When the Wine Enthusiast Magazine announced their “Wine Star Award” winners for the year 2021, I was especially pleased. Santa Barbara County, California was chosen as the “Wine Region of the Year”! Not only was I extremely proud that a wine region from the USA won this distinction, but even more importantly that Chuck and I had visited there and got to see some of those great wineries first hand and taste their wines. We decided to follow up on the movie “Sideways” that became a surprise hit back in 2004 by taking our own Sideways tour through the area in 2006. Chuck and I met up with Betsy, my best friend from high school who has lived in the Los Angeles area for many years, and the three of us headed north towards Santa Barbara on our adventure. And what a was!
Santa Barbara County may be a relatively small wine region, but it produces some very impressive Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Syrahs. The geography here is different than other wine regions in that the mountain ranges run from east to west rather than north to south like most other regions. This means that the valleys open right up to the Pacific Ocean allowing for cool temperatures with fog in the morning and steady breezes in the afternoon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes absolutely love this! Then just a little further inland, the temperatures get warm enough to be just right for some amazing Rhone varietals like Syrah and Grenache.
All of those wonderful wines get to pair up beautifully with some of the greatest food you could ask for. There is a lively culinary scene featuring food from farm-to-table plus the ocean both in the “big city” of Santa Barbara, also known as the American Riviera and in a number of little towns throughout the wine growing region like Los Olivos, Solvang, Buellton and Los Alamos. You will find some culinary gems here that are not so well “hidden” anymore. In fact one of them, Bell’s in Los Alamos, has even earned a Michelin star.
There are seven different AVAs to explore starting with the two largest: 1) Santa Maria Valley AVA, the first to be designated in Central Coast, and 2) Santa Ynez Valley AVA. Just don’t get too confused about the fact that there are four other AVAs identified within the Santa Ynez Valley – 1) Sta. Rita Hills AVA (famous for premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) and yes “Sta.” is the proper spelling, 2) Happy Canyon AVA (home of fantastic Bordeaux grapes and Rhone varietals and the Lone Ranger and his horse Silver), 3) Ballard Canyon (where Syrah is king!) and the 4) Los Olivos District (best of both worlds of Bordeaux and Syrah). Then there is the newest AVA just designated in 2020 – the Alisos Canyon AVA – the “Goldilocks Rhone Zone” which is JUST RIGHT for both Syrah and Grenache……… not too hot and not too cold!
With all of these award winning quality wines and cuisine going on, it became quickly evident to me that Santa Barbara County is most definitely worthy of a “forkandcorkdivine” wine dinner with all of the stops pulled out! After all we have previously paid homage to several other Wine Region of the Year winners: Sonoma County, Champagne and Southwest France. And so it was that our celebration of the Wine Region Award became known as the “2006 Rakos Sideways Tour Revisited”. (Note: you can also read about Santa Barbara County in a lot more detail if you like by visiting my previous article 2021 Wine Star “Wine Region of the Year”: SANTA BARBARA COUNTY………or SIDEWAYS revisited on the forkandcorkdivine.com website.)
2021 “Wine Region of the Year”
But first, a little wine dinner party background
Just ask anyone who has ever planned a formal wine dinner party no matter how small or large “how do you do that?”, and they will tell you that you must have a detailed plan. Such an event does not just magically happen! My usual process for making a huge event come to reality is to start with my research info. I often spend weeks to months researching a particular wine region and/or country to put an article together. Then I attempt to decide on what wines I want to feature. This is really difficult because I want them all!!! And since we don’t run a hotel or bed and breakfast here, we are obligated to get our guests out the door safely on their way home. Therefore I try my best to highlight some very representative wineries and their wines plus put the spotlight on a few extra extra superstars or really intriguing wines. For example, how many of your friends have shared a number of Turkish or Armenian wines with you lately? A really big question here is “Where do I source the wines”? Most of the wines we serve have been purchased online either direct from the winery or an online company such as wine.com or from a small boutique wine shop that works with wine reps who have probably served those wines to us at a wine dinner. If all else fails and I absolutely cannot live without a particular wine, I scour the internet for a source. I do occasionally find what I’m looking for at our local big box store (Total Wine).
