Refritos, Northern Style
The other day I scooped up a load of shell beans grown on a local farm. They may have been cranberry beans; they weren't…
A Beautiful Evening Companion
Domaine Le Mas des CollinesRegis de Taxis Gigondas2005 Inky violet-red, this wine gives off the scent of violets, warm blackberries, smoke, and earth. Supple…
Snow Farm Vineyards: Tasting Through
This evening my husband and I had the opportunity to taste the current line of wines from Snow Farm Vineyards. This tiny winery in…
Lang and Reed: Hard and Soft
Lang & ReedNorth Coast Cabernet Franc2007 This wine is deep purplish red, like a liquid ruby. It's full on the nose, offering bramble fruits,…
Bewitching
Bonny Doon VineyardSyrah "Le Pousseur"2006 I've had two wines recently that shook me up, then haunted me after. The first…
Pesto
Basil plus garlic equals pesto (four pounds).
Abundance
We'll have frost tonight, twenty-nine degrees. That will be the end of the tender crops: peppers, beans, eggplant, basil. So it was a day…
Château de Villegeorge
Château de VillegeorgeHaut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois Supérieur2005 The wine is deep, inky purple, nearly opaque. On the nose it's intense: a little salty, a little…
La Truffiere: Bigger than a Village
La TruffièreCôte du Rhône Villages2004 I was roasting chicken on a bed of leeks, carrots, lavender, and rosemary, so I asked my husband to…
From Soil to Table
I dug these carrots and leeks about fifteen minutes ago. In another fifteen, I'll have them prepped and laid into a baking dish with…
Randall Grahm: Been Doon So Long
Photo: Alex Krause Randall Grahm, celebrated winemaker of Bonny Doon Vineyard, is betting the farm on one big, beautiful idea: terroir. In his new…
Blood from Stones
Domaine le Sang des CaillouxCuvée Floureto2001 This beautiful Vacqueyras is still inky purple despite its age. When first poured it offers a sweaty funkiness,…