The Wine Does Go Well with the Turkey!

What wine goes best with turkey?  Balverne and Notre Vue, of course!  End of blog!  Simple!  Stock up now!

But, seriously, folks, “What wine goes best with turkey, in my opinion as a winemaker?”  Balverne and Notre Vue!  ‘Nuf said! OK, OK . . . here are my thoughts in a little more detail.

If you haven’t tasted the Balverne 2016 Rosé of late, what better time?  This is a perfect aperitif wine and pairs beautifully with a multitude of appetizers.  So, too, the 2016 Balverne Sauvignon Blanc.  Both offer strikingly fruity flavors, rich body and nice acidity.  My caution?  Have a few extra bottles on the ready as this stuff will go fast!

While both the Rosé and the Sauvignon Blanc can accompany turkey beautifully, also consider Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  Chardonnay pairs terrifically with mushrooms believe it or not, so works well with mushroom soups, gravies or sauces and alongside turkey stuffing with wild mushrooms.  The wonderful pear and ripe apple notes of Chardonnay love crispy turkey skin, too!  It’s a holiday so splurge for the 2014 Notre Vue White Blend.  This wine offers a blend of Viognier, a very flowery, fruity wine with the lushness of Chardonnay in royal style that will stand up to juicy turkey.  For those of you inclined to go “red,” the classic strawberry, black raspberry and cola characters of Balverne’s Pinot noir wines are a perfect match for roasted turkey and accentuate the perfumed complexity of stuffing seasonings and cranberry sauces.

Those of you preferring wild roast duckling or duck breast for your feast can’t go wrong with Balverne’s Pinot Noir but if you want to be a bit more adventurous, pair this with Notre Vue’s 2104 Rhone blend, a wine focused on spicy, peppery, Syrah wines for a real treat!  Big and bold, with hints of a gamey character, this is perfect match with wild duck, pheasant and rabbit. 

Prime rib, baked broccoli with a cheddar cheese sauce and pan-roasted garlic potatoes?  Yup, grab that Cabernet Sauvignon!  Balverne’s 2014 Chalk Hill Cabernet is delicious right now, big and bold, packed with black cherry and wild berry notes.  Those of you grilling a slab of prime rib over hot coals should consider Notre Vue’s 2014 Bordeaux Blend.  The lush black cherry notes of the Malbec work synergistically with the herbal black fruit flavors of the Cabernet, with just enough tannin to help carry the beef’s fatty marbling.  A special wine for a very special occasion. 

Whatever your choices, on behalf of all of us here at Notre Vue, I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.  We would be honored to be a part of your celebrations through the sharing of great Notre Vue and Balverne wines.

Be safe this holiday season!

Nov 20, 2017 at 2:45 PM Permalink

One Hot Harvest

Like clockwork the rains have started!  Almost every year, just as the last gondola of grapes rolls in, so too the rain clouds.  Uncanny!  Of course there are times when the rains jump the gun a bit and come in before we finish, but we usually finish up with Cabernet Sauvignon.  Given its thicker skins and therefore better resistance to adverse weather, it is generally not a problem.  Always causes a bit of anxiety for winemakers, though!  But doesn’t everything ? ? ?

2017 will go down in history as one of the toughest harvests to date.  Those of you that are faithful readers of my blogs read earlier that, no matter how long a winemaker has been making wine, no winemaker worth his salt will ever say he’s seen everything.  Mother Nature always has a curve ball in the bull pen for us!

This year one of those curve balls was a couple of horrendous heat waves back to back.  Now a heat wave during harvest is by no means unusual.  Happens all the time.  For a few days in a row we may hit the high 90s or low 100s but generally there is not much damage done.  Believe it or not, above about 94F or so, grape vines shut down to protect themselves from the heat.  As the cool air returns, the vines quickly recover and return to their normal ripening schedule.  This year, however, we had a couple of heat waves that extended outwards of 10 days with temperatures in record high 100s or low 110s.  Now that is hot for anyone! Records were broken and our poor grapes vines found little humor in those long, unrelenting blasts of scorching heat.  Equally unusual was that the recovery took much longer than normal.  Cool days eventually returned but it took the vines about two weeks to get back to their normal routine.  During that two week spell, I honestly thought this time the heat had been too much and the show was going to be over before the grapes were ready.  Things were a little tense here, to be perfectly honest!

Never let it be said that the grapes of Sonoma are wimps.  Far from it!  Sure enough, though it took a nerve-rackingly long time, the vines sprung back to life, ripened their fruit to perfection and offered up a delicious harvest.  Both Notre Vue and Balverne are in fine shape with a cellar full of a superb 2017 wines from which to craft our upcoming offerings. “I know a thing or two because I’ve seen a thing or two.”  Add one more “thing” to that list!

Please come visit.  I’d love to taste the 2017 wines with you and celebrate another great vintage with you.  Cheers!

P.S.  Yes . . . we did have a bit of an issue with some wild fires.  See a future blog for a review of that “fun!”

Nov 13, 2017 at 12:05 PM Permalink

Balverne Wines Winemaker Dinner California Yacht Club

Winemaker Michael Westrick along with Phenix Wine Distributors held a wonderful winemaker dinner reception for the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, Ca. Our premium award winning estate Balverne wines were served including: the 2016 Balverne Rose of Pinot, 2013 Balverne Pinot Noir, 2016 Balverne Savignon Blanc, 2014 Chardonnay, and the 2012 Chalk Hill Cabernet all deliciously paired with a four course meal. The menu consisted of delectable dishes such as chanterele mushrooms, diver scallops, Maine lobster rissoto, and New York beef pavé.  Michael poured and educated guests about Balverne's history and our committment to sustainability as the sun set over the Marina. Here are some photos of this fabulous event. 

Click to view California Yacht Club event photos
 

Nov 3, 2017 at 3:05 PM Permalink