Wine Club Newsletter - January 2021
To Be, or Not to Be . . .
By Gary Parker
What a world, yeah?
Well, 2020 was certainly a year worthy of a nod to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride!
“Take a motorcar to nowhere in particular”. . . . We all experienced some of that this year.
But we are safe, healthy, and happy, and certainly wish you the same fortunes, as we begin our hope and faith that the year 2021 will bring us closer to normal. Then we can visit with our wonderful friends again, and often.
Much love and care to you from us,
Cheers!
Gary & Lori Parker
I wanted to share with you the personal holiday greeting card of Lori and I hunkering down with a cocktail in the back yard. Lori and I sent this out to our friends and family this year.
And I want to note that all of our wine club members feel like family. Many of you have been with us for decades, enjoying the wine selections, the recipes and our newsletter here, The Wonderful World of Wine. I thank you for that, very much.
The truth is, without my faithful wine club members, I may not be writing this to you or sending wine out. We are fortunate in the fact that this club is a very integral part of our business model. The two other important parts of our business model are retail wine sales, and wine locker rental income. These have all continued to be strong through this time, allowing us to eek by, for the time being.
It is eerie having empty tables in the restaurant for so long now. We built an outdoor patio ($20k) to accommodate an outdoor alternative, finishing it in November . . . just in time to have it shut down in December. A bit frustrating, but I do understand the bureaucratic motives behind all this opening and closing.
Still, it is tough to say goodbye and hello and goodbye again to our restaurant guests, not to mention my staff. We went from twenty two staff, to nineteen, then to thirteen, and now down to eight full time employees. It is heart-breaking to see, and to not see you.
Lori and I took a drive from Oceanside down the coast to Del Mar last weekend. We were totally shocked to see how many restaurants were open and serving people in spite of the Government shutting down inside and outside restaurant dining. And I saw establishments serving diners that I knew had previously been given “Cease & Desist” orders from the authorities.
We looked at each other and said . . . “Why are we closed?”
We have a very large indoor and outdoor space. We could serve about 20-30 people at onetime and all the diners would be eight to ten feet from each other. And of course, our staff, still conducting retail and take out sales, are very familiar with the safety protocols necessary to insure the safest possible experience for those stopping in.
If we opened, and someone got the virus traced to our business, how would I feel? Immoral? Perhaps greedy? I certainly would have a great deal of empathy and concern for the individual. Some of my friends want us to reopen, others wouldn’t step in any restaurant until this virus is under control.
As I write this, there are going to be some decisions made by our city/county governing bodies this week, about enforcing the shut down order. I have a feeling they will be escalating the enforcement, both with increased personnel on patrols as well as significantly stiffer penalties.
That alone could make the decision for me easier. The penalties I hear they are coming up with are for those who violate the terms and are written up, they can’t even do take out anymore. That would be deadly for any dining establishment, and would bruise The WineSellar & Brasserie quite hard. Our take home wine themed dinners have been quite popular, and keeping the Chef busy.
To be, or not to be? Why don’t you share your feeling with me? Write me at gparker@winesellar.com.
2018 Grenache Blanc, Four Brothers, Curtis Vineyard
Growing Region Santa Barbara County
Varietal Composition 100% Grenache Blanc
Fermentation Neutral Oak
Alcohol Content 13.2%
Suggested Retail $34.00
WineSellar Club Price $21.59
Broad Strokes: Check Out the Savings!!!!
From the Winery: We are a boutique, family run business. We are committed to bringing you the highest quality wines sourced from the most in demand vineyards the Central Coast has to offer. We thrive to bring you wines that excel in quality and please the palate of any wine consumer. We are a passionate group of brothers that come from a family built off love. The love for travel, love for adventure, love for hard work and competition, but most importantly, the love for our friends and family. Having Four Boys in the family, it can get very competitive, I can’t tell you how many black eyes and broken bones has made us who we are today. “Our poor mother”, but at the end of the day, we are brothers, thick as thieves, stronger than any bond. Who understand how important it is to have family, friends, good humor, and a passion for life. We are so excited to share this adventure with old friends and new friends to come.
