Archive for the 'Sauvignon Blanc' Category

Old Spanish Days Menu at The Bistro

Published
by
joanie
on July 25, 2008
in Articles on Wine and Vineyards, Chardonnay, Joanie Hudson, Lafond Winery, Pinot Gris, Restaurant News, Riesling, Santa Barbara Winery, Sauvignon Blanc and Wine and Food Pairing
. 0 Comments

In celebration of the 84th Old Spanish Days Fiesta, The Bistro will have a special Spanish-themed menu next weekend (Wednesday, July 30- Sunday, August 3).  I just took a peek at it, and it looks delicious!  One of the best things about the menu is the wide selection of dishes that will be available.  It is not just two or three specials, but rather an entire menu.  

Traditional recipes cover a lot of bases in terms of Spanish cuisine - from chilled Gazpacho Verde, Ceviche, Chicken Pasole, Shrimp Tamales, Sea Bass Tacos, Pulled Chicken Tortas, and Filet Mignon Enchiladas.  Chorizo, cilantro, and queso are scattered like confetti as reappearing ingredients in menu descriptions.  

The full wine list of Santa Barbara Winery and Lafond Winery will be available.  Spanish dishes call for a little bit of caution when selecting a wine pairing, but the right choice can enhance both the wine and food (like any good pairing should).  Spicy foods call for slightly sweet or fruity wines with little to no tannin.  I would pair any of our white wines with most of the featured items, but would be selective if leaning towards a red.  

Thinking back to The Bistro’s Solstice Wine Pairing dinner, the 2007 Santa Barbara Winery Pinot Gris with the Shrimp Ceviche was my favorite pairing of the night, as well as the most successful in terms of balance. Three wines that would be consistently good with most of the dishes would be the 2007 Santa Barbara Winery Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling 1.7, and Pinot Gris.  

All are light, refreshing, and fruity.  The Riesling is nice with spicier dishes because of the small amount of residual sugar.  Filet Mignon Enchiladas would be good with either the Riesling or 2005 Santa Barbara Winery Sangiovese.  Cesar’s Chicken Salad would be good with either of the 2006 Santa Barbara Winery Chardonnays (Reserve or Color Label).  

Tacos Al Pastor (Marinated Shaved Pork tacos with Pineapple, Cilantro and Onions Served with Black Beans and Corn Rice with Pasilla Chiles and Queso Anejo) would go well with the Riesling because of the sweetness of the marinated pork and the pineapple.  

The Fiesta Breakfast menu features similar bright flavors.  Huevos Con Chorizo, Chile Verde (Slow Roasted Pork in Green Salsa with Poached Eggs, Avocado, and Black Beans), and Calixto’s Thick Cut French Toast with Fresh Strawberries are a few highlights.  Omelet lovers can order the Oaxacan Vegetable Omelet (Mushrooms, Calabasas Squash, Spinach, Pasilla Peppers and melted Queso).  

See the full menu at pierrelafond.com.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

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Gruyere Cheese at GCN

Published
by
joanie
on May 15, 2008
in Joanie Hudson, Restaurant News, Santa Barbara Winery, Sauvignon Blanc and Special Events
. 0 Comments

The Pierre Lafond Bistro’s Grilled Cheese Night (GCN) features five different cheeses on Thursday evenings.  Each sandwich offers unique flavors and textures, which call out for an appropriate wine pairing as a complement.  Most people, me included, don’t know very much about cheeses.  For example, I know that there are a lot of different types of cheese produced throughout the world, but until recently I never would have guessed the daunting nature of cheese production. 

And since wine and cheese go hand in hand, knowing which wine to pair with specific cheeses is very useful information for wine lovers like ourselves.  We carry a variety of cheese books at the winery if you are interested in learning more.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will focus on one of the cheeses available on the Bistro Grilled Cheese menu and discuss why we chose the “suggested wine pairing.”  First is Gruyere cheese and our 2007 Sauvignon Blanc.  Gruyere cheese is pressed and melted to perfection on crisp sourdough artisan bread with sweet grilled peppers, which add a silky caramelized texture swimming in melted cheese.  This semi-hard cheese is made exclusively from whole cow’s milk, giving it a richly dense and compact texture that is less tangy than Cheddar.  Its slightly sweet saltiness (the result of the brine used to create it) is smooth, nutty and not overpowering. 

