A Personal Experience at the CIA (of food, that is)

By Dennis Myers

If Napa Valley is to be characterized as the New World Mecca of wine growing, then the prestigious Culinary Institute of America West Coast campus is the region’s seminary for food and wine studies.

Punctuated by the spires of the former Christian Brothers winery, the school has the look of a sacred enclave where students religiously devote time (and lots of money) to culinary pursuits at the highest level. Also known as the “Greystone” campus, the school is not far from Route 29 and near the outskirts of St. Helena in Napa Valley, just two hours north of San Francisco.

Early in the 1990s, the CIA (not to be confused with the government bureau), headquartered in Hyde Park, New York, recognized that a location in the West Coast’s burgeoning wine region could be instrumental in advancing their influence on the culinary arts. They were right. Surrounded by world-class vineyards and the exceptional restaurants of the Napa Valley, the famous school has successfully broadened their professional culinary programs and their influence is indeed felt all over the globe.

The teaching kitchens are five-star educational facilities, surrounded by terraces of organically grown herbs, vegetables and flowers, all used on campus.  Culinary events and training sessions are conducted in the main building around a series of cooking islands in a 15,000-square-foot teaching area.  A top-rated restaurant, the Wine Spectator Greystone, is open to the public there.

The Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies was recently added to the building’s roster. It is, essentially, a laboratory for the study of tastes, especially wine, of which I have now found myself a student.

Most vintners believe that an important factor contributing to taste, especially of wine, are the characteristics of the land and the climatic influences upon it, aka terroir (pronounced “tear-waare”).  They believe the terroir — geologic, topographic, atmospheric and soil factors such as temperature ranges, elevation, rainfall, aspect to the sun, wind velocity, soil pH and fog frequency, to name a few — affect the growth and health of the vine and, thus, the fruit. Controversy arises over how much control winemakers can exert when it comes to influencing these aspects of the terroir.

As a culinary enthusiast, I have attended professional chef programs at the CIA in the past.  On this visit, I participated in a four-day examination of all features of terroir — from the type of soil to the taste of the grape in a glass of wine. Frankly, I was feeling a bit terroir-ized, knowing from my first glance inside the Rudd Center’s “Napa Valley Vintners Sensory Classroom” that I was playing in a league way above my wine-tasting skills.

For one thing, before me stood three tiers of tasting stations with glistening wine glasses precisely arranged in rows. There was a set of eight wine glasses ready for each student’s first tasting.  The instructor’s table was equally equipped with glassware, as well as eight wine bottles in brown unmarked bags, ready for pouring.

Shortly, the fourteen other students assembled. Formal introductions confirmed I was in impressive company.  There were three buyers for large wine distributors, one local vineyard owner, three employees from Napa wineries and two spouses of chefs destined to be sommeliers in their own restaurants. The rest were collectors.  And me, a chef in my own home (although near-professionally equipped) kitchen with just enough wine knowledge to make me dangerous.

The lecture and first tasting started promptly at 9 a.m. (a little early for my taste buds but I guess rolling with the program is part of being a professional). Like all the instructors at the Rudd Center, Rebecca Chapa’s credentials are stellar. She’s a Certified Wine Educator and holds the Diploma Wine and Spirits from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust in London.  She chairs the Los Angeles International Spirits Competition, and is a Contributing Editor for Wine & Spirits Magazine as well as a prolific writer for other wine publications as well.

Her degree in wine and spirits was earned at the prestigious Cornell University’s culinary school. Add to these credentials consulting assignments and competitions all over the world, and I could sense this frosh was in for a real education.  On top of that, Chapa is serious about the terroir, including the dirt and rocks that literally comprise it.

In a nutshell, the terroir class examines the environmental influences that impact vineyards and, as a result, affect the aroma, flavor, body and style of wines made from those vineyards. Technically, that means everything that touches the valuable fruit used to produce wine is evaluated to identify the grape’s heritage.

This includes understanding the viticultural factors as well, such as site assessment — rootstock, grafting, vine spacing and a myriad of other variables that wine growers have grappled with over the centuries. And that doesn’t even count what happens after the grape is picked!

