July Pinot Noir Wine Club Allocation and Recipe
Happy July Pinot Club Members:
This month, we're featuring one of my favorite wines, 2006 August West Graham Family Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($48). The Wine Spectator gave the 2005 90 points and called it "deep and complex, showing distinct flavors of cola and earthy raspberry and blueberry, with an elegant mouthfeel. Displays a dash of anise, herb and mineral on the finish." This vintage has not yet been reviewed.
Winemaker's Notes: After two years of one ton per acre harvests or less at the Graham Family Vineyard, its third vintage produced close to three tons per acre. The 2006 Graham Pinot Noir is just about a mirror image of the beautiful 2004 we produced from this vineyard. The color is a deceivingly light, clear ruby, but the herb and spice scented nose is one of the prettiest and most powerful weve ever made in a Pinot Noir. The palate is lush with bright fruit flavors and the finish is balanced by perfect acidity. Try one in 2008, but the patient will be rewarded from 2009 and on."
Recipe: Saltimbocca
This dish is classically made with veal but I find chicken more readily available and just as tasty. The other night I made the dish substituting some leftover truffle cheese (sottocenere) which I had in the fridge. This cheese melts beautifully and the extra indulgence of the truffles made it my new favorite way to make the dish.
Serves 2
Take each chicken breast and remove the tenderloin. Make a lateral cut almost the full length of the breast and begin to lay open each side flap. Butterfly the breast so that two flaps lay open. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken and pound the breast and the flaps lightly until an even thickness. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Wrap the proscuitto around 1 oz of the sottocenere making a neat packet. Place a sage leaf down on the breast, place the packet on top and pull the flaps back over the packet and pin with toothpicks. ( One trick I use sometimes is the pound out the tenderloin and place that over the packet as a way to further the seal.) Try to keep the skin side intact.
Saute the breasts skin side down in olive oil. Let it get brown and the skin crisp. Remove from the pan without turning over. Deglaze the pan with marsala and chicken stock, scraping up the brown bits. Return the breast, raw side down and gently simmer in the sauce. The breast will cook on this side more quickly. Sometimes I just pop the whole thing into a 350 degree oven to finish. When the chicken is cooked through, take out of the pan, remove the toothpicks, and nap with the few tablespoons of remaining pan sauce.
This month, we're featuring one of my favorite wines, 2006 August West Graham Family Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($48). The Wine Spectator gave the 2005 90 points and called it "deep and complex, showing distinct flavors of cola and earthy raspberry and blueberry, with an elegant mouthfeel. Displays a dash of anise, herb and mineral on the finish." This vintage has not yet been reviewed. Winemaker's Notes: After two years of one ton per acre harvests or less at the Graham Family Vineyard, its third vintage produced close to three tons per acre. The 2006 Graham Pinot Noir is just about a mirror image of the beautiful 2004 we produced from this vineyard. The color is a deceivingly light, clear ruby, but the herb and spice scented nose is one of the prettiest and most powerful weve ever made in a Pinot Noir. The palate is lush with bright fruit flavors and the finish is balanced by perfect acidity. Try one in 2008, but the patient will be rewarded from 2009 and on."
Recipe: Saltimbocca
This dish is classically made with veal but I find chicken more readily available and just as tasty. The other night I made the dish substituting some leftover truffle cheese (sottocenere) which I had in the fridge. This cheese melts beautifully and the extra indulgence of the truffles made it my new favorite way to make the dish.
Serves 2
- 2 boneless chicken breasts, skin on
- 2 thin slices of proscuitto
- 2 oz of sottocenere or fontina
- 2 sage leaves
- ¼ cup dry Marsala
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- salt and pepper
Take each chicken breast and remove the tenderloin. Make a lateral cut almost the full length of the breast and begin to lay open each side flap. Butterfly the breast so that two flaps lay open. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken and pound the breast and the flaps lightly until an even thickness. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Wrap the proscuitto around 1 oz of the sottocenere making a neat packet. Place a sage leaf down on the breast, place the packet on top and pull the flaps back over the packet and pin with toothpicks. ( One trick I use sometimes is the pound out the tenderloin and place that over the packet as a way to further the seal.) Try to keep the skin side intact.
Saute the breasts skin side down in olive oil. Let it get brown and the skin crisp. Remove from the pan without turning over. Deglaze the pan with marsala and chicken stock, scraping up the brown bits. Return the breast, raw side down and gently simmer in the sauce. The breast will cook on this side more quickly. Sometimes I just pop the whole thing into a 350 degree oven to finish. When the chicken is cooked through, take out of the pan, remove the toothpicks, and nap with the few tablespoons of remaining pan sauce.