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Life is GRAND in Napa Valley! Fantesca Estate & Winery

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Photo by Edgar Solís

Fantesca Estate & Winery is located within Spring Mountain AVA in Napa Valley, offering beautiful views, outstanding wines, and excellent hospitality. They produce Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon wines.

Our host and Hospitality Director, Roman Montañes, greeted us with a Grand Cru Champagne and continued by sharing the history of the property and the progression to their current owners, Susan and Duane Hoff.

The property history goes back to the 1860s, part of Caroline Bale’s dowry as she married Charles Krug. Through the years, the vineyard fell into disrepair, caving into the Phylloxera epidemic and later on to the aftermath of Prohibition. For over seventy years, the property remained abandoned. 1997, the property came to life with new Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Verdot plantings.

2004, the estate evolved to a re-birth when Susan and Duane Hoff acquired the 53-acre property. Their passion for wine led them to establish a grape-growing and winemaking enterprise based on sustainable and organic agriculture practices. To fulfill their dream, the Hoffs gathered a team of professionals comprised of vineyard manager Jim Barbour, winemakers Heidi Barrett and Tony Arcudi, and Director DLynn Proctor. Looking forward, Fantesca, proud of its CCOF Organic Certification, maintains biodiversity to provide ecological harmony and employs sustainable pest control and soil management practices.

“Susan And Duane were college sweethearts. While attending the University of Minnesota, Susan worked at a stereo shop called The Sound of Music. By the time the couple married several years later, the company had grown to 12 stores-and by the time their first child was born, 50. No longer called Sound of Music, the company was now known as Best Buy.”

Susan and Duane prospered into successful careers, helping expand Best Buy into a national brand recognized as a Fortune 100 company. Ultimately, the duo was keen to change from a busy corporate lifestyle to a more relaxed way of life where they could begin a family business. So Susan and Duane acquired a fifty-three-acre property with ten acres planted to vines and named it Fantesca.

The name Fantesca comes from a character in the Italian comedy troop that inspired Cirque Du Soleil. Fantesca could always captivate the audience, described as “Sexy, Smart, and Unpretentious.” Finally, the Duane family found a name for the winery worth living up to

After sharing some history on the property, Roman led us on a quick tour overlooking the vineyards, followed by the caves and a sitdown tasting of Fantesca’s current release wines.

Photos by Edgar Solis

We tasted four wines: the 2020 Russian River Chardonnay, 2018 King Richard’s Reserve Pinot Noir, 2019 All Great Things ” Mercy” II Red Blend, and 2019 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Celebrated Winemaker Heidi Barrett makes the Chardonnay, All Great Things Red Blend, and Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. UC Davis Graduate Tony Arcudi works closely with Heidi Barrett on all Fantesca’s wines and is solely responsible for the King’s Richard Reserve Pinot Noir.

2019 Chardonnay. This elegant wine is light golden yellow and has intense aromas of Meyer lemon, passion fruit, ripe pears, and hints of sweet vanilla. On the palate, this graceful Chardonnay shows bright acidity and a slightly creamy texture. This wine conveys flavors of lemongrass, Granny apples, light caramel, and hints of guava and gooseberry. You can purchase this wine at the Winery for $90.

2018 King Richard’s Pinot Noir. This full-bodied Pinot Noir delights you with aromas of dried cherries, potpourri, vanilla, coffee bean, and notes of cedar. On the palate, this wine shows pleasant acidity with flavors of dark cherry, ripe fig, blackberry, and hints of nutmeg. You can purchase this wine at the Winery for $129.

2019 All Great Things “Mercy” II Red Blend. A captivating Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon blend. This wine is dark ruby red with a bouquet of blackberry jam, toasty pie crust, baking spices, and a hint of sandalwood. This wine offers layered flavors of dark cherry pie, pluot, cranberry, cardamom, and gentle oak notes. This red blend feels well-balanced with lush flavors and impressive velvety tannins. You can purchase this wine at the Winery for $150.

2019 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and a small percentage of Cabernet Franc. This refined Cabernet is a dark garnet color with enticing aromas of ripe cherries, rose petals, toasted fennel seeds, and notes of vanilla and oak. On the mouth, this wine greets you with pleasing acidity and a burst of flavors: blackberries, dark currants, plums, toasted walnuts, and whiffs of oak and white pepper. You can purchase this wine at the Winery for $250.

Photos by Edgar Solis

We enjoyed a memorable visit to Fantesca. We Learned about their history, sustainable and organic practices, commitment to quality, and outstanding wines. It was a lovely wine adventure. Salud!

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Cabernet Sauvignon and Clay Pot Cooking

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With so many hours at home, cooking is becoming an inspiring enterprise. Recently, we enjoyed an Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignon with chicken drumsticks cooked in a clay pot. I have had fun lately slow cooking in various types of clay pots. Due to the amount of chicken, I chose the cazuela (Spanish shallow clay pot), the largest clay pot on hand. We are sharing this original recipe below.