My classmates and I were all staring at the now-poured eight glasses of white wine (and spitting cup) in front of us, and, soon, all of these considerations would be factored into our assessment of their contents. At first, my senses felt overextended trying to decipher this colorless — pardon me, “straw-colored, medium-bodied, slightly acidic with hints of chalk and grass” — wine’s origin. After an hour of discussion about the characteristics of the first two selections, the bottles were unveiled and the origin of the wine revealed, the Alcance region of France.  Who’da known?

A small sample of the region’s soil was neatly piled next to the bottle. Eventually, terroir started sinking in and making sense, mostly because our lecturer spent considerable time describing how the regions were formed long before man inhabited the earth. Remember, Chapa has a dead-serious attitude about dirt and rocks. The Alcance was once an ocean later to be covered by earth as a result of glacial movement — thus, the importance of this shifting substance, aka terroir. 

The best part of the class was the field trips, including Frog’s Leap Winery where we met John Williams, the owner and veteran vintner in Napa Valley. His demonstration of the difference between organic farming and conventional methods showed us the actual affect on the ground.  Williams used a spade to turn the soil easy in a row of his grapevines. Yet, across the road in a field using advanced drip irrigation and conventional fertilization techniques, the soil was hard and difficult to break.

That demonstration illustrated part of the controversy. Skillful wine experts are said to be able to affect the taste of New World wines to the point where they match exclusive wine regions of the Old World — regardless of the terroir. There are all kinds of influences that can be used, including oak barrel usage, fruit ripeness, micro-oxygenation and additives, among others. Any winery with an effective marketing program emphasizing the Old World likeness and such “artificial” wines can command premium prices compared to wines reflecting the actual terroir.

That was the case with Frog’s Leap versus the neighboring vineyard. Williams’s excellent organic wine, carefully grown to adhere to stringent organic certification guidelines, garnered a lower price (and profit).  Thus, the controversy.

Back in the classroom, Chapa never gave up on us.  By the end of the fourth day, we were instructed to “identify Old versus New World wines in a blind tasting with greater than 65 percent accuracy.” There, the proof was in the pucker! Most of the class received 100 percent reward for their tasting skills.

I managed to get two of the three identifications right — even though two of the answers were reversed and, therefore, technically incorrect.  But who’s counting?  By my math, I passed the 65 percent test! More importantly, we all left the class better-versed and educated about the influences the terroir had on winemaking techniques — and we found there was a testable and taste-able difference.

The CIA has a wide selection of wine and culinary courses designed for all types of interests. Maybe I’ll look into another topic right away before the terroir-ized attack sets in again, just to prove to myself that this wine-tasting stuff can be easier than it looks.

If you are an artist, please send your contact information and samples of your work to art@colorandaroma.com for a chance to be featured!

Stay tuned for more…

colorandaroma

 Click on this picture for more information!

Elk Cove Vineyards 2008 Willamette Valley Pinot Gris

We will be elegantly blending wine, art, music and entertainment from March 20 through June 20, 2010!

Stay tuned for our special guest contributors…

Cheers,

colorandaroma

By Liz Goldner

At the turn of the last century, French artists and art lovers uninhibitedly imbibed in the pleasures of fine food, wine and art.

These incurable sybarites, including Monet, Renoir, Matisse and Toulouse-Lautrec, lived life to the hilt, creating Impressionist canvases throughout the day, cooking up a feast at mid-day and evening, then dining and drinking in bistros in their beloved Paris and the surrounding countryside all night long.

Claude Monet, 1840 to 1926, famous for his paintings of water lilies, was later known for his kitchen gardens, growing fresh produce and herbs, and for his elaborate recipes. He moved to Giverny in 1883, creating so many magnificent landscape paintings that the village became famous. He also supervised expansive kitchen gardens and selected poultry for breeding stock.

Monet’s recipes, collected from restaurants and friends, were recently published in “Monet’s Table.” His tastes ran from steamed chicory, green beans and chestnuts to al dente asparagus and fresh salads. He enjoyed drinking expensive Veuve Clicquot Champagne without the bubbles, which he purposely dissipated by decanting the bottle long before drinking its contents.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1864 to 1901, created artworks depicting Montmartre’s nightlife of cafés, bars and brothels, places he frequently visited. He also loved to toil in the kitchen, whipping up peculiar, yet gourmet dishes.

