Vinoyo

 Food and wine paring.  What about food and music paring?  I’m serious.  When I have a glass of wine, often think of what food would compliment the wine.   When I listen to music, I occasionally think of what wine would compliment the music.

I am a jazz fan.  Straight ahead jazz.  Recently I’ve been listening to Christian Scott’s lastest album, Anthem.  I really dig this Cat.  Mr. Scott is a trumpet player orginally from New Orleans.  I like his style.  It’s hard to describe his sound.  Not Bebop,  kind-of-a Funkybop.  Reminds me of Miles album Tutu.  Check it out, especially the last cut on the album featuring Brother J of X-clan.

Anyway, Anthem has been in heavy rotation at the household for the past two weeks and I’ve been thinking of what wine would compliment this album.  Anthem is hard, but smooth.  It has an edge, but the more I listen to the album the more layers are uncovered.  It’s complex.  I am thinking a Bordeaux would go well with this CD.  But this is vibrant, New World music so I tried a Napa Cab.   Brown Estate’s 2002 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  Perfect synergy…

 Brown Estate is located in Chiles Valley District of Napa Valley and they are known for their zinfandels.  I found Brown by tracing the vine from another Napa vintner know for zins, Green and Red.  It’s an African American owned winery.  They previously sold their zinfandel grapes to local wine makers but started producing their own wine in 1998 (?).  Their first Cab came out in 2001 and they have recently added a chardonnay.  Brown Estate features my favorite label.  It’s a simple label, but strong and features a scarab.  My second favorite label is Calon-Segur (Bordeaux).  I like simple wine labels that have meaning.

 I know Brown’s zins but I was skeptical in regard to their Cabs, but the 2002 Cab is excellent.  The colour of this wine is amazing.  A beautiful deep ruby colour suggesting extensive skin contact during extraction.  Strong expression of the grape varietal.  Nice acidity and crisp tannins.  Good balance.  Exceptional finish.  This wine also has legs…if properly stored I think will hold for another decade.  I’m impressed by this wine.  I am very impressed with the 2002 Napa Cabs.

Like the CD, Christian Scott’s Anthem, this wine builds.  Meaning, after letting the wine breathe for two hours the flavor of the wine has really come into it’s own.  Complex…Syngery.

Cheers to Christian Scott and Brown Estate.  I’m ready for Monday.

For dinner?  I paired this wine and music combo with steak.  A Kobe (Wangu) flank steak, pan cooked medium well.  Seasoned with a garlic infused soy sauce I bought back from Miya-jima (Japan).

My favorite album title?  Winelight, by the late-great Grover Washington Jr.  I’ll have to listen to this this album again, it’s been awhile.  I think I’ll pair it with an Italian barbera…

Reg

On Sunday morning, September 30th, I had the fortune of participating in the annual Grace Family Vineyards Harvest in Napa Valley.  I was invited by Mack and his wife.

We left San Francisco at 6am, started harvesting around 8am and finished by noon.  There were approximately 150 invited guests from around the world.  As a group we harvested slightly more than 8 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon from three sites.  The Grace Family provided lunch (serious homemade tacos)

I met a lot of good people.  Spent some time talking with Dick Grace (in photo, between Mack and I) about faith and politics.

  It was a beautiful day in Napa.  A Harvest For The World. 

Love to the Grace Family.

Reg

For dinner, we had penne pasta with homemade basil pesto, topped with local salmon brought from Half Moon Bay CA, and fresh Roma tomatos from our garden. The salmon was cooked in light olive oil, salt, pepper, and butter.

I thought the garlic pesto would overpower the wine, but this dish was a fantastic compliment to the ‘06 DuMol viognier.

Reg