Next we opened the 2009 Pinot Noir and dug into Janice’s boysenberry baked brie along with a strawberry salad containing feta cheese, almonds and poppy seeds. The fruits in the dishes made this Pinot pop! Everyone is not a Pinot fan, I get it; but when it came to this Pinot and this pairing, everyone was a fan! Jessup really outdid themselves with this wine, if you haven’t tried it already you seriously need to get your hands on a bottle.

The main feature for the night (as if we hadn’t had enough awesomeness already) was Jessup’s latest 2009 Table for Four. As most of you may know, this is Jessup’s flagship blend. This was also the first time I had tried their 2009 blend and wow is it amazing! As opposed to the 2008 blend, it’s got a much darker color and a bit more tannins. It reminds me a lot of the Juel blend in that sense, but the taste is most certainly not the same. We paired this with my Mom’s chicken pasta in a tomato cream sauce and of course some garlic bread on the side. I could have this over and over and over!

For the final pairing, we broke out the 2007 Zinfandel Port and served some homemade chocolate pudding pies and a raspberry tart. Every time I have one of Jessup’s ports, I fall in love all over again. When you finish a bit of dessert with a sip of this port, the raspberry and chocolate flavors almost explode in your mouth. The port has that sweet chocolate dessert characteristic already, so when you add in a rich chocolaty food, you get a dessert worth remembering!

What a way to wrap up the night and alas, my final Jessup tasting! We let the last couple pairings linger on everyone’s pallet and for the next hour or two everyone mingled, laughed and had a great time. I’ve never seen a bunch of jollier folks in my life! It was at this tasting that I realized how much this ambassadorship helped me to grow, not only in my knowledge of wine, but in my appreciation for its ability to glue people together.

From the people who make it to the people who drink it, wine contains a friendship energy that no other beverage possesses. The infinite number of flavors it produces creates a unique and happy experience that I have not seen with anything else. I don’t know about you, but when I take the first sip of a great wine matched with some great food and friends, the only thing I can do is smile. I think that’s why every person I’ve ever met at Jessup feels like a great friend even with just a few minutes of talking. The wine that Jessup makes not only tastes like a dream, but it’s somehow infused with this friendship energy in the most potent state. The greatest wine I’ve ever tasted has been shared with friends.

I can’t thank Jessup Cellars enough for this opportunity to be one of their Ambassadors and given the option, I would do it all over again. Thank you Jessup! And if you’ve gotten all the way down to the end of this blog (and I hope you have), thank you very much for supporting my journey! It’s been an experience of a lifetime that I won’t soon forget and I hope you’ve enjoyed my blogs as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them. Keep enjoying and exploring wine, it only gets better with age. Adieu.

Before our guests arrived, we put the Sauvignon Blanc in the fridge to be chilled and started prepping the food. Janice put herself hard at work on her delicious homemade boysenberry baked brie and I prepped the vegetables and cheese. Our house is a bit small so to fit a party of 6 we had to turn our little kitchen into a dining room as well. Needless to say, it was cozy.

Once our guests arrived we cracked open the perfectly chilled Sauvignon Blanc and gave my friends their first ever tasting of my favorite winery. Their reactions were nothing less than expected. The Sauvignon Blanc is light, fruity and crisp which was a great combo with the snapeas, the baked brie, and the mozzerela cheese rolls. One of my friends said it was the best Sauvignon Blanc they’ve ever had and of course I couldn’t agree more. It’s the type of wine and makes everyone feel refreshed and happy; basically the perfect opening to a great party.

Once everyone had settled in and the appetizers had all been tasted, I threw our peppercorn marinated ribeye steaks on the grill. We opened up the Manny’s Blend as a bridge from the fruity sauvignon blanc and to our main feature, the cabernet. Manny’s Blend is such a fun wine! It’s got that sweet berry flavor, which turned out to be the perfect pairing to Janice’s boysenberry baked brie. Seriously a match made in heaven!

When the steaks were done we served them with some mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus (a classic!). The pairing for this one was my all time favorite; Jessup’s Cabernet Sauvignon. The peppercorn steak and the cabernet were a taste of bliss. The flavors of the char-grilled peppercorn steaks matched perfectly with the tannins from the cabernet. I don’t know about you, but in my honest opinion nothing beats a nicely grilled steak matched with a perfect wine.