Lautrec preferred lunch to dinner, often inviting several friends to join him and always serving fine wine. He disliked water so much that he was known to add goldfish to the pitchers to deter would-be teetotalers. His food concoctions included eel liver, fried octopus, thrush en casserole, heron, coot en cocotte, boar, sautéed squirrel and wood pigeon with olives.

Yet his taste for the artist’s palette prevailed over the eccentricities of his food palate. Legend tells us that after one meal, prepared for fellow painter Edouard Vuillard and close friends, Lautrec led the group to a friend’s apartment, pointed to a freshly painted Degas on the wall and exclaimed, “There is your dessert.”

Art in Restaurants

John Ghoukassian, owner of three gourmet restaurants in Orange County, is an ardent admirer of Impressionist works. Growing up in Tehran, he often visited European cities, especially their cafes and bistros where works by local artists, some by the then-famed Impressionists, were on display.

When the luxury-loving Ghoukassian chose a career, he also combined fine food, wine and art, opening an acclaimed gourmet restaurant in Tehran in the 1970s, aptly named “Lautrec.” Along with contemporary European and Iranian cuisine, he satiated customers’ visual appetites by displaying European Impressionist works on the walls.

Ghoukassian moved to the United States in 1983, opening Bistango (little bistro) in Los Angeles the following year, and again adorned the restaurant with fine art, creating the look and feel of the European places he loved. Three years later, he closed the L.A. location and opened a similar restaurant, another Bistango, in Irvine. He opened Bayside Restaurant in Newport Beach in 1999 and Kimera in Irvine in 2007.

While fine restaurants throughout the Southland show original art, Ghoukassian’s venues are unique, combining features of art galleries with world-class restaurants. Bistango and Bayside are so well-known for their revolving art shows where major collectors regularly attend openings.

Artful Dining

Ghoukassian’s restaurants are based on the merging of exceptional art with fine wine, dining and music. They serve new-American cuisine and offer extensive collections of wine from award-winning lists. Bistango has more than 700 varieties, while Bayside has a circular glass wine cellar, displaying 2500 bottles.

Bistango’s Chef Javier Montoya serves crisp gourmet pizzas topped with Black Forest ham and Gruyere as well as seared ahi steaks, veal chops, seared scallops and filet mignon in a bleu-cheese sauce. Homemade pastas include fettuccine with curry-marinated lamb and shiitake mushrooms and cream. Bayside’s menu is similar, adding a Champagne Sunday Brunch.

The casual diner at Bistango or Bayside might dismiss the artworks as decoration. But look more closely and you’ll see world-class pieces by a variety of artists, some of whom are museum-recognized.

Curated Shows

Twenty two years ago, Ghoukassian engaged Studio Gallery of Irvine to provide art for Bistango’s walls. Gallery owner Antoinette Sullivan and the restaurant’s owner struck up a professional relationship, based on mutual respect and love of art. They put together four exhibits yearly, featuring several artists at Bistango and one major artist at Bayside.

The restaurants have exhibited some of California’s most famous painters, including Carlos Almaraz, Chuck Arnoldi, Billy Al Bengston, Richard Diebenkorn, Laddie John Dill and Ed Moses. In 22 years, they’ve curated over 80 shows of approximately 1200 artists.

While many galleries concentrate on specific types of art, such as contemporary abstract, Bistango and Bayside show a wide range of paintings, sculpture, photography and mixed media by local, national and international artists, emerging, mid-career, established and masters.

The works at Bistango and Bayside are often colorful, portraying a joie de vivre reminiscent of Parisian bistros. In Bistango’s 2007 winter show, several paintings of women by Israeli artist Eli Boodnero were hauntingly reminiscent of film noir characters in mysterious settings. Glass-based assemblage pieces by Debora Wayne glowed like giant jewels while photographic selections ranged from whimsical and awe-inspiring to haunting.

