Come join me next Wednesday for a great dinner in Greenwich, CT. Details below:

MORELLO BISTRO AND HORSENECK WINES PRESENT FOR THE FIRST TIME

JARED AND TRACEY'S WINERY - otherwise known as the
DONKEY AND THE GOAT


These two fine people have a winery that is up and coming from California and you really have to taste their handcrafted wines.

The wines are going to be a surprise. The food will be matched perfectly and the evening with Jared (the owner will be exciting).

Please don't miss this; and it would be so wonderful for all of you to come and give Jared support. We have known him for over 20 years - before the wine dream became a reality!!

Call 869-8944 Horseneck for Reservations
Or call Ian at Morello Bistro at 661-3443 for Reservations

THE WINES ARE STUNNING AND THE EVENING WILL BE GREAT.

THERE WILL BE A $150 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO HORSENECK WINES GIVEN AWAY THIS EVENING FOR A LUCKY GUEST.

AS ALWAYS,

TERRY

As many of you know, our grapes from Mendocino came in with smoke 'taint' this year. The vines and grapes were exposed to smoke on and off for about a month. With extra careful handling, we have mitigated the smoke flavor and smell to the point where many tasters now like it.

All of that said, we have also been reading and talking with others about how to handle this and kept some wine untreated for experimenting. A few weeks back we learned of a ancient technique from Eric. He learned it from retired wine maker in the Beaujolais. The natural ingredients took some time to acquire (thanks Lisa and Emmons) and process. Our first trial was a success - amazing. The smoke on the nose is gone outright. The smoke on the palate is barely noticeable.

We will keep experimenting to perfect it...

Writing wine notes is hard. We always get a group of friends with great palates and even better descriptors for a round table tasting when we are trying to write out notes for our release letters. Tracey, having just returned from VA and DC, brought a note back from the Wine Kitchen - www.thewinekitchen.com - that I enjoyed and thought I would share it.

Who: The Recluse, A Donkey and Goat
What: Syrah
Where: Anderson Valley, California
When: 2006

What we thought.....
Like an elephant on a tightrope, huge flavors of blueberry and cherry are perfectly balanced with loose black tea and coca notes. The scent of violets and dried fruits round out this full-bodied syrah from a cooler region of California wine country.

Great note - wish I could write them like this.

Isabel's Cuvée is shown on a recent video on the WSJ. Too bad they aren't drinking it- it is tasting great.



We have also been getting lots of consumer feedback which we love. From a recent CellerTracker note by MrFroopy

Really really juicy, yet dry and delicious. More body than I usually like in a rose but this pulls it off with nice all around balance..
a tiny bit too much of that grenache sweetness on nose.. but that is my pet peeve.. would like a tiny more minerality, but this wine rocks.. one of the best
california Vin gris ever.

Grenache does have a sweet nose. I always notice it on our 13 series wine for the first two or three years.

I recently bottled the last of Isabel's Crazy Rosé . We made about 15 liters. It was basically unsulfured, unfiltered, aged sur lie (and lots of lees!) rosé. The nose smells of peanuts and sherry - we intentionally let the wine be exposed to the air. The body, pure grenache gris. People who have tasted it either love it or hate it. If you happen to come by the winery, ask for a taste.

We recently got a very nice review from Gary Vaynerchuk and Katie Lee Joel (Billy Joel's wife). Get all the details on Gary V's website - Wine Library TV

Isabel (our daughter) was thrilled with their comments but didn't think they should be spitting her wine...

Labels: Isabel, Rose

We had a great dinner this past Wednesday at Coco500 - a big thanks to Clay, Betsy and all of the staff that make Coco500 such a great place.

Grilled heart sounded like it might be tough. Turned out, it was great. The meat was perfect and the pollen added a really interesting touch.

The braised shoulder melted in the mouth. And the the buckwheat cavatelli was to die for.

The third course was heaven for a lamb lover. The loin was a perfect pairing for the Fenaughty.

And then, the cheese course. It was simply brilliant to pair the cheese course with our minerally, light Roussanne.

Writing about is making me hungry...