This month we've got a great line-up: a Torrontés from Argentina, a sparkling wine (Brut or Rosé from New Mexico), the Wine Enthusiast's 2009 Wine of the Year, and a well balanced Washington State red!
Gruet Brut and Gruet Rosé- In 1983, the Gruet family was traveling through the Southwestern part of the United States, and while in New Mexico met a group of European winemakers who had successfully planted vineyards In Engle, near the town of Truth or Consequence, 170 miles south of Albuquerque. The land was inexpensive and the opportunity golden. In 1984, Gilbert Gruet, whose Champagne house, had produced fine Champagne since 1952, made the decision to plant an experimental vineyard, exclusively planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.
The Brut offers a crisp, and full-bodied sparkling wine, which has developed rich complexity and fine mousse. The allure of toasty finish from twenty-four months on tirage, is a complement to the sophisticated apple and citrus flavor. Winemaker's Note: Brilliant with ultra fine bubbles. A wonderful fine bouquet dominated by green apple and grapefruit flavors. A truly classic house style!
This nearly garnet Rose, like all our non-vintage sparkling wines, is aged 24 months en tirage. It has a lovely, bright floral bouquet with hints of strawberry, raspberry, and cherry. On the palate, it is rich and fruity in a dry, Brut style. The flavor of berries continues on the palate, revealing more strawberry, raspberry, cherry.
Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontés was the first Argentine wine we brought into the shops back in 2003. I love how the wine's powerful nose of peaches, pears, white flowers and citrus fools your brain into expecting something sweet, yet the wine has a decidedly dry finish. On the palate, it has a beautiful structure and acidity along with fruit flavors that keep you coming back for another sip, and plenty of body for a wine that shows such delicate aromas and flavors. Robert Parker agrees, giving the wine 90 points:
"The 2009 Torrontes remains one of Argentina's benchmarks for this variety. Sourced from 31-year-old vines in Cafayate (where the finest Torrontes grows), it displays a fragrant bouquet of spring flowers, honey, and tropical aromas. Medium-bodied and dry on the palate, it has ample fruit backed by vibrant acidity leading to a lengthy finish. Drink it over the next 2 years."
Santa Barbara County is a quiet sanctuary of golden hills and well-groomed vineyards located three hours north of the glitter and bustle of Los Angeles. For more than 20 years, Cambria has produced estate grown Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah from benchland vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley AVA of Santa Barbara County. Their 2006 Cambria Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir was named the Wine of the Year by the Wine Enthusiast maazine, who called the wine "the best Pinot Noir at this price on the market. Easily. It’s ...absolutely dry and silky, with complex flavors of cherries, Mandarin orange, cola, pomegranates, licorice and cinnamon spice, made even richer by smoky oak." We grabbed as much as we could. Cambria's 2006 Julia's Pinot Noir offers fresh cherry, blueberry, strawberry and cranberry fruit flavors accented with cinnamon and vanilla oak spice characters. The mid-palate has a silky texture and balanced tannins that lead into a fruity and earthy finish.
Mike Januik is an artisan winemaker with a large scale winemaking background. As the Head Winemaker with Chateau Ste. Michelle for 10 years he expanded his repertoire, developed relationships with the best Washington State winegrowers, and started Ste. Michelle's single vineyard program. His desire to be more creative led him to open Januik Winery in 1999 and make wines in the hundreds of cases, not thousands. Januik is also Consulting Winemaker for Novelty Hill. Januik wines are made from a collection of top-flight Columbia Valley vineyards.
The Januik 2006 Columbia Valley Red Wine includes grapes from Conner Lee, Stillwater Creek, and Alder Ridge vineyards. It is a blend of 43% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah, 11% Cabernet Franc 6% Petit Verdot, and finally 2% Malbec. The first sip shows layers of ripe, red, almost sweet fruit flavors mingled with layers of toasty new oak that linger for minutes on the palate. Medium bodied with layers of juicy raspberries, plums and currants with a touch of chocolate. Dark fruit and soft tannins on the palate provide a long, rich finish to a beautifully balanced wine. Mike Januik created this little quaffer for everyday drinking, but the wine is anything but ordinary.
Refer a Friend Promotion: From now through March 31, we'll give you either a $10 Farmstead Gift Certificate or a Bottle of Wine for every new Wine Club membership that you bring to us.
RECIPES
Sparkling Wine: Monkfish & Chips with Tartare Sauce
Champagne and sparkling wines are much more versatile than any other single wine to drink with a wide array of foods, beyond the predictable pairings with caviar and oysters on the half shell. Deep fried foods, such as fried chicken, french fries, calamari, and the recipe below, work really with the acidity, crispness, and fizziness of sparkling wines.
In Ireland, chips are of course French fries, and potato chips are known as "crisps". Proper chips are thicker than typical French fries, but not as thick as "steak fries"; chips are traditionally fried only once, not twice like French fries.