With sourcing hopefully complete, I try my best to pair up those wines with a menu that highlights them. I confess to having served up some fairly strange sounding pairings (i.e. steamed clams in foie gras sauce?), but amazingly enough in the end it usually works well together. It is also really helpful if the menu consists of food that my husband and I can prepare, or ask a friend to do it! Lucky for me we have a number of winelover foodie friends who can really cook some delicious food that also looks beautiful! Then the search is on – ingredients that can be successfully sourced has become quite a bit more challenging in the past couple of years! It is not unusual for me to have groceries coming from several large supermarkets, plus specialty stores and don’t even remind me of how many Amazon Prime delivery trucks show up at our door. So good news – you have your food and wine. Now what? Well, you had better have a detailed production plan for getting it cooked and to the table, but that is a whole chapter unto itself that I’ll save for another time. Let’s just fast forward assuming it will all happen and be absolutely wonderful …….. just like a Michelin star restaurant.
Read on and see a few pictures of how this particular Award Winning dinner actually looked at the point of service. You will just have to believe me when I say that it tasted delicious!
My tablescape was an attempt to look like a Central California field full of wild flowers especially poppies. Yes, you will have to use your imagination. And no, please forgive me for not having the real thing. But believe me every one of those glasses was real. You can help me verify when it comes time to wash and polish them!
“Sideways” Revisited Wine Dinner Menu
Welcome Sparkling and Hors D’Oeuvre
I usually start off a dinner party with a sparkling wine. It’s festive and helps get everyone in party mode. It is really special if the sparkling comes from that particular region. In this case, I found Flying Goat Cellars, a small winery in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto specializing in sparkling wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley vineyards and by the traditional methode champenoise. (Note: I paid $45 for this particular sparkling direct from the winery and was happy, happy happy that I did!!!)
2015 Flying Goat Cellars “Goat Bubbles” Blanc de Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard, Lompoc Wine Ghetto
This Pinot Noir sparkler was the first vintage of Goat Bubbles made from Bien Nacido vineyards. Only 115 cases were produced. ‘Wine Enthusiast’ scored it at 93 points and we all agreed it was a winner. The “scent of honeydew with taste of almonds, peaches, apricots, pomelo and creaminess” paired beautifully with a baked brie appetizer listed on the menu at Los Olivos Wine Merchant and Cafe. We had lunch there on the second day of our Sideways tour. It was made very famous by Miles and Jack having dinner there in the Sideways movie. Miles made his famous phone calls from the payphone in the back of the restaurant, but even more famous was his line about “******* Merlot” that he delivered right outside the restaurant to Jack. Nothing quite so memorable happened to us except for having a good meal!
Since I did not have any actual recipes from the restaurant menus that I selected, I searched the internet for recipes that came as close as possible, made modifications where necessary and went from there. I found a recipe to make my own port wine syrup, bought some Sandeman Ruby Port and was that port syrup ever delicious when drizzled over the Brie. Let the Santa Barbara County Sideways adventure begin!
Baked Brie with Hazelnuts in Cinnamon Puff Pastry & Port Wine Syrup Drizzle
(from the menu of the “Los Olivos Wine Merchant and Café”, Los Olivos, Rakos lunch on Day 2)
Course #1 – Day 1 of the 2006 Rakos “Sideways” Tour
The first stop of our 2006 Sideways tour was at the Rusack tasting room on Ballard Canyon Road about halfway between Solvang and Los Olivos in the Ballard Canyon AVA, and they make outstanding Syrahs! They are a small 48-acre boutique estate with twenty-one acres of grapes. Their Estate Syrahs usually score in the low 90s. The 2015 that we drank for our wine dinner was a bolder style of Syrah with lots of blueberries, cinnamon, anise, vanilla and dark chocolate going on in our glasses. It’s a blend of 88% Syrah and 12% Petite Syrah. (Note: I paid $45 for this bottle online from the “Wine Chateau” located in NJ. )
Stop #1: 2015 Rusack Syrah Ballad Canyon Estate, Solvang
Our next stop on day 1 of that 2006 tour was in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA at the home of Lincourt Vineyards located just outside of Solvang. Bill and Carol Foley own this property. We didn’t know who they were in 2006, but we sure do know all about Bill Foley now. Lincourt focuses on those Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes from Sta. Rita Hills that we have come to know and love.
