#idlecellars

After drinking a bottle of 2012 Idle Cellars Viognier at lunch last week at The Girl and Fig I decided it was time to stroll the Kick Ranch Vineyard.  We source our Viognier, Grenache and Petite Sirah from Kick Ranch right outside of Santa Rosa.  Owned by Dick Keenan, a retired San Francisco attorney, this 23 acre vineyard is a primo Rhône varietal plot with spectacular Syrah, Viognier, Petite Sirah and Sauvignon Blanc.  It was such a relief to see the reservoir filling up nicely and the land green and lush.  I’ve always found that the Viognier plot at the top of the vineyard is in the perfect location for that varietal.  The plot is flat and gets good mineral build up from the hillside drainage which rises steeply to the east.  It’s also slightly shaded during some parts of the day by a row of trees next to the plot to keep the fruit from heating up too much in late summer.  We make Viognier from Kick Ranch every other year so look out for a 2016 vineyard designate.  Our 2014 is currently for sale through our website at www.idlecellars.com.  

We also make an award winning Grenache from Kick Ranch.  At Idle Cellars we didn’t hop on the Pinot Noir bandwagon that’s been going on over the last decade, but we wanted to include a lighter fruit forward wine in our inventory.  Being huge fans of Châteauneuf du Pape, and Spain in general, we settled on Grenache to play that part.  We started making Grenache from Kick Ranch in 2009 and have been making more and more each year.  We’re producing about 250 cases of Kick Ranch Grenache every harvest.  Our 2013 Grenache is the current release.  Keep your eyes open for other wines from Kick Ranch.  Dick does a good job of selling grapes to up and coming winemakers, helping them to gain some credibility in an otherwise very competitive market.  We’re also trying to throw a pop up dinner in the vineyard some time at the end of the summer, so keep your eyes peeled. 

On April 23rd we kicked off the Dining for a Cause series at the Naked Kitchen. The series of dinners will provide charitable contributions and recognition to the featured organization of the night coupled with a wonderful wine-paired meal for the guests. What better way to eat well and feel great?

The first dinner in the series featured a five course meal by Chef Anthony Yang to benefit the organization ReSurge International. The event was a great success both for the awareness it raised for ReSurge and the meal that Chef Yang put together. The meal featured the following dishes: 

Baby Romaine lettuces with creamy avocado, Ricotta salata and grilled sourdough paired with the 2013 Idle Cellars Sauvignon Blanc.

Orrechiette pasta with braised Mary’s chicken, artichoke soubise and Parmesan paired with the 2012 Viognier. 

Mt. Lassen Trout with squash pesto, crispy ham and grilled asparagus paired with the 2012 Grenache. 

The final dish before dessert was the Miso braised beef cheeks with pea porridge, radishes, and Tatsoi paired with the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon pictured above. 

We are gearing up for the second dinner in the series to raise money for Planned Parenthood on June 1st. Chef Andrew Greene, Executive Chef at Troya will be joining us as we work to raise money and funds for the organization that has made a name for itself as a provider of vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information for millions of women, men, and young people worldwide. For nearly 100 years, Planned Parenthood has promoted a commonsense approach to women’s health and well-being, based on respect for each individual’s right to make informed, independent decisions about health, sex, and family planning.

We hope you will join us for this delicious meal for a cause and come out for future Dining for a Cause events. Reserve your tickets and view the menu at this link: https://secure.sosh.com/san-francisco/marketplace/dining-cause-eat-drink-be-inspired/m/HXtZ/?ref=search

Cheers!

Idle Cellars has long embraced the art of pop-up dining. As wine makers it is exciting to explore various food pairings and watch as the mixture of food and wine brings out new flavors in the juice. The pop-up dining experience has allowed us to work with a variety of outstanding chefs across the country who each bring their own style and distinct food pairings to match with our wines. 

Working with Chef Anthony Yang through a variety of pop-up dinners at the Naked Kitchen in San Francisco over the past year has been a distinct pleasure. Chef Yang’s flawless execution and use of local seasonal farmer’s market ingredients have led to unique and artful dishes designed to pair perfectly with each Idle Cellars varietal. Every meal we have made together has taught us something new about the intricate balance of a tasting menu and the art of wine pairing. 

Formerly of Per Se and Michael Mina, Chef Yang has awed us with his professionalism, artistry, and signature Black Truffle Waffles. 

We are very excited to be working with him again for a five-course Post-Meridian pop-up dinner paired with Idle Cellars wines. The menu we have put together includes:

Uni Corn, farro cracker, red pepper 2013 Idle Cellars Sauvignon Blanc

Asparagus Egg, potato chip, trout roe 2014 Idle Cellars Grenache Blanc

Pig Head Terrine Radish, apricot mustard 2014 Idle Cellars Viognier

Scallop Wrapped in Ramp Leaves Pickled ramps, morel marmalade, oxtail jus 2012 Idle Cellars Grenache

Braised Spring Lamb Curried crushed peas, fennel, pistachio 2012 Idle Cellars Syrah

Black truffle waffles Ice cream 2010 Idle Cellars Cab

We hope you can join us and experience the art of Anthony Yang first hand. Get your tickets at http://bso.sh/yangidlepop65

Cheers!

Come join us April 23rd at the Naked Kitchen for a night of wining and dining for a cause. This five course meal by the incomparable Chef Anthony Yang will be paired with Idle Cellars wines and a side of philanthropy. The proceeds from the dinner will benefit ReSurge International, an organization whose mission is to provide reconstructive surgical care and build surgical capacity in developing countries. 

ReSurge envisions a world in which no human being suffers physically or emotionally from a repairable congenital deformity or injury. To reach that vision, ReSurge partners with volunteers and overseas medical partners to both provide surgical care and to educate and empower local medical professionals so that high-quality surgical access is available year-round—now and for generations to come.

You can grab your tickets for this rare, low-priced meal for a cause at: https://sosh.com/san-francisco/marketplace/dining-cause-eat-drink-be-inspired/m/fiBa/?ref=flatpage We hope to see you there!

Cheers,  Ari and Ben

We recently reconnected with our old friend Andrew Greene over a casual glass of Grenache and a plate of whatever cheeses were left in the fridge. The evening ended up leaving many bottles of wine empty and a couple of porter houses devoured off of a cutting board. It also produced some interesting discussion of what Chef Greene had been cooking in his home as of late. We were particularly intrigued by his mention of pickled berries with himachi sashimi and decided on the spot it was high time for another winemaker dinner.

We have been dying to work with the Naked Kitchen as well. Ko has brought an amazing vision to life by taking a beautiful San Francisco Victorian and turning the ground floor into a quazi-industrial kitchen with a gorgeous dinning room that feels like someone's home. So we put two and two together and hit the ground running. Sometimes prep and sales can feel like a chore but in this case it was all a breeze. Apparently you all like what we're doing lately as the tickets sold in about six days. Before we knew it the big day had arrived.

As the crowd trickled in the door we poured some ice cold 2013 Sauvignon Blanc and greeted them with an amuse bouche of seared scallop with crispy lardo and chamomile syrup.

Some guests made their way to the Chef's table for a front row view of the kitchen magic. Other guests were seated at communal dinning tables and made fast friends as the wine flowed. The crowd favorite was hands down the duck confit with pickled ramps and lion's maine mushrooms, those flavors made the Grenache sing like Sinatra - smooooth as silk.

The dinner ran well into the eleven o'clock hour but I'm not sure anyone noticed as the company and flavors left no desire to check the clock. Hopefully you'll make it next time until then I'll leave you with the menu and some photos so you can better dream about the evening - we still are.

A nugget of inspiration from Chef Greene's kitchen