It's birthday time.

Ta da!  Another birthday, what fun!
I had a great day, thanks to Vinomaker.  A wine tasting at Reynolds Family Winery (interesting), lunch at The Oxbow (duck taco, followed by a passion fruit cupcake) and dinner at Eiko's (lots of sushi, yum).
At dinner, I took advantage of Eiko's Wine Wednesday wine list and enjoyed a very refreshing glass of Albariño; a 2014 Calavera Wines, Dragone Vineyard (Calaveras County AVA).  And a few sips of some other good stuff. A very agreeable day.
Oh...and Happy Birthday John Toshack.
Vinogirl loves birthdays.

The Un-Bonfire Night.

The Bonfire Night that wasn't, that was Bonfire Night, 2016.  Ho hum.  I think I mentioned in my previous post that the weather was forecast to turn gangster: it didn't disappoint.  Although it was dry, it was just far too windy to have a bonfire.  Not that there is the danger of a bonfire getting out of control in England (unlike perhaps it would in tinderbox-dry California), but it was just too unpleasant to be outside.  I did see lots of other fireworks, off in the distance, but they did not totally satisfy my inner pyromaniac. Thud had made some delicious treacle toffee earlier in the day, so I did get to partake of something traditional this Bommy Night.
In lieu of a list of pyrotechnic-wonderment, I thought I'd mention a quick round up of some wines that I have had in the past week.  Paired with a nice Bolognese that Thud made, the 2014 Messapi, Aglianico (DOC Acerenza), purchased in Marks & Spencer, was quite nice (though a tad bit oaky).  And at a couple of lunches out with my Vinomum at The Red Fox pub in Thornton Hough, I took advantage of the establishment's 'By the Glass' wine list and had a glass each of; a 2015 Terre Di Passione Pinot Grigio (Veneto IGT); 2015 Crusan Colombard/Sauvignon Blanc (Cotes de Gascogne); and a 2015 Lanya Sauvignon Blanc (Chile).  All passable quaffing whites, with perhaps the Sauvignon Blanc edging out the other two by a nose. Literally, a very aromatic wine.

Not boaring.

Not in the least boring was Vinomaker's birthday dinner last night at the Rutherford Grill, Rutherford.  The place was absolutely heaving with diners when we arrived, it was a good job that we had reservations.  Food was great; a surprisingly, for me, tasty Brussels sprout appetizer (Brussels sprouts are an obsession of Vinomaker's), a tri-tip/butternut squash enchilada combo for Vinomaker and a seared ahi tuna platter for me (it was a Friday in Lent, after all).  The Rutherford Grill's 'By the Glass' menu is a little paltry, but Vinomaker managed to amuse himself with a glass each of; a Ledson 2014 Viognier (Sonoma Coast AVA); a Swanson 2014 Pinot grigio (Oakville AVA) and a Pride Mountain Vineyards 2012 Merlot (Napa/Sonoma AVA).  I had one glass of sparkling wine to celebrate the anniversary of Vinomaker's birth, a Domaine Carneros 2011 Brut (Carneros AVA).  And plenty of Rutherford Grill 2016 Tap Water (Rutherford AVA).  A fun dinner.

Happy Anniversary: Vintage 2015.

Today is my and Vinomaker's wedding anniversary.  Now, I am one of those people who have to celebrate an occasion on the actual day it happens: I simply cannot put things off until the weekend.  And because tonight is a school night we chose somewhere a little more on the casual side for our anniversary dinner.
Fumé Bistro & Bar is more of a neighbourhood restaurant than a fancy tourist destination. Located on a partial frontage road, alongside Highway 29, Fumé definitely has more of a low key atmosphere.  Dinner was really great - my halibut served with a lemon parsley risotto was delicious, as was Vinomaker's Cajun rock shrimp/andouille sausage fettuccine. Yum!
The wine list at Fumé is, in my opinion, passable.  I just wish they had more of a 'by the glass' wine selection.  Don't get me wrong, Vinomaker and I did not go thirsty.  I just think the wine options on the restaurant's wine list aren't very inspired.
I, of course, started off with a bubbly, a glass of NV Chandon Blanc de Noirs (California).  The rest of our evenings wine choices went something like this;
Laird, 2014 Pinot Grigio (Napa Valley).
Epiphany Cellars, 2013 Grenache Blanc (Santa Barbara).
Zocker, 2013 Grüner Veltliner (Edna Valley).
Phipps Family, 2011 Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley).
And last, but not least, a very unusual late harvest Chardonnay (yes, a Chardonnay), a Reynolds Family, 2006 Naughty Sticky (Napa Valley). Unusual name, unusual grape variey for a late harvest wine, but still quite enjoyable. Fun.
Happy anniversary Vinomaker.

