Posts Tagged ‘Bellwether Farms’

My New Favorite Wine & Cheese Pairing!

November 30, 2011

Do you know Bellwether Farms? If you’ve ever had a private tasting with us before, you’ve probably tasted their Carmody; it’s been one of our favorite cheeses for quite some time. But I’ve recently discovered a new offering from the fine folks at Bellwether that has just about blown my mind. San Andreas.

I tasted it on its own first, and immediately thought, mature wine. Aged wine. Aged Monte Bello.

Cue the 1978 Monte Bello, one of the finest Monte Bellos ever, and showing so very perfectly right now. I tasted it on its own first as well. Perfect.

And then the pairing.

Complete palate freak out. Total perfection. Decadence. Nirvana. Revelation. Deliciousness. The deep mojo. The Ju-Ju. The HooDoo. The Guru.

I know it’s not everyday one goes opening a bottle like this, but the holiday season is upon us, and that calls for something special.

And this, is something special.

Library Monte Bello, and Bellwether Farms San Andreas.

Bert and Ernie. Yin and Yang. Martini and Olive. Buson and Issa. Peanut Butter and Jelly. Love and Happiness.

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Posted in Food & Wine Pairing | 1 Comment »

Cheese Tasting with Library Monte Bello!

May 9, 2011

Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day!

Being in the hospitality game, I work weekends. That’s a given. Which makes Mondays my Fridays. Which can be strange, and often troubling; what it usually means is that, at my tiredest point, all my fresh-faced and well-rested colleagues are peppering me with e-mails, requests, and questions I largely lack the energy to field. And I have to get everything done before my “weekend.” Suffice it to say I work a lot of late Mondays.

But every once in a while, Monday comes wrapped in a smile. Today was one of those days.

My outlook calendar for this morning? “10:30am-11:00am: Cheese & Wine Tasting.” Nice.

And it gets better; the purpose of the tasting? To find suitable cheeses to pair with the 1984 and 1978 Monte Bellos. Nice.

In the continuing spirit of my Haiku Wine Tasting With Paul Draper (who was very happily in attendance at the tasting!), I offer the following 17-syllable synopses of these extraordinary wines:

1984 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello

Cranberry, currant,
umami and root. Snowflake
tannins percolate!

1978 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello

Bacon at campfire,
clean, wet, mineral. Figs and
cheeses for dessert!

And as to the cheeses, here is what was tasted:

So, if this was YOUR Monday morning,, which cheeses would YOU pair?

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Posted in Food & Wine Pairing, Monte Bello, Paul Draper, Tasting Notes, Wine & Poetry | 3 Comments »

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