The Accidental Wino » Rutherford

Tale of Two Chilaquiles: Boonfly Cafe, Napa Carneros & Miguel’s Restaurant, Calistoga

Thirsty Reader — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:40:50 +0000

The Chilaquiles @ Miguel's Restaurant, Calistoga (minus the sour cream)

I was first introduced to chilaquiles while I was living in Los Angeles. Back then, I was working a prep cook at Houston’s Santa Monica, trying to get some real-world kitchen experience before heading off to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Since I was working mostly mornings at that time, the “family meal” at Houston’s was often chilaquiles, which I would best describe as breakfast nachos, for lack of better terminology. These meals would assume varying forms from day to day, based upon whatever was available in the kitchen at the time. That said, there are a couple fundamental rules as to what can be considered chilaquiles and what cannot. As the foundation of the dish, the tortilla chips themselves are inherently fundamental to chilaquiles, and proper chilaquiles should also feature eggs (since it is breakfast), as well as some sort of salsa for added flavor. From that point, however, the recipe can allow for many variations and additions, as many comfort foods tend to do.

When my friend Emmy asked me about chilaquiles a few weeks ago, it got me thinking about the Napa Valley’s options for this dish. I had two restaurants on my radar: (1) the Boonfly Cafe in Napa Carneros and (2) Miguel’s Restaurant in Calistoga. For the regular readers of this blog, Boonfly has long been my favorite local spot for fried chicken, and as part of the Plumpjack Group, the restaurant is fairly well-known, especially since it shares property with the Carneros Inn. In contrast, Miguel’s is tucked away in Calistoga, which is one of the least-trafficked areas in the Napa Valley (few people venture north of St. Helena, it seems). As for myself, Calistoga is approximatetly 30 minutes from where I call home, versus just five minutes down to Carneros.

However, when Emmy mentioned that Hiro Sone, the chef-owner of Terra in St. Helena, would frequent Miguel’s for the chilaquiles, I was naturally intrigued. Perhaps Calistoga needed to become a larger part of my culinary routine, especially if a restaurant like Miguel’s was serving up what I call a “destination” breakfast (that is, something worth the 30-minute drive up-valley). I decided to see what Miguel’s and Boonfly had to offer (someone’s got to). But before I delve further into the breakfast scene, it’s also worth addressing Carneros and Calistoga as they relate to wine.

• • •

Among the 15 recognized wine-growing appellations (AVAs) within the Napa Valley, Calistoga occupies the northernmost region, while Carneros occupies the southernmost region. As one might expect, simple geography implies that these two appellations are quite different from one another, yet each is also markedly different from most of the other Napa Valley AVAs. For the last 30 years or so, the Napa Valley has been synonymous with Cabernet Sauvignon, and this will always be the case: AVAs such as Oakville, Rutherford, Howell Mountain and Spring Mountain each excel with this particular varietal, and when people visit Napa to seek out world-class Cabernets, smart money should lead folks to these four areas, at the very least.

On the other hand, one will rarely encounter any noteworthy Cabernets from either Carneros or Calistoga. The fact is, neither region features a climate that suits itself to growing top-quality Cabernet grapes. Carneros, which is just a few short miles from the San Pablo Bay, is far too cool for Cabernet, and so the Burgundian varietals, such Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, take center stage in this region. Thirty miles to the north, Calistoga is easily the warmest region in Napa, and so Zinfandel and Petite Sirah become far more prevalent here than anywhere else in the valley. Frankly, I feel that the Calistoga wineries are much more interesting than the Carneros wineries, but that’s just my own personal preference (I’ll take Zin over Chard, and I prefer my Pinot from Sonoma).

• • •

The Chilaquiles @ Boonfly Cafe, Napa Carneros

The chilaquiles at Boonfly and Miguel’s are quite different, but both are worth ordering (both are extremely filling, as well). Aside from the requisite tortilla chips and eggs, the Boonfly chilaquiles features chorizo, black beans, salsa verde, and pico de gallo. As you can see from the photo directly above, the egg component is cooked on the flat-top and draped over the entire dish, which makes for an impressive presentation. The entree is served on a screaming-hot cast-iron skillet, which is also a nice touch. At Miguel’s, the tortilla chips and scrambled eggs are finished with salsa roja, a sprinkling of Mexican cheese, and an ample dollop of sour cream and guacamole. The flavors are simple yet amazing, and the dish is also accompanied by strips of marinated grilled steak and fried cubed potatoes, which are delicious in their own right. Among these two versions, I’d probably give the slight edge to Miguel’s, although Boonfly is definitely a worthy plan B, especially if you’re already in Carneros.