Ingredients:

  • 8 chicken drumsticks
  • 2 tbsp. (30 ml.) of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1 tbsp. (15 ml.) of extra virgin olive oil (For searing the chicken)
  • 1 tbsp. (15 ml) of unsalted butter (For searing the chicken)
  • 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
  • 1/2 red onion, sliced round and halved
  • 3 cups (711 ml.) of broccolini, cut in half.
  •  One big heirloom tomato, take seeds out, and chopped into one-inch pieces.
  • One cup (237 ml) of chicken stock
  • One cup (237 ml) of red wine
  • To season the chicken, mix 1 1/2 tbsp. (22.5 ml.) of parsley, garlic sea salt (Wholespice Napa Valley), 2 tsp. (10 ml) of New Mexico Chilly powder (smoky, not hot) and 1 tsp. (5ml) of hot chilly flakes.
  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh tarragon, thinly sliced

Instructions:

  1. Cut a couple of not too deep incisions on opposite sides of the chicken drumsticks. 
  2. On a non-reactive bowl, generously season the chicken, cover, and leave it on the fridge for at least 1/2 an hour.
  3. On a medium heat cast-iron skillet, pour the one tbsp of EVOO and one tbsp of unsalted butter and sear the chicken drumsticks on both sides, about 3minutes per side (when golden).
  4. Put the chicken aside in a clean bowl.
  5. On a 12″ cazuela (shallow Spanish clay pot), heat the two tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat.
  6. Saute the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, add the broccolini and tomatoes, and occasionally stir with a wooden spoon for ten more minutes.
  7. Add the wine and chicken stock, arrange the chicken drumsticks on the clay pot.
  8. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook covered for at least an hour.
  9. Sprinkle the tarragon a couple of minutes before serving.
  10. Serve over steamed white or brown rice.

2014 Antigal Uno Cabernet Sauvignon

Edgar Solís Photographer

This wine was a gift from a dear friend; she shared it with us a few years ago. Antigal Winery occupies the space of a historical winery founded in 1897 in Maipú, Mendoza, Argentina. In 2000, the winery underwent a state-of-the-art refurbishment, including a gravity-flow system to guarantee a minimal intervention winemaking style. The remodel of the winery building respected the original character of the historic landmark.

As someone accustomed to bold Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is a delightful discovery with pleasant acidity, medium body, and lively palate. It is made with grapes grown in the Doña Angeles Estate vineyard, a high altitude prime lot in Uco Valley. The grapes were handpicked and carefully selected to produce a well-balanced wine aged in 60% French oak and 40% American oak barrels.

This wine displays a medium garnet color with a rusty rim. This Cab Sav shows aromas of ripe dark cherries, blackberry jam, cocoa powder with hints of Cubanelle green pepper, dried sage, and cigar box. Layers of blackberry, chocolate-covered cherry, and ripe fig flavors dance in your palate, along with savory notes of allspice, vanilla, and Cuban coffee. This Cabernet Sauvignon is a great value/quality wine under $20 a bottle. The current vintage is 2017. Judging for the 2014 vintage, it can age nicely up to eight years.

I won’t usually select a Cabernet Sauvignon for a chicken meal. Still, considering the ingredients like the red sauce, tomatoes, and the wine itself as part of the dish, I had a great feeling about it. The medium body, bright acidity, and smooth tannins on this wine paired well with the chicken’s weight, slight spiciness, and chicken skin texture. It was a tasty food and wine experience!

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In my Glass Tonite; Lioco 2018 Sauvignon Blanc

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Enjoying Lioco 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, Lolonis Vineyard paired with codfish cooked “en papillote” and white rice. Lioco has been on my radar since I tried their wines for the first time back in 2010 at a wine industry trade tasting in Atlanta, GA. Their wines are restrained, showing intense aromas and complexity of flavors. These wines reflect the soil and the environment where the grapes are grown.

Winery History

Lioco came to life in 2005. Wine industry colleagues Kevin O’Connor and Mark Licklider had concerns about the lack of terroir and elegance prevalent in the day’s wine offerings. They decided to put their palates and resources together and create wines inspired by the Old World and restrained California style of winemaking from the early .1980s.

Today the winery is owned and managed by husband and wife team Matt and Sara Licklider. They produced their wines in a custom crush facility in Sonoma and purchase fruit from extraordinary vineyards spanning 200 miles (Santa Cruz, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties).

You can try Lioco wines at their elegant tasting room in downtown Healdsburg.

Winemaking Philosophy 

As stated on Lioco’s website, “The focus is on Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Carignan from sites with older vines, interesting soil, and heritage clones. Sometimes the hunt for Pinot Noir uncovers other treasures like a coastal Syrah vineyard or a rare, mid-century planting of Valdiguie.”