The 2017 Chardonnay from Rancho Santa Rosa was awarded 91 points by Wine Enthusiast and their winemaker, Lorna Kreutz, told us to expect honeysuckle and toasted graham with some pineapple and lemon curd. OK – I can agree with that! The 2016 Pinot Noir, also from Rancho Santa Rosa, was fruit forward with raspberries and cherry cola to dark blackberry, pomegranate and black pepper. (Note: This was a great Pinot for the $30 I paid for it from “Wine Chateau” while the Chardonnay was just over $20 from wine.com.)
Stop #2: 2017 Lincourt Chardonnay Rancho Santa Rosa, Sta. Rita Hills, Solvang
2016 Lincourt Pinot Noir Rancho Santa Rosa, Sta. Rita Hills, Solvang
Roasted Beets and Strawberries, Whipped Goat Cheese & Toasted Cashews
Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Medjool Dates, Fish Sauce, Lime and Sesame
Both of these items were listed on the menu at “The Lark” which you can find in the Santa Barbara “Funk Zone” district of the city. As I’m sure you know this part of the world has been known for farm-to-table dining for many years, and these two dishes just screamed “California farm” to me. Not to mention that they both paired up so well with those first three wines that we poured, an ode to the region’s big three grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah, and a sign of what was to come at our dinner.
(from the menu at “The Lark”, Santa Barbara – From the Farm – in the “Funk Zone”)
Course #2 – Day 2 of the 2006 Rakos ”Sideways” Tour
Day 2 of our Rakos Sideways Tour found us at two wineries visited by Miles and Jack during the movie Sideways tour. You may recall Miles attempting to give Jack a how-to lesson on wine tasting at Sanford Winery in the movie. Richard Sanford is well known as a pioneer in this region when he found this cool climate location that he thought would make wine rivaling the best of the best in Europe. The Sanford & Benedict Vineyard was the first vineyard in what became the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Sanford Winery is now owned by the Terlato Family, and the Sanfords have moved on to the nearby Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards. Our bottle of 2017 Sanford Chardonnay from Sta. Rita Hills was worthy of the 92 points awarded by Wine Enthusiast and 90 from Robert Parker. (Note: I sourced mine from wine.com for $38.)
Our second stop that day was at Fess Parker Winery located on their Foxen Canyon Ranch. You probably remember Fess Parker from his TV days as Davy Crockett or Daniel Boone, but I prefer to remember him for his family wine business. Their estate vineyard is known for Rhone varietals and they purchase other grapes from some of Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria AVA’s finest vineyards. Their Syrah, Riesling and Viognier varietals are grown right there on the 110 acre estate. Since then Fess’s son Eli has founded Epiphany which features Rhone-based wines mainly sourced from the home ranch. They also have “The Bubble Shack” in Los Olivos where you can taste their Festivity sparkling wines first released in 2015.
It was called “Frass Canyon” in the Sideways movie, but we sure recognized that tasting room and saw a number of spit buckets which we doubt that Miles got to use in the movie during one of his famous scenes. We did actually get to drink a bottle of 2020 Fess Parker Chardonnay made from Santa Barbara County grapes at our wine dinner and found it quite enjoyable. (Note: I sourced it for $38 from wine.com.)
