"Robert Biale and their storied Black Chicken"

I remember the first Biale Zinfandel that I ever had.  A regular guest invited myself and a fellow bartender out for dinner.  We were dining at Wolfgang's in Beverly Hills and Billy (my fellow bartender) had asked if I had ever had a Biale Zin...at the time my answer was no.  Since then, I have pulled many corks of Biale and it has become one of my favorite wines.

The Biale family has been in the Napa family since 1937.  Their farm was located on the outskirts of the town Napa in what is now the Oak Knoll District.  This was during some of America's darkest time...that's right...Prohibition!  Luckily, the farm produced a variety of produce and did grow a native zinfandel grape, which most was sold to Napa wineries but, they did manage to keep a little to make some homemade wine for the family.  They also had a large population of white leghorn chickens that produced a steady supply of farm fresh eggs.

Enter entrepreneurial, wine savvy,  Aldo Biale.  Aldo discreetly made a large cache of wine annually and created a code word for his jug wine...it became affectionately known as the "Black Chicken."  At the time rural phones were on a "Party Line" which was frequented by nosy eavesdroppers but, for unassuming listeners the list of produce, eggs and the exotic "poultry" would be not so news worthy.

*I am always on the lookout for the Black Chicken

Currently, the Robert Biale Vineyards focuses on single vineyard zinfandel.  We tasted through a wide array of zinfandels produced from Napa and Sonoma and each is uniquely different.  Many consider this to be our native grape and it deserves respect.

*This was our view for our tasting....ahhhhh!

Zinfandel is one of my favorite varietals and I love to shock and awe people with it.  Many people don't know that it is first a red varietal...don't even mention the white stuff in my presence!  Typically it shows red berry jam fruit and has a pepper spice finish and in the hands of good winemaker the layers will vary.  Most professionals will say drink it fresh but, I have a different view.  I believe a well made zinfandel can age and get better with time!  I have proved it to naysayers time and time again...many a great Napa cabs have been sleighed by an aged Biale Zinfandel.

  

Don't believe me?!  Grab your best ...I have mine ready!

Thank you Coach for your amazing hospitality!  Cheers!

http://www.robertbialevineyards.com/index-2.html

"The Bear and The Lion...Firestone Walker"

The Firestone name is one that is steeped in being entrepreneurial and adventurous and these guys are definitely keeping that spirit alive.  The Firestone family is mostly associated with the tire industry.  Harvey S. Firestone founded the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company and was one of the first global tire producers.  Leonard, his son, established a family ranch in Santa Ynez and planted a vineyard.  The Firestone Vineyard was the first Santa Barbara County Estate Winery.  Adam, Leonard's grandson, was having a family debate with his English brother-in-law about good and bad beer and thus begun a new Firestone adventure.

In 1996, Adam "the bear" and his brother-in-law, David "the lion", established Firestone Walker Brewing Company.  The beers are based on the Burton Union system, a system of fermentation in oak barrels and to date, I believe there are only two brewers in the world doing so.  The beers were an immediate success and expanded two times in six years and eventually purchased former SLO Brewing Company in Paso Robles in 2002.  Currently, the company houses beer in two facilities.  The Paso site is the main brewing site with fermenters, keg lines and bottling lines.  The Santa Ynez site houses their "Barrelworks" project.  All barrel aged beers are kept on site along with a taproom and restaurant.  The food is quite good too!

*Entrance to Santa Ynez' "Barrelworks"

*Shhhh ...the beers are resting!

It is said that it takes a lot of beer to make great wine...the Firestone family definitely knows this to be true.  Their line up is solid and offers quite a wide range of beers.  These days you almost don't see a tap in California without one of their beers...the 805 is easily recognizable.

*This one happened to come straight from the brewery...with IPA, fresh is best!

*Don't mess with the Bear!...just sayin'

Thank you Firestone Walker for the hospitality!

http://www.firestonebeer.com/home.php

"Poseidon Brewing...if the God of the Sea drank beer..this might be it"

Last week I was sitting at a bar and had struck up a conversation with a local from Ventura, California.  She had picked up on a conversation I was having with the bartender and was intrigued with my bar knowledge.  She asked if I had been to a new local favorite, Poseidon Brewing.  I had never heard of it and was desperate to know more.  She asked if I had heard of Figueroa Mountain Brewing, which I know quite well (I was just at their facilities in Santa Ynez and Los Olivos), apparently one of the brewers had left and started his own project...it was time to delve into this new "local favorite."

The brewery is located in a very nondescript building with 2 very small signs giving just a hint of the greatness going on inside.  Once you enter the small glass door a set of couches greet you with a carved wooden sign signifying the recent establishment of this up and coming brewery.

