Family, Friends, Wine, Hockey, Restaurants.... Michigan! (G's Tasting Series)

Happy Holidays!  I must admit that I am a little behind on writing, so here is a recent trip to Michigan and Michigan wine tasting to cover the Wednesday G's Tasting Series!  Enjoy.

I recently ventured to the mother land known as Michigan to taste more wine, see family, see friends, partake in the Big Chill, and to check out one of the boldest restaurants/wine bars I have seen in Michigan, let a lone West Michigan.

I arrived in Grand Rapids, escaping the giant snow storm hitting Minneapolis.  I got in pretty late so I just went back to my Dad's and went to bed.  I went to bed giddy, feeling like a kid going to bed on Christmas Eve.  I knew that Friday would be a day filled with wine and food!  We left for Reserve (Reserve, Grand Rapids) around 3 in the afternoon in order to get there before the after work rush and traffic.  It was a success.  The menu was unlike anything I have seen in Michigan.... ever.  Cheeses, smoked fish, cured meats, pork fat fries, just the craziest stuff you could possibly imagine.  Definitely for those who are culinary explorers and want something out of the box... so I hate using this word... but, well it's for the "Foodies."  I'm not going to get into my tyrad about Foodies, well maybe a little.  I believe everyone, yes everyone is a Foodie, even if you don't know it.  If you like food in any way, you are a Foodie, if you like to try new food, you are a Foodie, if you eat food, you are a Foodie... you get my drift.  Foodie, Foodie, Foodie, blah.

Back to Reserve, the place was very modern, sleek but cold.  When modern is over done, for whatever reason, it feels cold to me.  The food was amazing, we had a couple cheeses, some prosciutto.  We also place an order for the Smoked Fish Trio which consisted of Lake Superior White Fish, Lake Michigan Trout, Wild Alaskan Salmon and was served with Kohlrabi and German Butterball Potato Salad, two words, Smokey Deliciousness!!  I also had to have an order of the Pork Belly, which is hard to mess up..... it was rich, fatty, and yumyum.  Sooo good!  Just melted in my mouth.  The food was absolutely superb!

View from out table on balcony.

Of course since it was a wine bar/restaurant I ordered some wine.  Had the below in the picture, since I was out with family and just wanting to enjoy myself I didn't really take any tasting notes on the wine just sipped and sort of decided in my head what I thought of them.  I do remember that the star of this "Western Pinot" trio was the Vision Cellars out of Sonoma County, very interesting (Vision Cellars).

From left to right, Scherrer, Ghost Hills Cellars, and Vision Cellars, all Pinot

I was also impressed with their 100+ by glass wine options.  How is this possible you ask?  Well they have the largest Cruvinet (Cruvinet Link) Wine Bar System in Michigan and the first and largest I have seen in person.  It basically preserves a opened bottle of wine for much longer than just opening a bottle and putting one of those stoppers in it.  This allows the wine bar to offer slightly lowers prices (if it chooses to) and also offer a wider selection as the chance of the opening a wine and it not being drank is lower.

Cruvinet System

Overall, this place is a great place to out and adventure into wine and food in Grand Rapids, MI.  I will warn you that it is expensive for what you are getting as it is probably the only place in the state that is like it.  Well worth it in my opinion

After Reserve we headed back to my Dad's for some Michigan wine and dinner.  I selected three wines at a local wine shop and that were recommended to me by a friend that works at one of the wineries up in Northern Michigan.  I wanted to revisit Michigan wines after tasting my way through many of California's wineries over the last 4 or 5 months.

Since it is Wednesday, here are some brief tasting notes for G's Tasting Series.  I have high hopes for Michigan wines as I hope to one day maybe return to open a winery.  I hope that as the years go by the wine gets dialed in.  I havent really tasted any Michigan wine of superb qualitiy however I have had some that were interesting and show serious promise.  I am still in the infancy stages in tasting and also tasting Michigan wine so here we go!

2009 Chateau Chantal, Pinot Gris, Old Mission Peninsula
consumed Friday, Dec. 10, 2010, with family, Retail $21

A nice wine.  Aromas of freshly cut apples erupt out of the bottle.  The wine is crisp, acidic, a little tart.  It has a nice mouth feel and was very pleasant.  I could only see myself sitting on a deck in the summer relaxing with this wine.  Unfortunately as I tasted it I was starring out to the Michigan winter!
***
2009 Chateau Chantal, Pinot Noir, Old Mission Peninsula
consumed Friday, Dec 10, 2010, with family, Retail $16

Another nice wine from this producer.  It has some out of a harsh nose open open but settled in after breathing some oxygen.  There really wasn't much going on in the bottle off the first sniff but want on to reveal some tart cherry and some what of an earthy aroma.  Also, apparent was what seemed to be a little smoke.  Overall, again, a pleasant wine from the region.
**

The white wines from Northern Michigan seem to fair much better than the reds.  One thing is for sure, I will continue my quest to find amazing wines in Michgain.  I have found good wine but not that wine that just says, WOW!!!

Saturday was spent with family and friends in Ann Arbor to watch the "Big Chill" which was an outdoor hockey game played at U of M stadium between Michigan State and U of M.  It was great to be a part of it.  The game set the world record for attendance at an outdoor hockey game and it set the record for highest attendance at Michigan Stadium ever!!  A hockey game set the record for attendance (113,411, I think) at a football stadium, being a hockey player, I love it.

Have a great New Year!  Coming up on G's Tasting Series, will be the highly regarded first growth Bordeaux's!!!  As one of my friends told me, "A cork tease is someone who constantly talks about the wine he or she will open but never does."  I love that saying, but it's not me, I drink the stuff.  Look out for these two tasting notes!!!

2008 Erath, Pinot Noir (G's Tasting Series)

Bam, its hump day.. tasty time.

Ahhh, Oregon, supposedly the closest thing we have in the states to Burgundy, France.  I am fairly inexperienced in tasting Oregon wines so I revisited this Oregon Pinot that I tried back when I first really started to get into this wine thing.  I remember the first time I had it I was pretty impressed.

2008 Erath, Pinot Noir, Oregon
consumed Friday, Dec. 3, 2010, with friends, Retail $21

After much anticipation this wine really fell short from what I remembered it to be maybe 6 months prior.  It was thin, watery, and lacked any structure.  It had nice aromas of sweet cherry, damn earth, and a little pepper.  For the price point it was an okay wine, I'd like to taste some of the single vineyard designations to give the winery another shot.
**

One thing I think I've mentioned before about purchasing Pinot Noir (Pinot Noir Memoir post) is that you really need to spend some money in order to get a good one.  Pinot Noir is difficult to grow and make wine from, its finicky, and needs to have the right terroir in order to make it an awesome wine.  A nice Pinot, in my opinion, is the best wine in the world.  If Pinot Noir is a Ferrari then Cabernet Sauvignon is a Ford F-150.

Happy Holidays!

2001 J. Rochioli, West Block (G's Tasting Series)

BamBam, Happy Wednesday ya'll!  Enjoy.  

