Silver Oak releases wine twice a year, the summer release is from grapes grown exclusively in Alexander Valley and is 100% cabernet. Normally this wine is very soft by its release date, this has been by design and due to the fact that the wine is aged a year longer than most wines before release. The current release is rich and dark, with an overwhelming nose (Alexa gives it thumbs up). As for the flavor it is very similar to the 1995 AV (yes I have tasting notes that go back that far) lots of cassis and black cherry. The tasting note from the winery also says dark chocolate, soy sauce, ginger and sandalwood; I don’t get that at all. The finish is moderately long and complex, with a number of flavor transitions. It is not as soft as one normally expects from Silver Oak but that will come in time. If you are going to buy it, plan on putting it down for a year or two. The winemaker says it will improve until 2023, fat chance it will make it that long around my house. This is the first vintage that Daniel Baron has been fully in charge from harvest to release, great job Daniel.
Thursday, May 5, 2005
The San Francisco Ferry Building
The San Francisco Ferry Building, the last time I was at the Ferry building, I wanted out as quickly as possible. That was about 15 years ago and the San Francisco Waterfront was basicly a failing down slum.
Over the last several years the San Francisco Waterfront has been reborn into a great collection of restruants, clubs, and theaters. Included in the rebirth is the San Francisco Ferry Building.
The place is now a food lover’s paradise, under one roof you have; Bread, Cheese, Coffee, Tea, Farm Fresh Produce, Meat, Poultry, Fish, Spices, Wine and Spirits. These are not just any shops, they all have very unique products that in most cases are hard to find (e.g. Organic Heirloom Tomatoes in winter).
The Ferry Building also has several restruants. My favorite is “Taylor’s Refresher”, this is their second location, the first one is in Saint Helena. Taylors is basicly the highest of the high end burger joints. The wine list (yes that’s right) has great wines from Opus One, Joseph Phelps, Dunn, Cakebread, and Grgich Hills to name a few.
http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/
It is a great place to have lunch and shop for dinner.
Todd’s Lazy Mans Ribs
This is my favorite way to do ribs, and the easiest. I like to use boneless ribs, which seems like an oxymoron. But they are easier to eat and taste great.
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Rinse ribs under cold water. Pat dry.
Prepare barbecue (high heat) if you have a gas grill, perfect. Grill ribs until lightly charred, about 2 minutes per side.
Put the ribs in disposable foil pan, and smother with your favorite barbecue sauce (my choice is Tony Roma’s Carolina Honey).
Cover tightly with foil and bake for two and a half hours. You are now ready to serve. You can keep them warm by reducing the heat to the oven’s minimum (usually about 180) and they will keep for about another hour.
Todd’s Marinated Antipasto
This tastes best if you make it the night before. It has big flavor, freshness, and different than anything you'll find in a jar or deli case. Make a trip to your Italian delicatessen for sliced cold cuts and crusty bread. It all adds up to an impressive no-hassle starter.
1/2 cup olive oil (Use very good olive oil, Ravida is my favorite)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (Use very good vinegar, Cask 23 is my favorite)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard
1 large red bell pepper, cut into matchstick-size strips
1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into matchstick-size strips
1 large orange bell pepper, cut into matchstick-size strips
1 cup small button mushrooms, trimmed, quartered
1 small red onion, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives,
3/4 cup pitted Green olives,
2 cups of mini buffalo mozzarella balls; these are the small ones, about the size of a quarter.
¼ pound of honey baked ham. Cut into small bite sized pieces.
¼ pound of salami. Cut into small bite sized pieces.
Whisk first 6 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Add vegetables, olives and meat. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. (Should be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Toss in cheese and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.
Transfer mixture to bowl and serve.
Marcassin, 1998 Chardonnay "Lorenzo Vineyard" (Junk)
This is a Helen Turley wine, she is known as the “Goddess of Chardonnay”. I am having a hard time believing that this wine makes the junk list, but its price is way out of whack with its quality. The wine has a light golden color. Nice flavor, but not as complex as I was hoping for. I think the best way to describe this wine is “crisp”. One review described this wine as rich and buttery, I don’t get that at all. The balance is slightly acidic. The finish is moderately long. Overall, an excellent wine, but sadly, it doesn’t live up to the hype. I bought this wine at an auction since this is the last vintage of the “Lorenzo Vineyard” made by Marcassin, they are replanting, and I think I know why. Most certainly not Helen’s best effort.
Grgich Hills, 2002 Chardonnay, Napa Valley
Grgich Hills is the first high end Chardonnay that I ever tasted. Mike Grgich is always consistently great. If you need to buy a good bottle of chardonnay and don’t know what to pick you are safe with this one, any year is good, and the wine holds up well over time. For Lisa’s birthday party in 2000 we had 1992 Grgich Chardonnay and it was great. The taste is apples, earthy and mineral, nicely balanced with a moderately long finish.
Cakebread Cellars, 2003 Chardonnay Napa Valley
Cakebread is a long time standard wine around our house. Some years are good and some not so good. This wine has a fairly unique style and is not to everyone’s taste. The flavor is apples and pears and very forward, nothing subtle here. This wine is what a friend of mine would call “chewy”; it doesn’t have that light California chardonnay feel. The wine is heavily oak’d and slightly acidic, it may balance out after a little more time in the bottle. The tasting note from the vineyards says it will age well over the next two years, I agree. If you are going to buy it plan on putting it down for a year or two, you will be rewarded.
Arger-Martucci 2003 Chardonnay Napa Valley
This is the family owned vineyard I wrote about last month. The wine is golden colored, has a buttery taste at the start and finishes with kiwi and slight citrus. The nose is bright and clean. If you want a high end Chardonnay at a modest price this is a wine for you. It will be hard to find outside of the bay area since the winery is just getting started, but it is worth the quest.
Kistler Vineyards 2002 Kistler Vineyard Chardonnay
I bought six bottles of this wine blind (had not tasted this vintage). Lisa and I tried the first bottle the week we got it, we were very disappointed. It seemed overly acidic and out of balance, not what you expect from Steve Kistler. A couple of months have passed and we had the second bottle last weekend. What a change a couple of months can make. Lots of fruit (not citrus) slightly oily texture, and a long mineral finish. The vineyard tasting note says “Delicious now”, but I think it will be much better in a year. I am hanging on to my remaining bottles for at least six months.
Kistler Vineyards 1998 Durell Vineyard Chardonnay
This is my all time favorite chardonnay. This wine has an earthly aroma and a slightly oily feel in your mouth. It is perfectly balanced; very complex layers of flavor; and long, lingering finish. I bought two cases on release and am down to five bottles, it will be a sad day when it is gone.
