I had a fantastic week of wine drinking last week. After a memorial service took me out to California for a weekend I found a day to steal off to Napa for Father's day and treated my dad to a full day of tasting. The week ended with a business trip to Washington DC, a city which I'm spending more time in and will start to share about here. Here is the week in wines.
Deerfield Ranch - This is a small producer in Sonoma County. Deerfield Ranch is out in Valley of The Moon across the road from Kenwood. They were in the middle of construction of a new driveway when we were there, but it was a minimal annoyance. The wine cave they just finished is beautiful and tasting amidst the barrels and artwork in the cave added to the ambiance. Oh, and then there were the wines. We tasted two sauvignon blancs side by side and they were both fantastic examples of a milder oak aged sauvignon blanc. We moved on to a Pinot Noir that was typical Russian River Pinot Noir. It didn't blow me away but at $33 its a much better deal than some other Russian River bottles. The final memorable bottle was a "super tuscan", the Super T Rex. This had a lot of complexity to it and was a nice end to our tasting.
Beaulieau Vineyards - Beaulieau is a Napa legend, and this was the first time I have visited the winery. It was less impressive than I expected, but at the same time it was obvious that the intent of the tasting room was to convey a sense of oppulence and luxury. Looking beyond that to the wines was the goal of our tasting and a trip to the reserve room helped us do just that. They were pouring a 1999, 1989, and 1979 Georges de Latour Private Reserve along with a 1994 that they happened to have open. The '79 was absolutely showing its age, but it was a beautiful bottle. The '89 I honestly don't remember very much about, and the '99 despite being 10 years old still seemed very youthful. I'm sure that will make for a great wine 10 to 20 years down the road.
Charles Krug - Up the road a little bit we found Charles Krug. This winery has been around for a very long time and has a strong history with the Mondavi family. The grounds of the estate were pretty uninspiring, we pulled into the parking lot and went into the tasting room without a lot of fanfare. The tasting room was much the same. I key in on these things and take it as a sign that a place like that is all about the wine. We had a very nice Zinfandel followed by what was certain to be a good batch of Cabernets down the road. There were other wines thrown in, including a chardonnay I think, but nothing else stood out as fantastic.
Cuvaison - This was an interesting find. I had never heard of the winery before but I'm always happy to take a chance on something out of the way. Cuvaison is over on the Silverado Trail tucked up on the mountain side of the road. Its a small place with what seems to be limited production. We tried a couple of their Chardonnays which were quite good. I'm always a fan of Chardonnay from the Carneros and personally think its the only place worth growing Chardonnay in the Napa Valley. Well Montelena, but its so far north its like its own little microclime in Napa. We also tried a smattering of other wines but nothing stood out until the final wine, a Cab, with more tannin than anything I had tasted all day, which is a lot considering the trip had already taken us to Krug and BV. I can't say if it will be that good in years to come, but it will certainly last for quite a while. Unfortunately what kept me from enjoying the visit as much as possible was the hard sell on the wine club. I know its a huge revenue stream for the smaller producers but it just drives me nuts.
Del Dotto - Del Dotto is a bit of a connundrum for me. I don't get really excited about their wines. Maybe its because you are tasting them in a 57 degree cave or maybe its because they just aren't that good, but I can't get behind them. With that disclaimer out of the way, this is absolutely the best tour in Napa. Its educational, its entertaining, and its luxurious. The tour guide trucks you all over the caves from barrel to barrel and theives out barrel samples from what seems like endless different combinations of oak barrels and varietals. The tour ended with pizza, meats, cake, port, and bread. It was fantastic. Of course it is also $50/person, but it made for a wonderful father's day gift.
Finally I had to get back on a plane and schlep myself across the country to DC. If you've never done that at 4:30PM pacific time to land at 12:30 ET and still have to get to your hotel I will tell you it is exhaustng. I woke up refreshed however and the following day was treated to dinner at Morton's. One of our party is related to the former manager and he pulled some strings to get us some extra special treatment. The night started with 2 free botles of Paradux, a fine wine made by Duckhorn. We continued thru the night ordering so many bottles I couldn't keep up, but they were all fantastic.
I'm looking back on my Napa trip fondly and looking forward to my upcomming trips to DC. Look for more as it happens. You may notice a several links to Snooth on the site. I've signed up as an affiliate to defray some hosting costs. Please visit the links if you have any interest in the wines I mention.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
haut Brion Tasting
This is a rare event to be sure, and one I wish I was going to be in town for. Binny's South Loop is doing a Haut Brion Tasting. From the looks of it the winemaker will be on hand, and 3 vintages of Haut Brion Blanc, Haut Brion, La Mission Haut Brion, and Laville Haut Brion will be poured. Stupid business trips.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Kona Grill and BYOW
My parents were in town last weekend. We made it out for dinner at the Kona Grill in Lincolnshire. This was the first time I've been to a Kona grill so I didn't know what to expect. I have to say though, that I was pleasantly surprised.
