Brokenwood Semillon 2010

Wow! What a lunch at home... A lazy Sunday at home prompted a "clean-out-the-fridge" meal that always seems to turn out surprisingly well. Kara was marvelling as we walked the dogs that some of our spontaneous lunches are better than meals we get out. I have to say, I think I may have even impressed myself.

As an appetizer, I prepared a Jar recipe that I've never tried to execute at home: the Lump Crab and Melon Salad in a Jalapeno Vinaigrette. Working with the materials I had, I used a red watermelon and an "orange flesh" melon, which I had never tried before. Sadly, the lump crab was from a container and not fresh, but tossed in the vinaigrette and treated to some torn mint leaves and red onion, I didn't mind at all. This is my favorite summer salad this year. I totally dig a Kabinett Riesling with this usually, but today Kara and I just shared a Kern River "Just Outstanding" IPA, which worked fine. Simcoe hops add an almost sweet citrus and citrus pith that has savory bitterness on the finish. I just discovered this bottling and, as far as I'm concerned, the name is not an exaggeration.

As a main course, I prepared a simple lemon beurre blanc with some crushed garlic cloves and crushed red pepper. Tossing in some cooked store-bought shrimp, I served this "scampi" over a homemade Sage-infused rice and garnished it with a little fresh parsley. I went a little heavy on the lemon in the sauce since I knew I was going to open the Brokenwood Semillon 2010 from Hunter Valley in Australia. The pairing was perfect! The wine, which has a core of very crisp lemon and minerality, matched the acidity in the sauce and drew out the sandier pear flavors in the wine, without altering its character. Both the dish and the wine were continuously refreshing each other and I think we both ate more than we intended to. Kara commented that each bite of the rice was like an burst of lemon and butter on the palate. Now - why has no one made a chewing gum like this...?

I am continually finding myself more drawn to these Australian whites. At a meager 12% alcohol, and with such clean, simple flavors, this Brokenwood Semillon is a sommelier's dream! I am suddenly thinking of all the things I want to try it with. Whoops - better go buy some more first, I guess...

Cooking Class at Jar: August, 2011

For our August cooking class, we had a very intimate group. The menu included her simple (but wonderful) Heirloom Tomato Salad as a starter. For the entree, she prepared her Braised Ox Tail along with Long-Cooked Kale. Our pastry chef prepared a Peach Cobbler for dessert. Despite not being an entirely "summer-y" menu, I would not be upset to be eating any of these things for lunch this month.

I poured the Ca' del Roro Prosecco, Brut NV as an aperitif. As always, I emphasized how wonderful Prosecco can be as an easy quaffer, a start to dinner, or the only way to begin drinking at 11am when class begins. A wonderful palate primer, it features very clean green apple and hay flavors, with crisp lemon and also an intersting honeyed note as well. Very classic, not particularly sweet or overly fruity, it's a loverly and inexpensive little sparkler.

To match the Heirloom Tomato Salad, I leaned on my new favorite summer wine: the Schloss Gobelsburg 'Gobelsburger', Gruner Veltliner 2010. We're pouring this by the glass at Jar at the moment. Produced from vines under the age of twenty years in the Kamptal region of Austria. The fruit and acidity in this wine, as well as the savory minerality, make this imminently easy to drink, despite its youth. Classic "green" flavors that fit the radish/asparagus profile with the spicy white pepper on the finish. Lots of citrus and even a peachy edge. Completely food-friendly and I'm likely to drink my case of this before the end of September.

The Ox Tail is probably Suzanne's favorite dish on the menu, so I pulled one of my favorites from the list for the class: the Brovia Barolo 2005. I've written about this before, but I will happily express how wonderful and classic this wine is again. The tar and rose aromas with the solid core of both ripe and dried cherry is mesmerizing. Elegantly spiced, to match the spices in Suze's recipe, and with firm tannin that is drinkable on its own, but serves the fattiness of the ox tail as well. I liked the regional match of the cippolini onions with Italian wine as well.

Another great morning in the Jar kitchen with both new and old friends!

Liquid Farm

I just have to tell you about this wine! I generally only drink the same bottle once a year - sometimes twice. I've drunk this three times already this month! Although, I hazard to put the word out because they only made two barrels of it (about fifty cases...). I think it bears some talking about, though.


