregon bean farms were converting to bush beans! This meant a plethora of leftover wire and posts were available for grape trellising!

As they shared vintage photos with us Bill was teased about his beret, which he brought back from France. Susan said he would only take it off to shower or sleep. Bill claims

Bill Blosser in his beret (photo courtesy Sokol-Blosser)

“I had to wear it in the vineyard because the vines demanded it!”

They pushed forward, planting vines, welcoming Alex to the family, building a winery, opening a tasting room (the first in Oregon), gaining international recognition, and then having Alison join the family!

Susan became the President of the winery in 1991 and Bill returned to using his Stanford degree for urban planning.

The 2nd Generation of Sokol Blosser

The children were raised to choose their own path and of course, none of them thought that included working at the family winery. Bill and Susan knew first-hand how tough this business was and wanted their kids to have a life! They had not planned the business as one to hand down, they were just doing their thing. Nik really did escape, and Alex with his BS in Philosophy (don’t laugh it is a Bachelor of Science degree from Portland State) and Alison were determined not to come back.

Nonetheless, the vineyard drew them back in. (Really, where can you find a cooler job?) In 1998 Alex returned, and in 2004 Alison did also. Finally, in 2008 the two took over the daily operations. They joke that their mom always says it took two of them to replace the one of her!

The Historic Accolades and Firsts

But that’s just the short story, of course, they skipped many of the accolades, so I’ll give you a quick list here:

1979 International recognition at the International Wine & Spirits Competition in London.
1983 honored by the US Soil and Water Conservation District for Susan’s work with experimental cover crops to control erosion on hillside vineyards.
1996 The first winery to be certified “Salmon-Safe”
1997 joins LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) through Oregon State University
2002 their underground barrel cellar is the first winery building in the country to be LEED-certified and they start to transition to organic farming.
2007 they add solar which provides 1/3 of their total energy needs.
2015 they become B Corp Certified

Of course, there is more. Bill was active in the Development of the Oregon Winegrowers Association, the Oregon Wine Board, the Yamhill County Wineries Association, the International Pinot Noir Festival, and the Yamhill County Tourism board.

Susan led on the environmental front with her work on cover crops and leading the business into the triple bottom line concept of people, planet, and profit.

Okay, you get the idea…they have been leaders in the wine industry in Oregon, a state that leads the nation when it comes to wine industry standards for quality and sustainability.

Alex is now the winemaker, a position he took over in 2013 when their previous winemaker Russ Rosner retired after 15 years with Sokol Blosser. Alex was also involved in the process of submitting the 6 sub-AVAs Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Yamhill-Carlton, Chehalem Mountains, and Ribbon Ridge, beginning in 2002.

Alison is the person guiding the winery strategically. She puts to use her knowledge of PR and marketing. She led our tasting as only a little sister could, sharing photos of Alex asleep in the sandbox as a child and commenting on his numerous baseball analogies. We left feeling like we had been sitting around with the family for a bit of nostalgic storytime, and what a story it is.

Of course, there were also the wines!

As if enjoying the stories of the history of Sokol Blosser, straight from the mouths of the people who lived it was not enough, we were also sent 4 wines from the vineyard. Their Sokol Blosser Bluebird Cuvee Sparkling Wines, the 2018 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, the 2018 Old Vineyard Block Pinot Noir and the 2012 Big Tree Block Pinot Noir. So we were able to taste a bit of the history with them.

(*These wines were received as media samples, but all opinions remain our own)

Sokol Blosser Bluebird Cuvée Sparkling Wine 2018

We toasted with this traditional method sparkling wine at the top of the session. Sokol Blosser has long supported the Prescott Western Bluebird Recovery Project. The Western Bluebird artwork on the label was designed by Jared Tuttle. If you visit Sokol Blosser you might see the 15 bird houses around the property providing shelter and a breeding habitat for these beautiful birds.

The wine is a blend of grapes from Oregon and Washington including Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of course, but also, Müller Thurgau and Riesling as well as a bit of Early Muscat.

Alex told us that the idea is to blend the best of Germany and France and then the Early muscat is added to lift the aromatics (just 2 to 3 %). They like freshness in this wine, with purity of fruit.

The wine is definitely aromatic, those notes of Riesling and Early Muscat giving the sparkling wine fruit notes. We paired this with an early dinner of spring rolls, fried chicken, and mac & cheese (all great pairings for sparkling wine.)

1,000 cases produced, SRP $32

Pairings for the Sokol Blosser Bluebird Cuvee

Sokol Blosser Bluebird Cuvée Sparkling Wine 2018

Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Estate Pinot Noir 2018

This wine is sourced from the 90 acres around the winery in the Dundee Hills, all certified organic. They did a lot of ambient yeast in 2018 because the fruit was so clean. They do punch downs for cap management and ferment in open-top fermenters then press off into barrel for about 16 months.

It is is a blend of Pinot Noir clones including 115, 667, 777, Pommard UCD4, Wadenswil 2A, and Gamay Beaujolais (which is a weird name for a type of Pinot Noir). This saw about 20% New Oak. 2018 was a great vintage with a balanced of ripe fruit, good acid, and good tannins. 2012 was similar.

This wine has notes of black cherry and cranberry and wonderful notes of mushroom and forest floor.

4,798 cases produced, SRP $42.

Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Estate Pinot Noir 2018

Sokol Bosser 2018 Old Vineyard Block Estate Pinot Noir 2018

This 50^th Anniversary wine has a retro label, an ode to the original Sokol Blosser label from the 70s.

The vineyard was replanted on to new rootstock in the mid-90s, due to phylloxera (they were the 2^nd to get it in the region).

After replanting, they looked at the blocks which had been producing stand-alone wines. This the Old Vineyard block which was their first planting. It is a combination of Wadenwil 1A (the Lett clone)& 2A, Pommard and Pinot Droit. Pinot Droit is an upright clone of Pinot Noir. This has a bit more weight and intensity with more color from the Pinot Droit, red fruit from Pommard, and density and spice from the Wadenswil, when it gets ripe.

You’ll find notes of cherry, pomegranate, spice, and leather.

There were just 496 cases made of this wine, and the celebration bottling retails at $60.

Sokol Bosser 2018 Old Vineyard Block Estate Pinot Noir 2018

Sokol Blosser 2012 Big Tree Block Pinot Noir

2012 was like 2018 in that it was an amazing vintage. It was also Alex’s first vintage as winemaker and he didn’t think he would see another like it.

Alex had a baseball analogy (Alison teases him about these analogies, but she also does give him props, that they are all unique, he doesn’t repeat them!)

“The winemaker, he or she, they are the batter and Mother Nature is the pitcher…as a batter, you have to make adjustments every year, because you are never going to see the same pitch twice. And if you see the same pitch, you make the pitcher pay. In a vintage like 2012 and 2018, that’s a pitch we’ve seen before, so you hit it out of the park.”

One sip of this wine…it is complex and you can taste the age, but there are still plenty of fresh primary fruit notes. In 2012 they went without rain for a month. From the end of September, they were dry and could pick whenever they wanted. Alex says it was like being in California! They had the ability in this vintage to ripen the grapes as much as they wanted to, there was no rushing to pick to avoid the rain.

The Big Tree Block is 5.27 acres at 450-500 ft elevation in Jory soil. The clones are 115, 777, and Pommard. Just 300 cases were produced. It spent 17 months in 42% new French oak.

$70 upon release, this library wine now retails at $95, and it is worth every penny. This is a magical wine. Tart cherries, blueberries, baking spice, and those beautiful notes of wet leaves…I savored this glass.

Sokol Blosser 2012 Big Tree Block Pinot Noir

The next 50 years at Sokol Blosser

Now they get ready for the next 50 years. The goal is to keep Sokol Blosser family-owned and operated and that means continuing to make wines that consumers seek out.

Quality and sustainability are at the forefront. Last year they started distributing the Evolution wines in box! These are more sustainable than glass., and they can share this at an accessible price point! Recently, they were recertified by B Corp for the 3^rd time and their score went up 25%. (Congrats!)

They are experimenting with new varieties for them, like Gamay and Sav Blanc, and continue to move forward with their Sparkling wine program.

