Sonoma Valley

What To Pair With Mushroom Risotto?

What to Pair With Mushroom Risotto?

What’s a great pairing with mushrooms? Well, there are actually quite a few. I like pairing mushrooms with an earthy red. Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir are great choices. White wines can work too, though. I especially like a Chardonnay with some age on it.

When I whipped up some mushroom risotto last night for dinner I headed to my cellar and grabbed a Pinot Noir! I wanted a wine with some earth on it and not too much fruit. I hesitantly chose a Pinot from the Sonoma Coast. I was hoping that I wouldn’t be too fruity, but had been curious to try it so I decided to give it a shot.

Success!!!!! I opened the 2016 Metzker Pinot Noir “Terra de Promissio”, which is the winery’s first reserve tier wine. Terra de Promissio translates to “Land of Promise” and is a widely respected vineyard on the Sonoma Coast.

The wine itself is lovely, and exactly what I was looking for to pair with my risotto. On the nose are beautiful floral and strawberry notes. The palate has a silky texture with a fabulous earthiness to compliment the mushrooms. The silky body feel worked with with the creaminess of the risotto. This Pinot also has some tart cherry, tea and cola. The tannins are light, and the finish is long and sensual.

The dinner and pairing was outstanding. Thankfully after cleaning up the kitchen, there was plenty of the wine to enjoy into the evening.

If you’re interested in trying the Metzker wines (and you should be!), here’s a link to their site: https://mfewines.com

 

Zinfandel Tasting

Being a member of the Society of Wine Educators definitely has its benefits.  One of the perks is getting invited to some very fun wine events.

This past week I was fortunate enough to attend a Zinfandel Master Class as well as a Zinfandel tasting in Orlando at the Renaissance Sea World Hotel.  The Association of Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) sponsored the event.  ZAP was founded over 20 years ago when a small group of passionate wine pioneers and some Zinfandel loving consumers came together because they believed that Zinfandel deserved recognition as a highly respected varietal that could compete with the finest wines around the world.  Today hundreds of producers and thousands of advocates are proud members of ZAP.

The Master Class was wonderful.  Three wine professionals from well-respected Zinfandel producers led us through the history of the varietal, as well as through their represented region and a blind tasting of various Zins from those regions.

First up was Doug Becket, owner of Peachy Canyon Winery in the Paso Robles AVA.  Doug’s easygoing personality and wealth of knowledge led us through the fascinating history of his winery and the interesting geography of the Paso Robles AVA.

Next up was Carol Shelton, Owner and Winemaker of Carol Shelton Wines.  This highly awarded winemaker expounded on some of the AVAs in Sonoma County, explaining differences in their terriors, which results in the different tastes of Zinfandel. 

The final speaker of the day was John Kane, the Winemaker for Rosenblum Cellars, one of the “big daddy wineries” in the Zin world.  Kane manages all of the aspects of wine production for Rosenblum, from the vineyard to operations, and is the winemaker for 62 wines each year!  His presentation focused largely on the Contra Costa County AVA, which lies within the larger Central Coast AVA.

Following the Master Class we were invited to dine with the speakers.  What great fun it was to drink their wines with lunch while hearing stories about that particular vintage and their struggles and triumphs in making the perfect wine!

Following lunch was a tasting of Zinfandel from 16 different producers.  My favorites truly did include the above wineries, along with Wine Guerrilla from the Sonoma Valley (Owner/WInemaker Bruce Patch is not only a fine winemaker, but also a very fun and personable guy) and Proulx Wines from Paso Robles.

Talty Vineyards & Winery

The Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma Valley is a lovely AVA with a lot of great wines.  Their red varietal specialty is often considered to be Zinfandel.  Some experts believe that there is nowhere else in the world that this variety thrives as well and produces as voluptuous grapes as in the Dry Creek Valley.

One winery in this appellation is Talty Vineyards & Winery, which sits on six acres of forty-eight year old Zinfandel vines.  Michael Talty, the winemaker and owner, is doing some really wonderful things with Zinfandel.   His are truly some of the best Zins I’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking.

His father William Talty was responsible for Michael’s love of food and wine.  Together they made wine from Cabernet Sauvignon in their garage and dreamed of one day having a winery of their own.   William also was who introduced Michael to the land of Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley.  Sadly, their dream of opening their own winery together didn’t come to fruition because of the unexpected passing of his father in 1993.  Michael purchased the six acres of vineyards in 1997 and named them after his father.  His Estate Zinfandel is made with grapes from the William Talty Vineyard.

I had been to Talty a few years ago, tasting with Michael’s delightful wife Katie.  On my most recent visit to Sonoma County I wanted to make sure to pay them another visit.   After driving up the long beautiful driveway lined with vineyards on the left and peach trees on the right, we were greeted by their wine dog Bella, and Michael himself!

Talty’s winery is very cozy, with a photo of William looking down over the tasting room, which also serves as the barrel room.  I loved how the impression of Michael’s father’s presence is obvious in their whole operation.

We tasted at individual barrel tables instead of the typical tasting bar, with Michael paying close attention to each table.

The wines we tasted were:

2008 Talty Estate Zinfandel, William Talty Vineyard – This is the wine made from the vineyard on which the winery sits.  The nose has some pepper, blackberry and nice floral aromas.  The palate was juicy and lush, with raspberry, cherry and blackberry, along with some peppery vanilla.  The 2008 is comprised of 90% Zinfandel, 7% Petite Syrah and 3% Carignane.

2009 Talty Zinfandel, Filice Connolly Vineyard – The nose is lovely, with some spice and oak, along with a very fresh black raspberry.  The black raspberry explodes on the palate, with some chocolate and spicy oak leading to a nice long finish.  100% Zinfandel aged in 100% American oak.

2009 Talty Zinfandel, Dwight Family Vineyard – This is the youngest of the three vineyards with whom Talty works, and he is very excited about it’s progress.  The 2009 vintage produces currant, spice and floral notes on the nose.  The palate is well balanced, with the beautiful fruit shining through some lovely spice and vanilla.  This wine is 95% Zinfandel and 5% Petite Sirah.  It was aged in 75% American oak and 25% French oak.

Michael Talty is doing a bang-up job in Dry Creek Valley.  If you’re a fan of Zinfandel, you will love this experience.  If you’re not so sure about this varietal because you’ve experienced the huge over done Zins of some producers, give Talty a try.  I can’t help but think that you’ll enjoy these delicious and food friendly Zinfandels.

 

Back To Top