Work, Wine and Wheels

Saturday night Gabe and I had a very enjoyable experience at Restaurant Eve in Old Town Alexandria. Eve is the crown jewel of the restaurant group owner Cathal Armstrong and his wife Meshelle have built in Alexandria over the past three years. http://www.restauranteve.com/home/index.html

We’ve eaten there once before, and originally intended to just have a drink in the bar prior to dinner elsewhere. The bar at Eve is small but has a very nice atmosphere, and talented bartenders who go the extra mile to put out some impressive cocktails. A sudden summer storm made leaving inconvenient, and we were already having a good time so we stayed and ate at the bar.

It’s a sure sign of a quality place when you can eat at the bar and the service doesn’t suffer. We had a wonderful steak tartare as an appetizer, and then red snapper and veal specials for dinner. The entrees took a while to arrive, but we were told that was due partly to a brief loss of power. And supposedly, the editor of Bon Appetit magazine was there with a large party, backing up the kitchen.

With dinner we had an enjoyable Oregon Pinot Noir, a 2006 Jezebel. Jezebel is a second label of Daedalus Cellars, and was highly drinkable with lots of fruit without being simplistic. It had just enough spiciness and complexity to stand up to the tartare and veal, and still be good with the snapper. But the fun new experience came after dinner.

Gabe likes dessert wine more than I do, and she wanted something to go with the banana creme brulee we were sharing. The bartender immediately suggested a “Tokaji”, which neither of us were familiar with. It was Oremus Tokaji 2004, a Hungarian late harvest dessert wine. It was a great combination. The Tokaji was obviously sweet, but with more acidity than most dessert wines we’ve had. So the wine didn’t add sweet on top of sweet, but in a way cleansed the palate and provided good flavor very distinct from the dessert. An inspired pairing and great suggestion.

Next time you’re in the mood for a dessert wine, I recommend you give it a try. We were happy to discovery that Total Wine carries 375ml bottles for $24.

Lately Gabriele and I have been impressed with some wine from Courtney Benham, part of the the Martin Ray family of wines. http://www.martinraywinery.com/about/index.html

Recently we’ve had the 2006 Mendocino County Petite Syrah and Pinot Noir. Both are good wines at very good price points — $11.99 and $15.99, respectively. The Petite Syrah was surprisingly light for the varietal, with nice fruit and balance, easy drinking but with a zing at the end. We found at the McLean location but wine should be at all Total Wine stores in Virginia.

The Pinot Noir was also good, interesting aroma and taste, light and fruit forward but not thin or boring like some inexpensive Pinots. Here’s a short clip in which Gabriele and our good friend Nigel share their thoughts.

Gabriele and I got back recently from a short San Francisco vacation. We spent Saturday 5/3 in Napa county, after being given some really good advice on what wineries to hit. Of course we didn’t get to a fraction of the original target list, but still had an incredible day.

Chateau Montelena (www.montelena.com) is justifiably famous for its consistently excellent wine, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s in northern Napa and we hit it first, then worked our way back south. The grounds and the architecture were beautiful, the main building dating back to the 1880s. Our host made sure to mention that a Chateau Montelena 1973 was the top ranked Chardonnay chosen in the famous 1976 Paris tasting that really put California wines on the map. He said there would soon be a movie coming out about that event: http://www.montelena.com/our_winery/paris.html

The 2006 Napa Chardonnay we tasted was nice, citrus-y and very light oak, not typically Californian. We also tried a 2006 Potter Valley Reisling, which was on the dry side for Reisling and that Gabe liked. But we were really there for the reds.

The first one we had was a 2005 Montelena Estate Zinfandel, which was a lot lighter and easy drinking that other heavy, alcoholic Zins. We then sampled the 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet, which was excellent. Lots of smooth fruit back by solid tannins, with a distinct taste of cedar. Great choice in the $40-45 price point.

It suffered however in comparison to the last tasting. We sampled the 2004 Montelena Estate Cabernet, one of the most respected for more than two decades and just released in March. It was extremely rich in the mouth but still smooth, totally balanced, and probably only a fraction of how good it will be in 8-10 years. If you’ve got $125 for a bottle of wine, this is the one. The best single wine we tasted all day.

