I tasted this wine at the Silver Oak winery in Napa. Lisa, Alexa and I had decided to drive up to Napa for lunch, so I took a detour down my favorite road in the world, Oakville Crossroad, home of arguably three of the finest California Cabernets, Opus One, Silver Oak, and Groth. Silver Oak has been a long time favorite of mine, especially the Napa Valley release. I fully intended to bag the limit of six bottles and hide them away in my wine locker to enjoy for years to come. This wine has an earth shattering nose, clean and intense. But that is were the wheels fall off. It is not bad, just disappointing. The wine has no structure or complexity; it is more like a cheap Merlot. In some ways I am not surprised, Justin Meyer the co-founder and chief winemaker since 1972 left about the time these grapes were picked. Brother Justin’s (He was a monk before entering the wine business) shoes will be hard to fill. A whopping 25,000 cases made. At a hundred dollars a bottle, pass it buy, you can do much, much better.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
1998 Kongsgaard Chardonnay Napa Valley
It does get the prize for the coolest label. The wine is very drinkable but not great, I expected great. This vineyard has been on the “To Taste” list for a long time. The wine is rough and simple, with not much flavor; the finish is short and out of balance on the acidic side. Not the stellar Burgan wine it's being sold as. 750 cases made. For the money you can do a lot better.
Todd’s Infamous Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee
For Custard:
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
5 large egg yolks
For Crème Brule
6 teaspoons sugar
To make the custard:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Fill a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking pan 1/3 full of water. Place the 6 ramekins in the water. Adjust the water level so that it is half way up the ramekins. Place the pan (without the ramekins) in the oven and let it come up to temperature. This is very important or the custard won’t bake evenly.
Mix cream and sugar in a heavy medium saucepan. Using small sharp knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean. Add seeds and bean to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer. Cover pan, reduce heat to very low and simmer gently 10 minutes to infuse flavors.
Strain into large measuring cup. You need to do this quickly, so get things setup ahead. Whisk yolks in medium bowl until well blended. Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture just to blend. Return custard to measuring cup; divide among dishes. Carefully transfer the ramekins to the pan in the oven.
Bake custards until almost set in center when pans are gently shaken, about 30 minutes for fluted flan dishes and 35 minutes for ramekins. Using metal spatula, transfer custards in dishes to work surface; cool 30 minutes.
Chill at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
To Make Crème Brulee:
Sprinkle 1-teaspoon sugar evenly over each custard. Working with one custard at a time, hold blowtorch so that flame is 2 inches above surface. Direct the flame so that the sugar melts and browns, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate until custards are firm again but topping is still brittle, at least 2 hours but no longer than 4 hours so that topping doesn't soften.
Serves 5-6
Monday, February 14, 2005
Todd’s Garlic Lobster Risotto
This is Lisa's favorite. The recipe has been evolved over the years, and is usually a little different each time I make it. The keys to success here are three things:
- Keep the broth simmering.
- Stir the rice frequently.
- Slightly under cook the lobster, it will start cooking again when you add it to the rice.
Stuff You Need;
Olive Oil
6-8 Cloves of Garlic
14 oz Can Petite Diced Plum Tomatoes
Grated Lemon Zest about 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons of Fresh Oregano leaves
1 lb cooked lobster meat, chopped
1 cup diced high quality slab bacon
3-4 shallots, finely diced
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes 1/2 teaspoon
2 cups Arborio rice, Don’t use anything else.
1 cup dry white wine
3 chicken bouillon cubes
Black pepper
How To Cook It;
Boil the un-cooked lobster tails for about 10 minutes. Dice the meat and set aside.
Heat 10 cups of water and bouillon cubes to a simmer. Stir to break up the cubes. Keep at a simmer.
Place a large straight-sided saucepan over medium heat and when it is hot, add olive oil to coat bottom of pan.
Add bacon and sauté until it begins to render fat, then add the shallots. Cook until shallots are tender, 5-10 minutes.
Add tomatoes and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until it looks like tomato sauce.
Add rice and stir until it is well coated.
Add wine and 1 cup of broth. Cook and stir until liquid is absorbed, add additional broth for about 18-20 minutes or until done. The best way to tell is taste the rice, you'll know.
Add Lobster Meat, Oregano, pepper to taste, and a pinch or two of lemon zest. Stir everything together and cover for 5 minutes or so. Just long enough to let the lobster come up to temperature.
Serves 4 or 5
2001 James Henry "Woolsey Road" Russian River Chardonnay
James Henry Chardonnay is collaboration between winemaking guru Helen Turley and winery owner Jim Canepa. This wine is absolutely stunning. It is medium bodied, perfectly balanced wine, offering an intense array of flavors (honey, apple, and caramel to name a few). The wine was barrel-fermented and aged in oak. It is a distinctly Burgan style of Chardonnay and should age well for a number of years. 500 cases made.
2000 Viader “V”
Delia Viader has developed a reputation for making truly elegant wines. This one is no exception; it’s like a lover’s kiss, warm, soft and sensuous; rich with berry flavors and a tremendous finish. Over the last few years this type of wine and this one in particular has become my favorite. Delia’s vineyard is located, I should say hidden on Howell Mountain in northeast Napa. The wine is a blend of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Only 353 cases made and a bit of a challenge to find, but truly worth the effort.
Happy Valentines Day
This is one of my favorite holidays (is it a holiday?) A number of years ago Lisa and I stopped going out for a “Romantic” dinner on Valentines Day; we hated the crowds, the elevated prices for dinner, and just the generally poor quality of the experience. This also happened around the time I learned to cook. Since then valentines day has grown into a tradition around our house, some years it is just us, some years it’s dinner for twelve. Whether it is two or twelve, three things are always true at “Casa Kemmerling”, the table is beautiful (thanks Lisa), the food is the best I can do, and the wine is to die for. Since it is Valentines Day, I thought the wines this month would be from my favorite women wine makers; Delia Viader and Helen Turley. In addition to the wines, I included a couple of my favorite Valentines Day recipes.