As they plant they are looking at new rootstocks which will be helpful with climate change. They planted a test block this spring, putting the same Pinot Noir clone on a bunch of different rootstocks that they do not already use, to see how it does. They want to set the next generation up for success as they will deal with more of the effects of climate change than we are currently.

As they slowly reopen they look forward to increasing the quality of the wine/food/hospitality experience. So if you find yourself able to travel, you might consider a trip to the Willamette. Stop in for a glass of sparkling and stay to enjoy the Pinot!

Currently they are open Thursday to Monday 10 am to 4 pm by reservation only. Call ahead or visit the website to see what their current hours are for tastings and if you need a reservation, as these things are changing as things reopen.

Sokol Blosser Winery

5000 NE Sokol Blosser Lane
Dayton, OR 97114 USA
503-864-2282

Sokol Blosser Vineyard Fall 2018 (photo courtesy Sokol Blosser)

More on Oregon wine Country from Crushed Grape Chronicles

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

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Syrah and Aloha – Doing Earth Month Island Style with L’Ecole No. 41

Apr 21, 2021

Syrah and Aloha, may not be things you think of together, but think about it. There is a sense of generosity in a Syrah. It tends to be more laid back than the Cabs, and it manages to make itself at home, where ever it goes. A bit of a chameleon, fitting in and adapting to soils and climates. It’s easy-going.

Like Ocean waves softly folding on themselves and lapping the shore, Syrah makes you want to close your eyes (go ahead, do it now) relax and take it all in.

Walla Walla Valley Wine Month logo courtesy Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance

Walla Walla Wine Month

Walla Walla is the home of this wine. L’Ecole No. 41 and their estate vineyards lie within the Walla Walla AVA. If you have never been to Walla Walla, it is a place to put on your list for travel when you are able. You don’t drive through Walla Walla on your way to anywhere, you have to set out to go there.

Located in the southeast part of Washington State, the AVA actually straddles the border to Oregon with 57% of the AVA in Washington and the remaining 43% in Oregon.

The Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance established Walla Walla Wine Month in 2020. They chose the month because it was right between “Taste Washington Wine Month” in March and Oregon Wine Month in May. As they straddle the state lines, the month in between seemed appropriate.

It’s also the month of their annual Spring Kickoff Weekend when all the spring wine releases come out.

With the pandemic, they did have a wrench thrown in the works and have worked to make this an online celebration! You can visit the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to learn more! Follow the hashtags #WallaWallaWineMonth or #WallaWallaWine to see what they are up to!

Earth Month and sustainability at L’Ecole No. 41

The L’Ecole No 41 Schoolhouse – photo courtesy L’Ecole No. 41

Not only is it Walla Walla Wine Month, but it is Earth Month, with Earth Day itself landing on April 22^nd. We have been highlighting Earth Friendly wines this month and with our wine today we get to continue.

I recently had a chance to sit down (via Zoom) with a collection of wine writers as well as part of the team at L’Ecole No. 41. Constance Savage the General Manager and COO spoke to us about L’Ecole and sustainability.

L’Ecole No. 41 has long been a leader in sustainable winegrowing, but you might not have known this. It’s not something they advertised or shouted from the rooftops, you see, it was just the common-sense way that they farmed. It was second nature, they didn’t think about it. Their Seven Hill Vineyard was converted to sustainable and the Ferguson Vineyard with its first planting in 2008 was planted as a sustainable vineyard.

Constance mentions Sadie the viticulturist at the SeVein vineyard development where the estate’s Ferguson vineyard is located, whose philosophy is that she and her team should be able to go home after work and walk straight to the dinner table to eat. They should not have to worry about exposing their family to chemicals on their skin or clothing.

Sadie is very protective of her crew, looking out for their health and well-being in the vineyard. Sadie, by the way, just receive the Erick Hanson Memorial Winegrape Grower of the Year Award “for demonstrated viticultural skills that provide impact in the vineyard and in the bottle.”

They are not organic. Organic agriculture allows the use of larger quantities of copper and sulfur that they do not want to use in their vineyards.

On to some of the sustainable methods they employ!

Salmon-Safe

They are salmon safe, which influences what they feel safe putting into the vineyards. Salmon safe deals with what is in any water runoff from the vineyard or that could soak into the undergrown water. This all wants to be safe for the environment.

Compost tea

They utilize compost and compost teas in the vineyard to promote healthy mycorrhizae. Mycorrhizae is a fungus that works symbiotically with the roots of the vine helping it to take in additional moisture and nutrients. This helps prevent water stress, which is an issue in the dry climate of Walla Walla.

Sap flow sensors

Speaking of water. Marcus the L’Ecole No. 41 winemaker mentions the Fruition Sciences sap flow sensors. They have one of these in each vineyard which measures the transpiration in the plant. This is continually monitoring the vineyard and communicating the information to the vineyard manager. This allows them to water appropriately and not wastewater, as well as looking out for the well-being of the vines.

Falcons

Another way that they stay low impact on the environment is with the use of falcons between veraison and harvest. Birds especially the starlings in the area can wreak havoc on a vineyard, gobbling up the fresh ripe berries. Many in the region resort to air cannons, which fire periodically making a loud noise (like a cannon) to scare the birds away. Others turn to squawk boxes that play the sounds of birds of prey and birds in distress to deter birds from landing and feasting. These deterrents sadly make for a really unpleasant vineyard experience.

At L’Ecole they hire a falconer to come in every few days. Just the sight of a bird of prey is enough to scare away smaller birds.

On to the wine…

2018 L’Ecole No. 41 Syrah Estate Seven Hills Vineyard

Marcus refers to 2018 as a unicorn vintage. Everything was just right. The weather was right so that there was low disease pressure and they had the luxury of long hangtime into October.

This Syrah was picked over 2 days in September from 3 different blocks in the Seven Hills vineyard. Fermented in 1.5-ton fermenters with 2 punch downs each day it saw no pumping until it went into barrel. This is important because it is gentle on the wine.

They did 20% whole cluster in the ferment. What does that really mean? Well, 20% of the fruit did not get destemmed and they put the whole clusters in at the bottom of the fermenter. This gives structure to the wine and adds tannins. It also helps to enhance the color. Marcus had been part of a study on stem inclusion and they found the sweet spot to be at 20-30%.

Stem inclusion can naturally soften acids, build complexity and improve color stability.

*This wine was received as a media sample. No additional compensation was received. All opinions, as always, are our own.

2018 L’Ecole No. 41 Syrah Estate Seven Hills Vineyard

Syrah in Washington State

A little nugget from L’Ecole No. 41 on Syrah from their “Schooled in Wine” program.

HISTORY: Syrah was first planted in Washington State in 1986 by Mike Sauer on 3 acres at Red Willow Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. At the time, most growers believed that Rhone varietals would not thrive in Washington’s cold winters. It was not until the vines survived the severe winter of 1996 that the state began to embrace Syrah. By 1999, there were 1,500 acres of Syrah and now it’s the third-most planted red wine varietal in the state behind Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Today there are more than 4,565 acres/1,847 hectares planted in the Columbia Valley.

Well, if you have visited us here at Crushed Grape Chronicles before, you will know that we have a deep love for Red Willow Vineyard and a great respect for Industry legend Mike Sauer. Here, have a gander at the beautiful chapel (like the one at Hermitage) on the hill of Syrah at Red Willow Vineyard.

Red Willow Vineyard Chapel on the hill in Yakima Valley AVA in Washington State

So wait? What does this Syrah taste like?

My first note with this Syrah was that it was generous. Generous but in an elegant way. You find notes of blackberry, currant, and black plum with notes of spices like nutmeg with bits of green olive tapenade and savory herbs. There are spicy floral notes of lavender as well as the tell-tale cedar character that is a Seven Hills Vineyard marker. This is a savory wine.

It has structured tannins and intense flavors and aromas. This is a wine that you can enjoy right now, but it will evolve and get better over the next 10 to 15 years.

The wine has great acidity for food pairing. Constance suggested pairing it with goat! Marcus mentioned a lentil or bean stew for vegetarians as well as barbeque. We ran with that in a slightly different direction.

Earth Month Pairing for the 2018 Seven Hills Syrah

For our Earth Month L’Ecole No. 41 pairings with their 2018 Walla Walla Syrah, we channeled the Aloha spirit.

