Winter simply did not seem ready to throw in the towel at the end of February.   All around the Bay Area and throughout Napa Valley there were reports of snow dusted mountain peaks, dangerous frost warnings and unseasonably cold temperatures.   Yet on Sunday morning despite such chilly weather, seemingly overnight, the blooms on my camellia plant had opened.

Ranunculus and daffodils bloom readily in the yard as lavender blooms nearby and glistens brightly in the sun.   Chives have also hit its stride in the garden and have benefited from winter rain and cool temperatures.

As my garden shows signs of awakening from winter’s drowsy sleep, similarly the vineyards in Napa Valley abound with signs of life as mustard blooms burst forth and adorn the wine country with bright hues of yellow.   Hungering for spring and yet seeking a white wine compatible with 60 degree days, Chardonnay is a perfect sipping and pairing choice.

Laird Family Estate Winery (“Laird”), located in Napa, has long been known as one of the wineries in Napa Valley that owns the most land in the county and also into neighboring Sonoma County.   With such variety at its winemaking fingertips, it is with little doubt that the winery will be highly adept in offering quality wines with unique characteristics.   Laird’s 2007 Cold Creek Ranch Chardonnay is no exception to this theory.  The Cold Creek Ranch Vineyard is located in Sonoma County, in the Carneros region and is privy to cool breezes off the San Pablo Bay which in turn produce Chardonnay grapes with bright flavors and acidity.

Laird’s 2007 Cold Creek Ranch Chardonnay consists of 100% Chardonnay grapes (grown from clones 15 and 95) and is uniquely ladled with flavors of ginger spice, honeydew melon, lime and a splash of pineapple.   The mouth feel is round and comforting as often attributed to the grape yet the wine brings forth a notable minerality and its acidity peppers the palate like bright California sunshine dancing upon dew-laden spring grass.   Aromatically the wine is characterized by soft white floral scents, vanilla and notes of crème caramel.   While the wine is not as lively as a true unoaked chardonnay wine, it is festive and lively enough on the palate to awaken the senses and remind one that spring wine and food pairings are right around the corner.

Given the acidity and unique flavor profile of the wine, this week’s menu hosts a traditional pairing yet with different key ingredients:

1)      Sweet Red Bell Pepper Ricotta Quiche with Chives; and

2)     Blue Cheese Bitter Sweet Salad with Pear and Pear Champagne Vinaigrette.  

Quiche is a terrific traditional Chardonnay pairing largely due to its French origins.   Yet when Chardonnay offers a distinct minerality and acidity, the ingredients can be varied in the quiche to create a livelier food pairing.   From time to time I enjoy flipping through family recipes and in particular identify with many shared by my late Great Aunt Pete.  There is a certain candidness in some of the recipes and her quiche recipe simply ends with “Play around with it.”   This directive was so appropriate for this week’s food pairing that her quiche recipe was really more inspiration than direction.

In my recipe, ricotta is used to create a creamy yet fluffy texture.   Fontina is used in addition to mirror the nutty or oaked notes found in the wine.   Sautéed fresh red bell peppers provide a combination of sweet and spiced elements while mixed with fresh chives and green onions (both sweeter onions).   To match the acidity in the wine, lemon thyme is added at various layers in the quiche.  Finally to ensure that egg mixture remains fluffy, it is gently beaten with skim milk (the water component from the milk will make the egg mixture fluffy).    Excess peppers and chives are used to garnish the top of the quiche.

The quiche abounds with soft flavors of buttery pastry, soft fontina and ricotta.   The red peppers are deliciously sweet and since fresh produce was used, no preservatives, vinegar or unnecessary sodium taint the dish.   As anticipated, lemon thyme brightens the flavors of the quiche.   When taken with the wine, the Chardonnay smoothly coasts down, unassumingly so yet with a grace so as to perfectly mirror the texture of the quiche.

