Winemaker Dinner – Picazo717 & Kiona Wines

Mar 16 2010

The evening started out with smiles on friendly faces & the smell of good things cooking……

Entering Picazo7Seventeen in Prosser at around 5:45 we were greeted right away with a smile & a glass of wine along with an invitation to dive right in to the appetizers. Chef Frank Magana and his staff had everything under control. The Chef himself was out front, greeting guests along with his staff, making introductions and was very cool and composed the entire evening.

The smell from the kitchen was tantalizing, I could smell all sorts of good things cooking and I was ready to begin.

From here the Chef introduced himself, along with Scott & Vicky Williams, owners of Kiona Winery on Red Mountain. The next 2 hours were filled with great food, great wine & great conversation with excellent people. I also had the pleasure of meeting Melodie Smith (@cellardoorgirl), the winner of our latest contest!

Here’s what was on the menu:

Course One: Strawberry, Cucumber & Feta Salad – The taste was crisp, fresh & light. Everything mixed well together, & I was left with wanting more strawberries. The feta cheese was a great touch, and tasted fantastic. The dressing mixed with the feta created a texture not to my liking, but my taste buds were happy anyway.

Wine Pairing: 2008 Kiona Estate Dry Riesling – The citrus notes here paired nicely with the salad. Green apple, pear, and a lemon/orange peel aroma were nicely presented. The slight “effervescence” of the wine along with the fresh cucumber in the salad were perfect together.

Course Two: Goat Cheese Souffle – Something I’ve never had, nor thought of trying that suprised me. It came served hot, in an espresso cup. The breaded outside had a wonderful spice to it, then I hit the warm goat cheese center…I could have gone back for seconds on this one.

Wine Pairing: 2005 Estate Chardonnay – When it comes to chard, i like ‘em steely and crisp. This wine took me by surprise. The slightest hint of oak yet lacking the “buttery” complexion that I try to steer clear of. Turns out the winemaker aged this particular blend in both oak and steel, with steel being the prominent device. As for pairing with the souffle, the spice in the crust was a good friend to the light oak in the wine.

Course Three: Alligator Jambalaya – Yes, you read it correctly, Alligator! I had no idea what to expect here, but here’s the result. The gator had the consistency (and slight taste) of fish! The flavor is almost impossible to describe, but it was damn good! The jambalaya also had a spicy sausage with rice and other additions. An eclectic mix of flavors were a complete success here.

Wine Pairing: Kiona 2006 Estate Lemberger – A wine that holds it’s own with a blend of spice & old earth. A warm, soft body with currant and dark cherry flavors. Paired fantastically with the spicy sausage in the jambalaya, but was a little bit tough on our poor friend Mister Gator.

Intermezzo: Blackberry Sorbet – A nice palate-cleansing, chilled blackberry sorbet. I’m a sucker for dark berry anything, & this did not disappoint.

Main Course: Rack of Lamb with Apple-Mint Chutney – Hoh-boy, this was a real treat! I love a good rack (of lamb) and this was no exception! Crisp on the outside, succulent and juicy on the inside. This Chef knows his meats! The risotto as well, was perfectly cooked for my tastes, slightly sticky but not at all hard or grainy, with plenty of flavor. Well done Chef!

Wine Pairing: Kiona 2003 Estate Cabernet & Kiona 2003 Estate Syrah – This was a close battle, but in the end the syrah won by an inch. Both wines full bodied, keeping in check with the lamb. The cab showed me cassis, with cherry-chocolate earthy goodness. The syrah complemented the lamb a little better in my case, blowing a little spicy-tobacco over my nicely cooked lamb.

Dessert: Riesling Poached Pear with Gorgonzola Sauce – As if we even needed (or had room for) dessert, out came the final presentation of the evening. First of all, if you had told me I’d be eating alligator tonight, I would have told you to pack your bags. If you had told me I’d be eating a poached pear with gorgonzola cheese and balsamic vinaigrette as a dessert, I would have told you to get outta town. Chef Magana stretched the limits of my palate yet again with this dessert and succeeded! Tasted sweet, and juicy, with the gorgonzola mixing with the balsamic nicely and quite honestly, if you had told me it was cream and chocolate and I would have believed you.

