I may live in the Russian River Valley – indisputably, home court to any number of world-class Chardonnay winemakers – but I’m here to tell you that, if well-made, sexpot Chards are your thing, then you need to get your Chard-guzzling booty over to the Alexander Valley, and stat. You won’t find nearly the selection (the simple math is fewer wineries making less wine), you’ll drive a few extra miles between tasting rooms (it’s a sparsely populated region), but for quality, value, and stylistic consistency, nobody is producing better hooch than the cellar rats of the Alexander Valley.
If you were to think of RRV Chardonnays as the all-grown-up beauty queens of today’s Hollywood (think Nicole Kidman or Michelle Pfeiffer), and Sonoma Coast as the edgy up-and-comers of tomorrow’s (say, an Emma Watson or Kristen Stewart), then AV Chards would have to be the voluptuous blonde bombshells of the classic silver screen, all Mae West and Marylin Monroe, with their graceful curves, inimitable class, and breathy sex appeal. What I find so special about the best of these wines, however, is that what’s in the bottle consists of much more than just a metaphorical pretty face. Like Mae and Marylin, the better Alexander Valley offerings all maintain their own fierce individuality, one might even say attitude, while at the same time sharing an unmistakable common thread, a sense of place, or terroir, that even the most die-hard ABCer would begrudgingly concede, and that sets them apart from many of their more westerly cousins.
All of which lines me up for The World’s Best Unpaid Job: I’m going to spend the next few days soaking up the postcard-perfect scenery of the Alexander Valley, bar-hopping my favorite tasting rooms in and around Highway 128 (yes, I’ll spit), and talking to the men and women that grow these special wines. Check back in for Part 3, coming soon to a liver near you.
“It’s Food!”: Clark Wolf hosts new show
What’s next on Clark Wolf’s ever-expanding to do list? Television personality.
The jet-setting restaurant consultant/author/food personality and sometimes blogger turned up at Sonoma County’s own TV 50 kitchen studio a few months ago to tape the pilot for “It’s Food!”, a video love-letter to the chefs and purveyors of Sonoma County.
As a longtime Wine Country resident, he’s calling on foodie friends to guest what’s hoped to be a monthly half-hour program exploring the farm-to-table philosophy of SoCo. On the first episode: Chef John Ash, Zazu’s Duskie Estes and Nancy Skall of Middleton Gardens.
“There’s so much about food that started in Sonoma County and is being revisited in Sonoma County. There are so many stories to share. I’ve done TV over the years on and off, but I was waiting for something that was less of a game show and something I actually wanted to share with people,” said Wolf.
The first show is slated to air before Thanksgiving and will be viewable throughout the Northbay. Channel details are still being worked out.
AV Chardonnay Calls BS on ABC (Part 1 of 3)
Google “ABC Anything But Chardonnay” and you’ll get something on the order of 19,000 hits in the first few tenths of a second. The oldest reference I could be bothered to find dates to 1995 in a column by Frank Prial for the NY Times, but as recently as 2008, someone actually took the time to write a book with the same dated and misguided tag line, so we know that wine writers, at least, have had the ABC bug up their collective keester for the better part of 15 years now. A cursory review of the literature, such as it is, will tell you that the ABC crowd (or “movement”, as they are wont to call themselves, if they’re feeling more plucky and self-important than usual) represents a backlash against the hegemony of that ubiquitous style of California Chardonnay that assaults the palate in a blitzkrieg of sweet butter, vanilla, and sodden oak.
The ABCers have a valid argument, to a point: Too many California Chardonnays taste too much alike, lacking both individuality and varietal character. I have read, but cannot confirm, a plausible hypothesis that the tsunami of monolithic and uniform Chards washing over the marketplace some years ago was the industry’s natural reaction to Kendall-Jackson selling of hundreds of thousands (millions?) of cases of wine in the 80s and 90s that were made in that particular style. Whatever the roots of its family tree, this style – the oenological equivalent of Marshmallow Fluff – reaches its dubious apogee in Rombauer’s eponymous bottling, which I used to care for, truth be told, but – both to its winemaker’s credit and ultimate failing – now strikes me as inscrutably cloaked in wood and stupefyingly uniform, regardless of the vintage, with an inescapable impression of chewing on a handful of buttered-popcorn Jelly Bellys while licking an oak tree. Maybe that’s harsh, and a bit unfair to the Rombauers (whom, unlike downmarket Marshmallow Wines that spend the tender days of their vinous youth literally soaking in a bath of oak chips, at least produce a product of quality), but one thing the ABC folks got right is that too many Chards taste indistinguishably alike in a not-very-Chardonnay sort of way, and where’s the fun in that?.