After a pleasant walk around Jade Lake, we were on our way down the road to St. Clement winery (http://www.stclement.com/stclement/home.jsp). Right off Rt. 29, it had a nice, laid back atmosphere, a charming farmhouse set on top of a hill, and a reds only tasting menu. All were good, except for a Merlot I didn’t like. But based on the retail prices listed on the menu, none were great values IMO.

2003 Abbott’s Vineyard Merlot – I’m not a fan of Merlot so biased, but way too thick on the tongue, powerful licorice taste, cloying finish.

2004 Napa Valley Cabernet – very drinkable, straight-forward fruit, nothing complicated, very quick and mild aftertaste. Blended with 20% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. A decent California cab, but at $36 a bit overpriced.

2005 Oroppas – another Cabernet, 93% with 7% Merlot. The menu claims a 91 ranking from Parker. It had a very nice, richer aroma than the first Cab. Grapes harvested from five different regions in Napa. The wine was much more basic than the bouquet suggested, nice flavor, nice body, a typically good Napa Cab. But now the retail was up to $55.

2003 Star Vineyard Cabernet – OK, now we got a bit more interesting and complex. 78% Cab, 17% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. This has a nice aroma but followed it up strong fruit with really nice body and structure. The finish was lingering and had hints of vanilla and black pepper. The menu says 93 points from the Wine Enthusiast, but only 415 cases were produced, so I doubt available outside of the area. The retail was listed as $80.

2003 Howell Mountain Cabernet – Clearly this was set up to finish the tasting with a big bang. 100% Cabernet, with a 92 ranking from Parker. It had a very nice, deep aroma and nice fruit, but huge tannins. Needs to sit for a few more years IMO. Another tiny run of 372 cases, and also $80.

Next up was Duckhorn (http://www.duckhorn.com/), strongly suggested by our good friends Bridgette and John in San Francisco. We had to make a reservation, and it was expensive at $55. But we’re so glad we did — by chance we caught their Cinco de Mayo Open House, and had a fabulous time. Lots of wine, plenty of appetizer type food (important detail if you’re tasting wine all day) and warm sunshine.

Gabe and I are red drinkers, but they started things off with a 2007 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc that was delicious. It was juicy and melony without being too heavy and sweet, with good Sauvignon Blanc acids to cut the fruit and be refreshing on a hot day. We found it for $25 at Total Wine here in Virginia.

Since there were so many wines offered and I don’t like Merlot too much, I focused on the Cabs. Gabe liked the 2005 Napa Valley Merlot, saying it was smooth, fruit forward and had nice body. It was 86% Merlot with 10% Cab, 3% Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Grapes from throughout the Napa region. According to the event menu priced at $52. Interestingly, she thought the 2005 Napa Valley Estate Grown Merlot was similar but not quite as good, and it goes for $85.

I found the Cabs to be good, not great and with unexpected aftertastes. The 2004 Napa Valley Estate Grown Cabernet was good but had a finish I wasn’t expecting from a Napa Cab. Maybe the 10% Franc has something to do with it, along with 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Merlot. I didn’t like the spicy, almost floral finish — it just didn’t come together for me. At $95 retail, I would have expected a better experience.

The next two were the same price point, and fairly similar. The 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Patzimaro Vineyard has even more of the unusual finish, with 15% Franc to 85% Cabernet. It was also very quick on the palate, no California Cab type finish. The 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Rector Creek Vineyard has a bit more of a traditional taste and finish, with 9% Merlot and 5% Franc. These tastings didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the moment — the food was very good, and the hospitality of the vineyard and staff outstanding. But I was surprised I didn’t enjoy these wines more.

We did have a positive Cab experience, however. Duckhorn decanted some 1.5 liter bottles of their 1989 Napa Valley Cabernet. The wine was 100% Cabernet, and it was fun to drink something so long in the bottle. Here’s what I was looking for — strong fruit but extremely balanced, a lingering finish with hints of raspberry, medium body with a lingering finish that still had some tannins left. Really nice experience that I’d recommend much more strongly than the contemporary wines. Only price listed was for the 1.5L, $175.

Working our way back down Rt. 29, we finished our day tour at Domaine Chandon (http://www.chandon.com/web/homepage.cfm). Gabe is a bigger fan of champagne than I am, but our very enthusiastic guide/pourer made sure there were things to interest me as well. His enthusiasm was infectious, and he let us do a mix/match across different tastings.