Tasting Report: The 10 Best Napa Cabernets for $50 or Less

Thirsty Reader — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:04:33 +0000

As I spent 2009 combing the Napa Valley for great wines (the one definite perk of living here and being in the wine business), I decided to pay special attention to the Cabernets that were priced at $50 or less, hoping to one day compile a list of favorites. In order to confirm their merit, I plan to eventually put all of these wines into blind tastings alongside a few of their $100 counterparts, just to see how they fare against the big boys (I suspect that many of these lesser-priced wines will easily rise to the top). But first things first: Although it did take me all of last year, I’ve finally encountered enough outstanding wine to formulate a serious list, and so I’m now prepared to finally put my selections on record. To that end, I submit the following 10 wines, listed in order of preference…

• Martin Estate Bacchanal 2006 ($48) : One of the great unsung wines in the Napa Valley, I have already placed Bacchanal into a blind tasting of Oakville and Rutherford Cabs, pitting it against the 2006 Groth ($58), 2005 Rubicon ($175), 2006 Pedemonte ($39), 2006 Nickel & Nickel John C. Sullenger ($90), and 2006 Paradigm ($62). The Bacchanal won the tasting, with all five wine tasters ranking the wine in the top half (no other wine exhibited such consistent positive marks). My personal favorite was actually the Nickel & Nickel, with the Bacchanal ranking second. Frankly, Martin Estate is a winery that I have long meant to review, but simply haven’t yet.

• Terra Valentine Spring Mountain 2006 ($38) : In my previous review for Terra Valentine, I mentioned that the winery’s single-vineyard Cabs were the wines that originally drew me up to the top of Spring Mountain Road, but that their Spring Mountain Cabernet blend has now become my favorite Terra Valentine wine. This Cabernet features ripe, plush fruit with terrific character and concentration. If you’re spending a day visiting Spring Mountain wineries, make sure to visit Paloma and Behrens-Hitchcock, as well.

• 2006 Turnbull Estate ($45) : Flanked by Nickel & Nickel to the south and Cakebread Cellars to the north, I think that Turnbull is often overlooked by far too many of Napa’s tourists. My notes from my blind tasting of 2005 Oakville Cabernets revealed Turnbull as the clear winner (and the lowest-priced wine in the flight, to boot). One more reason to visit Turnbull: The winery also offers its 2007 Old Bull Red ($19), a tasty catch-all blend and one of the few good Napa reds that you can find for under $20.

• 2005 Heitz Cellars Estate ($42) : After living in the Napa Valley, I have found that the wineries with the greatest histories sometimes have the lowest prices. Many say that the old-timers have that conservative, farming mentality that will see them through good times and more importantly, bad times. The 2005 Heitz Estate Cabernet is an affable wine that boasts big ripe fruit, and I’m always amazed at how long Heitz holds back its releases (I can’t think of many other wineries that still offer a 2005 Cab as their most current vintage). As a result, these wines are often plush right out of the gate.

• 2006 Bennett Lane Maximus ($35) : Maximus is the perennial 90-point “Feasting Wine” that lures folks to drive all the way up to Calistoga, even during the height of summer. It’s bold in the way you might expect for the newly-designated Calistoga AVA, which typically does so well with hot-weather varietals like Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. My last tasting report for Bennett Lane was in December 2008. Although the winery has since discontinued its White Maximus, the proprietary red is still at its consistent best.

• 2007 Chappellet Signature ($47) : For those who have spent any time perusing the “Essay and Oddities” on the right, I have long championed Chappellet as one of the top five wineries in the Napa Valley. The winery, founded in 1967, has great history, a great view from Pritchard Hill, and great wine. With neighbors like Colgin and Bryant Family, Chappellet presents the best value, by far, along Sage Canyon Road. The winery also offers its terrific 2007 Mountain Cuvee ($29), which could’ve made this list on its own (although this wine is just 51% Cabernet).

