The event was held at Auberge du Soleil which is the restaurant where winemaker Rolando Herrera took a job, (as a dishwasher on the night shift), to support himself when he was just a teenager. Twenty years later, now an accomplished winemaker, the owner of a successful winery, and with six children in tow, Rolando was celebrating a major milestone with family and friends in a private dining room at the restaurant.
Highlights of the evening included little speeches from Warren Winiarski (of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars) and Marketta Formeaux (of Château Potelle), who had both employed Rolando in his formative years. However, for me, the real highlight of the night happened to be a food and wine pairing. My appetizer of sautéed 'Day Boat' scallop, with corn purée, English peas and vanilla oil, was paired with a 2010 Herrera Perla, Chardonnay (Sonoma Mountain AVA), which made for a truly amazing palate-pleasing-phenomenon. (Yes, I know, I just put Chardonnay and amazing in a sentence together.) The vanilla component of the food made the fruit and vanilla in the wine just explode, or at least I think that that was what was going on. It was just superb. The experience was enhanced further by the little gem of a tablemate seated to my right: none other than the effervescent Miss Perla Herrera.
2 comments:
VG: Halcyon days and nights in Napa! Cool!
The story is the material for a movie.
Love the theme of the photo, and the irony of the Chardonnay.
Your appreciation of the company and the wine are inspiring (definitely not too strong).
NHW: A movie? The Mi Sueño story is not yet finished: whilst not yet quite as captivating as the yarn spun in 'Bottleshock' (which celebrated a certain Parisian wine tasting) someday it may be.
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