One of Bistango’s past exhibits featured artists from Australia, France, Germany, Mexico, Peru, Slovakia, Spain and the United States. Bayside was simultaneously exhibiting 25 canvases by Brian Scott, an Expressionist oil painter from Canada who created “Liz and Dick in Puerto Vallarta” of a home owned by Liz Taylor and Richard Burton.

Left Hand Journals

At Bistango, Sullivan and Ghoukassian were pleased to feature the works of Ron Pastucha, also from Canada but living in Orange County for the past 22 years. Pastucha, an activist artist who has exhibited works in upscale galleries throughout Southern California, was showing 12 of his newest pieces, “Left Hand Journals.”

He severely burned his right hand, his drawing hand, while cooking in April 2006. During therapy and enduring a long healing process, he painstakingly began writing journals, then drawing and painting with his left hand. While his right hand is significantly healed, he’s unable to write or draw with it for long periods.

Pastucha’s style combines contemporary allegorical imagery and refined realism to address social issues such as consumerism, materialism, rampant advertisement and urban decay. He has developed several powerful series, directing his message at major icons such as Mickey Mouse, Coca Cola and the Statue of Liberty.

When Pastucha started journaling four years ago, his art bore little resemblance to his earlier style. The “left hand” works were initially raw, primitive, childlike and often Expressionistic, employing nearly indecipherable words and simplistic stick figures. Yet the passion in these pieces expressed an outpouring of creativity as well as frustration.

As Pastucha progressed, his left-hand works demonstrated a growing dexterity and more polish, taking on the imagery of earlier pieces. These new drawings and paintings also incorporated Impressionistic, dissolving aspects, derived from the artist’s continued lack of tactile control in his left hand. (Outdoor painters, particularly Impressionists, often deliberately create works with dissolving aspects to mimic the changing natural light.)

Pastucha says that, even when his right hand is completely healed, he’ll continue to paint and draw with his left hand. “I feel more creative,” he states, pointing out the fact that the right brain (intuitive side) controls the left hand.

Ron Pastucha is continuing the Lautrec tradition of Impressionism, a style of art born from passion, frustration and a disability. His paintings give the viewer a sense of the genre’s earlier days when artists painted intuitively, breaking away from the older, more realistic art forms. Pastucha’s works suit Bistango’s ambience seamlessly, as the restaurant expertly blends the sensual delights of fine food, wine and art.

Photos by Eric Stoner

Cheers!

colorandaroma

River Ave. Newport Beach, CA

Pass the Cheese Please!

Experts talk about wine and cheese

by Dennis Myers

Gilbert Keith Chesterton, an English journalist and writer born in the 19th Century, once rued, “The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.”  Fast-forward to today’s culinary scene and Mr. Chesterton would be pleased because now cheese is very much a hot culinary topic. Even hotter is pairing the components of gourmand’s Holy Trinity – wine, cheese and bread (but we’ll get to the bread in a later column).

Restaurants in Europe have always held cheese in esteem and would never think of excluding it from their menus. This practice has not always held for the American wine and culinary scene but the omission is rapidly being corrected.

Chefs are exploring courses of cheese in their menus to lure the developing palates of their customers back to their kitchens. More emphasis is being placed on matching exotic cheeses with a selected wine to further tempt diners. It’s common now to see vegetarian courses featuring complex cheese compositions. In turn, this wave of interest is tempting more at-home hosts to impress their guests with their culinary skills by serving bubbly Champagne and a triple-cream goat cheese rather than spreading “fancy” crackers next to a processed cheese spread and offering a glass of Chardonnay to wash it all down.

But can there be much more to the subject than slapping a piece of cheddar on a burger and serving it with a glass of two-buck chuck? Is the old warning “don’t attempt this at home” valid when sommeliers and fromagiers have applied a lifetime of knowledge and skill to elevate such pairings to art form?

We open our first pairing discussion with Peter Neptune, master sommelier and vice president of The Henry Wine Group in Benicia, California, and Starr Cornwall, cheesemonger for the Sapphire Pantry in Laguna Beach.  Neptune proffers:  “If you asked a layman what kind of wine would be best paired with cheese, the answer would be red and nine times out of ten that would be wrong.” Cornwall chimes in, “Or they would say Chardonnay.” With Neptune quickly responding, “And that is simply the wrong choice. People are beginning to learn that there is more to cheese and wine pairing than eating and drinking.”