Lioco Sauvignon Blanc
2018 Lioco Sauvignon Blanc, Lolonis Vineyard
Codfish
Codfish “En Papillote” and white rice

Photo: Edgar Solis Photography

2018 Lioco, Lolonis Vineyard, Redwood Valley, Mendocino.  

This 100% Sauvignon Blanc is pale yellow; it shows aromas of passion fruit and chalk with hints of sage and grapefruit. On the palate, this white wine feels refreshing with pleasant acidity. You can enjoy flavors of Meyer lemon curd, star fruit, and honeydew with notes of chia, pudding, tarragon, and pineapple sage. You can purchase the current vintage of this wine 2019 at Lioco for $40.

We enjoyed this wine with codfish cooked “en papillote” made at home. We combined two recipes, one from NY Times Cooking, Cod Papillote, and another from Two of a Kind Cooks, Mediterranean Cod En Papillote. The wine’s bright acidity made the food pop out, showcasing the tropical fruit flavors and citrusy notes of the wine.

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In My Glass Tonite; 2006 Tenute Sella, Lessona, Nebbiolo “Ommagio a Quintino Sella”

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If you like to cook, I am sure that you are spending more time having fun in the kitchen with more time at home because of the Covid-19 emergency. In our case, Julie and I are spending more time cooking together. We are enjoying making pasta and meatballs for dinner paired with Nebbiolo.

After watching Roy’s Italian Cuisine episode of The Chef Show on Netflix, we got inspired to make meatballs, of course, adding our own touch and considering what we had available. The recipe calls for ground pork and ground beef. We did it with ground pork, ground Wagyu beef, and ground lamb. We also switched the fennel pollen for bee pollen and added a cup of homemade pesto.

On The Chef Show episode, they prepared a quick tomato sauce recipe. We use Julie’s traditional Italian sauce recipe, inspired by at least 6 tomato base sauce recipes. Julie cooks her tomato sauce slow for five hours, a formula that keeps evolving every time she makes it. We didn’t have spaghetti pasta on hand. We substituted with angel hair pasta.

Photo: Edgar Solís Photography

Meatballs recipe (Estimated), Roy Choi from the Chef Show, including substitutions and additions.

  • 1 1/2 lb. ground pork (30% fat content)
  • 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • (We substituted with 1 lb. ground pork, 1 lb. ground lamb, and 1 lb. ground Wagyu beef)
  • 6-8 roasted garlic cloves, chopped (Roi Choi slow cooked two heads of peeled garlic cloves on a shallow pan with about cup and 1/2 of olive oil) Start with this step and save the rest of the garlic and oil for future cooking
  • 2 eggs
  • olive oil, about 1/2 cup
  • dried oregano, 1/2 tablespoon
  • 1/2 white onion puréed with 1/2 cup of water
  • A sprinkle of fennel pollen (We substituted with bee pollen)
  • 1 1/2 cup of panko crumbs
  • kosher salt to taste
  • red pepper flakes to taste
  • 2 cups of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (more if you really like it)
  • Personal addition, 1 cup of homemade pesto (parsley, cilantro, basil, garlic, and olive oil))

Directions:

  • Combine all ingredients in a big bowl, work it out with your hands.
  • Roll out into lemon-size balls
  • Place the meatballs side by side on a baking sheet and cook at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

This Italian dish is not representative of Piedmont cuisine but made me think about a Nebbiolo that I bought in 2016 from SommSelect (online wine purveyor).

Photo: Edgar Solís Photography

2006 Tenute Sella, Lessona, “Ommagio A Quintino Sella,” Piedmont, Italy. 

This wine shows a medium garnet center with a rusty terracotta outer rim. This elegant wine offers aromas of ripe dark cherries, dried red currants, tobacco, cedar, and intense notes of wet river slate. The palate is complex with dark fruit flavors dominated by savory notes of “acerola,” cranberry, black tea, with hints of vanilla and toasted hazelnuts. This well balanced Nebbiolo is blended with a small amount of Vespolina grapes, fermented with native yeast without any filtering or fining. The “Ommagio A Quintino Sella” is the Sella family’s top premium wine, on average, produced twice in a decade only on exceptional vintages.

The fruit flavors, medium to full body, and velvety tannins on the wine complimented nicely with the robust flavor, salty notes, and creamy texture on the meatballs. The sharpness and savory notes in the red sauce went along well with the acidity of the wine.

Winemaking

The Sella family has been crafting wines since 1671. They have 57 acres planted to vines within four appellations. Since the early 2000’s the focus of the vineyard management team at Tenute Sella has been on organic and sustainable practices promoting a healthy ecosystem. They do not use any chemicals on the vineyard, fertilizing with natural manure and organic compost. The focus is on terroir, highlighting the unique dirt composition from sandy loam of marine origin to decomposed crystals rich in iron, potassium, and magnesium.

Piedmont’s 2006 vintage was challenging with harsh heat in early July, followed by cold weather and abundant downpours near the end of the growing season. As stated by Decanter Magazine, “For growers who worked judiciously in the vineyards, the vintage in Piedmont is expected to show a classic, good structure, nice restraint on the fruit but a certain element of power as well.”

