Chef Damian, Guy & Joe Donelan
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This week I’ll be talking to Joe Donelan from Donelan Family Winery in Sonoma. Joe was here for an amazing dinner at Lakeside designed to showcase his wines with some great food by Chef Damian and the staff at Lakeside. www.clublakeside.com
Joe says:
“We are a small, boutique winery in Sonoma County producing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache, and Roussanne. We have elected to prize quality over all other factors. Simply put, we think wine should taste great – with every vintage and every grape, this is our ultimate priority and our greatest motivation.
We believe that the best wines are not made but discovered and we take pride in the responsibility and privilege of distilling for your pleasure the greatest qualities and natural variations in a vineyard and a variety. We start with great terroir, because site trumps all variables, and we proceed with extreme selectivity, conscientious winemaking, and extensive blending trials.” www.donelanwines.com
Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
A couple of fine wines from Donelan…
2013 Nancy Sonoma Chardonnay
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
2012 Knights Valley – Obsidian Vineyard Syrah
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
These wines are not available locally but can be ordered directly from Donelan Family Wines
Happy & Safe Hallowine to all!
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. 
The 2007 Clos des Andes is 100% Malbec sourced from an 80-year-old vineyard in Lujan de Cuyo and aged for 12 months in 60% new French oak for 16 months. Dark ruby/purple in color, it offers up an alluring bouquet of pain grille, pencil lead, spice box, and black cherry. This leads to a wine with excellent density, layered fruit, and spicy black fruit flavors nicely concealing enough structure for 2-3 years of further development. This rich, well-balanced effort will be at its best from 2011 to 2019. Bodega Poesia is owned by Bordeaux proprietors Helene Garcin and Patrice Leveque, with Leveque doubling as winemaker with consultation from Dr. Alain Raynaud.
Then we will be talking about Saturday afternoons 15th Annual Midwest Beerfest at Century-II. New times this year: 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Not only is it the best beer event in the Midwest, the craft beers represented and available for tasting are bigger and better than over.
Deep ruby color. Deep cherry, plum, and vanilla intertwine with beautiful hints of anise and caramel. Additional notes of dark chocolate and cassis linger on the nose. Dark cherry and berry pie flavors combine with hints of rosemary and bay, perfectly complementing complex notes of allspice and vanilla. A smooth, seamlessly integrated palate with rich structure and mountain personality.