James Beard House Dinner with Chef Daniel Boulud

Last month, our 2006 Blanc du Rhône was featured in a James Beard Foundation Dinner in New York City with Chef Daniel Boulud. What an honor! We were contacted three months ago by Daniel Boulud’s executive chef Gavin Kaysen from Café Boulud, on 76th Street in New York City. Gavin had tasted our wines a few months earlier in New York and was arranging the Beard House event for American Express and knew our 2006 Blanc du Rhône would be a perfect pairing for Daniel’s second course of Fennel Basil Ravioli.

Here is a copy of Daniel Boulud’s menu:

FINE DINING AT THE JAMES BEARD HOUSE WITH
CHEF DANIEL BOULUD
JAMES BEARD OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR 2006
JAMES BEARD OUTSTANDING CHEF OF THE YEAR 1994
JAMES BEARD BEST CHEF: NEW YORK CITY 1992

AND
CHEF GAVIN KAYSEN
JAMES BEARD RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR 2008
Special Thanks To
THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION
DANIEL JOHNNES WINES
VEUVE CLICQUOT

Dinner
Thursday, June 12, 2008

Canapés
Fried Tomato and Basil Arancini
Grilled Octopus, Romesco Sauce
Snail Persillade Pomponette
Spring Asparagus Quiche
Kumamoto Oyster, Uni, Lemongrass Velouté
Fromage de Tête “Bar Boulud”
CHAMPAGNE VEUVE CLICQUOT VINTAGE 2002

Dinner
Checkerboard of Hamachi and Tuna
CAVIAR, SPRING CRUDITÉS, TONNATO SAUCE
Kingston Family Vineyards, Cariblanco Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Fennel Basil Ravioli
SHRIMP, CUTTLEFISH, CHORIZO, BROCCOLI RABE
Edward Sellers, Blanc du Rhône 2006

Lettuce Wrapped Maine Halibut
FRICASSÉE OF CHANTERELLES, LETTUCE COULIS, THUMBELINA CARROTS
David Duband, Nuits Saint Georges 2006

Epigrame of Pennsylvania Veal
SWEETBREADS WITH CREAMY MORELS, CARROT PURÉE, SHERRYJUS
Colombis, Châteauneuf du Pape 2006

Le Papillon Roquefort Cheese
PINE NUT BRITTLE, ARUGULA, PORT REDUCTION
Château les Tuilleries, Sauternes 2005

Dessert Duo
Lemon-Orange Chocolate Bar
HAZELNUT BAVAROISE, PUFFED RICE, PERRIER-LEMON SORBET

Almond Génoise with Marinated Strawberries
Pistachio Cream, Wild Strawberry Sorbet

A little about James Beard, in 1954, the New York Times anointed him the “dean of American cookery”. James Beard laid the groundwork for the food revolution that has put America at the forefront of global gastronomy. He was a pioneer foodie, host of the first food program on the fledgling medium of television in 1946, the first to suspect that classic American culinary traditions might cohere into a national cuisine, and an early champion of local products and markets. Beard nurtured a generation of American chefs and cookbook authors who have changed the way we eat.

In 1955, Beard established the James Beard Cooking School. He continued to teach cooking to men and women for the next 30 years, both at his own schools (in New York City and Seaside, Oregon), and around the country at women's clubs, other cooking schools, and civic groups. He was a tireless traveler, bringing his message of good food, honestly prepared with fresh, wholesome, American ingredients, to a country just becoming aware of its own culinary heritage. Beard also continued to write cookbooks, most of which became classics and many of which are still in print.

When James Beard died at 81 on January 21, 1985, he left a legacy of culinary excellence and integrity to generations of home cooks and professional chefs. His name remains synonymous with American food.

"California Drinkin"

While we love to travel to different states, nothing beats pouring wine in our home state of California. Several weekends ago I poured at the LA WineFest in Hollywood. The heat was unbearalbe but the crowd was fantastic and everyone had a blast! There were over 2500 wine lovers out at Raleigh studios enjoying the sun and the "stars" as they sipped (and sometimes gulped) wines from Paso Robles as well as many other local and International regions. It was great to see all of the "pretty people" out in one place!

Ed and Amy enjoyed pouring at the Central Coast Wine Classic that weekend where Amy gave a seminar on Rhone wines Friday night and poured for guests on Saturday.

Finally, Kendall and I left Ed and John in the Tasting room last Sunday as we set out for Santa Barbara's Californai Wine Festival. Set against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean we served wine and listened to the band. Many of our wine club members stopped by to say hello and enjoy the day.

We will be in Camarillo this Sunday, July 27, so come on out and see us!

Cheers!

1st Fruit Drop At Our Home Ranch

One of the most exciting things about summer for a winemaker is watching the vines grow and the fruit develop. In fact, you could say that as soon as the new leaves start popping out in the spring, as soon as you can start to see the beginnings of tiny clusters, you are watching the 2008 wines taking shape. All the signs so far are pointing to another great vintage for us, with the added bonus that we’ll be getting the first crop from our own vineyard. Shown in the picture is our Grenache at the front of the property. All that green stuff on the ground is fruit that we’ve dropped in order to step up the intensity and quality of the grapes still hanging on the vine. We’ll actually go through again at veraison (when the grapes begin to turn color) and drop any remaining green fruit, ensuring that the whole block ripens evenly and consistently. It’s so thrilling, not just for me but for the whole ESVW team, to have our own estate grapes, finally. It’s typical Ed and me to want to control every aspect of the process! Amy Butler, Winemaker