"A Moveable Feast" with Napa's Truchard Family!

Cheers!

We're back from California and a journey packed with many memorable vinous experiences!

While there's many new discoveries and things I look forward to sharing with you, I'd first like to tell you about an amazing evening spent among the vineyards in Carneros with one of Napa's pioneering wine families. Our friends Monty & Sara Preiser kindly invited us to "A Moveable Feast" at Truchard Vineyards. The evening was part of an auction package they'd purchased at the 2012 Boca Bacchanal, an event Steve and I chaired. We were honored and delighted that they included us.

While looking forward to the evening, we really had no idea of the adventure in store for us! This actually turned out to be the first time the Truchards had done this particular format of dinner, which made it that much more special.

Upon arriving at Truchard Vineyards we were greeted with a lovely reception featuring sparkling wine from Domaine Carneros and delicious passed hors d'oeuvres. Our resident hosts were Dr. Tony and Jo Ann Truchard, patriarch and matriarch of this wonderful family which has played a significant part of Carneros history since the 1970's. Also representing the Truchard family was son Anthony and his lovely wife Suzanne. The Preiser's son Justin and daughter-in-law Stacy were also in attendance and celebrating Stacy's birthday which further contributed to the festive feel of the evening. It was a cool, clear beautiful night and the setting was charming, enhanced not only by the Truchard family pet cats but also their adorable pet goat Rocky. Soon after making everyone's acquaintance and sipping and savoring the welcoming offerings, Anthony Truchard revealed the master plan for the evening. Before long we were being whisked up winding vineyard roads in a convoy of SUV's to our first "course" - it was a "Moveable Feast" after all!

Dr. Tony & Jo Ann Truchard

Steve and I were very fortunate to ride with Jo Ann Truchard behind the wheel, and with the golden, wine country sun making its descent on the horizon, we got to hear firsthand how the Truchards, Texans prior to moving to California, happened into the wine business. "I slipped on a grape at the grocery store and broke my leg when I was nine months pregnant with my second child!" Jo Anne said. "Tony [an Army physician] was supposed to ship out to Korea but he couldn't leave after that. I gave birth a few days later with a full cast on my leg." Instead of going to Korea, they ended up stationed in Herlong, California and eventually purchased their first 21-acre plot of land in Carneros. Soon after they realized growing grapes was going to be much more than just a weekend project! Since then, Truchard Vineyards has grown to 400 contiguous acres and is one of Napa's most diverse estates growing 10 different grape varieties. The family keeps only 20% of their fruit to make their estate wines, and sells the other 80% to 20 of Napa's most well-respected producers. Listening to Jo Ann talk about her family's history in this very special part of the world was certainly a treat for us as her passion was clearly evident.

Scallop & Spot Prawn Salad with Vanilla Essence

Soon the convoy was parking and we were delighted to hear our first stop was among the Roussanne vines. Roussanne is a white grape variety primarily grown in France's Rhone Valley yet does remarkably well on the Truchard land as well. As we disembarked we could see a clearing in the vineyard set with lovely high top tables. The view of the rolling hills in the distance, the Roussanne grapes hanging on the vine, and the sun in the distance was truly breathtaking. The "Roussanne Vineyard Course" featured a delicious Scallop and Spot Prawn Salad with Vanilla Citrus Essence which paired beautifully with the 2010 Truchard Vineyards Roussanne. It was a magnificent start to our feast!

Anthony Truchard

Our next stop took us through even more scenic, winding roads to a clearing in the vines overlooking more beautiful vineyards and Boot Lake, so named for its shape. As we emerged from the trucks, we were guided to a beautiful table decorated with assorted squash and gourds from the Truchard's garden. While enjoying the fabulous company and a picture-perfect Carneros sunset we enjoyed two more delicious courses. "Pork and Pinot" featured Pork Three Ways served with Rancho Gordo White Beans and Salsa Verde that paired beautifully with the 2009 Truchard Vineyards Pinot Noir in addition to some other special bottles the Truchards had brought. This dish was also accompanied by freshly baked bread served with the Truchard Vineyards Extra Virgin Olive Oil made from olives grown on their property as well (Martha Stewart has nothing on the Truchards!). Next was the "Lamb and Cabernet Sauvignon" course featuring perfectly charred, juicy Dixon Spring Lamb Chops with Caramelized Garden Beets, Black Olive Sauce and Blood Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This dish made my husband Steve particularly happy and the lamb paired famously with the 2008 Truchard Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. I have to mention the amazing food for the evening was prepared in sight by the fabulous folks at Smoke Open Fire -  truly extraordinary!

Once the sun had set and the crescent moon made its appearance in the sky it was time to head back to the estate. Our evening wasn't over yet though - far from it in fact! Back at the estate we were guided into the impressive Truchard wine caves where another beautiful table awaited with our dessert course. A selection of delicious Northern California Cheeses, fabulous handmade cookies, and decadent chocolate strawberries were served with the 2007 Truchard Vineyards Roussanne Botrytis and French Press Coffee. Needless to say all in attendance were sufficiently satiated and awed not only by the wonderful and unique experience but also by the charm and graciousness of the Truchard family. I also have to give a special mention to Linda Carr who has been with the Truchards since 1998. Linda played an intrinsic role in the planning and execution of our evening and I just had to sincerely applaud her efforts.