Another heavy hitter from J. Rochioli, this West Block selection is probably their more known wine in the international community.  Once again, one of the best wines I have had.  My personal favorite is the East Block.

2001 J. Rochioli, West Block, Russian River Valley
consumed Friday, Nov. 26, 2010, with friends, Retail $120

Well first of all, I about had heart attack after cutting the foil off of the bottle.  I could see where a little wine had reached the top of the cork usually a sign the wine is corked.  Meaning oxygen has gotten into the wine prematurely and basically spoiled it.  As I dug into the cork with the wine opener, more problems arose, since the wine had made its way all the way to the top the cork and the fact that it was 9 years old, the cork screw was just shredding the cork, luckily we got enough of it in to where we could wiggle it out of the bottle.  The true test came with a little sniff of the wine....... my heart pounding....... expecting it to smell like wet socks (smell typical of a corked wine)....... I was delighted to smell a tight wine ready to open!!  Phewwwww!  Not only was it the wine that I was worried about but all during Thanksgiving I had been talking up this wine to my girlfriends family and was excited for them to try it so luckily it was good!

With older wines (and even high quality younger wines) you should really let the wine sit for at least an hour before enjoying.  Since I am impatient and trying to educate myself I jumped right in!  The aroma upon opening was subtle, and what to me felt like a Christmas present waiting to be opened.  Everything great about the wine was there, however, it was closed off waiting for something to kick in the door.

Meet oxygen, after about 30 minutes the wine really hit it's stride, I mean really.  It's interesting to taste the wine as it goes through this process.  The wine opened up with big bright red fruit, (Russian River Valley at it's finest) bing cherry, raspberry, a little licorice, the wine was pleasantly balanced, and the finish lingered forever.  This is why I have fallen in love with wine!
******

2008 M. Chapoutier, Petite Ruche, Syrah (G's Tasting Series)

Today is hump day and with hump day comes a tasting note!  Enjoy!  

During the same visit to the local wine store when I purchased the Bernard Latour (see older post) I purchased this wine from M. Chapoutier.  A much larger producer with wines from many areas in the Rhone this wine is from a lesser know area, Crozes-Hermitage in the Northern Rhone region where the red wine is made from 100% Syrah.  In a very general sense the wines from the Crozes-Hermitage are lesser quality then the wines from Hermitage and Cote-Rotie.  Still a place where you can likely find hidden gems.... however, this M. Chapoutier is not one of them. 

2008 M. Chapoutier, Petite Ruche, Syrah, Crozes-Hermitage
consumed Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010 with love, Retail $28.00

The wine itself was okay and the price was not.  I enjoyed the Bernard Latour from the Southern Rhone much more and for $10 dollars less.  As I venture deeper and deeper into wine I'm really starting to get a little understanding on pricing.  I will elaborate here, these are my own opinions and what I think in this particular case.  M. Chapoutier produces wine from basically every appellation in the Rhone.  The different labels and wines are quite many.  For instance, a 2007 Chapoutier Ermitage le Meal Syrah (Hermitage) can fetch $170 dollar bottle depending on where you are buying it.  After some research I found that you can get the wine I had above (Petite Ruche) for around $18, in my opinion, more in the likeness of its apparent value.  I think the place I purchased this wine from took advantage of the name behind the bottle and marked it up quite nicely.  Do I feel ripped off?  Not really, I had been wanting to try a M. Chapoutier wine for some time after reading about the Rhone in my wine bible, I was able to find that wine at a local wine store and purchased it on impulse.  I came to the wine store not looking for anything in particular and then I saw the Chapoutier.  I paid for the luxury of buying that wine, that day, and consuming it that night versus purchasing it, and having it shipped.  Okay, what's the point?  Wine prices don't necessarily reflect the actually quality of that wine.  Wow, that was a little more long winded than expected.

The Tasting:
The wine had nice red fruit on the front, cherry, with a little plum, and a earthy aroma.  The finish was short and sweet with an odd after taste.  I couldn't pin point what the taste was, just bitterness. Overall, an okay wine not worth $28.  It will not deter me from trying another Chapoutier, however.
**

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was spent in the frozen tundra known as Minnesota.  It was a balmy 1 to 5 degrees (high) out for most of the holiday weekend so I choose to stay inside and eat!  I brought some bottles of wine to share, all of what's left of the Rochioli wine I had shipped here to hold me over the winter.  I only have about 3 bottles left.  It's so sad!  What am I going to do with myself once it runs out!

Thanksgiving was great!  I had the opportunity to meet the rest of my girlfriend's family and enjoy some great German cooking.  What I really enjoyed was this alternate stuffing that was made primarily from sauerkraut.  I have never really known what sauerkraut actually was, I had never given it much thought.  I thought it was just what it was, some sort of vegetable grown in the garden.  I was wrong.  Sauerkraut is actually shredded cabbage that has been fermented.  I was enlightened!  On to this stuffing, the stuffing was made from, yes, sauerkraut, rye bread crumbs, carrots (I think), and bacon.  BACON!!!  This dish, as pointed out by by girlfriend's brother, went really well with the Rochioli pinot we were drinking.  I took a bit of the stuffing, took a healthy swig of the wine and.......I concurred!

As I sit right now, there is snow on the ground, we got about 5-7 inches this weekend!  And I think it's 15 degrees.  Even with the weather I am having a lot of fun out here in Minnesota. 

This week I am heading to Michigan to visit with family and try some more Michigan wine.  Also, I was able to get my hands on a 1999 Chateau Haut-Brion (Bordeaux First Growth, Graves, Bordeaux) and a 1999 Chateau Pavie (Top St.-Emillion, Bordeaux).  I am really excited about these two wines as I have never tasted a top Bordeaux (France).  Tasting notes will soon follow however I'm not sure when I will drink them..... the holidays seem like a good time!

One of many plates.

 Yes, as cold as it looks!!

     

2001 J. Rochioli, East Block (G's Tasting Series)

Hailing from the esteemed Russian River Valley in Sonoma County near the city of Healdsburg is this beautiful pinot noir.  The Russian River has some of the best conditions for growing pinot and chardonnay in the United States and the world.  This area and in particular Healdsburg, holds a special place in my heart as it is where I lived during harvest this year.  If you find yourself visiting wineries in Sonoma Country you have got to visit downtown Healdsburg, one of my favorite cities (well villages I guess, its not that big).  As one winemaker told me, "we are just a bunch of hillbillies making great wine."  That statement, for me, in it's purest form, is exactly what making wine and life is about around here.  It is not 'hillybilly' in a negative connotation but rather a way of living: laid back, caring, sustainable, fresh food, open, approachable, friendly, and romantic.  I have never felt at home in a city more than I have with Healdsburg and Sonoma County.  And on to the tasting.......