Who says that salads cannot be salivatingly savory?   Perhaps such a skeptic has not tried a salad such as this one (which combines spinach, red butter leaves, golden raisins, pear, chopped pecans, scallions, Point Reyes Farmstead Blue Cheese, and a pear champagne vinaigrette).   Pair this salad with a chardonnay and watch bright, if not exotic tropical flavors, pop out of the wine.   Flavors and textures sensually unfold in layers that grab the attention of the diner’s palate.  It reminds one’s brunch guests that not only can this salad hold its own on the menu but be a showstopper on the palate as well.

Finding a balanced yet uniquely flavorful Chardonnay can brighten the palate as spring shows winter the proverbial door this month.   Open a bottle of Laird’s 2007 Cold Creek Ranch Chardonnay and explore an enjoyably different twist on an often misappreciated varietal.

As February coasts to a quiet close, it seems as though all who are writing for this site are enamored with Merlot.   Earlier this week, a Reserve Merlot was featured from the Virginia wine country in the United States as the monthly featured wine for the Mid-Atlantic Vine and two weeks prior, in Denver, a red table wine strongly reminiscent of Merlot with perhaps a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon found its way to the spotlight in the Rocky Mountain Vine’s monthly article.   This week, as the last article for the month of February, an aged Reserve Merlot sidles up to the table to educate and enchant.

Last year at the end of January, Markham Vineyard’s (“Markham”) 2001 Reserve Merlot was featured in my article titled “Mad for Merlot”.   Sipping at a high quality aged Merlot makes advocating in favor of the varietal effortless.   Yet this week, as cold unseasonal temperatures rattle Napa Valley and the rest of the Bay Area, comfort food is sought with no varietal better to accompany it than Merlot.

Since Markham’s 2001 Reserve Merlot was featured last winter, it would only be fitting to feature the winery’s 2002 Reserve Merlot now.    The 2002 Reserve Merlot features the same Napa Valley vineyard’s grapes, but those of the following season.   The beauty of wine is that it is a direct product of Mother Nature.   Depending on what Mother Nature delivers, a vintage can vary subtly or drastically from year to year.   Tracking those differences and acquainting oneself with such nuances is part of the intimate beauty of appreciating wine.

To refresh, last year’s featured 2001 Reserve Merlot from Markham exhibited a dark-red color in the glass, adorned with aromas of raspberry fruit and hints of clove.   The palate was easily enamored with the wine’s texture and full round, supple velvety mouth feel.   Flavors of raspberry, cherry, tobacco and dark chocolate ensconced the palate as the wine exuded a simply strong elegance which could not be interpreted in any other way shy of candid sensuality.

From that description alone, any reader would recognize that this wine was no ordinary Merlot.   Similarly, I knew that endeavoring on this task to compare two different vintages that in this case, the 2002 vintage has competition to live up to.  Electing to open the bottle now, it also places the 2002 Reserve Merlot in a similar stage of bottle aging as the 2001 Reserve Merlot enjoyed last winter.

Opening Markham’s 2002 Reserve Merlot, the coloring again is dark-red with ruby notes around the edges of the wine.   The nose is greeted by subtle aged aromas of cherry cola, French vanilla, toffee and whisps of dark chocolate.  On the palate, mouth-watering notes of raspberry preserves transcend with a slight essence of smoke.   A velvety texture weaves elegantly around creamy berry and cola flavors as notes of coco softly caress the palate.   Its finish again is equally elegant and strong in a distinguished manner.  While the wine is dry, the tannins are so finely ground due to aging at this point that you envision silt finely engrained in the soil from which these vines once grew.

Before the palate can fully recover from its first few sips of this gem of a Reserve Merlot, it is easily understandable why comfort food pairs so texturally well with this varietal.   Not to detract from the individual nuances of this wine, this week’s menu merely holds the same food pairing as last year’s article:

·         Italian Sausage Beef-Bolognese Lasagna

When this Lasagna emerges from the oven with its aromas of garlic, sweet onion, heirloom tomatoes, fennel, basil and oregano, it is easy to sense why this will pair so well with this varietal.   Taking a quick glance at the melted cheeses and clumps of ricotta peeking out of the pan, the palate salivates in anticipation of that comforting texture.