The bigger question is which comes first, the wine or the cheese? Certainly that’s a concern that should be understood upfront.  “I know a lot of food and wine lovers and, without exception, direction comes from personal preferences,” says Christopher Coon, director of wine and beverage for the Montage Resort & Spa in Laguna Beach.  “If they have a specific wine in mind, then we will find a cheese pairing that will wrap around their wine. If others start with a favorite cheese selection, then it is up to us to find a wine that will make the taste more amazing.”

In the beginning, keep it simple. This is a basic suggestion that all experts agree on. Janice Howell, fromagier for The Loft restaurant at the Montage, suggests:  “A common suggestion to musicians before they go on stage is, ‘Play what you know.’  This applies to the beginning cheese aficionado as well.  Go to your favorite cheese purveyor and try a selection of cheeses yourself.”

Remember, one wine won’t go with every cheese. So, the more complicated the offering of cheeses, the more likely all the combinations with the wine you serve won’t work. Also, don’t go with a composition offering of a cheese, honey and nuts for instance. That makes the wine selection more complicated and difficult to pair.

Experts confirm that a beautiful wine and cheese pairing can be a “mind-blowing” experience.  But to get there, people need to be willing to step outside of their comfort cocoon and try new things. It isn’t a matter of buying a piece of cheese, opening a bottle of Cabernet and willing it to be a good experience.  A simple combination to start a meal might be a glass of Champagne or Sauvignon Blanc and a triple-cream or goat cheese. It won’t compete with a great meal. Neptune adds, “Most people will start out an evening with a Chardonnay when they should have a sparkling wine. It is a much more versatile accompaniment to food than any white wine. Dollar-for-dollar, Champagne is a bargain.”

There are other do’s and don’ts: white wine can be served chilled but cheese must always be at room temperature for peak flavor. Freshly baked breads are better with cheese than crackers but, if you include crackers, use neutral flavors without heavy seasonings. All the experts agree that pairing wine and cheese is a journey in experiencing new taste sensations. And they’re quick to admit you don’t have to reach an expert level of knowledge to be effective at pairings and enjoy the results of your gourmand adventures.

Starr Cornwall’s “Can’t Go Wrong” Pairings

Blue cheeses and Sweet wines

Fresh goat cheese and Sauvignon Blanc

Triple-crème cheese and Champagne

Aged cheeses and Full-body reds

The Very Reserved Napa Valley Reserve

Photography by Colin Michael

Welcome to the Reserve...

Gazing wistfully over a field of wine vines basking in the warm sun of Napa Valley, you can’t help imagining yourself as

 a wine baron overlooking your fields of gold clad in dusty but custom-crafted

work boots, tastefully wrinkled chinos with a rugged plaid shirt and maybe a neck bandana to catch the sweat. An Indiana Jones fedora, a faithful Labrador retriever and a goblet glowing from the ruby red of a succulent Napa Cabernet completes the picture.

Of course, this dream conveniently skips a few minor details: 

1. You’ve spent a lifetime perfecting the craft of wine production.
2. You’ve spent lots of money to do that.
3. You’ve amassed your own source of capital when things go awry from time to time — as they often do.

Poof, there goes that dream. Might as well settle down and buy that bottle of Napa wine you’ve been coddling and move on to the next tasting room.

But hold that thought. A real winemaker and millionaire, H. William Harlan, has created a way for the mere mortal to participate in this envied occupation without millions of dollars of investment and a lifetime of battling Mother Nature, regulatory agencies and ever-changing growing techniques.

Harlan has paid the price, literally and figuratively, to garner global acclaim for his winemaking prowess. His Harlan Estate reds have been rated as perhaps the most perfect wines in the world.

His answer? Deceptively simple: Share the experience without all the investment. The Napa Valley Reserve is an invitation-only private winery – and talk about reserved! Members pay a six-figure membership fee (at the time this article was written $165,000) and they must agree to purchase a certain allotment of wine at $75 a bottle each year. Members can buy a minimum of six cases or a maximum of 75 cases. Newbies get started by buying introductory wines until their “sweat equity” estate wine is ready four years later, after the wine has aged. 