Fagiani's.

As is our tradition, Vinomaker and I like to surprise each other with a visit to a new restaurant on each other's birthday.  My surprise eatery this birthday was The Thomas at Fagiani's in downtown Napa.  I had been wanting to visit The Thomas for a while now as I had heard good things about it.
Fagiani's was originally a bar and liquor store that closed down in 1974 after a ghastly murder on the premises.  The building remained shuttereded until it was sold to the current proprietors some 37 years later.  The restaurant's name, the bar is still called Fagiani's, comes from the original establishment, (the building was built in 1909, historic for Napa), which was a restaurant and a boarding house.  Interestingly, The Thomas was operated as a speakeasy during prohibition.  And that's about where my interest in The Thomas ends. 
Mediocre service, mediocre food, (except a special mention should go to the baked brussel sprouts which were instead carbonised), and a mediocre 'wine by the glass' wine list, overall The Thomas was a disappointing experience. Hate when that happens.  
Vinomaker did manage to find a couple of wines that were quaffable; a Navarro Vineyards, 2012 Riesling (Anderson Valley AVA) and a Giornata, 2012 'Il Campo' - a Sangiovese blend (Central Coast AVA).  On a positive note, because there are so many great restaurants to choose from in the Napa Valley, I never have to eat at The Thomas again.

An urban winery.

Today is Vinomaker's birthday.  Whoo hoo!
I actually managed to get Vinomaker to take some time off work to go and do a quick wine tasting with me, something we haven't done for a couple years.  And we didn't even have to go very far, just a quick drive into downtown Napa.
St. Clair Brown Winery is located in a light-industrial area of the city of Napa.  Surrounded by sheet metal fabrication shops and auto repair businesses, St. Clair Brown is truly an urban winery.  Currently, the winery produces about 200 cases each of nine different wines of which Vinomaker and I tasted four (their 4 Wine Sampler).  The winery has a permit to serve food and I originally had intended to have lunch there, but with a fairly tight schedule we decided to just do a tasting.  The wines were all very pleasant; a 2011 Coombsville Chardonnay (a tad too oaky), a 2008 Coombsville Syrah, a 2010 Oak Knoll/Atlas Peak Merlot and a 2010 Oak Knoll/Atlas Peak/St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon.  Our host, the son of one of the owners, was delightful, the wines exhibited a distinct winemaking style, the urban environment was fun and a chat with owner Laina Brown was interesting - an enjoyable experience.  The winery does not, however, offer complimentary tastings to the other wine industry folks.  Now, I'm not cheap, and I was only too happy to pay the $20.00 tasting fee, but I do believe it is a little short-sighted of St. Clair Brown. What better marketing/advertising is there than to make other winery personnel ambassadors of your brand?  It is my belief that a 2 fluid ounce pour can go an awfully long way in promoting a winery.  On to dinner.
Vinomaker had not been to R&D Kitchen in Yountville, so that is where I decided to take him for his birthday dinner.  R&D does have a rather limited menu, but I sort of like that about this restaurant.  More important to Vinomaker, perhaps, was R&D's 'wine by the glass' wine list. I just had one glass of Schramsberg Brut Rosé because I was driving, but Vinomaker had a glass of white wine and a glass of red wine.  The white was a 2013 Cowhorn Spiral 36 (Applegate Valley AVA, Oregon), a blend of Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, (the Marsanne really popped in this wine). The red was a 2012 Page Wine Cellars/Revolver Wine Company 'The Fury' Cabernet Franc (Napa Valley AVA), really nice, lots of dark berries, dried flowers and dried herbs on the nose.  And that's it: yet another anniversary of Vinomaker's birth done and dusted.  Oh, and Gung hei fat choi!
Happy birthday Vinomaker!

