Tag Archives: Dry Creek Valley

November Premium Wine Club

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Bold wine Style logoOptima-Cabernet-Knights-Valley-bottleOptima Winery
Knights Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
Sonoma County, California

BOLD WINE STYLE

This Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has beautiful scents of rose petal, cocoa, dark cherry, and mocha which float from the dark, inky, ruby-red body. The tannins are all-encompassing, and along with medium acidity, delivers great balance and finesse. The intense palate shows flavors of black cherries, raspberries, leather, tobacco, vanilla, and anise. The long finish is marked by a touch of dark chocolate and caramel which provide a perfect balance. This is a Cabernet built for a long haul, enjoyable now, but worthy of additional cellaring.

WINE DETAILS:

  • Analysis: 14.9% alcohol / volume
  • Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Appellation: Knights Valley, Sonoma County, California
  • pH: 3.70
  • RS: None
  • Barrel Aging: 24 Months

VINEYARD:
The Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from a single vineyard in Knights Valley AVA (one of Sonoma County’s original five AVAs), an appellation characterized by its warmer climate, gorgeous higher elevation vines, and gently sloping hills. This rustic, unspoiled vineyard and its unique soil composition dominated by volcanic loam and clay soil create beautiful, full, rich wines. 

WINEMAKING:
The Cabernet Sauvignon was hand-picked September 18, 2017, at 25.5 degrees brix. The grapes were fermented 10 days to dryness and then macerated an additional twenty-one days to soften and develop the tannins. Following pressing, the wine was moved to 60 gallon French Oak barrels, where it received three gentle barrel to barrel rackings. This vintage was barrel aged for twenty-two months prior to bottling on August 21, 2018.

Bold wine Style logoOptima-Zinfandel-bottleOptima Winery
Dry Creek Valley
Zinfandel
Sonoma County, California

BOLD WINE STYLE

A delectable delight to savor, indulge in a luxurious drinking experience with this wine. Its incredible aromatic bouquet exudes an exuberant fruitiness that explodes with wild berry, blackberry, cocoa, and spiced coffee flavors that settle deeply into your palate. The wine boasts a bright taste with lively acidity, creating a solid structure that complements the intense, decadent flavors of chocolate, white pepper, mocha, and plum. The sweet, creamy oak adds a polished finish to the rich, velvety tannins and spicy, powerful finish. The balance of this quintessential Zinfandel wine offers great versatility when paired with different foods.

WINE DETAILS:

  • Analysis: 14.9% alcohol / volume
  • Varietal: 98% Zinfandel, 2% Petite Sirah
  • Appellation: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
  • pH: 3.69
  • RS: None
  • Barrel Aging: 16 Months

VINEYARD:
The fruit used to produce this vintage was grown on the western bench of Dry Creek Valley, 200 feet above the valley floor. The vineyard experiences cool, foggy mornings and warm days, creating a substantial difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures. This extended growing season allowed the grapes to mature slowly, resulting in a rich and intense flavor profile.

WINEMAKING:
Hand-harvested on September 3, 2021, at 25.9 degrees brix, the fruit was gently crushed, destemmed, and fermented 10 days to dryness. Following pressing, the wine was clarified naturally by settling and then moved to small oak cooperage where it aged for 16 months. We used a blend of sixty-gallon French oak barrels to both enhance and complement the wonderful berry aromas.

ABOUT OPTIMA WINERY:
Founded by Mike Duffy, Optima Winery is a family owned and operated winery that specializes in making limited-production wines. Located in the heart of Healdsburg, California, they are blessed to be at the center of some of the best appellations in the world. Mike Duffy, owner and winemaker, studied under the legendary Andre Tchelistcheff and produces wines that rival the best of Alexander Valley. They only source the absolute best of each vintage; allowing them to meticulously follow their passion to preserve the unique characteristics of each vineyard. Learn more about their family story here.

Information and Photos © Optima Winery – All Rights Reserved.

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Teriyaki Glazed Spare Ribs

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teriyaki-ribsINGREDIENTS:
•  2 (4 pound) racks pork spareribs, trimmed of excess fat
•   ½ cup Chinese Five Spice
•  Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

GLAZE INGREDIENTS:
•  1 cup low sodium soy sauce
•  1 cup grapefruit juice
•  ¼ cup hoisin sauce
•  ¼ cup ketchup
•  3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
•  ¼ cup brown sugar
•  1 fresh red chili, minced
•  2 garlic cloves, smashed
•  2 inch piece fresh ginger, whacked open with the flat side of a knife
•  2 tablespoons sesame seeds, for garnish
•  Chopped fresh Cilantro and green onion, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Rub the ribs all over with the five-spice powder, then season generously with salt and pepper. Put the ribs in a single layer in a roasting pan and slow roast until they are almost tender, about 2 hours.

