Saturday, August 20, 2011
Our monthly meeting the "winos" was held today. Normally it would be on a Sunday but a few people like to host on Saturdays. Their choice but the attendance is usually down on Saturdays.
The host made a brisket and grilled corn on the cob. Corn was good. Barbara brought baked beans which were excellent. Need to get the recipe for those. Henry brought a Tofu, Tomato and pork dish which was quite good.
Today's theme was Zinfandels and Pinot based Rose's Sparklings and Champagnes. The weather today was mild for August. Usually I roast at Doug's but today was quite pleasant and I did taste all the wines. I do not do well in hot weather with heavy red wines.
A couple of the wines I really enjoyed were the 2010 Domaine Phillippe Gilbert, Monetou-Salon from the Loire. and the 2007 Gambia Old Vines, Russian River Valley Zinfandel.
On to next months gathering.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Weekend in the Sta Rita Hills - Futures Tasting at The Clos
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Today was the futures tasting and release party at Clos Pepe. Bash started at 11:00 so we had "Breakfast" pizzas from the wood burning oven, along with fresh fruit and homemade cookies. Tasted the "Library" wines from 1999 on up and all the 2010 barrel tastings. Looks like another great year for Clos Pepe. Picked up my wines I ordered last year. Placed my order for the 2010 and ate and drank again. What a weekend.
Jan & Bob had to leave early so they could not attend. Clyde & Libby went as my guests. CJ & John came up this morning for the event.
Left the Clos and went into Santa Ynez to pick up wine at Stolpman Vineyards. They produce excellent Rhone varietals along with Sangiovese. One of my favorite wineries. Tasted at Tecero and bough a few wines there. On the way out I stopped at Buttonwood but they were completely sold out of their peaches. They have some of the best peaches I have ever tasted.
I was supposed to go to dinner with CJ & John at AJ Spurs but by time I got back to my room in Lompoc I was to tired to dive back 20 plus miles to Buellton to eat dinner. Wish we could have stopped on the way out of the area for dinner. It would have worked better for me. Clyde & Libby and I want back to the Jalama restaurant and had dinner. By this time I was so wined out I had a Blue Moon beer instead.
Need to get some rest as I will be getting up early on Monday and driving back. Bringing back 11 cases of wine. Glad to say 7 of them are for other people. 4 cases is bad enough and I have absolutely no room for storing them now.
Great weekend. A lot of fun. Very tiring but I would do it again
Today was the futures tasting and release party at Clos Pepe. Bash started at 11:00 so we had "Breakfast" pizzas from the wood burning oven, along with fresh fruit and homemade cookies. Tasted the "Library" wines from 1999 on up and all the 2010 barrel tastings. Looks like another great year for Clos Pepe. Picked up my wines I ordered last year. Placed my order for the 2010 and ate and drank again. What a weekend.
Jan & Bob had to leave early so they could not attend. Clyde & Libby went as my guests. CJ & John came up this morning for the event.
Left the Clos and went into Santa Ynez to pick up wine at Stolpman Vineyards. They produce excellent Rhone varietals along with Sangiovese. One of my favorite wineries. Tasted at Tecero and bough a few wines there. On the way out I stopped at Buttonwood but they were completely sold out of their peaches. They have some of the best peaches I have ever tasted.
I was supposed to go to dinner with CJ & John at AJ Spurs but by time I got back to my room in Lompoc I was to tired to dive back 20 plus miles to Buellton to eat dinner. Wish we could have stopped on the way out of the area for dinner. It would have worked better for me. Clyde & Libby and I want back to the Jalama restaurant and had dinner. By this time I was so wined out I had a Blue Moon beer instead.
Need to get some rest as I will be getting up early on Monday and driving back. Bringing back 11 cases of wine. Glad to say 7 of them are for other people. 4 cases is bad enough and I have absolutely no room for storing them now.
Great weekend. A lot of fun. Very tiring but I would do it again
Weekend In The Sta Rita Hills - Wine & Fire
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Hit the Wine Ghetto in Lompoc before heading over to the La Purisima Mission for the big wine bash this afternoon. This is put on by the Sta Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance. Tasted at several tastings rooms (free tastings if you had the passport). Lots of good wine being made in the area. Worth a look at. Closer to home than Napa and Sonoma. Went to lunch with friends in Lompoc and then headed out to the Mission for more food and wine. All the Pinot producers in the area were there. Even a few from the Santa Ynez area who buy Pinot grapes from the Sta Rita Hills producers.
Ran into several people I knew. Everyone loves to come out to this event. It did not disappoint . Food was abundant. Great barbecue. Whole roasted pig, great ribs, beautiful beef sliders shrimp tacos. roasted duck. Lots and lots of wine. 30 Wineries pouring their juice.