Stop #1: 2017 Sanford Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills, Buellton
Stop #2: 2020 Fess Parker Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County
Steamed Mussels in a Green Chartreuse Sauce with Roasted Carrots, Frenched Green Beans, Pickled Fennel, Cara Cara Oranges, Nasturtiums & Garlic Bread
(from the menu at “The Lark”, Santa Barbara – From the Ocean)
What to pair for a seafood course? I fell in love with this item on the “Ocean” side of the menu at “The Lark” in Santa Barbara. The outcome was superb but the journey to get there was a bit traumatic. First of all I had to piece together about half a dozen recipes to come up with something that I could prepare. Then I learned that Green Chartreuse is not only challenging to come up with, but very very expensive! This is especially aggravating when I only needed a few tablespoons. Guess I had better start making Green Chartreuse cocktails! I was well experienced with roasting carrots and used some beautiful organic rainbow carrots from our local 12 Seasons Farm. I even sourced those beautiful nasturtiums from their garden! The menu item called for sea beans but I eventually decided not to spend money to bring sea beans from California to Florida and went with green beans that I “Frenched” myself. I happily made pickled fennel which was quite tasty. And then came the challenge of sourcing those cara cara oranges, but success at last. Yes, they are tasty. Luckily for me our local Publix supermarket can usually provide me with fresh mussels. I had some very much needed assistance from our friend and French Chef Christian, and between the two of us this beautiful dish was served. A perfect pairing with two Santa Barbara Chardonnays!
Course #3 – Two Very Special Wineries for a Michelin Star Restaurant
The third course was designed to highlight two wineries that are very special to me; however we have not visited either one of them. Brewer-Clifton Winery began back in 1996 when Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton put $12,000 aside, secured some fruit contracts and produced their first 240 cases of wine. Those wines have now gone on to be wines that are uniquely Californian “Brewer-Clifton” world class Burgundian-style Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Greg has become such an iconic winemaker that he was named “Winemaker of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine‘s 2020 Wine Star Awards. Steve produces his own wine under his Palmina label focusing exclusively on Italian varietals.
The 2019 Brewer-Clifton Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay was rated between 93-96 points as it is most vintages. That is what we would expect from the “Winemaker of the Year”. Both the Chardonnay and the 2020 Brewer-Clifton Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir were extremely worthy of our olive oil poached salmon that is on the menu of Bell’s, a Michelin Star restaurant. Their Pinots have received between 90-95 points for the last ten vintages. (Note: These wines cost between $42-45 a bottle from wine.com).
The third wine highlighted to pair up with the poached salmon was a Foxen Syrah from their Williamson-Dore Vineyard in the Los Olivos District. Foxen made their first vintage in 1985 in an old blacksmith shop on the ranch, 2000 acre Rancho Tinaquaic, the family land of Dick Dore who partnered up with his friend Bill Wathen to make Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley Vineyards plus Rhone style/Syrah wines in the Los Olivos District AVA and Happy Canyon AVA. It was this wonderful 2018 95% Syrah/5% Viognier from Los Olivos District that we shared! I am always eager to taste a Foxen wine as it was high on my list to visit and taste back on our 2006 Sideways tour. Sadly we never could find their mailbox to turn in at, and missed the whole experience. Thank goodness Miles and Jack did not miss it, and their visit to the winery made a brief appearance in the movie. (Note: I paid $60 for this bottle from wine.com and loved every sip that I got of it!)
2019 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills
2020 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills
2018 Foxen Syrah Williamson-Dore Vineyard, Los Olivos District
Olive Oil Poached Salmon, Melted Leeks & Pickled Mustard Seed Hollandaise
(from the menu at “Bell’s” French Restaurant, Los Alamos – a Michelin Star restaurant)
I read an article about this tiny little restaurant that had received a Michelin star! It’s in the little town of Los Alamos (population about 1900) and is a family-run French-inspired bistro from a Food & Wine “Best New Chef” Daisy Ryan and her husband and co-owner Greg. Their menu changes daily “based on local availability and the chef’s whims”. They don’t even have a telephone! You must make your reservation whenever they post on social media that reservations are now available. I just fell in love with this menu item that I was lucky enough to find on one of their instagram posts. No, I did not have an exact recipe for this one either but pieced the “menu parts” together. The final product was a real winner, in fact it was my favorite of the night, and hope that Daisy and Greg would not have hated it! This was my first experience with poaching salmon in olive oil and Chuck, my partner in life and the kitchen, agreed to take it on. Being up for a good challenge, his salmon was poached to perfection! I pickled mustard seeds. I made melted leeks – oh my were they tasty! And I made last minute Hollandaise sauce to top it all off that was really delicious. My French chef foodie friend assisted with the plating – a bed of melted leeks, a beautiful piece of poached salmon, Hollandaise sauce and topped off with pickled mustard seeds. Oh my, I can still taste it! And the wines? Each and every one deserved to be at the table with this dish.
