Really good evening with J. Lohr winery host Patrick Taylor. I helped develop the menu. These are limited production wines, NOT grocery store wines. All have received ratings over 90 points from major wine publications. They are only available direct from the winery or in a few high end wine shops.
We started with Paperwhite Chardonnay.
This is aged in stainless steel- no oak- producing a pleasant, crisp, citrusy flavor.
We paired the chardonnay with Spicy Shrimp Orzo.
Wildflower Valdiquie is a red wine designed to be served chilled. Hardly anybody in the US grows this varietal. It marries well with spicy foods, hard cheeses, and Italian charcuterie meats.
This came with prosciutto salad and strips of hard Parmesan cheese, with house vinaigrette.
Tower Road petite syrah was the third wine. Petite syrah is big and bold and heavy, so the winemaker blended Grenache Noir (2%) and Roussanne (1%) to soften it.
Salsiccia Pasta with cream sauce was paired with the petite syrah.This kitchen makes the sausage in house. It's one of my favorite dishes here.
Carol's vineyard cabernet savignon (8% petit verdot) was the final wine. This is named after Jerry Lohr's late wife. The winery donates $3 for every bottle sold of this exceptional wine the to National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.® early detection and patient services.
Cabernet sauvignon goes best with red meat, so we served Beef Stroganoff, deeply flavored.
I like several things about wine dinners at Cafe Pasta. First, the price is about half (or even less) than the charge for wine dinners in other restaurants. This one was $75. Second, you always get a complete meal, nutritionally speaking (i.e., with greens!). Above all, the wines are really good, and Ray sells them at great prices. That cabernet savignon, for example, costs $60 (plus shipping) direct from the winery. At this dinner, the price was $52.95.
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