The meticulous care of the vineyards combined with over four hundred years of family winemaking on an excellent vintage makes for an outstanding wine that you can enjoy by itself or with food. A wine that will keep developing extraordinary in the bottle for at least a decade to come.

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Edaphos, wines with minimal intervention

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Recently I had the chance to attend the release of Edaphos, a new brand of wines made with minimal intervention; by the team at Ernest Vineyards. We gathered at CERF, San Francisco, and enjoyed two whites and two red wines. We savored Edaphos wines, paired with the culinary creations of Stag Dining Group, the talented in-house CERF team.

Joseph Ryan and Erin Brooks wines with minimal intervention
Photo: Edgar Solís Photography

Winemaker Joseph Ryan and proprietor Erin Brooks shared their grape-growing and winemaking philosophy. They emphasized soil composition, growing conditions, and winemaking practices. The Edaphos team lease and manage four vineyards for their wines, three located in Sonoma County, and one in Mendocino County.

Edaphos is a Greek word that translates to dirt, soil, or terrain. “We choose this word because these wines are of their place.” Erin shared with us. Winemaker Joseph Ryan added, “I believe wines are made in the vineyard, starting with sustainable, organic, and biodynamic farming. It is imperative to partner with growers who align with our philosophies of sustainability and stewardship.”

Edaphos consist of unique grape varietals, Pettite Arvine, Aligoté, Grenache, and Barbera. The grapes come from single vineyards made in small lots, retaining their terroir character. The wine, fermented with native yeast goes to slow natural malolactic conversion. A mix of stainless steel, concrete and, neutral oak tanks allows the wine to highlight its typicity and varietal qualities. Their winemaking philosophy is all about minimal intervention, a small number of sulfur additions, no new oak barrel aging, and almost no filtration and fining.

Wines:

2017 Aligoté (The Forgotten White Varietal from Burgundy)

Edaphos 2017 Aligoté wines with minimal intervention
Photo: Edgar Solís Photography

Technical Notes:

Vineyard: Barbed Oak Vineyard, planted in the early 2000s, Bennett Valley, Sonoma County. This vineyard faces south on a 13.9% slope at 764 feet elevation. Vinification: Crushed into press. Fermented in native yeast in concrete amphora and moved to neutral oak barrel for malolactic conversion. It aged over 16 months on its lees. No filtration. 20ppm SO2 addition at bottling time.
Soil: Alluvial loam over stones.
Production: 116 cases

This wine feels fresh with significant acidity. It shows intense citrus aromas with guava and hints of lemongrass. On the palate, this white wine offers flavors of passionfruit, grapefruit, and river stone notes. Due to thick skins grapes, this wine offers a high concentration of phenolic compounds. We enjoyed this wine paired with a crab crostini, brown butter, tarragon. The high acidity on the wine played a pleasant contrast with the delicate crab meat and creamy texture from the butter and intense herbal notes. Retail price on the wine $36.

Crab Crostini Stag Dinning Group @EdaphosByErnest @EmilyMartinEvents
Crab Crostini. Photo: Edgar Solís Photography

2017 Petite Arvine (Native to the Valais of Switzerland and Valle D’Aosta in Italy)

Edaphos 2018 Petite Arvine wines with minimal intervention
Photo: Edgar Solís Photography

Technical Notes:

Vineyard: Alder Springs Vineyard, Mendocino County. This vineyard faces East on a 17% slope, at 1,900 feet elevation.
Vinification: Direct pressed without sulfur and cold settled overnight. Laid down to neutral oak wood and stainless steel barrels. Slow cold primary fermentation over ten months. Filtered due to incomplete malolactic and bottled with 20 ppm SO2.
Soil: Casabonne Series.
Production: 85 cases.

This wine is yellow-green, with pleasant acidity and a refreshing punch. This elegant wine entices you with aromas of jasmine, Meyer lemon zest, and ripe Anjou pears. On the mouth, you get a slightly oily texture with flavors of Granny apples, tangerine, stone fruits with notes of under-ripe pineapple and hints of fresh sage. The culinary team prepared a salsify “en barigoule,” fresh herbs, and purée. A delightful marriage of wine and food, the wine softened after biting into the root vegetable dish. The fruit flavors on the wine and the taste on the purée and fresh herbs got intensified. Retail price on the wine $42.

Salsify en Barigoule Stag Dinning Group @EdaphosByErnest @EmilyMartinEvents
Salsify en Barigoule. Photo: Edgar Solís Photography

2018 Grenache (This grape is planted widely in France and Spain with a resurgence in the USA)

Edaphos 2018 Grenache wines with minimal intervention
Photo: Edgar Solís Photography

Technical Notes:

Vineyard: Steel Plow Vineyard, Sonoma County. This vineyard faces south by southwest on a 1% slope at 430 feet in elevation. Vinification: Parcial carbonic maceration on the stems without sulfur addition. This vintage spent a month on the skins and lightly pressed in a basket press. Most of the wine aged in concrete amphora for a long malolactic fermentation. A minimal amount of went through malolactic conversion in neutral oak wood. The wine aged for ten months and filtered for clarity and stability. 20 ppmSO2 addition at bottling.
Soil: Cortina Loam.
Production: 165 cases.