Course #4 – Two of My Personal Favorites from Sta. Rita Hills
Course #4 was planned to feature two of my personal favorites from the Sta. Rita Hills AVA – Sea Smoke and SAMsARA. Both of their wines have been in our wine inventory for a number of years and if I’m looking for a really great Pinot Noir to serve our guests, I will quite often pour Sea Smoke. The SAMsARA came along to the party a bit later, but I love it no less! And here is why…………
Sea Smoke has been called “one of the appellation’s first superstar wineries” by Wine Enthusiast. They produce about 13,000 cases a year on their land in the western end of the Sta. Rita Hills purchased back in 1999 by Bob Davids. One of their primary Pinot Noirs is “Ten”, derived from the ten top-quality Pinot Noir clones planted there, and the other is “Southing”. They strive for low crop yields and small grape clusters of intense flavor from 80 acres of rich clay soils farmed biodynamically. Don’t even think about going to Sea Smoke for a tasting. They don’t have a tasting room. They don’t need one! Their wines are pre-allocated to their “List Members” and sold out upon release. If you get on “The List”, there is no purchase commitment or cost to join. I’m happy to report that we have been on that list for a number of years. The 2015 Sea Smoke “Ten” Pinot Noir from Sta. Rita Hills that we served had notes of cola, black cherry, blueberry, Asian spices and chocolate and received 94 points from Wine Enthusiast. It was excellent; however I must say that I have never had a Sea Smoke wine that was not – either the Ten or the Southing.
SAMsARA came on the scene a bit later than Sea Smoke when David and Joan Szkutak bought it in 2017 from Chad Melville (Melville Winery) in Lompoc and moved to the warehouse zone in Goleta in 2018. They also started serving glasses of wine in Goleta’s first-ever tasting room. SAMsARA focuses on limited releases of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Grenache from some of Sta. Rita Hills most distinctive vineyards. Their goal is to show off the grapes from each location in the best possible way, and they practice minimal intervention. Their wines are not only hand made, but made by foot! They foot stomp the grapes because the foot is a lot gentler on those precious grapes than a machine. Matt Brady is the winemaker at SAMsARA, and we got hooked on his wines when he was the winemaker at Jaffurs. Matt is originally from our little area right here in South West Florida, so we claim him!! But Matt can also make outstanding wines. This bottle of 2013 SAMsARA Pinot Noir Rancho La Vina Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills, was our very last one and we shared it with our wine friends. Just 220 cases were produced from one of the coldest Pinot Noir vineyards in California. The wine was awarded 93 points by Antonio Galloni and was a perfect example of vineyard-specific row-specific wines.
2013 SAMsARA Pinot Noir Rancho la Viña Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills
2015 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir “Ten”, Sta. Rita Hills
Smoked Mushrooms Sautéed in a Red Wine Shallot Sauce on Garlic Crostinis
Corn Quesadillas with Jack and Cheddar Cheeses and a Chipotle Sour Cream
(from the menu at “The Hitching Post II”, Buellton (Rakos dinner on Day 1)
What can possibly be the perfect pairing with two outstanding examples of Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir? Well I don’t know if it was perfect, but these two items are on the menu at “The Hitching Post II” in Buellton, the eastern gateway to the Sta. Rita Hills. Another one of our dinner guests who is an extraordinary home-chef offered his expertise to prepare the smoked mushrooms AND the corn quesadillas. I figured if the Hitching Post offered them to pair up with the “local” wines, they certainly know what they are talking about! And so they did. Both great flavor profiles with our Sta. Rita Hills superstar Pinots.
