Three Sticks, Three Ways For the Holidays Tastelive Event

Another great TasteLive event which I was honored to participate in was live from Cellars Of Sonoma in beautiful railroad square downtown Santa Rosa California (as my buddy Scott Jordan can only say) hosted by award winning radio host, journalist and wine judge Ziggy "The Wine Gal" Eschliman. Loved the format via ustream because also in attendance was winemaker Don Van Staaveren who the panelists were able to bounce questions off and hear first hand his thoughts on the wines, winemaking and how well the foods paired with the evenings dishes. Chef Duskie Estes also in attendance provided some wonderful recipes for all of us to cook. Special thanks to Cailyn McCauley Tastelive's Managing Partner for bringing such a wonderful event together and my fellow bloggers for a wonderful evening talking wine (Grace Hoffman, Craig Drollett, Douglas Trapasso, Amy Corron Power and Joe Power).

As I said before loved the live visual of seeing Ziggy and Don along with Chef describe the wines and pairings making you feel as if your right there and not a million miles away :). We started the evening off with the 2008 Durell Vineyards Chardonnay and the pumpkin soup. The wine with the wonderful aromas of baked apple, pear, melon, butterscotch (yes as the wine warms) and vanilla. The texture of the soup combined with the creamy finish on the wine was outstanding. Apple, pear, melon and vanilla are a perfect balance of flavors so beautifully layered. Love this chardonnay!

Next up and you all know how excited I get any chance I taste awesome Pinot Noir was the 2007 Durell Vineyards Pinot Noir paired with duck. Because I was unable to find the main ingredient I substituted pork tenderloin. Wonderful nose on this Pinot with juicy black cherry followed by a fresh rose pedal. Black raspberry and spice round out the aromas. Great pairing pork and pinot. The juicy cherry, raspberry and spice was so smooth and drank like velvet. Officially the bottle did not make it through the night!

The final wine of the evening was the 2006 Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Black cherry, blackberry, raspberry and plumb aromas filled your nose with a slight hint of oak. The fruit smells so ripe and fresh. The wine is a fruit sensation in your mouth exploding with flavor. The plum really comes to the front followed by layers of boysenberry, black cherry and black raspberry. Awesome cabernet!

Well folks as we fast approach the holiday's where we share good food and wine with our families, Three Sticks Wines are an excellent choice. Elegant, balanced, exceptional fruit in each wine Mr Van Staaveren creates. Thank you Bill Price and all the staff at Three Sticks Wine for treating us to some special juice. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Cheers
Dan