Four Brothers Wine Company, not just a wine, it’s a lifestyle…
Appearance:
Somewhat standard general image of the label. I think they could have done something more dramatic, worthy of their story/theme, which I like a lot. The wine has a pale lemon hue, very clear, evenly dispersed, and drips down the inside of the glass evenly.
Nose:
Delicious scents of white peach, orange, vanilla bean, white pepper and fresh herbs. The nose will intensify over the next couple years. Got butterscotch after an hour open, NICE!
Texture:
Medium in body, the wine is showing excellent balance and palate presence. Silky, velvety, viscous and mouth-coating loveliness gives way to a long, clean, vibrant finish.
Flavors:
Very ripe white peach flavors are gorgeous! Hints of lemon, creme brulée, and yes the butterscotch comes through. Expanding flavors are kept in check with youthful acid.
Serving Suggestions:
This is a GREAT drinking white wine. Large in the palate, yet balanced. Great on its own, can take assertive food flavors on. Has 2-5 years again potential.
2019 Primitivo, “Heroe”, Sculpterra
Growing Region Paso Robles
Varietal Composition 87% Primitivo, 13% Cabernet Franc
Fermentation New and neutral American Oak
Alcohol Content 14.4%
Suggested Retail $25.00
WineSellar Club Price $20.69
Broad Strokes:
From the Winery: Dr. Warren Frankel, his wife Kathy and their three children moved to Paso Robles from the San Fernando Valley in 1979 with a vision for a simpler life. The Frankel family first planted 20 acres of pistachios on the ranch, followed by 20 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. After initial success with both plantings, Dr. Frankel expanded the vineyard operation in 1997 with more Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 acres of Zinfandel and 10 acres of Merlot. Cabernet Franc, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah and Viognier are the most recent additions to the vineyard.
With the potential for a tasting room and winery that could showcase the estate vineyard fruit and become a destination for wine and art aficionados, Dr. Frankel broke ground on the winery in 2006 and opened for business in October 2007. Sculpterra now features a fine portfolio of ultra-premium wines, fine art and a multimillion-dollar sculpture garden that greet our guests and make for a memorable wine tasting experience.
Appearance:
The front label showcases Lugardo “Uga” Zatarain, Sculpterra’s hardest working man. The back label features the entire 2019 harvest crew doing every task from picking the grapes to bottling the finished product. Really cool. The wine has a mulberry color to it, dark at the core.
Nose:
Dark and black fruits, with a focused intensity that kind of lifts an eyebrow. Black cherries, strawberry, vanilla wood notes, a hint of rhubarb and baking spices.
Texture:
Medium to medium full in body, the wine has a ripe and full feel in the mouth, without going overboard. Excellent structure, well-integrated tannins, solid fruit extraction, and delightful.
Flavors:
The black cherry fruit is dominant and lovely. Look for notes of dark chocolate, vanilla oak, and nutmeg and cinnamon. It has somewhat of an old world feel to it, rustic perhaps, yet is modernized by the supple oak nuances and overall exceptional winemaking practices of today’s producers.
Serving Suggestions:
Best around 2025, drinking well now. Pastas, ripe cheeses, gourmet pizza.
2016 Tenuta di Ghizzano, Nambrot
Growing Region Pisa, Tuscany, Italy
Varietal Composition 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 20% Petit Verdot
Fermentation Barrel Fermented, 10% New
Alcohol Content 14%
Suggested Retail $55.00
WineSellar Club Price $49.99
Broad Strokes: 92 Points
From the Winery: The hilltop hamlet of Ghizzano lies in the Pisan Hills, close to the Tuscan Coast. The Venerosi Pesciolini family settled here in the late 14th Century, and the estate now encompasses about 1,000 acres, with about 50 of those planted to grape vines. The vineyards sits within this gentle landscape of 650 feet above sea level, and are blessed with mild climates with Maritime influences.
Wine has been bottled since 1985, organically certified from 2008, and is moving in biodynamic direction. The property is in the hands of Ginerva Pesciolini and her wines continue to gain almost annual Tre Bicchiera awards. A Tre Bicchieri award is a really big deal for a winery, as it singles out the best wines produced in their country that year.
