100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 74 What is Verjus?

Blog 74 What is Verjus?

In Healdsburg, you will notice that many of the wine tasting rooms offer olive oil made from their own olive trees in their vineyards. Being Italian, I don’t have a choice but to love olive oil. After tasting some of the different types of olive oil in the Sonoma Valley, it is hard to purchase olive oil in a regular store again. Of course, I picked up a half a case of this stuff and even started to look for more as I went from tasting room to tasting room.



I walked into Kendall-Jackson’s tasting room and found something that I had never heard of before…Verjus? Verjus according to Kendall-Jackson means “green juice” in French. The grapes are harvested early and the juice is pressed from the grapes to make Verjus. They say that it was used in Europe to cook with to add flavor to dishes. It is also used to replace vinegar in some dishes that may not need such an intense flavor. Verjus can be used to make salad dressing, sauces and can add complexity to beverages as well. I bought a bottle of Pinot Noir Verjus, and when I figure out what to make with it, I will let you know how it goes. If you have any recipes for me, feel free to send them my way. They do have recipes for the Pinot Noir Verjus such as “Verjus & Watermelon Gazpacho” and “Verjus Cranberry Sauce”. They suggest a “Verjus Margarita” with the Chardonnay Verjus.

Tell me what you think! I want to hear from you! Give me your thoughts!

Bon Vin!
Veronica

100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 73 La Crema, Healdsburg, California

Blog 73 La Crema, Healdsburg, California

I was staying at the Napa Valley Marriot and they offered a free bottle of wine and two free tastings at La Crema. Although the drive was about an hour or so away, I was already in the area and I decided to use my free tasting coupon.

The La Crema tasting room is in the Downtown Healdsburg area. The location is great! It is within walking distance of many restaurants, shops and other tasting rooms.
I picked out my free bottle. I was able to choose which wine I wanted for free and opted for their 2007 La Crema Chardonnay. They had a Pinot Noir that I liked too. The La Crema tasting room contains wines that are only found at their tasting room and with their wine club.

La Crema had something different. Their tasting takes place using stemless glasses. I prefer a stem to my glass, but I enjoyed being able to taste while having some fun. A member of the La Crema wine club was taking advantage of his free tasting. He started spinning his glass on its side with wine in it and the wine was not falling out of the glass. You can’t do that with normal wine glasses. I finished my tasting and was off to my next venture.



Tell me what you think! I want to hear from you! Give me your thoughts!

Bon Vin!
Veronica

100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 72 Healdsburg, California

Blog 72 Healdsburg, California

According to the Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Bureau Web site for Healdsburg, they are “A town renowned for its eclectic offering of all the finest things in life…food, wine, friends and fun.” The city of Healdsburg is surrounded by Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Chalk Hill and Russian River Valley, which are four of the regional wine appellations of Sonoma County and include over 100 wineries and tasting rooms for you to choose from.

A small town atmosphere that even has a town square. Small bookstores and antique shops with locally made breads, wines, cheeses and olive oils. In the center of town, there are several wine tasting shops that are quaint. You can park your car and walk from one tasting room to the next, sampling some great wines. Some of the tasting rooms that I visited will be in my upcoming blogs such as La Crema, Kendall Jackson and Stephen & Walker. I also drove out to Simi, Jordan Winery and Clos Du Bois which are not far from the area.



If you are in the area, don’t pass it by, you will enjoy the people, food, wine and atmosphere of this small town that has everything.

Tell me what you think! I want to hear from you! Give me your thoughts!

Bon Vin!
Veronica

100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 71 Merryvale Vineyards, St. Helena, California

Blog 71 Merryvale Vineyards, St. Helena, California

Merryvale Vineyards is located in St. Helena and is the first winery built in the Napa Valley after the repeal of Prohibition. Unfortunately for us, they were hosting a party in their Cask Room when we first tried to visit. This made their facility closed for all tastings on a day when they should have been open during their normal hours of operation.



We tried them again on another day. This time, we made it right before closing and were able to get the last tasting in of the day. They allowed us to try a few of the wines but then wanted to know which wines we were purchasing. They were a little too pushy for me on the sales tactics. They then tried to sell us a $35.00 Pinot Noir (the one that we did not like) when we were trying to buy the $65.00 bottle (the one that we did like).

They also had tip jars sitting all over the counter which was a little tacky. Literally, the only winery in all of Napa or Sonoma Valley, or anywhere, that I have ever been to, that had many, many tip jars on the counter.

As far as the wines go, they make some great wines. I was not impressed with the snobby attitude. Many wineries are great. Now that I saw it, I will skip this one next time. My experience with Merryvale has been much better at a restaurant then it has at the winery. I guess I had to have a bad experience somewhere. I’ll tell you some other stories about bad experiences in a different blog coming up.

