Bringing Paris to the Valley

Silicon Valley is full of entrepreneurial spirit, and that means as much for our taste buds as it does for mobile, cloud, and i-things! Meet Josh, founder of Paris Wine Co., who tonight shared some unique boutique French wines.

Le Clos had indescribable mineral and earth tones, with an herbal quality that gave it a nice complexity. Pouilly-Fume Spring began with a sweet nectar bouquet, and surprised us with smoky and full mineral flavours. Saumur, in contrast, was stoney with a crispness displaying nice acidity - I imagine a perfect pairing with jumbo prawns and oysters. We also tried a unique Priorat, which Josh described as unique due to its more Burgundian earthy style. We tasted elegant barnyard ...

... if that makes any sense.

It's often unpredictable when flying flavours across the world - Josh carried the expression of these wines to Mountain View in true Silicon Valley style.

July Bordeaux tasting at K&L

Menage a trois

Making fine wine entails "the proper marriage of soil, climate, and grape variety. Marriage is perhaps imprecise; it is a menage a trois." as described in Kermit Lynch's Adventures on the Wine Route on a Languedoc winemaker's approach to making fine wine.

How do we know what the best menage a trois would be in a creation of fine flavours? Some may rely on intuition. Some may encounter it by serendipity. Some, and perhaps the most phenomenal masterpieces as a result, are created through a blend of our passions.

Passions are indescribable - the way they bring a vibrancy to what we create with them, a vibrancy that comes so naturally, it's as if things were meant to be. My inspirations, recently, have been sparked by a curiosity to explore French wine, an aspiration to cook through Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc, and an obsession over mushrooms (which, IMHO, is the next Bacon).

This evening, I began with a shiitake mushroom sauce recipe. It was one that as soon as I laid my eyes upon it, I knew that I had to try it. How, with the fusion of mushrooms, oregano, white wine, oyster sauce, and orange zest, can anyone resist? Not to mention the luxurious whipping cream and butter.

As the mushroom sauce thickened on the the stove, I opened Ad Hoc to the page on halibut. I had always wondered how restaurants accomplished that golden crisp layer while the fillet remained tender! TK's method involved browning the fillet on the stove and cooking it through in the oven.

Tonight's wine was Antech's "Emotion" Cremant de Limoux rose, a sparkling rose from the southern Languedoc region. Interestingly, Languedoc is the largest French province in terms of wine production, and at the same time, it is not the most well-known region. Because of this, one can find quality wine without the expensive tag! This bottle was exactly that. It was a romantic pink wine that came to life immediately when it was opened. Its bubbles danced energetically to the top and gave way to creamy raspberry aromas.

Like 3 actors in a play, the elements each had their own personality; the shiitake sauce's myriad of flavours gave a surprise at the finish with a gentle hint of orange zest, the halibut was roasted to a crisp golden brown, and the lively Cremant de Limoux humoured with its pretty aromas and delicate dance. Once the 3 came together, the chemistry was ecstactic and the magic entertained my taste buds to utter bliss.

About Cremant de Limoux

Languedoc sparkling wines from Limoux are made following the practices of Champagne. What distinguishes a Cremant de Limoux from other Limoux sparkling wines is the higher proportion of Chenin blanc and Chardonnay. Prior to the creation of Cremant de Limoux in 1990, Limoux sparkling wines were composed of at least 90% Mauzac. In addition, Cremant de Limoux are aged for at least 12 months on lees.

Corkscrewed with Robert Camuto

I met Robert Camuto this evening at his book event in San Francisco where he performed a reading at Books, Inc! Robert shared his chapter on harvesting grapes in Alsace and his book's theme was immediately apparent - the French emphasize all things natural and expression of terroir in their wine.

"There are 4 aspects to making great wine," concluded the author based on his observations in France. Terrior - as an expression of the earth, sun, and geology. Respect for the environment - with minimal use of chemicals and intervention of nature's intention. Wine should be made from grapes - without added acid or yeast; naturally occuring yeast brings out qualities of the wine. People - wine should be made by people (not machines), and is meant to be drunk and shared by people.

"One of the things that most impressed me was how present wine is in daily life," Robert commented on his observations of life in France. "You have it with friends and it is linked with food."

