What a book!

Kelly always gets on to me about not reading anymore. I used to devour books (I was a Creative Writing major in college after all, SIU!) However, in the past few years I haven't read much & what I have read has been wine related. Jay McInerney's Bacchus & Me & Hedonist in the Cellar along with some Jancis Robinson books & The Accidental Connoisseur by Lawrence Osborne. My favorite has been My Life In France by Julia Child. It enraptured me from the start & I think I read it in about 3 days! Yesterday I went to the bookstore & picked up Untrodden Grapes by Ralph Steadman & Alice Waters & Chez Panisse by Thomas McNamee (born & raised in Memphis!) This book is entrancing. It puts me right in the middle of it all, peering into the kitchen, knee deep in the chaos of what Chez Panisse was. But most of all, it makes me want to cook. It makes me want to drive to Kentucky to forage for fresh Morels, bring them back & cook them up & pop open a good bottle of pinot noir. That is the power of book, when it makes you want to feed someone you love.

Washington State, the next frontier

Over the past few years I've been lucky enough to experience some truly great Washington State wines. I've delighted in wines from K Vintners, Cayuse, Betz & Boudreux. Recently, Joe's Wines, 1681 Poplar, has brought in a number of outstanding labels from Washington; L'Ecole no. 41, River Aerie, Bunnell Family, Northstar, Andrew Will (including the 94 pt Wine Spectator Champoux Vineyard 2005), Matthews & Spring Valley.

Washington is producing some of the best syrahs & THE best merlots in the U.S. if not the world. River Aerie is even growing malbec & barbera, both are unique & outstanding in their own ways.

I highly recommend that you start sampling what the vines of Washington have to offer.

Chicago, A River of Wine

I just got back from the Vin diVino Imports trade tasting in Chicago where I had the pleasure of sampling some 150 different wines. That seems like a lot but when compared with how many wines were shown, it is a drop in the bucket. Yet again, the Austrian wines were the standouts offering delightfully crisp whites to full bodied whites to spicy, racy reds & unctuously sensual dessert wines. Gerhard Kracher was in the house, representing his wines & those of his recently deceased father.

I'll report more fully at a later time.

Gabrielle Collection

I had the pleasure of lunch with Gabrielle Leonhard, owner of the Gabrielle Collection of wines. She focuses on cabernet sauvignon & blends that varietal with syrah, merlot, petite verdot, malbec & cabernet franc. Her passion was obvious, her love of the cabernet was easily discernible. But what really struck me was her overwhelming desire to be a responsible farmer. She farms sustainably so that she isn't confined to the organic regulations & can therefore make decisions that are more ecologically sound. All that & the wines have real depth & life to them. Look for them at your favorite wine shop or restaurant.

Gabrielle Collection

Austrian Wine Dinner at Restaurant Iris

Kerstin Klamm with the top quality wine producer, Domane Wachau, will be the guest of honor at a dinner on Thursday May 1st. Chef Kelly English of Restaurant Iris will be crafting a special menu to pair with Kerstin's wines. Cost to attend is $60 plus tax & gratuity, dinner begins at 6:00 p.m. For reservations contact Restaurant Iris, 901.590.2828. Elizabeth Mall of Delta Wholesale & myself will be in attendance to guide diners through the wine selections & answer any questions about Austrian wines. Last year's Austrian wine dinner sold out in 2 days! Act fast to book a seat.