• 2006 Titus Vineyards ($41) : Chappellet winemaker Phillip Titus owns an eponymous wine label — Titus Vineyards — that also produces a noteworthy low-cost Cabernet. For me, this Cabernet exhibits some similar traits to Chappellet’s terrific estate Cab. Titus Vineyards is another winery that I’ve meant to review more recently, but have not found the time for a more thorough recap. Hopefully, I can coordinate something in the next month or so.

• 2007 Newton Claret ($25) : Another bargain from Spring Mountain Road, the Newton Claret is one of the lowest-priced bottles on the list. Keep in mind, you could actually purchase two full-sized bottles of the Newton Claret, yet still remain within the $50 or less level (impressive). As with Chappellet, the quality of Newton’s lower-priced wine reflects the overall quality of the winery’s portfolio. Newton wines are always a pleasure to drink, and their Red Label Cabernet ($28) is also an over-achiever. Like Bennett Lane’s Maximus, the 2007 Claret is technically a Bordeaux blend, and not an official Cabernet.

• 2006 Dare ($34) : The second label of Viader, the Dare series offers 100% varietal bottlings of Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, and Tempranillo, each at the same price. The Dare Cabernet features fantastic pedigree, combining fruit from Viader’s Howell Mountain Estate and from the historic Lewelling Vineyard in St. Helena. I tasted these wines very recently, on the same day as my trip to Ladera.

• 2007 Vincent Arroyo Estate ($36) and 2007 J.J.’s Blend ($20) : Although the strength of Vincent Arroyo lies in its single-vineyard Petite Sirahs, the winery earns kudos for offering a legitimate giant-killer of a Cabernet (and the only wine on the list at less than 14% alcohol), as well as its lighter and less-expensive counterpart (which takes its name from one of the winery’s resident Labradors). The winery remains one of the Napa Valley’s best-kept secrets.

Tasting notes: Pedemonte Cellars, Rutherford

Thirsty Reader — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:18:30 +0000

With everything in the Napa Valley finally slowing down to a winter’s pace, I caught up with Chris Pedemonte this morning to taste a couple upcoming releases of Pedemonte Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. A relative newcomer compared to many of its neighbors in Rutherford, Pedemonte Cellars was founded with the 2004 vintage, and has already produced a string of noteworthy Rutherford Cabs. With an annual production that averages only about 300 cases, Pedemonte offers truly hand-crafted wines at an artisanal, almost Old-World scale. Although the wines from Pedemonte Cellars may a bit difficult to locate in most markets, they can be found at several of the Bay Area’s top restaurants, and they are also available online.

In general, Pedemonte Cabernet represents a terrific expression of the Rutherford AVA, exhibiting the appellation’s trademark “dust” alongside plush, ripe fruit on the palate. Pedemonte cherry-picks his Cabernet grapes from Round Pond’s 350-acre Rutherford estate, where he has managed the vineyard for nearly two decades now. This unique relationship has allowed Pedemonte to harvest grapes from his favorite parcels each year, typically selecting the areas that feature the most favorable alluvial soil compositions.

• • •

As a few December showers passed through the upper valley, I began my visit with a barrel sample of the 2008 Pedemonte Cellars Rutherford Cab, which exhibited surprising drinkability for a wine that remains several months from bottling. For his barrel regimen, Pedemonte uses all French Oak, employing brand new barrels for slightly more than half of his production each year. Before that, Pedemonte ferments the Cabernet in modest 1-ton macrobins, opting for moderate extraction in an era that has grown rife with super-extracted Cabernets.

From the barrel we progressed to the bottle, beginning with the 2008 Pedemonte Adagio, a proprietary blend of 60% Sangiovese, 30% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Despite the prevalence of Sangiovese in the blend, the Adagio actually bore more resemblance to a cool-climate Syrah, both in the glass and on the palate. The wine featured a pleasant balance between the two varietals, with the acidity of the Sangiovese lending some structure to the dark, opulent nature of the Syrah.