They had a silent auction which it seemed most people did not know about. I bid and won 4 items.
This has been a long day. Great but tiring.
Weekend in the Sta Rita Hills -Dinner at The Clos
Friday, August 12, 2011
Looking forward to this big, busy weekend. Dinner at the Clos at 6:00 on Friday. Glad I left work at 11:00am. It took me 4 and half hours to make the drive to Buellton. 3 accidents and 3 road closures. I had planed on making a couple of stops on my way into Lompoc but those would have to wait. Had enough time to check in and get ready to leave for dinner.
Clos Pepe has not had a dinner in a few years so I was really looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint. We started out with appetizers pizzas in the courtyard (most people would say patio but not at the size of this one). They have a woodburning pizza over built in and those pizzas were really flying out. New West Catering was again in charge and they are really good. And these pizzas are not ordinary. Epoisses (cheese) with Summer Truffle. (lets hope Frankie got her fill of truffles). Dandelion, Pancetta & Quail Egg. Carmelized Onion, Gorgonzola Dolce and Arugula. Sheep's Milk Ricotta with La Quercia Prociutto and Bone Marrow, Rapini with Fontina. These were all washed down with the 2009 Clos Pepe Rose of Pinot Noir.
Just before we entered the house for dinner they passed around a Roasted Peach - Chardonnay popsicle to cleanse the palate. This was Divine. Apparently very easy to make. Roasted peaches, chardonnay wine and some sugar - cook to reduce and freeze.
As in years passed the house was filled with tables in different rooms. I sat at a table set up on Cathy Pepe's office. Cathy and her son Rob were seated there also. The hosts all sit at different tables so to mingle with their guests. The table in the office was set for 10 people. 60 wines glass were on the table also. It really sparkled and glimmered when you went in. Very festive. If you figure 50 people in attendance that would be 300 glasses on the tables that night.
We started out with "Kumamoto Oysters with Avocado, Sea Urchin and Steelhead Roe" (caviar). Wines with this dish were the 2009 and 2005 Clos Pepe Homage to Chablis Chardonnay.
Second course was"Crispy Duroc Pork Belly with Chanterelles and Flageolets" (beans). Served with 2009 Clos Pepe Estate Vigneron Select Pinot Noir and a 2009 Loring Wine Company Clos Pepe Vineyard Pinot Noir.
Third course was "Smoke Roasted Wild Antelope with Duck Fat Fries, Blackberries and Thyme". Wines poured were the 2006 Clos Pepe Estate Vigneron Select Pinot Noir and 2005 Loring Wine Company Clos Pepe Vineyard Pinot Noir.
Fourth course was a cheese plate. San Andreas, La Tur, & Fourme D'Ambert with Honeycomb, Sweet Butter and baguette. Again more wine. 2008 Axis Mundi Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Syrah and 2008 Loring Wine Company Divergence (Mouvedre/Caberent).
Dessert plate was filled with Brown Butter Peach Ice Cream Sandwich, Lemon Raspberry Tart and Salted Caramel Truffle. This was served with Wes' Home Roasted Coffee - Costa Rica San Martin de Leon Cortes. The coffee smelled wonderful but I cannot drink it anymore.
Dinner as always was excellent. My only "flaw" would be the pork belly - good but not up to Delius ' pork belly (which is the best I have ever had).
People at the table I sat with were all great. Good conversation. Great food and wine. Beautiful surroundings. Perfect evening.
Looking forward to this big, busy weekend. Dinner at the Clos at 6:00 on Friday. Glad I left work at 11:00am. It took me 4 and half hours to make the drive to Buellton. 3 accidents and 3 road closures. I had planed on making a couple of stops on my way into Lompoc but those would have to wait. Had enough time to check in and get ready to leave for dinner.
Clos Pepe has not had a dinner in a few years so I was really looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint. We started out with appetizers pizzas in the courtyard (most people would say patio but not at the size of this one). They have a woodburning pizza over built in and those pizzas were really flying out. New West Catering was again in charge and they are really good. And these pizzas are not ordinary. Epoisses (cheese) with Summer Truffle. (lets hope Frankie got her fill of truffles). Dandelion, Pancetta & Quail Egg. Carmelized Onion, Gorgonzola Dolce and Arugula. Sheep's Milk Ricotta with La Quercia Prociutto and Bone Marrow, Rapini with Fontina. These were all washed down with the 2009 Clos Pepe Rose of Pinot Noir.
Just before we entered the house for dinner they passed around a Roasted Peach - Chardonnay popsicle to cleanse the palate. This was Divine. Apparently very easy to make. Roasted peaches, chardonnay wine and some sugar - cook to reduce and freeze.
