Wine for Thanksgiving

       There we were... having an early Thanksgiving with friends.  Why not?  Isn't there a saying about "the early bird catches the worm?" 

       We had a delightful day with all the basic fixin's-- glorious golden turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffed zucchini and onions from my family cookbook, bread sausage stuffing, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream--preceded by a prayer of thanks for all the blessings in our lives and accompanied by a special Carmel Valley wine.  What could be better.

        Our wine?  A Chesebro Roussanne. It was a rather spontaneous choice.  I walked into the Chesebro Wine Tasting Room to pick up my wine club wine and asked what they would serve with a Thanksgiving turkey.  Roussanne was the first answer; since I knew I liked the wine, that's what I bought.  A nice medium bodied Rhone blend--Roussanne (85%), Vermentino (10%), and Sauvignon Blanc Musque (5%), all from grapes grown in Carmel Valley mountains-- it was perfect...as would have been many of Chesebro's other unique, very affordable wines.

        I also wandered over to the Bernardus tasting room and bought another one of my current favorite wines, a 2011 Saignée de Pinot Noir, a true rosé from grapes from the Santa Lucia Highlands, which we thought would be a wonderful light crisp wine with the turkey.  We were so prudent, however, that we never even got to it.  Thank goodness there are more holidays ahead.

        After our event, I got curious as to what Carmel Valley wineries might suggest for the traditional Thanksgiving turkey extravaganza.  Here are some responses: 

Bernardus: 2009 or 2010 Pinot Noirs (Santa Lucia Highlands); Chateau Julien: 2011 Pinot Grigio Reserve or the 2013 Gewurtztraminer...to be bottled on the 19th, and released soon after, just in time for Thanksgiving; Dawn's Dream: 2011 Arroyo Seco Chardonnay, 2011 Alyssa Pinot Noir; Georis: 2012 Sauvignon Blanc, 2012 Les Abeilles Rose, 2011 Cabernet Franc; Parsonage: 2012 Sauvignon Blanc, 2011 Red Wine (their biggest seller), 2009 Bordelaise; Talbott: 2012 Kali Hart Pinot Noir ("for easy pre-dinner drinking"), 2012 Sleepy Hollow Pinot Noir.  And, as you know, there are many more Carmel Valley wineries to check with for their suggestions.

And this is just a beginning...

        No matter what wine you have for Thanksgiving, may the holiday bring you tasty fare, good companionship and many blessings.

One Wine at a Time

     As some of you know, we are part of a group who make and sell one-of-a-kind soft sculpture dolls to help raise funds for building schools in Mali.  At this year's first meeting of the doll-makers, we served a new Chateau Julien wine called "French Kiss." With its tantalizing slogan of "You never forget your first French Kiss," how could we not try it!  
      Chateau Julien recently released this fun wine for a very modest price of $15 a bottle.

Apparently, it was an instant hit across the country--the winery sold over 4,000 cases before the wine's release, based on the marketing campaign alone.  And it proved to be a hit with all of us. 

        It's a light, refreshing, easy drinking white wine made of 70% Chenin Blanc and 30% Viognier grapes.   We all jumped into the description frenzy with words like "lean, crisp, grapefruit-y, melon-y, refreshing, has a bite and then smoothes out nicely."  Chateau Julien also adds that "the flavors of peach, melons and blooming flowers... contribute to its aromatic enjoyment."  A perfect Spring wine.

        We served it chilled, with savory almonds (from Earthbound), dark chocolate (from Trader Joe's), and strawberries (from Whole Foods.)  The wine was a good companion for all of the nibbles.  Chateau Julien suggests serving it with seafood or salads.  That sounded perfect, too.

        You can buy your very own French Kiss at Chateau Julien or through their website. They might even be serving it with their flights (call ahead, though, to check this out.)

        Chateau Julien has many other wonderful wines, too, which we will go back to taste soon.  But it was a fun escapade to just focus on one wine, especially one whose name and slogan had us at the get-go. 

This Side of Valentine's Day

Our revisit to Chateau Julien Wine Estate happened at just the right time. They were having their mid-February, Valentiney "Red Wine and Chocolate Weekend."  That sounded like all the necessary food groups to us, so off we went.

There was quite a young, hip crowd there all enjoying the dynamite duo of wine and chocolate.  The wines were being poured by Patty Brower, one of Chateau Julien's owners, in the outside foyer.  The chocolates, all from local vendors, were mounded on large round red plates in the inside tasting room, complete with a fire in the fireplace, a welcome addition to what was a cold day.  

We loved going to the tasting bar, getting our red wine, being guided to the chocolate goodie that would be the best accompanying sweet and then moseying over to the chocolate trays to pick up just the right chocolate. (Is there anything but "just the right chocolate?")  We then made our way back to the warmth of the fireplace to taste our combo.

Here were the suggested pairings:

·         2009  Sangiovese, a nice big ruby red wine, with Tiramisu Chocolate Caramels and Chocolate Covered Blueberries (from Gil's Gourmet Gallery)

·         2007  Private Reserve Merlot with toffee (from Scotty Gibson)

·         2007  Black Nova III (a combination of 50% Malbec and 50% Syrah) and dark chocolate truffles (from Lula's)

·         Julien Port with fudge (from Pieces of Heaven)

We tried them all--no surprise there--and decided our favorite was the Black Nova III with the chocolate truffles.  Both were rich and dark and wonderful.

We love the beauty of Chateau Julien, the quality of their wines, and their fun events like this wine-chocolate day.  For more information on their wines and other interesting events throughout the year, check out their website at (http://www.chateaujulien.com/).

And do remember that wine and dark chocolate are high on the list of what's healthy for us now.  No wonder we felt so good after our jaunt to Chateau Julien.