We wanted to support local restaurants, so we picked up Laulau from a new local Hawaiian spot, called Island Flavor. (They have 3 Las Vegas Locations and the one in our neighborhood just opened). We lucked out that the Friday lunch special was

Laulau with Kalua Pig Cabbage served with Steam Rice, mac salad, lomi salmon & haupia.

Okay for all you haoles (non-Hawaiians) out there, Laulau is fatty pork and salted butterfish wrapped in taro leaves. This gets steamed and is moist and delicious. And yes, you eat the leaves too. Ours came with Kalua pig (this is the traditional Hawaiian style roasted pig, with cabbage, rice, lomi lomi salmon (which is like salmon poke). Instead of the mac salad (macaroni salad), we got sautéed vegetables (zucchini, summer squash, carrots onions, yum).

We finished with Haupia. Haupia is a coconut milk dessert. Ours was creamy and delicious. When I was a kid, I was not so fond of haupia, I thought of it as Knox Blox (remember those) made with coconut milk. Island Flavors haupia was much better than the stuff I remember from childhood out in Nanakuli.

We didn’t do anything fancy, we just served out of the Styrofoam containers, poured a glass, and enjoyed. (Sorry planet, about the containers, we really have to find a way to make recyclable packaging more affordable and accessible for small restaurants!)

L'Ecole No. 41 2018 Syrah, Estate Seven Hill Vineyard with a Hawaiian feast from Island Flavor

The Syrah was brilliant with the Laulau! The fatty pork and its salt softened the Syrah pulling out its fruit notes.

We also ordered their Avocado Fried (Avocado, fried, chipotle aioli, sweet tamari.) Sooo ‘ono! (so delicious).

So share the aloha, support a local restaurant, and celebrate Earth Month and Walla Walla Wine month with a great wine from L’Ecole No. 41.

Sources Resources and further reading

Rainbow Root Vegetable Gratin and Baked Rainbow Trout Recipes

I guess we are on a rainbow theme here!

These dishes were for our pairing menu, to go with 2 Pinot Noirs we received as samples from Youngberg Hill.

We did the main course of Baked Rainbow trout. This is a fish that is a little meatier and fattier to stand up to the Pinot. For our side, this rainbow root vegetable gratin, that brings in earthier notes to pair with the Pinot Noir. I know, fish and cheese? It might be a little out of the box, but it worked.

This “Rainbow” was made with beets in red and yellow, sweet potato, and parsnip.

The baked rainbow trout with its distinctive flavor and fat stood up to both of the wines, even the brooding Natasha. The rainbow root vegetable gratin really worked well, much credit should be given to the Gruyere topper for pulling the pairing together. With the blend of 4 vegetables, I found I preferred the parsnips with the Cuvée and the beets with the Natasha. Overall, a very satisfying pairing.

Scroll to the bottom for the recipe cards.

Youngberg Hill

I have a connection with this winery. Years ago, Michael and I ventured to Oregon on our first trip to explore the Willamette Valley. An old friend of mine, Adam, met us and made sure we visited Youngberg Hill, where he and his wife had recently been married. We had a lovely day and I have great memories from visiting the winery.

2016 Youngberg Hill Natasha Pinot Noir

Our notes

This wine had a very integrated nose. It was heavier than the Cuvée with more brambles and bramble fruit. It was lively in my mouth with tartness, like tart blackberry and good acid. Notes of red currant, with bits of smoky vanilla, popped up as I paired it. The finish was lengthy and mouth and gum warming.

This wine is a bit more brooding and earthier than the Cuvée.

2017 Youngberg Hill Cuvée Pinot Noir

Our notes

The nose was full of red fruit with a waft of dustiness then brambles and spice. Baked strawberry came to mind. It was bright in my mouth with med/high acid and light drifty tannins that evaporate. A medium finish that brought up bits of cola.

Rainbow Root Vegetable Gratin and Baked Rainbow Trout

Rainbow Root Vegetable Gratin

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

We adapted this recipe for my vegetable with our Pinot Noir pairing. I went earthier choosing a root vegetable gratin, in a rainbow of colors, with red beet, sweet potato, golden beet, and parsnip.

Ingredients

2 red beets
2 golden beets
1 sweet potato
1 parsnip
1 cup of cream
4 oz of grated parmesan
1 tbs+ fresh thyme
1 clove of garlic minced
1 oz of shredded gruyere
Salt & pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 F
Grease a baking dish (2-quart size)
Peel and slice the vegetables thinly into rounds and place them in separate bowls. (How perfect and fancy you want to get depends
on your style. I hand cut these and was not concerned about having them all look the same size, but you could use a cutter to make all of your circles uniform if you chose)
To each bowl add bits of the cream (4 tablespoons each to the beets, 2 tablespoons each to the potato and parsnip you should end
up with about ¼ cup left)
Divide your parmesan in ½ and then divide that into 4 parts and sprinkle this on each of your 4 bowls.
Divide the thyme 4 ways over the 4 bowls.
Stir up each bowl seasoning with salt and pepper and make sure all the slices of vegetables are coated.
In the base of your buttered baking or gratin dish, pour the rest of the cream, add the minced garlic, and ½ of the remaining parmesan.
Now, layer your gratin, start with a bunch of the parsnip (5 or 6 slices) followed by the yellow beet, followed by the sweet potato, and finally the red beet, standing them on edge making rows. Continue until your dish is full. (Feel free to play with your patterns and colors artistically as you see fit).
Top this with a bit of S & P and the rest of the Parm.
Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.
Uncover and top with the gruyere
Bake another 20 minutes. (Cheese should be melted and lightly brown)
Sprinkle with a bit more thyme and serve)

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 419Total Fat 32gSaturated Fat 19gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 99mgSodium 705mgCarbohydrates 21gFiber 3gSugar 9gProtein 14g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Baked Rainbow Trout

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Salmon & Pinot are so traditional, we stepped just a bit outside the box. The key to red wine with fish is choosing a fatty fish and so we chose rainbow trout. The trout with its distinctive flavor and fat stood up to both of the wines, even the brooding Natasha Pinot Noir from Youngberg Hill.

Ingredients

2 trout (scaled and gutted)
1 lemon
Dill
Green onions (chopped)
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 450 F
Rinse the fish and pat dry
Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper
Add half the dill and green onions inside
Drizzle with Olive oil
Do the same to the other fish
Cut 3 shallow diagonal cuts in the top of each fish
Drizzle olive oil on top of each fish
Stick a ½ lemon slice in each of the cuts.
One last sprinkle of salt and pepper and pop them in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
Pop them back under the broiler for a couple of minutes to crisp up the skin and serve.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 193Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 46mgSodium 192mgCarbohydrates 5gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 17g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Read the whole piece on our pairing dinner for more details on the wines and this winery

Youngberg Hill – Reminiscing and Making New Memories with 2 Youngberg Hill Pinot Noirs

How to find Youngberg Hill?

The Willamette Valley is a beautiful place to visit and has so much wonderful wine!

You can find Youngberg Hill at 10660 SW Youngberg Hill Road, McMinnville, OR 97128

Tastings are appointment only 10-4 daily, call them at 503-472-2727 or drop them an email at [email protected]

For more information on this region visit

https://www.oregonwine.org/

https://willamettewines.com/

Or check out some of these pieces right here on Crushed Grape Chronicles

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

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Bailey Family 2017 Chardonnay – Day 10 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

Dec 22, 2020

Earlier this fall I wrote a piece about Youngberg Hill. In 2019 they created Bailey Family Wines. It was a place we had visited years ago with a friend and tasting through the Pinot Noirs they had sent, I got a bit nostalgic. You can read that piece here Youngberg Hill – Reminiscing and Making New Memories with 2 Youngberg Hill Pinot Noirs.

Youngberg Hill is a beautiful property. They have a gorgeous Inn as well as an Event Center set within the vines. With the winery, they have 2 labels. One is the Youngberg Hill label, which those two beautiful Pinot Noirs fall under. The other is the Bailey Family Wine label.

