Two beverage discoveries continue to haunt the crave section of my brain since my return from Northern California. I thought I'd pass on the obsessions:
Are you surprised the first one is wine? I didn't think so. Although this was one winery we did not visit during our explorations, I was served this during an incredible meal at Bottega. I'm not usually into Zins, but this was the most easy to drink, delicious red wine I've ever tasted. Here is the description from Rosenblum's website: A deep, purple hue leads ultra-ripe blackberry, boysenberry, briar and cocoa aromas in our 2007 Rockpile Road Zinfandel. Across the midpalate, a complex layering of rich, dark fruit develops, balanced by complex wood tannins that flank the tongue and pick up bright currant notes through the lengthy finish.
I will definitely need to visit the Rockpile Road region during the next sojourn to California wine country.
The second obsession is coffee. Again, shocking, no?
Douglas had heard rumors of this exceptional bean, and boy oh boy, the rumors are true! An explosive flavor that leaves no doubt that you are consuming coffee. We tried their New Orleans version of iced coffee (mmm...chicory...) and I savored that 12 oz cup all the way up from San Francisco to Sonoma County. SO good. It seems to be quite limited in distribution as of yet, so fingers crossed that they move Eastward!
A few years back the Zins had a big renaissance but there were many inferior ones on the market You're lucky to have found a good one. I became quite fond of Pinot Noirs a while ago and especially one from the Anderson Valley of CA. We'll keep an eye out for the Rockpile (when driving and when shopping as well). Sampling the beans from Blue Bottle has indeed been a delicious experience. We had Yerge Cheffee in our cups for several days and could detect some interesting finishes and aromas from it. I see they have a store in Brooklyn that can hook you up!
ReplyDeleteJust had my first at home attempt at making Blue Bottle and it is DELISH. I will have to try an Anderson Valley pinot sometime.
ReplyDeleteHey - did you know that Rosenblum is made on Alameda. ON Alameda, the island where I live!
ReplyDeleteNo, I did not! But I'm not surprised. All good things come from Alameda. :)
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