I had a very nice end to a horrible drive in Los Angeles a while back at, of all places, Marie Callendar's . I was an hour and a half late picking up Denise after work, but so was everybody else. What will probably go down in L.A. history as Obama Jam - the afternoon the Secret Service closed Olympic Boulevard for about ten miles due to the President's visit - caused every single commuter to run so late it wasn't even funny.
Denise and some of her cohorts at KNX radio went across Wilshire to Marie Callendar's to wait out the closure. When I arrived, there was good company, lots of laughs and a Ridge Zinfandel to greet me. All combined, everything quickly seemed to be alright in my world.
There was a lot of shop talk and one other wine lover in the group. We both enjoyed the Ridge Three Valleys Zin.
Denise and some of her cohorts at KNX radio went across Wilshire to Marie Callendar's to wait out the closure. When I arrived, there was good company, lots of laughs and a Ridge Zinfandel to greet me. All combined, everything quickly seemed to be alright in my world.
There was a lot of shop talk and one other wine lover in the group. We both enjoyed the Ridge Three Valleys Zin.
This wine is made from the grapes of seven vineyards, and has a varietal makeup that suggests that it's a field blend, although I don't know if that's the case. It's 74% Zinfandel, 11% Petite Sirah, 5% Carignane, 4% Mataro, 3% Syrah and 3% Grenache. The alcohol level is 14.2% abv, somewhat tame by California Zinfandel standards.
As the winery says, "Zinfandel fruit determines the wine's varietal character; old-vine Carignane contributes its own bright fruit and acidity; Petite Sirah and Syrah add peppery spice, depth of color, and firm tannins; Grenache brings briar fruit and lively tannins."
Three Valleys Zinfandel is fermented in stainless steel and aged in 100% American oak. 33% of the barrels are new and one-year old, 20% are two years old, and 47% five to six years old. It spends nine months in barrels.
The color is dark, but not inky. Cherry comes through on the nose, with some pepper and a nice earthy tone. Minerals and a brambly dark fruit flavor make the palate expressive. The tannins are firm, but not overpowering, while the finish is long and savory.
I had a couple of opportunities to enjoy 
The wine is dark at the core and ruby red at the edges with a big nose - and I mean a huge nose - of red fruit and leather. It tastes of smoke and dried cherries, plums and blackberries. The tannins are quite mellow and the alcohol level is 13% abv. It has a big, rich taste which was much appreciated on the cross-country flight. It even tasted great in the plastic cup.
The Art Of Brunch was the title of Sunday's daytime session at the 
The Sommelier Challenge
The Taste of Beverly Hills Event Sommelier Bonnie Graves presided over the competition with a light touch. It was an entertaining event which included panelists David Rosoff from Osteria Mozza, Dana Farner from CUT, Christopher Lavin from XIV, Caroline Styne of AOC and Lucques, Jonathan Mitchell of the Palm, Rebecca Chapa from the Culinary Institute of America, Mark Mendoza of Sona and Comme Ça, and Diane DeLuca from the Estates Group.
The Cabernet was dark ruby in the glass, with a nose featuring black currant, smoke, leather and pencil shavings. It was nice to give my palate something more complex than the samples of the Keystone State wines I had been enjoying thus far. The Cab had a good grip and felt very full in my mouth. Blackberry, blueberry and cassis showed on the very fruit forward palate.
When the waitress inquired about another round, it seemed everyone was in agreement. I stayed with Mondavi and had the Merlot. Medium ruby in color, this wine was not shy either. The nose was a huge fruitfest, with blueberry and cherry coming forth. There was a lot of smoke on the palate here, too, even more than the Cab. The taste of big, dark berries swam around in a setting that resembled a wood fire. The finish was long and luxurious.