Monty & Sara Preiser

Following dessert the Truchards fired up the traditional Texas fire pit and invited the Preisers to make some selections from the family's wine library. As we enjoyed the warmth of the fire and lovely aromatics of the burning Eucalyptus wood we enjoyed some more very special wines that had, like this amazing family, thrived with the passing of time.

A big thank you to Monty and Sara Preiser for including us in such a special evening and to the Truchard family for their gracious hospitality!

Cheers,

A Perfect Pairing: Open that Bottle Night & Boca Bacchanal

Do you have a special bottle of wine sitting in your cellar that you’ve just never been ready to open? The bottle is either too expensive, too special, or you’re just not exactly sure when to open the darn thing? To aid in the decision making process and to take some pressure off of selecting an exact date, “Tastings” columnists, Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher of The Wall Street Journal have instituted “Open that Bottle Night.” Celebrated on the last Saturday of every February, it is a designated night to pop the cork on that special bottle you’ve been holding onto, um, indefinitely. (Photo is of the oldest cellar at Veuve Clicquot in Reims, France taken during our trip last year. Don't let this happen to your wine!)

This past Saturday, February 27th, marked the 11th Annual OTBN. In years past, Steve & I usually open an older bottle of wine we’ve been holding onto. These have included wines from Plumpjack, Mount Veeder, Darioush and Silver Oak (do you see a theme here?) but this year the wines we opened were special for a different reason. They are wines from Vintners participating in this year’s Boca Bacchanal, a celebration of wine and food taking place March 19-21 here in beautiful Boca Raton, FL. I’ll be sampling more of these wonderful wines in the next few weeks leading up to the event. To complement tonight’s wines, I selected some delicious recipes from, you guessed it, “Savor the Moment.”

The first wine we opened was from King Estate Winery. Founded in 1991 by the King family, this winery is located southwest of Eugene, Oregon and produces Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and limited amounts of Chardonnay. The winery uses organic & sustainable farming methods to produce their wines, an added bonus! We popped the cork on a 2007 King Estate Domaine Pinot Gris for our first course and paired it with Caramelized Onion and Cheese Canapés (pg. 19).

These canapés consist of onions caramelized with a hint of brown sugar and balsamic vinegar that are then spooned atop toasted slices of French bread generously slathered with goat cheese. If you are a caramelized onion fan you need to make these tonight! If you are a goat cheese fan too you need to make them NOW! I could really eat these all day long (I think I pretty much did actually) - they are easy to make and so delicious I had to include the recipe below!

The canapés paired very nicely with the citrus, melon and peach flavors of the Pinot Gris. In addition, the sweetness of the caramelized onions picked up on the slight sweetness in the wine which made for a great synergy. It was official, our OTBN was off to a great start!

For our second wine, we selected a 2006 Clos Du Val Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Founded in 1972, Clos du Val had its beginnings in the then largely undiscovered Stags Leap District of Napa Valley. French-born winemaker and Estate Co-Founder, Bernard Portet’s old world approach to winemaking combined with Napa Valley fruit makes for a sublime and very enjoyable wine drinking experience.

I paired this wine with the Rosemary Roasted Rack of Lamb with Cabernet Sauce (pg. 154). I have to say, this is probably one of my favorite recipes out of “Savor the Moment” yet. I am literally thinking ahead to plan when I can make it again! You coat the rack of lamb with a mixture of bread crumbs, garlic, butter and chopped fresh rosemary and roast it until your house smells heavenly. Once done, you make a delicious sauce using shallots, wine, Dijon mustard, beef broth and the pan drippings that is utterly delicious. I did part with ¾ cup of the wine in order to make the sauce. It’s generally a good idea to use the same wine in a recipe that you plan to serve with it (within reason of course) – at least wine in the same genre, just to keep things consistent. My one word of advice when preparing this recipe would be to cook the lamb until it reaches at least 140-145 degrees on your meat thermometer for medium-rare. The recipe suggests 125-130 degrees which was definitely NOT enough. Once done, I served the lamb on a fluffy bed of garlic mashed potatoes, spooned the Cabernet sauce over the top and dove in!

The lamb paired very nicely with deeply hued, inky Clos Du Val Cab, a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. This wine differed from many Napa Valley Cabs in the subtleness of its fruit flavors; it definitely drank more like an old world wine. The flavors of dark fruit, cassis and spice combined with nice, firm tannins made this wine a great match for the lamb. This combination was so good, for dessert we had – more lamb!

I look forward to meeting Bernard Portet of Clos Du Val and Steve Thomson of King Estate who will both be in attendance at the upcoming Boca Bacchanal. It should be a wonderful event this year with Chefs and Vintners hailing from all over the globe! Proceeds of the event benefit the Heritage Education and Historical Preservation Programs of the Boca Raton Historical Society. If you are in the neighborhood (even if you're not) check out http://www.bocabacchanal.com/ for more information. It's the perfect opportunity to savor the moment, all weekend long. Look forward to seeing you there - cheers!




Caramelized Onion and Cheese Canapes
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
24 (1/4 inch) round slices bread
12 ounces chevre
Saute the onions in the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until light brown. Add the brown sugar. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook for 1 minute longer.
Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Toast lightly in the oven. Spread the cheese on the bread and top each with the onion mixture. Serves eight.

**Wines for this blog were kindly provided by Republic National Distributing Company, a presenting sponsor of the 2010 Boca Bacchanal.