What they got wrong, however, is that Chardonnay is somehow ill-suited to oak barrels and malolactic fermentation, and that Americans (or anybody else, for that matter) would stop drinking Chardonnay: In the first instance, not only do the undisputed heavyweight champions of the Chardonnay world – counting amongst their ranks the who’s-your-daddy of all Chardonnays and possibly all dry white wines, Le Montrachet; some of the world’s finest Champagnes (any Tete de Cuvee designated blanc de blanc, including such luminaries as Salon, Taittinger, and Krug’s mythical Clos de Mesnil); and New World “cult” offerings (such as those from John Kongsgaard and Helen Turley) make extensive use of new oak and ML fermentation; and as to the second claim, it’s just plain false. To wit, Americans guzzle 5-10% more California Chardonnay each year than the one previous, and have done so since that very same NYT article appeared in 1995.
So what gives? A winemaker friend of mine once told me, “Americans talk dry, but drink sweet”. He was talking about the oaky, extracted, blue-black ink wells of Cabernet Sauvignon that continue to define most of our neighboring Napa Valley, but I think the song remains the same further west as well, here in the Land of Chard: We, the American palate, like to fill our glasses with big, rich, succulent, gobs of toasty, creamy Chardonnay unctuousness. Decry it all you want, but the sales statistics don’t lie, and I, for one, am proud to hold my hand up as one of the many whom they represent, provided the wines in question reflect their varietal character and a retain a sense of balance between fruit and wood, richness and structure, winemaker and vine because, at the end of the day, these are flirty, sexy, flattering wines, and a well-made, sexpot of a Chard is the sort of wine that will get you lucky.
2010 Heirloom Tomato Chef Challenge PIX
It takes a top chef to whip out a dish like foie gras with passion fruit and liquid nitrogen grapes, diver scallops and fried green tomatoes in 25 minutes — along with three other dishes. But that’s exactly what former Top Chef contestants Hosea Rosenberg, Ryan Scott and Chris (CJ) Jacobsen did, along with the day’s ultimate winner, Kendall Jackson Chef Justin Wangler, on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010 during the Kendall Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival.
It’s an annual chef-off that’s all about the camaraderie and sweating it out under the summer sun with a glass of Riesling and several thousand of your best friends. Here are some of the amazing dishes from the chefs…
And congrats to Justin!
2010 Harvest Fair Food Winners
Though many of Sonoma County’s chefs, purveyors and winemakers receive accolades far beyond Wine Country, the annual Harvest Fair Awards are a purely local commendation of the region’s favorites.
So whet your whistle, then head to Sept. 25th’s Awards Night Gala to taste, sip and celebrate all of the winning food and wines selected this year. Here are the winners in the food categories…
Dairy: This long-overlooked category was revived in 2010, spearheaded by local cheesemaker and caterer Sheana Davis. “I felt it was time to revive the Dairy competition, since we we have so many amazing dairy producers joining in the cheesemaking production of Sonoma County, which includes artisan butters, farmstead cheeses and so many unique and regional new dairy products. In our judging of more than 30 entries, we tasted raw goat milk cheeses, aged cow milk cheese, fresh goat milk cheeses, yogurts, butters and yet this was just the beginning,” she said. Petaluma Creamery took top honors in the aged cow cheese category (Monterey Jack won gold); Redwood Hill Farms in the fresh goat cheese category, rined goat cheese (Cameo) and aged goat cheese (smoked cheddar). Valley Ford Cheese Company won Double Gold for its Estero Gold Montasio and Highway 1 Fontina. Spring Hill Jersey captured Double Gold and Best in Show for its Peppercorn Goat Farmstead Cheese. McClelland’s Dairy won top awards for its European Style Organic Artisan Butter, while Green Valley Organics and Redwood Hill Farm both took medals for their yogurts.
Olive Oil: Ferrari-Carano Vineyards Vintners Inn Estate Olive Oil was named Best of Show Olive Oil. According to Cheryl McMillan of Ferrari-Carano Vineyards, the winning oil is a blend of all the olives grown on the Vintners Inn Estate: coratina, frantoio, leccino, maurino, and pendolino. The judges were impressed with the balance of fruit, bitterness and pungency of the winning oil.
Desserts: Brasserie at the Hyatt took Best in Show and Beset use of Local Products for its Swedish Cream Cannolis, while Oliver’s Markets won the Sweepstakes Dessert Award for its desserts. Oliver’s also won Best in Show for its decorated wedding cake and honey caramel nut tart in the pastry division.
Best of Show Wine List: Carneros Bistro at the Lodge. Dry Creek Kitchen won Best Sonoma County Wine List.
