Media Dinner at Robert Mondavi Winery

My trip this week to Napa Valley began with a media dinner at Robert Mondavi Winery with four other journalists and winemaker, Megan Schofield, on hand to discuss the wines of the evening. I might not typically write about this meal if it was something of which I felt my readers would not be able to ever partake. The reasons that I decided to do so are that, on this evening, we enjoyed the most affordable and available wines in the Robert Mondavi portfolio and I also learned how easy it would be for others to enjoy wine and food pairings in this venue.

Robert Mondavi Winery sits on the famed To Kalon Vineyard with a view of the mountains in the background, to call it scenic would be selling it short. The grounds are complete with stunning gardens blooming with flowers and beautiful art all around; a combination of the best that nature and man can offer.

Our dinner that evening and our lunch on the following day were prepared by the in-house chef, Jeff Mosher. His philosophy on food is "...about obtaining the highest quality local and sustainably grown ingredients harvested at the peak of freshness..." and believe me, this was absolutely showcased in my two meals there.

This would be an over the top choice for a destination wedding or for a corporate incentive trip of which I know many Texans that are fortunate enough to be able to experience. In addition to the winery's ability to accommodate large private groups, individuals that wish to tour and taste at Robert Mondavi have several options to do so on their own as well.

Our dinner began with the 2004 To Kalon Vineyards Fumé Blanc Reserve which is a higher end library wine that would be more difficult to find on your own. We enjoyed it with grilled fava beans (picked earlier that day from the vineyard garden) and with pork belly sliders out in the Rose Garden. This 11 year old wine was incredibly fresh with tropical aromas and flavors with the famed smoky notes from the barrel fermentation and aging, absolutely delicious and a great lesson on the age-ability of this wine; look for the current release and feel confident in knowing that you can enjoy it immediately or lay it down for years to pull out for a future special occasion. More recent releases range from $40-60 in price.

The other wines served at this dinner were all current releases in the more affordable Napa Valley line.

2013 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Chardonnay with aromas and flavors of pear, melon, toast and a pronounced spicy note had a medium body, refreshing acidity and a creamy finish.It paired perfectly with the seared salmon alongside peas, carrots, nasturtiums and coconut curry. Though a majority percentage of the wine was fermented in French oak barrels, this is not an oaky Chardonnay.

2012 Robert Mondavi Carneros, Napa Valley Pinot Noir had aromas and deep flavors of black cherry with dried herbs and a slight earthy note with a medium body balanced by good acidity with a dark fruity finish, This was served with Sonoma duck confit with forbidden rice, turnips and tatsoi with pickled garden strawberries and a red wine swipe.This vintage was described as an "epic year". (wine bottle not pictured)

2012 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet was a classic Napa Valley Cabernet with its pronounced aromas and rich flavors of sweet ripe blackberries, a bit of tobacco and chocolate with a decided mineral-edged finish. This paired phenomenally with the grilled Five Dot Ranch Ribeye Cap served with fingerling potatoes, spring garlic, morel mushrooms and bordelaise sauce. (wine bottle not pictured)

2013 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Moscato d'Oro was served slushy style as the founder, Robert Mondavi, enjoyed this wine. This fragrant sweet wine had aromas of citrus blossoms with juicy peach and rich tropical fruit flavors balanced with a clean acidity. Another perfect pairing with strawberries, blueberries, shortbread crumble and black pepper chantilly cream.

Whether alone or with a group, taking the time to enjoy a food and wine pairing or full paired meal at Robert Mondavi Winery should definitely be on your radar as an experience to not miss on your next trip to Napa Valley.

An Immersive Introduction into the World of Asolo Prosecco

Dinner Views at Osteria Alla Baracca. I was very excited to visit the Asolo DOCG Prosecco region at the end of May on a press trip as it is an Italian area that I have not previously traveled through. Asolo is located in the Province of Treviso at the foot of Monte Grappa in the high hills to the west of the Piave River with views of the Dolomites. The grapes are grown in 17 communes surrounding the town of Asolo. The days were very warm while I was there but I needed a sweater or light jacket on most evenings due to the diurnal swing that makes it a great area for grape growing. Wines from the Master Class Tasting. Asolo was elevated to the DOCG level in 2009. The majority of the Prosecco that I have found in Houston is Prosecco DOC which is mostly from very large producers. Asolo was separated from this category and the region was given this higher status because there are terroir elements that make it distinctive in the world of Prosecco. The Sant'Anna Vineyard. Many of the vin

Lust Zinfandel 2007

My husband loves this wine so he purchased quite a few bottles at a recent Michael~David dinner that we had attended. Last night, I decided to open a bottle to serve with dinner. I was making a roasted southwestern pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries (w/ chipolte ketchup) and a salad consisting of baby lettuce (fresh from my garden) with strawberries, red bell peppers, red onions and walnuts tossed with a white balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette. This turned out to be a great pairing. It is a bold wine that really stood up to the strong chipolte seasoning while complementing the fruit flavors. I opened the bottle a 1/2 hour before I served it as I have found this wine to be more enjoyable when I do so. The Lust Zinfandel by Michael~David 2007 was a dark purple color with a ruby rim. It has intense aromas of very ripe mixed berries and baking spices-both allspice and ginger with hints of cedar. It has flavors of creme de cassis, milk chocolate and also more of the baking

"The Zen of Zin" Tasting at Fleming's in River Oaks

On Friday evening, my husband and I attended the Zinfandel wine tasting at Fleming's in River Oaks. My husband gets totally pumped up for any and all things Zinfandel but what I found really intriguing in the line up of wines were the aged offerings. Brent Sloan, managing partner at Houston's premier wine storage facility Nos Caves Vin, had provided Fleming's with four 18 year old bottlings and one 17 year old bottling from his collection of some of his favorites. I found this interesting because 1. I don't believe that I have ever had an 18 year old Zinfandel before this evening and 2. From various wine classes, I had always heard that at best Zinfandel had very limited aging ability. So, I was definitely excited to give these wines a taste. There were also an additional five younger Zinfandel wines that are some of Fleming's best sellers. The entire tasting line up for the evening included: 2009 Orin Swift Saldo - California 2007 Schulz "Lampyridae Vin

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