As in years passed the house was filled with tables in different rooms. I sat at a table set up on Cathy Pepe's office. Cathy and her son Rob were seated there also. The hosts all sit at different tables so to mingle with their guests. The table in the office was set for 10 people. 60 wines glass were on the table also. It really sparkled and glimmered when you went in. Very festive. If you figure 50 people in attendance that would be 300 glasses on the tables that night.
We started out with "Kumamoto Oysters with Avocado, Sea Urchin and Steelhead Roe" (caviar). Wines with this dish were the 2009 and 2005 Clos Pepe Homage to Chablis Chardonnay.
Second course was"Crispy Duroc Pork Belly with Chanterelles and Flageolets" (beans). Served with 2009 Clos Pepe Estate Vigneron Select Pinot Noir and a 2009 Loring Wine Company Clos Pepe Vineyard Pinot Noir.
Third course was "Smoke Roasted Wild Antelope with Duck Fat Fries, Blackberries and Thyme". Wines poured were the 2006 Clos Pepe Estate Vigneron Select Pinot Noir and 2005 Loring Wine Company Clos Pepe Vineyard Pinot Noir.
Fourth course was a cheese plate. San Andreas, La Tur, & Fourme D'Ambert with Honeycomb, Sweet Butter and baguette. Again more wine. 2008 Axis Mundi Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Syrah and 2008 Loring Wine Company Divergence (Mouvedre/Caberent).
Dessert plate was filled with Brown Butter Peach Ice Cream Sandwich, Lemon Raspberry Tart and Salted Caramel Truffle. This was served with Wes' Home Roasted Coffee - Costa Rica San Martin de Leon Cortes. The coffee smelled wonderful but I cannot drink it anymore.
Dinner as always was excellent. My only "flaw" would be the pork belly - good but not up to Delius ' pork belly (which is the best I have ever had).
People at the table I sat with were all great. Good conversation. Great food and wine. Beautiful surroundings. Perfect evening.
Another Dinner at The Himilayn
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
We started out tonight with an appetizer platter which included Samosas, Vegetable Pokorma, Grilled Lamb and Chicken and a platter of meat momo's. I really have to watch with appetizers as I will eat these only and not really want dinner afterwards. And usually at the start of the meal you are hungry and "pork" out.
We all ordered a separate dish and shared family style. Works better with this type of cuisine. There were 3 new people to the group tonight. Nothing new but all good dishes.
Lamb Chau Chau, Mixed Grill, Chicken Tiki Masala, Lentils Dahl, Vegetable Korma and Cheese Paneer.
Usually at these dinners we get a lot of Pinot Noir wines brought. But not tonight. The closest was a 2009 Clos Pepe Rose of Pinot and a Francois Childaine Touraine. The bubbly which always shows up when Margie is around was a NV Mas Daumas Gassae Rae Frizant.
There was a 2008 Tabalas Creek Roussane but I am not a big fan of Rhone Whites so I did not taste that one. I brought a 2004 Stolpman La Croce which was showing exceptionally well. The rest of the lineup included 2002 Hunt Ovation Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 Lancaster Sophies Hillside Cuvee which was tasting well, 2006 Salvestrin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2005 Primus Sierra Foothill Syrah. All the wines were good.
Interesting evening with the 3 new faces at the table. Excellent food and wine.
We started out tonight with an appetizer platter which included Samosas, Vegetable Pokorma, Grilled Lamb and Chicken and a platter of meat momo's. I really have to watch with appetizers as I will eat these only and not really want dinner afterwards. And usually at the start of the meal you are hungry and "pork" out.
We all ordered a separate dish and shared family style. Works better with this type of cuisine. There were 3 new people to the group tonight. Nothing new but all good dishes.
Lamb Chau Chau, Mixed Grill, Chicken Tiki Masala, Lentils Dahl, Vegetable Korma and Cheese Paneer.
Usually at these dinners we get a lot of Pinot Noir wines brought. But not tonight. The closest was a 2009 Clos Pepe Rose of Pinot and a Francois Childaine Touraine. The bubbly which always shows up when Margie is around was a NV Mas Daumas Gassae Rae Frizant.
There was a 2008 Tabalas Creek Roussane but I am not a big fan of Rhone Whites so I did not taste that one. I brought a 2004 Stolpman La Croce which was showing exceptionally well. The rest of the lineup included 2002 Hunt Ovation Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 Lancaster Sophies Hillside Cuvee which was tasting well, 2006 Salvestrin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2005 Primus Sierra Foothill Syrah. All the wines were good.
Interesting evening with the 3 new faces at the table. Excellent food and wine.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Birthday Party
Sunday August 7, 2011
Busy day today. Brunch at noon, Birthday party for Dave Solzman, owner of Delius Restaurant in Signal Hill at 3:00.
Party was held at Dave & Louise's home. Approximately 50 people in attendance. Since this was not a restaurant event those in attending were mostly good friends and neighbors. But then a lot of these people frequent the restaurant so it was a lot of familiar faces.