The Reserve

Initial memberships were taken in 2003 and today The Reserve (as it is known locally) is almost at capacity. The maximum number of members depends upon demand for finished product and new members come by way of personal referral only. Did I mention that they don’t advertise?

The Reserve’s biggest draw is that it is a working vineyard where club members are free to dig in and get their hands dirty tending, picking, sorting, pressing and fermenting the venerable grape.

Located on 80 acres in the eastern foothills of Napa Valley, The Reserve is near the entrance to Harlan’s Meadowood property, a luxury private resort that features membership participation in recreational facilities as well as enjoyment of the hotel’s entertainment offerings.

According to Philip Norfleet, director for The Reserve, Harlan got the idea from guests who were seeking a “more fulfilling” experience than simply tasting and buying wine. “Bill Harlan worked for years on the idea of providing wine aficionados with a more intimate wine-making experience,” says Norfleet. “And that has been accomplished with The Reserve.”

Member Activities

With the exclusiveness associated with membership, one might assume that The Reserve’s vineyards and grounds would be rather pretentious, perhaps even grand. Yet, while traveling along the Silverado Trail near Howell Mountain Road, the estate goes practically unnoticed.

From the road, it looks like a small yet modest farm. No grand monuments to attract tourists.  Even if you do happen to drive up the unmarked entrance road, there’s only a small sign that says “private.” Most tour maps don’t even identify The Reserve — recalling the old adage, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it!”

An appointment to visit the estate introduces the visitor to well-manicured grounds and gardens. The few buildings are rustic in design and modest in size, keeping the tradition of rural Napa wine farming intact.

More than 50,000-square-feet of facilities at The Reserve are indeed quite invisible to the uninitiated. That’s because most of it is cloistered into caves that have been carved out of the mountainside. Within the mountainside is enough capacity to house approximately 1,000 barrels of wine. There’s also a labyrinth of rooms and passages where members can ply the Wine Libraries and assemble for wine tastings and social events.

A monthly curriculum of events entertains as well as educates and informs The Reserve’s chosen few. An affair with Chocolate, Wine, Art & Architecture, Wines of Bordeaux and Wine & Dinner Theater under the Stars are typical fare. Instructional sessions for pruning, blending, bottling and tasting are offered at the appropriate time of year.

Philip Norfleet

“Two-thirds of the members have to get on an airplane to attend functions here in Napa Valley,” states Norfleet, “but even if members miss special social or learning events, they receive a leather-bound notebook that reports all that went on at the event.”

According to Norfleet, members who visit the property can pick and choose which events and activities appeal to them the most. “For some,” says Norfleet, “that might not even be related to wine production, but to organic vegetable farming, honey production or culinary activities. Each member finds his or her own way of enjoying the benefits of membership in a working winery.” When members tire of the rigors of farming and winemaking, expert winegrowers from the Harlan Estate step in to finish the work. Membership certainly has its privileges.

One important aspect of this form of participation is that members are free from the financial responsibility and liabilities that go with ownership. This is no small consideration.  Raising wine grapes is risky business, just like any type of farming. There are even those who say there’s no greater risk in any occupation that can match farming. In a way, membership in this winegrowing operation is much like an insurance policy that assures all of the benefits but none of the risks.

There are those who scoff at this approach to winemaking. Many feel the whole concept moves Napa Valley away from its roots of being a rural community and a lifestyle that is grounded in a love of the earth and quality wine produced from personal toil.

As one long-time vineyard owner anonymously commented, “It’s just another upscale visitor perk that goes along with the designer stores and high-end restaurants replacing the hardware and grocery stores that serve the people who do all the real work in the valley.” He admits, however, that The Estate wine is high quality.  It could be argued that The Reserve adds another layer of variety to the wine-making process and that members of The Reserve share the passion and pride for excellent wine.  But members can’t say, at least not here — their identities are held in secret.

All in all, The Reserve is a simple, well-conceived model that provides people with a concentrated taste of winemaking without the expenditure of time and money needed to learn the trade. And, in that sense, it could be considered a bargain! As Norfleet emphasizes, “We focus upon producing the best products and events, but never cease pursuit of even higher levels of satisfaction for our membership. This focus assures us success now and with future generations of members.”

