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As this week comes to a close, I’m looking forward to telling you more about Sonoma. This show will feature the wines of Handley Cellars with Co-Winemaker Randy Schock. According to founding winemaker and proprietor Milla Handley…
“Handley Cellars is a small family-owned winery in California’s Mendocino County. Bonded in 1982, we produce around 12,000 cases of wine a year. Our quality starts with our Estate Vineyards in Anderson Valley. We are located at the northwest end of the Anderson Valley on 59 acres of the original Holmes Ranch. Still standing on the property are the now-refurbished ranch house, barn, and the original water tower.
Handley’s beautiful tasting room is located 6 miles northwest of Philo, California, on Highway 128. We offer tours by appointment, and our garden courtyard is open for picnics. Stop by to try our selections and, while visiting, enjoy our unique display of folk art collected from around the world.” www.handleycellars.com
Also be talking to the folks at Glen Star Restaurant, a small casual restaurant that is rocking the food world in the sleepy little town of Glen Ellen.
Established in 2012, Glen Ellen Star is the culmination of a decade-long dream by Chef Ari Weiswasser and his wife Erinn Benziger-Weiswasser. Resembling a quaint farmhouse while invoking a rural and rustic feeling of California wine country, Glen Ellen Star is a taste of both local and international flavors. It is the Weiswassers’ mission to create an inviting, neighborhood-friendly restaurant that consistently exceeds expectations. Ari has worked at New York’s Restaurant Daniel, Picholine, and Paul Liebrandt’s Corton, where he served as Chef de Cuisine. He also had a long stint at The French Laundry in Yountville, CA. www.glenellenstar.com
All that and so much more…
The Wines of the Week:
An array of Sonoma’s finest!
The vineyard project began in 1991 with Lester ordering two dozen dormant rootstocks. When these initial plantings proved successful, Linda enrolled in the Viticulture Program at Santa Rosa Junior College in Sonoma County and attended classes at U.C. Davis. Linda discovered she had a green thumb and an affinity for heavy machinery. She bought an old backhoe, a bulldozer and other heavy equipment and, with Lester as the operator, they decided to plant a test vineyard with 16 different varieties, three different trellis systems, assorted clones and different rootstocks. After four years, they concluded that the area was ideal for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and in 1994 began installing the first seven vineyard blocks. Fort Ross Vineyard strives to produce wine of purity and elegance that reflects the cool maritime climate and challenging terroir of the steep Sonoma Coast Ridges. 
The coastal wines of Fort Ross Winery! 🙂
This Chardonnay is made from a quartet of cool, Sonoma County vineyards. Three are perched on Sonoma Mountain and influenced by cool ocean breezes, rocky soils, and high elevation. The fourth is a Russian River Valley property bearing 30+ year old vines that grow a wine both rich and mineral in texture. From its engaging nose of raw vanilla beans, apple crisp and fresh pear, to its lemon zest and precise palate, Nancie is a noble Chardonnay that remains food friendly and thought provoking all at once. WA94 eRobertParker #216
This rugged parcel perched high above Knights Valley produces a masculine Syrah. Aged for 20 months in 43% new French oak, with minimal whole-cluster inclusion, the 2012 Obsidian commands attention with its seriously volcanic nose that delivers aromas of wet stone, raw leather and gunpowder. The mid-palate supports flavors of roasted coffee bean, sarsaparilla and dark chocolate. The finish marches on long after most wines have tired. WA97 eRobertParker.com #216
If you made a trail of popcorn from New York City to Los Angeles, you would need more than 352,028,160 popped kernels.
ABOUT THE BOOK: Scouring the countryside, Chef Craig Priebe, highlights stellar examples, including a white bean puree, asparagus, and Parmesan pie from Seattle’s “Serious Pie”, a squash blossom and burrata selection from Los Angeles’ “Pizzeria Mozza”, a red onion, rosemary, and pistachio pie from the legendary “Pizzeria Bianco” in Phoenix, along with an exceptional crawfish étouffé pizza from none other than the “Louisiana Pizza Kitchen”. Also included are the blueprints for every type of dough imaginable (from Sicilian and sourdough to New York and gluten-free), a range of adaptable base sauces, and an address book for all the pizzerias featured. The United States of Pizza shows that the country is not so much a melting pot, but a giant pie bubbling over with a fabulously diverse array of creative flavorings.
Experience a wine as rich, soft and elegant as red velvet. The Red Velvet blend delivers over-the-top aromas of chocolate, deep dark blackberries and luscious red fruits that follow through to the palate. Finish with a hint of coconut and creamy mocha that shows unmistakable intensity and length. Red Velvet combines Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. Each varietal adds distinct characteristics and lends structure, aroma and depth of flavor. We ferment each varietal separately before blending. Finally, a unique oak regime infuses creaminess. ABV13.5%
1st up is Dan Termini, Head Distiller at Wicked Dolphin. Started in 2012, Wicked Dolphin Distillery is located in Cape Coral, just miles from the fertile sugarcane fields of Florida. Wicked Dolphin Rum was born out of an idea for a true Florida Rum. Using 100% Florida Sugar and local ingredients our rum is handcrafted in small batches using an American copper pot still, the largest in South Florida. Our award winning rum is then aged in American White Oak once used bourbon barrels that held premium aged Kentucky Bourbon for a minimum of 3, and up to, 14 years.
dock where the boats unload. If your plans don’t take you to the Florida Keys soon, no worries. You can order on line and Key Largo Fisheries will ship directly to your door step. Remember it’s seasonal so check the web site often. Stone crab season just opened, and if you haven’t had fresh claws lately you don’t know what you’re missing. 