Lots of wine, beer and a very good Sangria which I drank. I had enough wine earlier in the day.
Food was abundant. Fabulous grilled shrimp with a spicy garlic sauce. Pulled pork, sausages, grilled chicken, Excellent potato salad. A lot of food on that table.
I have over consumed this day. Left about 6;30 and the party was still in full swing. I have a huge week coming up and leaving Friday for 3 days of dinners and wine tasting in the Sta Rita Hills area
Busy day today. Brunch at noon, Birthday party for Dave Solzman, owner of Delius Restaurant in Signal Hill at 3:00.
Party was held at Dave & Louise's home. Approximately 50 people in attendance. Since this was not a restaurant event those in attending were mostly good friends and neighbors. But then a lot of these people frequent the restaurant so it was a lot of familiar faces.
Lots of wine, beer and a very good Sangria which I drank. I had enough wine earlier in the day.
Food was abundant. Fabulous grilled shrimp with a spicy garlic sauce. Pulled pork, sausages, grilled chicken, Excellent potato salad. A lot of food on that table.
I have over consumed this day. Left about 6;30 and the party was still in full swing. I have a huge week coming up and leaving Friday for 3 days of dinners and wine tasting in the Sta Rita Hills area
Sunday Brunch at Arte Cafe
Sunday August 7, 2011
Wine Country in Signal Hill hosted a Sunday Brunch at Arte Cafe in Cerritos today. 80 people in attendance. In the past there has been a problem with the service at this establishment but today they seemed to have enough servers to handle the crowd
The wines today were from Francois Chidaine in France. The rep from Beaune Imports was on hand.
They poured freely with the first course of Eggs Benedict with Country Smoked Ham. Small potion which was good. The ham was julienned so it was easy eating. The wine was a NV Montliouis Brut. Dry yet had a light fruitiness to it. I did order 3 bottles of this one. My egg was slightly undercooked but the Hollandaise sauce was good.
Second Course was Dungeness Crab Cakes with Mixed Greens. The crab cake was very good. Not to much binder or filler. Just lots of crab. Served with 2010 Touraine Sauvignon Blanc. Nice pairing.
Next up was Seabass with Saffron Beurre Blanc and Asparagus. My fish was slightly overcooked. It still had moistness to it but it was headed to being over cooked in a few more seconds. Flavor was good. Sauce was good. The wine pairing was excellent. 2009 Vouvray Les Argiles.
Main Course was Short Ribs with Thai Barbeque Sauce. Served with mashed potatoes. Good flavor, meat was moist and very tender. Pulled away from the bone nicely. Paired with a 2009 Touraine Rouge. A blend of Cab Franc, Malbec and Petit d' Aunis. Again a nice pairing.
I took most of my seabass and short rib home. A lot of food and wine for $45. A bargain in today's market.
Dessert was fresh diced mangos on top of mango sherbert. A refreshing way to end a meal.
I will say my opinion of Arte Cafe was better today than in the past. Service was good. No long wait for food. Food and wine paired well. Hope they keep this up.
Wine Country in Signal Hill hosted a Sunday Brunch at Arte Cafe in Cerritos today. 80 people in attendance. In the past there has been a problem with the service at this establishment but today they seemed to have enough servers to handle the crowd
The wines today were from Francois Chidaine in France. The rep from Beaune Imports was on hand.
They poured freely with the first course of Eggs Benedict with Country Smoked Ham. Small potion which was good. The ham was julienned so it was easy eating. The wine was a NV Montliouis Brut. Dry yet had a light fruitiness to it. I did order 3 bottles of this one. My egg was slightly undercooked but the Hollandaise sauce was good.
Second Course was Dungeness Crab Cakes with Mixed Greens. The crab cake was very good. Not to much binder or filler. Just lots of crab. Served with 2010 Touraine Sauvignon Blanc. Nice pairing.
Next up was Seabass with Saffron Beurre Blanc and Asparagus. My fish was slightly overcooked. It still had moistness to it but it was headed to being over cooked in a few more seconds. Flavor was good. Sauce was good. The wine pairing was excellent. 2009 Vouvray Les Argiles.
Main Course was Short Ribs with Thai Barbeque Sauce. Served with mashed potatoes. Good flavor, meat was moist and very tender. Pulled away from the bone nicely. Paired with a 2009 Touraine Rouge. A blend of Cab Franc, Malbec and Petit d' Aunis. Again a nice pairing.
I took most of my seabass and short rib home. A lot of food and wine for $45. A bargain in today's market.
Dessert was fresh diced mangos on top of mango sherbert. A refreshing way to end a meal.
I will say my opinion of Arte Cafe was better today than in the past. Service was good. No long wait for food. Food and wine paired well. Hope they keep this up.
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