"I always thought of wine as a drink, and now I see it more as a 5th food group." (I absolutely agree! 3 glasses a day, a bubbly, a white, and a red...)

We didn't have quite that formula the evening, as the book reading progressed into dinner at A16. To conclude the book reading, Robert shared a bottle of Domaine Mosse, Le Carignan 2003, that was made from vines over 120 years old. It was a deep red wine, medium bodied, soft tannins, and aromas of tobacco, baked plum, and mineral. Later at the restaurant, we had a bottle of Terre Nere Etna Rosso 2007, which was a lovely silky Italian red that expressed light currant, pluot, and hint of rosehips. Excellent wine shared with great company - C'est la vie!

Jazzing up the Wine Experience

A favorite spot of mine in Manhattan is the Central Park/Columbus Circle area where there is a mix of arts, cuisine, and diversity of people. Monday nights are far from dull with Jazz at the Lincoln Center Dizzy's Club going full swing! Here is where I discovered a new perfect pairing - wine and jazz.

Suiki, Jenn and I attended the 9:30pm set, ordered a molten chocolate cake, and a bottle of Remy Pannier Vallee des Jardins 2006. This Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc was fresh, crisp and plump with grapefruit and lime, enlaced with floral tones.

As soon as the performance began, we were immersed in passionate pieces led by the flutist, accompanied by a pianist, drummer, and cellist. The musicians moved strongly yet gracefully piece through piece against the still backdrop of Manhattan city lights. The jazzy tunes warmed the fall evening, and as I sipped my glass of wine, I tasted a different sort of freshness, with more sassy and zesty notes!

As engaging wine is of all our senses, no one really talks about what they hear. Of course, everyone will taste the wine in different settings and will hear different things. At the same time, it seems that it could play a large component in how we feel about the wine. Next time, stayed tuned, what do you see, smell, taste, feel, and hear?

Rhone on the Rooftop in New York

Tonight, my brother, his girlfriend, my cousin and I celebrated the annual Chinese Mooncake festival! This festival is a longstanding tradition in our family where we have dinner together and have mooncake. The moon was especially large this evening, and glowed with a hint of orange.

For the occassion, I picked a bottle of La Framboisiere Cotes du Rhone 2006 from a wine store in Midtown Manhattan. The wine is from the commune of Rasteau in the southern Rhone, where Grenache is the dominant grape.

It was a beautifully still and warm night - perfect for dining on my brother's apartment rooftop! Situated on Long Island right across from Manhattan, the deck had gorgeous clear views of the city. Several BBQ's and picnic tables were already occupied but we were able to occupy one to ourselves. As my brother BBQ'd the meats, we had seared steak, chicken, sausages, and roasted eggplant, zucchini, and peppers served hot off the grill under one candlelight and the moon's strong beam. There's something about eating in the dark; flavours are even more piquant!

Throughout all the courses, we sipped on the Rhone wine that was interestingly bold and full of raspberry flavours at first taste. With food, the raspberry essences mellowed out to favour more earthy tones.

A hit of the evening with the wine was the Ptit Basque French sheep's milk cheese served with a baguette that was bought fresh out of the oven from the market across the street. We polished off the cheese course before we headed back inside for the star course of the evening - mooncake! I brought mini mooncakes from San Francisco with me specifically for this night. "Happy Mooncake festival!" the four of us toasted as we shared our first mooncake in the big city.

Chenin, Oysters, and Lobster Roll!

Our 2 hour excursion around Greenwich Village and 45 minute wait was well worth the delectable meal at Pearl Oyster Bar! Beat from a full day of walking around Manhattan, Derrick, Suiki and I ordered as soon as we were seated in the bustling restaurant - oysters, mussels in wine sauce, crab cakes, and a lobster roll.

To pair with the seafood, I had a glass of 2006 Chablis by Joseph Drouhin Laforet. The wine was light and crisp, with hints of lemon, citrus, and slight almond. This fresh wine was fabulous to begin with and went elegantly with all our dishes.

