Tag Archive for ‘salmon’ at A California Winery Blog

Tag Archive for 'salmon'

Ryan Ralston on SRH Pinot

Published

on October 8, 2008

. 0 Comments

Assistant winemaker Ryan Ralston was the speaker at Spiritland Bistro’s Wine & Dine event on Monday evening. The second Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir-themed tasting and dinner in the past month was sold out just like the first, which took place on September 24. Ryan spoke about his past winemaker experience, the transition from his beginnings in Paso Robles, and SRH pinot characteristics. The dinner menu was full of classic pinot pairings from a mushroom tart to salmon and a delicious berry crumble.

One of the three cheeses paired with the stand up tasting course in the beginning of the meal was different from the last dinner, Cypress Grove Midnight Moon. This was definitely my favorite cheese of the night and its semi soft texture went really nicely with the pinots. Midnight Moon is a pasteurized 100% goat’s milk (Chevre) cheese (Chevre = goat in French) that is aged for at least 6 months. During the aging period, it develops a caramel nuttiness. This cheese is made by Cypress Grove Creamery up in Humboldt County and would be great served with Fig preserves or used in grilled cheese.

Spiritland’s next dinner is West Coast Cabernet on October 29.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Pinot Noir and Cheese Pairings

Published

joanie

on September 26, 2008

in Joanie Hudson, Pinot Noir and Wine and Food Pairing

. 0 Comments

Another day, another wine dinner in Santa Barbara… Spiritland Bistro’s Wednesday Wine and Dine featured Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir as their designated varietal this week. If you have missed my previous postings about this event, each month a four course meal is paired with a designated varietal of which each guest brings their own bottle. Between each course an expert on the varietal speaks about its characteristics and food pairings.

Lafond was the most popular label of the night, I think there were about 7 bottles of Lafond brought in the mix of 35 wines. I brought two bottles: 2006 Lafond Martin Ray Clone Pinot Noir and 2007 Santa Barbara Winery Pinot Noir. These dinners provide an amazing opportunity to learn about specific areas of wine, particularly pairings of food and wine. It is great to be able to taste wines from the same appellation against each other and see why the wine works with the menu and cheeses.

Food was delicious - delicate mushroom tart to start followed by baked salmon and potatoes au gratin. Dessert was a delicious berry crumble. The stand up cheese course featured three cheeses that matched perfectly with the wine - Cabra al Romero, St. George, and Brie de Nangis. There is always an effort here to collect an assortment of diverse cheeses from around the world while still keeping their flavor profiles in line to complement the pairings.

Cabra al Romero is a pasteurized Spanish gourmet goat cheese from La Mancha. This is an area in central Spain where you can also find the famed Manchego cheese. It is coated with rosemary, which seeps through the outer walls to produce a fragrantly subtle herbal nose. This quality makes it a really nice match with pinot. Its texture is dense and firm with a slightly fruity finish.

St. George is a richly textured, semi-hard, full flavored cow’s milk cheese from Northern California. It is based on a Portuguese recipe, but retains a distinctly American spin. It has a depth of flavor that effortlessly works with pinot and is fantastic when melted in polenta.

Brie de Nangis (bree duh nahn-ZHEE) yields from France and is firmer in texture than its relative Brie de Meaux. It is milder than other Brie cheeses with a hint of earthiness. It is soft ripened (bloomy rind), which gives it a creamy and smooth texture.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Weekly Sundowner Specials at Pierre Lafond Bistro

Published

joanie

on August 14, 2008

in Joanie Hudson and Restaurant News

. 0 Comments

The Pierre Lafond Bistro (516 State St.) has introduced “Weekly Sundowner Specials” to their menu, which are offered from 5-7pm Sunday-Wednesday. It is now one of the few places in town offering a happy hour that extends throughout most of the week as opposed to just one day.

The Sundowner Special includes:

House Salad or Small Caesar Salad

Chicken, Salmon, Steak, or Pasta (from the menu, listed below)

Ice Cream, Sorbet, or Glass of House Wine

25.00

Shelton Farms Chicken Scallopini with spinach, wild mushrooms, roast garlic, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, white wine, and capers (regular menu, 18.00)

Grilled Organic Salmon with artichoke, corn native tomatoes, summer greens, and dijon glaze (21.00 regular menu)

Grilled Marinated Bistro Steak with roasted baby potatoes, sun dried tomatoes, arugula and tuscan salsa verde (21.00 regular menu)

Fusilli Pasta with smoked chicken, sun dried tomatoes, olives, pine nuts, basil pesto, fresh parmesean, and drizzled with local olive oil (17.00 regular menu)

Wild Mushroom Sacchetti Pasta with exotic mushrooms, sweet garlic, tomatoes, spinach, pea shoots, and Santa Barbara Chardonnay sauce (18.00 regular menu)

With plenty of options available for such a great price you can make everybody happy, especially the person paying the bill!

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Pinot Noir Pairings

Published

joanie

on August 2, 2008

in Joanie Hudson, Pinot Noir and Wine and Food Pairing

. 0 Comments

I know that it is difficult to imagine that summer will be over before we know it. September and Harvest 2008 are right around the corner. I usually try to put the end of summer and the end of long days out of my head until it actually comes that time. But I got thinking about it because I was recently asked to think about ideas for a Pinot Noir wine dinner in October. My brainstorming left me with a few ideas that got me looking forward to harvest flavors.