2001 J. Rochioli East Block, Russian River Valley 
consumed Friday Nov. 12, 2010, with friends, Retail $159.99

One of the top pinot noirs in California and the world.  In fact for the single vineyard selections (like this East Block) there is a 5-6 year wait to get on the buying list direct from the winery so to obtain these bottles you must go the retail route (typically boutique wine shops).  However, you can get their Estate (entry level) pinot noirs directly from the winery.  

This 9 year old wine was absolutely stunning.  By far the best wine I have ever had the pleasure of drinking.  It was bright fruit dancing on the tongue, black cherries, velvety, rich, smooth, refined, pretty, earthy, and had a long structured finish.  YUMMMMMMMMM!  Great drinking wine, ready now!
******

2007 Bernard Latour, Domaine de L'Espigouette (G's Tasting Series)

Every Wednesday, or as much as an unemployed person can afford, expect weekly tasting notes on wines that I have recently tried and what I think of them.  About 70% of what you smell in wine, is what you are going to end up tasting, that is why you see people out and about swirling (aerating) and sniffing their wine.  It's all part of the sensory experience and it will allow you to enjoy the wine that much more.  I must say it does take time to smell what you smell in the wine as our noses are not used as intensely as they did when we were all cavemen and women (have to be PC these days, haha).  So don't get discouraged, just keep trying, really think and blurt out what you are smelling in the wine!  There is no right or wrong way to eat a Reese's (ha or what you smell/taste in wine).  And here we go.............

As my trip to France gets closer with each passing day (as it naturally would right? ha) I have been reading a lot about the French wine regions (Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil) and beginning to think about what areas of the country I want to visit.  I have drank a lot of Burgundy wine as pinot noir is certainly my favorite varietal so I decided to venture to the Rhone and specifically a 2007 Bernard Latour, Domaine de L'Espigouette, Cotes du Rhone.

2007 Bernard Latour, Domaine de L'Espigouette, Cotes du Rhone
consumed Friday Nov. 19, 2010, with love, Retail $18.89

Wine from the Cotes du Rhone (Southern Rhone) are typically blends of several varietals.  The grapes from the Cotes du Rhone can be from anywhere in the Rhone but are typically from Southern Rhone as the Northern Rhone sub-region is covered by a number of well known appellations (e.g. Hermitage).  The primary varietals in Southern Rhone are Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan, and Cinsault.  The most famous appellation in Southern Rhone is Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

On to the wine tasting, upon first opening the wine and pouring it into the glass I immediately noticed the inky deep plum color and an aroma of jam, almost like a blend of raspberry and blueberry jam.  That is all that I could really sense in the wine so I left the wine in the glass to open up a little as I went back to making dinner.  After letting the wine breathe for maybe 20 minutes I returned to the wine and it had really opened up.  I immediately thought of the holidays after swirling it and smelling it.... but why.... and then ah-ha, nutmeg... it smells like nutmeg, reminding me of eggnog, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and family.  The wine also went on to reveal notes of vanilla and hints of cinnamon.  The finish was pleasant but short however for 18 bucks you can't really expect it to be perfect.  Overall, a very nice wine for the price and it would go great with Thanksgiving dinner!

Happy Holidays and safe travels!

Milwaukee, Spreadin the Wine Bug!

After about a 6 hour drive we finally arrived in good 'ol Milwaukee, WI where the beer flows like rain and the wine.... well.... not so much.  So what is an oenophile doing in a place like Milwaukee, well, visiting some of my best friends on the planet, spreading the wine bug of course, and discussing business plans with business partners!

We arrived on Thursday and it immediately meant a trip to Trocadero (Trocadero) a place I've been wanting to go to for awhile.  We started with some Lakefront Brewery beer which I mentioned in an earlier post, and it was good as usual.  It seems they have added some new beers as well, I had a "French style" beer that according to the bartender is not even being bottled yet at Lakefront.  I wish I could remember what they are calling it because at the moment I cannot find it on either website.  Anyways, if you are in Milwaukee look out for this new "French style", I want to say Lager beer from Lakefront.  Trocadero did not disappoint, the huge sign on top, the location under a bridge, the warehouse next to it which clearly used to be a manufacturing plant that saw its demise, smelled like wet, rotting old building.  Walking into Trocadero was very interesting, the building was as old as the rotting building across the street, the inside was old world, tile on the floor, dimly lit, very unique, it also had an outside beer garden which I'm sure is a local hot spot in the summer.  We only worked on the appetizers here, they were good!  We had the Killer Guac, Steamed Mussel Pot green curry (we were supposed to get the Negra Modelo onion n' chorizo sauce, but what became a theme of the night, we would order something and the food that came out was not what we ordered, but we just went with it!), Yum Yum Dip, and some Frites with Sriracha Mayo, which was super good. All n all, the atmosphere was great and the food pretty good.  Recommended!

Friday rolled around of course I had the day off, I have everyday off at the moment so I convinced my friend Mike to take off Friday so we could be bums and roll all over Milwaukee.  The day started late, around 11am, we headed to a favorite breakfast spot in Milwaukee, Beans and Barley (Beans and Barley).  We arrived at around noon and breakfast was over, it was sad, however lunch was great!  I had the burrito which looks like they are known for.  I think I spent maybe 9 dollars there so not only was the food good, it was on the cheap.   After lunch we headed to the Great Lakes Distillery (Great Lakes Distillery), the first distillery to start up in Wisconsin since the dreadful prohibition.  I'm typically not that into spirits, however... however, this stuff was good!  Mike and I walked in and the first thing we had was a an Old Fashioned drink made with their Pumpkin Seasonal Spirit (Pumpkin Seasonal) which was superb!  Then it was on to the tour which short and sweet.  The tour guide, Jason, made it very informative.  After the tour we tasted through all of their spirits from Grappa to Absinthe.  Please check out their website to see what else they produce.

For me, the Absinthe was the most interesting.  We've all heard the stories of hallucinations, going crazy, van Gogh drank it, and Poe drank it, among others.  The interesting thing is that absinthe never caused hallucinations.... ever.  Yes, it is a high potency alcohol.  People were getting super drunk off of it but it did not cause hallucinations.  Stories of going crazy and hallucinations were started by the European wine industry.  You see at the time absinthe was becoming the drink of choice and a direct threat to wineries so they created these stories as a response. Drinking absinthe is quite the experience and no it doesn't involve dissolving sugars or burning it...etc.  You can drink it this way but the best way is to start with a glass water dispenser (see picture below) with ice water and spigots.  I was quite perplexed that we were going to add water to something (2 to 3 parts water, 1 absinthe) and that it would make it better.  I always associated adding water to things as a way to dilute not the case with absinthe.  The water actual brings out the flavor releasing oils and aroma.  You turn the spigot to a drip and you can see the oils releasing, once the absinthe become cloudy it's ready to go.  They had two different ones, one floral, one a little more licorice like.  Now, I don't like licorice however I really enjoyed the absinthe.  If you have the opportunity to try, DO IT!

