Monday, September 22, 2008
Passed!
Yes, it's true that I did indeed get my Advance Certificate from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust! I passed with merit in theory - damn sherry question - and passed with distinction on the tasting evaluation. Well, as someone put it, we always knew you had taste!
Monday, September 8, 2008
California = The Land of Festivals and Historic Downtowns
Well, just back from the Von Strasser Wine 2006 Futures Release Dinner. During the trip which included a stop in San Diego. What was striking was everywhere we drove had a festival on or in the works. The hotel was hosting a Tomato festival while a chili, and chocolate festival were upon us. I never knew that every town in northern California had a historic downtown which generally included the train station.
The weather was hot, hot, hot! It was one of the earliest harvest's ever. Saturday was so baking that even tasting and spitting was too much for me. After three wineries which included Hook and Ladder, Harvest Moon and Lynamar lead to the hotel pool.
Friday we wandered up to the Hilton where a wine tasting was winding down with Lou from Dogwood, a zin producer I discovered during the Zap Festival. My lucky day. So we ended finishing up with Lou and a couple from Baltimore. Lou was a quite the character. What's a former Army guy who appeared to have more than one house, a private plane, and 50 year old Lafite doing running wine tastings for Dogwood?
The Von Strasser menu is as follows:
Reception
Hors d'Ouvres
Truffle Pizzetta with Wild Mushrooms, Asparagus and Robiola Cheese
Mini Lamb Burger Seasoned with Cilantro and Mint, Topped with Feta Cheese
Mini Dungeness Crab Cakes with a Spanish Romesco Sauce
Freshly Shucked Miyagi and Kumonoto Oysters
2007 Gruner Veltliner
2007 Eye of the Diamond Rose
2006 Diamond Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon
Dinner
First Course
Wild Mushroom Bisque with White Truffle
2004 Diamond Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon
Second Second Course
Smoked Salmon Napoleon with Horseradish Cream and Fresh Dill
Search with a Mache Salad Dressed in Citrus Vinaigrette
2005 Monhoff Zinfandel
Main Course
Mixed Frill of Roasted Antelope File, Grilled Duck Breast and
Pan seared filet of Beef wit ha Caramelized Shallot of Red Wine Sauces,
served with a Fig Risotto and Baby Vegetables
1999 Sori Bricco Red Wine
2006 Sori Bricco Cabernet
Dessert
Selection of Mini Dark Chocolate Splendors
2004 Petit Verdot Port
A very nice evening in which we got to meet real people in Napa that weren't associated with wine. More wine than anyone could drink especially with the California Highway Patrol and a Chevy HHR that had really bad breaks - at least I didn't hit that deer in the middle of the road! Review of wines:
Eye of the Diamond Rose - A wine that lacked character of any kind. It had no taste. Moe dumped her's.
2006 Diamond District Cabernet - Didn't try but was Moe's favorite of the evening.
2004 Diamond District Cabernet - What was remarkable is the way the earthiness complimented the bisque. At no point did you think that you were drinking a big California cabernet that was competing like a jealous lover for your attention.
2005 Monhoff Zinfandel - Quite a conversation topic at the table. Some thought it complemented the smoked salmon napoleon perfectly, I did not. A nice brambly zin with spice that lingered. Great wine, wrong dish.
1999 and 2006 Sori Bricco Red Wine - Yes, you could tell they were similar. I was surprised at the depth of flavor and color (OK it could have been the cave). The earthy dark plum notes on the palate and nose complemented the antelope. I don't know if the 2006 will show this well nine years out but one can only hope!
Despite being the middle of the crush, the winery was pristine. We got to meet several of the staff to include the cellar master who sat at our table. Because of that, we got to taste the 2007 Malbec which pleased me to no end. This is an old style Malbec that will take some time to hit its stride. It very much reminded me of the Paso de Peidra Reserva from Argentina.
The weather was hot, hot, hot! It was one of the earliest harvest's ever. Saturday was so baking that even tasting and spitting was too much for me. After three wineries which included Hook and Ladder, Harvest Moon and Lynamar lead to the hotel pool.
Friday we wandered up to the Hilton where a wine tasting was winding down with Lou from Dogwood, a zin producer I discovered during the Zap Festival. My lucky day. So we ended finishing up with Lou and a couple from Baltimore. Lou was a quite the character. What's a former Army guy who appeared to have more than one house, a private plane, and 50 year old Lafite doing running wine tastings for Dogwood?
The Von Strasser menu is as follows:
Reception
Hors d'Ouvres
Truffle Pizzetta with Wild Mushrooms, Asparagus and Robiola Cheese
Mini Lamb Burger Seasoned with Cilantro and Mint, Topped with Feta Cheese
Mini Dungeness Crab Cakes with a Spanish Romesco Sauce
Freshly Shucked Miyagi and Kumonoto Oysters
2007 Gruner Veltliner
2007 Eye of the Diamond Rose
2006 Diamond Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon
Dinner
First Course
Wild Mushroom Bisque with White Truffle
2004 Diamond Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon
Second Second Course
Smoked Salmon Napoleon with Horseradish Cream and Fresh Dill
Search with a Mache Salad Dressed in Citrus Vinaigrette
2005 Monhoff Zinfandel
Main Course
Mixed Frill of Roasted Antelope File, Grilled Duck Breast and
Pan seared filet of Beef wit ha Caramelized Shallot of Red Wine Sauces,
served with a Fig Risotto and Baby Vegetables
1999 Sori Bricco Red Wine
2006 Sori Bricco Cabernet
Dessert
Selection of Mini Dark Chocolate Splendors
2004 Petit Verdot Port
A very nice evening in which we got to meet real people in Napa that weren't associated with wine. More wine than anyone could drink especially with the California Highway Patrol and a Chevy HHR that had really bad breaks - at least I didn't hit that deer in the middle of the road! Review of wines:
Eye of the Diamond Rose - A wine that lacked character of any kind. It had no taste. Moe dumped her's.
2006 Diamond District Cabernet - Didn't try but was Moe's favorite of the evening.
2004 Diamond District Cabernet - What was remarkable is the way the earthiness complimented the bisque. At no point did you think that you were drinking a big California cabernet that was competing like a jealous lover for your attention.
2005 Monhoff Zinfandel - Quite a conversation topic at the table. Some thought it complemented the smoked salmon napoleon perfectly, I did not. A nice brambly zin with spice that lingered. Great wine, wrong dish.
1999 and 2006 Sori Bricco Red Wine - Yes, you could tell they were similar. I was surprised at the depth of flavor and color (OK it could have been the cave). The earthy dark plum notes on the palate and nose complemented the antelope. I don't know if the 2006 will show this well nine years out but one can only hope!
Despite being the middle of the crush, the winery was pristine. We got to meet several of the staff to include the cellar master who sat at our table. Because of that, we got to taste the 2007 Malbec which pleased me to no end. This is an old style Malbec that will take some time to hit its stride. It very much reminded me of the Paso de Peidra Reserva from Argentina.
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