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.

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

Nocera - A Native Grape from Sicily

Nocera is a native grape from Sicily. It comes from the Messina province which is located in the northeast. Nocera is a quality red wine grape that is most known as a blender in the red wines of the Faro DOC. I had the opportunity to taste some pure versions (which according to Wine Searcher are rare) this week at a trade tasting held at Roma Restaurant in Houston. Wine production in the region dates back to the 14th Century BC, however, phylloxera decimated the vineyard area in 1881 leaving it at a fraction of its original size. The area boasts a Mediterranean climate with sunny days and coastal breezes, moderate rainfall, and mild winters, all ideal for grape growing. The Nocera grape is a bluish/black color and has a thick skin which allows for the production of structured wines with prominent tannins which are balanced by good acidity. High alcohol is common. Red wines produced from the grapes are an intense ruby color with purple highlights and aromas and flavors of dark fruits a

The Salta Tour 2012

Vine Connections and Pioneer Wine Company hosted a seminar and tasting event for Houston's wine trade and media at Backstreet Cafe yesterday. All but two of the wines were from the Salta Province of Argentina. Salta is the most northern wine region in Argentina lying close to the Bolivian border. The climate is very extreme due to the high altitude. Plantings start at 5,000 feet above sea level and climb to 9,000 feet, making these vineyards the highest in the world. The intense sunlight the area receives helps to create grapes with more anthocyanins, these are the color pigments which result in softer tannins, lower astringency and more intense flavor. The wines produced are extremely pure, concentrated and terroir specific. Torrontes Riojano which is considered the best of the three Torrontes clones is the most widely planted grape with plantings of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat increasing. The seminar started with a tasting of four Torrontes wines, three from diff

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