Nobody questions the fascination and allure this remarkable wine region has around the world. The Napa Valley Reserve makes its dedication clear: to offer to the world of wine and culinary aficionados the hands-on traditions that emanate from winegrowing in Napa. Passion, food and wine — there’s plenty for everyone to enjoy in the valley, to whatever extent they desire. We’ll toast to that!

The Blending of Two Worlds

By Brandon J. Beeson

The subjects of wine and Hollywood have been swirling around in my mind for some time now. My dilemma was how to mend the two topics in a way that’s never been done before – merge the best of two worlds. Through a couple of phone calls and a bit of research, I happily discovered that there was a real-life vineyard (not a Hollywood version) complete with a wine tasting room in the hills of Malibu. Then, I found out that Natasha Henstridge was interested in coming along for the ride. Kismet!  Here’s how the answer to my dilemma unfolded.

One thousand five hundred feet above the hustle and bustle of L.A., in the wild and unkempt Malibu hills, I stood overlooking a beach made famous by numerous television shows and films.  Behind me was a rusted gate left in a natural state, colorfully oxidizing in the sun.

Minutes before, I had been cruising in a limo along Wilshire, passing Hollywood and Santa Monica boulevards and watching a living diorama of famous hotels, restaurants, shops and street scenes from innumerable movies and television shows I had seen over the years.

I turned and peered through the gate. A canopy of oak trees filtered the young azure sky above.  A row of Spanish pottery, some fallen on their sides, some eroding into dust, traced the border of the trail. Explosions of thin neon grass alongside the path, their blades sparkling as the morning breeze gently nudged them in the sunlight, seemed to urge me forward. I obliged them.

The path led to a vintage horse stable attached to a Mexican-style villa.  As I came closer, I noticed that the stable had been converted into a wine room. “A wine stable,” I mused. Looking into an open window, I saw liter wine bottles with ribbons and signatures, glistening goblets and glasses and stunning works of art displayed above a tasting bar. 

The place seemed hip yet naturally elegant. Stepping back from the window, I looked around and realized that I was in the middle of a magnificent pastoral scene complete with vineyards, sheep grazing in the grasses and orange trees that had only recently dropped their ripened golden fruit on the carpet of green. I examined the vineyards and saw that the Chardonnay vines were budding before the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. They looked strong and healthy. Higher above the vineyards and orange trees, the letters RME were carved into the hillside . “Rosenthal Malibu Estate,” I said to myself. I had arrived.  

There I was on top of two worlds.  Malibu — the crown jewel in the Southern Californian beach circuit and rich in surfing and entertainment lore. The other – the Malibu-Newton Canyon American Viticultural Area; a designation that it earned about 18 years ago thanks mainly to the efforts of one man, George Rosenthal, who is a mix of two worlds himself.  Rosenthal is a one-time real estate developer whose Westwood Marquis and Sunset Marquis hotels in Los Angeles have hosted such famous regulars as the Rolling Stones, U2, Jennifer Lopez, Bruce Springsteen and Christina Aguilera.

While Rosenthal was building his considerable real estate holdings, he was quietly planning his other passion: wine. In 1987 he planted his first grapes and in 1991 he sold his first vintage, a Cabernet.  He now owns 250 acres of bucolic countryside upon which he built the hacienda where I was standing.

About 800-acres comprises the Malibu-Newton Canyon AVA. Within it, Rosenthal’s renowned estate produces a limited line of high quality boutique wines. I was pondering other “two-world” metaphors that applied to this tranquil scene; the peace of the valley so close to the chaos and clatter of nearby Los Angeles; the ease in which we consume wine without ever thinking of the effort and skill it takes to make it; when a gentleman named Neil greeted me.

“Right this way, sir,” he gestured ahead. Suddenly, I was teleported into yet another world — I was no longer a mere visitor but an honored guest of a generous baron. As we walked around a corner of the villa, I met a very special lady. Her name was Natasha Henstridge.  She was here at my invitation for a photo shoot. Our photographer, Eric, was already hard at work catching the fleeting moments of the ensuing conversation.