Mike in front of the distillery

After tasting spirits all day it was time to head to the grocery store to get food for the 2nd annual Wine and Cheese party with friends.  It first started in D.C. with my friends George and Mike who came up with the brilliant idea of getting dressed up, eating great food, and drinking great wine.  Of course I brought some wine from the winery I worked at to share with everyone in Milwaukee.... to spread the wine bug!  With George as chef de cuisine and Mike as appetizer specialist, sous chef, we entered the realm of culinary art and wine lore, things you only dream of.  I contributed a Rochioli East Block Pinot and Sweetwater Chardonnay, both out did themselves.  They also complemented the cooking brilliantly. The chardonnay with the Chili Shrimp made by Chef Mike (Chili Shrimp) and the pinot with George's portabella mushrooms with pancetta and other goodies.  A great success!  The night was filled with good friends, great wine (15 bottles consumed), and beautiful food!  Thanks to George and Amber for hosting, thanks to the chefs, and thanks everyone who brought wine and brought their smiles!

the 15th bottle was being consumed at this very moment

Saturday was a day of hanging out and more wine.  We woke up and had Thai at the shadiest joint I've ever been to (Thai Lotus)!  It was good but I was a little scared for my life.  Don't go here by yourself.  Saturday evening I made my visit to Balzac (Balzac) which occurs every time I go to Milwaukee.  Balzac is probably one of my favorite places, great wine and food!

I made it back to Minnesota to find snow and cold! Winter is here!

Bikram Yoga

Although this has nothing to do with wine, at all, I wanted to take a few minutes to discuss my first experience with yoga, not just any yoga but Bikram Yoga.  You see, my girlfriend has been asking me if I would want to do yoga for probably since we have been dating and I honestly have always wanted to try it hoping that it would keep me youthful and especially help with flexibility.  So after much putting off going, I finally said what the heck let's do it.

What is Bikram Yoga?  Its Yoga at 103 degrees!!  Simulating what the weather is like in India where yoga is widely practiced and where I believe it is a religion.  Anyways, my first experience was great, it was relaxing, introspective, enlightening, and also a WORKOUT!  Forget the gym, forget the treadmill, bikram gives you everything you are looking for.  I can't stand running on a treadmill (I love running outside) or lifting weights so bikram was a nice change of pace.  The session was a lot of stretching/holding yourself up..etc... two days later I am the sorest I have ever been.  A different type of sore too, real deep sort of sore.  It's hard to explain.  Just try it, trust me! Highly recommended!!!

Minnesota Freezin'

Hello my wayward souls and vagabond travelers,

Well, I am still in Minnesota eating, drinkin' wine, and researching and writing my business plan.  It's kind of weird not really having a formal job, waking up when I want, working when I want, doing what I want!  It's exciting, except small anxiety's over money which doesn't really concern me that much anyway.  As long a I am a few steps away from the gutter I think I am fine!  

I've heard from many of you, begging and pleading with me for a new post (haha)!  Here it is.

I have been in Minnesota for about a week and yes it is cold but not as cold as it will get.  As a matter of fact, it was 60 degrees today.  To give you an idea of what my research consists of....

Tuesday, I met up with a friend who had the day off so we decided to check out what St. Paul, MN had to offer.  We started out for a brewery tour at Summit Brewery (Summit Brewing).  Anybody that goes to a brewery tour is there to drink some beer and learn a little bit about the company.  The tour accomplished this... but went a little overboard with... "this is how the beer is stacked in the warehouse, this is how a beer is kept cool."  After smelling fresh beer in a brewery for 2 hours by the end I was just itching, nay, going nuts to try their beer.  Does this mean I am an alcoholic?  That I drink at noon, jonesin' for it when I smell it, and think about drinking it the whole time during the tour.... hmm.... I don't think so, others may, ha!  Anyways, it was a nice tour just a little too long, the beer was awesome.  Flavorful, unique, a great American craft brewery for sure.  I tried the Pilsener, Red Ale, and Winter Ale all of which were great.  They are known for their Extra Pale Ale but as contested by my friend Phil, we can get that at any bar so he advised me to try the other beers which again were great.  Other venerable micro breweries I enjoy, Bell's Brewery (Bells Beer), Michigan, my favorite: Oberon, Lake Front Brewery (Lakefront Brewery), Wisconsin, my favorite: Riverwest (I'll probably be there next Friday, they have an awesome fish fry!), and Lagunitas Brewing Company (Lagunitas), California, my favorite: Hop Stoopid.  I highly recommend beers from all four of these places, super good, if you don't like I'll buy you a beer next time I see you!  ha.

Kegsssss!

After the brewery tour and beer, Phil and I were super hungry, and I had asked him, "Whats a place in the Twin Cities that you have to go to, or what is the place where if you visit here, everyone says, oh you have to eat at XX."  Phil couldn't think of anything at first and then, after a few beers to stimulate the brain it came to him... Cossetta's!  After walking in, my eyes and stomach just lit up!  As you can probably guess by the name, it's Italian, and man it was amazing.  They had a pizza section, hot foods section with all of your Italian classics, and a sandwich area hot or cold.  I went with a prosciutto and provolone on Italian bread with homemade Italian dressing and a little mayo, it was so good, hands down, the best sandwich I ever ate!  It also came with a little thing of potato salad, and I also got a cup of soup, and a glass of Chianti!  If you thought that sounds good, they also have an Italian store connected to the restaurant where you can get fresh pasta, sauces, and cured meats!!!!!  I think after France in June, its Italy next!

After that was said and done, it was time for more eating.  After "work hours" (which don't apply to me at the moment) I went over to Amore Victoria (Amore Victoria) in Uptown, Minneapolis to meet up with my girlfriend and her cousin for happy hour.  The place was really old school Italy inside, reminds me of many of the little charming Italian restaurants in Manhattan.  Food was okay, we just had some appetizers which were way too salty (Bruscetta, Spinach Dip, and a little pizza), the company was much better!  The location and the interior were the highlights, I want to go back and give them another chance with dinner and supposedly they have a "wine cellar" for dining and entertaining which I really want to see.

Wednesday, We headed to Loring Kitchen and Bar (Loring Kitchen & Bar) for dinner with friends, located in Loring Park in downtown Minnesota.  For me, the most interesting part of the night was the wine.  I started the evening with a glass of 2008 Domaine Daulny, Sancerre (Loire Valley (Loire Valley), France).  I couldn't remember what type of grape is used in Sancerre so it was kind of fun trying to figure out what it was.  This is what descriptors were running through my head, the wine had qualities of both chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, it was crisp, refreshing, citric, green apple, minerally, balanced, and finally yummmm! It's looks to be pretty affordable too, $20 or so bucks retail.

After that beautiful white, we selected a 2008 Caldora Montepulciano D'Abruzzo from Italy for dinner.  Smooth, velvety, red berry, licorice, hints of chocolate, vanilla.  I won't tell you what I paid but I will give you a hint, retail it looks like its about 12 bucks retail and what I paid and what it is worth is much much more.  If you can find this wine for under 20 bucks, I highly recommend it.  Until my next post.... Live Life!!!   