Resturant Iris
2146 Monroe Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
901.590.2828

Domane Wachau

Restaurant Iris

This past Friday Kelly & I dined at Restaurant Iris with our good friends Becca & Lee. Anytime I dine at a restaurant's opening weekend, there is always some trepidation. You never know what kinks need to be worked out or what they will hit on or miss completely. However, this experience was unlike any other opening weekend in that nothing needed to be worked out. From the decor to the service to the food itself, it felt as if this restaurant has always been in operation. The design of the space has a New Orleans spice to it which is done very well. The service was friendly & knowledgeable....& the food was fabulous. Spices, sauces & seasoning were all well balanced & the proteins were cooked properly with seared crisp crusts & tender centers. By far my favorite appetizer was the brussels sprouts salad with allan benton's bacon & sherry vinaigrette. How can you not love this bacon???? My entree consisted of seared scallops, cauliflower puree, demi-glace & black truffles. A less than deft hand would have forced this dish over the edge into "way too rich" territory. But this was not the case. Instead, it was rich but balanced, with flavors & textures that were big enough for red wine & all around just ridiculously delicious. Kelly's favorite, Shrimp & grits, didn't disappoint. It was a perfect example of the dish, with an extra added savory quality that I have not tasted in other versions. Tasty, tasty.

All in all, we absolutely loved our experience at Iris. I'm so glad they are in Midtown & not in the nether regions of East Memphis or, god forbid, the suburbs.

I can't wait to eat there again.

Ron Lachini

It isn't often that I get the opportunity to spend time with the man behind such incredible wines. But recently I did just that. The man I'm speaking of is Ron Lachini of Lachini Vineyards. Ever since Elizabeth Mall of Delta Wholesale brought these wines into Memphis last year, I've been in love. Thats really the only way I can describe it, because these wines bring out more emotion & sensuality than most wines I've had.

Ron was in town for two winemaker dinners, one at Roustica & one at Napa Cafe. It says a lot about Memphis that both dinners were sold out, even though they were on a Monday & a Tuesday respectively.

Chef Kevin Rains deftly matched dishes against the luscious fruit, sensual textures, spice & acidity of Ron's pinot gris & pinot noirs.

Memphis continues on its quest for good food & good wine. It is so exciting to see an audience that craves both.

Chez Peltz

Last Saturday, Kelly & I had dinner with our friends Jeff & Kristy. It all started a few weeks ago when we had the snowstorm. Jeff & Kristy both said "See, it isn't too late for cassoulet!" (referencing a previous post of mine on this blog). They invited Kelly & I over for cassoulet, my favorite.

Saturday night we arrived to a full on french style spread of olives, pate (2 kinds) & some delectable cheeses. J&K started us off with a lovely refreshing Hendricks gin martini. I looooove Hendricks gin. I never particularly cared for gin much. Kelly is the gin guy, I usually go for vodka. But Hendricks is something else entirely. After the first martini (or was it two?), we moved into the vino. First up was Caymus Conundrum 2005, which is always fun. It is a fresh, fun white blend from California that emphasizes fruit without sacrificing acidity. The next wine served was my last bottle of Robert Sinskey Vin Gris of Pinot Noir 2006 (thank you to one of my customers who gave me a bottle after I turned him on to it. I wish I knew his name!) This beautiful rose so eloquently masquerades as a Provencal rose. The color even looks just like Domaine Ott! It has bright acidity, luscious black cherry & strawberry & a round texture. We then moved to the dinner table & popped open a Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2004. This predominantly sangiovese based wine has the rustic earthiness expected of Italy & a bright beam of acidity. Next it was time for a pair of Chateauneuf du Papes!! The first was the J. Vidal Fleury 2004, a medium bodied CDP with notes of black plum & lavender. The second was Chateau Mont Redon 2003, which was laden with graphite, wild herb & black raspberry. Both were a perfect match for Jeff & Kristy's cassoulet. For those who have never had this dish.....I have almost nothing to say to that except go find or prepare some now! The temperature outside was perfect for this hearty rustic dish, almost 50 degrees! What else needs to be said except, duck confit, smoked ham, white beans, garlic sausage & DUCK FAT!! Life doesn't get much better.

But thats not all the Peltz' had up their sleeve. Over some french press coffee they served us a super bright meyer lemon tart with a light layer of bittersweet chocolate.......& a '98 Chateau Roumieu Sauternes. Superb.

