A Day in The Life

I was about to take the hummingbird feeder down for the season but it looked like the level of nectar was lower so I left it out.  Low and behold...

We noted the abundance of rust color on "her" but thought it was a young female Ruby-Throated that hadn't migrated yet.

With the help of Cornell Lab of Ornithology, "she" was ID'd as a Rufous Hummingbird, out of range.  Normally found in the west, she seems to have found herself off course and in our backyard!

She loves to preen and sun herself in the Virurmun next to the feeder.

We have her hooked up with feeders and hope she stays all winter so stay tuned!

Garden Trials (and Tribulations)

I have a confession.  I am a terrible garden planner.  Actually, I'm a pretty good planner, it's the execution where my skills are lacking.  I always end up with way too many seedlings and have to abandon my well thought-out garden plan just to fit everything in.  


This year I decided to call it research.  I planted everything we had to conduct my own garden trial - to determine which varieties do well for us and which ones just aren't worth the trouble.


We ended up with 18 varieties of heirloom tomatoes and six varieties of peppers, among other things, and the preliminary results are in.

Costa Rican Pepper

Alma Paprika Pepper

San Marzanos - lots of blossom end rot

Cherokee Purple

Brandywine Pink

Heirloom white cucumber

Speckled Roman - several plants are affected by blight

Summer Squash - borer got one plant so far (fingers crossed on the others)

Figs

Tomatillos

Red Pear Tomatoes - first harvest on the third try

Nasturtiums - nope, I haven't tried them yet!

A Wandering Mind

The flat of leeks that I started from seed sat on the patio for several weeks, guilting me into planting them.  It's not that we don't like them, we love them, but they're a pain in the ass to plant.  As I painstakingly teased the roots of each little plant from the other, I was transported back to another time.  A summer afternoon, my grandmother sitting in the living room watching her "stories" while eating a tomato and lettuce sandwich with mayo.  She always made one for me, despite my daily protestations that I didn't like them.  I usually pulled off the iceberg and fed it to Roscoe, my big orange tabby, and ate the rest.

I grew up in humble surroundings but I never wanted for anything.  I was an only child and took a lot of abuse for it.  My mom would have given anything for me to have whatever it was that I wanted so when I wanted a horse, a horse I had.  All I wanted was to spend every waking moment with Pokie, my Appaloosa pony that kicked big-horse ass in every show!  My parents sacrificed a lot of time (and money) to make sure that I was able to do just that.

So, I guess it should have come as no surprise to anyone that I decided to go to an agricultural college.  Yet, most of my friends and family didn't understand.  "Animal husbandry?"  "What?  Are you going to marry a cow?"  "You're going to go to school with.....farmers???"  "You're a smart girl; we thought you'd make something of yourself."  "What are you going to do with a degree in agriculture?"  To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure.  Maybe I chose the field because it was in my comfort zone but, whatever the reason, I knew it was where I wanted...no, needed to be.

Back to today and the bigger picture.  When and how did we become a people so far removed from our environment?   When did agriculture become something so foreign to us that our children have no idea where their food comes from?  When did "farm" become a four-letter word?

My back is sore and my shoulders are sunburned; my hands are filthy and my nails are a mess; and I'd give anything to have one of my grandmother's sandwiches again.

A Pleasant Surprise

It's drink-it or dump-it (or give-it-to Dad) time here on the ranch.  We have been trying to reorganize the cellar and pull out bottles that, for whatever reason, we seem to have developed a bias against.  


Today's gamble:  Thirsty Owl 2005 Chancellor.  This poor bottle has two strikes against it from the start - it's Chancellor and it's from Thirsty Owl.  


As you may recall, we have a strange relationship with Thirsty Owl  The Owl and the One-eyed Cat so it should come as no surprise that we would have some preconceived notion that this one was a dog.  It sat on the "drink now" rack for several years with a sticky note on it that read "decant".  We brought the bottle in on several occasions, saw the decant note, and quickly banished it back to the garage.  Today was the day.  I put my big girl pants on and it was time to open this puppy.  


For those unfamiliar with Chancellor, it's a cold-hardy, highly productive, French hybrid, native to France, and once used to produce quality reds and rosés.   It has virtually disappeared from its homeland after being the most planted hybrid.  It is now being grown in the cooler regions of the eastern U.S. and in Canada.  Some say yippee but we say usually say, "why"?