"No nation is drunken where wine is cheap, and none sober where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage" - Thomas Jefferson

All Things Come to an End

Today was my last week at Rochioli... I am exhausted.  My hands are torn to shreds and my shoulder is a little screwed up from falling out of the grape press awkwardly.  My body is drained but also ripped, kind of like Gerald Butler in the movie 300, don't laugh, I'm serious.  I can roll tractor tires with one arm, I can also throw a baseball exactly one mile, no joke, I can bench press a Pinto (Ford Pinto).  I had a lot of fun doing this, at times it wasn't fun when I was actually working because of the sheer effort put into making a great wine.  After work I always had a sense of accomplishment and wanting to go back the next day even though my body was saying why do you want to do this, you're nuts. Even though it was hard, I am thinking I will come back next year depending on my employment situation.  I want to do it again to really focus more on the next level of wine making.  I have the basics down, the machinery down, and for next year I really want to take my understanding to the next level.

My last day at the winery consisted of me washing barrels!  Its not very exciting but none the less part of making wine.  Wine making has to be extremely clean, everything you touch and use has to be spotless.  As one can imagine the least fun part of making wine is cleaning everything after you have used it!  Not fun!

 
After the uneventful day of washing barrels my last night at Bruce's was very eventful.  Bruce' wife got a new job at Wilson Winery (Wilson Winery) as, from what I understand, the event planner there.  She was doing an event for this coming weekend where their Zinfandels will be on display for their wine club members also including a dinner.  So we tasted through their Zins (I think it was 7 of them) with Bruce, his wife, myself, and two local chefs.  We took tasting notes and ranked them best on our own feeling on the wines.  After that we all started yelling out what would go good with the different wines.  Sort of a collaborative conversation about the wines and how we feel about them.  It was so cool!  To hear professionals in the trade just fire out what they are tasting in the wine and also what will go good with it.  Food and Wine!!!  The best pairing on earth!  After the tasting we say down for dinner.  A note on the Wilson Wines, yes they were good, very good, some better than others of course but the were for sure top notch for the price point.  I enjoyed the Mollys Vineyard Zin and the Sawyer Zin, the Sawyer being more representative of a "true zin" and Molly's being a little different, with a blend of 5% Petite Sirah.  In the end it was a great night shared with friends and it give me the insight into how wine and food pairings work!

So what is next you ask?
I'm in Minneapolis, Minnesota, why?  To spend time with my girlfriend, we haven't seen each other in 2 months!!!  Secondarily, I will be writing my business plan, drinking wine (I sent a case and a half here!!!), sharing that wine with the great people of Minnesota and also freezing my bum off!  I think it was a high of 40 degrees here today!  Sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas I will head to back to California refreshed, regrouped, refocused, reinvented, reinvigorated, re....etc... you get the point.  At that time I will look for a new job in the industry.  In March 2010, I will be enrolling in the CIA's Wine Immersion Program, assuming I can scrap together the money, in June I will be heading to France  for who knows how long with some great people, including future wine maker, vineyard rodent, M.G. Murawski.        

In closing, I read an article about this company, Tasting Room.  Its basically a way where instead of buying a full bottle of wine that you've never had, you can buy these tasting sample packages.  Pretty cool!  I haven't bought anything from them yet..... Tasting Room (Tasting Room).  If you order from here please let me know how it went.  I am unemployed again... so it will be awhile before I try out the website ha! 

In the words of Jay-Z.... I'm on to the next one, on to the next!

American Dream

I know this blog is supposed to be grounded in the business of wine however I wanted to spend some time thinking and writing about myself and where I am at personally.  Writing for me is a release and a way to express myself.  My hope is also that if someone reading this is in similar situation, that they know they are not alone.  While I am very fortunate about getting this harvest job and how everything has worked out, from turning down the financial job I was certain I was going to take, to being laid off, to deciding that I wanted to move to California and work a harvest to kick of this quest, it is a constant battle. 

There are times when I question exactly what I am doing.  I have made a conscious decision to go outside the norm and to pursue true passion relentlessly at the expense of comfort and safety.  I have made this decision, no one else, while I am supported by my family and friends (thank you so so so much, you mean the world to me!) I feel alone in this.  I am betting the house on myself and at times it does scare me.  Fear, the most paralyzing feeling that can ultimately lead to inaction.  I am constantly battling this fear, fear of no job, fear of no retirement savings, fear of not having a "career", in sum, fear of stepping out of what you are taught to do starting as a little dude in kindergarten.  I look at my friends who are married, settling down, putting down roots and I wonder what that must be like and sometimes I think that I want that.  I crave a place to call home, that is mine.  I wonder where I am going to get the money to put this together, to pay for education, to live, to live the way I want to live.  I am thinking that everyone that has every attempted to start a business has gone through this.  Bill Gates did not just all of a sudden become the richest man in the world.  I am sure there was tons and tons of blood, sweat, and tears.  I mean the guy dropped out of Harvard to start his own company!  Tom Rochioli didn't just all of sudden make some of the best Chardonnay and Pinot in the world, it took serious dedication and hard work.   Bruce (whose family I live with) raised two kids with his wife while operating his landscaping company in San Francisco while at the same time building Zinscape (Zinscape).  This is America.  America is full of people like this, they took a chance and pursued it with everything they had.  They bet the farm on themselves, some won and some lost.  This is America, America is NOT free handouts, entitlements, lazy, big government, bailouts on and on and on.  It takes constant reassurance in my own head that I am doing the right thing.  I have these little battles with myself on a daily basis.  Especially earlier this week, as it was very very difficult but you pick yourself off the floor, dust yourself off and charge forward because there is no other option not for me, not ever.

One thing I do know is that as much as I feel the way I do, I know that I am on the right path, I know this is right, it has to be.  I get up every day at 6am and not once have I felt like awww, dang time for work, I want to go back to bed!  I get the greatest satisfaction out of what I am doing now.  Creation, creating something with my own hands, knowing that what I am learning is invaluable, that it will help me in whatever I do next.  This is my journey.

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.  Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definetely commits oneself, then providence moves too.  All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.  A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would come his way.  Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.  Begin it now. - Goethe

Who said Pinot doesn't age?

This has been by far the hardest week of the harvest.  We have worked a few 8.5 hour days and one 9.5 hour day all while moving the entire time never to sit down, only to grab a quick snack and its on to the next thing.  All of the red grapes are in and are fermenting so our focus has been on mixing and adding yeasts, foods, punching down... making wine!  Friday was by far the hardest day, physically, as we had 3 tanks to pump out as the wine was ready for barreling.  Emptying a tank involves first pumping out all of the free run juice and then raking and shoveling the grapes into bins to be pressed.  My body was just screaming at me but I couldn't just stop like if I was working out, I had to keep going and go quickly!  Our hard work was rewarded all week!  We drank some very old Pinot, 1992 and 1993.  The wine was stunning.  A wine this old needs a little time to open up and develop.  When we first opened the bottle it did smell just a little off and after a few minutes it developed into a thing of beauty: balanced, bright, silky smooth, it really just blew my mind.  Hands down the two very best glasses of wine I have ever had.  Generally speaking people say that Pinots don't age and typically won't go much past 5 years or so vs a Cabernet Sauvignon which really needs to be aged (10 years) because its so harsh young, typically.