We sat on a bench by the edge of a tranquil flowing fountain. Natasha was at my side as we spoke wine and of our appreciation for our surroundings. Although I had planned this meeting for weeks and was well versed in her acting accomplishments (Species I, II and III, Whole Nine Yards, Whole Ten Yards, Eli Stone), I felt a slight “other-worldness” hang in my periphery. In one world, here was Taylor Wethersby, the knock-out fiancé who must endure Eli’s (Jonny Lee Miller) frequent hallucinations. In another world, Natasha herself was chatting with me congenial and real.

Not long after, the vineyard’s assistant winemaker, Shawn, directed us to the day’s activities – that of tasting the very fine product of his labors.  And what do you know? The tasting was going to be in the “Wine Stable”. 

“Have you ever been to a wine tasting before?”  I asked Natasha as we walked back to the stables with the small group that had joined us.  “No, I haven’t,” she replied. That was all I needed to hear.

We mixed and mingled.  Bright colors created rainbows of light reflecting off the glasses in everyone’s hands.  Shawn was efficient and smart as he educated his “students” about each wine we had the honor of reviewing. His presentation was stellar.  Effortless and confident.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, Shawn watched over us – a proud artisan and an adept professor – with the assistance and impeccable hospitality of his team. Thanks to Shawn and the Rosenthal staff, everybody blended beautifully together.

Natasha told me she liked Australian Shiraz and Chilean reds. But as proper, we started with the Surfrider white wine.  The Surfrider Foundation teamed up with RME and created a wine that is fruity, fun and very approachable. There was a tropical aroma in the nose. I tasted lime and a bit of green apple, with nice complimentary flavors of pineapple. The finish was refreshing. This bottle was $20. Outstanding!

Next we tried the Rosenthal Malibu Estate 2006 Chardonnay. Elegant and medium-bodied. More apple taste and a little pear and creamy vanilla in this one. It tasted like it had been aged in oak barrels. This was a step up at $25. A noticeable difference.

We then tried the Rosenthal Malibu Estate 2004 Merlot. This Merlot almost had Cabernet qualities. Big and flavorful, a crowd favorite.  Next we moved on to the ’01 Cab, which had nice fruit flavors, deep color and balance. This wine, at $35 a bottle, has won multiple gold medal awards. The 2003 Cabernet tasted of concentrated fruit flavors with deep color and complexity. Cool nights kept the acids in perfect balance with the fruit character. Its $38 sticker was well deserved.

We ended the day with the Surfrider Malibu-Newton Canyon 2004 Red Wine. It had a brilliant ruby glow. Cherry, cedar, vanilla and violets were in the nose. Flavors consisted of cherry, red raspberry, spice and a touch of oak. The finish seemed round and very subtle. It balanced the soft tannins and made this $29 wine a very special one with a percentage of the proceeds going to support the Surfrider Foundation and its efforts to keep our oceans clean. Very good news for a wine drinker who is also passionate about the Pacific Ocean.

After tasting a few more superb wines, we called it a day and I got into a limo bound for home.  Rolling down Pacific Coast Highway, drinking Roederer Estate sparkling wine and listening to some soul music, I made it back to Dana Point Harbor and saluted the day with an Australian Shiraz and a Chilean Cab – a toast to the best of all worlds.

Cheers and Thanks Natasha! BJB

Napa Valley, CA

Want to check out a new wine region or learn more about the area which produced your most recent favorite bottle? From Temecula to Puget Sound, discover the wide variety of wine regions by exploring these links.

Amador Vintner’s Association

Anderson Valley Winegrowers

Carneros Wine Alliance

Finger Lakes Wine Country

Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission

Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association

Napa Valley Vintners

Orange County Wine Society

Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance

San Francisco Wine Association

San Luis Obispo Vintners Association

Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association

Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association

Santa Lucia Highlands Wine Artisans

Santa Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance

Sonoma County Winegrape Commission

Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association

Washington Wine Commission

Willamette Valley Wineries Association

Have we missed your regional association? Let us know: info@colorandaroma.com

Photo by Colin Michael