Castle Rock: 2008 Pinot Noir, Monterey County

Rated 91 pointa by the Wine Cellar

Produced from vineyards in the Monterey County along the central coast of California this wine is of good value. The cool breeze of Monterey Bay results in a long growing season and more time for the grapes to ripe on the vines. I bought it earlier this year, kept in my cellar and opened it a few days ago.

I was very pleased with the results--have to admit though that Pinot Noir is one of my favorites wines. Of medium body and complexity, this young wine is full of cherry and plum flavors with a pleasant lingering effect. Very smooth, well balanced and with mild tannins this wine will age well for several more years. Good companion to many Mediterranean dishes. See the Castle Rock winery for more suggestions of food and wine pairings.

The Wine Cellar gives it 91 points-- a good value...

The French Connection...

There is a long list of reasons for visiting Paris--the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, the Versailles, Notre Dame--but for me it is distilled down to two things: French wine and French bread...Well, I have to be honest--I do love architecture and art too. A couple of days ago we traveled to Fontainebleaux--SE of Paris--and were fortunate to catch the open market. What an amazing display of fresh produce, meat, fish, cheese, bread, and other goodies. It was like being eight years old and walking into a candy store--for me a cookie store...

The aromas of the bread and vegetables were fantastic. And although cheese doesn't rank as high as bread and wine in my epicurean scale, one can't overlook the cheeses in France. With more than 400 types of them, France is unquestionably the place to be if you are a cheese lover.

It's mid April and Spring is evident everywhere. Tulips are spectacular and the air is saturated with the delicate smell of flowers and the fresh smell of emerging grass and budding trees. Renoir must have been inspired by these sights in many of his well-known paintings. Oh, yes, Paris is where people fall in love again and again...

Wine and Food Party...

Another successful wine and food party was celebrated by the wine enthusiasts of the Raintree cal du sac last evening. The much anticipated annual event lived up to the expectations of everyone. Wines from France, Italy, Spain, Australia and California were paired with mouth-watering appetizers prepared by the excellent cooks of our group.

The evening started with a French Duval-Leroy Champagne accompanied by Lincet Chaource cheese. A 2005 Shiraz by RockBare of McLaren Vale, South Australia was paired with a bruschetta of roquefort cheese and fruit. A 2003 Chardonnay by Chateau Souverain, Sonoma County was paired with aged Goulda and Jarlsberg cheeses. Another bruschetta of cheese and ham was the mate of a 2008 Merlot by Lindemans from South Eastern Australia. A 2007 Yecla red wine by Castano Monastrell from Spain had a stuffed mushroom--full of spices, and chopped cheese and italian sausages-- companion. A 2002 French red wine--Vin de pays de'l Herault--was matched with a very tasty steakhouse classic tri tip by Morton's of Omaha. And a 2007 red Italian wine--Sicilia Nero D'Avola--by Epicuro paired with a delicious antipasto capped the event.

The description of this memorable evening would be incomplete without mentioning the most important ingedient that contributed to its success--the wonderful friends that we are so fortunate to have found in this warm and sunny corner of America. We can't wait for the encore event...

The Symposium

Wine had many uses for Greeks. The most well known was the symposium that was the most important social function and was centered around the drinking of wine, which was drunk almost always diluted with water. The practice of drinking undiluted wine was associated with northern barbarians. The symposia were not just for drinking and eating. They were the favorite forum of spirited discussions among philosophers and intellectuals that lasted several hours, often into the early morning hours. That might have been the reason for diluting the wine. While they enjoyed drinking wine during the course of the symposia, they wanted to maintain a sharp intellect during their dialectic exercises.

The practice of drinking wine with mezethes (varieties of appetizers) continues to this day and it is the favorite social form of the Greeks. Greeks rarely, if ever, engage in any kind of drinking without having some type of food to accompany the drinking of wine. Philosophy has been replaced by football and politics but everything else remains the same. It has become one of my favorite, often at mid-day, rituals as I gather with my friends at the Greek version of a pub to take a break from gardening or other manuals chores, taste some of the new vintages, try the daily specials of mezethes, and catch up with the news of the village.