There is nothing more I love than eating fabulous homemade food & drinking outstanding wine with good friends. Throughout the meal we talked about food & wine, Julia Child, restaurants & literature. You know you're having a good time when everyone has something to say & they say it with gusto.

Thanks guys! Can't wait for pizza night!

Happenings at the Majestic Grille

The Majestic Grille is hosting some great events very soon. Check out their site here.

The Coppola dinner sounds so good, I think I was drooling when I read the menu!

Wine Dinner with Ron Lachini of Lachini Vineyards

Monday, March 24th Ron Lachini will be pouring his incredible Oregon wines at Roustica. Lachini Vineyards farms biodynamically, which means they not only protect their ecosystem but they enhance it. All this & the wines will render you speechless. Truly incredible juice. From what I hear, Roustica will be the perfect setting for this. Chef Kevin Rains works hard to change up the menu often, only offering what is fresh & looking fantastic. Cost to attend is $60/person plus tax & gratuity. To make reservations please contact Roustica, 901.726.6228. Don't miss this event.

Saturday Pizza

Last Saturday, Kristi & Warner had us over to celebrate our friend Jeff's birthday. Don't worry Jeff, I won't disclose your age!

I love Kristi's house, it is so beautiful, full of art & welcoming. Not only that, but the woman can cook! We had a spread of meats (even though Kristi is a vegetarian, thank you), cheeses, olives & asparagus waiting for us to nosh on. Jeff & Kristi were feverishly working to prepare homemade pizza dough & fresh toppings. I love homemade pizza almost as much as Kelly does, he likes to think of himself as something of a pizza connoisseur. We were treated to a portobello mushroom, tomato, mozzarella & roasted red pepper pizza; an asparagus, goat cheese, olive & parmiggiano pizza; & my favorite, an apple, pear, grape, walnut & gorgonzola pizza. They were all fantastic, but the apple was the one that stood out for me. It was a classic case of umami, different flavors combining to provide something entirely new. Sweet, savory, salty, creamy, crunchy....yum.


Kelly & I brought a 2006 Vinosia Essenza di Malvasia, made from 100% malvasia. Kelly loved this wine because it reminded him of the Bonny Doon Malvasia Bianca that he used to love. It was super expressive on the nose with notes of white flower, candied ginger & jasmine. The palate was racy, dry, crisp & bright with a freshness to it that glided across the palate. We also brought a 2002 Barham Mendelsohn Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, that was dark & mysterious on the nose, almost wild in its aroma. The palate was rich, full bodied but still silky & voluptuous.

Trip to Oxford

I've never spent much time in Oxford, MS. Even though I've lived in Memphis for 8 years, & heard how Oxford was a cool little village, I never really had the urge to go. Kelly & I took a quick trip down there this past Saturday & had a great time. We stayed at ravine, a very quaint, cute, cozy & nicely designed bed & breakfast that also happens to be one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. It is just outside of the city limits (barely 10 yds from city limits sign) so it is a brown bag restaurant. We traveled with our friends Marlinee & Max, therefore we needed some wine. We like to drink some wine! The choices for the evening were Treana 2001 (in magnum), Scharffenberger Brut NV & Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards 1999 Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

The food was exceptional! Chef Joel Miller started us with seared scallops on preserved lemon risotto that were seared to perfection. He also sent out some kobe beef shortrib stuffed ravioli that were stupendous! Next we had fresh oysters with a champagne mignonette, grilled quail, shrimp cakes with red pepper coulis & mini burgers. For salads, Kelly & I split the poached pear & blue cheese salad & Max & Marlinee had the spinach portobello mushroom salad.

My entree was a special that night, seared striped bass with orange couscous with the most crispy skin I've ever tasted. Kelly had handmade pasta with pesto, manchego cheese & braised mushrooms, Max had the hangar steak frites & Marlinee had the rack of lamb with blueberry chipotle sauce & polenta fries.