Tell me what you think! I want to hear from you! Give me your thoughts!

Bon Vin!
Veronica

100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 70 Frog’s Leap, Rutherford, California

Blog 70 Frog’s Leap, Rutherford, California

For over 20 years, Frog’s Leap has been farming organically. They feel that the grapevine needs all the nutrients that it can get by having healthy soil to grow in. They dry-farm all 250 acres of their vineyards and their wines are made from grapes harvested from non-irrigated grapevines.

And what great wines they have. We started our tasting on the patio with a 2008 Frog’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc, Rutherford. Light, crisp, with flavors of grapefruit, white peaches, and a taste of minerality.



We tasted the 2007 Frog’s Leap Zinfandel, Napa Valley. Tasted yummy with traditional flavors of cherry and boysenberry, and a slight touch of oak and spice.

Our favorite at Frog’s Leap was the 2007 Merlot, Rutherford. Flavors of cherry and currants with dried herbs. Made with 100% Merlot. It was so smooth and delicious, I asked for more and they gave it to me. They were not stingy at all.

My least favorite was the 2006 Frog’s Leap Rutherford which they call “Rutherford Dust”. Made with 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc. Dark fruit taste with black olive and earthy notes.

For dessert, we were able to try the 2007 Frogenbeerenauslese. 100% Reisling made with 100% Rutherford grapes. Only 247 cases were produced. Made with specifically selected grapes that were left on the vine to rot called “Noble Rot” also known as Botrytis cinera. Made from 70-year-old vines that were around when Franklin D. Roosevelt was President.

Here is what their Web site had to say about it:

The 2007 Frogenbeerenauslese presents with bright aromas of caramelized peach and fig that waft over a bed of spice and white flowers. Rich – even viscous – flavors of candied apricot, honeycomb and citris blossoms are balanced by a mierality that is reflective of its appellation. Try with a cheese plate for a new take on the classic wine-and-cheese pairing.

Grab a glass and walk the gardens or sit in the historic-looking open-air farmhouse. Be sure to spend some time relaxing and taking in the beauty. When you visit, pick up a bottle of the Zinfandel, the Merlot, and the Frogenbeernauslese for me and don’t forget to pet their cat, Tara, she is 14-years-old and living out her last days on the property in the style and comfort that she has been accustomed too.



Tell me what you think! I want to hear from you! Give me your thoughts!

Bon Vin!
Veronica

100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 69 Hall in St. Helena, California

Blog 69 Hall in St. Helena, California



Renovations are done at Hall in St. Helena, California. While I love the Rutherford Property for a private formal tasting, I thoroughly enjoyed myself at Hall in St. Helena.





It is a more casual atmosphere with outdoor tables where you can “order from the tasting menu” if you are a member. I was able to have the wines that I wanted and boy did I pick my favorites. I bee lined to the Kathryn Hall 96 point Cabernet Sauvignon. Why not? My taste buds thanked me for it. Prior to this wine being rated, it has always been one of my faves.







The service is outstanding at Hall. They have the outdoor patio, an intimate indoor seating area in a separate room, and the regular stand-up tasting room that is connected to their gift shop. Outside in the parking area and patio area, you will find red art.









There are several very large roses in the garden area and some abstract pieces all over the property. The indoor area has some black and white pictures on the wall and other art around the tasting room for your viewing pleasure. Art, wine and great service can only make you want to visit Hall more than once.



Tell me what you think! I want to hear from you! Give me your thoughts!
Bon Vin!
Veronica

100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 68 Chateau Montelena

Blog 68 Chateau Montelena





Chateau Montelena Winery is famous for winning the Judgment of Paris Tasting in 1976 with their 1973 Chardonnay. One of my favorite wine movies is Bottleshock, which tells the story of Jim and Bo Barrett. Be sure to watch it, you will like it.



The winery and property at Chateau Montelena are incredible. The building is beautiful and yes, it is the one that they used in the movie. Some of the filming took place on the property located in Calistoga, California in North Napa Valley.





The tasting rooms were crowded. I made my way to the library room and tried some wines there without feeling crowded. If I would have had to try their wines in the regular room, it would have been difficult with their popularity.



They also poured me a 1991 Calistoga Cuvee but no 1973 Chardonnay. However, they did keep a bottle of the famous wine under glass that they showed on display with all of the correspondence in a book from the Paris Tasting.





My favorite wines there were the 2007 Chardonnay Napa Valley at $50.00 and their 2006Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley at $45.00.

Tell me what you think! I want to hear from you! Give me your thoughts!
Bon Vin!
Veronica