To celebrate the Harvest Festival weekend, Chef Budi Kazali, along with Chrystal and Steve Clifton of Palmina Winery, held a winemaker dinner last night.
As we made our way into the peaceful setting of the Inn, we saw that beautiful crystal glassware and fine china had been set out upon the tables for our arrival. Staff buzzed about, tending to last minute details, as guests arrived and socialized in the sitting room.
Once seated, we were treated to a delightful meal in five courses, and a brief introduction of each matching wine by both Steve and Chrystal.
First up was herbed citrus ceviche with avocado and sweet 100 tomatoes. This was presented beautifully, with perfectly "cooked" squid (or was it octopus? - I didn't ask) bathed in a zingy lime flavored dressing. The avocado added a creamy texture that elevated the dish for me. The wine match was a Malvasia Bianca, Larner Vineyard, 2007 There isn't too much of this variety out there, and Steve tells us that until recently his was the only planting of it in the state. This pale yellow wine has an extremely rich and floral nose, which is deceiving, because when it hits the palate it is bone dry and crisp. The disconnect between the nose and palate is striking, and one I find very interesting. The zinginess of this wine partners well with the creaminess of the ceviche, and I thought it was an excellent match.
Next, a dayboat scallop with Santa Barbara sea urchin and miso beurre blanc arrived, along with Honea Bianco White Table Wine 2007 Chef Budi has a way with scallops. I've had them fixed every which way from him, and never come away disappointed. This may have been the best yet. This was a lovely, fat, scallop with a perfectly seared exterior and a succulent and moist interior, and served as a perfect delivery device for the sauce, which was divine. The urchin was just a bonus gilding of the lily. The wine is a blend of Tocai, Pinot Grigio, and Arneis, but we are asked to let go of our preconceived notions of those varieties, and think about the blend. This wine is more deeply colored, and has a rich nose that reminds me of candle wax. The weight is medium plus, with less acidity than the first wine - more pineapple than grapefruit, but enough nerviness to again marry well with the dish with which it is paired.
Suitably warmed up, it was now time to enjoy some red wines.
Two were poured, side by side. Barbera - Honea Vineyard 2006 and Barbera - Zotovich Vineyard 2006 The Honea is a warmer site than Zotovich, and the wines had noticeable differences. The Honea was raised in French Oak, the Zotovich, Slovenian. "H" was darker in color. I found both wines delicious, but preferred the great acid backbone of the "Z" I also found an intriguing dustiness in the "Z" that I did not find in the "H" and overall thought the "Z" a more complex wine. The course these wines were served with was grilled quail stuffed with fois gras, couscous and figs. I probably didn't pay as much attention to this course as it deserved, as I was preoccupied with the wines. I can't tell you much about the stuffing. The bird itself was delicious, with a syrup like sauce studded with bits of the fois. Again, the wine and food match was stellar.
The penultimate course was braised oxtail with summer Italian truffles, celeriac puree and Maitake mushrooms, alongside Sisquoc (Santa Maria) Nebbiolo 2004
This wine has lots of bright fruit, and mouth coating tannins to go with it. At age four, it is still a baby, and there are some hard edges to the wine which will no doubt smooth out with more time in the bottle. There's meatiness and earthiness here, with balance evident even at this somewhat awkward stage. This wine will be singing in a few years. The oxtail dish was meltingly tender and beefy, and the truffle and mushroom foundation perfumed it well. I found this to be the most wildly aromatic course of all.
Finally, we were treated to mascarpone cheesecake with five spice Asian pear - a delightfully light, yet satisfying dessert from the resident dessert wizard, Chris Kazali. Our wine match was Santita - Malvasia Bianca Dessert Style 2005
This wine is made Vin Santo style - four months on mats, rehydrated with "fresh" wine, and no topping, allowing for a slow oxidizing.
It was hard to believe this wine was made from the same grapes as our first wine was, as it was so different in character. It had an interesting nuttiness to it that complemented the creamy cheesecake. I've always thought the Italians have a deftness with dessert wines that is less serious, more playful, if you will. Steve and Chrystal captured that in this wine.
All their wines share that Italian sensibility of wine as food, while maintaining their sense of place. The Cliftons clearly "get it" when it comes to working with Italian varieties in California.