Every single thing was cooked perfectly, the proteins were juicy with crispy exteriors, the sauces were sublimely flavorful, seasoning was balanced. Simply, a beautiful meal. On top of that, the room we stayed in was beautifully designed, homey & comfortable, so comfortable that I really didn't want to get out of bed this morning. Maybe that had something to do with being hungover....but anyway.

I will be returning to ravine as soon as possible & I highly recommend it to everyone who reads this blog.

Italia!

Joe's Wines, 1681 Poplar, has always had an extensive selection of unique Italian wines. They just got in a whole new crop of good juice from the boot. For the size of that store, their level of selection is very impressive. Some of the new bottles include wines such as: Cantina del Taburno Falanghina, Fattoria Le Terrazze Sassi Neri & Rosso Conero, Tavignano Verdicchio & Costantini Massarosa Frascati Superiore. There are over 1000 registered grape types in Italy alone, which makes for a very exciting exploration should you choose to experiment with them. You'll never be bored, that is for sure. Check 'em out!

Winter's Funeral

I'm saddened to see the passing of Winter, I don't care if you think I'm weird. Yes, it was a lovely weekend here in Memphis. We had the windows open & even ate dinner outside with our very good friends Eve, Jeff & Rickie. But, Winter was barely given a chance. We don't seem to get a good solid Winter in Memphis, only passable intermittent days that hover around 25 degrees F. Yeah that's cold, but it never lasts & it sure as hell never brings snow. I never got to make cassoulet, something I love in the cold season. I guess I'll have to wait until next year.

Lachini Wine Dinner at Restaurant Iris

Restaurant Iris is a much anticipated new restaurant that is set to open in the old La Tourelle space on Monroe. Chef Kelly English previously worked for the James Beard award winning chef John Besh in New Orleans. Chef English is very passionate about local, fresh ingredients & presents them in a unique & delicious way. He also promises to offer Southern cheeses from dairies south of the Mason-Dixon. The wine list will be small & unique with high-quality selections from boutique producers. As a kick off event, Ron Lachini of Lachini Vineyards will be pouring his wines to pair with Chef Kelly English's delectable cuisine on Monday March 24th. Cocktails begin at 6:00 p.m. Cost to attend is $60 per person plus tax & gratuity.

For more information:
Restaurant Iris

For the Love

I had the honor of leading a wine & cheese pairing with Jim Tanner of Bonnie Blue Farms. Jim & his wife Gayle run the only Farmstead Goat Cheese dairy in the state of Tennessee. There cheeses are absolutely delicious. We paired cheeses with wines at Circa this past Sunday. All wines are available by the glass or bottle on Circa's winelist. It is so inspiring to see artisans at work, & to taste the product of their passion. Jim makes some damn good cheese, I can't wait to get my hands on more at this summers Memphis Farmer's Market downtown. The first cheese was a fresh chevre paired with a Pouilly Fume. Sauvignon blanc & goat cheese, such a classic. Next was the feta, which Jim indicated is not aged too long in brine. Therefore, it isn't as salty as most fetas. We paired that with Gunderloch Jean-Baptiste Riesling, the sweetness played off the saltiness of the cheese. Then we had the Hickory Smoked feta with Champalou Vouvray Cuvee de Fondraux, the hint of sweetness & flint in the wine played off the smoke in the cheese nicely. Next was a Gouda style with Olivier Savary Chablis. On to reds. Rex Hill Pinot Noir matched up against a Rosemary/Garlic Chevre, the earthiness of the pinot complimented the rosemary's herbal tones. A tomme style goat cheese was paired with Earthquake Petite Sirah. The last cheese was my favorite, it is something new Jim is playing with. They have crafted a Camembert style cheese that is so creamy, luscious & slightly grassy/earthy. Wonderful. That cheese was matched up against Clos la Coutale Cahors. The earthy, gaminess of the malbec/merlot blend brought out the pungency of the cheese.

There is some amazing cheese being made in Tennessee, check it out.

Bonnie Blue Farm.