*We received this wine as a media sample. No other compensation was received. All opinions are our own.*

Bailey Family Wines

Last year, in 2019 they created Bailey Family Wines. They had worked with their Youngberg Hill label to make the vineyard Organic Certified and are working toward Biodynamics, mostly looking out for the land and the soil and sourcing from other like-minded vineyards.

Bailey Family Wines focuses on exclusive wines from the 23 acres of vines on their Estate Vineyard. Of the 23 acres, 18 are planted to Pinot Noir, 2 ½ to Chardonnay, and 2 ½ to Pinot Gris. So this bottle of Estate Chardonnay is indeed rare.

View of the vineyard at Youngberg Hill – photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill

The Youngberg Hill Inn in Oregon’s Willamette Valley – photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill

Wayne Bailey of Youngberg Hill and Bailey Family Vineyards – photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill

Bailey Family 2017 Chardonnay

The Aspen block was planted with Pinot Grill in 2006. In 2014 they grafted over ½ of the black to Chardonnay Clones 75, 76, 95, and 548. The block is on Marine sediment and sits at between 500 and 600 feet.

The 2017 vintage was warm with an early bud break and a dry growing season. Then cooler temperatures gave great acidity and mineral notes as well as rich deep fruit at harvest.

This wine was aged for 8 months in neutral oak and they made just 229 cases, which are sold by allocation only.

100% Chardonnay 12.5% abv SRP $85

My notes:

This wine pours a pale lemon and has an intense nose of floral, crushed gravel, citrus leaf, fresh herbs, citrus pith and zest, and Meyer lemon.

It is dry in my mouth with flavors of lemon pith, lemon thyme, and Meyer lemon with lifted floral notes.

I felt like I was standing in a citrus grove with scents of citrus flowers, fruit, leaves, and pith all at once.

This was round but bright. I would luxuriate in this wine for hours.

Roasted Chicken with root vegetables

Michael was on kitchen duty for this one with a meal from Sun Basket. The chicken breast was roasted with lemon juice and lemon zest which paired beautifully with the lemon notes in the wine. The roasted vegetables included golden beets, potatoes, and Brussels sprouts. I was concerned about how the Brussels sprouts might pair, but they were lovely.

Bailey Family 2017 Chardonnay with Roasted Chicken and Root Vegetables

Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese

Youngberg Hill Pinot Noirs paired with rainbow trout and root vegetable gratin bottles in the background

Youngberg Hill Pinots paired with rainbow trout and root vegetable gratin

I think this wine might really sing with a creamy dish, it has great acid to cut through a creme sauce. It would also be great with homemade mac and cheese, like the smoked gouda and white cheddar one I recently made (link) or perhaps with a baked brie. Quite honestly, I think it would have been brilliant with grilled rainbow trout that we enjoyed with the Youngberg Pinot Noirs.

Cannolis with lemon curd crème

Michael bought cannoli molds back on Amazon Prime Day and it was evidently time to try them out. I was at first, an unwilling participant (I have a fear of hot oil). Nonetheless, we put these together and they worked! Most importantly, I came out unscathed by the hot oil! YAY!

We filled them in an unorthodox way with a lemon curd crème, that paired beautifully with the wine.

You can find the recipe here.

Cannolis ready to face the oil!

The finished Cannolis with lemon curd creme

Sources and Resources

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

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Meinklang h17 – Day 8 of the 12 Days of wine 2020

Dec 20, 2020

Today we dive into Meinklang a wine from Hungary. I went to pick up a wine a while back at GaragisteLV and decided to add a bottle while I was there. “What do you have that is interesting,” I asked Eric. He immediately suggested this wine. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized it was from Hungary.

My mother was Hungarian. I guess that makes me ½ Hungarian. My grandparents both immigrated from Budapest. My mother grew up with Hungarian recipes around her, and I remember my Grandmother speaking Hungarian in her final days, returning to her native tongue. So the fact that Eric suggested this wine was a bit of kismet.

It’s the holidays, and while Mom is no longer with us, today I would honor her and my Hungarian heritage. We enjoyed this wine with two of my mother’s favorite Hungarian recipes, Chicken Paprikas and Hungarian Nut Cake.

Meinklang

More than a vineyard or a winery, Meinklang is a family-run mixed farm. In addition to grapes, they grow ancient grains like spelt and farro and have fruit orchards, vegetable gardens, and “meadows of wild herbs and flowers”. They are Demeter Certified Biodynamic.

The 3000-hectare farm is located within the World Heritage Site the National Park Neusiedlersee. They sit to the East of the Neusiedlersee Lake. The vineyard is in Somló southeast of the farm and on the foothills of an extinct volcano, so their soils are basalt and loess and are mineral-rich.

In the map below you can see them as #5 in the light blue of the Balaton Region The Nagy-Somlói region is broken up into 3 small sections that add up to just 533 hectares. The section that is the furthest east is where the vineyard is located.

Map of Hungarian Wine Regions courtesy of Hungarian Wines

Meinklang h17

This wine is from the grape Hárslevelü (harsh-level-oo). It is a white grape whose name means “linden leaf”. This is an aromatic grape although less so when from the tiny Somló region where it has mineral qualities.

This wine is made in an orange style with 2 days of skin contact. It is fermented with wild yeasts, and bottled unfiltered and unfined with no sulfites added.

My notes:

Hazy with no sediment the nose first hits you with honeysuckle. Perhaps that is the linden blossom they speak of. Savory spices and mineral notes follow and then tart yellow apple. As it opens I get richer, riper yellow fruit.

In my mouth, it’s zestier than I anticipated, with bright acid and almost an effervescent feel. I start to notice nutty notes, cider, and perhaps fresh-cut wood. This is the perfect white wine to enjoy by the fire.

Meinklang h17 2017 Hárslevelü from Somló Hungary

Chicken Paprikas

I loved it when my mother would make Chicken Paprikas when I was a child. The kitchen smelled delicious as it simmered away and I loved the dumplings. I made these by the spoonful, but if you want you can make them smaller like the traditional Nokedli. I remember my Mom standing over the pot of boiling salted water with the dough on a cutting board, cutting away pieces and letting them drop into the pot.

This recipe I made with chicken thighs and it cooks in a dutch oven. The dumplings are made on the side and then stirred into the sauce and served with the chicken.

You can see the full recipe here.

This pairing was just comforting. I think Mom would have been proud.

Hungarian Nut Cake, apricot mousse, and crumbled meringue

Okay if you have been following our 12 Days of Wine, you are saying, “Wait, that was Day 1”! Well, you are right. Here’s the deal. I tasted out of order and when I got to that Prosecco I still had Hungarian Nut Cake left that I didn’t want to go to waste, so…

This is a fancy plating of my Mom’s favorite cake. I tried to make a small bit of her coffee buttercream frosting and that was kind of a fail. Oh well. I created an apricot mousse to go with this did a schmear of the failed coffee buttercream, dusted the plate with a combination of powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and espresso powder, and garnished with walnuts, crumbled meringue, and sliced dried apricot.

The dessert was a win with the wine, melding with the buttercream, and pulling out the apricot in the dish.

You will find the recipe here.

Okay, I’m warm, fuzzy and nostalgic. I’ll leave you with a shot of my Mother’s ceramic Christmas tree, ‘cause it makes me happy.

My Mom’s ceramic Christmas Tree and Hungarian Nut Cake with Apricot Mousse

Happy Holidays!

Sources & Resources

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

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Tablas Creek 2019 Bourboulenc – Day 6 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

Dec 18, 2020

Bourboulenc. You may not have heard of this grape. It quite honestly doesn’t get out much. This is an ancient white grape found in Southern France in Provençe and the Southern Rhône. We find the first mention of this grape in literature from the early 16^th century.

It is perhaps most well known in Languedoc where it is blended into white wines in La Clape. In this marine region, the grape is delicate with finesse and elegance, they note garrigue flowers and mineral notes on the nose.

Hmm…so different from the wine I tasted.

Tablas Creek Vineyard

Tablas Creek Vineyard is located in the Adelaida District of Paso Robles. Tucked in off in the North-Western corner of Paso Robles, this vineyard was a venture between Robert Haas of Vineyard Brands and the Perrin Family of Cháteau du Beaucastel in France’s Rhône Valley.

