So, of all good things Rodney Strong…(I have an affair with the Sauvignon Blanc for sure), they do it again with the Terrace experience. I enjoyed a beautiful summer moment with friends while exciting all my taste buds! The low down…it’s a Friday – Sunday, 11 am – 4 pm kinda summer party. Wine Flights with local goods that look like this…

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That is what summer heaven looks like to me. The beautiful views of vineyards, green grass with corn hole (for those that can’t just sit still because sun brings playful spirits) & a bounty of seats to relax in while gaining a blissful summer memory. After a visit this will become a new summer retreat to stow away too! All good things in wine country lead me back to the love of food & wine. With a new chef on deck this year, Mat Petersen, you will love how the wine style is accentuated by the delicious foods. My favorite quote after meeting Mat, “I dropped the pen for the knife” as he refers to leaving the reporting life to join the chef life. After tasting his style on a plate…I think Mat’s food is a bite of good news.

I enjoyed wood fired pizza made of a dreamy menagerie of ingredients like potato & wild mushroom with fontina, as well as, pear & prosciutto with manchego. I enjoy wood fired pizza all year long, but there is something about relaxing in the sun with a great glass of wine that makes a warm, crisp pizza with fresh ingredients really sing to my soul.

However, the one thing I was fully enamored with in the food department, was leek fritters with scallion yogurt. This may go down as one of the best things I’ve ever eaten (I’ve enjoyed a lot of memorable best bites, but this is ranking in the a wish I had some more category). It was like crispy fair food went upscale with some sass. This is one of those dishes that I could enjoy all summer long with bountiful glasses of Charlotte’s Home Sauvignon Blanc. The crisp citrus swirls of this wine marry with stone fruit to enhance the flavors of the leeks & yogurt balanced by the crispy shell.

I am a rose fan around the globe, varietal & season, yet most people enjoy it the most during summer. I have a handful of go to pink glasses, but I love discovering more! There are two beautiful expressions available at Rodney Strong as if to say, there is a rose for anyone. The Rose of Pinot was a classic, or classy, example with hints of rosewater & cherries. However, those that know me best, understand it is the unique glass that become a memory for later that I fall in love with. That being said, I was taken with the Rose of Malbec. It was playfully fun with swirls of watermelon & strawberry that I could enjoy as a glass alone or with a beautiful spread of local charcuterie.

As harvest is in the air, whispering the grand finally of summer is abreast while the welcome of falls color changed cool mornings, I’m reminded I love that Sonoma County is blessed with great seasonal expressions. If I were you, I would not let this summer end with out enjoying some time at Rodney Strong Vineyards on there terrace.

Cheers!

I’ve been working on a project for awhile and my current phase is collecting wine quotes. The interview questions I have listed are simple…the bottom line though is finding out what people love about their wine experience overall. Which led me to consider…if I could sum up my love of wine, what would it look like.

What I love about wine is the appeal to my quest for adventure. A bottle withholds the discovery of lands, the fickleness of the weathers shim, the cloy miracles of natures gifts & the touch of a winemaker choices (which can actually give you a peek into their personality).

As the bottles silken streams flow into a glass you are transported to where you were upon discovery, whom you were with in conversation, your present being (mood or ‘tude) in the moment, the initial intrigue of the glass & the catalog of information woven to become memories.

In full  utopian circular evolution you find yourself with a moment of peaceful solitude with a later glass of the same treasure. Whether, by fireplace or patio, you breath in the peacefulness of the time & as you raise glass to lips your transported. Whisked to the portal of the past memories of this vines gift that glimmer upon the synapses of your brains bliss. Now the initial rambunctious discovery becomes a moment of still gratitude for the moments gifted & your sip concludes with a gentle thank you for all the liquid of the vine has given over space & time. In finish you smile toward the heavens & toast…”Until we meet again.”

May you enjoy many glasses that lead to new adventures & later transport you. Cheers!

This rose smells of muddy raspberries.  Palate is a rambunctious dominatrix of strong femininity.   Bold & brash, but never abrasive…the dry spit stealing quality I enjoy in the hot summer months. Nothing less than expected from a Cabernet pink.  Rose & cassis, mixed with strawberries of the flirtiest quality.   This is a pink a mans man would love & a vixen would be honored to embrace with her lips as well as her gullet.

This is a nice adventure into South Africa in a glass & could pair well with crab cakes made with a hint of bell pepper or apricot glazed pork served with peppered roasted vegetables.

First sip…so much oak on the nose I called it the oak choke & thought I would need to pull splinters from my tongue.  Never one to judge on a first impression, I await to see how this deep garnet colored wine will decide how much patience is required to put its best foot forward.

Second sip…maybe it was just blackberry thorns as the time passed has allowed blackberry to caress in waves upon my palate.  Now I get to taste that sassy quality I love about Tempranillo, as the varietal is predominant in this blend.

Over half an hour gone so third sip…spiced dark berries push through the nose, palate feel becomes more rounded & enveloping.  The dark berry qualities & the pleasant tannins make this a beautiful wine to accompany a paella, or for me, slightly Portuguese, I’d love to enjoy it with a great pork & bean stew! Yum…now I’m hungry.

This is a gentleman that needs time to suit up before he goes out.  Once he was well dressed he was quite dapper & charming.  He adorned lush dark berry, cherry, & sweet tobacco tones that charmingly draped my tongue with the velvet rope pulled away for a richly luscious party. If you don’t have time to wait just use an aerator when serving this wine.

This is a good example of why some wines may need just a little time to open up to show the best qualities. Time to swirl, sniff…then eventually enjoy.

Wide outstretched cat paws feeling every fiber & motion of the grass, like fingertips upon my skin.

I’ve arched my body, connecting with the earth from chin to chest, stomach to hip, lastly from knees to toes…point toes for full extension.

On my way to the next adventure…ah alas this one calls me back with the beckoning of yarn to a kitten.

Intriguing moments of delight glisten upon the red drops of bliss, catching my eye as if a whisk of light flashed by my cat like playful attention span.

Haunches shifting from rapid to steady & focused with the quickness of a shuttle she pounces into the puddle of tempting aromas.

The caress of captivating scarlet nectar courses through palate as well as the quickening pulse through unexpired veins.

Swimming in passionate excitement cloaked in cherry, plumb, spice and luxurious silky allure has claimed another vine scout.

Too much languishing in this glass can make one feel like a suitor that has found a lifelong match of wit, humor, and whimsy.

As proper finish eventually encroaches, one can only dream of a glass, a fire and a texture upon your skin to match what your other senses have devoured.