Month: September 2017
Tate Wines Team Up With Saddle Creek Wine Society
What do you get when one combines a world class Napa wine maker, an extremely talented Executive Chef, a dynamic owner/marketer and a setting on a beautiful golf course? An absolutely marvelous time!!
David Tate the wine maker and owner of Tate Wines (also GM and wine maker at award winning Barnett Vineyards), provided the wines last evening at Saddle Creek Golf Resort. Add the bubbling, effervescent and eloquent speaking partner in Tate Wines, his wife, Suzanne Tate and you have 32 captivated attendees sitting lakeside enjoying many wonderful wines.
*2015 TATE Spring Street Chardonnay
-Brie cheese with jalapeños and apricot sauce (so unique)
-Shrimp, Grilled Peach, Macadamia nuts, Spinach with Sweet Citrus Vinaigrette
*2014 TATE Spring Street, St Helena Cabernet Sauvignon
-Spiced Duck, Pork Belly Collards, Pomegranate Reduction
Intermezzo
-Lemon-mint Sorbet and Lemonchello Martini
*2014 Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon
-Teres Major Fillet, Parsnip Puree, Blackberry Gastrigue, Baby Chard Leaves
*2014 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
-Cabernet Cake, Vanilla Mousse, Black Pepper, Chocolate Bacon, Black Currents, Chocolate
Demi-glaze (a wildly successful treat!)
Chef Nigel, the Executive Chef at Saddle Creek Resort, provided a gourmet meal fit for kings & queens. Actually it was for Saddle Creek Wine Society in the community. The various dishes served were pieces of edible art. His creativity and wildly unique desert was off the charts!!
Add to the above quality of individuals and talents, a setting overlooking the ninth green over a lake and glowing fire pit on a lovely warm evening made this wine maker’s dinner truly memorable.
Slainte,
http://www.tatewine.com/
http://www.saddlecreekgolf.com/
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Kola Farms
Literally walking out of a Japanese Restaurant at lunch in Murphy, California, I happened upon a “soft opening” of a winery called Kola Farms. Having tasted many wines in Calaveras County without “much happiness” I was reluctant to enter, yet I was still curious. 
Firstly, it was indeed a soft opening, but already a handful of folks were sipping the wines. The goal and objective of Kola Farms is to specialize in premium and limited production wines from Calaveras, Amador and El Dorado Counties. They were featuring Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Grenache Rose, Barbera and Syrah varietals. I was stunned and shocked at the high quality of the wines tasted.
I started out skeptical but still inquisitive why a new winery would open up on the crowded Main Street in Murphy’s’. The first tasting was the Sauvignon Blanc which absolutely was shockingly great upon the reception of the nose and lots of soft citrus but still crisp on the palate.
The other two wines received the same ravening from this writer: The Barbera and Syrah. The Barbera had a rarely found complexity of soft tannins, wood and layering of a classic Barbera.
The Syrah was equally strong in quality with chocolate hints and a smooth but not a syrupy jammy quality.
One last comment on the Manager of the wine room, Lacy. She is knowledgeable, friendly and eager to answer any questions thrown her way.
The end goal of the wine tasting experience will be food, an indoor/outdoor downstairs porch and food/groceries being availability in the Kola Farms General Story. They still have work to do, but if the soft opening was any indicator of their longer terms goals, this is one solid addition to the crowded Main Street wineries – perhaps becoming one of the best!
Slainte,
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California Wines & Wineries 