Tag Archives: Bonny Doon Vineyard

Imagine Bonny Doon Vineyard wine pairing

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BonnyDoon_Imagine_bottleFruityImagine
Bonny Doon Vineyard
Grenache Mourvedre
Central Coast, California

Imagine a dry pink wine. It’s not so hard to do. As it turns out, there are two classes of people who enjoy pink wine, the terminally hip and the terminally unhip. Luckily for all of us, you, dear sipper are in the former category. Proper Vin Gris, for this is what we are talking about, is made from the lightest pressings of red grapes (we’ve taken the liberty of adding some whites to the cuvée); slightly austere and delicately floral, with crisp acidity.

Randall-Grahm-winemaker“This Provençal-styled pink, is a rather pale salmon color, owing to the fact that it is made from the lightest pressing of bespoke grapes, harvested at the appropriate maturity.  There is a lovely chalky/smoky gunpowder tea aspect to the nose with a suggestion of bergamot, wild strawberry and maybe even a delicate trace of wintergreen.  The fragrance is discreet and above all,  elegant and draws one to the wine rather than mounts a frontal assault on one’s sensorium.  On the palate, the wine has a sleek, salty, savory, mouth-watering aspect and a refreshing acidity.  There is a wonderful  persistent finish, making this one of the most food friendly wines conceivable.”  – Randall Grahm, winemaker.

Winemaker: Randall Grahm
Appellation: Central Coast, California
Varietal Blend:  35% Grenache, 18% Mourvedre, 16% Grenache Blanc, 12.5% Roussanne, 8% Carignane, 8% Counoise
Analysis: 13% alcohol / volume, 3.33 pH, 5.5 g/l TA

Seared Scallops with Corn, Sun Golds, Arugla & Basil

seared-scallopsINGREDIENTS:
•  6 large sea scallops
• 2 heads Little Gem lettuce,
• 3 ears yellow corn, husked washed, leaves separated
• 1 pint Sun Gold tomatoes
• 1 cup arugula
• 1 tbsp fresh Marjoram leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup Thai basil
• 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 500° F. Coat the corn with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 6 minutes or until golden brown. Wrap loosely in foil and let rest. When soft and slightly cooled, cut kernels from the cob and toss in a medium bowl with ¼ cup olive oil, chopped marjoram, and salt and pepper.

Cut the Sun Gold tomatoes in half. Season with olive oil and salt lightly. Fold into the roasted corn. In a heavy bottomed skillet, heat ½ cup olive oil until smoking. Season the scallops with salt and a pinch of black pepper. Sear in the skillet for 2 minutes on each side or until they reach desired doneness. Remove from the heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

In a bowl, toss the lettuce, arugula, and basil together with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper.

To Plate: Place some corn and tomato mixture in the center of each plate. Arrange three scallops atop the corn mixture. Place the dressed greens around the edges and serve with a chilled glass of 2014 Vin Gris Imagine. Serves 2.  Recipe graciously provided by Chef Charlie Parker.

Wine pairing recipe for May Wine club

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picpoulcrispPicpoul
Bonny Doon Vineyard
Arroyo Seco, California

Picpoul, sometimes “pique-poule”, or lip-stinger, is an exceptionally beloved cépage of Southern France, lending balance to cuvées that might otherwise veer off into the direction of the fulsome.  Impressively bracing natural acidity (no acidification was doon), with echoes of the ocean. Beeswax Vineyard, in Arroyo Seco, is after all, only a hop, skip and jump away from the cool breezes of Carmel.  Whether lips are literally stung by a “coup de picpoul” is open to debate, but lips are certainly known to smack at the ultra-savoriness of this unique grape variety. Pairs well with grilled octopus with lemon, moussaka, sardines a la plancha or grilled sardines with frisée & whole-grain mustard dressing.

Randall-Grahm-winemaker“On the nose, peach, wet stone and lanolin, a true signifier of the grape’s Languedocian origins. On the palate, grapefruit pith, iodine and brine.  The true saline quality begs for raw oysters on the half shell with shallot-rich mignonette.  Look for oysters grown in or near the open ocean- the brinier, the better my friends; Belon, Wellfleets or Snow Creeks would fit the bill.”  – Randall Grahm, winemaker.