Once plated and bites have been taken with the wine, the palate’s attention is immediately grabbed by how the 2002 Reserve Merlot aggressively grabs onto fennel seed with a firm embrace.   The fennel actually makes the wine explode in the mouth.  Oregano and basil invoke a coy herbaceous nature in the wine that was not present previously.   The texture of the ricotta matches comfortingly to the elegant smooth mouth-feel of this wine.

A glass of Markham’s 2002 Reserve Merlot will convert any skeptic into an aficionado of fine Merlot.   Merlot has its place in the culinary entertaining world:  seductive and coy, when made well it easily enamors the palate and renders it spellbound, as the hand instinctively reaches for another glass.   In short, this wine is just utterly good, nine years later whether paired with a comforting dish, sipped alone or guiltily savored with your favorite tiramisu.

*Please note:  The winery may or may not still have this vintage available (and if so, in a magnum).  Similarly the decadent 2004 Reserve Merlot is available in a limited quantity and only in a magnum.   If you have not found the fan page on Facebook for The Casual Connoisseur, please do to receive article updates and other fun information.  Cheers!

Once upon a time in Napa Valley, “field blend” red wines graced many a table.   Popular as they were, whims drove vineyards to change vine composition such that today to find a true single vineyard “field blend” in Napa Valley is a rarity.

What is a Field Blend Red Wine?

To be a “field blend”, the varietals used are all planted in a single vineyard, all experiencing similar climate and soil conditions.  Long ago, vintners would plant fields with many varietals in the same vineyard to help hedge agricultural risk.   If one varietal was experiencing a bad growing year, the other varietals would invariably make up for the other’s lackluster season.   Today, while wineries might offer Mixed Blacks red wine, it is increasingly difficult to find a vineyard hosting all of the featured mixed black red grape varietals.   It is even more difficult to find such a vineyard on the winery’s actual estate.

What is a Mixed Blacks Red Wine?

A “mixed blacks” red wine typically is a blend of old world rustic grapes known for their red flesh and when made into wine, create deep dark wine.   There are many of these dark red varietals, including charbono, petite sirah, alicante bouschet, among others.   When several of these varietals are combined into one wine, a predominantly spicy character is readily recognizable to even the novice palate.

Casa Nuestra Winery (“Casa Nuestra”), located in St. Helena, not only hosts organic vineyards but a single vineyard with 9 varietals which are used to make the winery’s “Tinto St. Helena”.   Casa Nuestra in the 1950’s acquired a vineyard in Oakville surrounded by now famous wineries.   In that Oakville vineyard, Casa Nuestra planted several varietals, of which 9 were used to create its “Tinto Classico”.    Later to keep up with demand and consumer affordability, Casa Nuestra planted the same vines in its St. Helena vineyard.  Combining Old-Clone Zinfandel, Rofosco, Alicante Bouschet, Carignane, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Refosco, Napa Gamay, and one additional “mystery grape,” Casa Nuestra produces its Tinto field blend red wine.   The distinguishing difference between its “Tinto Classico” (produced from the Oakville vineyard) and the “Tinto St. Helena” (produced from the St. Helena estate vineyard) aside from geographical location is that the “Tinto St. Helena” includes increased amounts of Rofosco, Petite Sirah, Carignane and Zinfandel.   The exact composition of each varietal used will vary each year, but by doing so, Casa Nuestra is adhering closely to the history and tradition of true “field blend” red wines.

Pouring the 2007 Tinto St. Helena into the glass, the coloring does not disappoint the eye as it is expectedly dark like ripe mountain blackberries.   Its bouquet drifts upward with nuances of roasted plums and cocoa.  On the palate, rich black cherry and blackberry smoothly coat the palate, with spices of nutmeg, roasted fennel and white pepper.   With finely grained tannins, the wine coasts across the palate brining explosive flavors at the back filling the mouth with a drawn out finish long after the wine is gone.   A gentle noticeable acidity dances on the palate with spritzs of ripe dark mountain berry fruit.