To wrap up the evening (and truly make our bellys burst) we had french vanilla ice cream and home made brownies! To pair with this decadent chocolate treat, Jessup provided us with their 2007 Zinfandel Port. Let me tell you, nothing goes better with chocolate than a Jessup port. The two are a perfect match and it was definitely the perfect way to end a great meal.

That’s all for now folks! Thanks for all of your patience, I know my fans have been waiting! Did you like the pairings? Want a recipe? Leave a comment and let me know!

I will always say that getting together with people, breaking bread and sipping wine is what life is all about.

Of course when Jessup Cellars selections are involved; let’s just say it doesn’t get much better than that!

Our evening began with a structured tasting. To start with we served the exceptional “Red Drinker’s White Wine,” also known as Jessup’s absolutely stunning 2010 Chardonnay. We had a few “red wine only” drinkers in attendance and easily made converts out of them after their first sip! I have said it before and I’ll say it again…don’t miss this one!

Next, we swirled the newly released 09 Zinfandel which performed flawlessly.

Then off to the 08 Yolo Petit Sirah (which never disappoints). It is so big and inky…the smokiness in this wine is captivating…

The 08 Table for Four, as I have stated before, is always a knockout. A truly charismatic offering that is a hands down winner every time! Perfectly balanced with very well rounded edges.

Then came the curve ball; Manny’s Blend. In my prior tastings I have never introduced the Manny’s Blend. It was perfect timing I guess because the 08 Manny’s Blend wowed our guests! While this offering is mostly dry, it has a slight bit of residual sugar that gives it a distinctive “jamminess.” Even thought this wine made a short appearance, it was the discussion point for most of the remainder of the evening.

On to appetizers!

First out were Vegetable Stuffed Mushrooms that were delightfully paired with the 2010 Chardonnay followed by Eggplant & Tomato Bites paired with the 09 Zinfandel as was the Bruschetta.

Then came the sit down…Citrus Vinaigrette Green Salad followed by our main course of masterfully prepared Stuffed Flank Steak complemented with Potato, Speck and Leek Parcels and Pancetta-Wrapped Asparagus with Citronette.

The Chardonnay was paired with the salad course and Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus. We paired the Table for Four and Petit Sirah with the Stuffed Flank Steak and Potato, Speck and Leek Parcels.

Every dish we had up to this point with each wine pairing was truly top shelf.

As if it couldn’t get any better…dessert was the final chapter and OMG!!!!!!

The very best home-made Crème Brule EVER!!!! Impeccably prepared in every way and to every degree. Paired spectacularly with the Jessup 06 Zinfandel Port.

Accompanying this dessert course was also a light chocolate mousse Swiss Roll with dark Chocolate Ganache.

A big shout out to “Chef Dan” and Diana Pelletier for hosting at their home and for all the fantastic food prepared by the attendees. And a special thanks to Phil for the most amazing Crème Brule (which we are all still talking about).

This evening could not have happened without Jessup Cellars and their absolutely beautiful wines and excellent pairings throughout.

My close friends have been referring to me these last 9 months as Mr. Ambassador (etc)…I’m starting to think I will miss that a little as my Jessup Ambassadorship has come to an end. I’ve enjoyed writing and communicating to you all over the past moths. Who knows, maybe I will get invited back for another go round in the not too distant future…never can say goodbye!

But until then always remember to get out there and go wine tasting!!!!!!

CHEERS!

Certainly not our last wine dinner, these are too much fun!!!!!

But back to the tasting – It was my friend Em’s idea to tap into her pop’s social circle and bring some Jessup to local Minneapolians.  It was an intriguing idea… I did want to expand beyond my own network but also wanted a captive audience and good company.  The 411 on Mark Poindexter {aka Em’s pops} :: wine appreciator + well-connected to many different types of people + loves to throw a party.  My kinda guy.  I couldn’t wait to meet him.

