Bloom is well under way, and our crop is setting for the year. It all looks great!

This year, we and our sister wineries have the privilege of partnering with Lamborghini and FlexJet to present an experience that we hope will pique the interests of automobile, wine and travel enthusiasts—and raise important funds for community programs. A week spent with gracious host and winery proprietress Beth Nickel promises to be an experience the lucky winner and his or her three friends won’t forget.

To find out more about this auction lot, click here.

Follow the Auction Napa Valley fun on Twitter using #ANV13.

Our Cabernet Futures Program is your chance to reserve our Nickel & Nickel wines while they are still aging in the barrel. The French call this process en primeur (literally ‘in youth’). Futures purchasers benefit by reserving the wines they love at current release prices, with the added convenience of receiving them after bottling and without risking a sellout of these limited-production, sought-after wines upon release.  Our Nickel & Nickel Futures are available for a limited time each year, from April 30 through July 31, and shipped in early spring 2015.

But the big reward goes to those that buy any 18-bottle Futures purchase with a membership in our Futures Thief Club! Members of this club receive their own etched Nickel & Nickel wine thief–a tool to sample or “steal” wine directly from the barrel. Members then have the opportunity to return to the winery on two occasions over the next several months to experience a private barrel tasting of the wines they purchased as they age and chart their progress.

Get a glimpse of the future and build your cellar collection now. Our 2012 Cabernets promise to steal your heart.

Click here to view the invitation to this event, or for more information call us at (707) 967-9600 or email information@nickelandnickel.com.

Herb Roasted Organic Chicken Breast

Caramelized Root Vegetables, Dried Cherry and Tarragon Pearl Couscous

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Ingredients

Brine:

2 quarts cold water

¼ cup salt

cup sugar

3 thyme sprigs

1 garlic clove, shelled

1 bay leaf

10 peppercorns

10 coriander seeds

2 organic chicken breasts, bone-in

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, to taste

White pepper, to taste

Pearl Couscous Salad:

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 shallot, diced small

1 cup couscous

2 ½ cup chicken stock

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup dried tart cherries, cut in half

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped

½ tablespoon Banyuls vinegar or sherry vinegar

 Black Trumpet Mushrooms:

1 cup black trumpet mushrooms, washed and dried

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Caramelized Root Vegetables:

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 large turnip, diced into ½-inch cubes

1 large parsnip, diced into ½-inch cubes

1 large sweet potato, diced into ½-inch cubes

1 large carrot, diced into ½-inch cubes

1 tablespoon butter

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

To make the brine, add a quart of water to a medium-sized pot. Add ¼ cup salt, cup sugar, thyme, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns and coriander seeds to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then shut off the heat and pour the brine into a container with a tight-fitting lid. Add the remaining quart of cold water to the brine and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, add the raw chicken and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the chicken from the brine and place on a paper towel-lined plate to dry. Discard the brine. Put a cast iron pan on medium heat and season chicken with salt and white pepper. Add olive oil to the pan, then add the chicken breasts skin side down. Sear for 3-5 minutes or until golden. Flip chicken over and place in a 350˚F oven for 15 minutes. Baste chicken, using a spoon to capture the juices and reapply to top of chicken. Repeat a couple of times. Bake for 5 more minutes, or until the juices run clear from the chicken. Let rest for 5 more minutes, then slice the meat off the bone and cut each breast into three equal slices from there.

While chicken is cooking, start making the couscous.  In a medium sauce pot, add olive oil then shallots and sweat for 30 seconds. Add couscous and stir for another 30 seconds. Add 2 ½ cups chicken stock and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender. Allow to cool.

Sauté mushrooms in a large pan with olive oil, salt and pepper for about 4-5 minutes. Set aside.

In a large sauté pan, add olive oil, and then add the diced root vegetables. Sauté on medium-high heat, stir and until caramelized, about 4 minutes. Then add 1 tablespoon of butter and set on low heat. Cook for another minute, or until tender.

To assemble, combine cooked couscous, chopped tarragon, halved dried cherries, Banyuls vinegar, black trumpet mushrooms and salt and pepper, to taste, in a medium bowl.

Place a heaping scoop of couscous salad in a strip on each warmed plate. Spoon roasted vegetables parallel to the couscous, then top with sliced chicken. Pop open a bottle of the Nickel & Nickel Harris Merlot and enjoy!

Serves 2

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Spring is a time for sharing in the rebirth of life in the gardens as well as within ourselves. I recently had the special opportunity to host a group of fellow garden enthusiasts here at Nickel & Nickel. Our walk through the gardens reminded me that nothing is worth having if you can’t share it with those who truly appreciate your efforts—with those who have come before us sharing their knowledge and wisdom. I felt the garden tour was a scattering of new seeds and ideas in celebration of the fresh beginning we call spring. This is what inspires me to follow my passion and support the excellence of our winery estate.

PS–What’s your favorite spring flower?