Traditionally used in the classic French Croque Monsieur (a melted cheese and ham sandwich) as well as a main ingredient in fondue, it is a notoriously great melting cheese.  It can be cooked without becoming rubbery or oily.  Sauvignon Blanc is a wonderful complement for a few reasons.  First of all, its cleansing acidity offsets the richness of the fatty milk.  A slightly salty cheese like Gruyere is perfect with the sweet tropical and citrus fruits that are in the wine.  Ever wonder why Bleu cheeses are commonly paired with dessert wines?  It is because the saltiness offsets the sweetness (think about Kettle Corn).

To make Gruyere, raw milk is heated up to 93 degrees F, and then the producers curdle the cheese.  Afterwards the curd is cut into small pieces that are stirred and release whey (the liquid portion).  Curd is cooked and quicly raised to a temperature of 130 degrees F.  The cheese is finally pressed to remove moisture and then salted in brine for 8 days followed by a ripening and curing period that lasts 4-10 months.  The longer the curing period lasts the higher quality cheese produced (cheese.com).

Like many cheeses and wines, true Gruyere is part of the AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlee) legal system, which guarantees that products from a specific region carrying its name really do originate there.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager Santa Barbara Winery

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Santa Barbara Winery Special Lot 2006 Sauvignon Blanc

Published
by
Pierre Lafond
on May 14, 2007
in Sauvignon Blanc and Wine News
. 0 Comments

New Release:
Santa Ynez Valley
2006 Sauvignon Blanc in Stailess Steel Winemaker Bruce McGuire has crafted one more first from our Musque Clone Sauvignon Blanc in the Lafond Vineyard.

In an effort to capitalize on our very cool growing area, he chose a small lot to ferment and age entirely in Stainless Steel, thus creating a wine showing exactly the fruit expression produced in the vineyard without the spice and rich nuances imparted by oak barrels.

Bruce’s success with this technique is immediately evident in the fresh aromas of yellow tropical fruits and citrus blossoms, very much like the aroma of the wine just after fermentation has ended. The wine shows enough fruit intenstity to give a well rounded feel in the front and middle of the mouth with flavors reminiscent of the nose and a touch more spice.

Firm acidity developed during our long, cool growing season tightens up the wine in the back of the mouth carrying on succulent notes of citrus and spice. This is an ideal wine to pair with seafood made with a Pacific Rim mentality, from sushi to spicy Thai to ceviche to grilled seabass.

Enjoy this small production wine soon; Bruce found it to be so delicious he tried to stop the tractor form tearing out these vines…alas, he was too late; making this the first and last stainless steel Sauvignon Blanc from Lafond Vineyard.

Suggested retail: 18.00

To order

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Santa Barbara Winery 2006 Sauvignon Blanc

Published
by
Pierre Lafond
on May 2, 2007
in New Releases, Sauvignon Blanc and Wine News
. 0 Comments

New Release:

2006 Sauvignon Blanc

The Sauvignon Blanc landscape in California is resplendent with a wide variety of flavors and styles. Because this varietal can be successfully grown in a wide climate range, albeit showing different fruit qualities from different areas, one has to pay careful attention to clonal selection and site selection within the vineyard.  

In general, warmer areas are well suited to classic Bordeaux clones while cooler growing regions are better suited to exotic clones such as our Musque clone of Sauvignon Blanc. With an eye toward many of the foods produced in Santa Barbara County and the seafood caught in our coastal waters, Winemaker Bruce McGuire has created a blend that combines two different clones of Sauvignon Blanc from two climate zones.

He pairs the tropical fruit and citrus flavors of our Musque clone with the warm climate “Davis Clone 1” from Westerly Vineyard, 16 miles to the east of Lafond Vineyard and about 15 degrees warmer. This clone is also on the delicate side, keeping the grassy, herbal side of Sauvignon Blanc in check and makes up about 25% of the total blend. Bruce then blended in 7.5% Viognier to add to the spicy fruit character.

About three quarters of this wine was fermented in stainless steel as opposed to the neutral oak puncheons used in the balance of the wine. This keeps the racy acids lively on the tongue. Our Sauvignon Blanc is a very useful wine to pair with light or spicy foods found in Pacific Rim cuisine.

A favorite pairing is with Thai dishes like we find at Zen Yai restaurant located near the winery on State Street. This wine is also a great match for many seafood preparations and salads.

Suggested retail: 15.00

To order

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