We started with the Brut Classic, a solid dry California sparkler with nice fruit for $22. We then sampled the etoile Rose, a richer and more complex bubbly aged five years and with lots of flavor layers. Good for having with rich food, 90 points Wine Spectator, $50. Blanc de Noirs is made from Pinot Noir and Meuniere grapes and got 89 from Wine Enthusiast, tasted more effervescent than the others to me and with a nice finish, $22.

My personal favorite of the sparklers was the Reserve Pinot Noir Brut, just a little creamy in texture and with hints of hazelnut and cherry. 93 points from Wine Enthusiast, $30. Gabe’s favorite was a very interesting combination of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meuniere, Chardonnay and Muscat called Riche. It’s got a lot of fruit flavors and could almost be a lighter, sparkling dessert wine.

My favorite wine was a really nice Pinot Noir. The Pinot Noir L’Argile Carneros was beautifully balanced, nice fruit and a light body but with plenty of character and a nice finish. This is a Pinot that can stand up to and enhance lots of dishes besides fish. It retails for $65, and it’s worth it.

After Chandon we drove around a bit until our dinner reservation at Greystone, another epicurean treat posted on earlier. [See here] The entire day was a memory to savor, and we hope to be back out that way before too long.

Gabriele and I are just back from a visit to San Francisco. Of course we did a Napa Valley day, and that will soon provide content for a nice long post. We finished a fun day of vineyard visits and tastings with dinner at Greystone restaurant, a fantastic place operated by the Wine Spectator and the Culinary Institute of America: http://www.culinary.edu/restaurants/wsgr/

Close friend and noted local gourmand Manik Rath strongly suggested we have dinner there, and we’re glad he did. The beautiful building was constructed in 1889 and was once the largest stone winery in the world. It was sold to the CIA in 1990 by the Heublien company for a fraction of its value, and the CIA has been operating there since 1995. It’s a beautiful setting for a meal, right on Rt. 29 in the heart of Napa.

Inside the dining room was a broad expanse of tables on one level, with pleasantly muted lighting and a low hum of contented diners. We both had fish — Gabe had a grilled mackeral and I had onion crusted halibut. Both were excellent, as were the apps — an artichoke salad and french onion soup, a Greystone specialty with a full gruyere cheese souffle on top. Service was attentive and knowledgeable. We wanted a pinot to go with the fish, so we chose one of the “flights of fancy” 3 ounce tastings, sampling a Schug 2006 Caneros, a Londer 2006 Anderson Valley and a Merry Edwards 2006 Russian River Valley.

The Merry Edwards blew the other two totally away. The Schug was sharp and a bit astringent, and the Londer was a bit better but similar. The Merry Edwards had better, more balanced fruit and was much smoother. It’s a great buy IMHO at $42 a bottle off their website: http://www.merryedwards.com/

It was the perfect dinner to conclude a wonderful day in Napa. More on that coming soon.

Saturday night Gabriele and I had a very enjoyable experience at Evo Bistro in Mclean. It describes itself as a “tapas and wine tasting bar” and was recommended by a friend. Here’s the Post’s take from last November:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/21/AR2007112100830.html

It was clear something was up as soon as we arrived. There was an air of conviviality about the place, and there was not a table to be had at 9:30. It’s not a big place, but being busy at that hour is a good sign for a suburban restaurant.

After a few minutes we were seated, and every plate we ordered was well done. The prices are a little higher than usual for a tapas place, but the plates are also a bit larger. Before I get to the wine, let me mention the excellent Evo crepe — a spinach crepe stuffed with lump crabmeat. The Charcuterie was also very good.

Evo offers a broad selection of wines, many by the glass. That’s what we decided to do this evening (without the debit card method offered by the restaurant). We started with a 2005 Clos Pegase, Mitzuko Vineyard Pinot that had very good structure, strong but restrained fruit and a nice clean finish. After that we tried the 2005 Turkey Flat Butcher Block Shiraz, which was predictably rounder, fuller and more fruit forward with a lingering finish. Both wines went well with the various plates we ordered.

What really made the evening however was the result of total chance. Driss Zahidi, the head chef was seated right next to us entertaining a table of friends. The tables were not very far apart, and at one point he asked us how we were enjoying our evening. We said very much, and I told him we like wine, and were curious what he was having with his meal.  Before I had time to decline, he poured us a taste of the 2004 Merryvale Profile they were having with their beef and lamb. It was an impressive example of a big and powerful Californian cabernet, with a lot of body and a long finish. His generosity was striking, and even more so when he sent over a couple of glasses of Muscat for our dessert. Our creme brulee was clearly freshly made and deliciously eggy.