We had our unofficial meet + greet | slash | planning dinner a few weeks back at Broder’s Pasta Bar {a Twin Cities gem with drool-worth handmade pasta} where of course, Mark knew the manager and got us some VIP treatment from the sommelier {cha-chung!  1 point}.  Over our spread of bruschetta, roasted garlic bulbs {best stuff ever}, and pasta, I learned that Mark was a grazer {cha-chung!  I am all about grazing… points for liking a li’l of this and a li’l of that}, actually had some common connections with me {cha-chung!  points for making me feel like I have a legitimate Minneapolis network}, and knew a Jessup wine club member {cha-chung!  yesss…. Love discovering local Jessup lovers!}.  He didn’t need to do much to convince me that he + his wife Terri would be able to host one heck of a tasting.

We settled on a date and started working on our wine + pairing list.  Being the grazers that we are, we nixed a coursed dinner in favor for something more casual, free-spirited, and conducive to nibbling.  The idea was to just get a smattering of perfect pairings laid out so people could drink, mingle, taste, and chillax.

Mark had an idea of who he’d be inviting and knew we’d have a variety of palettes – we decided to start with white, pick a few reds to linger over, and finish with Port.  I knew that the Poindexters weren’t big on Chards and had already loved the Jessup Sauv Blanc, but I wanted to be risky and bring the Chardonnay anyway.  I’m not going to lie, part of it was a selfish pull b/c I really just wanted to taste some Jessup Chard – it had been a long time and that thing is delicious.  Let’s face it – it’s the anti-Chard Chard.  And you know what?  It was a hit.  Its atypical tropical fruit notes and characteristic smooth, full body were complimented with ricotta + honey crostini, pears + brie, fresh oysters, and fruit + nut salad.  I’m seriously drooling right now reminiscing this…

On the road to Port, we tasted our way through the Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Table For Four.  There wasn’t much talk on the Petite Sirah, but it was definitely my favorite pour {more like pourssss b/c this was a big repeat for me} of the night.  I forgot how jammy and big that wine is – it almost made the Cab seem a little timid… switching back and forth between the two was interesting b/c each time the Petite Sirah just got BIGGER.  Something about it was large + in charge and I loved it.  Especially with the olives, tapenade, funky cheese, and stuffed mushrooms that Mark + Terri prepared.

The big debate of the night though was between TF4 and the Cab.  Most of the guests had heard of Table for Four prior to the tasting and was eager to try it – the response was unanimously in favor of the Bordeaux blend, but people were just as enthused about the Cab.  Those two were the big hits of the night and helped round out the rest of the grazing assortment ::  mini quiches, pork tenderloin, sharp cheeses, soft cheeses, charcuterie, baguettes, crackers, chocolates.  Perfection.

Only the true party animals made it through the night to the Port – but it was worth the wait and ended the night on a sweet note.  Salted caramels + bittersweet chocolate ganache mini cupcakes {made especially for this tasting by this talented baker} was the perfect ending for the delicious evening.

I’m not gonna lie… The Poindexters know how to throw a party.  Thank you Mark + Terri for opening up your beautiful home {with the coolest basement ever!} and sharing your friends + family + neighbors with me.  I hope you and your guests enjoyed our Jessup rendezvous ~ I know I did!

*Xo ::

Jess

Get out there and taste wine people!!!!!!
What do I mean? Well, I believe people need to taste more wine.  Shortly after getting into wine many years ago, a known winemaker shared the secret to a good palate with me.  He advised that I TASTE, TASTE, TASTE.  Like anything, to get good requires lots of practice – or just doing.

Whenever possible, taste wine.  Go to wine bars, attend tastings, get together with friends and open several bottles, or just get together with a loved one and pop the cork on something special.

And most importantly…form your own opinions about wine.  Stop looking at scores, reading tasting notes, asking wine store clerks or choosing a bottle based on the label. Sure wine critics are useful.  But all these critics know is what appeals to THEM…what wines THEY like…they have no idea if YOU will like the wine or not. Try to find stores offering tastings and taste the wine before you buy it…it is the best way to ensure you will love your wine!

Ohhh…one more thing – wine should be fun…remember not to take it TOO seriously!

