Alexander Valley Vineyards

Posted on April 13, 2015 by WineStyles Tasting Station

May Winery Spotlight
Tasting Event
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Alexander Valley Vineyards
Sonoma, California

Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley was mostly prune orchards and pastures when, in 1962, Maggie and Harry Wetzel purchased a large portion of a homestead built by Cyrus Alexander, the valley’s nineteenth century namesake. Here, in a rural community of family farms and ranches, the Wetzel family settled. They raised livestock, cultivated bountiful gardens and restored Alexander’s original home, making it the center of family life.

With an eye to their neighbors in nearby Napa Valley, the Wetzels boldly planted premium grape varieties, among the first in the area. Then the family built a small winery and Hank Wetzel, oldest son of Maggie and Harry, produced Alexander Valley Vineyard’s first wine in 1975. His wife Linda set up the books and managed the winery office. AVV quickly established a reputation for estate grown wines with distinctive varietal character. Acclaimed for luscious Chardonnay and elegant Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley Vineyards brought recognition to the appellation and became a leading winery in Sonoma County.

Today the Alexander Valley is a prominent appellation known worldwide as the source of rich, age worthy wines. As the twenty-first century begins, the Wetzel Family Estate grows fourteen grape varieties, on diverse sites stretching from the banks of the Russian River up onto the hillsides. Each grape variety is matched to a specific soil type and exposure. Vineyard Manager Mark Houser and Winemaker Kevin Hall work as a team to maximize fruit flavor in the vineyard and to create balanced wines that capture the grapes’ varietal characteristics.

Linda and Hank Wetzel

2015 marks the family’s 53rd year on the historic property and will be the winery’s 41st vintage. The 3rd generation of the Wetzel Family produces award winning wines that are sold throughout the United States and was voted Sonoma’s Best Winery in 2011 by Bay Area wine lovers. Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot constitute over one-half of total production. Other varietals include Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. Proprietary wines include CYRUS, their limited production Bordeaux style blend, Gewurz, and trio of Zins: Temptation Zinfandel, Redemption Zinfandel and Sin Zin, their voluptuous Alexander Valley Zinfandel.

Please join us for a Winery Spotlight tasting, featuring AVV wines.

ALEXANDER VALLEY VINEYARDS:

Estate Chardonnay
Estate Cabernet
Estate Merlot
Pinot Noir
Cyrus

LIMITED SEATING
Contact your local WineStyles to RSVP!

Orange and Spiced Glazed Pork Belly

Posted on January 1, 2015 by WineStyles Tasting Station

We like to keep the holiday spirit going well into winter. This recipe is comforting, warm and rich in spices and flavor. Napa Valley Syrah is dense, bold and full of character and it requires a dish with power to stand up to the complexity and strength. We like this recipe because it makes for a great shared Sunday dinner with family and friends.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• ½ cup coarse salt
• ½ light brown sugar
• 1 (3 pound) pork belly
• Zest 1 orange
• 1 ¼ cups fresh squeezed orange juice
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or agave nectar
• 2 cups chicken stock

DIRECTIONS:

In a small skillet over medium heat, toast cumin seeds. Remove from skillet and finely grind. Transfer to mixing bowl and add black pepper, salt and sugar. Remove two tablespoons of the mixture and set aside for the glaze.

Rub remaining spice mixture all over the pork belly. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

In a small sauce pan, combine the reserve spice mix, orange zest, ¼ cup OJ, cinnamon sticks and maple syrup. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and set aside (takes about 5 min).

Preheat oven to 300°F. Remove pork belly from refrigerator and rinse off spice mixture; pat dry with paper towels. Add remaining 1 cup OJ and chicken stock to roasting pan. Place over medium-high heat and cook until liquid comes to a simmer. Add pork, fat side up, to roasting pan. Transfer to the oven and cook until meat is tender (about 2-2 ½ hours).

Increase oven temperate to 425°F. Cook pork belly until skin is brown and crisp. Baste with reserve glaze every 10 minutes. Remove pork from roasting pan and transfer to cutting board; let it stand for 10 min before slicing. Recipe inspired by Martha Stewart.

Tierra y Mar Syrah
Page-Nord Vineyard
Napa Valley, California

Tierra y Mar translates to Earth and Sea, a nod to the special relationship between land and water. At Tierra y Mar, they produce wines that are the ultimate expression of nature’s balance and harmony, allowing the wines to speak for themselves as they are the unique creation of the grape, soil, water and climate of where they are grown.

This Syrah is produced from vineyards in select parts of Napa Valley. Soils are predominately gravelly silt loams, which generally contain more nutrients and moisture that allows for better infiltration of water. Napa Valley is also blessed with a cool morning fog that rolls in from the San Francisco Bay, keeping temperatures moderate and afternoons warm and dry. A long, steady growing season with ample sun and moderate temperatures gave winemakers the gift of picking what they wanted at complete ripeness.

Douglas Danielak, Winemaker

“This Syrah is indicative of that, with classic aromas of plum, raspberry, blueberry and clove on the palate. A bold mouth-feel exhibiting grippy tannins, with juicy red and dark fruit balancing the spice notes and deep texture of this wine.”

