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Apr 5 2010
First and foremost, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you couldn’t be at this amazing dinner and I’m sorry for the jealousy you might feel at the end of this article. Final apology is me being sorry for the lack of photos. My glass was empty and my plate was licked clean before I or anyone else could get a camera out, and although I still have the gorgeous menu it is tattered from all the people who I’ve shown.
When I got invited to the Hightower Winemakers Dinner at Picazo 7Seventeen by Craig Sutton, I jumped at the opportunity! Chef Frank always makes divine food, and since I hadn’t had Hightower wine before I of course wanted to try it.
We started the evening with light appetizers; almonds, olives, and mussels, among other things. To accompany the appetizers, we drank the Murray Cuvee, a wine dedicated to their late dog, Murray. It paired nicely, and I might have gone back for a second glass. After chatting a bit and meeting some tweeters, we sat and got ready for the meal I’d starved myself all day for.
Stories filled the table and soon we were wrapped around Kelly & Tim Hightower’s wine finger. They are such great people and with amazing wine, it’s hard to not love them. My favorite Kelly quote of the night was “I used to live in a convent, and yes, my dates picked me up from there.” If you weren’t listening to her stories before, that one line perked a few ears.
First course was a beautiful salad with seared duck. I’d never had duck before, but liked it, and was proud of myself for maybe possibly growing out of my picky eater phase. After the salad, we had a spicy gazpacho with bread made from Hightower grape yeast, which I didn’t know could be done. The next thing I enjoyed was a mushroom gnocchi and once again, loved every bite. I even had the mushrooms which is again me growing out of my picky eater phase.
Now here it is – the best wine and the best food! Hightower brought their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon to pair with Frank Magana’s fillet of beef tenderloin and it was absolutely magnificent. The cabernet had a beautiful color, big spicy nose and the taste … ahh, heavenly. One of the people at the table described the wine as “cured peppered meat” and for me that meant a very classy, in no way offensive, peppered beef jerky. Imagine that – in a glass of wine! It had slight tannin which I love and it left my mouth wanting more, something that I think every wine should have. The tenderloin was so tender; it didn’t even need a steak knife. I tried eating slowly and with small bites, but it came to an end and I had to eat dessert, chocolate crème’ brulee paired with Hightower Merlot.
It was a rough night full of gourmet food, delicious wine, fabulous conversation and new friends but I survived it. I want to give an enormous thank you to Frank Magana, Trina Cortez, all of Picazo7Seventeen’s staff, Kelly & Tim Hightower and Craig Sutton. As always, I look forward to another wine maker dinner.
Cheers!
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Kat Kelly educating 