This leads me to a little saying I heard... Cabernet is the king of wine, Pinot Noir is the wine of kings!  I love it..haha.

The highlight of the week was an underground kitchen that I went to put on by Chef Mateo Granados (Mateo Granados).  We popped in for an appetizer and some wine.  So basically, the chef and his team bring the kitchen to you.  In this case it was at Preston Wines, you can bring your own wine or buy some from the winery, no pressure.  Its more about the dining then anything else.  We talked with the Chef for a bit then sat down for a quick bite.  The dishes offered that night are put up on a board, you get an idea of what you want and sit down at the table which is just a long table where you are sitting with everyone creating a great atmosphere conducive talking to the people around you while sharing wine and eating great food.  I had the rabbit belly salad which was awesome, I can't imagine what the main courses are like!  We couldn't spend too much time there as we didn't officially sign up for the event, the people I am living with know the chef and their son works for him so we were able to sneak in and eat a little food and drink some wine.  Check out this article for more on Mateo's (Tendejon de la Calle) mobile kitchen (Inside Scoop SF article).  While the outdoor mobile kitchen is winding down I look forward to attending one of his events again!

The setup - kitchen right, seating left

The menu, cant really read it... my bad

My salad, yum yum yum

Northern California is a paradise of fresh ingredients (everyone seems to have their own garden), the best cooking, wine (of course), great people, and a love for life! Whooooo!!!! 

Finally a day off!

Well, I am enjoying my first day off of work since Wednesday, September 20th.  The harvest is clearly in high gear!  I am extremely exhausted and on average have been going to bed around 9pm every night.  Not only is it like working out all day but it's also the mental exhaustion.  Making wine is very labor intensive and also brain intensive.  Now that we have had several loads of grapes come in there are now many jobs to do in a day besides sorting the grapes which is physically challenging and not mentally.  Some of the mental challenges or things I need to do and remember in a given day, starting with the morning, 7:30 sharp.

6:45am, time to start the day!

Punch down wines that have yeast added to them.
Harvest Pinot grapes.
Add grapes to primary fermentation tanks, add enzymes.
Clean grape conveyor, get ready to harvest white wines, clean white wine press, harvest white grapes, press white grapes direct to tank.
Measure, mix, and add yeasts to grapes that are ready for yeast.
Add food for yeast where needed.
Add wine to barrels add more food more needed.
Clean winery, wash, repeat!!!  

And because there are many different types of juice because of the single vineyards, you are constantly trying to remember what needs what.  Right now there are probably 6 or 7 different tanks that are filled and are at different stages in the process.  The winery smells like wine now!!  It smells soooo dang good and has me always thinking of drinking it!  I just want to jump in and swim around in the tanks!  haha.

Also, as many of you know, this week was my birthday.  Probably the best birthday on record. They day started off as a usual day.  Harvesting the grapes, etc, then around noon I saw a delivery truck from Costeaux French Bakery (Costeaux) and thought could that be for me, nah, it has to be for Ken (owns the catering company and his house is right next to winery).  So I continue to sort grapes, keep in mind I really didn't tell anyone at the winery that it was my birthday.  When lunch rolls around, which today was done my Ken's catering company, I walk into the office and everyone is saying happy birthday, I can't beleive it.  How do you all know?  Oh we have our ways they say.  Then on the counter I see a cake that reads Happy Birthday Bybs and I know instantly who it is from, it totally made my day!!!

Thank you so much! Love you :)!  

We enjoyed the cake for lunch and then after work, now that everyone knows its my birthday, the guys and I cracked a bottle of my favorite Rochioli wine, the East Block, and polished off the cake in the lab and went home extremely happy!!  The cake went real good with the wine!!!  REAL GOOD.  Tip, try this, chocolate cake with a nice Pinot.  Take a bite of the cake, swallow a little of it, then wash the rest down with the wine!!  It will blow your mind!  Yum Yum!

My birthday didn't stop there, last night I came back to San Ramon to celebrate my birthday with my family, we went out to eat at Izzys Steak Joint which was superb.  I then came home to a bottle of Rochioli's Rachel's Vineyard Chardonnay from that same special someone who surprised me with the cake.  Awesome!!!!  I bought some lotto tickets on my bday too, which I've wanted to do for quite some time but always forgot.  I didn't wine, I really thought I was going to.  It was a little disappointing ha!     

Time to enjoy the rest of my day of watching college football then its back to work tomorrow. 

Harvest into high gear!

First off, I hope that you enjoyed the last blog post by my friend Pinot Noir (if you haven't read it, check out blog post from Sept, 23rd).  It took a lot of convincing!! Anyways, back to the harvest.

Today was my first day at what harvest might look like once its really cranking.  It was a tough day and I was told you "ain't seen nothing yet."  I started the day by punching down a couple Pinot tanks that did not have the automatic punch down machine..... so it was time to put some muscle into it!  I punched down those two bad boys for about 20 minutes and my back, shoulders, and legs where screaming.  I thought I was in good shaped! After that we set up the equipment to receive white grapes, yup, finally harvesting some whites.  Instead of being destemmed and sorted, white wines, in this case sauvignon blanc, are dumped straight into the grape conveyor and straight into a press which is a large cylinder looking thing, grapes are pressed slightly then got straight into stainless steal tanks where it will age and become wine.  

The only reason red wine is red is because the skins are fermented with the grapes in primary fermentation.  Next, we pumped the primary fermentation of Pinot out and into stainless steel tanks, after the free run juice is sucked out you climb into the tank and shovel all the rest of the Pinot grapes which will be pressed to extract more juice.  All while doing this you have to be paying attention to what is happening with the sauvignon blanc grapes making sure they are going in and the juice is flowing out of the press into the tanks.

After all of the harvesting was done.... it was time to clean everything we got dirty.  The most challenging thing I did today was climb into the press, and spray it down with hot water.  It turned into a sauna in no time, seriously, it was just like a full blown sauna in there.  I was soaking wet by the time I was out of that thing.  However, I did notice that my skin was nicely exfoliated and moisturized... hahaha.... new business idea!  Have tourists clean the inside of press in order to exfoliate and learn a little something about wine making, all while charging them.... hahaha.  I presented it to Tom (owner) and he said no, hahaha.

Once everything was cleaned, we left, I grabbed dinner and some beer!  BEER you ask?? yes, I was in the mood for a refreshing pilsner.  I was at the store looking at a bottle of something called Pliny the Elder thinking Pliny maybe meant pilsner or something, then the guy at the store walked by me and said buy it!  Its soooo good.  I said, is it a pilsner, no its hoppy like an IPA he said, I said refreshing though, he said yes, best beer I ever had.  Cool thing is that its brewed in Santa Rosa and the brewer will not sell you the beer unless you say that it will remain cold from their dock to your store.  I know this is a wine blog, dedicated to all things wine however, however, this beer is worth a quick little review.  For me, most hoppy IPAs taste like fermented flowers, they are just too much.  This thing is so balanced it has huge hops but goes down so smooth with a little fruity after taste, maybe apricot or something.  Anyways, its super good!!  (Russian River Brewing Co.)