I learned a TON being involved with the Jessup Cellars Ambassador program and I will continue to learn (and enjoy) thanks to this relationship. As we prepare for the final Jessup Cellars Wine Tasting and Dinner (as an Ambassador), I reflect back to our very first event. We had some of our closest friends who assisted in preparing a phenomenal menu to pair with Jessup Cellars’ most amazing wines. The result was enlightening and educational.

When foods are paired with perfection to flavors, the end result can be an incredible experience…and in this case it absolutely did not disappoint.

In a about a week’s time from now I will share in our last “arranged” Jessup Cellars Wine Tasting and Dinner as an official Ambassador. With that, there is a bit of sadness as I have truly enjoyed the experience from the start. It has been both fulfilling and informative. Met many new people along the way and have enjoyed every second of it! The Jessup Family has opened their arms to their new extended family and for this I am personally grateful. I will appreciate our relationship for many years to come.

As stated in my 2011 year-ending Blog, I have joined Jessup Cellars’ Wine Club going forward and look forward to receiving my first shipment in March; tasting the new wines then stocking up on all my favorites to enjoy year round.

I learned the 2010 vintage of Jessup Cellars Chardonnay has just been released so we are looking forward to that as we missed out on stocking up on the AMAZING 09, which was one of those “WOW” wines.

“He who hesitates is lost…” (Not this time!)

As the menu is prepared for our final installment, wines selected and properly paired to flavors of the dinner, there is an excitement that accompanies this preparation (at least for me). It may be my finishing touch as an official Jessup Cellars Ambassador but certainly will NOT be the last.

(This is just too much fun!)

Taste wine and taste often!

Happy Wine Tasting!

Cheers!

*Sigh*  I swore I’d be better about blogging… but then, I missed  my week and frankly, was embarrassed that I’ve become such a bad multi-tasker.  I mean, really… how hard is it to whip up a few words about my vino adventures on a bi-weekly basis?  Especially for someone like ME… who is an incessant chatterbox by nature… you’d think that tapping away at a keyboard in a stream of consciousness would be easy therapy…

Regardless, I lagged again.  And again, I do my Joey Tribbiani finger quotes, “I’m saaawwwrreeee”.  Sad face. {if you need on refresher on Joey… click here}

Well, I only have a few posts left – it’s all coming to an end… I’m going to miss this outlet of blogging… Maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll share my Pinterest boards with you and you can follow my vino adventures in the form of pictures vs words.

This weekend {as in, this upcoming weekend… which some people might consider “next weekend”… but I feel like it’s correct to say “this coming weekend”…} will be my FINAL Jessup tasting. *Gasp*  SAD DAY.  It really is all coming to an end!

I wanted to do something a little different – my bschool friends and Tar-jay chums all know me well enough now to :: 1) know that quality time with me = quality time with vino… and 2) know how delicious and drool-worthy Jessup wine is.  It’s time to expand my horizons and reach into the pockets of my social network to introduce new people to the wonderful world of Jessup!

Turns out, my friend’s father is quite the vino lover and has a solid collection of all sorts of great bottles – young + old, near + far… and lo and behold, there was a bottle of Jessup Sauvignon Blanc chillin’ in his house.  And turns out, his next-door neighbor is a Jessup wine club member and keeps close tabs on the Napa community.  So this weekend, I’ll be bringing Jessup to Casa de Poindexter to do my final tasting in the company of my MN bestie Kaitlyn, my chum Emilie, her awesome parents, and their awesome friends.

The menu is in the works, but during our planning dinner I noticed one thing that Mark {aka Em’s pops} + I have in common :: we love to graze.  Small bites of everything + tasty vino = best. meal. ever.  So we’re forgoing a fancy pants coursed dinner and just going with really delicious, perfect pairings.  A little of this, a little of that.  Mmmmm-hmmm.

I’ll leave the rest of the deets for my recap but here’s all you need to know b/t now + then ::

• This Saturday, 7pm-ish … it’s on like Donkey Kong…
• Casa de Poindexter w/ the Poindexter entourage
• Chard | Petite Sirah | Cab Sauv | Table for Four | Zin Port –> amazing line-up, I know….
• There will be truffle involved.