Together they found this property with limestone soils. It sits at an average of 1,500 feet and the soils are similar to those at Beaucastel. Jason Haas, son of Robert Haas is now the General Manager. If you have seen anything on Tablas Creek, you likely know his face. He is generous with his time and information, and with the Perrins leads Tablas Creek as it continues to move forward always improving their sustainability and continuing to make delicious wines many of which are VERY age-worthy.

Jason Haas at Tablas Creek Vineyard from an Interview we did with him in 2015.

Tablas Creek Winery in the Adelaida AVA in Paso Robles

Tablas Creek Soil

Biodynamics & Regenerative Agriculture in Wine Production, Tablas Creek Vineyards, Paso Robles, Central Coast Wine Country

Tablas Creek Vineyards, Adelaida District, Paso Robles

Tablas Creek 2019 Bourboulenc

The bourboulenc we tasted was from the first vintage of this variety at Tablas Creek Vineyard. I was lucky to get my hands on a bottle of this (or 2, I can’t wait to see how it ages).

Tablas Creek has been working to import all of the Chateauneuf du Pape varieties. This variety is the 4^th most planted white grape in CdP. They imported the cuttings of bourboulenc back in 2003.

It was not released to them until 2014, as field cuttings straight out of the vineyard can have viruses that have to be cleaned up before the cuttings can be released. So they start with 3 years in quarantine and then each clean up adds another 3 years. The team at UC Davis had their work cut out for them with the bourboulenc.

100% Bourboulenc 12.8% abv SRP $30

My tasting notes on the Tablas Creek 2019 Bourboulenc

This wine was medium gold in color with a pronounced nose of baked fruit, chalk, lime zest, nutmeg, nectarine, yellow apple, and pineapple.

Dry with good acid. In my mouth, I got Meyer lemon, so a little less sharp, nutmeg, and roasted pineapple. Jason had mentioned the texture and I got that. It weighed heavier in my mouth, reminding me of an aged Roussanne.

I spoke with Jason Haas earlier this year for a piece on Regenerative Agriculture and snuck in a question about the at that time, newly released Bourboulenc. Here is a bit of what he had to say.

“It’s really a wine that we are working without much of a roadmap because it’s not like at Beaucastel they ever bottled it on its own. Usually, they don’t even have enough to ferment it on its own.
I don’t believe that I’ve ever tasted a 100% Bourboulenc from France. So when we were picking it, we were like, what numbers should we pick it at? I don’t know? What should we do in the cellar? I don’t know, let’s try to do something fairly neutral so that we’re letting it show what it thinks it wants. We ended up with it coming in, and we don’t know if this is because it was the 3^rd leaf, first harvest and there wasn’t a lot of canopy or whether it was something about the way that we trained it, but we’d obviously exposed the clusters to a lot of sun and it came in very golden, so when it came out of the press it was almost orange. We were like “oh, that’s weird”. Sometimes Roussanne is like that and we’re used to not being freaked out about it when it’s Roussanne, but bourboulenc, we hadn’t read in the literature anywhere, that this was potentially something that happened. So “well, let’s see happens as it ferments” and a lot of that color did drop out, but it’s still a deeper gold than we were expecting it to be. And there’s this textural component that feels to me almost like a skin-fermented white. It’s got a richer texture and almost an almondy character to it. But bright acids it’s like citrus and almonds and pretty rich texture. I think it’s really cool. But we don’t know if it’s representative of what’s it’s going to be like moving forward or whether it was a function of the vintage. “
Jason Haas, September 2020

Tablas Creek Vineyard planted the bourboulenc in 2016 and 2019 was the first year they were able to harvest it. They picked 2.15 tons and, as Jason said, the juice came out a very orange color. (click through to see their photo of the juice)

The golden yellow color of the 2019 Tablas Creek Bourboulenc

While much of this orange color dropped out during fermentation, this wine was still a rich golden color when I poured it. It reminded me of an aged Roussanne in color.

This was picked on a night pick and then fermented in Stainless Steel and went into neutral barrels to do its malolactic fermentation.

This wine was popular! They made just 145 cases and set 80 aside for the wine club. They sold the other 65 cases within 6 weeks.

Pairings for Bourboulenc

Baked Coquilles St. Jacques

I looked to the Tablas site for a recommendation for what to pair. I mean this is kind of a new animal. They suggested Baked Coquilles St. Jacques or Mussels Marinière. Hmmm…I went to look up what Coquilles were. They are scallops! Their recipe called for small bay scallops. I only had larger scallops, so we made do. I adjusted the recipe slightly as I just needed enough for Michael and me. Small ramekins each held 3 of my medium to large scallops, they were covered with bread crumbs mixed with parsley and drizzled with melted butter then baked until bubbly.

Ingredients for Baked Coquilles St. Jacque

Baked Coquilles St. Jacque

Pineapple, Cucumber, Avocado Salad

The Tablas Creek tasting notes mentioned pineapple notes with a little mintiness, so I put together a salad of pineapple, cucumber, avocado & mint salad. I thought this acid on the side would be great with the richness of the scallops and might tie in the pineapple, which it did.

Roasted Pineapple with honey and pistachios, pineapple curd filled meringue cups with toasted coconut

I went a little nuts with dessert. Too many cooking shows I guess. Today, I thought, is the day I will learn how to make Meringues! Hmmm… Then I will tackle a fancy plating! Hmmm… Well, it came out delicious if not photogenic.

We made meringue cups with our new silicone molds, then, oh yeah I made pineapple curd. (1^st time making a curd too!). Spears of pineapple were roasted in a sauce of pineapple juice, dark brown sugar, and honey.

To plate it, the roasted pineapple got a drizzle of yogurt, a sprinkle of chopped pistachios, and a bit of fresh mint. The meringue cups sat tilted on a bed of toasted coconut and were filled with the pineapple curd spilling out.

This dessert pulled up all the Pineapple notes in the wine.

See more on this recipe

Roasted pineapple with honey and pistachios, meringue cups filled with pineapple curd.

Want some?

As I mentioned, this wine went fast and is indeed sold out. But…they will be releasing a 2020 Bourboulenc, so get ready to jump on that!

Visit the Tablas Creek site for great information on all the Rhône grape varieties as well as great wines. They also have a pretty fascinating blog.

Sources & Resources

More from Crushed Grape Chronicles on Tablas Creek

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

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Tertini 2018 Arneis – Day 4 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

Dec 16, 2020

Early one spring morning we headed into the Southern Highlands region in New South Wales Australia to visit Tertini Cellars. It was October and we were staying on the coast in Shoalhaven. We arose early and headed inland up through the Kangaroo Valley, past Fitzroy Falls. It was a rainy morning and the driving felt a little treacherous; winding roads into the mountains, with the rain and driving on the opposite side of the road and car than we were accustomed to.

This area is so lush and green. Spring was definitely in the air. It was so different than the Shoalhaven area we had just left.

We made it, arriving before the cellar door opened and Jonathan Holgate, the Tertini winemaker met us to tell us a bit about the wines, and show us the winery. He took us out to the Yarrandoo Vineyard which is closest to the winery before taking us through a tasting at the cellar door.

This is a high-altitude region with a moderating maritime influence. We had just driven up from the coast. This gives them a long growing season. When I say high-altitude, the vineyards here sit between 650 and 715 meters above sea level. That’s around 2100-2300 feet. The Yarrandoo Vineyard is the highest of their vineyards at 715 meters. Here they grow, Pinot Noir, Arneis, Riesling, and Chardonnay.

Tertini is sensitive to the needs of the wildlife locally and leaves 30% of their property undeveloped. They say doing this gives the animals shelter and places to forage, so they don’t bother the vines, so everybody wins.

The Tertini entrance sign, unpretentiously nestled in the trees

The Tertini Tasting Room in Australia’s Southern Highlands

The Patio at Tertini Wines

The elegant Tertini Tasting Room Southern Highlands New South Wales Australia

The elegant Tertini Tasting Room Southern Highlands NSW Australia

Spring Vines in Tertini’s Yaraandoo Vineyard in Southern Highlands

Tertini Wines Yaraandoo Vineyard in Australia’s Southern Highlands

Tertini 2018 Private Cellar Collection Arneis

This Arneis is from the Yarrandoo Vineyard that we visited with Jonathan on that drizzly spring morning. There were only 62 cases produced. This does a partial oak ferment. Yes, I said ferment. Jonathan said that at the time he did not know of another Arneis being made in this way in Australia.