Best Deli/Charcuterie: Newcomer Yanni’s Sausage won Best Charcuteries for its Loukaniko Pork Rustic Country Sausage, while Bear Republic Brewing won Best of Show Delicatessen for its Wild Game Chili.
Appetizer and bread categories have a variety of classes, but top contenders in the Appetizer category included Brasserie at the Hyatt for their Best Use of Sonoma County Cheese, BBQ Smokehouse Catering for the BBQ Beef Brisket (Best use of SoCo Beef) A La Heart Catering for best use of Seafood and Poultry and Grapevine Catering for Best use of Lamb and Wine. In the breads category, Costeaux French Bakery won Best in Show for its Ciabatta and Multigrain breads. Winning double golds were Franco American Bakery for their Sweet French Roll and Nightingale Breads for their Forestville French Baguette.
The 2010 Sonoma County Harvest Fair takes place October 1-3 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. More information click here.
DaVero’s New Healdsburg Tasting Room
Since the demise of Plaza Farms in 2008, Sonoma County’s olive oil fans have been chomping at DaVero Olive Oil owner Ridgely Evers to open another retail outlet for his ever-growing selection of locally pressed oils, preserves and estate wines.
This week Evers (who is notoriously obsessive about his small-batch products) opens his long-awaited tasting room/vineyard/biodynamic farm on Westside Road near Madrona Manor. There’s been lots of buzz about the space, which Evers has been planting and renovating for the last two years. Aside from filling your 30 Weight (DaVero’s sturdy cooking oil) there, Evers makes about 300 cases of wine including a Sangiovese Rosato and his personal fave, Sagrantino, a rare Italian varietal, both for sale in the tasting room.
The space utilizes reclaimed wood, fixtures and steel — from fallen trees to lights from one of Evers’ old start-ups. He’s also rescued several olive trees and reclaimed stumps for use as decor.
As the space ramps up, Evers plans to sell local produce ( Nathan Boon of Tommy Boy Potatoes is growing produce on a corner of the 5-acre property) and make the tasting room the exclusive retail location for his olive oils.
DaVero Tasting Room: 766 Westside Road, Healdsburg.
Heirloom Tomato Fest Tix
CONGRATULATIONS SAGE ON WINNING TWO TICKETS TO THE HEIRLOOM TOMATO FEST.
It’s been a challenging year for tomatoes, but their moment to shine is finally here.
This Saturday, Sept. 11, Kendall-Jackson celebrates its 14th Annual Heirloom Tomato Festival from 11am to 4pm. More than 170 varieties of heirloom tomatoes in every size, shape and color will be picked fresh from their own Culinary Gardens for sampling, along with dozens of amazing chefs serving up tomato-inspired dishes, a Chef’s Challenge with former Top Chef challengers Hosea Rosenberg, Chris “CJ” Jacobson and Ryan Scott from SF taking on KJ’s own top chef, Justin Wangler. Marcy Smothers and former Food and Wine best new chef E. Michael Reidt from B and O in Baltimore will MC the event. World-famous pizza tosser, Tony Gemignani, will show-off his skills in a tossing demo, and of course, plenty of Kendall-Jackson wines to sip. Tickets are $65 per person, available online.
Want to win two tickets? Submit a tomato-inspired haiku below and one lucky winner will be headed to KJ this Saturday. Full contest rules here…
Apple Season
Before there were grapes, there were apples. Acres and acres of apple orchards dotting Sonoma County like our own little Eden. In the early 1900’s, there were thousands of apple farms covering 11,000 acres in the county.
As nights turn crisp and days shorter, fleshy stone fruits and tart berries have always made way for autumn’s favorite harvest. But here in Sonoma County, the apple harvest has dwindled to a trickle as ancient orchards have been ripped out to make way for vineyards and prices have dropped so low that it became more economical to let the fruit rot on the branches.
Although only about 3,000 acres of apple orchards remain (mostly in West County) the news isn’t all bad when it comes to this historic local fruit crop. With the help of Slow Foods and a handful of farmers dedicated to reviving heirloom apples, there’s a ray of hope on the horizon.
Here’s where to enjoy our local bounty this fall…
Apple Pie Workshops: From Orchard to Oven
Kathy Tresch is among anew generation of orchardists who, after seeing trees being ripped out with fruit still on the limbs, decided to start Olympia Orchards. In conjunction with her husband and their family dairy, the family now has more than 500 young heritage apple trees with 50 varietals of apples including Wickson, Jonathon, Kidds Orange Red, Cinnamon Spice, Fuji, Honeycrisp and of course Gravenstein. For two weekends in September, they’ll welcome guests for a three-hour Apple Pie Workshop, where guests will tour the orchard and pick apples straight from the trees for their own pies. Chef and food writer Meloni Courtway will teach the secrets of perfect pie crusts, and help guests bake pies in an outdoor oven at the ranch. The cost is $48 per person, and lasts about 3 hours. Sept. 12 at 11am and 3pm, Sunday, Sept. 19 @ 11am. Register online at www.tworockranch.com.