*The beers are displayed on the board behind the bar

*For a better explanation check their Tasting Notes

*My first Poseidon brew...their Grapefruit IPA

*The theme is very nautical and friendly to Divers and Mermaids

The head brewer for Poseidon is Reno and he is a native of Goleta, California.  He began brewing at the age of 18 and has been at it ever since.  After graduating from UC Davis with a degree in Biology, he worked as a brewer for Figueroa Mountain Brewing.  His philosophy is "brewing beers to the highest standards while providing a diverse selection of beer styles for customers to enjoy."

I was literally floored when I tasted the Grapefruit IPA.  The grapefruit aromas jump out of the glass on this hoppy, balanced IPA.  Reno actually uses grapefruit zest from Mud Creek Ranch in Santa Paula, California.  It registers with a nice 6.6% ABV and 63 IBU's.  This is positively my new favorite beer, but is only available at the brewery in Growlers (64 oz) or Half-Growlers (32 oz)... Well worth the trouble!  Seek it out!

http://www.poseidonbrewingco.com/

"Torpedo Away...Sierra Nevada"

Sierra Nevada is a California iconic brewery and is almost synonymous with Pale Ale.  This "giant" craft brewery has very humble beginnings but, through all this growth, they still maintain their craft passion.  I had always wanted to visit the brewery but, rarely do I pass through Chico and as Danny and I were planning our trip, I decided now was the time.

Ken Grossman originally learned to homebrew from a close friend's father.  From an early age he was enamored with the art and science of brewing.  During a trip with friends through Northern California, he fell in love with Chico and decided to move from his Southern California home.  Ken decided to open a homebrew supply shop in downtown Chico and began honing his craft alongside fellow homebrewer Paul Camusi.  Their craft brews were beginning to get noticed.  During the 1970's, not many hops were available for homebrewers.  Ken decided to go straight to the source in Yakima, Washington.  He returned with 100 pounds of whole cone hops and so begun the signature of Sierra Nevada and their hop-forward beers.

*Centennial whole hops...nothing has changed in 35 + years

In 1979, Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi establish Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico, California.  Following early pioneers like Anchor Brewing and New Albion Brewing, Sierra begins selling a craft beer with real taste and body.  Their Pale Ale is an immediate hit and Americans start to think twice about drinking adjunct bland lagers.

*The Hospitality Center is First Class and very welcoming

*Can't begin a tour without a little taste

*Beautiful German copper brewing vessel in the Hupmann brewhouse

*That is Ken Grossman on the left...look for him in the new brewhouse!

*Torpedos Away!  These are the nefarious Hop Torpedos

*Beer doesn't get any fresher than drinking straight from the "Mother's Tit"...Hoptimum!

*These guys are brewing and bottling 24/7

*Keeping up with the demand

The brewery also has an amazing restaurant and garden on the property.  The garden is a little more VIP and not sure if it is part of the regular tour but, the vegetables and fruit are used exclusively for the restaurant.

*Sierra Nevadas garden

*Sierra also grows a limited amount of hops on the property

If you are heading to the brewery or anywhere near Chico, do yourself a favor and stop by the restaurant and have the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale battered Fish and Chips!  I love a good Fish and Chips and these are probably one of the best I have ever had!

Thank you Sierra Nevada for doing all you do!  A huge thank you to Steve Grossman for taking such great care of us!  Cheers!

http://www.sierranevada.com/

"Frog's Leap...Ribbit!"

I have had the pleasure of meeting John Williams, the winemaker not the composer, on several occasions but, had never been to the winery.  A couple years ago I was invited to a special luncheon with this legendary winemaker and jumped at the opportunity to sit at a table with him...

We sampled his amazing wines as he shared stories about the history of the winery, his passion for dry farming and the future of bio-dynamic farming.  

*John was amazingly generous with his selections

At the end of the luncheon John invited us all to stop by the winery and see the Red Barn for ourselves...since Danny and I were going to be in the neighborhood we decided to stop in and take John up on his offer.

The story behind Frog's Leap is a fun tale of Napa legends and chance meetings.  In 1974, John leaves his beloved New York and sets his sights on Napa Valley.  He finds himself squatting on Larry Turley's property, a former frog raising farm.  Larry and John come to an agreement and so began a partnership to start a new winery together.  In addition, Larry introduces John to his friend Warren Winiarski, owner of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars.  It is at this time that Warren and John bottle the '73 Stag's Leap Cabernet (the Taste of Paris award winning bordeaux).