Tomorrow should be the longest day of harvest, Pinot, Pinot, and lots of Pinot!!!  I've been working none stop since last Wednesday!  Whoo!  Over and out!  

Yummmmmm!

Pinot Noir: A Memoir

Good afternoon, my name is Pinot Noir and will be a guest writer today on Quest for Wine.  I have been asked to write this memoir about myself at the request of this blog's everyday writer.  He has asked me to write on the topic of me and what I am about.  My hope is that we will get to know one another and if you haven't tried me before, you go out and get yourself a bottle wherever it may be from.... NOW (well after you read this)!  Typically, I would never write about myself, I'm shy at first and tend to open up.  The writer of this blog speaks very highly of me so I felt it my duty to him to write this.  As I sit, he is actually enjoying a 2007 Gary Farrell (Gary Farrell Wines), Me, Russian River Selection,what a lucky dog.  I would join him but I feel it odd to drink my brothers and sisters.  In any case, I am jealous, well happy, that he is not drinking me.

I am a very temperamental grape, I like to be grown in cool climates with little variations in temperature during my growing season.  I also need a lot of attention in the vineyard and winery.  I am sensitive to too much light exposure and need to produce bunches low in yield, so I can be super good.  I also need a lot of grooming in the vineyard, pruning techniques are key along with super soil.  I just love sending my roots into beautiful soil in search for food. My thin skin makes me susceptible to many fungal diseases, most notably bunch rot.  I'm afraid I am also prone to leaf roll and downy mildew.  Yes... I am difficult!

With the boring and scary things about me put aside.  I hail from many regions of the world however one region of the world has made me famous, France, specifically the Cote d'Or (Cote d'Or).  Arguably, the finest wines, regardless of varietal, come from here and they are also the most expensive.  I think the writer has mentioned this before but French Pinot's on average tend to be on the earthy and herbal side.  Which leads me to a very different type of me.  Another area where I like to grow and grow very well is California and specifically, in the Russian River Valley (Russian River Valley) in Sonoma County where I can be extremely concentrated on the fruit end, bold, bright, and sometimes almost Syrah (or Shiraz in Australia) like.  There has been some great happenings in other regions as well, I would consider France and California as the popular kids on the block, with Oregon and New Zealand being more like the new kids on the block.  However, in Oregon's case, I believe their first plantings were in the '70's but still fairly new compared to the first French plantings.... in 100AD!!!  Oregon Pinot's most resemble the French while the New Zealand are much more like the California wines.  However, I am doing somewhat of a disservice by comparing them.  As with all Pinot's, they are driven by their terroir, even one vineyard in the Russian River Valley can be totally different from a vineyard not 100ft from it, let alone a California vs a Oregon, French etc...  My advice is to try them out, from all over the world!! People all over the world really, really love me!  They do!

One thing I will warn you is that when purchasing a Burgundian wine you really need to pay attention to how the vintage was (year).  Try consulting a guide like Robert Parker's (Vintage Guide) or find a reputable local wine retailer that your friend, that's a wine geek, recommends!  haha.  One note on the vintage guide, you are looking for the Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits for the Burgundy Pinot's.  The growing conditions in France are not as consistent as California. A French Burgundy can be amazing one year and utterly disappointing the next year.  California Pinot's are more consistent although when purchasing a "higher end" wine it's still worth talking to someone about.

I have caused many people to claim their love for me or even claim that I am complex, hedonisitic, sex in a glass, like falling in love, romantic, and mysterious.  The writer himself, tells me me that I am, much like dating, well speed dating, since drinking a bottle doesn't last years, months etc, just one night, typically.  He also says that for him, I am mysterious, it takes a little bit of getting to know one another.  It's a courting, typically not too revealing at first, it's always changing, in the bottle, and even when it's let out of its prison to check out the world.  While flattered by all of this I remain humble and thankful that I am Pinot Noir.

Well... that was a short little teaser about me.  As I sit hanging on the vine (I should have already been picked, very late harvest this year) writing this I realize that my fate is near, the weather forecast for the area is in the 90's for the next couple days and I shall be picked soon, so long as the heat causes my sugars to jump.  I welcome death as a grape and relish the fact that I will soon be reborn as a wine but I will wait to smell fresh air again as I anticipate that I will sit in a bottle and develop myself over the next 5-10 years (if the buyer is smart).  Does the inevitability of my prison scare me?  No, because I know that in that time, once that cork is popped, I will be beautiful and the lucky people who get to enjoy me will be moved to tears, a celebration of life!  I look forward to this day and welcome my slumber.  Come buy me, age me, and let me out!!!!

Until that day,

- Pinot Noir

Harvest has begun!

Before getting into the blog post and the excitement of harvest.  I want to tee it up a little, I want to let you know exactly what I am doing right now while writing this.  I feel it totally appropriate after a long day of harvesting and making wine.  I am sitting in Healdsburg, CA listening to Queens of the Stone Age (QotSA) and enjoying a 2006 Peterson Zinfandel (Peterson Winery) which is nothing short of amazing for 20 or so bucks!  Chewy, raspberry jammy spice, vanilla, nice!  When popping the bottle you will  be pleased with what is said on the cork, "No Soul-less Wines."  I don't think I have to go into what that means in these times! 

I'm on to the harvest....
First of all the harvest is running, on average, about 4 weeks behind normal due primarily to a cooler summer so there has been a lot of waiting. This is what my drive into work looked like on the first day of harvest, it was odd, and calming.  I immediately thought of Led Zeppelin's Misty Mountain Hop and had it on my Ipod in my car, so I rocked to that all the way to work it was sweet! 

And the fog ruled the mornin

I waited for about a week and a half for this day and it was a long long wait as I wanted to get this harvest going so bad.  We started off getting the a two Pinot Noir blocks in.  What does the harvest involve you ask?  Let me tell you, one intern stands on top of a stack of skids and as the grape bins are brought in via forklift you simply rake the grapes out of the bin into the conveyor for sorting (it reminded me of PLINKO from Price is Right) while harvest intern 2 sorts the grapes.  What is sorting you ask?  Basically, making sure no grapes of inferior quality make it into the wine, sun burnt, under-ripe, and also picking out leaves, plastic string and anything that doesn't belong.  We also grab samples from the sump in order to get the Brix (Brix Wiki) readings which is measuring the sugar content in the grape which is extremely important. 