VARIETAL: 100% Syrah
APPELLATION: Napa Valley, California
ANALYSIS: 14.4% alc/vol

FEATURED WINE CLUB WINE: JANUARY 2015

Semillon Chicken

Posted on July 31, 2014 by WineStyles Tasting Station

INGREDIENTS:
• 4 chicken breasts (boneless, with or without skin)
• 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic
• Black pepper
• 2+ cups Steele Canyon Cellars Semillon

DIRECTIONS:Rinse chicken breasts and place in a plastic container. Add garlic cloves, pepper to taste, juice from 1/2 lemon and enough wine to cover. Cover tightly and marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Remove, drain the chicken, sprinkle lightly with lemon juice and grill over a medium fire until done; can also be baked at 375°F in the oven. Serve warm with Steele Canyon Semillon as an entrée or sandwich filling. Recipe compliments of Steele Canyon Cellars.

Steele Canyon Cellars
Semillon
Napa Valley, CA

Steele Canyon Cellars is located in the rolling, heavily wooded hills of eastern Napa, just south of Lake Berryessa. This 2012 release is Steele Canyon Cellar’s first Napa Valley Semillon. It was hand harvested in small baskets from the Silverado Trail vineyard on October 23, 2013 at 23.7 brix. The fruit was rushed to the winery to start a long, cool fermentation using QA 23 yeast. After fermentation, the wine was divided into two parts, one aged in stainless steel and the other in second vintage French oak barrels in Steele Canyon Cellar’s aging cave. This is an appealing white wine alternative to pour before meals, or serve with baked chicken or roasted turkey.

Winemaker: Paul Scotto
Appellation: Silverado Trail, Napa Valley, CA
Varietal Blend: 100% Semillon
Analysis: 13.5% alc/volume

Bittersweet Chocolate Bing Cherry Brownies

Posted on July 30, 2014 by WineStyles Tasting Station

INGREDIENTS:
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup flour
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup Bing cherries, pitted and quartered

DIRECTIONS:Whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and sugar until smooth. Slowly melt the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler. Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture and whisk until incorporated. Sift together the flour and cocoa and fold into the mixture. Fold in the cherries. Spread the batter into a parchment-lined 8-inch square pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until just done. Let cool in the pan and cut into 2-inch squares. Makes 16 brownies

Steele Canyon Cellars
Pinot Noir
Napa Valley, California

Steele Canyon Cellars is located in the rolling, heavily wooded hills of eastern Napa, just south of Lake Berryessa. It was originally constructed as a custom crush facility to ferment and age small lots of artisan wine made from the local vineyards. The Scotto Family discovered the property in 2010 during their search for a Napa winery where they could produce limited release, hand crafted Napa wines. Several months later, they also acquired the rights to all of the harvest from a nearby vineyard on the Silverado Trail, giving them the facility and the premium fruit required for their Napa releases.

Winemaker: Paul Scotto
Appellation: Napa Valley, California
Varietal Blend: 94% Pinot Noir, 6% Syrah
Analysis: 13.0% alc/vol

Cambridge Meritage Pairing Recipe

Posted on February 26, 2014 by WineStyles Tasting Station

Cheese & Tomato Gallette

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pack Chevre goat cheese
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 square (9×9 inch) frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a food processor, combine together cheese, cream, and butter. Place puff pastry on floured surface, cut off corners to form a circle. Roll out dough into a 12-inch circle. Spread cheese mixture leaving a 2-inch border of pastry around the edge. Lay tomato over cheese, sprinkle with thyme and Lemon Pepper. Fold dough edge over toppings, crimping edge to form circular shape. Bake in preheated 375°F oven until pastry is lightly browned, about 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm, sliced in wedges.

Cambridge
Meritage
Napa Valley, CA

“Hints of juicy candied cherry, scraped vanilla bean pod and black raspberry on the nose. A blend of American and French oak adds spicy notes while raspberry, chocolate and pomegranate splash across the palate. ” – Douglas Danielak, winemaker.

Winemaker: Douglas Danielak
Appellation: Napa Valley, CA
Varietal Blend: 87% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon
Analysis: 13.8% alc/vol

Reserve Your Seat Early!

Posted on October 7, 2013 by WineStyles Tasting Station

Caymus Vineyards Portfolio Tasting Event

Call your participating WineStyles to RSVP, limited seating available!

Please join us to taste amazing wines from Caymus Vineyards, Napa Valley California. The Wagners produced their first vintage in 1972, consisting of 240 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon. Since then, Caymus has focused their efforts in the production of quality Cabernet Sauvignon. Today’s production is 65,000 cases and still family owned.

CAYMUS VINEYARDS:
In 1971 Charles F. (Charlie) Wagner and his wife Lorna Belle Glos Wagner asked their son Charles J. (Chuck) Wagner, who had just graduated from high school, if he would be interested in joining them in starting up a winery. If Chuck declined the offer, Charlie and Lorna were planning to sell out of their ranch in Napa Valley and move to Australia. Chuck accepted his parents’ offer to launch the winery, Caymus Vineyards. The Wagners took the name Caymus from the Mexican land grant known as Rancho Caymus, given to George Yount in 1836, which encompassed what eventually became the town of Rutherford and much of the surrounding area.

Caymus Vineyards remains 100% family-owned by the Wagners. Charlie, Lorna Belle, and Chuck worked together as a remarkable team for over 30 years building Caymus Cabernet. Today, Chuck, his two sons, Charlie and Joe, and one daughter, Jenny, have joined the family team. Farming grapes remain the priority with the family, farming about 350 acres of choice Napa Valley land.

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Alexander Valley Vineyards

May Winery Spotlight
Tasting Event
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