Liquid Farm is a brand new project in the Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County. Known for its particularly cool climate, Pinot Noirs from this AVA have been flying off the shelves for a number of years now due to a little film called "Sideways". While a winemaker's style can sometimes get in the way of expressing what this climate has to offer (in cases such as Sea Smoke), there are a few producers who are working to showcase what can be accomplished in this area from the Old World perspective. Some of those producers are dabbling in Chardonnay, due to its classic roots in Burgundy and notoriety for expressing terroir and minerality.

With the winemaking team from Dragonette Cellars to assist, Liquid Farm has set forth their goal of showcasing California Chardonnay in its best light. Their focus is on typicity of the grape, minerality, food-friendly acidity, balance, and overall drinkability. Their efforts to avoid manipulating the wine really shine through: no acidification, new oak or heavy alcohols. This is Chardonnay in its most natural light.

The Liquid Farm 'White Hill' Chardonnay 2009 succeeds at every level of what they set forth to accomplish. Beautiful flavors of Golden Delicious apple and Anjou pear, a soft cinnamon note, quince, a touch of lemon sorbet - and stoney minerality like water rushing over rocks. The acidity makes this wine completely refreshing and, in my experience so far, completely food-friendly. I've enjoyed it with Dim Sum, where it was truly amazing (especially with curried noodles), and also Truffled Chicken Cordon Bleu. Both occasions were a real treat.

In addition to the two barrels of 'White Hill', they have also produced two barrels of another Chardonnay called 'Golden Slope', which I have not yet had the opportunity to taste, but will definitely seek out. One wonders how such a large effort that yields such a small, albeit amazing, result is worth the time and energy involved. All I can do is applaud their passion and dedication. And, of course, drink their wine.

It's a real treat, as a sommelier, to find producers who are undertaking the challenge of introducing the world market to a new style. I'm pleased to say we have been pouring The Paring Chardonnay 2009 by the glass at Jar for some time now, another crisp Chardonnay without oak influence from Santa Rita Hills. I hope that this is a trend that will continue in the years to come. From what I've seen, people are responding in a positive way to these changes, although they may not be able to put their finger on how these Chardonnays are different from the ones they normally drink. But when they order a second glass, it tells me that Chardonnay drinkers are open to the change.

Bolognese and Italian Wines

I had to cover a Sunday evening at Jar, which is normally our day off. Kara decided she was going to make dinner for me. Bolognese Sauce to be precise. My thoughts immediately turned to Barolo and I could not wait for service to be over. These are two of my favorite things in the world! To have them on the same table at the same time is sheer heaven for me.

As I entered the house, the smell was intoxicating. I quickly raced up the stairs to the computer, practically dropping my suit on the floor as I went. Scrolling frantically through the Piedmont section, I was reeling with excitment. Kara already had the water boiling for the pasta as the sauce was getting happier by the minute. I agonized over what to open, as I always do. Some wines were locked up in cold storage offsite. Some were completely too young. I pored over the wines again and again, looking for just the perfect one. Before I knew it, Kara had the food plated and there was no more time for selecting, much less decanting. ARGH!

I sighed and grabbed the Guido Porro Barolo 2004 from the "guest cellar" since it would be the closest, fastest, and best instantly ready wine I had on hand. (I need to get more efficient in my decision-making process when it comes to selecting wine at home...) Not to say that this is not a good wine, by any means. It's a terrific, inexpensive and servicable Barolo. It shows perfect typicity and manageable tannin levels. I must admit it was perfect with the sauce, which was heavenly. The florality was expressive on the nose and the structure was still felt on the palate, even with the amount of bacon Kara included in the dish. She knows me so well...



I had one of those crazy sommelier moments about halfway through the meal and decided to open another wine. Morbid curiousity. Nothing was going to be the equal of the Barolo! But I had to satisfy the madness. I popped the cork on the Terre di Balbia 'Balbium' 2009, a new wine we're pouring by the glass at Jar that I've got a crush on at the moment. Up to now, I haven't really played with it in terms of pairing so it seemed like as good a time as any. The wine is made in Calabria by the owners of Venica y Venica (a well-known white producer in the North) from 100% Magliocco. Stylistically, it reminds me of a cross between Barbera and Syrah. It expresses peppery and spicy flavors over the fruit of a rustic Italian quaffer, but backed by mild tannin and surprising acidity. It's a total wine geek wine and people have just been loving it.

