With the beautiful weather we have been enjoying lately (including a few, spring rain showers), single-vineyard Chardonnay has been on our minds—especially our newest Chardonnay from Stiling Vineyard.
This vineyard, located in Russian River Valley, is planted in the infamous Goldridge sandy loam soils, providing excellent drainage. The coastal influence brings daytime temperatures that allow the fruit to ripen slowly, while retaining perfect balance.
If you haven’t enjoyed the 2011 Nickel & Nickel Stiling Vineyard Chardonnay, now is a perfect time to pick up a bottle (or two) and toast the coming spring.
An aerial view of Stiling Vineyard:
This recipe from Executive Chef Trevor Eliason pairs delightfully with friends, family and 2011 Nickel & Nickel Stiling Vineyard Chardonnay. Members of our Nickel & Nickel Single-Vineyard Club will recognize this recipe from their March wine club shipment inserts. (Click here to view the online version of this brochure.)
INGREDIENTS
(SERVES 5–10)
Seasoning Salt:
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground mustard seed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
2 tablespoons
kosher salt
Soup:
2 tablespoons butter
4 medium leeks, whites only, diced
3 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, quartered, then thinly sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
½–1 cup heavy cream
4 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ pound rock shrimp
Combine all spices in a small bowl to make the seasoning salt. Mix well. Place the rock shrimp in another small bowl and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the salt mixture. Mix gently. Reserve the remaining seasoning salt in a small, air-tight container and keep it with your spices. Cover the shrimp and place in the refrigerator until needed.
In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, add the 2 tablespoons of butter and diced leeks. Cook on low for 20 minutes, or until the leeks are soft. Add the potatoes and cover with chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer for another 20 minutes, or until
the potatoes are very tender. Add the cream and remove from heat.
Working in batches, carefully pour into your blender, filling only half way each time. Start on a low setting then move to high and purée the soup for one minute. Be careful not to blend the soup for too long as it will become gluey. Continue this process until all the
soup is puréed. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Place soup back into a clean soup pot and reheat when guest arrive. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a medium sauté pan at medium-high heat. Add rock shrimp and cook for 1 minute. Stir and cook for another 1–2 minutes.
ASSEMBLY
For appetizers, pour hot soup into a pitcher then into shot glasses. Place one rock shrimp on top to garnish. For a first course, fill heated bowl with soup and garnish with 5 rock shrimp, or a sorrel leaf, for a non-seafood garnish.
Each spring we release our newest vintages of Chardonnay, Syrah and Merlot, and this year we’re delighted to introduce a new Chardonnay to our collection: Nickel & Nickel Stiling Vineyard Chardonnay.
Stiling Vineyard Chardonnay, like our Medina Vineyard Chardonnay, is from the Russian River Valley, where foggy, cool ocean influences combined with the soils produce Chardonnays with a special minerality that can only be Russian River Valley. If you attended our February 2 Open House, you tasted this wine after checking in.
We will be talking with our viticulturist about characteristics of this vineyard and checking in with Winemaker Darice Spinelli to get her impressions of this wine. In the meantime, this Chardonnay is available to you in our online store—a wonderful way to toast the coming spring.
Sliders are favorite appetizers at any occasion and can be prepared in a multitude of ways. In the winery kitchen, we grind beef from the trim of our larger roasts and steaks. Ask your local butcher to grind you specific cuts of beef. For the buns, many grocery stores now carry slider buns, or dinner rolls work just as well.
Pair with 2009 Nickel & Nickel Kelham Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley–or your favorite Nickel & Nickel Cabernet.
Beef Filet Slider with Cabbage Slaw
For a printable version, click here.
INGREDIENTS
(YIELDS 8 SLIDERS)
1 pound ground beef filet
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 slider buns or dinner rolls
Slaw:
1 head Napa cabbage, chiffonade
1 carrot, julienned
½ red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Aioli:
1 head garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup mayonnaise
Shape ground beef into eight, two-ounce patties. Season liberally with salt and pepper, and sauté on medium heat until the patties have reached desired doneness.
In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrot, onion, parsley and chives. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well, then combine with the cabbage mixture. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
To create the aioli, preheat the oven to 325ºF. Take a whole head of garlic and cut off the stalk end to expose the top of the garlic cloves. Place in a baking dish, lightly coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake in oven for 1 houruntil the garlic is very tender. Allow to cool, remove cloves from the head and place in a small bowl.
Smash the cloves with the back of a fork then mix with the mayonnaise. To assemble, slice the buns in half, place on a baking pan, and toast in a 325ºF oven for three minutes.
Spread the aioli on both sides of the bun, place cooked beef patty on bun and top with slaw. Then cap with the top bun and enjoy with a glass of Nickel & Nickel Kelham Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.
For a printable version of this recipe, click here.
We’re continuing our profile of the State Ranch vineyard with notes from our winemaker on this Cabernet Sauvignon’s flavor profile. For previous posts on this vineyard, visit here and here.
Darice Spinelli points to several factors that make State Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon the single-vineyard wine we know and love:
1. The fruit from this vineyard is one of the last to come in each harvest, and that longer hang time leads to the darker fruit profile in the finished wine. (Contrast with C.C. Ranch’s red fruit flavors.)
2. The Yountville climate is similar to the Oakville climate, which brings richness and structure to State Ranch Cabernet.
3. A combination of clones (Cabernet Sauvignon clone 7 and 4) add complexity to the wine.
If you are new to State Ranch Cabernet—or even if you’re a long-time fan—look for those dark, jammy flavors with a touch of minerality and rich, big structure. This is truly a wine to savor!
To read more about this wine, click here, and to purchase the 2009 vintage, click here.