Gabriel Farms: One of the few U-Pick farms in the county, Gabriel Farms is a favorite for families and schools. Reservations are required, as this is a working farm, but you can usually let them know a day or two ahead. Eight varieties of organic apples, Asian pears, juice. Their jams and preserves make the trip well worth it. 3175 Sullivan Road, Sebastopol, 707-829-0617, gabrielfarm.com.
Apple-Ation Brandy: If applesauce and cider seem too humble an end to our historic Gravensteins, consider a little apple brandy. Local winemaker Guy Davis distills several varieties of the historic apples from Dutton Ranch into Apple-Ation, an ultra-premium apple brandy. It’s a labor-intensive process of hand-picking and sorting the apples, then fermenting them (with seeds, skin and stems), then distilling the essence of the apple mash and finally oak-barrel aging. It’s strong stuff at 80-proof, but even straight, there’s no mistaking the powerful apple aroma and flavor — the epitome of fall, Apple-Ation Brandy is available through the winery in limited quantities, as only 1800 bottles are made each year. 52 Front Street, Healdsburg, 707-433-3858.
Mom’s Apple Pie: From August through November, all pies are made with local Gravenstein apples. 4550 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, (707) 823-8330. Kozlowski Farms: Local Gravenstein treats throughout the year, from cider to pies. Available at the farm or in many local grocery stores. 5566 Gravenstein Hwy. 116, Forestville.
Apple-A-Day Ratzlaff Ranch: Owner Ken Ratzlaff is a third-generation apple grower with more than 900 acres of apples. Though most are sold commercially, he sells both conventional and organic ciders at the ranch from August through December. Call ahead for availability. 13128 Occidental Road, Sebastopol, 707-823-0538.
Gina’s Orchard Apple, Pear and Cheese Tasting: On October 3, this ancient orchard opens to the public for a tasting of more than 20 varieties of apples, European and Asian pears including rare heirloom varieties. Growers will answer questions about growing, cooking and preserving different varieties of fruit. Local cheese makers represented include Bellwether Farms, Bodega Artisan Goat Cheese, Redwood Hill, and Two Rock Valley Goat Cheese. $20 per person, 1 to 4pm.
Read this: Frank Browning and Sharon Silva’s new book, An Apple Harvest, Recipes & Orchard Lore is an ode to the crisp fall fruit. Part history and apple family tree (featuring pix of various varietals), the book also features dozens of apple-licious recipes from main courses to desserts — with, of course, the required apple dumpling and tarte tatin entries.
Bistro Don Giovanni | Napa
If there’s one restaurant everyone in the Napa Valley knows how to get to, it’s Bistro Don Giovanni.
Double-parked limos and cell-phone-yacking wine barons along the sidewalk belie the fact that this friendly Italian trattoria is Napa’s communal hang-out–where everyone from the mommy-tracked to the fast-tracked rub elbows and chow on house-made focaccia, strawberry lemonade, bistro burgers and rustic pastas.
An institution since the early 1990s, the restaurant (owned by Donna and Giovanni Scala) has always fallen a bit below the radar of tourists despite having amazing patios, an impressive wine list and consistently impressive Cal-Ital (heavy on the Ital) dishes like carpaccio, lamb meatballs, lemon-cream ravioli and roasted chicken. Call it a blessing, though because even without the tourists, you’ll often have to wade through locals crammed like sardines around the bar to get to your table.
Pizzas are a must-try: Wood-fired fig pizza with gorgonzola, caramelized onions and, you guessed it, prosciutto. Ciao bella. Crispy, thin, smoky and savory with fresh slices of sweet fig. All the better with a crisp glass of rose and worth every bit of $14, mi amore.
Bistro Don Giovanni, 4110 Howard Lane, Napa, 707.224.1090.
Vegas Bound
Thanks for all the great recommendations. I had a blast. I’m overwhelmed with work the next couple days, but i promise to circle back with me recommendations.
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BiteClub is heading to fab Las Vegas for the long Labor Day weekend. Call it an excuse to pretend I didn’t just turn 39 (+1).
Other than reservations at Joel Robuchon’s Atelier on Saturday night (thanks Justin and KJ kitchen crew for the reco), I’m fancy free. What are your favorite Vegas eating adventures? Any great cheap eats on the strip? Anything I absolutely shouldn’t miss? I’m looking to you for recommendations. I’ll post my adventures next week.
Look forward to your ideas!