The Great Grape?

I have the pleasure of tasting many wines on a regular basis. I always keep notes because if not, they are sometimes difficult to recall. However, sometimes there are wines that are unforgettable. Two such wines, who both happen to be the same varietal, happened upon me very recently.

Kelly & I were craving a good bottle. I decided to pop open a 2002 Neyers Hudson Vineyard Syrah from Napa Valley. The at the core of the glass was a deep black color with barely any hints of ruby at the rim. On the nose was heady aromas of blueberry soaked bacon, smoke & black olive. The palate also exhibited blueberry, bacon & black olive with medium grade, very integrated tannins. It was slightly hot on the finish, which blew off as it sat in the glass. Outstanding.

2005 Montes Alpha Syrah Apalta Vineyard from Colchagua Valley, Chile. Wow...seriously wow. The nose was doses of licorice, blueberry jam & dried ham. It was expressive on the nose but not overpowering, more leaning towards elegance. My goodness, what a rich, round palate, but balanced & beautiful as well. The wine is medium bodied with firm tannins, blue & black fruits & a nice long finish that lingers with fresh acidity & licorice.

I love syrah when its done well.

The Great State of Washington

I have recently had the pleasure of tasting a myriad of wines from Washington state, almost all of them were outstanding & none of them were of poor quality.

Most notable was the Andrew Will Champoux Vineyard 2005, a blend of 45% cabernet sauvignon, 20% cabernet franc, 30% merlot & 5% petit verdot. At the heart of the glass was a core of dark, almost black, color that extended almost to the rim. The nose expressed plum & blackberry in an elegant & slightly dusty/earthy manner. The palate was rich & supple with black currant, black raspberry, smoke & spice. It had a very firm grip & beautiful balance. What really struck me was that winemaker Chris Carmada was not going for higher brix, but supreme balance. The result was a wine that was never too sweet or fruit driven. It was beautiful & seamless, each characteristic playing a supporting role that pushed forth one absolutely stunning wine. I believe this bottle will be on Circa's new wine list. It is by no means an inexpensive bottle, but it is more than worth it. When compared to California wines of the same quality, this is a bargain!

Keep an eye out for a Washington State wine dinner soon?

New Wine List!

Check out the new wine list at Majestic Grille.

Zaca Mesa

On Monday, I had the privilege of tasting a small lineup of wines from Zaca Mesa Winery. For more information visit their website. Four wines were poured. I like these smaller tastings, it gives me a good snapshot of what the winery's style is like without being overwhelming.

The first wine poured was the 2004 Roussanne. I've always loved Rhone Valley grape types & roussanne is no exception. It's quite surprising what happens to this grape when grown outside of its homeland. It is either really BAD or quite delicious. Luckily, this wine fell into the latter category. Aromas of spiced pear, clove & applewood sprung out of the glass, but didn't knock me over. The palate exhibited a round, rich but not heavy texture with bright acidity, flavors of almond & a lanolin-glycerol finish. Just lovely.

Next up was the 2005 Chardonnay. Okay, typically I'm not a chard guy. In fact most of the time I loathe what gets done to this poor grape in the new world. However, this wine was a surprise. Notes of apple, preserved lemon & lime curd on the nose. It showed limestone, poached apple & a fresh, crisp acid on the palate.

On with the reds, with the 2003 Z cuvee, a blend of grenache, syrah & mourvedre. The aromas were quite savory at first with the cinnamon & dill which led to cranberry & blackberry. The palate was luscious with notes of dark wild berry compote, smoke, dried meat & lavender.

Last up was the 2003 Z Three, also a blend of syrah, grenache & mourvedre. However, this wine was a more elegant expression than the Cuvee. I wish it would have been poured first, but oh well. The nose was straight up Rhone Valley traditional with notes of garrigue, earth & red berries. The palate was ripe & earthy, medium-bodied with integrated tannins, very Chateauneuf du Pape in style. Very nice.