Suffice to say, we felt welcomed into the family by the time we left. Evo offers a unique “debit card” approach to wine tasting that we’ll try next time we’re there. If you enjoy wine, highly recommend you pay Evo Bistro a visit. 

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Last night Gabriele and I had dinner at 2 Amy’s. It’s a well known place in NW Washington but one neither of us had been to previously. We’re big Pizzeria Paradiso fans and that’s where we head when in the mood for top notch pizza.

We still are, but 2 Amy’s is excellent as well. It’s larger, and was really hopping last night well past 10:00 PM. The theme is high level Neapolitan, and the place delivers. One very cool feature is meat hanging off the wall of the bar, under the heading “Serenity Now.” (Forgot to ask waiter to explain/confirm the Seinfeld reference). You can just order some slices from the bartender. Prosciutto, capicola, pork loin, salami, even boar! All sorts of cheeses as well.

Gabe had a goat cheese crostini, and I started with buffalo mozzarella and anchovies. Both our pizzas were great, mine had salami, cheese and black olive and Gabe’s was mostly prosciutto, mushroom and arugula.  Not quite as good as Paradiso, but very close.

The wine we had was a Cataldi Madonna, Montepulciano 2005. It was tasty, not too fruity and went well with the food. Should only be around $12-15 in stores if you want a decent, middle of the road Italian red.

But the food and the atmosphere were the stars last night. Too bright and loud for an intimate dinner, otherwise you won’t be disappointed.

This past Saturday I attended the DC International Wine and Food Festival, held at the Ronald Reagan building. It was a last minute game time decision – I was getting over a nasty head cold. The event was packed, and I was not at 100%. So the following are some high points, not in any way a comprehensive report on the entire event.

Like I said it was very crowded and tough at times to get to the tables. Despite the title of the event, there was little food beyond crackers and bread to be seen. The wines were organized by region. For the most part none of the local wines were very impressive. Kluge Estate, in Charlottesville, VA had a Albemarle Simply Red 2004 that was a good everyday wine, and my wife Gabriele liked their Kluge SP 2004, a sparkling wine made with 100% chardonnay.  

The California town of Lodi was well represented, and our favorite was Vino Con Brio, a small, family owned vineyard. They had a Matzin Estate Old Vine Zinfandel 2005 that was very flavorful with an almost creamy finish, tasty and different at around $25 price point. They also had a Matzin Late Harvest Zinfandel 2005 that was a very tasty halfway point between zinfandel and port for about the same price per 375ml.

We stopped at the South African area because I didn’t know much about Pinotage, a Western Cape varietal that is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault. It produces soft, jammy reds that could make for solid, inexpensive weekday wines, along the lines of a Cab-Shiraz Australian blend. Sebeka had both a Cabernet-Pinotage and a Shiraz Pinotage around $10.

The French Cotes du Rhone region had an area, and I gravitated towards a bottle I know pretty well — the Cotes du Rhone from E. Guigal, a major producer. The 2004 is a very solid wine at a great $11 price, and they were pouring the 2005. I told the lady behind the table I already was a fan, and she said she’d been told that the 2005 was even better. Then I made the mistake of saying No, it’s not.

Whoops — she mumbled something about maybe it needed more time in the glass, and then wouldn’t talk to me anymore.

So it was off to the Oregon area, the high point of the afternoon. Every vinemaker seemed to have energy and passion to burn, and were incredibly welcoming. Some of the energy could be explained by the fact many were there to find local distribution deals, but they clearly loved what they did for a living. Most of course were Pinot Noir. Winners were the Coelho 2005 Paciencia Pinot, the 2006 Willamette Valley 2006 Estate Pinot Noir, and the Sokol Blosser Meditrina IV Release, a blend of Oregon Pinot, Wash State Syrah and California Zinfandel.

After all that tasting, it was time to head home on the Metro. Definitely not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Ok, so a week after saying this job doesn’t often mix business and wine it happens again. Tuesday night we conducted a kick-off meeting with Scott and Jennie from our new client GovDelivery.  With relatively little fanfare, this company has become the dominant provider of email and digital subscription management services delivered. These services are made available via a software as a service (SaaS) platform.

