I truly love Wine Country. Go up with me and, regardless of when, I'll say I love this time of the year up here. It's where I wanted to be Saturday. The Prophet and I had a great trip doing exactly that. Sometimes, I can see clearly into the present and it is a satisfying thing. More than once it involved me saying "We must have missed the turn." Not such a satisfying thing.
The Prophet, however, has a different gift. Just in the car she asked if I knew anything about Suisun Valley. There was a small fertilizer fire there, had I ever heard of it? She seemed quite focused on it. Like a Trojan general, having nothing to offer, I listened with polite interest until the next subject came up. It was the spinach situation, which I've avoided because I can see the conversation, as it starts, is not a good one. E. Coli all comes down to the subject of dookie. We shortly abandoned it. By the time we cross the GG Bridge we're on to more pleasant discussion, mostly taking turns saying, "it's so beautiful up here!" Sometimes involved loudly mooing at the cows.
Crush is in full force. One of the vintner's we were visiting had been up since 1am organizing a night pick. At Van der Heyden, just off the patio, the new machine was squeezing out chardonnay, and FYB (famous yellow boxes) were filling up the parking lot over at Mumm. A few years ago I was Mumm the first day of crush and we were given dixie cups to dip into the free run of pinot- an amazing taste experience It was Sunday, so there was the calm of farmer laced exhaustion in the tasting rooms.
Perfect weather for both visiting and for fires: hot, dry, clear, with a wind. We were on the other side of the valley from the fire in Yountville. Does a smore go with white wine or red I wondered? We saw dozens of fire trucks, but they seemed to be in a relaxed mode. The fire was mostly contained and did little damage- the weather was changing for easier conditions. But for us it was perfect. Sitting in the tasting room at Duckhorn or outside at VdH was sublime. This was my first trip up with the Prophet and we went with the these two slamdunk stops.
Our final vineyard was a new one to me. Ledgewood Creek over in Fairfield, Solano Country, off the 80. And, more importantly, in the forementioned Suisun Valley. Amazing. I didn't grasp the fulfillment of prophecy right off as I was again looking into the present- I couldn't find the right driveway.
Suisun Valley is East of Napa, and kind of in a nowhere between the Bay and Sacramento. Land is cheap (therefore, so are the grapes) and the growers sell to some of the nicer big producers with better addresses. The month before I'd tasted a few of Ledgewood Creek's wines at the Family Vintner Tasting . They were really tasty, affordably priced wines in the mold of Big Red Truck and I was picking up a case for Holiday consumption. Their whole list was in the $8 to $16 range, we especially liked the Syrah, Viognier, and the red Rhone Blend (the Picnique). Suisun Valley, people, it's the next hip place.
On the plus side, my T-bird convertible is just perfect for such a drive. On the minus, the trunk barely held three full cases of wine and some smaller boxes.
All that was left was dinner.
We went to Boca in Novato, at the very top of Marin County, half way home. I'd been there once for apps two summers ago and had wanted to go back. It's an Argentinian Steakhouse, run by Chef George Morrone. The restaurant is near a country club I once worked so I knew that Novato has some of the best night weather in the Bay Area. Hot during the day, but nicely cooled to the low '70s just as the sun begins to set on the coastal mountains. I highly recommend their large patio for summer dining.
The Prophet started with a roasted beet salad ideally complimented with a creamy meyer lemon dressing. I had a very enjoyable chilled soup made from three different tomatoes. She had a roasted softball sized steak with bluecheese sauce and I had the hangar steak, both medium rare. There isn't much to say about steaks- either they live up to what you crave or they don't. These did. The sides are simple, well executed and appropriate. Broccolini, mashed or baked potatoes, killer housemade pickles (it's the jalepeno that makes it). I did venture to try their Duck Fat Fries- outstanding.
With all of this we cracked a bottle I bought on our trek:
2003 Goldeneye Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley $52
This rich, hearty Pinot exhibits a broad, complex range of ripe black cherry, raspberry and wild berry fruit that's well-defined. Flavors are long and persistent on the palate; ends with a burst of flavor and ripe, supple tannins. A most impressive offering from this Mendocino appellation. Drink now through 2009. (92 pts, WS)
Thanks to the "Sideways Effect" you can't really expect great pinots for less than $40 anymore it seems. Stil, it was a great wine to cap off a great day and a great meal. Again, seeing into the present. It went really well with our steaks in a way that makes you wonder why Cab is always the default choice.
Most people think that the point of having a convertible is for the sunny afternoons like the one we'd just had. These people don't have male pattern baldness. For a few days I thought I'd struck it rich by coming up with the idea of a men's hair gel that was also a sun block. With my new riches I would also become a hero to my folicle challenged brethren . . . but it already existed. Damn. Back to my point. Convertibles are best on warm summer nights. Driving thru Marin, listening to Frank, stars above, warm wind whipping around . . . this is why we live out here.
Go in Peace
Bearbear! Friend, confidant, and noted tummy nuzzler.
Babysitting tip #2: Watermelon. They will sit happily chewing on this for quite a while. Also, turn the chairs so they can look out the window and enjoy up to 20 minutes of world peace.
So here's what happened:
