CLUB NOTES: California Club March 2021

Hello club members,

Whether it’s early weekday mornings or hitting the pillow at night, we’re always thinking about wine — what’s new, what’s classic, what’s timely, what’s trending and what’s best going to serve our customers and club members.

Wine is more than just a retail job for all of us here at Bag And String, it’s our mission and passion. And we hope these things come through to you each time your club picks arrive!

It’s an exciting time for us at the shop as we continue to grow our several types of club subscriptions, and also improve upon the other services we offer — from curbside pick-up and delivery to website ordering and blog & newsletter content.

We hope you’re finding all this content fun and worthwhile, as it’s all part of our multifaceted plan to better serve all of you! 

So stop in soon and collect your club picks! And don’t forget, the day you pick up your club wines you receive 20% off two or more bottles!

Cheers!

-All of us at Bag & String Wine Merchants

CALIFORNIA CLUB RED ONE

WINERY NAME:  Bedrock Wine Co.
VARIETAL NAME: Zinfandel
VINTAGE: 2018
REGION: Sonoma, California 

About This Wine:

2018 was a brilliant year for Zinfandel across California, and this wine reflects it.  The 2018 is a blend of 85% Zinfandel filled out with Mataro, Grenache, Alicante Bouschet, Carignan, Petite Sirah and scant amounts of the many other varieties that can be found in California’s older, multifarious vineyards.  Many of our most venerable vineyards contribute to this wine, including Bedrock, Teldeschi, Esola, Pagani, Papera, Evangelho and Pato filled in with lots from other old vineyards throughout the state.  This will provide great drinking pleasure with a decant early on, but as with most iterations of this bottling, will develop nicely for a number of years.

Tasting Notes:

Full-bodied and bold, this Washington State wine exhibits earthy leather and pepper alongside blueberry and other black fruit. From the elegant aromas up front to the subtle tannins throughout, this dry red has a well-rounded body and subtle notes of oak, chocolate & vanilla. 

Winery Notes:

Bedrock Wine Co. was started in 2007 by Morgan Twain-Peterson. Working out of a small converted chicken coop in a friend’s backyard, Morgan focused on making personality-filled wines wrought from a small array of thoughtfully farmed vineyards. After six years of working alone, the winery welcomed Chris Cottrell as a partner-in-crime along with a small, dedicated staff of highly decent human beings.

FOOD PAIRING

Roasted Beef Canapés 

Ingredients:
1teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 lb beef tenderloin, trimmed
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons dry red wine or water
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish sauce
36 baguette slices
1 & 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves

Instructions:
Heat oven to 450°F. In small bowl, mix 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the garlic powder, paprika and pepper. Rub mixture all over beef. Place beef in small shallow roasting pan; tuck thin end under.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in center reads 140°F. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, heat butter and oil over medium heat until butter melts. Add brown sugar and onions; stir to coat. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften. Add wine. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; cook 10 to 15 minutes or until onions are very tender.

In small bowl, mix sour cream, horseradish and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. To serve, spread baguette slices with sour cream mixture. Top each with spinach leaves. Thinly slice beef; layer over spinach. Top with onions.

CALIFORNIA CLUB RED TWO

WINERY NAME: Vina Robles
VARIETAL NAME: Cabernet Sauvignon 
VINTAGE: 2017
REGION: Paso Robles, California 

Tasting Notes:
Garnet in color with aromas of ripe fruit, licorice and cedar, and hints of blueberries and mocha. On the palate this wine is full-bodied with notes of dark cherry, mocha and cassis with chewy textured tannins.

Winery Notes:
Vina Robles is the result of a unique personal trajectory, one that led founder Hans Nef from a rural village outside Zurich, Switzerland to the rugged terrain of California’s Central Coast.

In 1996 Nef selected longtime friend and business associate Hans – R. Michel, a Swiss expatriate, as managing partner. A year later, the duo planted the first of what would later become six vineyards in Paso Robles, and soon thereafter Vina Robles was born. Winemaker Kevin Willenborg joined the team in 2012.

Nef's ultimate goal was realized in 2019 with the opening of the state-of-the-art Vina Robles Winery, built to take the wines to the next level and beyond.

FOOD PAIRING
Bon Appétit Braised Short Ribs

Ingredients:
5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium onions, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 750 ml bottle dry red wine
10 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
8 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs oregano
2 sprigs rosemary
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
4 cups low-salt beef stock

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Working in 2 batches, brown short ribs on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer short ribs to a plate. Pour off all but 3 Tbsp. drippings from pot.

Add onions, carrots, and celery to pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onions are browned, about 5 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until well combined and deep red, 2-3 minutes. Stir in wine, then add short ribs with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil; lower heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Add all herbs to pot along with garlic. Stir in stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven.

Cook until short ribs are tender, 2–2½ hours. Transfer short ribs to a platter. Strain sauce from pot into a measuring cup. Spoon fat from surface of sauce and discard; season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in shallow bowls over mashed potatoes with sauce spooned over

CALIFORNIA CLUB WHITE

WINERY NAME: Grgich Hills Estate 
VARIETAL NAME: Sauvignon Blanc
VINTAGE: 2017
REGION: Napa Valley, California 

Tasting Notes:
On the nose, the wine displays fresh, tropical notes of pineapple, kiwi, and peach followed by melon, lime and fresh apple on the palate. The wine’s crisp and balanced acidity

Winery Notes:
Miljenko “Mike” Grgich first gained international recognition at the celebrated “Paris Tasting” of 1976. Then, in a now-historic blind tasting, a panel of eminent French judges swirled, sniffed, and sipped an array of the fabled white Burgundies of France and a small sampling of upstart Chardonnays from the Napa Valley. When their scores were tallied, the French judges were shocked: they had chosen the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, crafted by Mike Grgich,  as the finest white wine in the world.

After his victory in Paris, Mike sat down with Austin Hills and his sister, Mary Lee Strebl, from the Hills Bros. Coffee family, and on Independence Day 1977, they gave birth to Grgich Hills. It was an ideal partnership. Austin owned premium vineyards in Rutherford, in the heart of the Napa Valley, and with his extensive background in business, he put the winery on its financial feet. Mike, with his fierce commitment to making wines of the highest quality, began producing what immediately became our signature wine: the exquisite, richly complex Chardonnays that win awards and delight wine lovers across America and throughout the world.

FOOD PAIRING

Goat Cheese & Peach Flatbread

Ingredients:
1 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
6 cups fresh arugula
2 medium peaches, thinly sliced
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons balsamic glaze

Preparation:
Caramelize the onions: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the balsamic vinegar, stir, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 25 minutes more, until the onions are tender and caramelized. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush each side of the flatbread lightly with olive oil. One at a time, grill each flatbread for about 1 minute on each side, until grill marks appear.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place flatbread on a cooking sheet and top each flatbread with peach slices and crumbled goat cheese and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Add the arugula to a medium bowl, along with the caramelized onions, remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Toss well. Top each flatbread with some of the arugula mixture. Finish by drizzling with Balsamic glaze.