Do You Remember Your First Time?

Do you remember the first time you had a great bottle of wine?  Ours was a chardonnay.  During the panic of Y2K, a group of us worked New Year’s Eve to address issues with the millennium bug (bust).  As a thank you, the company gave us a sizeable allowance to expense a personal dinner.  For two poor kids in Boston, that was some treat!  We totally took advantage and dined well out of our league.  A dinner at that level we knew required wine, but we had no clue what to order.  Fortunately the nice “wine guy” guided us to a bottle of outstanding Grgich Hills Chardonnay.

Mike Grgich photo from grgich.comAt the time, we knew nothing about the wine.  We just knew it tasted damn good.  On our first trip to Napa, Grgich Hills was a required stop.  During this visit we learned just why the wine was so special – the winemaker.  Mike Grgich gained international recognition at the historic Paris Tasting of ’76.  The chardonnay he produced at Chateau Montelena took home top prize among the white wines – shocking the French. 

Over the years, our love for this chardonnay has not wavered.  Not only is it an excellent wine, but every time we pop a bottle we recall our many wine adventures and discoveries since that first bottle.  For our anniversary, Jeff gave me the perfect gift ~ 2009 Grgich Hills Chardonnay.  It didn’t take long to pop open the bottle.  This wine has flavors of citrus fruits, balanced with notes of minerality. It does not undergo malolactic fermentation, preserving the acidity. It was a perfect pairing with our meal, and our stories. 

Grgich Hills will always be our first shared bottle.

2005 Rombauer Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon

Last Spring, we had a wonderful tasting experience at Rombauer Vineyards (see "Chatting it up in the tasting room"). We ended up buying a few bottles, including a 2005 Rombauer Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon.

This was definitely a special occasion wine, so we decided to bring it to dinner when we celebrated our wedding anniversary at Fleming's in San Diego. And, like a nice steak dinner, this wine was all straightforward excellence. The nose smelled like currant and cedar, which gave way to cherry on the a mild tartness on the palate with a smooth finish with light tannins. It paired wonderfully with our butternut squash soup, steak, and potatoes. It was also good enough to continue enjoying in lieu of dessert.

We all need a few special occasion bottles in our collection. For us, we prefer special occasion bottles that have a story behind them, so we might remember it when we finally get to enjoy the wine. Opening this bottle reminded us of our last trip to Napa (3 Days in Napa at our Top 10 Wineries). 

Enjoying a special occasion wine at Fleming's

Village Vino - great place for a book release party

When Sally and I aren't drinking wine, we try to stay busy with our careers so we can afford to buy more wine! My day job is working as a customer service consultant, and I recently wrote a book called Service Failure to share a lot of my research. Since wine is never far from my mind, I decided to host my book release party at one of my favorite wine bars in San Diego - Village Vino.

Their tag line is "a place for friends to gather, relax, and celebrate," which couldn't be more appropriate for my event. Owner Rita Pirkl and her team were wonderful hosts and really made everyone feel welcome. Many of my guests remarked that they couldn't wait to return to Village Vino and try some more of their great wine.

For the event, Rita picked out a collection of wines from Spain:

• Raventos Mercat Cava, NV (bubbly)
• 2011 Antonio Sanz Verdejo (white)
• 2007 Cillar d Silos Tempranillo (red) 

There are two things I'd like you to remember about this post. First, a wine bar is a great place to throw a party. Second, Village Vino is a wonderful wine bar for any occasion!

New author Jeff Toister celebrating with friends

2009 Arthur Chardonnay - new year, still good

Last January, we wrote a post about 2008 Domaine Drouhin "Arthur" Chardonnay (a Chardonnay for everyone). We quickly became huge fans with Sally even giving it the vaunted "ingredients to dessert" label. There was only one problem...

One bottle.

A short while later, we spotted the next vintage on sale at the San Diego Wine Company. They specialize in finding really good wine and selling it at really good prices, so of course we snatched up a couple of bottles. The big question was, would the 2009 vintage be just as good as the 2008?

In a word, Yes!

Comparing the notes between the two, the taste was very similar. 

2008:  Very consistent flavors of straw, apricot, and apple with light acidity.

2009: Light minerality with a floral nose. Consistent flavors of straw and apricot with very light acidity.

Our pairing this time was with chicken baked with honey, lemon, and thyme, butternut squash, and a spinach and arugula salad. Very fall, but light fall.

We opened the bottle while Sally was cooking (ingredients) and liked it so much we finished it off for dessert. Truth be told, we paused for a small bowl of ice cream, but ice cream and Chardonnay really don't mix very well.

Pinot Noir – A Favorite Fall Wine

Roasted meats, root vegetables, apples, ginger, and cloves are a few of my fall favorites.  And, it just so happens that one of my favorite wines pairs quite well with all of these ~ Pinot Noir.  With the fall weather officially here, thought I’d share a few of my favorites:

Cycles Gladiator ($12)

As with most California pinots, this one is a delicate, fruiter wine, with not a lot of earthy tones. It has aromas of red fruit with a hint of spice, finishing with a little splash of vanilla.

Chalone Monterey County ($18)

Aromas of ripe black cherries with a hint of tobacco, red fruit and a hint of spice on the palate.  This wine is excellent with earthy foods – especially mushrooms.

Erath Oregon ($19)

Silky smooth, with flavors of red plum, cranberry, and sage.  One of my favorite screw cap wines!

Sean Minor Carneros ($22)

Fruitier pinot, with not a lot of earthiness to it.  Tastes of cherry and plum that are well balanced with a light spice silky vanilla finish. 

Cuvaison Carneros ($35)

No secret we are big fans of all things Cuvaison, especially this Pinot.  Cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, with hints of spice. I can drink this one ingredients to well, not quite dessert (bottle never lasts that long).

Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills ($45)

More typical profile of an Oregon pinot. Flavors and aromas of truffle, mushroom, leather, cherry, berry, violet, and spice.  A real treat.

Cycles Gladiator, Chalone and Erath are well distributed.  Sean Minor, Cuvasion, and Sokol Blosser may be available in specialty wine shops, and you can always order direct!

What are some of your fall favorites?