[Jocelyn Romero]

Menu of the day: Grilled Lamb “Steaks” Hache with Ratatouille

Description: Juicy lamb steak cooked on the grill topped with tomato sauce. This delightful dish is accompanied with a delicious ratatouille.

Selection of wines:

Concannon Conservancy Cabernet Sauvignon Livermore Valley 2011

La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2016

Chateau St Michelle Canoe Ridge Estate Chardonnay 2016

The wine I choose is Concannon Conservancy Cabernet Sauvignon Livermore Valley 2011. It has an intense dark garnet with some rim variation and evidence of some sediment and little viscosity. The aroma is not pungent; it smells clean, like cherries and dry raisins, along with an earthy smell with some spice and pepper. It has a vinous smell and some wood can be detected as well. On the palate it feels clean with low intensity, black cherries and dark red fruits are detected. Some peppercorn can be tasted and has subtle wood, soft tannins, with a short but well-balanced finish.

According to our wine book, the Concannon winery is family owned and it was the most prominent in Livermore Valley that started in the 1880s. It also produces 30,000 cases mostly for domestic consumption. It describes that the area’s climate is based on the ocean winds and fog and it has a gravelly soil. (pg173) Furthermore, on the website from “the wine-searcher” describes more the climate of the valley. It proceeds to say that breezes cool the inland of the central valley in the late afternoon and there is often diurnal temperature variation. This helps grapes to cool overnight and slow the ripening process to ensure the flavor complexity in the grapes. Also, the gravelly soils in the valley are great because of their drainage capability in which vines grow deep root systems to access the water and nutrients which then forces the vines to produce more concentrated fruit. The description section of the wine describes the cabernet sauvignon as being a very adaptable grape to different types of soil and climates. They describe the grape as late flowering and late ripening. Though it is described as being on the rise to dominance because of its adaptability and it is most likely to give a return on investment from companies.

References:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-livermore+valley
Exploring Wine by Steven Koplan, Brian H. Smith and Michael A.Weiss

• This topic was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by Jocelyn Romero.
• This topic was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by Jocelyn Romero.