13.5% abv SRP $42 AU

This Arneis was medium lemon in color, with notes of light smoke, dusty citrus, bruised herbs like tarragon, grilled peach, earth, and roasted nuts.

Medium in alcohol, body, and medium to high acidity, it had pronounced flavors of tart yellow apple, almond, vanilla, and under-ripe white peach, with a long finish.

This wine was not loud, but quietly confident. It swam around the food enveloping it beautifully. When you return to sip it on its own it is bolder and brighter. It’s like a brilliant friend who is a good listener.

This vintage is sold out, but the 2019 Vintage is now available.

We paired this with a grilled peach, roasted chicken, and tarragon salad. If I could have found duck, I would have used duck, but…pandemic, ya know!

Tertini Private Cellar Collection Arneis from Southern Highlands NSW Australia

Grilled peach, roasted chicken, and tarragon salad paired with the Tertini Arneis

I sliced the roasted chicken and warmed it in a pan with olive oil and butter. After removing the chicken to a plate to keep warm, I added honey and more butter to the pan. When the butter melted I added lemon juice and salt, stirred this up, and removed it from the heat.

Sliced peaches and shallots are cooked on a grill pan, then the salad assembles with greens on the bottom. We used artisan salad greens, frisee, red leaf, and butter lettuce, but you can use whatever you have on hand. This gets topped with roasted chicken, grilled peaches, and shallots and drizzled with the honey dressing. Finish this off with fresh tarragon and sliced almonds.

I found that this barrel-fermented Arneis really made the tarragon pop.

See the full recipe here.

Ingredients for roasted chicken, grilled peach and tarragon salad

Tertini Private Cellar Collection Arneis with grilled peach, chicken and tarragon salad

Peach crisp

Dessert was a peach crisp made in two individual gratin dishes. We mixed fresh and frozen peaches with sugar and flour to coat and placed them in the buttered gratins. This was topped with a mixture of butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and rolled oats. We served this warm with vanilla ice cream.

This was warm and wonderful with the Arneis, much of that was due to the fresh peaches which cut the sweetness of the dish.

See the recipe here.

Tertini Private Cellar Collection Arneis with peach crisp

Finding Tertini and the Arneis

If you find yourself in Australia (I realize that is unlikely to happen soon unless you already live there). Head to Southern Highlands and visit Tertini. The region is beautiful especially in the spring and the wines at Tertini are a step above.

While they are sold out of this vintage, I spoke with Craig their Cellar Door Manager and he recommends the Tertini 2019 PCC (Private Cellar Collection) Arneis, which spends 10 months in oak and he says “Looks terrific”.

Sources and Resources

More by Crushed Grape Chronicles on Tertini and Southern Highlands

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

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Chocolate nests with chocolate branches paired with Rioja Marques de Riscal 2014 Reserva

Dec 15, 2020

Chocolate Nests

Okay, the full title is “Chocolate nests with chocolate branches. Pistachio soil, walnut cake soil, and chocolate, anise, cinnamon soil. With quenelles of black cherry ice cream, blackberries, and mint.”

Have you ever seen a photo on Pinterest of a dish so pretty that you just had to try to recreate something similar? Well that was what happened to me. I saw this photo of a stunning chocolate nest by Martin Benn on 10play.com

I did not have all the ingredients, but I grabbed the idea and created something similar.

Time: 45 Minutes

Yield: 4 people

Ingredients

Chocolate

Pistachios

Walnut cake soil

Cocoa

Powdered sugar

Anise

Cinnamon

Blackberries

Mint

Black cherry ice cream

Directions

Temper some chocolate (I recommend the microwave method. It’s quick and easy and I listed it below. If you want to use the “seeding” method head to our post for chocolate bombs for those details)
Place a small bowl or dish upside down on your cutting board
Cover it with aluminum foil
Put your tempered chocolate in a pastry bag with a small round tip
Pipe onto the aluminum foil in a round random pattern to create your nest.
Lay a piece of plastic wrap on a sheet pan. Pipe on chocolate branches.
Place both in the freezer to set up.
Grind some pistachios in your food processor
Crumble some walnut cake (I had leftover Hungarian Nut Cake, link here)
Mix some cocoa, powdered sugar, and cinnamon
Grind a little anise into your powdered sugar mixture.
Mix this into some of your crumbled cake (this will give you colors and layers to play with.
Create a small mound with your cake crumbles
Balance the nest of this pile, making a divot so it will stay put.
Add some walnut cake inside the nest
Place your quenelle of ice cream on top
Add your branches and garnish with blackberries and mint if desired

Microwave method of Tempering Chocolate

Place the chocolate in your silicon dish, microwave for 30 seconds on high, then stir (use your instant read thermometer) don’t let the temperature go over 90 degrees.
If the chocolate is not completely melted return for 30 seconds, then 15 seconds, then 10 seconds, stirring each time and checking the temperature. When the chocolate is melted, you are good to go.

This is sooo much easier than the seeding method. I will never go back! (I used this for another recipe that will be coming up!)

Here is a great resource for tempering chocolate. https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/tempering-chocolate/

We paired these chocolate nests with a Rioja which went beautifully with the dark chocolate and fruit. The cocoa, anise, and cinnamon also blended beautifully with the wine.

This paired with the Herederos del Marqués de Riscal El Ciego (Alava) Rioja 2014 Reserva

xobc – love, wine, and paying it forward

Kind of Wild Wines with foods on the grill

Getting Kind of Wild with Some Simple Backyard Grilling

L'Ecole No. 41 2020 Luminesce and Temaki

Going to school with a sister city-inspired pairing – L’Ecole No. 41 Luminesce and Temaki

Caprio Cellars 2017 Eleanor paired with grilled octopus and herb roasted potatoes

Eleanor – an homage to family by Caprio Cellars

Pintxos and Txakoli (or Txakolina) from Bodega Hiruzta in Spanish Basque Country

Pintxos and Txakoli – a celebration of Basque Country #WorldWineTravel

Lambrusco Mantovano from Bugno Martini with pairings

Banish me to Mantua, with a glass of Lambrusco Mantovano #ItalianFWT

Lenne Estate 2018 Kill Hill Pinot Noir with salt and coffee roasted carrots, filet mignon with blackberry pan sauce and a salad

Kill Hill Pinot Noir – struggling vines making concentrated wine from Lenné Estate

Lenne Estate 2018 Scarlett's Reserve Chardonnay with Sea Bass and Basmati rice with apples and saffron

Lenné Estate – Poor Soil, Hardworking Grapes and a Beautiful Reserve Chardonnay

Bells Up 2020 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc and Prelude Rose of Pinot Noir with a Memorial Day Celebration

Bells Up – Wine to celebrate Memorial Day

Uruguay more than Tannat with Don Pascual Coastal wines

L'Ecole No. 41 2020 Chenin Blanc Yakima Valley with French toast and shrimp and grits

Chenin Blanc from L’Ecole No. 41 – Old Vines and breakfast for dinner

Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Premier Cru Vau de Vey with pairings

Savoring Premier Cru Chablis as we hope for good news for the 2021 Chablis vintage #Winophiles

Small plate celebration with Scheid Family Wines

Scheid Family Wines – 2 Sustainable Affordable Earth Friendly wines that pair well with friends

L'Ecole No. 41 2018 Seven Hills Vineyard Syrah and a Hawaiian Feast

Syrah and Aloha – Doing Earth Month Island Style with L’Ecole No. 41

Utopia 2017 Pinot Noir with tea smoked tuna with rosemary and anise scented steam

Tea smoked tuna and roasted beets with an aromatic plating paired with a Utopia 2017 Pinot Noir

Yakima Valley Wines from Eight Bells and Pearl and Stone Co. with Pairings

Yakima Valley AVA – Blends of friendship and history with wines from Eight Bells and Pearl and Stone Co. #WinePW