These grapes are nothing like I have ever tasted which should be expected given that the wines are so amazing.  When I was sorting I couldn't help but to just munch on these babies the whole time I was sorting.  As you can imagine my favorite job is the sorter vs. raking preciously because I can eat the grapes!  haha.  The interesting thing about this is that when we went to a different vineyard or clone you could actually taste the difference in the grape eg) one sweeter, one a little more tart etc.  Unbelievable! Day 1 was complete, my stomach full of grapes, and my body sore, I went home satisfied in a hard days work.

I was standing on the skids in front of you, the sorting stand in on other side

Thursday we had off as none of the other vineyards were ready of picking so we ended up meeting at the winery to go out in the vineyard and check stuff out.  We were able to see all the different vineyards sites and the differences between the vines and grapes from different sites.  Truly amazing!  To see what I mean, check out this link which is a map of the vineyard with the different clones and plantings (Rochioli Vineyard Map).

I was back at work on Friday while we harvested more grapes, only working till about 1pm.  The weekend we have off as we are waiting to pick the other vineyards.   

Making Wine!!!

With that, as I continue to enjoy my Zin, and as the vines continue to ripen, I hope to have more soon!  Enjoy the weekend!

Where is HARVEST!?!?!?!

Happy first day after Labor Day!  I hope that your extended weekend was super!  

I really don't have much to update on, the winery itself is ready to accept grapes, meaning me and Justin (the other intern) have scrubbed the place down to where it is as sanitized as a surgery room.

Look how spotless, done by yours truly, we cleaned the inside and outside of about 20 of these!

On to the week that was, I worked from Wednesday - Friday.  We scrubbed the grape receiving bins (all 60 of them!!) and then topped up the barrels.  Which means adding wine to the wine that is aging in oak barrels, as the wine ages there is some evaporation so you have to top up the barrels.  After topping of the barrels we barrel tasted some of the Assistant Wine Makers wine, the estate Pinot, and the Ranch Red!  All were very good and still have some time in the barrels!!

After the tasting on Friday I headed back to the bay area and went into the city on Saturday.  Here is what transpired, through pictures....

SF model yacht club!! haha, for remote controlled boats, behind me is a little pond where they boat!

Up close, reads "SF Model Yacht Club."

Brunch starters, raspberry and cappuccino dipping sauce, at Beach Chalet, compete with beignets

Beach Chalet Highly recommend this place if you are ever in San Francisco.  I had the Corned Beef Hash and the picture of the above is the Chalet Beignets!! soooooo gooooooood!

With that... it's time for lunch.  Harvest should be here on Thursday or Friday, until then I am just waiting for the call to begin harvest.  Until then........

The Weekend! Best Ever!

I know that I just posted a post on Friday and today is Monday, are you getting sick of me?  I just had one of the best weekends ever and had to share!

I had Wednesday and Friday off of last week so my weekend was really the majority of the week!!  On Wednesday I went to Coppola Winery (the one near Healdsburg, not Rubicon) which is currently being renovated but still open to the public during construction, it seems almost done.  What really got me is that they are installing a public pool at the winery complete with a swim up bar!!

I went there for lunch as I heard it was a good spot, so I grabbed my seat at the bar and started chatting with the bartender, who informed me that the restaurant (Rustic Restaurant ) had only been open for about 3 weeks.  I was certainly impressed, I started out with a side salad, later the chef brought out some fried bread, awesome, which I smothered with a little balsamic and oil!! Yum! 

By the time I was done eating I didn't feel like tasting any wine, I was sooo dang full. 

yes, I ate all of this, Italian sausage, mushrooms, mozzarella, and grated parmigiana

Entrance to Coppola

As Friday rolled around I was getting extremely excited for two things, my girlfriend coming to town and the Rochioli BBQ!  I picked her up pretty late on Friday at SFO and we drove straight to Healdsburg which is about a 2 hour drive, I was sooo sleepy and tired.  Saturday we woke and went to the Healdsburg Farmers Market!  It was small, compared to what I am used to at DC's Eastern Market, but Healdsburg has maybe a population of 12,000 vs. DC permanent residents at 500,000.  Anyways, the market was so good.  From cheese producers to roasted red pepper guy to the best dang tomatoes on the planet, hands down.  I don't like tomatoes by themselves, however, I was talked into trying REAL tomatoes and I was absolutely amazed.  I can't even describe them, you don't need to doctor them at all, I just eat 'em straight up, just like an apple!!  They are so flavorful!  And it totally makes sense, the same climate/soil that produces some of the best wines in the world produce the best produce in the world.

Tomatoes as big as your hand!!!

After a little farmers market action, we decided to just walk around Healdsburg.  We stopped at the Downtown Bakery (Downtown Bakery) which supposedly is the best bakery west of the Mississippi!  Boy did it hold its own, we stopped in and grabbed a Sticky Bun which is the daily breakfast choice by the Asst Winemaker at Rochioli so I had to stop in and try one.  IT WAS SOOOO GOOD, I wish I had a picture to share.  We strolled through the plaza park and walked up and down the streets of downtown Healdsburg until we found this place for lunch.

I have been told multiple times that Healdsburg is a foodies paradise.... I can see why.

Seared Tuna, pickled ginger, some crunch chips, wasabi mayo!

 
After lunch we went over to Rochioli for a tasting which was impressive (as usual, ha).  We went back home and rested up for the BBQ.

The BBQ started at 6 with hor d'oeuvres and some wine of course, after some mingling it was time for some of the single vineyard stuff aged to perfection.  We started with multiple chardonnays, my favorite was the 1999 (I believe) Rachel's Vineyard Chardonnay, which was absolutely beautiful (floral, peaches, lime, and a minerality to it).  A true Chardonnay!

As we sat down to dinner (krcatering) the wine really began to come out, 1999 - 2003 single vineyard Pinots!  I have never in my entire life enjoyed a better bottle of wine than what I tasted through that night.  Each wine (5 single vineyard labels total) showed not only it's difference in vintage but also it's personality of being planted in different spots on the property and of different clones.  The wines expressed their different terroir beautifully.  Each single vineyard had it's own personality.  I now fully understand why people will spend hundreds of dollars on bottles of wine and lay them down for years.  Age makes a wine so soft and silky smooth and the fruit so balanced.  It's really hard to put into words what I am feeling right now while attempting to recall that night.

Not only was the wine unreal, the people, again were wonderful.  The nicest, funniest, and humblest people around.  Big thanks to the Rochioli family, and all of the other people involved with the winery that I met.  I'm so lucky to have found this job at such an awesome company!      

If you have an interest in wine, go out to your favorite wine retailer and have them help you find a ultra premium wine of your favorite varietal and if it's old enough drink it!!  If not, lay it down for a while and pull it out on a special occasion.  It will blow your mind!  Set aside some money for it and enjoy, do it now!!!! 

The food by KR catering was superb, the wine was ok (haha)

What a great night!!!

Sunday rolled around and we ate some more tomatoes, went wine tasting at Ferrari-Carano, lunch/wine tasting at Terroir in Geyersville, then back to the airport! 

An awesome weekend!! 

Ferrari-Carano

Cork tree, it was so spongey! so cool!

Terroirs in Geyserville!