Every course was flawlessly divine (except the missing oyster from the dozen that the restaurant later made up for). The most memorable plate was the Lobster Roll; it was amazing! A half pound of large sumptuous lobster chunks marinated in the perfect light mayo sauce, sandwiched by a soft, slightly sweet, butter roll shaped like a hot dog bun. Mmm... It was heavenly.

Un Gentilhomme d'un Gentilhomme

Saturday, September 6th, marks the 2 weeks remaining that Leanora would be married! Lea's bachelorette began very innocently - we learned curvy dance moves at S Factor and enjoyed a round of drinks in the afternoon. Later we arrived at Nopa for dinner, where little did we know, what would ensue after our round of pre-dinner cocktails.

"Did they change table etiquette?" I asked Bim while we were being seated, "These wine glasses are smaller than usual!" I indicated towards the wine glasses placed on our settings.

"I don't know." Bim replied. Neither of us thought twice about the unusual setting and began looking at the dinner menu.

We began discussing what we would order when our waiter comes by, a mysterious black bottle in his hands. "Compliments of Songjay," our waiter announces in a cool manner. We all look at each other for an explanation. Who is Songjay!?! A concierge? Someone at the bar? Our faces are all blank except for Lea's, whose cheeks flush pink, and she begins to laugh.

"He's a very nice man," says the waiter. Lea keeps laughing.

As the waiter breaks open the bubbly, Lea explains. "A few days ago, David began talking in an accent and made up a name, Songjay!" It was from Lea's fiance!

Our six not-so-small-anymore glasses were filled with a deep golden champagne, and the waiter says, "There will be another coming."

"To Songjay!" we toast. I taste concentrated flavours of asian pear, honeysuckle, and distinct mineral. The delicate bubbles give way to a very interesting finish.

As delicious as it was, the champagne was the perfect complement to our evening of giddy discussions and deliciously prepared food. What is this intriguing champagne in this almost opaque black bottle?

AR Lenoble, a small estate producer, is headquartered in the town of Damery, France. Its Cuvee Gentilhomme Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs is produced only during years yielding excellent grapes, and only from the best grapes.

The Year
1996 marked a notably distinct year for Champagne - yielding ripe grapes with relatively high levels of acidity. Averages were near 10% in alcohol and acidity levels of 10g/l, a rare combination that warranted a longer wait for the release of this wine.

The Grapes
The Cuvee Gentilhomme is made from 100% Chouilly Chardonnay grapes. Choilly is known to boast the ideal chalk limestone subsoil for Chardonnay grapes.

After 2 bottles of the Cuvee Gentilhomme, we were all very happy. The girls and I agreed that this gentilhomme, Sonjay, has made the perfect choice.

Discovering Cahors, France

On a spring Sunday evening, as the sun was just setting at 7pm, Bar Tartine restaurant on Valencia in the Mission district of San Francisco was goldenly lit inside. Darren, Monita, Sima, Chris, and I decided that we'd share a bottle of wine over dinner, as we caught up on the exciting news that Darren and Monita were moving across the Pacific to Japan!

It was between a jammy, earthy Grenache based wine, or a more full-bodied French Mablec. We like Malbecs! Monita chimed in. Malbec, we chose. Chateau du Cedre 2004 from the Cahors region.

Our glasses were filled with a dark, velvety purple-red wine. Most prominent were aromas of dark berries and smoky tobacco, with a hint of dark roasted coffee. Blackberries and boysenberries, Darren and I agreed. Pepper and Licorice, caught by Sima. The Wine opened up beautifully as dinner progressed, and paired perfectly with our 4 orders of Four Story Hill Farm onglet (French for Hanger steak), trumpet mushrooms, marrow fritter, and with the oolong tea smoked duck breast, crushed pea stuffed pasta, in duck broth. The sun set, the restaurant dimmed, and the Wine finished smoothly, just in time for dessert.

Cahors is located in the Southwest region of France, west of Bordeaux, where Malbec is the dominant grape varietal. Wines from Cahors are known for their colour (nicknamed "Black Wine") and body. Grapes tend to be concentrated from the influence of Mediterranean and Atlantic weather, in contrast to Bordeaux's lighter wines.

Wine question of the day: How would one distinguish between the velvety, concentrated wines of Argentina from the Malbecs of Cahors?