Day 2: Christmas Feasts

This is my favorite time of year, mostly because of the excuse we have to eat and drink with a free pass.  The best wines, the most creative accompaniments to large platters of beef and poultry and pork.  And lots of sweets.  Gingerbread people with candied buttons and eyes. Spicy persimmon cake, French macaroons in the same persimmon, pistachio and vanilla and See's Candies.  Pumpkin pie and coconut cream and apple pies.  So much overload, you forget when to stop.  Two days later, you wonder why you didn't exercise more restraint.  And the word 'exercise' is a frightening thing to think about. 

But when your belly's full and your senses overloaded, you realize just how much you have to be thankful for.  And this past week, the wines have been flowing.  

Starting Sunday December 20th in Los Alamos, CA at Flatbread, I brought out a bottle of my newest release, 2006 Symbiotica Syrah from a vineyard about 1/2 mile south of the restaurant, and purchased a bottle of my 2005 Lysander Pinot Noir that they feature on their list.   The Lysander was showing quite well, with a bright bouquet of dusty chocolate-covered cherries on the nose and earthy elements of mushroom on the palate.  Quite a nice, lenghty finish for a wine just now starting to enter into it's peak.  The Symbiotica offered a dark contrast of wet-earth driven chicory and plums, with a distinct heady aroma of must and Gruyere on the initial pour.  Acidity and tannins balance nicely, allowing this wine to open up after decanting and show off it's aging potential.  Both wines paired gorgeously with a mushroom and sausage flatbread and Wild Mushroom 'Crespelle' with Rappini and Green Garlic Sauce.  

Fast forward a day or two (or so it seemed), and I was home in San Diego, preparing for the Big Christmas Feasts.  In our house, one is not enough:  we have two.  The focus this year, it seemed, was entirely on preparing the meal for Christmas Eve (Roast Beast AND Glazed Ham), and then the Christmas dinner (a beautifully brined 25-lb turkey).  This was the perfect opportunity to break out some good vino to pair with these beautiful meals.  

I am really the only one in my family who freaks out over really good wines.  So this year, I ensured that we had some really tasty ones at the table.  Starting with the obligatory glass of Zonin Prosecco (purchased at the local Trader Joe's for $5.99 - a great bargain, and my Mom's favorite), we popped open the 2008 Frias Family Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc from Spring Mountain and started into the cheese plate.   Following was the 2005 Palmina Barbera from Zotovich Vineyard.  A beautiful wine - with stunning elegance, and a deep rich berry and plum notes, it was showing quite youthful and offered a long and deeply complex finish.  Second, a gorgeous showing of Chad Melville's 2005 Samsara Pinot Noir from the Melville Vineyard stole the evening, pairing beautifully with homemade cheese and herb gougeres.  Supple, elegant, layered with bright notes of cherry and cola, and a hint on fresh herbs on the finish, this wine is drinking amazing now, but only has room to flourish over the next few years.  

For dinner, we sampled the 2004 Destiny Bay 'Magna Paremia' from Waiheke Island, Auckland, NZ, an elegant, old-world styled Bordeaux blend lead primarily with Cabernet Sauvignon, which was the absolute perfect compliment to pepper-crusted Prime Rib Roast with mushroom-Armagnac sauce.

The next day was Christmas; and so one more dinner to prepare and enjoy.  This time it was herb-crusted and brined turkey, with homemade cranberry sauce, mashed sweet potatoes with brown butter and sage, and grilled asparagus with smoked chipotle sauce.  With this, we paired the 2001 Silver Nebbiolo from Santa Barbara County.   Soft and supple, the tannins were evenly dispersed among the mid-palate and finish of the wine, with a deep presence of baking spice and cigar box on the nose and palate.  A lively acidity kept the structure and fruit in place, and added depth and brightness to the turkey, acting very much like the cranberry sauce.  A glass of Norm Yost's 2005 'Goat Bubbles' helped finish off the night (and assisted in the celebration of the Chargers' 42-17 rout over the Titans.  Playoff time for San Diego!!)

I hope everyone out there had as full and as enriching holiday season as I have had.  Great wines, good food, and time with family and friends - this is what this holiday season is all about.  And although no '61 Cheval Blancs were opened, the most important memories were made with the wine and food provided us.  Sometimes all you need is a good glass of bubbles and a properly aged and paired red wine with a killer holiday meal to make your season complete.

Cheers, and happy holidays!

Day 1: 1982 Chateau Margaux, among others

Whenever another year comes to a close, we tend to think, 'where did the year go?' and 'what on earth do I have to show for it?' Many times, I always wonder what happened to taking copious notes on all the wonderful wines I've had the good fortune to sample over the year. And the memorable meals I've experienced. And all the exotic locales I've visited (usually with the purpose of eating good food and drinking beautiful wines).

So, I figured the best way to remember all of these great experiences is to share them all with you. So, I will attempt to document, over the next 365 days, 365 memorable food, wine and travel experiences.

Living in Napa Valley, having memorable food and wine experiences is quite an everyday affair. It's really why so many of us decide to pursue the dream of working in the wine industry. Contrary to popular belief, it's not to become an overnight millionaire. It's all about the lifestyle. And last night was a perfect testament to that belief.

I was invited by a good friend of mine to attend his wine company's holiday party, which started off at the wonderfully diverse Oxbow Market in Napa. We then moved on to Taylor's Refresher next door, which has some of the most delicious and sustainably produced burgers, fries and shakes in the Valley.

And then, we saw the line up of wines on the back table:
A magnum of Domaine Weinbach Riesling Schlossburg, Cuvee St. Catherine;
1987 Dominus;
2001 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape;
2006 Araujo Estate;
1978 Duckhorn;
1974 Camus;
(and the most amazing wine I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing:)
1982 Chateau Margaux

So, with my Blue Cheese burger from Taylors, I paired the 1982 Margaux. Simply beautiful, and the blue cheese did not even come close to eclipsing the beauty and supple elegance and power of the Bordeaux. The Caymus was showing very beautifully, and the Duckhorn still held on to much of it's fruit. The Janasse was just the right balance of earth and structure and fruit, and the Cuvee St. Catherine was actually a great pairing with the calamari!

As if this was not enough, after burgers, fries and ridiculous amounts of some of the best Cabernet and Bordeaux in the world, we all boarded the Party Bus, bound for ??, but stocked with bottles of MV Krug and Kara's Cupcakes. We ended up at a bowling alley nearly an hour from Napa, but the Champagne and playlist on the bus made the trip seem short. Unfortunately, Bordeaux and bubbles gave way to Irish Car Bombs and beer, but when you lace up those rented shoes and start cosmic bowling with a big group of great people all hopped up on some killer wines, and you know the Party Bus is gonna get you home safe, you realize why you gave up your fast-paced corporate life to live the life in Wine Country.

Over the next year, I will attempt to write a post a day on whatever it is that I'm eating and drinking at the moment. With holidays coming up and a year ahead with some interesting trips planned, there should be some very interesting things coming up..... Thanks for following, and Abaluche!