Winemaker: Randall Grahm
Appellation: Arroyo Seco, California
Varietal Blend:  100% Picpoul
Analysis: 11.5% alcohol / volume

Grilled Sardines with Frisee & Whole-grain Mustard Dressing

sardines-recipeFRISEE INGREDIENTS:
•  1 head frisée
• 2 tablespoons minced chives
• 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
• ¼ cup golden (or white) balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

SARDINE INGREDIENTS:
• 12 fresh sardines, cleaned and butterflied (see note*)
• ¼ rice bran oil or canola oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS:
Start a fire in your grill 30 minutes in advance, burning the wood down until you have a red-hot coal base. You don’t want flames touching the fish.

Wash the frisée and snip the green tips off the leaves, leaving behind only the white and yellow part of the head. Cut off and discard the core. Tear the remaining leaves into medium pieces. Place the frisée in a bowl, toss in the herbs and shallots, and set aside, undressed, until ready to serve.

In a medium bowl, whisk the mustard and vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper until combined. Add the oil in a slow, steady stream until the dressing is thick and emulsified—it should come together pretty quickly. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Set the dressing aside.

Brush the sardines on both sides with the oil, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the parsley. Place the fish on the hot grill, skin side down, and cook until their flesh turns opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the fish from the grill and set them aside on a plate with the skin side up.

Toss the frisée salad lightly with the dressing, add salt and pepper to taste, and arrange salad on a platter. Place the sardines on top, skin side up. Enjoy with a glass of 2014 Picpoul.

* Note: Cleaning Sardines: Using a sharp knife, slice open the belly of each fish and remove its innards. Cut off the head, open the fish with your fingers, and pull out its spine (this should remove most of the bones, though there may be a few stragglers). Keep the fish butterflied for grilling.

Recipe from The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook: A Year in the Life of a Restaurant by Michelle and Philip Wojtowicz and Michael Gilson with Catherine Price, published 2009.

May Wine Club pairing recipe

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BOURGUIGNONBourguignon

INGREDIENTS:

•  3 tablespoons grapeseed or avocado oil
• 2 pounds grass-fed buffalo or venison or beef or lamb, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 pound Crimini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
• 4 cups Bonny Doon Vineyard 2014 GSMC
• ½ cup dry sherry
• ¼ cup Bonny Doon Vineyard Pinotheosis Pinot Noir port
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups beef or bison stock
• 1 pound pearl onions (fresh or frozen)
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup gluten-free oat flour or 3 teaspoons tapioca flour/starch mixed with ½ cup cold water (shake in a glass jar)

STOVE TOP DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350°. In a large Dutch oven or stainless steel soup pot sauté meat in 2 tablespoons oil over high heat until brown on both sides. Set meat aside. In the same pot, sauté mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of oil until tender. Return meat to pot. Deglaze pan with sherry and Pinotheosis; cook until reduced by half. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in flour/water mixture and cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Cover pot and bake on the middle rack of the oven for approximately 1¼ hours, or until meat is very tender. Remove from oven and pull out stems of thyme and bay leaf. Salt and pepper to taste.

CROCK-POT DIRECTIONS:  Put everything into a medium to large sized Crock-pot, except flour or kudzu, and cook on high for 2 hours; turn down to low for 6 more hours or until meat is very tender. Add flour or kudzu mixed in cold water for the last hour.

Serves 6-8. Serve with a glass of 2014 GSMC. Recipe created and perfectly paired by Chef Lauren Hoover-West, NoWheatNoDairyNoProblem.com

GSMC14_bottle_lowresBold_stickerGSMC
Bonny Doon Vineyard
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsaut
Central Coast, California

Life is indeed short. Perhaps it is for this reason communication between humans can be at times a bit terse, even runic/slash/cryptic. Hence (G)renache, (S)yrah, Mourvèdre, and of course (C)insaut, see?  For these grapes truly love each other, put up with each other’s kvetches and shortcomings, support each other through thick-and-etc. GSMC is a bit of (G)e(m)i(s)(c)h, but then aren’t we all. That is the (m)e(s)sa(g)e, (see), in this particular bottle. Bonny Doon’s Vineyard winemaking practice exceptionally light-handed, with minimal intervention and manipulation. Created from hand-harvested grapes from four Central Coast vineyards.

Randall-Grahm-winemaker“This GSMC blend contains what we like to call weapons-grade Grenache from our sundry Grenache vineyards. Exceptional spicebox nose, with raspberry, bing cherry, black pepper and hints of thyme. Plush tannins in the mouth with a refreshing savory texture.  This wine will pair well with a variety of grilled meat.”  – Randall Grahm, winemaker.

Winemaker: Randall Grahm
Appellation: Central Coast, California
Varietal Blend:  50% Grenache, 24% Syrah, 12% Cinsaut, 10% Mourvedre, 4% Counoise
Analysis: 14% alcohol / volume