Eureka!

There I was sitting in Wood Tavern in Rockridge having a perfectly phenomenal glass of 2007 Reinhard und Beate Knebel, Von den Terrasen Trocken Riesling. I was really enjoying the minty, oily, fruity, herbaceousness in the nose that wasn't quite eucalyptus...something that reminded me of aged Rieslings. Do you know how aged Rieslings are often described as having a petroleum characteristic? Well, that never really worked for me. But I knew what it meant. When I went rounded the corner to Tara's (again), I just had to have that beautiful, faintly green tinged Bay Laurel ice cream. And then it came to me! Slightly minty, oily, fruity yet herbaceous in a shiny dark green leaf kind of way... I know this sounds like crazy talk but it was a wine epiphany! It's Bay Laurel that I taste in some Rieslings. It is, it is, it really is! Careful with the wild California Bay, it can be so strong, it'll kill your taste buds. The culinary variety is easier to gauge in infusions.

So I made up some Bay Laurel panna cotta and put some intense, ripe grapefruit sections on it and tried pairing it with the off dry 2009 Toulouse Vineyards Riesling, which sports some mouthwatering acid. And? Dead on the money. Don't take my word for it, swing by the winery in the Anderson Valley for the Alsace Festival Open House on Sunday and taste for yourself. Now I'm on the lookout for an aged Riesling to manhandle with food.....

No Oak, Bay Laurel and Halibut

You're looking at a sneaky camera phone shot of a bottle of 2006 Chateau de Montmirail from Gigondas at Cafe Claude in SF. More fruit forward than I expected for a French wine but nevertheless well balanced, good tannins, a little black pepper and....no oak. I did not miss it one bit. Check it out. Delightful with a wedge of the house made paté de campagne.

With only 2 days in the city, I was bowled over twice more with spot on concepts and executions in taste. Tara's, a tiny, extremely hip and happen' ice creamery on Claremont in Oakland always has an edgy selection of ever changing flavors, some made with sugar and some with agave syrup. My kudos and compliments on the brilliant and ethereal Bay Laurel. On initial taste, I was immediately transported to the Bay tree canopied logging road along the Navarro River -- minty, ever so slightly stinky, pungently herbaceous and oily. There's really nothing to say other than you're missing out on something life changing and important if you haven't tried it.

Okay, okay, I may be one of the last few to have finally experienced a meal at Boulette's Larder at the Ferry Building but! I chose a halibut on a bed of curried lentils served with an almond milk lassi that was borderline aggressive on the salt and crispiness of the fish. Spicy, cool, salty, crispy, creamy...I thought it was risky and I loved it. So nice to experience such a well-thought out and crafted plate perfect with their phenomenal by the glass program. I was swooning over my glass of the 2007 Chateau La Canorgue Rose from the Luberon. Fresh strawberries, frais du bois, Queen Anne cherries, peaches, and I'd wager, the most expansive mid palate on any rosé.