This Grenache shows light ruby color, with a refreshing mouthfeel, bright acidity, and almost no tannins. This joyful Grenache has a bouquet of ripe raspberries and strawberries, potpourri, cherry pie, and notes of blackberries and red currants. On the palate, this wine feels velvety with flavors of red berries, pomegranate, dried goldenberries, with notes of ripe figs and nutmeg. We experienced this wine paired with Arancini, mushroom, squash, lemon aioli, Parmesan cheese, and chopped chives. The lively acidity, refreshing fruit, and light tannins on the wine complemented the crunchy texture, soft vegetable filling, and herbal notes on the arancini. The lemon aioli enhanced the fruit flavors on the wine. Retail price on the wine $38.

Arancini with aioli Stag Dinning Group
Arancini with aioli. Photo: Edgar Solís Photography

2017 Barbera (Originally from Northern Italy this hardy vine grows all over California)

Edaphos 2018 Barbera wines with minimal intervention
Photo: Edgar Solís Photography

Technical Notes:

Vineyard: Madhavan Vineyard, Moon Mountain, Sonoma County. This vineyard faces southwest on a 7.3% slope at 531 feet elevation.
Vinification: Destemmed and fermented in stainless steel. Gently pressed and moved to concrete Egg for slow malolactic conversion. Racked after nine months and moved to neutral oak barrel for another six months. It was bottled unfiltered with 30 ppm SO2.
Soil: Red hill and volcanic tuff.
Production: 265 cases.

This aromatic Barbera shows a medium ruby color, it is vibrant with a harmonious balance between acid and fruit, finishing with silky tannins. This wine displays intense aromas of rose petals, ripe dark berries, nutmeg, and fresh pineapple sage. On the mouth, this wine expresses flavors of dark cherries, cranberries, sweet vanilla with hints of mineral and freshly ground black pepper. We savored the Barbera paired with cauliflower, merguez spices, and salsa verde. The intense spicy flavors on the dish made the fruit come alive on the wine. A beautiful contrast of flavors and textures made for a fun wine and food experience. Retail price on the wine $28.

Cauliflower Merguez spices & salsa verde Stag Dinning Group @EdaphosByErnest @EmilyMartinEvents
Cauliflower, Merguez spices & salsa verde. Photo: Edgar Solís Photography

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IN MY GLASS TONITE; 2014 FETZER EAGLE PEAK MERLOT

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Fetzer 2014 Eagle Rock Merlot

This bottle of Fetzer Eagle Peak Merlot certainly arrived as a sample some time ago, it aged well. This wine shows a dark ruby red color. A pleasant balance of fresh raspberry and cherry aromas with notes cocoa powder, anise liquor, and coffee bean. On the palate, you get tasty layers of ripe cherries, plum, cranberries, vanilla bean with a hint of soy sauce, and toasty oak. This Merlot is well balanced, with ripe fruit, pleasant acidity, and smooth tannins. It is an impressive value wine at $10 retail price.

Technical Notes

  • APPELLATION: CALIFORNIA
  • ACIDITY: 0.6 GRAMS/100ML
  • PH: 3.49
  • RESIDUAL SUGAR: 0.39 GRAMS/100ML 
  • ALCOHOL: 13.5%
Bison Teres Major Fillet
Bison Teres Major Fillet with Cabernet Sauvignon Reduction Sauce Photo by
Edgar Solís Photography

We enjoyed this joyful Merlot with a new cut of bison, teres major fillet. It is The first time we cook this cut of buffalo meat, we bought it from Wild Idea Buffalo, an excellent purveyor of bison meat in South Dakota. We seasoned the teres major fillets with Hitching Post BBQ seasoning and cooked in sous vide for one hour at 135 degrees F. We pan seared the bison fillets for a couple of minutes each side. To finish up the meat we poured a Cabernet Sauvignon reduction sauce made with sauteed shallots and garlic, seasoned with Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

As a side dish, we served roasted red potatoes, cooked with finely chopped Cipollini onions and smashed garlic and extra virgin olive oil. The intense flavors on the bison fillet and the vegetables complemented the medium tannins and fruit flavors and accentuated the savory notes on the wine.

Fetzer Winery History

Fetzer has its roots in Mendocino County, California. Their winemaking history goes back to 1968. Barney Fetzer was a pioneer in sustainable farming and a patron of Mendocino grape growers. Brown-Forman, a major spirits corporation based in Kentucky, bought the Fetzer company in 1992. For almost two decades, Brown-Forman continued with the sustainable practices of its founders and supported the Mendocino County grape growers.

In 2011 Brown-Forman sold Fetzer to Concha y Toro SA a 128-year-old Chilean wine company. Concha y Toro owns 24,000 acres of vineyards and exports wines to more than 130 countries. Under Concha y Toro ownership, Fetzer got certified as a Certified B Corp in 2015. They continue to improve in different areas of sustainability and implementing several programs supporting their workforce quality of life.