We had dinner here on Day 1 of our Rakos Sideways Tour in 2006, but you may also remember the Hitching Post II from the movie. Miles and Jack stayed in a motel right down the street, went to the Hitching Post and met Maya, who just happened to work there. The Ostini family opened this restaurant in 1986 hoping to bring the famous (and delicious!) Santa Maria-style barbecue to Buellton. There are plenty of BBQ-type items on the menu and I am sad to say that I don’t remember what we ate there back in 2006. It seems I was not yet into taking a picture of absolutely everything that I ate! But we tried our best to see Miles and Jack and failed!!!! We did see those famous ostriches down the road. though.
Course #5 – The Grand Finale
On to the grand finale…………….wine by Jonata! Jonata (pronounced “Ho-notta”) is one of the most high-profile wine producers in Santa Barbara County, maybe even the highest. Jonata and The Hilt are owned by Stanley Kroenke who just happens to own Screaming Eagle plus the Los Angeles Rams and the Denver Nuggets and many other things! When I asked my wine friend Matthew Horkey from “Exotic Wine Travel” for some suggested wines to serve, he said that if I really wanted to give our guests an experience, check out Jonata! Since Matthew even wrote a book called “Sipping Santa Barbara” I did check it out, choked at the prices, then decided that I too wanted that experience. Very soon thereafter a bottle of 2009 “La Sangre de Jonata” Ballard Canyon Santa Ynez Valley wine made it’s way to my doorstep from wine.com for $150.
Matt Dees is the winemaker for both Jonata and The Hilt. Jonata is located in the Ballard Canyon AVA, the only Santa Barbara County AVA dedicated to Syrah, although they do grow other varieties too, making it the county’s most prestigious AVA. This estate has 84 acres of vines planted with 11 different grape varieties including some experimental Greek plantings like Xinomavro and Assyrtiko. The “La Sangre de Jonata” was definitely a dinner party favorite. With 99% Syrah and 1 % Viognier and just 900 cases made, it has received scores between 94 and 99 points, and I can certainly see why. There was blackberry, charcoal, lavender and violets with some massive tannins and did it ever pair well with the roasted rack of lamb. Thank you Matthew for the suggestion.
I really do like to pour side-by-side comparisons whenever possible for our guests. So here were two “cousins” of Screaming Eagle. Not at all shabby was The Hilt! It’s another great hit from the Sta. Rita Hills – located just miles from the ocean in the far south-west corner on the historic 3600 acre Rancho Salsipuedes. They have three vineyards and a state of the art 50,000 square foot gravity fed winemaking facility where Matt produces The Hilt wines and Jonata. Our bottle of 2017 The Hilt Estate Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills was made from estate vineyards plus some of another favorite, Sanford and Benedict. Matt said to expect notes of rose petals, black cherry, dried tobacco, blood orange, sage, pomegranate and cracked wine pepper. Not sure if we got all of that, but we absolutely loved this 91-95 point wine. I am so happy to have more in the cellar. (Note: I got this one for $40 from Sokolin.com located on Long Island. I’ve purchased many bottles of great wine from Sokolin through the years.)
2017 The Hilt Estate Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills, Lompoc
2009 Jonata Syrah “La Sangre de Jonata”, Ballard Canyon
(Stanley Kroenke owns Screaming Eagle, The Hilt and Jonata wineries plus the
Los Angelos Rams, the Denver Nuggets and many other sports teams)
Roasted Rack of Lamb with a Parmesan Fresh Herb Risotto and
Kale and Caramelized Wild Mushroom Salad
(From the menu at “Bouchon”, Santa Barbara)
The food paired up with these two wines had to match the “wow” factor that I was hoping for, so I called upon my French chef-friend and my Sanibel home-chef friend to help me out. And did they ever deliver! I searched the menus from some of Santa Barbara’s top restaurants and settled on a dish from “Bouchon” in downtown Santa Barbara. It has no connection to Thomas Keller’s Yountville “Bouchon” and doesn’t need one. It’s a first class “splurge” type of restaurant featuring their “as-fresh-and-as-local-as-possible” approach. Thanks Christian and Jeff. You really brought your A-game as always. The lamb was perfectly cooked, and served on a bed of Parmesan and fresh herb risotto. The side vegetable of kale and caramelized wild mushroom salad was a major bonus! As full as we were at this point, I didn’t see too many untouched plates returning to the kitchen! I also noticed that I had two empty bottles from this Syrah and Pinot Noir pairing. Good job everyone. It was indeed a grand finale.