In 1980, John becomes winemaker at Spring Mountain and renews his pledge to open a new winery with Larry Turley.  Since John's stint at Stag's Leap and Larry's frog farm property, they decide to call it Frog's Leap.  A year later they make their first wines, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel, with grapes purchased from Spottswoode.

*Rutherford Estate Grown fruit

*The Estate is Bio-Dynamic and the beauty of it can be seen everywhere

*Bio-Dynamic means everything is working together

*How beautiful is this?

*The Red Barn needed some touch up

*John is not a total hippie...He does use state of the art equipment

*The view from the upper barn door was amazing

I absolutely adore this picture.  Danny and I sharing a wonderful cheese plate, sipping amazing wine and taking in breath-taking views...these are great memories!

The next time you are heading to Napa, make sure you stop by and sample some of Rutherford's finest...your table is waiting...

Cheers to John and his amazing staff!  The hospitality was truly memorable!

http://www.frogsleap.com/

"A Napa legend...Grgich Hills Estate"

Grgich Hills Estate is a true piece of Americana.  The winery is a culmination of one impassioned,immigrant winemaker and a well-known coffee family that believed in him...  

Miljenko "Mike" Grgich was born in the village of Desne, on the Croatian Dalmation coast, on April 1, 1923.  He was one of 11 children and like his father, grandfather and great-grandfather before him, he made wine at the small family owned winery.  In 1949 he went to the University of Zagreb, where he studied enology, chemistry and microbiology.  By 1954, Mike was fed up with the communist rule in Yugoslavia so he made his way to West Germany, then Canada and finally California. 

In 1958, Mike arrived in Napa and immediately went to work for Lee Stewart, founder of Souverain. After one harvest, Mike moved to Christian Brothers and then to Beaulieu Vineyard where he spent nine years working alongside the legendary Russian winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff.  In 1968, Mike was eager for more responsibility and became chief enologist at the most innovative winery at the time, Robert Mondavi.

*I have been fortunate to have talked with Mike on several occasions over the years

Mike joined Chateau Montelena as winemaker in 1972.  It was here that Mike made the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that took first place in the 1976 Taste of Paris, the first American wine to ever beat the French in a blind tasting.  It was this achievement that allowed Mike to fulfill his lifelong dream of owning his own winery.  In 1977, he joined forces with Austin Hills of the Hills Bros. Coffee family and created Grgich Hills Cellars in Rutherford, the heart of Napa Valley.

*Mike proudly displays his Award Winning wine...the Smithsonian also has a bottle and is included in the list of "101 Objects That Made America"

In 2008 a Hollywood rendition of this epic Paris tasting was released.  The movie was entertaining and told through the eyes of one delusional winery owner.  Bottle Shock tells a story of one crazed wine maker, Jim Barrett, in search of the perfect chardonnay.  Jim did own Chateau Montelena but, was never the wine maker.  His son, Bo, studied under Mike and is currently the head wine maker there.  Mike's character is one of an elderly man who wears a beret and has no speaking lines.  He is at best, background scenery.  Funny thing is, Mike was hired to make Cabernet Sauvignon but, newly planted crops weren't ready for farming so Mike advised Jim that he made a pretty good chardonnay!  Lucky for Jim...I guess Mike too!

*Entertaining movie but, now you know who really made that Chardonnay

*For the real story read George M Taber's Judgement of Paris

*This just happens to be my personally autographed copy

In 1980, 221 Chardonnays were brought together for a historic first, the largest blind tasting ever held of wines made from a single varietal.  Mike's 1977 Grgich Hills Chardonnay emerged with the first place ribbon.  He soon became affectionately known as the "King of Chardonnay."

I personally remember the first time I had a glass of Grgich Chardonnay.  It was my first bartending job 21 years ago and all I knew about wine was the Mateus, Alamden and white zin my mother drank.  As a higher end martini and wine bar, I quickly learned that those wines were highly frowned upon.  In fact the favorite saying was "friends don't let friends drink white zin."  I remember tasting through the "by the glass" wine selections and the Grgich was like nothing I had ever tasted.  The wine was layered with so many nuances that my palate was overwhelmed.  I never knew wine could be this delicious.  The next day I purchased a bottle and brought it to my mother and proclaimed, "from now on NO more white zin!"  I am proud to say, we never turned back!

A few months ago I took Danny on a journey to learn about all the classics.  We stopped in at Grgich and the wine room was typically packed.  I happened to get the attention of one of the wine stewards...he said "Mr. Barragan, we have been waiting for you!"  It turns out that he was Austin Hills son and he gave us a one on one guided tour and tasting...

*Shhhhh...the wine is resting

*Our VIP tasting

Thank you Grgich Hills for being such generous hosts!  Cheers to you Mike!

http://www.grgich.com/