Wine Pairing: 2008 Late Harvest Riesling – Dessert wine normally completes my cycle from “a little buzzed” to “okay, someone get him a cab, and I mean the kind you drive, not drink”. The sugars, combined with the alcohol just wreak havoc on my bloodstream, but let’s be honest, it tastes really good! This wine had what I was after, and paired wonderfully with the pair pear. A nice hint of grassy lemon and citrus, cut through some of the sweetness and let me enjoy this particular wine.

All in all the evening was a great one! Lots of good times with good people. For a quick look into the evening check out my video, here!

Cheers!

Canyon’s Edge Cabernet (2005 – Red Wine)

Aug 5 2009

The USA has a president, Canada has a prime minister, but in the world of wine, Cabernet is king.

Yes, if I had to appoint a “type” of wine as high council, it would be cab…hands down. Why, you ask? Robust, full bodied, and has the air of someone who knows that they’re just a little bit better than the others.

A little history:

The grapes we known widely as “Cabernet Sauvignon” are derived from two other varietals called Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. This was discovered just recently in the late 1990s with the use of DNA typing. Before this discovery it was rumored the grape had ancient origins, even dating back to Roman times being used to create an ancient Roman wine.

Cabs traditionally have a dark, dense, and highly tannic profile. It’s easy to find cabs that give off flavors like black pepper, current, asparagus, and jam. Cabernet has an affinity for oak. It ages extremely well in traditional oak barrels, however lots of winemakers use larger barrels, as to bring less wine in contact with the wood resulting in a less dramatic oak influence.

One of my favorite cabs in the last couple years, has been the Canyon’s Edge Cabernet Sauvignon from the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. This particular cab has taken home silver in three different competitions locally in 2008, and has been recommended by master sommelier Angelo Tavernero. I poured myself a glass just the other day and I was delighted to see that it was still incredibly good. Here’s what I experienced:

Blackberries, dark current, and a hint of nutmeg on the nose with plenty of oak.

Raspberries, and a full, dark chocolate on the tongue, and a nice spicy, chocolate finish that’s smooth, drinkable, but holds up GREAT with a nice thick steak. With such a complex flavor profile, I would recommend opening this up early, and even decanting as to let all the flavors come out to breathe. Grill up your favorite cut of beef, and go heavy on the spices if you want. Don’t worry, the king can take it…

The Canyon’s Edge Cabernet is a wonderful wine at any vintage, and it has yet to disappoint my palate. It may be hard to find so call around ahead of time to your local stores and ask for it so you don’t waste a trip. Why are you still here?! The king is waiting…

River’s Edge Pinot Noir (2007 – Red Wine)

Jul 29 2009

What do you get when you take great soil, lots of sunlight, and some hard work? Oregon wine! What do I think Oregon does REALLY well? Pinot noir! Yes, today we talk a little about Pinot Noir. Specifically the River’s Edge 2007 Pinot Noir, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

A little history: Pinot noir (pronounced Pino nwar), is a red wine grape. The name is French, coming from the words “pine” & “black” or “dark”. While grown in many places of the world, a couple that really stand out to me are the Burgundy regions of France and of course the Willamette & Umpqua valleys of Oregon.

Now, on to the tasty part. River’s Edge winery, really does sit on the edge of the Umpqua River and produces some very fine wines. One of my favorites from this particular hotspot, is the 2007 Pinot Noir. Here’s my thoughts on it:

Bouquet. Aroma. Nose. All the same thing, but all VERY important in this particular wine, and in any wine or food really. If you can smell something, you can taste it THAT much better. Get into this bottle. Open it up, let it set, or better yet, dump the whole thing into a decanter and give it a nice rough swirl. Don’t be shy, you wont hurt it. Now, pour yourself a glass, stick your nose into it, and let the smokey, fresh cigar aroma get you ready for what comes next.

Your first sip. I’m talking earthy, dark current, cherries, and a slight vanilla undertone that pairs AMAZING with a nice seasoned pork chop. Hell, I’ve even cooked pork IN this wine. Have a glass with a crazy goat cheese, or a nice creamy brie. As with many pinots, it goes amazingly well. You may notice a buttered toast finish if your palate is extra sharp!

Go out and grab a bottle for around 18 bones. You’ll be glad you did!