Til then… I’ll leave you with my current obsessions ::

• Comique Revolution Blanc :: Cut the fluff, yo.  Or, at least that’s what the bottle says.  At under five bones a pop, this stuff is legit.  A little lighter in body than I prefer… but tasty none the less.  Peach | Honey | Apple… it’s like a Viognier w/ a Pinot Grigio body.  I like it as dessert…
• www.tastingtable.com :: not that I even need any more blogs or daily email updates to follow, but I really do love this recent find.  Food culture daily, indeed.  Now, if only they can get an Minne version going… our restaurant scene is poppin’ enough to get some national blog attention.  Sheesh.
• Vincent’s :: Speaking of Minneapolis eats, Vincent’s is a fave.  It’s across from my office and on the way towards my car, so it’s location is dangerous enough.  But then you tack on their $4 vino HH {and we’re not talking Ecco Domani Pinot… they serve legit French delights by the glass} + the best fresh baked bread on Nicollet Ave {perfect for soaking up olive juice!} + friendly bar staff and you have something called a bad habit that is just so so good.

Um… bt-dubs, I’m not proof-reading this one.  Don’t tell me about any typos, I’ll die of embarrassment.  Ignorance is bliss.  Just write me comments on how much you’ll miss my posts when I retire my bloggerdom.

Xo.

Jess

Usually I travel in the morning, but my trip to Tampa brought me to Newark Airport in NJ (just outside of NYC) in the afternoon and I headed straight to Vino Volo.  Based in the San Francisco Bay area, this company is located in many major airports and they take their wine seriously.  Current airports include this massive list:

-          Baltimore (BWI)
-          Detroit (DTW)
-          New York (JFK)
-          Newark (EWR)
-          Oakland (OAK)
-          Orange County (SNA)
-          Philadelphia (PHL)
-          Sacramento (SMF)
-          San Antonio (SAT)
-          San Francisco (SFO)
-          Seattle (SEA)
-          Washington, DC (IAD)

Straight from their website, they describe their concept as:

“Vino Volo aims to revolutionize how people experience wine. Each store is a comfortable post-security retreat for air travelers, combining a cozy wine lounge, restaurant, and boutique wine shop. Vino Volo (derived from “wine flight” in Italian) offers wines from around the world by the glass, in tasting flights, and by the bottle for guests to take home or have shipped. Operating successfully in airports across the nation, Vino Volo is the only airport wine bar and wine retail concept with a depth of experience and a proven track record.” www.vinovolo.com

I found the bartender to be extremely knowledgeable and friendly; someone you can really discuss the qualities of wine with.  The menu offers small bites that are suggested to pair with white, red and sweet wines.  The wine list is extensive for an airport establishment, offering glasses or carefully arranged flights.  Each glass or flight is served with a helpful coaster indicating the wine, cost of a bottle, country of origin, winery, grape, year, tasting notes and suggested food pairings.  Very helpful if you want to pocket this and take it with you on your trip to remember later!

Even more helpful is the fact that you can purchase bottles to go.  Before you head out for a trip, invest in a bottle you know will be good for your hotel room or resort, don’t pay the expensive fees there!  They also produce small, airplane-size bottles to purchase individually.  Now, I thought I was told that you could bring these to drink on the airplane.  The flight attendant told me otherwise, so be careful!

All in all, at the airports listed above, a good wine experience is waiting out there for you.  Bon Voyage!

I never understood this idea, and am even more perplexed in realizing this is probably a fairly old thing. According to my sources, the heart-shaped cheese hails from France. The French are pretty traditional about their food, especially cheese, which leads me to believe this notion has been around for a while. I can only imagine, a century ago, a lonely French cheesemaker pining for the lovely maiden that frequents his cheese shop. Unable to summon the courage to tell her how he feels, he whips up a heart-shaped Camembert and presents it to her, hoping his intention is loud and clear. Ah, l’amour. I personally have never tried a heart-shaped cheese. But for those of you willing to take the plunge, there is plenty to chose from that would pair nicely with a glass of Jessup wine: Coeur de Berry, Coeur d’Arras, Coeur d’Avesnes and a few American versions as well. Remember, you can always get out your heart-shaped cookie cutter and take it to any cheese you like (maybe you’ll get points for being creative too).