A Sweet “Happy” Ending – From Happy Canyon
There must always be a dessert course on the menu at our table. It seems that no matter how many courses have come before, there is nothing like a sweet dessert ending paired up with an appropriate dessert wine. I did my research and found that Foxen, one of my favorite wine “children”, makes dessert wine from grapes in the Happy Canyon. Perfect!!!!
Rhone Valley grapes are exceptional in Happy Canyon. Some people would rather that you not even know where it is because they want to keep tourism and traffic to a minimum in this canyon. You won’t find tasting rooms here – you will have to find them in other locations like downtown Santa Barbara or Solvang. But if you happen to get your hands on a bottle that says Happy Canyon, I advise you to grab it! Lucky for me and our dinner guests Foxen makes several dessert wines, and our 2014 Foxen “Sweet Endings” came from Vogelzang Vineyard grapes in Happy Canyon. It’s 47% Viognier and 53% Sauvignon Blanc grapes were foot stomped, skin macerated for 24 hours and then pressed on gentle cycle. Just 250 cases were made and it was absolutely a perfect pairing for our fabulous desserts. We also served a 2017 Foxen “Mission” port-style red dessert wine made from 100% mission grapes grown in the Barbarena Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley AVA. It was whole-berry destemmed and spent 4 days with 69 proof un-aged grape brandy followed by 22 months in oak and stainless steel. Just 99 cases of this beauty were made, and I purchased it direct from the winery. Mission grapes came to California from Spain and were often referred to as Sonoma grapes or Los Angeles grapes. In addition to California, you will find plenty of it in South America (particularly Chile and Peru) where it is known as Criolla and Pais. There is very little of it left in California, so we were happy to get to taste “Mission” by Foxen.
2013 Foxen “Sweet Ending” Dessert Wine, Vogelzang Vineyard
Happy Canyon
2017 Foxen “Mission” Dessert Wine, Barbarena Vineyard (100% Mission)
Happy Canyon
It is rather hard to compete with those previous courses that were all such super stars, but we are lucky to have a home-chef super star baker among us. Our friend Carol volunteered to make not only one but two desserts that are featured on menus from two Santa Barbara restaurants. She served the “warm blackberry lemon upside down cake” with lemon ice cream and berry garnish just like they do at Bouchon. It was so delicious! And then there was “goat cheese cheesecake” from the Goat Tree Cafe at the Hotel Californian. We had the opportunity to enjoy both of them, and oh my oh my, were they superstars. Thank you Carol for sharing your baking skills with all of us. I’m not sure which wine pairing I most enjoyed with my desserts – the white Rhone-style or the red port-style. Let’s just say they were both superb. This was a perfect ending for our magical evening of wining and dining our way through Santa Barbara County, the Wine Region of the Year!
Warm Blackberry Lemon Upside Down Cake
(from the menu at “Bouchon”, Santa Barbara)
Goat Cheese Cheesecake
(from the menu at “Goat Tree” Cafe, Hotel Californian, Santa Barbara)
forkandcorkdivine.com dream team.
I feel safe in saying that we paid homage to Santa Barbara County wines and foods as they should be celebrated for being chosen the Wine Region of the Year. This part of California and the USA will always have a special place in my heart as will every wine that I’ve enjoyed from there. As usual this event would not have been elevated to the star status it deserved without the assistance of our winelover foodie friends. We are very lucky to have a number of them in our circle of friendship, but in this case the special thanks goes to Jeff and Rene, Christian and Mari and Carol. Last but not at all least is the biggest thank you of all which goes to Chuck, who has learned to tolerate my craziness for the two or three months that I devote to one of these events, be my sous chef, cook extraordinaire, and just pick up all of the pieces that I need during those last few days and hours. We are definitely the forkandcorkdivine.com dream team! I am already anxious to learn what wine region will be selected as next year’s Wine Region of the Year. Guess we will all just have to wait and see……………
5.7.2022