I ordered the Macadamia Nut Chicken, and it was absolutely fantastic. Perfectly cooked, but more importantly perfectly seasoned and with a sauce that really made me take note.
What was funny though was that for dinner we brought a bottle of Byron Pinot Noir. Which was a fine bottle I will get to in a minute. We put the bottle on the table and when the server came by asked if it could be opened. She was a young server, and the place is fairly new, but even with that I was entertained by the fact that she had no idea this could be done. She didn't say anything, but the look on her face betrayed her. She whisked away and a few minutes later she returned with some glasses and a comment. "The manager says corkage will be $20, and I have to make sure the wine isn't on our list. I didn't even know you could do this". We agreed and enjoyed our wine with dinner.
I think it is interesting. Wine is so popular when eating out, but people ignore the high markup of wine on the list. Now $20 is a pretty high corkage and makes this equation a little tough, but look at this real example. The most expensive bottle of wine on the list at Kona was a La Crema Pinot Noir. It retails for $17 and was on the list for $43. Our bottle of Byron was $22. We paid the same amount for a better bottle. Now imagine if we had purchased a $60 bottle at the store and brought it with us. That bottle would have cost us $150 at the restaurant, but runs us a mere $80. And it is a common occurrance to spend $80 on a bottle of mediocre wine at a restaurant, but rare to spend $60 on a dud at a liquor store. All in all its a much better deal and you get to drink something without all the pressure of the restaurant's wine list.
On to the bottle of Byron. My dad picked out the bottle largely on a whim. Byron's 2007 Pinot is a Santa Maria pinot. It had all the characteristics of what I think of as typical california pinot. Inviting fruity and mildly complex. For $22 I can't complain. Well actually if you know me, you know I could, but I won't. It was all in all a very good wine for the price and one I can easily recommend.
I ordered the Macadamia Nut Chicken, and it was absolutely fantastic. Perfectly cooked, but more importantly perfectly seasoned and with a sauce that really made me take note.
What was funny though was that for dinner we brought a bottle of Byron Pinot Noir. Which was a fine bottle I will get to in a minute. We put the bottle on the table and when the server came by asked if it could be opened. She was a young server, and the place is fairly new, but even with that I was entertained by the fact that she had no idea this could be done. She didn't say anything, but the look on her face betrayed her. She whisked away and a few minutes later she returned with some glasses and a comment. "The manager says corkage will be $20, and I have to make sure the wine isn't on our list. I didn't even know you could do this". We agreed and enjoyed our wine with dinner.
I think it is interesting. Wine is so popular when eating out, but people ignore the high markup of wine on the list. Now $20 is a pretty high corkage and makes this equation a little tough, but look at this real example. The most expensive bottle of wine on the list at Kona was a La Crema Pinot Noir. It retails for $17 and was on the list for $43. Our bottle of Byron was $22. We paid the same amount for a better bottle. Now imagine if we had purchased a $60 bottle at the store and brought it with us. That bottle would have cost us $150 at the restaurant, but runs us a mere $80. And it is a common occurrance to spend $80 on a bottle of mediocre wine at a restaurant, but rare to spend $60 on a dud at a liquor store. All in all its a much better deal and you get to drink something without all the pressure of the restaurant's wine list.
On to the bottle of Byron. My dad picked out the bottle largely on a whim. Byron's 2007 Pinot is a Santa Maria pinot. It had all the characteristics of what I think of as typical california pinot. Inviting fruity and mildly complex. For $22 I can't complain. Well actually if you know me, you know I could, but I won't. It was all in all a very good wine for the price and one I can easily recommend.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Bottle Shock
I'm sure most readers will never have heard of the movie Bottle Shock. It was a little known title released sometime last year. The film stars Bill Pullman, Alan Rickman, and Chris Pine. Its the story of Chateau Montelena, who longtime readers will know is one of my favorite wines.
I finally had the opportunity to see the movie a couple weeks ago. I can't say I was disappointed because my expectations were appropriately low, but it wasn't an exceptionally good movie. The cinematography was everything you would expect of a movie filmed in Napa. It featured the stunning landscape that would be hard to miss if you so much as took a flip mini to make a clip for you tube. The acting was passable, Bill Pullman put in a convincing performance as did Alan Rickman. Where the film fails is that it doesn't rise above the wine story to be more about life.
The highlight of the movie is probably the fact that it centers on one of the greatest wineries in Napa. It stirred me to go out and try to find a bottle of Montelena Chardonnay to share with my parents who were in town. Shockingly we couldn't find one at Binny's or Sams's.