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In my glass tonite; 2014 Gramona Xarello

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Gramona Winery

In my glass last night! 2014 Gramona Xarello Ovum. This crisp and refreshing white wine is 100% from Xarello grapes, gown organically and biodynamically. The wine is fermented in Egg-shaped concrete tanks and ánfora (clay vessel). Gramona Winery is located in the heart of Cava Wine Country, in the quaint town of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, Catalonia, Spain. We visited Gramona for the first time in September of 2007 and went back in October of 2018. Gramona has an outstanding winemaking facility; they do not sacrifice quality for quantity. Their hospitality is exceptional and you can feel their passion for winemaking.

Gramona’s history of winemaking goes back to 1850. At that time, Josep Battle was taking care of the vineyards and making wine for a family that own vineyards in La Plana, Anoia River Valley. While the phylloxera epidemic decimated the vineyards of France and much of Europe, Josep’s son Pau supplied wine to the sparkling wine producers in France. Using the Xarello grape as the foundation, Pau refined his winemaking technique to produce quality wine.

By 1881, Pau established his own winery Celler Batlle, and finally purchased the vineyards that his father used to work. By the beginning of the next century, Pau’s daughter Pilar married Bartolomé Gramona. This united two old wine family who started producing quality wines under the Gramona brand name. By 1945, brothers Bartomeu and Josep Gramona took the helm of the family business and made the winery proud for their highly regarded quality wines.

2014 Gramona Xarello Ovum.

This Xarello is light yellow with green undertones. This wine shows aromas of ripe Anjou pear, yellow apples, nectarine, and lemon curd, with notes of Meyer lemon peel and lemongrass. On the palate, this wine feels fresh with pleasant acidity. This well balanced Xarello delights you with flavors of Granny Smith apple, ripe pear, peach, and passion fruit, with hints of grapefruit and pineapple sage.

We enjoyed the Gramona Xarello with a home-cooked wedding soup. Homemade soup with chicken stock, onions, kale, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms, ground pork and bison meatballs; seasoned with salt and black pepper. For thickness, we added smashed baby potatoes. The acidity and freshness of the wine accentuated the layers of flavors on the soup; the soup made the fruit flavors on the wine more intense.

We enjoyed a successful wine and food pairing experience. Salud!

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J Davies Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical tasting

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Recently, it was an incredible pleasure to enjoy a vertical wine tasting of J Davies Cabernet Sauvignon from Diamond Mountain, Napa Valley. Schramsberg Vineyards produces this quality Cabernet Sauvignon from their historic estate, Diamond Mountain vines. The wine is made from vines planted in three different parcels (42 acres total) ranging from 500 to 1,000 feet in elevation on the western slopes of Diamond Mountain. These are the southernmost vineyards in the Diamond Mountain District AVA.

Two of the three parcels are the first hillside vineyards established in Napa Valley by original owner J. Schram in 1862. In 1994 patriarch Jack Davies decided to replant the hillside vineyards planted initially with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot) Their first Cabernet Sauvignon vintage was released in 2001 and has received critical acclaim ever since. The wine honors Jack Davies memory who died in 1998, three years before the first release.

J. Davis Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical

J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon

2002 J. Davis Cabernet Sauvignon:

(97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Malbec) This wine has intense aromas of red cherries, candied dark berries, spice, herbs, and oak. The oak is fully integrated, and the tannins are still firm, but the ripe blackberry, dark cherry, plum, and red currant flavors are all present with mocha, black pepper, and vanilla notes. This is Diamond Mountain Cab at its most elegant expression.

2005 J. Davis Cabernet Sauvignon:

(80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec, 8% Petite Verdot) Exhibits aromas of ripe black cherry, dark berries, and cranberry combined with sweet tobacco, vanilla custard, and earthy mineral with floral, spices, green pepper, and pencil shavings notes. On the palate, this wine felt well-balanced and structured with lush flavors of dark berries, dried plums, cinnamon, sweet vanilla, licorice, and hints of coconut and dark chocolate. The tannins are still going strong but getting mellow and letting the fantastic fruit flavors show off. The finish is long with velvety tannins, dark fruit, and mineral flavors. With more years on the bottle, this wine will keep developing beautifully, becoming more opulent than elegant.

2006 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon:

(79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot) Expressive aromas of blackberries, red currant, plum, licorice and mountain vegetation with a nice touch of oak. On the palate, you can taste ripe raspberry, rhubarb jam, black pepper, Italian herbs, and bacon. This wine shows great complexity in aromas and flavors developed over bottle aging. It is an elegant wine that probably was a little tight in tannins when young but mellows down beautifully on the bottle to slightly sweet but refined tannins. This Cabernet shows excellent acidity and fruit ripeness. This Cabernet Sauvignon it has a subtle finesse that makes it outstanding paired with food. Try this wine with a medium rib-eye grilled steak with garlic parmesan mash potatoes and roasted beets. This well-crafted wine will keep developing great aromas and flavors at least for another decade in the bottle.

