day four

What a whirlwind day! We expected to go to the farmer’s market for breakfast, but couldn’t find it in the Sonoma Plaza, so we went to one of the bakery-cafés, which was really crowded. Emily had roasted garlic with brie. We were surprised how different the brie tasted out here; almost like a thick butter—something that would actually cause us to consider ourselves “brie eaters”. Ryan ordered a breakfast croissant with cheddar, sausage and egg. We also picked up a few mint cookies with chocolate filling for the drive to Napa.
We discovered the sign pointing toward the market, so we headed out there. What a letdown! The Dayton market is larger and much nicer. However, we picked up some bing cherries.
We checked out of El Dorado and headed out to Napa. We had lunch at a place Amy had suggested, Villa Corona, for some authentic Mexican. It was great, and definitely authentic, but way too much food. Although we were tired, it was time for our first wine tasting at Domaine Chandon.

Chandon specializes in sparkling wines (which we are admittingly not typically fond of), but we wanted to learn more about it and they had a very interesting Pinot Meunier which we really wanted to taste. It had also been suggested as a great tour in the “Wine Country for First Timers” section of our guidebook.
We learned a lot at Chandon. For sustainability purposes, they are using dogs in the fields to kill the blue-black sharp shooters. They also grow Cabernet (which they don’t use in wine making) along the edges of the vineyards. This is so that the sharp shooters get to these grapes and stop, not reaching the Pinot Noir further in the vineyard. We were a bit surprised to realize that Pinot Noir grapes are used to create sparkling wines. The other two grapes that Chandon uses exclusively are Chardonnay, and Pinot Muenier, which is also a dark grape. Heading inside, we saw the huge vats, and the old riggling racks.

Today, Chandon uses the VLM instead of a master riggler, which stands for “Very Large Machine”. Each vat is then compared and mixed to create the wines. We got to see the barrel room, including a few stainless steel barrels, which are used for a couple of “unoaked” varieties. We smelled the difference between a traditional and an unoaked Chardonnay. The unoaked variety smelled very sweet and fruity (something that we would be more likely to drink as opposed to the buttery oaky traditional Chardonnay.
After the tour we headed to a secluded patio where we got to taste the Brut Classic, Pinot Noir Brut, Extra Dry Riche, Etoile Brut, Pinot Noir, and the Pinot Meunier (which was only because we had previously mentioned we liked red wines and it was our honeymoon).

Rebekah, our “ambassador”, gave us a cream cheese- bleu cheese- walnut spread that showcased the sparkling wines. The sparkling wines really act as a palate cleanser for such things, and we were able to see how they might be useful with most appetizers. Our least favorite was the Pinot Noir Brut (which was actually the wine highest rated by Wine Spectator at 93 points). The Riche tasted similar to the Martin-Weyrich Muscato that Emily likes (partially because they use “a touch” of Muscat grapes in the making of the Riche), but it didn’t have the bit of zip at the end, which is a nice touch to the Muscato. The Etoile Brut was the best of the sparkling, but we didn’t think the price difference between it and the Brut Classic was worth it. The Pinot Noir was not our favorite Pinot, although we would both finish a glass. The Pinot Meunier, however, was absolutely fantastic. Rebekah gave us a list of things that each of their wines pair well with, and this one listed “grilled meats with sautéed mushrooms”. We thought that Emily’s mom’s flank steak and mushrooms with spicy mustard would be perfect for this wine. Chandon, it seems, (and others) can’t ship to Ohio currently. So one call to Cadi and a promise of a big sister tax, and we were out $250… 6 bottles of the Pinot Meunier (one for Cadi, one for Emily’s parents), 1 of the unoaked Chardonnay to try, and 2 of the Brut Classic. We left with a new appreciation for sparkling wines, even if they may not be the first thing we reach for.
We headed to McClelland-Priest Bed and Breakfast to check in… There was a packet on the porch for us, as Celeste was out running errands. She had upgraded us to the master suite, the Carducci, which was incredibly nice of her, but disappointed us, because we had been looking forward to the private patio of the Firenze room.
The Carducci room has a four poster king size bed, which Emily is afraid that Ryan may decide he wants when we get a second dog. After a quick nap, it was time to head back to Sonoma for our second cooking class.
We were the first ones to arrive for the beer and appetizers class. We had hoped it would be slightly smaller, and it was- 14 people this time instead of 17. This was also a younger crowd, likely due to the time (6:30-9:30 on a Friday), and there was a large number of men, likely due to the beer. The chef, Nicole Kollock, seemed more approachable that Chat had, as much as we enjoyed the Thai class. We made the bite size peach cobblers with raspberry sauce, and because of the class size, we were the only ones working on it.

Ryan made the raspberry sauce all on his own, pureeing and straining the seeds out. The peaches here came in season less than a month ago, and they were fantastic; hopefully we will be able to pick some up to bring home before we leave. Once the cobblers went into the oven, we went to help with the tempura. We coated the vegetables and the shrimp and slid them into the oil. Nicole informed us that if the oil is the right temperature (350-375), then deep frying isn’t too bad for you because the batter immediately creates a seal that keeps the oil from getting to the food. This experience also persuaded Ryan that we don’t need to own a deep fryer; a deep pot will work just fine. All of the foods were delicious, and the beer pairings were fun, even if they didn’t all quite work. The Peche Lambic was (unsurprisingly) Emily’s favorite. Nicole said we could use this same pretzel method to make pretzel rolls, which Emily was excited about because it means we don’t have to wait until Saturdays to make Griffin paninis like from Beanster's.
We headed back to Napa, and promptly went to bed.

Wines (and beers) for 29 May 2009:
Domaine Chandon, Brut Classic, $22 – good for a sparkling wine
Domaine Chandon, Pinot Noir Brut, $30 – this was a much heavier sparkling wine (something that we were not fully prepared for), Ryan would be willing to give it another chance but thinks it need food alongside it, Emily did not care for the smell of the wine
Domaine Chandon, Extra Dry Riche, $22 – very sweet, would be good for sipping on a patio
Domaine Chandon, Etoile Brut, $40 – good but for us it didn’t seem considerably better that the Brut Classic (it was more complex, we could taste the buttered toast)
Domaine Chandon, Pinot Noir, Carneos, 2006, $35 – good but we prefer the McManis Pinot Noir
Domaine Chandon, Pinot Meunier, Carneos, 2006, $35 – our favorite wine from Chandon

Lagnitaus IPA
Kirin Ichiban – good stuff
Peroni – Ryan thought it was ok but it will not replace an Oberon with pizza
Franziskaner Club Weiss Hefeweizen
Singha Ale – Ryan would order this beer again while eating Indian
Peche Lambic – tasted like a “dessert beer”