As a pairing for this dish, however, it fell flat. Lacking the structure for all the delicious fats, it became a wishy-washy, non-descript, fruity blob. More tannin please! I think it may have shown better with a marinara or arrabiatta sauce. I will be interested to try this experiment on another day.

Returning to the Barolo, I relaxed into my happy place. Why did I ever leave you, my darling...? I may need to start working Sundays more often.

Cooking Class at Jar: July, 2011

Another wonderful cooking class at Jar! As much as I am a night owl and would prefer to not have to get suited up before noon, I always get such joy out of guiding an eager group of palates through lunch in Jar's kitchen. Introducing people to new food and wine combinations is what this job is all about!

As the guests filed into the kitchen on this particular Saturday in July, I started them out with the Terres Secretes 'Blanc de Noir' Cremant de Bourgogne NV. A 100% Pinot Noir sparkler from Burgundy, it is a perfect summer wine: clean, aromatic, with crisp acidity and interesting, but unintrusive flavors. At under $20 a bottle retail, I'd happily serve it to anyone in lieu of Champagne and challenge them not to enjoy it. I must be right; all of the Champagne flutes were empty by the time the first course had arrived...

Suzanne demonstrated how to prepare her White Peach and Celery Salad, which also features Parmesan Reggiano and Marcona Almonds. I always tell the class that salads are challenging and often surprising to pair to. This was no exception. The evening prior, I lined up about eight different styles of wine and would never have believed that the Londer Dry Gewurztraminer 2008 from Anderson Valley would have been my favorite. While Gewurztraminer has a reputation for being overblown and super-intense, this expression is still floral and fruity on the nose as one would expect, but much leaner and crisper on the palate. In fact, almost chalky, it reminds me of the Polar Cups (lemon slushies) I used to get when I was a kid after a day at the beach. I'm still surprised at how much I liked this match.

For the entree, Suzanne prepared the Braised Ribs she served at the Tablas Creek wine dinner. Offering me an opportunity to break free from the New World, I went directly to the Rhone and provided a Domaine du Cayron Gigondas 2007. The ripeness of the 2007 Rhone vintage supported the sweetness of the sauce. Also, Cayron's wines have a tendency to be more meaty and, particularly in this bottling, offers a significant note of charred bell pepper that I love. People were "wow"-ed by this wine geek-y wine.

Another successful day of pairings and discovery. I continue to learn something new everyday about the chemistry of food and wine. I must take this opportunity to express how lucky I feel to have the opportunity to dabble in this fascinating world. And to share it, of course, with those who have the patience to read about it. Cheers!

What Wine Do You Serve with Eddie Izzard?

No! I did NOT have dinner with Eddie Izzard... While that would be a dream come true, I CAN say that I enjoyed some wonderful wines while watching him perform at the Hollywood Bowl recently. Joining us in a Garden Box were our good friends Daniel and Monica.

Kara and I couldn't wait for our notoriously late guests who took the shuttle, so we broke out a delicious 2010 Rose of Pinot Noir by Soliste in Sonoma to go with our selection of cheeses. This is my summer wine! Raspberry, underripe strawberry, crisp and delicious. What more can you ask for from a rose? Claude, the French owner of Soliste, models the wine after Domaine Tempier in Bandol.

When Monica and Daniel arrived, we broke into a bottle of Iron Horse sparkling that she provided. The show was just beginnning so I never did get to see which bottling it was. It was a perfect Bowl wine as the sun was going down and we enjoyed the last of the heat of the day. This is a really wonderful sparkling wine house and doesn't fall into the trap of overripening the fruit, in my opinion. It satisfies my craving for Champagne, rather than leaving me disappointed as many domestic houses can.

As the cool breeze of evening was washing over the Bowl, I turned to red wine in the form of a Leon Barral Faugeres 2007. It was totally hitting the spot with the Delice de Bourgogne cheese. The pepper, earth spice and violets were singing over the dark fruits. I love this wine! Not overly intellectual, but completely satisfying for complexity, fruitiness and drinkability.