Birthday bevvies.

I am having a busy week and I am only now getting around to posting about my birthday dinner.
As is our tradition, Vinomaker and I like to surprise each other with a visit to a new restaurant on the other one's birthday.  My surprise eatery this birthday was Lulu's Kitchen at 1313 Main.  1313 Main is a wine bar/lounge located at 1313 Main St. in downtown Napa.
And as is our tradition, our wine choices for the evening were from the 'Wine by the Glass' wine list - not as extensive as at some other restaurants, but nevertheless we found enough variety to keep us entertained.  And the wines were;
Weingut Knoll, "Lobiner" 2012 Grüner Veltliner, Federspiel, Wachau, Austria.
Terre Rouge, 2012 Viognier, Amador County, California.
Xarmant Txakolina, 2012 Hondarabbi Zuri, Arabako Txakolina, Spain.
Gamling & McDuck, 2010 Cabernet Franc, Napa, California.
Lioco, "Satira" 2011 Carignan, Mendocino County, California.
Muga Reserva, 2009 Tempranillo, Rioja, Spain.
The tapas-style small plates we paired with these wines were all fairly decent, but really nothing to write home about.  I enjoyed myself, but I'm not in a hurry to revisit Lulu's, there are so many more restaurants in the valley to try.
Thank you Vinomaker for an enjoyable birthday evening.

Wines by the glass.

This evening I took Vinomaker to a birthday dinner at Mustards Grill (close to Yountville, on Highway 29).  It's a great restaurant, the food is wholesome, innovative, beautiful to look at and always very, very tasty.  Mustards also has a really nice 'By the Glass' wine list which, as I have mentioned before, is Vinomaker's absolute favourite way of pairing wines with food at a restaurant.  So one glass of Alban Viognier, Truchard Roussanne, Turley Cinsault, T-Vine Grenache and Parador Tempranillo later (paired with roasted artichokes, crispy calamari, grilled rabbit and smoked duck), Vinomaker was one very happy diner indeed.
Happy birthday Vinomaker!

The Pear.

Tonight, to celebrate Vinomaker's birthday, we decided to try yet another new restaurant in downtown Napa, The Pear - A Southern Bistro.  The Pear is located in Napa's Riverfront complex in a space recently vacated by the ill-fated Tyler Florence Rotisserie.
Decorated with old musical instruments and bedazzled with strings of Mardi Gras beads, The Pear has a New Orleans thing going on.  Vinomaker was happy with his shrimp and grits with red-eye gravy and I had a nice meatloaf with mashed potatoes. The wine list was a bit sparse, especially the 'wine by the glass' options, but I did happen across a nice red.  The Joel Gott, 2010, Alakai is basically a GSM.  With 77% Grenache it could just have the grape variety name on the label, but Gott apparently decided to give it a proprietary name and simply designated it as a red wine.  It paired (or is that peared?) nicely with the meatloaf.
The food was good, but the restaurant itself is a little lacking in the ambiance department.  The tables are strewn about seemingly willy-nilly and the lasting impression that I took away with me was that the dining room is cold.  Of course, that might have something to do with being seated at the worst table in the place (despite having made reservations), right next to the entrance: not good on a cold night in February, so much so I had to eat with my coat on.  It didn't stop me from ordering the pear tart which came with vanilla bean ice cream for dessert though.
Overall, The Pear was a fairly good experience and we both decided that we'd eat there again.  Or at least Vinomaker will when they put hushpuppies on the menu.
Happy birthday Vinomaker!