As previously indicated, the 2007 Tinto St. Helena is dark in flavor and equally spicy in its character.   Given the spicy distinguishing characteristic of the “mixed blacks” wine, it is only fitting to introduce softer spices of Cuban food in this week’s menu:

1)      Savory Cuban Beef Red Pepper Stew with Plantains; and

2)     Cuban Black Beans and Brown Rice.

Here a savory, slightly spiced beef stew meets “sweet” with the introduction of plantain and golden raisins.   Sautéed sweet red bell pepper, sweet onion and several cloves of garlic simmer with browned beef chuck roast, chopped tomatoes, smoked paprika, fresh marjoram, bay leaves and cumin.

The combination of sweet and savory is utterly delicious.   When paired with the wine, rich spices and warm dark berry fruit come forward with a finish of black cherry that is well worth slowly savoring.   Tender meat effortlessly falls apart with a nudge of a fork or soup spoon while lingering warm spices cling to the meat’s outer edges.   Warm spiced flavors shift to a subtle sweetness due to the plantains and golden raisins in the stew, flirting with the palate and gently warming the stomach on a chilly February evening.

Pair this wine with traditional Cuban black beans and watch the fireworks of this wine explode on the palate.   The 2007 Tinto St. Helena readily embraces cumin, green onion and garlic in the black beans to boldly set forth big spices and pepper from the wine itself.

Excess plantains are gently and slowly fried and ultimately brushed with a slight glaze of balsamic vinegar to create a sweet treat and garnish on the plate.

Mixed black bottling show a unique versatility compared to other varietals and pair innately well with spicy exotic fare.   Most other varietals would struggle and fight with such fare and risk leaving the palate confused.   Here, however, the wine uniquely holds its own on the palate yet delivers a calm confident message that it is meant or intended to be there.

With such character, field blends of mixed black bottling should be enjoyed while they are still in existence and perhaps with dedicated interest, those remaining vineyards will continue to exist, intact with such historic plantings.

With a title such as that, any reader, let alone a Petite Sirah aficionado, would want any introductory banter about the present weather in Napa Valley, the blooming mustard, the cloudless sunny days sparking the hope for a good vintage year ahead or any other whimsical observations to quickly wrap and move on to the more important topic at hand:  Petite Sirah… the proverbial “good stuff”.

Week after week I select a bottle of wine to feature.  While some varietals clearly receive more focus than others, Petite Sirah has sat for nearly an entire year without mention since last winter’s article.   It is not for a lack of interest.   Certainly, if a varietal is to drive wine connoisseurs in the United States into a passionate tizzy, it is most likely to be Petite Sirah.   The strongest varietal advocacy comes from those loyal impassioned Petite Sirah fans and perhaps there is a case for more articles to be devoted to this peculiar grape also known as “Durif”.  

Petite Sirah has experienced a recent revival in the United States as before it was most commonly found used as a blending grape for two reasons:  it adds body to wine to enhance structure yet if bottled as a single varietal, its finish is often short leaving the palate lingering expecting to find something more.   Yet, Petite Sirah, despite its complexities, its growing challenges and susceptibility to mold, its acidic and tannic nature, can be made into elegant single varietal bottlings.   Finding these bottlings is an adventure and a fun one at that.

Rather than start at the bottom of such an adventure, let’s simply start at the top:  Hayne Vineyard in Napa Valley.   There is something special about the Hayne Vineyard in Napa Valley and it is known among vintners as producing some of the very best Petite Sirah fruit in the valley.   Thus, it is no shock that Ray Coursen of Elyse Winery (“Elyse”) has a long-standing relationship with Hayne Vineyard and reflects that relationship each year in his elegantly masculine bottling of Jacob Franklin Hayne Vineyard Petite Sirah.

Tasting at Elyse, there are other Petite Sirah bottling to compare (each savory by independent right) yet as the Jacob Franklin Hayne Vineyard Petite Sirah flows forth from its sleek dark different bottle, you will repeatedly hear hospitality staff stoically acknowledge, “Now this, is what other Petite Sirahs aspire to be.”

