Part II – Tasting & Lunch
After an hour or so of driving around the Peter Michael property touring the differnt vineyards within, we returned to the hospitality center to begin our tasting.
My dad picked up his vertical of Peter Michael – which I’m told is almost gone!
We headed upstairs to taste 4 different wines before lunch.
2007 La Carriere Estate Chardonnay
2007 Belle Cote Estate Chardonnay
2008 L’Apres-Midi Estate Sauvignon Blanc
2006 Les Pavots Estate Red Bordeaux Blend
I can’t even really pick one as my favorite because they were all so good.
After our leisurely tasting, we headed back downstairs for lunch and, yes, more wine tasting.
We didn’t actually snap a picture of the salad but it was absolutely delicious – the butter lettuce was a vibrant green and of course the peach was as good as it gets – I miss California produce!
Our lunch was so enjoyable – good food, good wine, good company – definitely some of the best things in life!
Part I – Vineyard Tour
Jeff and I, along with my aunt and uncle, visited my parents in Calistoga this past Labor Day weekend. We always look forward to visiting Napa Valley and enjoy every minute of our time there. My dad had quite a surprise for us this time around. He wouldn’t tell us what it was, but we left the house around 9:30 am and headed north on Highway 29 about 9 miles…. to Peter Michael Winery! Of course we were ecstatic when we realized where we were – we had just arrived at one of the best wineries in the valley for a private tour, tasting, and lunch.
My parents attended the Stars 2008 event at Côte Deux Mille, a mountain top pavillion on the Peter Michael property (see picture below). A live auction, during which my dad bid on this tour and tasting, raised a record amount to benefit innovative prostate cancer research at University of California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences.
Les Pavots was planted in 1989 and has 21 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 5 acres of Cabernet Franc, 3 acres of Merlot, and 1 acre of Petit Verdot. The elevation is 1,000 – 1,400 feet and the soil is rocky, volcanic rhyolite.
La Carriere was planted in 1994 with chardonnay grapes. The elevation is 1,200 – 1,700 feet and the soil is also rocky, volcanic rhyolite.
The Peter Michael property has amazing views and is so large and hilly that we had to tour it in a 4-wheel drive van.
Côte Deux Mille is a mountain top pavilion on the Peter Michael property that looks west over the vineyards and the valley to the Pacific Ocean. It has the largest folding umbrella in North America.
Some of the grapes at Peter Michael had been harvested that morning and we got to see a sorting machine in action.
1900 Broadway (between 63rd and 64th)
Bar Boulud is Daniel Boulud’s casual bistro and one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants. We’ve been there a few times are are never disappointed.
Last Thursday, Jeff started with a Duvel and I ordered a glass of Domain Jean-Louis Chave Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Sybele (2007). This wine was surprisingly good – the mouth feel was full and pleasant followed by a long finish.
JL Chave Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Sybele
I did not take a picture, but along with the bread and butter, we are always served these mini cheddar popover things – they delicious and I try not to fill up too much before the rest of our food is served.
frisée lyonnaise – chicory, chicken liver, poached egg, lardons, sourdough croutons
~i love any salad with a poached egg on top. this salad had very rich flavors probably due to the chicken livers which i did not try, but Jeff said were good but tasted a bit minerally.~
cauliflower gratin
~bubbly cauliflower and cheese – yum!~
truite amande – local catskills trout, toasted almonds, roasted cauliflower, brown butter, verjus
~a very traditional french preparation, this fish was perfectly cooked with light flavors~
coq au vin – braised chicken with hand rolled pasta, lardons, onions, mushrooms
~this coq au vin was delicious. the chicken was very tender and the flavors were appropriately rich.~
cauliflower gratin
truite amande
coq au vin
July 24th, 2006 ~ Napa Valley, CA
Catching up on some of our most memorable meals (Part II)
My dad invited us to this day of wine tasting followed by dinner which we attended 2 days after our wedding in Napa Valley in July 2006.
Sadly, Tom Shelton, the long-time CEO of Joseph Phelphs Winery, passed away in July 2008.
Our day included private tours and tastings at Joseph Phelps and Duckhorn. We watched a working bottling line at Duckhorn – and we were surprised and grateful when our host plucked a bottle of 2004 Duckhorn Merlot right off the line and handed it to us. We also tasted some Schramsberg Sparking Wine which is partly owned by Duckhorn. (Schramsberg is one of my personal favorites – we served the Rose at our wedding).
Following our wonderful day, dinner was hosted at Tom’s house just off Silverado Trail. Not listed on the menu below are the wines that Dan and Tom decided to bring out for a surprise tasting:
Archery Summit Pinot Noir 1995
Dan brought this bottle out as part of a challenge to see if an Oregon Pinot could hold its own with age compared to a Burgundy. This pinor was delicious, not too fruity, savory.
Now for the Burgundy…
Domaine de la Romanee Conti La Tache 1990
I still can’t believe we drank this wine. I will quote Robert Parker:
“I cannot think of a more profound, young red Burgundy tasted than DRC’s 1990 La Tache…it is incredibly endowed, with an extraordinary perfume of Asian spices as well as jammy black raspberries, cherries, and blackberries infused with smoke, toast, and dried herbs. Full-bodied, but ethereal, with layers of flavor, as well as mind-boggling delicacy and complexity”
After seeing (and tasting) the wines that Dan had just presented, Tom did his best to one-up him…
1915 Unlabeled Red Burgundy
Yes, 1915 ! Acquired by Tom at an auction, this bottle was rumored to have been carried by Louis Jadot’s son during World War I. What does a bottle of 1915 Burgundy taste like?….good! It’s amazing that a bottle of wine can keep this long (this bottle had been re-corked around 1993). The flavor was definitely earthly, like mushrooms and barnyard floor.
We still reminisce about the amazing wines we drank that night.
This was definitely one of our most memorable dinners.
Thank you.
Though I’ve tried many different rosés over the last few years, this is by far my favorite.
It’s crisp, well-integrated, and dry (I can’t stand sweet rosés).
Domain Tempier Rose, Bandol