As the show was nearing its completion, we opened but did not finish a Pahlmeyer Pinot Noir that Monica brought. I do sometimes like Pahlmeyer, but this Pinot was everything I hate about the California expression and production of it. Fat black fruits, cola and spice, gooey on the palate. Not for me. But Kara, who usually doesn't like California Pinot, was digging it.

The show was a blast! We got last minute tickets and somehow managed to get great seats at that. It's also fun for me to see what people are drinking at the Bowl. Dom Perignon, Nickel & Nickel, schlock from Trader Joe's, etc. It's an experience on a level all it's own. Not too mention milling around with the likes of Eric Idle, Alannis Morisette, Florence Henderson and many others. And, of course, Eddie Izzard was a riot. He ran from the stage to the back of the Bowl at the beginning of the show - an impressive feat in itself. Then, to do stand-up!

Great job, Eddie! You rock!

Tablas Creek Wine Dinner

In our continuing series of wine dinners being held at Jar, we offered the wines of Tablas Creek for our second event. An intimate experience yet again with some of the same faces in attendance. Excitement levels were high, especially for me since I had tasted all the food and wines already and knew how amazing the line-up was going to be.

As guests arrived, I was happy to pour a glass of the Patelin de Tablas Blanc 2010 as an aperitif. This is a brand new wine from the winery, designed for "By the Glass" programs in restaurants. The base varietal is Grenache Blanc on this crisp white that shows no oak and is an amazing food wine. This is decidedly my new favorite wine from Tablas Creek. We served Shanghai Noodles with Masago and Calamari to pair with the wine and the pairing was probably my favorite of the dinner. The refreshing acidity cleansed the palate of the heavier noodles and sauce, making me want more.

The first formal course was Softshell Crab with Fava Bean Salad. I poured both flagship whites: Cotes de Tablas Blanc 2009 and Esprit de Beaucastel 2008. The Cotes is based in Viognier, offering a more stone fruit-based flavor profile with the typical florality. As a pairing, it was okay, but reminded me of having fried chicken with cling peaches. The Esprit, on the other hand, was seamless on its own, but even better with the dish. The group agreed with me that the Esprit was the better fit and a great one at that!

Suzanne's delicious Braised Ribs came next, effusing aromas of cinnamon and star anise as the dishes hit the table. To match, the red counterparts were poured: the Cotes de Tablas 2009 and the Esprit de Beaucastel 2008. The red Cotes is Syrah-based and, while good, didn't seem to have enough ripe, juicy fruit components to really stand up to the slightly sweet sauce. And most of the interesting earthen/Syrah components were lost with the dish. The Esprit was banging! The meatiness inherent in its Mourvedre and the plush fruitiness of the Grenache were incredible matches and blended with the dish perfectly. Also, the spice of the oak worked well with the spices in the sauce. This was also a truly amazing pairing and I heartily recommend this style of food with the Esprit 2008.

Suzanne wanted to offer a Fig Salad with Gorgonzola, Prosciutto and Balsamic Reduction. Sadly, there was no real great match in the Tablas line-up for this dish, save the SacreRouge dessert wine which we were pouring for dessert. As a "least of all evils" pairing, I offered the Rose 2010, explaining to the group that sometimes you just have to bite the bullet when specific parameters are in place. I must admit that both the food and wine were both delicious individually, but not particularly suited for each other. Although, the plain prosciutto and the wine were nice together.

For dessert, Sandra prepared a Bread Pudding with a Cherry Port Compote. Tablas Creek was kind enough to provide us some of their SacreRouge from the winery. A 100% Mourvedre made in the style of a Vin de Paille (drying the grapes on straw mats to concentrate the sugars), it sports a lower alcohol than a Port, but offers much the same flavor profile. An interesting wine, it shows a good deal of savory components rather than just goopy fruit and also significant acidity. I was surprised how many people went in for seconds on the dessert wine.

The more I taste and use the wines of Tablas Creek, the more I realize what an amazing project it is. And furthermore, I would consider them a leader in the Renaissance of Paso Robles. The wines express balance and minerality in what would be considered a significantly warm region. The West side of Paso Robles has more to offer than many realize.