Tumbling into the glass, the wine is dark, dramatic and inky in coloring as any good Petite Sirah should be.   The cork from the bottle is easily stamped with tell-tale signs of goodness.  Seductive aromas of spices, clove, lavender, mushroom, fine leather and pipe tobacco waft upwards, graced by nuances of blueberry.   Rich and full on the palate, if you have allowed this wine to age, its tannins are finely woven into a silken tapestry.  With a controlled yet present acidity, the fruit flavors include a cornucopia of ripe sweet blueberries, black cherries, raspberries and plum which are only to be accompanied by a lingering long finish dusted by comforting baking spices.   Only a few barrels are made each year by Elyse and generally each vintage contains approximately 20% Zinfandel.

Petite Sirah, being the dark wine that it is, generally seeks heartier flavored fare for pairings.   While the rest of the nation is bombarded with snow or gripped in a stronghold of dramatically cold temperatures, California continues to experience unseasonably warm February days.   Yet, while our days are warm, our evenings quickly cool into the 40’s giving us just enough winter chill to crave some comforting fare.   Taking this and the characteristics of this week’s wine into consideration, this week’s menu offers:

1)      Mushroom Pastry au Biftec; and

2)     Grilled Herbed Asparagus with Vegetable Slaw.

Thinking about the flavors, the aromas and the inescapable dark coloring of the Jacob Franklin Hayne Vineyard Petite Sirah, this is a wine that seemingly begs for rustic or heartier fare.   Yet to really allow the wine to stand out on its own, flushing out the floral and earthy aromatics will allow the wine’s structure to come forth with power and definition, holding its spices and berry fruit in a respective balance.   Going for earthy and herbal, there is no better place than to start with a medley of roasted mushrooms in shallot, garlic, white wine and lemon thyme and marjoram from the patio.  Filling a single serving of puff pastry with cream cheese and a blend of asiago and fontina cheeses creates a buttery richness that pairs well once the roasted mushroom medley is inserted.   To top off, bits of top sirloin steak are lightly tossed in a mixture of soy sauce and Dijon mustard to be quickly flash seared and adorn the top of the mushroom pastry.

Butter, beef, mushrooms, cheese, and home grown herbs make this an appetizer for grown-ups and when pairs with this wine, amateurs need not apply.

To brighten, lighten and balance the meal, a vegetable side dish is created using seasonal fresh asparagus and a medley of julienned vegetables such as red cabbage, carrots, zucchini and broccoli.  Combined with minced shallots, garlic, mirroring fresh herbs, olive oil and Meyer Lemon from the patio, this vegetable side dish is placed in a foil wrap on the charcoal grill to emerge with bright festive colors.

Stalks of asparagus richly infused with Meyer Lemon and roasted herbs, are adorned by the tender colorful vegetable slaw.   When paired with the wine, the vegetables surprisingly brighten the wine bringing forth sweet ripened fresh berry fruit and reminding one and all seated at the table that spring is right around the corner.  It is a delicious way to get your servings of vegetables even if normally it is a chore.  The medley of vegetables involved renders the wine juicy in flavor and filling one with daydreams of future summer berry patches.

The Jacob Franklin Hayne Vineyard Petite Sirah never disappoints and smoothly rolls back leaving a wake of distinguished elegance on the palate.   Whether this wine is enjoyed with food or simply on its own, it humbles the palate into recognition that without a doubt, this is truly what all Petite Sirah’s aspire to be.

Who says that you cannot enjoy Rosé in the winter?   I personally enjoy them when the weather warms and the sun shines abundantly.   Yet on a February evening when the fire place houses a toasty fire and candlelight glows, Rosé takes on a warm hue and its aromas and flavors open up.

