Release party at Arger-Martucci

If you want to have a lot of fun, check out the release party at Arger-Martucci. This is a very small family owned vineyard in Napa (not many of those left) they make very good wine and are great hosts. The first time we visited we planned on staying a few minutes just to get a quick taste, we ended up staying over an hour, meeting the kids (one teaches at CIA, no not the spy agency the cooking one), drinking a half bottle of wine, and eat fruit and cheese. You don't get much of that type of hospitality in Napa any more.

Peaches or strawberries in brown sugar brandy sauce

Basically this tastes good with anything, we mostly put it over ice cream.

1/4 cup unsalted butter
6 tablespoons golden brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 ripe peaches, peeled, halved, pitted, each cut into 8 wedges (or a quart of strawberries)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dark rum or brandy
Vanilla ice cream, waffles, toast (this list is endless)

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add sugar and cinnamon and cook, stirring often,until sugar begins to dissolve (mixture may clump together). Add fruit and vanilla. Sauté until fruit tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in rum/brandy (be careful, you can get a big flame if you are too near open flame when you pour this). Return skillet to heat and cook until sauce thickens, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Spoon fruit and sauce over ice cream.

John Christopher Cellars, Journey 94550

Journey 94550, is a blend Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache. The grapes for this wine are grown across the road from our house. This is a very intense mouthful of wine, I am not usually a petite sirah drinker, mostly because I have had some very bad ones in the past. Given the quality of this wine, I think I will have to revisit that decision. By the way, the first petite sirah in California was from Livermore Valley over 40 years ago. At $28.00 a bottle it is a bargain at three times the price.

John Christopher Cellars, Starfall Release #1

Starfall, is a blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo. It has a deep red color, with a very earthy nose. Very mellow and soft, lots of fruit, a great flavor complexity. This is a non-vintage bottling, which means that they have blended wines from multiple years. Ready to drink now. Very nice price at $25.00.