The final wine was the 2007 Pedemonte Rutherford Cabernet, which will await its official release sometime next year. Among my first impressions, minerality dominated the early nose of this wine, although the palate offered a vibrant burst of fruit. As the wine had an opportunity to develop in the glass, however, the aromas became more expansive, and I suspect that by the time this wine is officially released next year, the nose will have intensified to match the palate.

Tasting notes: Elizabeth Spencer Wines

Thirsty Reader — Thu, 28 May 2009 05:35:41 +0000

Elizabeth Spencer has been one of my favorite wineries for quite some time now, although I have never actually mentioned that fact here. Frankly, I’m not sure why I’ve never said anything before. But like I have said, the Thirsty Reader is by no means comprehensive: if I happen to discover something that strikes me as noteworthy, then I’ll usually try to mention it here, if I have the time. Sometimes I get sidetracked, or I get lazy. Sometimes, I’ll postpone an entry if I don’t feel like I ever have the time or the energy to do an adequate job.

During this past year, I had probably placed Elizabeth Spencer on the back-burner for any or all of those reasons. However, with their open-house event freshly on my mind tonight, I figured that I should at least mention Elizabeth Spencer, whether I’ve found my muse or not. Truth be told, in my regular line of work, I probably send people to Elizabeth Spencer more than any other winery in the Napa Valley (the fact that the winery doesn’t require any reservations really makes this an easy recommendation).

In terms of sheer varietals, Elizabeth Spencer features a deep portfolio, which makes each visit to the winery unique. For instance, sometimes they’ll have their delicious Sauvignon Blanc, and sometimes they won’t (their last production was about 1500 cases, so it sold out reasonably fast). Tonight, they happened to feature one of their newest releases — the 2008 Elizabeth Spencer Chenin Blanc Mendocino — a production that only yielded 264 cases. Even in a bad economy, this wine will probably be gone by the summer (especially with Chenin Blanc tasting even better on hot days).

As is typical, one of the highlights of the night was the Syrah, which remains one of Elizabeth Spencer’s most consistent productions, year after year. I had tasted the 2006 Elizabeth Spencer Sonoma Coast Syrah at a party back in March, and I remembered thinking that they had gotten it right once again. Revisiting this wine tonight only confirmed my initial assessment (and if you don’t believe me, lots of people whom I knew were going back for the Syrah as well).

The best taste of the night may have been the 2004 Elizabeth Spencer Special Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine that definitely displayed the benefits of time. Although this particular bottling is Elizabeth Spencer’s most modestly priced Cabernet Sauvignon, it overachieves in the same way that Chappellet, Turnbull and Heitz overachieve. The downside is that the 2004 may be sold out: however, the Elizabeth Spencer website does offer the 2006 Special Cuvee Cabernet for $45, if you’re into planning ahead.

Tasting notes: Grgich, Heitz, Duckhorn

Thirsty Reader — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:10:12 +0000

I realize that Memorial Day is all about remembering those who served our country, but since I also had the day to go wine tasting, I decided it would be somewhat appropriate to visit a few of the pioneering wineries here in the Napa Valley, in order to sample the current releases from such stalwarts as Grgich Hills, Heitz Cellars and Duckhorn Wine Company (I had Chateau Montelena on my itinerary as well, but they were closed for the holiday).

Since I have lived here in the Napa Valley, I have visited each of these three wineries countless times (not counting the year when I actually worked over at Grgich Hills). As far as I’m concerned, all three of these wineries are good, and for anyone who doesn’t have any specific wine-tasting agenda plotted out (like me, on Memorial Day), then these places are some of the best wineries to visit on a drop-in basis.

Rather than provide an exhaustive list of tasting notes for each winery, in the interest of brevity, I’ve simply compiled some highlights from the day. Although I have become familiar with the portfolios from each of these wineries over the years, I was reminded of a few things today that I had forgotten. Here are a few of my observations:

• Grgich Hills: These wines display a great deal of old-world character — perhaps more than I realized as an employee. In truth, the Grgich Hills wines remain different than many of the Napa wines out there. Stylistically, I suspect that the Grgich Hills wines have remained constant, while the Napa Valley in general has adopted a more fruit-forward approach. My epiphany during this tasting was that perhaps Grgich Hills wines are not for beginners.