Meanwhile make the glaze. In a large bowl combine the soy sauce, grapefruit juice, hoisin sauce, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, chili, garlic and ginger in a saucepan. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until the sauce reduces and thickens then remove from the heat. Strain the sauce and reserve.

When the ribs are about 30 minutes away from being done, baste them with the teriyaki sauce. Cook until the meat pulls easily from the bone.

Just before serving, preheat the broiler. Baste the ribs again and brown them under the broiler for 5 to 8 minutes (or to desired level of crispness, keep an eye on them, they can burn quick). Separate the ribs with a cleaver or sharp knife, pile them on a platter and pour over remaining sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, cilantro and green onion as desired.  Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence.

LimitedSyrGren-prnt Cambridge Cellars Limited
Syrah Grenache
Dry Creek Valley, CA

Cambridge California Cellars strive to produce wines that embody the designations from where they are grown.  Their “Limited” wines represent those rare, exceptional lots from distinguished appellations throughout California’s wine country.  The Syrah Grenache is sourced from Dry Creek Valley, specifically the Simpson Vineyard that sits on the northern end with a cooler climate.  Situated between the Russian River and Lake Sonoma, the vines are well-irrigated and produce ripe, plump styles of wine.  Most known for growing exceptional Zinfandel, Dry Creek has expanded its reputation over the years and is now growing excellent Rhone and Bordeaux varietals.

DougFrost“Syrah and Grenache, these two grapes play well together. Grenache for its raspberry, white pepper and mint notes and Syrah for its more brooding black pepper along with darker fruits like cherry and plum. This is just tannic enough to ask for food to accompany it.” – Doug Frost, MS, MW


Winemaker: Douglas Danielak
Appellation: Sonoma County, California
Varietal Blend:  60% Syrah, 40% Grenache
Analysis: 15.9% alcohol / volume

Crab Cakes with Curry Aioli

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Sauvignon Blanc is a great pairing for seafood, but because it is still cold outside, we wanted something comforting that could easily be whipped up during the work week. The curry aioli adds a nice heat element to this dish and highlights the brightness of this wine.

crab-cakes-recipeINGREDIENTS:

• 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
•  ¾ cup mayonnaise
•  2 tablespoons crème fraiche
•  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
•  1 tablespoon snipped chives
•  1 tablespoon minced parsley
•  1 tablespoon minced tarragon
•  1 cup panko bread crumbs
•  1 pound lump crab
•  ½ cup canola oil
•  1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar
•  Salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a bowl, whisk ½ cup of the mayonnaise with ¼ teaspoon Madras curry powder. Let chill.

In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining mayonnaise with crème fraiche, lemon juice, chives, parsley, and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the crab, form into 4 patties and coat with the panko. Transfer crab cakes to a lightly oiled baking sheet and let chill.

Preheat the broiler and position a rack 8 inches from the heat. Drizzle the crab cakes with 2 tablespoons of oil and broil for about 12 minutes or until golden and crisp (ok to turn once). Transfer to plates and drizzle with curry aioli.  Add a lightly dressed arugula salad if desired.   Recipe courtesy of Food & Wine magazine.

Limited_SB13_BottleshotSilky_StickerLIMITED CAMBRIDGE CELLARS
SAUVIGNON BLANC
DRY CREEK VALLEY, CA

Cambridge Cellars strives to produce wines that embody the designations from where they are grown. Their  “LIMITED” wines represent those rare, exception lots from distinguished appellations throughout California’s wine country.  Dry Creek Valley is anchored in by two distinct areas of water – Lake Sonoma to the north and the Russian River to the south.  Sauvignon Blanc is the standout white varietal as it thrives in moderate conditions that are neither too cool nor too warm. Dry Creek is blessed with a steady fog in the morning coming in from the San Francisco Bay and by afternoon temperatures are warm and dry, allowing the Sauvignon Blanc grape to reach maximum potential.

Douglas-Danielak-winemakerDOUGLAS DANIELAK, WINEMAKER

“Our Limited is a beautiful example of crisp, ripe and fresh Sauvignon Blanc. Bright fruit notes of pink grapefruit, peach and apple open on the palate, with vibrant acidity and a rich mouth-feel through the finish. ”

 VARIETAL: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
APPELLATION: Dry Creek Valley, California
ANALYSIS: 13.2% alc/volume

FEATURED WINE CLUB WINE: January 2015