Utopia 2017 Estate Chardonnay with avocado, roasted blood orange and kumquat salad with a citrus, cardamom and rosewater dressing and Utopia 2017 Estate Chardonnay pairings Avocado and Roasted Blood Orange with kumquats in a citrus, rosewater and cardamom dressing and Pork chops with yellow apples, sage, apple butter, and maple

Utopia 2017 Estate Chardonnay with an aromatic salad and warm cozy pork chops with apples

Where's? Linus Sauvignon Blanc, Shaved Vegetable Salad, Goat cheese, green apple and mint crostini, cauliflower risotto and seared scallops and the winemaker Chris Christensen

Where’s Linus? Sauvignon Blanc with a shaved vegetable salad, crostini, and scallops on cauliflower rice risotto #WinePW

LEcole Valentine Day Burgers with Mushroom, Bacon Jam and Blue Cheese

Burgers with blue cheese bacon jam and sauteed mushrooms and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Valentin's day Steak with Gorgonzola and L'Ecole Cabernet

Valentine’s Day – Spoil yourself and maybe someone else with 3 delicious pairing menus, 1 for every palate and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

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

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Syncline Subduction Red – Day 3 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

Dec 15, 2020

It was a cool summer morning when we visited Syncline. Located on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge just where the lush green western part of the gorge begins to turn into the flatter browner drier landscape. Here though, the trees still grow lush and we entered the quiet property and set up in the gardens where James Mantone the vigneron and winemaker met us.

James is thoughtful and quiet, a man who uses words sparingly. He is happy to share information on his property and wines but is in no way boisterous. When he speaks, you know that he has thought through what he is saying.

He took us to the vineyard up on the ridge to see the view the Syrah has. You can see the river in the gorge from there. It’s beautiful and perhaps a little humbling, as you can see far into the distance and the scale really puts your smallness into perspective.

The patio at Syncline Winery

Syncline interview behind the scenes

Walking the Steep Ranch Vineyard with Syncline's James Mantone

James Mantone of Syncline walked us to the top of their vineyard to enjoy the views from their spectacular location on the Columbia Gorge

Views of the Gorge make this Washington Wine delicious

View of the Columbia River and the Gorge

The View from Syncline’s Steep Ranch Vineyard

Syncline 2017 Subduction Red from the Columbia Valley

Syncline 2017 Subduction Red – Columbia Valley

A blend of 49% Syrah, 26% Grenache, 12% Carignan, 7% Cinsault, 6% Mourvedre, this is their version of a Côtes du Rhône Villages wine.

Syncline sources this fruit from a variety of vineyards in multiple AVAs: Columbia Gorge, Horse Heaven Hills, Red Mountain, and Yakima Valley. With all of the vineyards that they work with, they have long term contracts and a good relationship and sense of trust with the growers.

91 barrels were produced. 13.7% abv SRP $25

My notes on this wine start with its medium color of dark red with blue notes. On the nose, there are raspberry notes in the front, with deeper black fruit and rich red notes. Sitting in the very back you find notes of dried currant and whiffs of anise. There is also an undertone of brambles and dried herbs. As it evolves I get more spice.

Medium in body, dry and elegant with medium to low tannins, in my mouth it has deep juicy red and black fruits and something like the scent of a woodfire with herbs.

While this wine is from many vineyards it is incredibly integrated.

Bacon-wrapped stuffed pork tenderloin with raspberry sauce, beet greens, and a root vegetable gratin

Syrah loves bacon, and raspberry notes with this wine meant I wanted to tie those in somehow. I found a recipe for a stuffed pork loin and thought this would be a good match. I had just bought fresh beets, so beet greens on the side were a no brainer.

The pork loin is stuffed with crème cheese and a raspberry sauce. The loin is wrapped in bacon, basted in the sauce, and roasted for a few hours.

This was really wonderful with the wine, bacon, and raspberry and Subduction Red makes for a perfect trio.

You can see the full recipe here.

I did a side of sauteed beet greens, that brings in an earthy note and added to that with our rainbow root vegetable gratin. You can find the gratin recipe as part of this post.

Bacon brie raspberry bites

We stuck with the bacon and raspberry notes for a sweet/savory dessert bite. This is really an hors d’oeuvres, but it was a perfect bite to finish the meal. These are quick and easy with phyllo cups filled with brie, bacon, and a raspberry preserve.

This was a perfect little bite with the wine.

Check out the recipe here.

Phyllo cups filled with brie, raspberry sauce, bacon, rosemary and almonds

Syncline 2017 Subduction Red with bacon, brie, raspberry phyllo bites

Syncline is open for limited outdoor seating on weekends for tasting and you can do take out bottle sales. They have a reservation section on their site.

The outdoor tasting bar at the Syncline Winery with its juniper posts

Syncline Wine’s tasting garden in the Columbia Gorge AVA

They are located across the river from the Dalles. If you can’t get there to enjoy their beautiful gardens you can order online and enjoy these delicious wines in the comfort of your own home.

Production here is under 6,000 cases annually. These wines are truly something special.

Sources and Resources

Strawberry Mascarpone Crepes

For dessert, we went with something lighter, crepes filled with mascarpone crème, orange zest, and strawberries, served with a trio of strawberry sauces to see which went best with the wine. One sauce had cardamom, one fresh tarragon, and one basil. I enjoyed all 3 but the basil was my favorite with the pairing.

These light easy crepes are perfect for a quick dessert that looks beautiful.

Time: 35 Minutes

Yield: 4 people

Ingredients for strawberry mascarpone crepes

Ingredients for the Crepes

2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons melted butter
Butter, for coating the pan

Directions

Mix the ingredients, you can use a mixer, or a blender. Then let the batter rest in the refrigerator for an hour to let the bubbles rest. This will keep the crepes from tearing.

Heat a small non stick pan, add butter to coat. Pour an ounce of batter in the center and swirl it to coat the pan evenly. Cook 30 seconds and flip. Cook 10 seconds and remove to a board or plate to cook. Repeat until your batter is gone. (Once they are cool, you can stack them and they will keep in the fridge for several days)

Ingredients for the filling

1 Cup mascarpone cheese
2 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 ground cinnamon

Directions

Beat mascarpone, milk, granulated sugar and cinnamon 2 minutes with an electric mixer on high until well blended. Keep cold.

Mascarpone crepes with orange zest and strawberry sauce

For the Strawberry sauce

Cook crushed strawberries with lemon juice and sugar to taste. We did 3 sauces to test with the wine we were pairing. One had fresh basil, one ground cardamom and the last had fresh tarragon. You can add a variety of herbs or spices depending on your mood and your pairing.

To assemble

Spread a thin layer of the mascarpone filling, layout some thinly sliced strawberries, roll and slice in half to see the roll, garnish with powdered sugar, orange zest and drizzle with the strawberry sauce.

Keep in mind that with crepes, the sky is the limit. You can do these sweet or savory with a wide variety of flavors, serve them open like an elegant pancake, folded in half or quarters or rolled as we did. You can also flavor the batter, with cocoa or change out your oil, subbing in coconut oil for the butter, or changing out the flour. The fillings, well, that’s all up to your imagination!

Mascarpone crepes with strawberry sauce

Name: Bison strip loin with a blackberry, coffee, syrah pan sauce
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Meats
Ingredients: 2 - 8 oz bison strip loins steaks; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/4 cup premade coffee; 1/4 cup syrah; 1/2 cup of blackberries; 1/4 cup butter; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Watch our quick video for the highlights.

Strawberry Mascarpone crepes with AD Beckham Pinot Gris

AD Beckham Amphora Pinot Gris

A couple of years ago we made our way to the Beckham Estate Vineyard. It sits at the east end of the Chehalem Mountains AVA on what is known as Parrett Mountain. We spent the morning with Annedria Beckham tasting through their wines and hearing the story of the winery first hand on their patio, their dog Ruby Tuesday curled up to keep us company. They have a fascinating story, which you can read in our post here.

One of the things that drew me to Beckham was their Amphorae program, called AD Beckham. You see, Andrew Beckham is a ceramics artist. Annedria had come across an article on Elizabetta Foradori in Italy where she was making wine in terra cotta vessels.