Appearance:
The wine comes in six bottle wood boxes, each bottle individually wrapped in winery tissue paper, impressive. So is the label, looking quite Italian, with a simple but impactful color scheme. The wine has a nice dark red/purple color to it.
Nose:
Wood notes of cedar, cherry, mulberry, blueberries and fresh herbs pop from the glass. It is a really fine, elegant nice, albeit assertive as well. Ripe fig, smoke, and a bit of asphalt circle back over the rounded fruit.
Texture:
Full-bodied feel in the mouth. The lively yet juicy tannins make your mouth water after each sip. It feels like a very fine wine, of course, because it is. Has a dusty feel, if you know what I mean.
Flavors:
Blackberry fruit is solid on the palate. Ripe raspberry, black fig, hints of fresh herbs (basil, anise and oregano), coffee, stones, tobacco, smoke and cedar. The wine is a beautiful expression of Bordeaux varietals produced in Tuscany, a favorite of mine.
Serving Suggestions:
This will go another 15-20 years, and will definitely improve with age. Mushroom risotto, grilled steaks, eggplant Parmigiana would all kick ___ with this baby.
2015 Harmonie Red, Captûre
Growing Region Alexander Valley, Sonoma County
Varietal Composition Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Fermentation Barrel Fermented, 20% New
Alcohol Content 14.5%
Suggested Retail $75.00
WineSellar Club Price $62.99
Broad Strokes: 92 Points
From the Winery: Capture Wines represents the marriage of time-honored Bordeaux winemaking with the intense fruit character of our organically farmed mountain estate, Tin Cross Vineyards, nearly 2,500 feet above the Alexander Valley floor in Sonoma County. Renowned winemaking team May-Britt and Denis Malbec, formerly of Chateau Latour in Bordeaux, create wines to bring out the rich personality of the terroir. The resulting wines are elegant expressions of depth, nuance and longevity.
Sam Teakle joined the Captûre winemaking team in 2015. Sam is tasked with finding and harnessing some of the best vineyards while creating wines that showcase the nuances of mountain Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon from the rugged Mayacamas Mountain Range.
Appearance:
I like the image of the Mayacamas Mountains on the label of this good sized, handsome looking bottle. The word “Harmonie” is a bit understated, graphically. The wine is nearly opaque, black at the core, deep purple/crimson on the edges of the glass.
Nose:
An incredible bouquet of very ripe black plum, lilac, black cherries, black currants and violets. Vanilla oak has a say, as do baking spices, roasted hazelnuts, sandalwood, with white and black pepper.
Texture:
Medium full in body, it is not hugely weighty or overblown as one might expect from its color. The texture is silken, something like a Pinot Noir may be. It has an expansive middle palate, and a long, harmonie-us finish.
Flavors:
To follow up the nose nuances: black cherries, black currants, vanilla, roasted nuts, and spice box. There is significant floral elements, such as lilac and violets, and then a tad of pomegranate fruit on its opulent finish.
Serving Suggestions:
This will go another 10-15 years easily, steered correctly. Enjoy!
2019 Grenache, Sculpterra
Growing Region Paso Robles, California
Varietal Composition 95% Grenache, 5% Petite Sirah
Fermentation Barrel Fermentation
Alcohol Content 15%
Suggested Retail $36.00
WineSellar Club Price $20.69
Broad Strokes:
From the Winery: Dr. Warren Frankel, his wife Kathy and their three children moved to Paso Robles from the San Fernando Valley in 1979 with a vision for a simpler life. The Frankel family first planted 20 acres of pistachios on the ranch, followed by 20 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. After initial success with both plantings, Dr. Frankel expanded the vineyard operation in 1997 with more Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 acres of Zinfandel and 10 acres of Merlot. Cabernet Franc, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah and Viognier are the most recent additions to the vineyard. With the potential for a tasting room and winery that could showcase the estate vineyard fruit and become a destination for wine and art aficionados, Dr. Frankel broke ground on the winery in 2006 and opened for business in October 2007. Sculpterra now features a fine portfolio of ultra-premium wines, fine art and a multimillion-dollar sculpture garden that greet our guests and make for a memorable wine tasting experience.