Serves 4
- 1 cup flour
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup light beer, plus more if needed to thin the batter
- salt
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless monkfish, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 4 cornichons, minced
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and minced
- 3 chives, cut into small pieces
- 2 sprigs of parsley, leaves removed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
- Canola or Peanut oil for frying
Put the mayonnaise into a small bowl and stir in the mustard, cornichons, capers, chives, parsley and lemon juice until well combined. Set aside until needed.
Put the flour into a medium bowl, stir in the egg, then stir in the beer to make a light batter that will coat the fish almost translucently. Season the batter with salt.
Heat at least 6 inches of oil in a very deep heavy-bottomed pot to 350F on a candy/deep-fat thermometer, then fry the fish pieces in batches for about 3 minutes per batch, draining on paper towels as they are done. Keep warm.
Cut the potatoes into strips about 1 inch thick and 3 inches long. Soak them in a large bowl of cold water for about 30 minutes. Rinse, then dry very thoroughly with paper towels.
Fry the potatoes in small batches, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon, for about 5 to 8 minutes per batch until golden brown. Drain the chips on paper towels and season with salt.
Serve the fish in a large bowl garnished with the lemon wedges, and the chips and tartare sauce on the side.
Torrontes: Roast Chicken, Walnut and Grape Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing Serves 8
* 1 chicken (about 3 pounds)
* 2 ounces softened butter
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 10 ounces seedless red grapes, halved
* 1/2 celery heart, thinly sliced widthways, leaves reserved
* 1 red apple, unpeeled, thinly sliced
* 4 ounces walnut halves, toasted3 cups arugula leaves
* 3 egg yolks
* 1 1/2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
* 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
* 1 cup light olive oil
* 4 ounces blue cheese, such as Stilton
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
Preheat oven to 425F.
Rinse chicken inside and out, then pat dry with absorbent paper and place in a roasting pan. Rub skin with butter, then drizzle with olive oil and season to taste. Lower the heat to 375F, and roast the chicken until golden and cooked through and juices run clear when thigh is pierced with a skewer (1 hour -1 hour 20 minutes). Cool to room temperature, then remove leg meat, coarsely break up and place in a bowl. Remove breast meat from bones, then thickly slice and add to leg meat (discard bones). Add grapes, celery, apple and walnuts and toss lightly to combine, then season to taste and refrigerate until required.
Meanwhile, for blue cheese dressing, process egg yolks, vinegar and garlic in a food processor until combined. With motor running, add olive oil in a thin steady stream and process until thick and emulsified. Add a teaspoon of hot water to thin, then add blue cheese and lemon juice, season to taste and process until smooth.
Transfer chicken salad to a platter, drizzle blue cheese dressing over and serve scattered with the arugula leaves.
Red Wine Blend: Grilled Rib-Eye Tagliata with Watercress and Potatoes
This terrific, Italian-inspired meat-and-potato dish is on the menu at Terra. You can use almost any tender cut of beef—such as strip steak or tenderloin—as long as it's sliced thin; if watercress is unavailable, substitute mizuna.
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 pounds fingerling potatoes
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence
- 5 pounds rib-eye steaks, cut 1/2 inch thick
- 1/2 pound watercress or arugula, large stems removed
- 5 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler (2 cups)
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Light a grill. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with the lemon juice, fish sauce and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Set the dressing aside.
In a medium roasting pan, toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until tender.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the garlic and herbes de Provence with the remaining 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the steaks. Grill over high heat until browned but still medium rare, 3 to 4 minutes.
In a large bowl, toss the watercress with the dressing and Parmesan shavings and season with salt and pepper. Serve the salad with the steaks and potatoes and pass the lemon wedges at the table.
Pinot Noir: Striped Bass with Eggplant, Honey and Olive Caponata
Caponata is a Sicilian eggplant dish that is traditionally served on the side with fish. This recipe will probably yield you more than you need, but it will last up to 1 week in the fridge, and is also a great accompaniment to lamb, goat, octopus and sardines.
Serves 4
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 eggplant, diced
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon dried currants
- 1 tablespoon golden raisins
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
- 1/4 cup pitted black olives
- 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 striped bass fillets, 6 ounces each, skin on
- Extra virgin olive oil, for garnish
Heat the oven to 350F
Blanch the celery and shock in a nice bath. Drain and set aside. Sauté the eggplant until nicely browned, season with salt and pepper and place in a large mixing bowl. Cool to room temperature.
Cook the onions until softened; add the garlic, pine nuts, red peppers, raisins and currants, red pepper flakes, sugar, honey, vinegar and cinnamon and cook until syrupy.
Add the tomatoes and cook until the mixture thickens. Allow to cool, and add to the eggplant with the celery, thyme, olives and capers. Season with the salt and pepper. Set aside until needed.
Season the fish on both side with salt and pepper. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil just begins to smoke, place the fillets skin side down in the pan. Reduce the heat slightly and cook for about 1 minute. Place the pan in the oven and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.
Place the fish in the center of 4 large dinner plates and top with the caponata. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.
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