There is still time to take advantage of the 
Valentine’s Day Gift Pack | Jessup Cellars!

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

CHEERS!

There are, however, a few gifts that might make my wine country life more complete if I were lucky enough to have that dream come true. Here are just a few items that would be on my wish list:

• Joe Montana’s House in Calistoga. So what if it’s $49 million? The photos are incredible and for that much money it must include hang-around time with Joe and a big crew to take out the garbage.

• A pass that allows me to cut to the front of the line at Taylor’s Refresher without anyone getting mad at me.

• Speed bumps on the road in front of my house. Warning signs of mudslides, oil spills or nails in the road might do the same thing; I am flexible.

• Delivery of pastries (including those English Muffins, yum!) every day from the Model Bakery. A cappuccino, too, while we are at it.

• An instant populated wine cellar. Easily accomplished if each winery in Napa sent me just one bottle care of this blog. I promise to try it and share with my friends and family.

• A magic stop light that, once activated, would allow me to stop all surrounding traffic in order to make left hand turns onto Highway 29.

• An exorbitant offer from someone who is just driving by our house and decides they want to buy it. Then we could have a family meeting so that we could respond with an emphatic, “No!”

• The miracle wine glass repair sphere. No matter how badly shattered or chipped the wine glass is, stick the pieces in and voilà; a new expensive-looking glass.

• Karma signs out in front of the house. Instead of saying, “No Winery this Lane” or “Tasting Hours 11-5,” the karma sign would tell potential visitors whether you feel like having them or not. The sign could flash, “Sorry, Not Today,” or “Lucky You, We are Here and Feel Like It, So Come On In!”

• Every winery selling out of all the wines that they want to sell.

OK, so this list is similar to one I compiled not long ago that included motorcycles, a case of La Tache DRC and a date with Sandra Bullock. Probably not going to happen. No, NOT going to happen and I am glad for it (well maybe not the DRC part).

We are all in our own special place and that is a daily gift.  Remember that when in Napa, you are in a place that people come from all over the world to experience the gifts the Valley has to offer.

All I want is time — time with my family and friends, time to spend in wine country, and the satisfaction that this is all I need.

Cheers!

Our first stop was to a winery I had never heard of before, Mi Sueño.  We were greeted by a laid back gentleman named Tom, who showed us around the winery, opened a couple bottles and shared some great stories with us.  My favorite at Mi Sueño would have to be their Chardonnay.  I’m not really a huge Chardonnay drinker, but this was delectable!  Check out their website for the complete description, they totally nailed it.  Fun fact, the Mi Sueño winery is literally around the corner from the Jessup Cellars winery!

Another stop we made was to the oh-so-famous Silver Oak.  I had never actually been to their winery, but my Uncle is a HUGE fan of their wine so I had previously tasted it.  Let me just tell you that their latest collection of Cabernet Sauvignon‘s are something you don’t want to pass up.  We tried their 07 and 08 Alexander Valley as well as their 07 Napa Cabernet’s.  Each one is the type of Cabernet you wish you could cuddle up with and enjoy next to a warm fire.

Our last stop (saving the best for last) was, of course, Jessup Cellars.  Every time I walk in through the door of their tasting room I am reminded how friendly, happy, and inviting their staff is.  We were greeted by Bob Clark himself (finally got to meet him!) and immediately we felt like family.  Christina took fabulous care of us, started us off on the 2010 Sauvignon Blanc and led us through a magnificent wine journey to close out the night.  Even in the winter, that crisp and fruity Sauvignon Blanc makes me happy inside.  If you don’t have a bottle yet, you need to get one.  A couple others we tasted were the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2008 Manny’s Blend, and of course the 2008 Juel; which I think gets better every time I have it.

I know I talk about Jessup a lot, after all I am an ambassador, but in my honest opinion out of all the wineries we went to in our latest trip, Jessup is the only one who consistently nails it with each wine.  Their breadth of knowledge and selection are next to none, and no matter which type of wine you prefer, rest assured Jessup has the perfect flavor for it.

When was the last time you visited the Napa Valley?  Have you been to Jessup’s tasting room lately?  Leave a comment and let me know!