Chardonnay-the Lynmar Way!

I couldn't wait to get to the Chardonnay grape so I could share with you my fascination for a very special winery in California. A couple of years ago I discovered Lynmar Estates, Quail Hill Vineyards in the Laguna Ridge area of Russian River Valley in Sonoma County. My darling friend, Allison and I were "touring" the wine country and accidently discovered Lynmar. Last weekend, while I was attending the Women For WineSense Grand Event in Napa, I had the opportunity to visit Lynmar with Virginia, one of the 20 women from Dallas attending the weekend's events. I could blog for hours on Lynmar and its incredible views and culinary and sensory gardens, but this blog is about the grape....the Chardonnay grape. According to Leslie Sbrocco in Wine for Women, " it's the number-one-selling white in America, and 'I'll have the Chardonnay' has become a national motto. It takes on the character and complexity depending upon where the grapes are grown and who turns them into wine. With an estimated 700 different Chardonnay bottlings on store shelves at any given time." Now, for Lynmar's Chardonnay! I sipped a glass of a 2007 Lynmar Quail Hill Vineyard Chardonnay, a beautifully balanced wine with hints of lemon curd, lemon meringue and green apple. Did I mention that their wines have been served at the White House? Do you remember at the beginning of my blog journey when I referred to Tyler Coleman's definition of "context"? "Context is wildly underrated when it comes to enjoying wine. Where we are, whom we're with, what time of year it is, what we are eating, when in the wine's life-and ours-we are drinking it, and even how we are drinking in all influences our perception of wine." At Lynmar, I enjoyed a delicious glass of chardonnay surrounded by breathtaking views of the vineyards and gardens and laughter with new found friends. Anyone ready to return to Lynmar with me?

Charbono

I was pleasantly surprised when my son sent me a bottle of Mount St. Helena Heritage Sites 2005 Red Wine from the California Gamble Family Vineyards. The wine was a blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Charbano, and Petite Sirah grapes. Charbano (shar-BOH-noh) is a red grape grown in Napa Valley and Mendicino County. I shared a glass with Meredith and she commented " after one sniff of the wine, all of the stress of the week is gone!" Words that come to mind...plush velvet, plummy fruit, soft, friendly tannins. A wine that caresses your senses~

Dinner at Julie's

One of my favorite dining spots is at my dear friend Julie's home. Not only is she an incredible cook but great wine and colorful conversations always flow. I never pass up an invitation to her house! She is always so good at last minute get-togethers and one particular night she called and invited me to join her for an evening of wine and cannelloni. I was out the door before we could hang up the phone! Julie, Hal and I began the evening by sipping a 2007 Chateau Millegrand Mourral while munching on a very tasty Coastal English white cheddar cheese. This delightful wine is a blend of 3 grapes that are handpicked from 60 year old vines in the Minervois appellation of France; 20% Grenache, 40% Carignan and 40% Syrah. I loved its aromas of dark ripe fruits, spices, herbs and a hint of licorice.

Over dinner we enjoyed a bottle of an Italian 2007 Antica Vigna which is a blend of these grapes: 50% Negroamaro, 30% Lambrusco and 20% Anglianico. The deep flavors of the wine are a result of the age of the vines -50 years (I try to remind myself that aging can be a good thing). This richly flavored wine was the "ticket" when served with Julie's sister-in-law's mouthwatering cannelloni recipe and a green salad tossed with Girard Champagne dressing. I can't begin to describe the magic of these food and wine combinations and then to top it off, Julie served a lemon cheese cake with raspberries. Can it get any better? What a delicious evening-did I mention that Julie wore a red hair piece? Stay tuned for more "richly flavored" evenings!

Canaiolo

So far the "C" grapes in this journey have been blends in some really delicious red wines. The next "C" grape, Canaiolo (kah-nah-YAW-loh) is an Italian red grape found in the Italian regions of Tuscany, Umbria, Latium, Marche and Emila-Romagna. Its official name is Canaiolo Nero. It's traditionally part of the blend of Chianti but less than 10%. The wine that I chose to explore this grape was a bottle of Querciavalle Chianti Classico 2005 that I found at Jimmy's. I served the wine to Meredith and my niece, Devon with a large platter of Mama's meatballs (from Jimmy's), pasta and an Italian cream cake. Heaven!! The wine had such a beautiful floral aroma, that both Meredith and Devon commented that it would make a great perfume. It was light, fruity and very refreshing. We even paired it with two different cheeses, a blue cheese and Drunken Goat (both from Whole Foods Market). The blue cheese overpowered the wine and the wine brought out the flavors of the drunken goat. We were amazed at how much the wine enhanced the oregano spice in the meatballs and was the perfect match to the Italian cream cake. Since we all agreed that this wine was a keeper, I ran back to Jimmy's to pick up a bottle for Devon's birthday.

Three C's

Cabernet Franc (KA-behr-nay FRAHN), Cabernet Sauvignon (KA-behr-nay soh-vihn-YOHN), and Carmenere ( car-men-EHR) are 3 of 4 grapes that make up this spectacular bottle of wine from Colchagua Valley in Chile. I found this bottle of wine while I was visiting my friends, Linda and Jim's wine store, Corner Wines in Plano. Estampa Gold 2007 is a blend of 60% Carmenere, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. The rich jeweled color of the wine, heavenly aroma and smooth and balanced flavors have moved this wine up to the top of my "keeper" list. My daughter Meredith and I decided to enjoy this wine with a plate of olives and two delicious cheeses, Manchego El Trigal (sheep's milk) and Seaside Cheddar (cow's milk). Wow! Corner Wines is closed for the evening but I can't wait to call Linda tomorrow and "brag" on her great selections of wines and of course to ask her to put back a couple of bottles of Estampa for me~

Bonarda and Bourboulenc

Another trip to Jimmy's ( http://www.jimmysfoodstore.com/) and with the assistance of Alfonso, I purchased a bottle of Marchese Adorno Oltreò Pavese Bonarda with the grape Bonarda. This Italian red wine had an aroma of dark cherries, was slightly effervescent and reminded my niece, Devon of bubbly cherry Robitussin poprocks. Devon and Meredith, who joined me in tasting the wine, both agreed with the description on the back of the label-"Vigorous Personality"!

The next grape variety in our tasting was Bourboulenc (boor-boo-LAHNK), an important white grape of Côtes du Rhône, France. We explored this grape in a 2008 La Vieille Ferme white wine that is a blend of Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Ugni Blanc and Roussanne grapes. I was pleasantly surprised at the great value of this light, fruity and "easy to drink" wine, less than $8.00. Dinner was a hit as I paired the wine with a whole chicken, fresh herbs and vegetables baked in a Romertopf clay pot. How wonderful to be able to taste one wine and cross off 4 grape varieties from my A-Z list.

Blaufränkisch

Blaufränkisch (blouw-FRAHN-keesh) is a red grape variety grown throughout Austria, Germany and Central Europe. In Germany it is known as Blauer Limberger, in Hungary it is called Kékfrankos, in Slovakia and Croatia it is known as Frankovka and it is called Game in Bulgaria. I explored this grape in a bottle of 2006 Prieler Blaufränkisch Johannishohe from Burgenland, Austria. Since this was one of the many grapes that had not crossed my radar, I was very surprised with how much I enjoyed the wine especially when served with a cheesy vegetable lasagna with loads of mushrooms, spinach and eggplant while watching Sawyer fight the Black Smoke Monster on "Lost". Now, any suggestions on what wine to sip while watching Jack and Renee on "24"?