Celebrate California Wine Month!

Last night I kicked off California Wine Month by tasting at LA's new hot restaurant the Herringbone. The scene was a perfect cure for a bad case of fading summer nostalgia. The out door patio where the tasting took place set the stage for coolness, mingling,relaxation and sipping under the LA stars.

Cassandra Brown, LA's newest young hip Sommelier hosted this fabulous meet the maker opportunity.   Her vision is clear, I can see already that she is going to contribute to the growth of LA's wine scene by providing space for amazing wines and beautiful people to collide.

There were two family owned wineries representing their brands; Vision Cellars and Gamble Family Vineyards. Both located in the North Coast;Sonoma and Napa Valley. I started off tasting a white and rose from Vision Cellars. The white was a unique blend of Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. It had the aroma of Pinot Grigio and the taste of Sauvignon Blanc, with a slightly tender round bite to it. Next up was the Rose poured over ice cubes! I first tried without the ice and found it very approachable. 100% dry leaning towards the darker more meaty side of roses than the usual soft and pretty side. When poured over ice it kept its bright cherry flavor and tasted more like a refreshing cocktail. (Looks like I may be breaking my ice rule in the future )

Not wanting to ruin my palate for whites I switch over to the Gamble Family table to try their barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc. Interesting! The nose was pleasant however not that upfront aromatic citrus you get from Sauvs aged in stainless steel. My first impression of taste.... Spicy. Spicy like a hint of fennel, tropical citrus like pineapple.

Over all both wineries poured a diverse selection of delicious wines. I am excited to taste next week!

Oysters!

Seabass!

A Vision!

A Somm!

And of course WINE!

A Gamble!