To wit, I tasted the 2005 Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvingon yesterday, which was a typical Grgich blend of about 90% Cabernet, with small doses of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The wine displayed a faint serrano pepper aroma, which I’ve often come to associate with Stags Leap District Cabernet (by volume, most of the Grgich Hills Cab is actually sourced from the winery’s Yountville property, which flanks Highway 29). This earthy herbaceous trait may challenge those who prefer a burst of fruit upfront, but may be welcome by those who cut their teeth on Bordeaux.

In tasting the 2004 Grgich Hills Yountville Selection (sourced from two distinct plots of 50-year-old Cabernet vines), I again encountered the same style. To be sure, this wine is a big, dark, brooding beast — intense in its earthiness, but somehow seamless in its complexity. Certainly, both Grgich Hills Cabernets demand a food pairing to really shine, which has become a contrarian approach over the last couple of decades (at least here in the Napa Valley).

• Heitz Cellars: Honestly, I had forgotten how great Heitz is. The value that this winery presents is really rare here in the Napa Valley, and it immediately reminded me of Chappellet (another old winery that has kept its prices low, while quality has remained high). One thing I admire about Heitz is how long they hold their wines in the cellar: the 2004 Heitz Napa Valley Cabernet is their current release, as most other wineries in Napa roll out (or have already rolled out) the 2006 vintage.

I thought that the entire Heitz portfolio was great, and the prices are almost absurdly low: the Zinfandel was only $22 and the Cabernet was only $42. Honestly, any time I can find a great Napa Cabernet for under $60, I’m calling that a bargain these days. But the Heitz Cellars Cabernet — along with the terrific Turnbull Wine Cellars Cabernet ($45) — is among the greatest deals in the Napa Valley.

• Duckhorn Wine Company: In contrast to Heitz, I had forgotten how pricey Duckhorn wines had become. The funny thing about it is, the prices at Duckhorn had taken me by surprise during my last visit as well. I’ll drive up to Duckhorn when the occassion arises because I do enjoy their wines, but then I always get sticker shock when I’m reminded that the Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc is $27 and the Duckhorn Estate Merlot is $85. In the latter instance, that really is a lot of coin for a Merlot that’s definitely good, but which is not really any better than the bevy of $40 Napa Merlot here in the valley.

Tasting Notes: Piña Cellars

Thirsty Reader — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:07:22 +0000

I made an impromptu visit to Piña Cellars yesterday, and I tasted a couple of their current Cabernet releases. All in all, the winery produces four different bottlings of single-vineyard Cabernets, with a fifth bottling on the way for the 2006 campaign. All five of the Piña vineyards are located along the eastern portion of the Napa Valley, with properties occupying four of Napa’s sub-appellations, including Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford and Howell Mountain (Piña’s fifth vineyard is planted at the base of Atlas Peak, but is not within the strict boundaries of that appellation).

The first wine I tasted was the 2005 D’Adamo Vineyard Cabernet, which is only Piña’s second vintage from this nine-acre property. Harvested from the rolling foothills of Atlas Peak, the D’Adamo was emblematic of many lower-valley Cabernets, trading on elegance more than intensity. A product of relatively cool Napa climates, the 2005 D’Adamo Cabernet exhibited tremendous balance, and was both soft and layered. I often get the sense that the wines from the Atlas Peak area are frequently overlooked — the 2005 D’Adamo Cabernet presents a compelling reason to explore this region further.

While the 2005 D’Adamo represented Piña’s southernmost vineyard, the second wine — the 2005 Buckeye Cabernet — represented the family’s northernmost interest. Full-bodied, with almost a smoky black cherry aroma, the Buckeye Cab was typical of the Howell Mountain appellation in almost every way. The Piña family has been producing wine from the six-acre Buckeye patch since the 2000 vintage, and the wine shows a bit more concentration than the D’Adamo bottling. Still, the finesse of the D’Adamo proved more appealling to my tastes (and much to my surprise). It was the wine I revisited, and ultimately, the one I took home.