Winemaker Sal Godinez, of Vine Hill Winery, makes no boring wines. The proof is in the pouring, and the best way to discover some of these full-bodied Santa Cruz Mountains wines is to visit the beautiful winery high above the fog line. The tasting room is surrounded by some of the most history-drenched vineyard land in California. Open for the next three weekends, at 2300 Jarvis Rd (off Vine Hill/Branciforte) – 831/427-0436.
Check out the review of Randall Grahm’s wonderful Been Doon So Long in yesterday’s
New York Times (I’ve just given you the link to the specific article.)
Ridge Vineyards continues to own the New World incarnation of Bordeaux blends, and this beautiful 2005 marriage of Cabernet Sauvignon ((58%) and Merlot (42%) knocked us out the other night, paired with a choice bit grass-fed rib-eye steak. We don’t eat a lot of beef, nor drink much cab. But these exceptions deserved each other.
This estate blend, made from Monte Bello Ridge grapes, is a masterpiece of tannic core that billows out — okay, so it takes half a day for full opening — into a cushion of leather, roses and rich briary details. At 13.7% alcohol, it is big enough but not overpowering. Worth its $40 pricetag (VinoCruz stocks this gem) it might be one of the items that Santa should be thinking about. For under the tree, or on the table to accompany Christmas Day roast beef.
As if the stupendous selection of fine wines wasn’t enough, now Soif is continuing its prix fixe menu through the entire month of November. To raise awareness about breast cancer — and to help the work of WomenCARE, in Santa Cruz, Soif has created a smart menu of dishes made without added sugars, butter, flour, rice, potatoes or saturated fats of any kind.
Starting with an appetizer of mixed greens with roasted persimmons and (more…)
That would be Grangia. My new favorite house white is a bone-dry, mineral-laced bit of ever-so-slight effervescence from Piedmontese Favorita grapes, a version of Vermentino, made by the house of Elvio Tintero. Here’s the amazing part – $8 per bottle. I picked up a case of this in Berkeley, at the mighty Kermit Lynch.
I’ll admit it is an acquired taste. Salty, with a nose of cactus, pear and even banana (!), it smooths out into something haunting and crystalline, with spectacular aromatics and a white pepper finish. At 11.5% alcohol, it makes wickedly easy sipping. The perfect antidote to over-oaked chardonnay.
Yes, I did say $8.
At the very strategic corner of First Avenue & Union, next door to the Seattle Art Museum and hanging over Pike Place market, Union is a very smart island of low-key sophistication. Chef Ethan Stowell, whose sibling restaurants include the popular Tavolata and How to Cook a Wolf (cf. MFK Fisher), does simple, elegant, non-fussy things with regional ingredients.
I loved a squid salad (pictured here) luscious in a light tomato broth, tossed with olives, fennel, (more…)
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.