2007 J. Davis Cabernet Sauvignon:

(84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec, and 4% Petit Verdot) This wine opens with a fragrant bouquet of dark fruit (cherry, berries, black currants) and goes on with tobacco, black tea, incense, spice, sweet vanilla, and earthy notes. On the palate, this wine feels sophisticated and with a firm texture from the still, fierce tannins. You can enjoy flavors of black cherry jam, ripe dark berries, currant, cinnamon, black pepper and hints of oak. The finish is long and refined with notes of vanilla, cassis, and oak. This Cabernet shows structure and balance, it will continue to age gracefully and develop for a few decades to come. This wine will pair great with roasted lamb chops over creamy mash potatoes topped with sautéed wild mushrooms.

Davies Vineyards consistently produce elegant, well-balanced long-live Cabernet Sauvignon. Looking forward to more vintages to come. Cheers!

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Home Cooking and Wine Pairings

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We love to cook and enjoy a bottle of wine with dinner at home. Experimenting with flavor combinations and new recipes is always fun. For us, it is exciting to add our personal touch to recipes and discover which wine will be the best pairing. Bellow, we are sharing some of our new home cooking and wine pairings. We hope you get inspired, be creative and have fun.

Wine Pairings

Elegant Rosé with salmon for dinner.

2014 Rosé D’ Été from Gabrielle Collection, Oak Knoll Napa Valley. A 100% rosé from Cabernet Sauvignon, made by the Saignée method. This wine has skin contact for only a few days. Light garnet in color with intense ripe berries aromas and hints of red rose petals. On the palate, this wine feels refreshing with flavors of strawberry, raspberry, and notes of pomegranate. The ultimate pairing for our sockeye wild salmon seasoned with Herbie’s Spices Shichimi Togarashi Japanese-style Sprinkle. A great play between the spiciness on the salmon and the clean freshness of the wine. A side of red cabbage salad with dill fronds added on a hint of acidity that rounded the flavors of the wine and completed the pairing.

Bubbles and Frittata

Dinner inspired by Ina Garten’s Zucchini and Gruyere Frittata,  with a side of avocado topped with olive oil and sprinkled with “Sal de Vino” finishing salt (a red wine salt from Rioja, Spain). We enjoyed it with one of our favorite California Sparkling wines, 2009 Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvee.  This Sparkling wine shows intense raspberry and strawberry aromas with notes of peach and freshly baked bread.  After having a taste of the rich frittata and the creamy avocado, the bubbles cleanse your palate with a refreshing mineral finish leaving you ready for the next bite.

Delightful Bison ribs and Syrah

Slow-cooked bison ribs with French fries, fried in duck fat and sprinkled with truffle salt. A side dish of avocado sprinkled with extra virgin Spanish olive oil and “Sal de Ibiza” (a finishing salt with wildflowers that we brought from our last trip to Spain).  A perfect pairing with the Foxen 2013 Tinaquaic Vineyard Syrah from Santa Maria Valley, CA. This Syrah shows an intense bouquet of fresh blackberries, fresh ground black pepper, ripe figs, and coffee beans. On the palate, you enjoy ripe dark berries, fig compote, cocoa nibs, and black pepper; completed with pleasant acidity and silky tannins. The wine enhances the flavors of the dish by bringing a hint of spice to the ribs while the fat and rich flavor of the fries stand up to the body of the wine.

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First ever National Prosecco Week

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National Prosecco Week

All bubble seekers know the refreshing sensation of a chilled fruit-forward Prosecco in a warm day. Summertime is here, and how appropriate and auspicious that the Prosecco DOC Consortium chose to celebrate Prosecco with its first ever National Prosecco Week, during the week of June 11th, 2018.

The Prosecco DOC Consortium’s role is to promote, protect and develop the Designation of Origin. Prosecco was granted the Controlled Designation of Origin status on July 17, 2009, and the Prosecco DOC Consortium (Consorzio di Tutela della Denominazione di Origine Controllata Prosecco) was created the same year to coordinate and manage the Prosecco DOC.

The organization comprises of winegrowers, individual and associated still and sparkling wine producers and wineries. Its three primary objectives are to protect and safeguard the quality of Prosecco wines; to promote the wines, and to provide consumers with information on quality and authenticity of Prosecco wines. This year the Prosecco DOC Consortium, through the creation of the first-ever National Prosecco Week, embarked in an educational journey holding masterclasses for media and trade, and consumer events throughout the US, teaching and showcasing Prosecco’s food pairing versatility.

National Prosecco Masterclass Seminar

We were given the opportunity to attend the masterclass for media and trade at the Italian Restaurant 54 Mint in San Francisco, by the Consorzio Tutela Prosecco DOC and taught by Tim Marson, Master of Wine. With its bright acidity and clean flavors, Prosecco is a food-friendly wine. At the masterclass, we learned about this sparkling wine paired with a tasty four-course lunch, among friends.

