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2007 Napa Valley Merlot
May 20, 2010 by David
Filed under Blog, Merlot, Winemaker Notes
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This is no Cabernet wannabe. With its red fruit, velvety tannins and earthy, slightly herbal note it’s unmistakably Merlot. 
This is 100% Merlot, but you can still call it a blend because it brings together rich, ripe flavors from our Yountville Estate and the leaner, earthier character of Carneros-grown fruit. It all adds up to delicious! 2007, perhaps the best vintage we’ve seen since 1997, yielded flavors of ripe cherry, strawberry, turned earth, mocha and a hint of smoke and toasty oak.
Merlot and food: With its soft tannins, Merlot has a long-standing reputation for being versatile at the table. Colleen serves it with everything from poultry to pasta, to a good steak! Give it a try with her recipe for Spring Lamb with Honey-Thyme Root Vegetables.
Culinary Getaways
Suffering from cabin fever? Love to cook? And EAT???
You should know Sherry Page of Culinary
Getaways. Whether it’s Napa Valley, Paris, Sausalito, Tuscany or Provence you’ll cook with the very best local ingredients and eat the best that the region has to offer. This 2-minute Fun Fact fills you in!
Pairing Wine With Sweets
They’re everywhere, aren’t they? Christmas cookies, plates of fudge, so many temptations…
How do you pair wine with those goodies? Enjoy this 2-minute Fun Fact!
And hide your scale until after New Year’s 
Happy Holidays from all of us at Goosecross!
Muscat Canelli
This grape is a mysterious seductress! A dyed in the wool Cabernet drinker will melt at the first whiff of heady, floral Muscat Canelli.
Mysterious? It appears to be living under a number of assumed names. There are numerous grapes called Muscat, many of them redundant. Let’s talk about what it is before we address what it isn’t. In America, it’s usually called Muscat Blanc or Muscat Canelli. In France, it goes by Muscat a Petits Grains or Muscat de Frontignan. The Italians call it Moscato, whether Moscato Bianco, Moscato d’Asti, Moscato di Canelli or some other regional moniker.
A Grape with a Past
It’s the oldest cultivated grape in France, most likely brought to Frontignan, by the Romans. The official French name, Muscat a Petits Grains, is a mouthful but it’s also descriptive of the attribute that makes it the most distinctive of the Muscat family: it translate as “muscat with small berries”. Small berries are often more flavorful berries and the flavor intensity is what sets it apart from the garden variety Muscat Alexandria, Muscat Ottonel or Muscat Hamburg.
Its ancient origins make it particularly subject to mutation, which adds to the mystery. While it’s most often white, as various names imply, mutations may be pink, red or brown! And white Muscat, harvested in a very mature state may appear nicely bronzed!
Remarkable Perfume
Muscat Canelli is a survivor, no doubt, because few can resist its incredible perfume. The French have a term, musqué, to describe clones of other varieties with notable floral, muscat-like perfume. Expect stone fruit, lychee, orange blossom and a bit of spice.
Because of these characteristics, it lends itself to particularly well to sweet wines. If you’re a fan of the rich Muscat de Beaume de Venise of southern France or the delightful Moscato d’Asti of Northern Italy, you’ve been drinking Muscat Canelli! It also makes lovely, refreshing sparkling wine and is the grape of Asti Spumante. In fact, Muscat Canelli is the fourth most planted variety in Italy!
It’s early to bud in the spring and to harvest in the fall, so it’s no surprise that it does well in moderately warm, Mediterranean climates. Canelli is not particularly vigorous and is quite susceptible to poor fruit set and bunch rot. This makes is a great candidate for most parts of warm, dry California. It’s also grown in Australia and South Africa.
Dessert in a Glass!
Many a Muscat Canelli wine, including Goosecross Muscat Canelli, is so sweetly delicious it can be served in place of dessert. Light, low alcohol styles are delicious with fresh fruit, especially strawberries, peaches and apricots, and with fruit-based desserts: pies, tarts, strawberry cheesecake. Fortified Muscat, such as Beaume de Venise, is wonderful with richer desserts such as crème brûlée, grilled peaches with zabaglione, chocolate covered fruit, blue cheese and most any kind of nuts! Are you getting hungry? Cheers!
Common synonyms: Muscat Blanc; Muscat a petits grains; Moscato d’Asti; Muscat de Frontignan
More recipes, paired with wine
Flavor profile: orange blossom, lychee fruit, apricot, peach, grapey, spice
Weight: Table and sparkling wine: light Fortified: full bodied
ÆROS® with Filet Mignon with Herb-Truffle Marinade
December 1, 2009 by David
Filed under Wine & Recipe of The Month
Why not pull out all the stops during this very festive time of year? Whether it’s for the whole family gathered around the holiday table or an intimate dinner party to celebrate the new year, this will be a meal to remember. One bite of the buttery fillet with the rich, supple ÆROS® reminds you of why this pairing is a classic. The truffle oil and Provencal herbs bring out the woodsy, earthy notes in this luscious, plummy Meritage blend. And, you’ll sit down to dinner completely relaxed because this is a feast that’s remarkably easy to prepare! Bon Appetit!
Fillet Mignon with Herb-Truffle Marinade 
Ingredients
4 fillet mignons, 8 ounces each and 1-1/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons truffle oil
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon fennel bulb, minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a square pyrex dish, whisk the olive oil, truffle oil, rosemary, thyme, mustard, vinegar, fennel, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Rub each fillet on all sides with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4-6 hours. Allow the fillets to stand at room temperature 30 minutes before grilling.
Grill the fillets over direct high heat for 10 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Continue grilling over indirect heat for 3-5 minutes more, or until the internal temperature is 135 degrees for medium-rare. Remove from the grill, let rest 5 minutes, and serve warm.
Great with roasted rosemary fingerling potatoes and a bibb lettuce and cherry tomato salad.
Try this recipe using oak barrel smoking chips or grapevine smoking chips on the barbeque for even more flavor.
Serves 4
- Discover more great recipes at Colleen’s Kitchen
- Purchase our 2006 ÆROS® Meritage in our online store
Goosecross: Favorite Family Dishes for Thanksgiving
In our last video you heard from Colleen, Sherry and Diane about suggested wine pairings for Thanksgiving.
If you’re in the mood to do something a little different for Thanksgiving this year, in this brief video you’ll hear from them again, talking about their favorite Thanksgiving food traditions and how to pair them with wine. Happy Thanksgiving! To get their recipes:
Colleen’s recipes at goosecross.com
Sherry’s recipes at culinarygetaways.com
Diane’s recipes at letsgocookitalian.com (just send Diane an email with your recipe request).
Equal time: David’s menu request for Father’s Day
I hope some of you enjoyed the great menu that Colleen, our proprietor, created for Mother’s Day. In the interest of equal time, she’s developed yet, another, incredible menu to treat David for Father’s Day. This one has an Italian theme! She managed to put together four dishes that are all delicious with our Zinfandel! Enjoy!
- Italian Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
- Pasta Con Pesto
- Grilled Italian Sausages
- Balsamic Strawberries with Cracked Pepper & Crême Fraiche
Serve with Goosecross Zinfandel
Here’s to Dad on his special day! There are over 100 delicious recipes (paired with wine of course!) in Colleen’s Kitchen.