Rosé wines vary depending on the grape varietal used to make the wine and the winemaking method selected by the vintner.  There are three (3) ways to make Rosé:   (i) skin contact; (ii) saignée; and (iii) blending.     “Skin contact” method involves crushing red skin grapes and only allowing the grape skins to have contact with the juice for a brief period of time.   The grape skins contain tannins and other compounds which affect the flavoring of the wine.   If this first method is used, the Rosé will taste more like a white wine.    The second and more popular method of making Rosé in Napa Valley is “Saignée”.   When the winemaker wants to give his or her Rosé more flavor or color, he or she will choose this method because it involves bleeding the juice from the “must”.  “Must” is freshly pressed grape juice which contains seeds, grape skins and stems of the fruit.   The grape juice is removed from the “must” at an early stage and reserved to make Rosé wine, showing that classic pink coloring.   The third method of making Rosé is “Blending” and is the least common of the three.     This method is to mix red wine with white wine in order to impart color to the resulting Rosé.    This last method is typically only reserved for making Rosé sparkling wines.

Elyse Winery (“Elyse”) in Yountville has truly captured the dry style of Rosé wines characteristically made in France.    Most Rosé made in California tends to have a sweeter and almost juicy flavor which does not mirror the traditional French style.   Elyse, however, is the exception in that their winemaker has captured this truly elegant dry style.    Also, Elyse is unique with its Rosé as it is composed of fifty-six percent (56%) Valdiguié, thirty-four percent (34%) Carignane and the remainder is comprised of various percentages of grapes such as Grenache and Mourvèdre, among others.  On the nose, you will find a faint hint of strawberry and aroma of melon.   While these flavors follow on the palate, there are lovely flavors of raspberry kissed by watermelon and a finish seduced by baked rhubarb.   While Rosé may serve best during summer months chilled, it shows off a different depth with seasonal ripe berry fruit when served at almost room temperature during the winter.   No matter what season hosts this wine, a lovely sea salt flavor is present which pairs well with prosciutto, ham, apricots or parmesan cheese.

To demonstrate the seasonal versatility of Rosé, this week’s menu hosts:

1)      Butter Grilled Herbed Chicken;

2)     Prosciutto-Asparagus Risotto de Rosé; and

3)     Roasted Brussel Sprouts with a Prosciutto-Raspberry Champagne Vinaigrette.

Collecting marjoram, lemon thyme and crushed sage from the backyard, the herbs are gently rubbed into trimmed chicken breasts before set atop a charcoal grill.   While slow grilling, the chicken is brushed with melted butter to baste.   Emerging from the grill, the chicken is fragrant, moist and a reminder that warmer grilling months will be here before one knows it.

Many risottos are made with a cup of dry white wine.  This week I elected to use Elyse’s dry Rosé in my risotto recipe to infuse the bright fruit flavors of the wine.  Despite the pinkish hue of the wine, the rice only took on a slight salmon or rose petal hue. 

Included in the recipe are blanched fresh seasonal asparagus, shallot, garlic, juice from a Meyer Lemon from the back patio, freshly picked lemon thyme and crispy bits of prosciutto.   Instead of relying on a traditionally added parmesan cheese, a cheese containing a mix of parmesan and gouda cheese was added to increase the creamy nature of this risotto.   The result is a risotto dish that is deliciously rich in depth as its spectrum of flavors flirt with daydreams of spring yet pull back seasonally to February in California.

If growing up you were prompted or mandated to eat your brussel sprouts, you will not need any prodding with my Brussel Sprouts in Prosciutto-Raspberry Champagne Viniagrette.  Quartered brussel sprouts are tossed in olive oil, raspberry champagne vinegar, a dash of balsamic vinegar and freshly cracked black pepper before being tucked into the oven to roast.   While in the oven, a prosciutto vinaigrette is quickly whisked together to dress the later emerging roasted vegetable goodness.   Brightened by raspberry champagne vinegar, seasonal brussel sprouts take on a lively flavor with vinegars caramelizing in the oven.

Conclusively, each bite of each dish causes the salt to subside and fruit flavors to burst through in the wine.   The clean bright flavors in food captivate the senses.   Ironically all three dishes are good as leftovers served cold.   So if you find yourself in Napa Valley on a sunny 65 degree February day, open a bottle of Elyse’s Rosé and picnic among the blooming mustard and simply “think spring”.