Our first course was a duo of torta rustica (savory tart with fresh ricotta, dandelion, spigarello, and local Crescenza cheese), and Pescetti Fritti (deep-fried Lake Superior wild smelts, caper mayonnaise, sea salt, and lemon. This course was paired with NV Prosecco Brut Villa Sandi “Il Fresco,” and NV Prosecco “La Marca.” Both wines paired well with the dish, but the Villa Sandi did a better job highlighting the flavors of the food without losing its character. Villa Sandi Prosecco DOC retails for around is $13.99, and La Marca Prosecco, one of the best-known Prosecco wines in the US, retails around $11.99.

The second course, Fave e Pecorino (fava beans and pea-shoots salad, Pecorino, black pepper, and extra virgin olive oil), was paired with NV Prosseco Single Vineyard Vintage Brut “Fantinel.” It was an outstanding food and wine pairing. The food flavors shined through the pleasant acidity, stone fruit, and mineral notes of the wine. This sparkling wine retails for $16.

Our entrée of Halibut over fennel puree and baby carrots was paired with two Prosecco wines; NV Prosecco Extra Dry “Astoria” and NV Prosseco Extra Dry “Ca di Rajo.” The Astoria has more citrus, hazelnut, mineral notes and slightly tart finish. The Ca Di Rajo showed passion fruit, tangerine and a hint of sweetness. Both wines paired well with the dish, but The Astoria made the flavors on the food more vibrant while keeping its intense flavors and freshness. The NV Prosecco Extra Dry “Astoria” retails for $14,  and NV Prosseco Extra Dry “Ca di Rajo” retails for $17.

For dessert, we got a vanilla pannacotta with fresh berries, served with NV Prestige Prosecco Organic “Mionetto.” The wine had citrusy and tropical fruit aromas and flavors. Though not a perfect pairing due to the sweetness of the dessert overpowering the wine, the freshness of the wine served as an excellent closure for the event. The Mionetto retails for $12.

At home, we tried another excellent example of Prosecco DOC, Zonin Cuveé 1821. This wine is made by the Zonin Family, who began producing wines in the 1800s. With such extensive winemaking experience, there is no surprise that 1821 Cuveé represents the DOC so elegantly. This Prosecco wine has gentle aromas of honeysuckle, Asian pears, and abundant citrus notes. On the palate, it is crisp, and fresh with a long-lasting citrusy finish. We paired the Zonin Cuveé 1821 with Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Involtino, Au gratin potatoes, and Parmesan bread. Other suggested pairings are spicy Thai food, Caprese salad, and crab cakes. This Prosecco came to us as a sample bottle, and its retail value is $12.99.

About Prosecco and Prosecco DOC

Prosecco is a light-bodied Italian Sparkling wine made traditionally and primarily with the Glera white grape variety, native to northeast Italy, and its origins date back at least 2,000 years. The Prosecco wine is characterized by its refreshing flowery and fruit-forward notes, and it is mainly produced in dry brut style. It is a favorite among US consumers for its versatility, value, and accessibility to the market.

Prosecco DOC is made with the Glera grape; however, regulations allow the addition of a maximum of 15% of the following varietals: Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera, Glera Lunga, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Nero. Since 2009 the Prosecco DOC designation comprises Sparkling wines produced from five provinces of the Veneto region (Belluno, Padua, Treviso, Venice, Vicenza) and four provinces in Friuli Venezia Giulia (Gorizia, Pordenone, Trieste, and Udine). When the wine is also produced and bottled exclusively in the provinces of Treviso and Trieste, particular mention may be written on the label in recognition of the invaluable part these two provinces have played in the history of Prosecco.

Unlike French Champagne and Spanish Cava, made using the Methòde Traditionale or Champenoise, Italian Prosecco is vinified using the Charmat Method (or Tank Method), in which the secondary fermentation does not take place in individual bottles, but in large pressurized tanks. The Charmat Method, invented by Federico Martinotti in 1895 and then adapted by Eugene Charmat in 1907, captures distinctive notes of flowers and fruit that characterize Prosecco wines. While the Charmat Method is mostly known for its use in the production of Prosecco, the method is widely used around the world to produce other Sparkling wines.

Though Prosecco wines are traditionally paired with Italian food; its versatility allows pairing with spicy dishes, seafood, creamy dishes, and charcuterie. Prosecco is the most popular Sparkling wine in the world. In 2017, the total production of Prosecco DOC wines was 440 Million bottles, of which seventy-five percent was exported, and the US and Canada are its second-largest consuming market. Prosecco DOC wines retail on average between $8 and $18; a great value wine that everybody can enjoy.  Authentic Prosecco DOC is easily distinguishable by the blue estate seal (picture below), which must be applied to each bottle.

Zonin Prosecco

All Photography by Julie Santiago and Edgar Solís

Our thanks to Prosecco DOC Consortium for providing us with such an excellent learning opportunity.

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