If you are a big wine fan I suggest checking the movie out, but if you are looking for a good movie that stands on its own look elsewhere.
I finally had the opportunity to see the movie a couple weeks ago. I can't say I was disappointed because my expectations were appropriately low, but it wasn't an exceptionally good movie. The cinematography was everything you would expect of a movie filmed in Napa. It featured the stunning landscape that would be hard to miss if you so much as took a flip mini to make a clip for you tube. The acting was passable, Bill Pullman put in a convincing performance as did Alan Rickman. Where the film fails is that it doesn't rise above the wine story to be more about life.
The highlight of the movie is probably the fact that it centers on one of the greatest wineries in Napa. It stirred me to go out and try to find a bottle of Montelena Chardonnay to share with my parents who were in town. Shockingly we couldn't find one at Binny's or Sams's.
If you are a big wine fan I suggest checking the movie out, but if you are looking for a good movie that stands on its own look elsewhere.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
A Wine Gifting Guide for Chicago’s Busy Socialite
I'm always looking for new ways to provide interesting wine ideas to my readers, so when Fleming's Executive Chef Patrick Quackenbush approached me about doing a wine list for the Holiday's I was thrilled.
Patrick Quakenbush, amicably referred to as Chef Quak, was born in Sycamore, IL to an Air Force family, spending his first 10 years in Wiesbaden, West Germany. His European travels exposed him to exotic foods at a young age, which shaped his love of food. Quakenbush returned to the U.S. and studied Restaurant Management at Ohio State University, while simultaneously working at Dalt’s American Grill.
After graduation, Quakenbush moved to Orlando, where he became a Sous Chef at Planet Hollywood of Walt Disney World. For four years, he prepared meals for 6,000 people per day and earned Chef of the Quarter 4 times with a Silver Star. He went on to open sister restaurants in Las Vegas and Melbourne, Australia.
Quakenbush followed his General Manager’s lead and left Planet Hollywood for a position at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville at Universal Studios Florida. He opened another Margaritaville in Ochoa Rios, Jamaica, earning Manager of the Year along the way. He then joined NBA City, a sister company to Hard Rock, as an Executive Chef at Universal Studios.
In an eclectic city like Chicago, dinner party menus are vast and varied, making it difficult to pick the perfect wine for everyone on your list.
These are few of my favorite wines sure to please any palate:
* Joel Gott, Napa Valley Chardonnay ($15) – Chardonnay is popular among both wine enthusiasts and casual drinkers, and therefore, always a good choice. Joel Gott uses stainless steel tanks for fermentation, preserving the natural pear, stone fruit and mineral characteristics created by the cool climates of the southern Napa Valley vineyards. As a result, this wine has a fresh acidity and clean finish, making it a great pairing for a variety of food.
* Niebaum-Coppola Sophia Blanc de Blancs ($20) – This distinct blend of Pinot Blanc (70 percent), Sauvignon Blanc (20 percent) and Muscat Cannelli (ten percent) produces a floral sweetness that appeals to a broad range of tastes. Wrapped in cellophane, Sophia is a perfect ready-to-go gift that displays playful sophistication.
* 2003 Qupe Syrah Central Coast ($20) – This wine also pairs with a multitude of foods. The 2003 vintage has a bit more body than previous years, but still releases a forefront of fruit and aromas of hardspice, black pepper, berries and hints of lavender and licorice.
* A to Z, Wineworks Oregon Pinot Noir ($20) – The name comes from its blending – the grapes could be sourced from any Oregon winery, from A to Z. Blended from at least 16 different Oregon vineyards, this wine is light and easy to drink, pleasing almost any crowd with aromas of bright red fruit, spices and earthy undertones.
* Vineyard 29 Cru, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon ($50) – If you’re looking to impress your host, this Cabernet Sauvignon is a great choice. This royal pedigree yields a wine truly fit for a king. Deep and complex, this wine starts with ripe dark fruit, toasty vanilla and creamy caramel, then moves to roasted coffee cassis and dried flowers before finishing with a touch of earthiness and spice.
* ZD Reserve Napa Valley Chardonnay ($55) – Its name is derived from the founders, Gino Zepponi and Norman de Leuze, but it also stands for Zero Defects. This Chardonnay is their signature wine, known for its non-malolactic fermentation. Malolactic fermentation is a secondary fermentation that occurs after the sugar has fermented to alcohol. By preventing this, the wine retains a forward fruit flavor and crisp, natural acidity. A unique choice that will wow any social gathering.