Appearance:
The package is quite individualistic, and lovely. I just wish there was more color contrast between the images (and font) to make it easier to read. Love screw cap. The wine glistens with a brilliant red /magenta hue, lighter in depth, and evenly dispersed.
Nose:
True, ripe, varietally correct Grenache fruit pops from the glass. The rich, enveloping aromatics illustrate substantial vanilla oak, fresh raspberry, red cherry, a touch of road tar, Indian spices and black pepper.
Texture:
Even though the color of the wine is somewhat light, it (surprisingly) packs a pretty massive punch on the palate. Ripe, rich, smooth, rounded fruit provides a lovely entry. You can almost feel the alcohol, until that powerful fruit comes charging to the rescue.
Flavors:
Fabulous, almost lipstick strength ripe cherry/raspberry fruit is front and forward. Toasted nuts, layers of wood essence, leather, and a touch of that tar/asphalt thingy I love so much. COOL!
Serving Suggestions:
I think most near-term drinking for this one, within 5 years of the vintage. Ripe cheeses!
2017 Zinfandel, Wine Guerrilla, Sonoma County
Growing Region Russian River Valley
Varietal Composition 100% Zinfandel
Fermentation Barrel Fermentation
Alcohol Content 14.6%
Suggested Retail $26.00
WineSellar Club Price $23.39
Broad Strokes:
From the Winery: Owned and operated by Matt Railla and his father, Andrew Railla, Wine Guerrilla is a small winery focusing on one varietal. With ambitions of not just growing ourselves but growing the adoration of Zinfandel by producing well balanced and high-quality Zinfandels. Our goal has been to procure Sonoma County’s finest Zinfandels and provide the premier “Zin” experience to our tasting room customers and beyond. Sourcing from 4 different appellations and over 10 different vineyards, our wines embody every exposition of Zinfandel. From century old vines to recently planted Zinfandels, our wines mirror the soul of Sonoma County.
Appearance:
A very distinctive image, a readily identifiable label on the shelf, and cork finished. Good story on the back label, and note is nearly impossible to find the 14.6% alcohol content on the label. The wine has kind of a hazy, muted red hue with soft edges, looking like it has a bit of bottle age, appropriately.
Nose:
Black and red licorice blasts out of the glass, with maple syrup, brown sugar, red fruit notes, anise. Intriguing and complex, noting that the wine is beginning to show its evolution with time in the bottle. Current release is 2018. Black olive, basil, Mediterranean feel to it.
Texture:
Fruity entry is a bit angled off with solid, active acids. The wine is edgy in its mouth feel, but certainly not out of whack. In fact, it has an unctuous element to it, balanced by a superb acid/fruit balance.
Flavors:
Much of the nose comes through to the palate, the anise, red and black fruits (and licorice), maple syrup, black olive, basil, herbs. I also detected some cocoa, blackberries, black pepper, and vanilla oak in the flavor profile.
Serving Suggestions:
Watch for sediment. The wine has a way to go in the bottle, maybe 5-10 years or so. Right now, I think anything around a BBQ would be sublime with this great example of California Zinfandel.
Chile-Garlic Fried Cauliflower
(or Brussels Sprouts)
Here is a really fun side dish we have enjoyed through the colder weather. We also used it substituting Brussels sprouts (cut in half) instead of Cauliflower, and it came out really nice.
It is red or white wine friendly. Serves 6-8 people.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, sifted (We used Non-Gluten Flour)
- 1/2 c. cornstarch (We use Arrowroot)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 c. ice water
- 1 egg, beaten
- Kosher salt
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1/3 c. chili garlic sauce
- 2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. grated ginger
- 2 tbsp. sesame seeds
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Method:
-
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Add ice water, egg, and 1 teaspoon salt, and stir to combine. The batter should be thin.
-
In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic-chili sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and ginger.
-
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat about ¼" vegetable oil until oil is shimmering.
-
Toss cauliflower in batter until fully coated.
-
Working in batches, add cauliflower, and cook until golden on all sides, about 4 minutes per side.
-
Drain on paper towels and season with more salt, if necessary.
-
Toss fried cauliflower in sauce.
-
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions and serve right away.