What does all that mean? It means that millions of citizens can interact electronically with government, at the federal, state and local levels. They receive highly personalized emails on topics they have requested, receiving vital information on national security, drug testing and when the local bridge will be under construction. GovDelivery clients include the Department of State, the Department of Commerce, the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the British Parliament. You’ll be hearing more about them soon.

After the launch meeting we went down the street to Ray’s the Classics, sister restaurant of Ray’s the Steaks in Arlington VA. It’s an excellent place that offers better food and value than the the old-line steak places. Here’s the Washingtonian review.

So there are four of us, three ordering steak. What’s best to order to please everyone? Decided on Chateauneuf-du-Pape at a moderately expensive price point the waiter — who was solid and old school — confirmed was good. It was — very flavorable but medium body, tart but not overly, strong enough to complement the meat but not overpowering or tannic. Not amazing, but very solid. And most importantly, the client seemed to enjoy it!

Chateauneuf is in the southern part of the Rhone Valley and can vary a lot due to it being a mixture of different grapes, not straight Syrah. This one was a:

Domaine Paul Autard, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2005

Probably retails for around $30-$35. It shouldn’t disappoint, and neither should Ray’s, whether the Silver Spring or Arlington locations.

When I was on the corporate side doing more traveling and attending various tradeshows, it was easier to combine work and wine. There is less opportunity to do that on the agency side, but last night they came together. Marc Hausman (aka The Strategic Guy) and I met with our client Dev Ganesan, COO of Aptara. Aptara is a leading business process outsourcing (BPO) company focused on the publishing and eLearning industries. The company just recently opened a new office in Australia:

BPO momentum gaining pace in Australia

Dev has a long history of successfully managing technology companies, including Intelliworks, TRADOS and Advanced Communications Systems. He serves on the boards of several DC and Silicon Valley based firms.  Dev was recently returned from India, and we met at 2941 in Falls Church to talk PR strategy. Since I obviously can’t share details about that conversation, I’ll tell you about the excellent wine we enjoyed. 

Last time we had been there Dev picked out an excellent Pinot Noir, so this time we went Cabernet — maybe because it was so cold. The sommelier recommended something far off the beaten path – a cab from Sardinia. None of us had ever tried one. It was a:

Marchese di Villamarina, 2000, Estate bottled

It was excellent. As advertised, it was very Bordeaux-like in texture and taste, and like many Bordeaux relatively low in alcohol at 12%.  Tasty, dry, not heavy or overpowering like some California cabs. Probably retails around $40 based on the 2941 cost.

Many Sicilian wines have improved greatly in the past decade or so, and maybe this is an indication Sardinia is a good place to look now as well. I highly recommend next time you’re tired of the usual suspect cabs.

Kinkead’s has long been one of DC’s best restaurants for seafood, and the Washingtonian restaurant was ranked #9 in last month’s Washingtonian magazine. I hadn’t been there in years, so Gabriele and I decided to to see for ourselves last night.

We had a terrific dining experience. The atmosphere, service and food were all first rate. The wine list was expensive in general and astronomically in the case of American Pinot, which led to the wine discovery of the evening.

We both like red with almost everything, so I was thinking Pinot with our fish. They poured a New Zealand by the glass, so we asked for a taste to see if we wanted a bottle. That tried and true approach failed here, since the wine was very mediocre. The Pinot from Oregon on the list was IMO very overpriced, so we were in a bind. Until Stephen our waiter gave us a good recommendation.

He suggested going with French burgundy. French pinot is often very earthy and sometimes downright funky, very different from American or New Zealand wines. Plus, Gabriele has never had a French pinot she liked. Finally, the labels are very hard to decipher and know exactly what you’re ordering, aside from famous names with corresponding markups. So a lot was riding on this rec. I really like it when restaurant staff make clear and enthusiastic suggestions, so we went with it.

We’re glad we did. The wine was definitely different, but pretty fruit forward by French standards and very enjoyable.  It was a:

Pernand - Vergelesses, First Cru, Les Fichots, 2004.

It’s from an appelation just north of Beaune (the label of course didn’t tell me that, I looked up later), and it probably retails for between $25-$30. The earthiness was there but subdued, and gave the wine a substance that matched very well with the creative preparations of flounder and cod we ordered. It wasn’t the finest Pinot I’ve ever had, but it was a fun find and a reminder that when in doubt about what to order, just ask the wait staff. If it’s a quality place that makes sure its servers are well trained, you’ll get some good advice.