* 2001 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley ($70) – Silver Oak is a wine most people recognize, making it an impressive gift. Fruit-driven and full-bodied, this wine has a long, lingering finish, with a complex nose that ranges from black cherry to ginger. If properly cellared, this wine will continue to improve for a decade or more, giving your host an extraordinary treat to look forward to.
* 2002 Quintessa ($100) – Though one of the more expensive wines, the Quintessa proves to be perfect for the person who has everything. This wine is a meritage, a blend that consists of the five classic Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenere. The 2002 vintage is excellent now and will continue to improve in the bottle for the next five to ten years, giving your host the option to serve now or save for later.
For more information on any of the wines listed above, please visit Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar at 25 E. Ohio St., Chicago, IL
Happy Holidays!
Patrick Quakenbush, amicably referred to as Chef Quak, was born in Sycamore, IL to an Air Force family, spending his first 10 years in Wiesbaden, West Germany. His European travels exposed him to exotic foods at a young age, which shaped his love of food. Quakenbush returned to the U.S. and studied Restaurant Management at Ohio State University, while simultaneously working at Dalt’s American Grill.
After graduation, Quakenbush moved to Orlando, where he became a Sous Chef at Planet Hollywood of Walt Disney World. For four years, he prepared meals for 6,000 people per day and earned Chef of the Quarter 4 times with a Silver Star. He went on to open sister restaurants in Las Vegas and Melbourne, Australia.
Quakenbush followed his General Manager’s lead and left Planet Hollywood for a position at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville at Universal Studios Florida. He opened another Margaritaville in Ochoa Rios, Jamaica, earning Manager of the Year along the way. He then joined NBA City, a sister company to Hard Rock, as an Executive Chef at Universal Studios.
In an eclectic city like Chicago, dinner party menus are vast and varied, making it difficult to pick the perfect wine for everyone on your list.
These are few of my favorite wines sure to please any palate:
* Joel Gott, Napa Valley Chardonnay ($15) – Chardonnay is popular among both wine enthusiasts and casual drinkers, and therefore, always a good choice. Joel Gott uses stainless steel tanks for fermentation, preserving the natural pear, stone fruit and mineral characteristics created by the cool climates of the southern Napa Valley vineyards. As a result, this wine has a fresh acidity and clean finish, making it a great pairing for a variety of food.
* Niebaum-Coppola Sophia Blanc de Blancs ($20) – This distinct blend of Pinot Blanc (70 percent), Sauvignon Blanc (20 percent) and Muscat Cannelli (ten percent) produces a floral sweetness that appeals to a broad range of tastes. Wrapped in cellophane, Sophia is a perfect ready-to-go gift that displays playful sophistication.
* 2003 Qupe Syrah Central Coast ($20) – This wine also pairs with a multitude of foods. The 2003 vintage has a bit more body than previous years, but still releases a forefront of fruit and aromas of hardspice, black pepper, berries and hints of lavender and licorice.
* A to Z, Wineworks Oregon Pinot Noir ($20) – The name comes from its blending – the grapes could be sourced from any Oregon winery, from A to Z. Blended from at least 16 different Oregon vineyards, this wine is light and easy to drink, pleasing almost any crowd with aromas of bright red fruit, spices and earthy undertones.
* Vineyard 29 Cru, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon ($50) – If you’re looking to impress your host, this Cabernet Sauvignon is a great choice. This royal pedigree yields a wine truly fit for a king. Deep and complex, this wine starts with ripe dark fruit, toasty vanilla and creamy caramel, then moves to roasted coffee cassis and dried flowers before finishing with a touch of earthiness and spice.
* ZD Reserve Napa Valley Chardonnay ($55) – Its name is derived from the founders, Gino Zepponi and Norman de Leuze, but it also stands for Zero Defects. This Chardonnay is their signature wine, known for its non-malolactic fermentation. Malolactic fermentation is a secondary fermentation that occurs after the sugar has fermented to alcohol. By preventing this, the wine retains a forward fruit flavor and crisp, natural acidity. A unique choice that will wow any social gathering.
* 2001 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley ($70) – Silver Oak is a wine most people recognize, making it an impressive gift. Fruit-driven and full-bodied, this wine has a long, lingering finish, with a complex nose that ranges from black cherry to ginger. If properly cellared, this wine will continue to improve for a decade or more, giving your host an extraordinary treat to look forward to.
* 2002 Quintessa ($100) – Though one of the more expensive wines, the Quintessa proves to be perfect for the person who has everything. This wine is a meritage, a blend that consists of the five classic Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenere. The 2002 vintage is excellent now and will continue to improve in the bottle for the next five to ten years, giving your host the option to serve now or save for later.
For more information on any of the wines listed above, please visit Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar at 25 E. Ohio St., Chicago, IL
Happy Holidays!
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