I thought about it 3 different times before I decided to show the article to Andrew…I said “you know I’ve heard of this winemaker and I’ve heard of her wines, we should see if we can get some in Oregon.” And he flipped through and said, “I can make those”. Annedria Beckham

The die was cast, he ordered clay the next day.

xobc – love, wine, and paying it forward

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You remember a while back when we trekked into the wild at Mt. Charleston and picnicked with a view and a wonderful Rosé from the Hérault department in the South of France? (Kind of Wild in the Wild) Well, when we received that #sample from Kind of Wild they included 2 other wines, that we [...]

Going to school with a sister city-inspired pairing – L’Ecole No. 41 Luminesce and Temaki

Luminesce is L’Ecole No. 41’s Bordeaux inspired white wine blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. So I went in search of pairings. One thing that came up was salmon. Inspired by White Bordeaux, I dug a bit further and found that Fukuoka is one of the Bordeaux sister cities. Michael and I visited Fukuoka years [...]

Eleanor – an homage to family by Caprio Cellars

Washington was once mostly wheat, rolling hills of waving grain that seemed to extend forever. Now it is dotted with the green of vineyards. The property that is now Caprio Cellars was once covered in wheat. In 2003 Dennis Murphy bought this former wheat field and began his dream of starting a vineyard. This vineyard [...]

Pintxos and Txakoli – a celebration of Basque Country #WorldWineTravel

Txakoli Okay, I know at first glance if you are unfamiliar with this wine or with the language of the Basque region of Spain, you might wonder, how in the world do you say this? It’s easier than it looks. “tx” is the “ch” sound in this language, so “cha – koli”. The word makes [...]

Banish me to Mantua, with a glass of Lambrusco Mantovano #ItalianFWT

Mantua. When I hear the name, I think of a place of banishment, possibly a dusty trailer park in the Mohave Desert. Thanks, Baz Luhrmann! While Shakespeare never traveled to Italy, he chose this place for Romeo’s banishment after killing Tybalt. Mantua is a city in the region of Lombardy that is closest to both [...]

Kill Hill Pinot Noir – struggling vines making concentrated wine from Lenné Estate

Steve Lutz didn’t start out planning to be a winemaker. Wine found him. He grew up in Colorado and planned to be a lawyer. In college at the University of Oregon, he had his first real experience with wine. He applied to law school and worked for a bit for an oil company, but always [...]

Lenné Estate – Poor Soil, Hardworking Grapes and a Beautiful Reserve Chardonnay

Poor soils - great wine Steve Lutz is extremely proud of the soil in his Lenné Estate vineyard. He brags that his vineyard has the poorest soil in Yamhill County. Vines here must work hard and prove themselves to survive. The Lenné Estate Vineyard covers 20.9 acres of steep hillside with Peavine series soils. This [...]

Bells Up – Wine to celebrate Memorial Day

Bells Up Typically when you see a French horn being played, you see the bell (the horn part where the sound comes from) pointed down and to the side of the musician. Typically also they have their hand and perhaps a cloth in the bell to soften the sound. Upon occasion, like in Stravinsky’s “The [...]

Uruguay more than Tannat with Don Pascual Coastal wines

Not too long ago, it was Uruguay Wine Week which included Tannat Day. We shared with you a lovely Tannat we enjoyed from Establecimiento Juanico in Uruguay. It was delicious and it is the National Wine, but there is more to the wines of Uruguay. We enjoyed two wines from the Coastal region of Uruguay [...]

Chenin Blanc from L’Ecole No. 41 – Old Vines and breakfast for dinner

“French toast, it’s really good with French toast…with like some fresh berries on it…” Marcus Rafanelli winemaker L’Ecole No. 41 Well with that kind of recommendation how can you not?! So we did. While I couldn’t find challah, I did find a big fluffy loaf and cut it thick and made a beautiful French toast [...]

Savoring Premier Cru Chablis as we hope for good news for the 2021 Chablis vintage #Winophiles

I’ve been fascinated with Chablis. So when the French #Winophiles chose this region as our focus this month I was on board. (You can scroll to the bottom for links to the pieces by my colleagues). Jill Barth of L'Occasion is our leader on our journey into this beautiful and delicious region. In Chablis, they [...]

Scheid Family Wines – 2 Sustainable Affordable Earth Friendly wines that pair well with friends

We’ve been celebrating Earth Month with some wonderful wines that are kind to the planet. Sustainability is a buzz word in the wine industry these days and for good reason. We all want to take care of the planet, and we want to be able to enjoy tasty wine! We received a few samples from [...]

Syrah and Aloha – Doing Earth Month Island Style with L’Ecole No. 41

Tea smoked tuna and roasted beets with an aromatic plating paired with a Utopia 2017 Pinot Noir

We received this beautiful Pinot Noir from Utopia Vineyards as a media sample. What to pair with it? Tea and umami are notes that are often present in Pinot Noir, it is also noted for its earthy notes. The tasting notes from the winery mentioned rosemary and spice notes, so I wrapped this all up [...]

Yakima Valley AVA – Blends of friendship and history with wines from Eight Bells and Pearl and Stone Co. #WinePW

The Yakima Valley is one of my favorite wine regions. We visited a few years ago and were enamored by the wine and the people. This month I’m leading the intrepid writers of the Wine Pairing Weekend (#WinePW) group on a virtual trip to the Yakima Valley AVA. You can read my preview post here. [...]

Utopia 2017 Estate Chardonnay with an aromatic salad and warm cozy pork chops with apples

When I was looking for a pairing for a beautiful Utopia Chardonnay we received as a sample, I went to a book I have been reading to find the aromas and flavors that would pair. As of late, I have been diving into François Chartier’s book “Taste Buds and Molecules – The art and science [...]

Where’s Linus? Sauvignon Blanc with a shaved vegetable salad, crostini, and scallops on cauliflower rice risotto #WinePW

Where's Linus? Sauvignon Blanc had me dreaming of spring. I dove into those spring green colors as I set the table. Even the dishes I was pairing with this wine had a lightness to them. A lightness, a brightness, but also a depth. Yes, I am dreaming of spring, of warmer weather, of happier days [...]

Burgers with blue cheese bacon jam and sauteed mushrooms and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Sometimes you just need a juicy messy burger. We took the opportunity for a Valentine’s Day indulgence, although, really, anytime is a good time for a burger. The Perfect Burgers We start with my go-to recipe for burgers from Bobby Flay. Use an 80/20 blend to keep your burger juicy. Bobby’s recipe is simple, a [...]

Valentine’s Day – Spoil yourself and maybe someone else with 3 delicious pairing menus, 1 for every palate and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Valentine’s Day is a day for Love. We decided to go all-in on our Valentine’s Pairings. I encourage you to celebrate, spoil your partner or a relative or friend that you are sheltering with during the pandemic. Celebrate with your fur baby, with a bit of this steak for your favorite pooch, and pull out [...]

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Wine tasting

Paying it forward

The backstory of xobc

and xobc was born

The wine

The 2018 xobc Catherine Syrah

What to pair?

Buffalo Strip loins in a coffee blackberry Syrah pan sauce

Roasted red mashed potatoes with herbs, bacon and bacon fat

Arugula salad with plum, pomegranate, thyme and prosciutto in a coffee balsamic dressing

How to find a bottle

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Poor soils – great wine

The Lenné Estate Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA

Lenné Estate 2018 Scarlett’s Reserve Chardonnay

Pairing Aromatic Compounds

Baked Basmati Rice with Apple and Saffron

Sea bass on white beans, cherry tomatoes, and spinach

Stuffed apples with rabri

Want to know more about Lenné Estate?

It’s Oregon Wine Month!

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More on Oregon Wine Country!

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The story of Sokol-Blosser

The 2nd Generation of Sokol Blosser

The Historic Accolades and Firsts

Of course, there were also the wines!

Sokol Blosser Bluebird Cuvée Sparkling Wine 2018

Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Estate Pinot Noir 2018

Sokol Bosser 2018 Old Vineyard Block Estate Pinot Noir 2018

Sokol Blosser 2012 Big Tree Block Pinot Noir

The next 50 years at Sokol Blosser

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Walla Walla Wine Month

Earth Month and sustainability at L’Ecole No. 41

Salmon-Safe

Compost tea