I recently came across a recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, Mario Batali’s Italian Grill, that is totally unique and a really nice pair with light red wines such as Pinot Noir and Sangiovese. The recipe is a Grilled Polenta Verde (or Green Polenta). The rustic polenta turns a rich green color when you blend in a puree of parsley, spinach, and olive oil. This is an extremely versatile dish that can be served as a side or a main course.

Other flavors that pair well with the berry and floral aromatics characteristic of Pinot Noir are:

Morel or Porcini Mushrooms with Parsley

Root Vegetables such as Butternut Squash, Parsnip, and Beetroot

Green Lentil Soup with Sausage

Butternut Squash Polenta or Butternut Squash Lasagna (pinot noir will cut through the richness)

Pumpkin-based dishes

Small Butterflied Leg of Lamp

Roast Duck Legs

Quail

Grilled Pacific Salmon

Pinot Noir is an extremely versatile food wine primarily because it is light with soft tannins (the texture is pillowy on your tongue). You don’t have to start planning for your October dinners just yet, but I’m just giving you some ‘food for thought’ (literally). What is your favorite pinot pairing?

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Lafond 2006 Lafond Vineyard Pinot Noir

Published

Pierre

on July 27, 2008

in New Releases, Pinot Noir, Wine News and Winery News

. 0 Comments

New Release Lafond 2006 Lafond Vineyard Martin Ray Clone Pinot Noir

Nestled in the Santa Rita Hills of the western Santa Ynez Valley, Lafond Vineyard is ideally situated to produce Pinot Noir exhibiting the unique and exotic flavor profile one finds in only a few regions of the world.

Specific areas within our vineyard exhibit elevated concentration and complexity due to soil type and exposure to the elements. We have planted eight distinct clones of Pinot Noir, each with subtle differences in flavor and aroma.

After several years of working with the eight Pinot Noir clones planted in Lafond Vineyard, Winemaker Bruce McGuire has become very familiar with the attributes of each particular clone and uses them accordingly in each of the Pinot Noirs he makes.

The Martin Ray Clone was the first Pinot Noir planted in the Lafond Vineyard back in 1982, on the north side of the Santa Ynez River. These 24-year-old vines and different soils make a nice contrast to the sister bottling in 2006, Clone 115. Farming and vinification are identical.

The comparison of these two clones from the same vintage gives one the winemaker’s view of a rather new element in winemaking as the availability of many Pinot Noir clones is a viticultural story less than twenty years old in North America. The complexity and depth of flavor make this Pinot Noir a great match with savory foods such as lamb, Copper River salmon, and hearty mushroom dishes.
Price: 48.00/750ml
To order:

2006 Lafond Pinot Noir Martin Ray Clone

Published

joanie

on July 20, 2008

in Articles on Wine and Vineyards, Joanie Hudson, Lafond Winery, New Releases and Pinot Noir

. 0 Comments

We have a relatively new release here in the tasting room, and it has quickly become one of my favorites. It is the 2006 Lafond Martin Ray Clone Pinot Noir. The highest quality fruit (exclusively Martin Ray Clone Pinot Noir) has been selected to be included in this bottling.

Lafond Vineyard is home to eight Pinot Noir clones, all of which have their own unique character and flavor profile. Bruce McGuire has produced this small batch of Martin Ray clonal designate Pinot Noir from a specific 25-acre block of the vineyard that was planted 24 years ago. The wine was aged in 100% French Burgundy Oak barrels for about 10 months, during which its complexity was enhanced.

The structure and depth of flavor makes this Pinot Noir a nice match with savory foods such as lamb, Copper River salmon, and hearty mushroom dishes. I have had it recently paired with crusty herbed flatbread, baked zucchini flowers (a beautiful summer seasonal vegetable), and tender grilled lamb. Enjoy it now through 2014. Only 174 cases were produced. Price: 48.00/750ml

To order:

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

New Release Lafond Winery 2006 SRH Pinot Noir

Published

Pierre Lafond

on December 19, 2007

in New Releases and Pinot Noir

. 0 Comments

Rising in the middle of the western Santa Ynez Valley, the SantaRita Hills are the distinguishing feature of our AVA, home of Lafond Vineyard and a wonderful area to grow Pinot Noir. The long, very cool growing season of this area is exemplified by February budbreak and September harvest, a long period for vine physiology.

We feel this long growing season is what imparts the complexity of flavor and fruit intensity to our Pinot Noir A tremendous amount of effort has gone into fine tuning the vineyard to coax this fickle grape into producing the exotic, elusive flavors only pampered Pinot Noir will reveal.

Winemaker Bruce McGuire chooses very specific sites in the vineyard for each of his Pinot Noir selections. Several different Pinot Noir clones, some planted as early as 1983, add to the palette of flavor and texture from which to craft each Pinot Noir. In 2006, Bruce chose 6 clones from 16 vineyard lots (Lafond Vineyard and the nearby Arita Hills Vineyard) picked at ripness over a four week period.

Vintage 2006 saw crop yields a little lighter than 2005, with very good fruit concentration. The Pinot Noir harvest was also exactly a month later than in 2005. The wine was aged in French oak from Burgundy (25% new oak) and bottled in August 2007. The complexity of flavor found in Pinot Noir from Lafond Vineyard is a wonderful match with savory foods and a classic with grilled salmon or mushrooms.

Suggested Retail 26.00

To Order:

To Tell a Friend:

A California Winery Blog