Wine N Friends

06/06/2026

In my glass tonite! 2017 Bien Nacido Vineyard, Au Bon Climat, Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir. This elegant Pinot Noir shows a light ruby-red color and expressive aromas of ripe red cherries, freshly picked sage, tomato leaf, and nutmeg. On the palate, this wine shares flavors of ripe cherries, cranberries, vanilla, dried mushrooms, and hints of dark pepper. We enjoyed this delightful Pinot with pork loin, Brussels sprouts with pancetta, and apples. Delicious wine and food pairing!

09/03/2026

In my glass last night: 2022 Goosecross Tempranillo. It shows aromas of ripe red berries, blueberries, sweet vanilla, and hints of cedar, tomato leaf, and dried rosemary. On the palate, this wine feels fresh with pleasant acidity and silky tannins. You can enjoy flavors of cranberries, pluots, and gooseberries with hints of cardamom and vanilla. We enjoyed this wine so much today. We had it with grass-fed beef ribeye, topped with sautéed mushrooms, and a frisée salad. So delicious!

23/02/2026

In my glass a couple of days ago, 2019 Crianza, Faustino Rivero Ulecio, DO Navarra, Spain. The grapes for this wine grow in the Ribera Baja sub-zone, between 650 and 1,300 feet in elevation. The soil in this region of the Navarra DO contains more sand than chalk or gravel. Vinification: Grapes are destemmed and partially crushed, with a high proportion of whole berries, and undergo 20 to 15 days of maceration. This Tempranillo-Merlot blend ages for 12 months in American oak barrels. This wine shows a red cherry color and expresses aromas of ripe red berries, vanilla, and cinnamon, with floral and underbrush undertones. On the palate, this wine shows generous tannins and intense strawberry, raspberry, and plum flavors with hints of sweet baking spices and toasty wood. We enjoyed this wine with the 3, 2, 1 baby back ribs cooked on the Traeger Grills. The generous tannins, intense fruit flavors, and savory notes on the winged paired well with the smokiness and sweet-savory flavors on the juicy ribs.

21/02/2026

In my glass tonite: 2020 Ramón Bilbao, Edición Limitada; 100% Tempranillo, made by Bodega Ramón Bilbao, located in the town of Haro in the wine region of Rioja, Spain. This wine aged for 14 months in new French and American oak barrels, followed by ten months of cellar aging after bottling. This Tempranillo shows a vibrant ruby-red color with intense aromas of dark berries, dried rosemary, hints of to***co, mint, and spiced cloves. On the palate, this wine shows pleasant acidity and round tannins, with flavors of blackberries, cranberries, cumin, and nutmeg, along with hints of cocoa powder and licorice. We enjoyed this pleasant wine with our home-cooked dinner of oven-roasted bone-in, thin pork chop, roasted Brussels sprouts and apples, and sliced avocado. We had a delightful wine-and-food experience. Salud 🍷

15/02/2026

In my glass a couple of nights back was the 2013 Cliff Family Winery 'Gary’s Improv' Howell Mountain Zinfandel. This wine hails from the Triple E Napa Valley Vintage, which had an early bud break, evenly developed clusters, and excellent fruit. The fruit for this wine comes from 100% Cliff Family Estate-grown fruit at The Summit Lake Vineyard, founded by Bob and Sue Brakesman in 1971. This vineyard sits at an elevation of 2,000 feet in the Howell Mountain AVA in California’s Napa Valley. This Zinfandel is holding well, with plenty of acidity, persistent fruit flavors, and silky tannins. Up front, you get savory aromas and flavors of baking spices, to***co, and dried sage, followed by dried dark berries, prunes, and orange zest. We enjoyed this delightful wine with our bison chili recipe, topped with green onions and mild cheddar cheese. It was a pleasant marriage of wine and food.

10/02/2026

Bordeaux in my glass TONITE! GRAND VIN DE BORDEAUX 2020 Bordeaux Blanc, PESSAC-LÉOGNAN, CHÂTEAU BARET. It has been a long time since I enjoyed a Bordeaux Blanc; this one is an outstanding representation. This joyful 100% Suavignon Blanc comes from a certified sustainable vineyard. The vines are deep-rooted, 40 years old on average. The 2020 vintage was the earliest in the record for the property. The growing season started with a mild, wet winter and a frost in late March that impacted yield; followed by heavy precipitation in May and June, a hot July, and dry August and September, resulting in evenly developed clusters. This wine is straw yellow with aromas of Fuji apples, lemongrass, ripe pears, and hints of pineapple sage. On the palate, this Sauvignon Blanc feels bright and creamy with flavors of pie crust, Meyer lemon, stone fruit, and hints of citrus salt. We enjoyed this wine at home with a whole roasted chicken and a green salad—delightful wine and food pairing.

17/01/2026

17/01/2026

Life is GRAND in Napa Valley! Once more, we took advantage of Napa Valley Restaurant Month; this time, we had our friend Judy with us. We visited Auberge du Soleil Restaurant, Ruthetford for lunch. For $75/person, we were delighted with a three-course menu featuring an appetizer, main, and dessert.

We started with The Auberge du Soleil Sparkling Brut, made by Pommery, a refreshing bubbly, with citrus, brioche, green apple, and lemongrass aromas and flavors. The sparkling wine paired well with our appetizer selections of Albacore Crudo(Avocado, Mandarin, Ume Plum), and Cow’s milk
Burrata (Roasted Delicata Squash, Apple Butter, Walnuts, Saba). For the main, the three of us ordered the Iberian Duroc Pork Chop (Braised Red Cabbage, Mustard Spätzle, Cider Sauce).

We enjoyed the main course with the 2023 Arizcuren Solo Mazuelo, Rioja. We acquired this wine while visiting the winery in Logroño, Spain. This 100% Mazuelo grapes wine shows intense aromas and flavors of ripe red berries, blackberries, baking spices, and notes of cedar and tomato leaf.

For dessert, we had Hale Apple Farm "NORTHERN SPY" Apple Compote
(Sticky Toffee Pudding, Wild Pecan Streusel, Apple Cider Caramel), and the Valrhona Guanaja Fondant Au Chocolat (Garden Mint Ice Cream, Whipped Crème Fraîche, Minted Marshmallows).