So, how was the Owl?  It was dark and mysterious; medium bodied, and almost inky in color.  The unapproachable acidity started to really mellow after about six hours of decanting.  Initially, the nose was all Chancellor but with time, it became plum jam and cedar with a little bit of earth.  The wine continued to evolve throughout the evening.  As the tannins softened, a lot of nice dark fruit and hints of coffee came through on the palate.  The finish was earth and mushroom, with menthol and a hint of sweet vanilla.

It was a very confusing wine but I now understand why we bought it.  It's not a wine that I particularly loved but I also didn't hate it; it was fascinating.  Could it have gone longer?  The way it evolved over the tasting period tells me yes.  

The take-away?  If you can get it and you have 12 hours to decant, go for it.  It will be nothing less than a really interesting tasting experience!

Is Change Always Bad?

We seem to be creatures of habit - more so than I ever would have imagined.  I find that even in our wine travels, we tend to settle into a routine and only occasionally do we stray.  I guess I shouldn't be too surprised about that.  If you ask my Partner-in-Crime, he will tell you that change is bad.  At times I have to agree and change on the wine trails has not always been good to us.

We were enjoying the drive to Billsboro on a beautiful Finger Lakes morning and, having completely zoned out, drove past their driveway.  While turning around, we saw a sign for a winery that was new to us, Lacey Magruder.  Change is bad, so we turned around and went to Billsboro but with Lacey Magruder on our minds.  After spending some time with the good people of Billsboro, we decided to live dangerously and try something new.  Off we went to Lacey Magruder!

Named for the grandparents of the owners, Lacey Magruder sits high on a hill in a beautifully restored 1830 post-and-beam barn.  The decor is eclectic and, from the deck, the view of Seneca Lake is impressive.  We had the pleasure of spending some time with Jim and Ruth Hundertmark, the husband and wife team that made their dream a reality.  Originally from Maryland but loving the Finger Lakes, Jim took a wine making course from Jim Law, winemaker extraordinaire of Linden Vineyards in Virginia, and they sold their home in Maryland and took the plunge.

They had just opened for what will be their first full season and Jim is currently offering six wines on the tasting menu - three whites, three reds.  The first is their 2009 Lot No. 1 Cuvee, an interesting blend of Muscat, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, and Riesling.  I was kind of intrigued with this one.  Nice floral notes on the nose, crisp and clean on the palate with hints of grapefruit.  It's bright and minerally and a really nice surprise.  Not being a huge Chardonnay fan, I don't have much in the way of notes, but I can say that the 2009 Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay had a nice mouth feel without being overly oaked.  The last of the whites was the 2009 Barrel Reserve Chardonnay.  This one had a little more oak but the fruit was still predominate.  Nicely balanced with a touch of mineral on the finish.

The red line-up started with the 2009 Proprietary Red.  A Bordeaux blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc, it had soft tannins and nice cherry notes.  The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon showed nice fruit on the nose but is still drinking young.  It's spicy with firm tannins, and  I'd like to try it again in a year.  Finally, we tried the NV Vintner's Red.  Another Bordeaux blend, this one 51% Cab Sauv, it has a little more body than the Proprietary Red but it also has .6 to .8% RS.  Dark fruit characteristics and nicely balanced.

All in all, the wines are pretty solid and we look forward to seeing what they do in the future.

Some of our Favorite Things

When the calendar turns to March, our thoughts turn to the Damiani-Stonecat Winemaker's Dinner held, conveniently for us, at Magnolia Place B&B.  We were fortunate enough to be able to attend again this year and we were not disappointed.

The evening started with a cocktail hour and the Damiani 2010 Bollicini, a bright, minerally, and refreshing Cayuga-based Proseco.  It was paired with two crostini: an aged French muenster with brandy-braised golden raisins; and a pear and fennel crostini with warm local (Lively Run) chevre.  Both were delicious and worked beautifully with the Bollicini, but I think the muenster was my favorite.  The only problem was my inability to juggle the raisins which insisted on rolling off of the crostini and onto to the carpet!

The first course was my favorite pairing of the night.  The 2010 Gewurztraminer was served with a pan seared mustard-crusted haddock with a lemon-caper beurre blanc served over spicy greens.   The nose on the Gewurzt was roses leading to peach on the palate and spices on the finish.  It was a beautifully balanced dish that was in perfect harmony with the haddock!

Course two paired the 2010 Lemberger with a chevre and mushroom tart with Stonecat's bacon and a black currant port reduction.  I am not a fan of Lemberger but the earthiness of the mushrooms worked perfectly to bring out the beauty of the Lemberger.

The third course was all about showcasing the 2010 Reserve Syrah.  The dish, dubbed the "Double Date", consisted of a cardamom and maple-cured pork loin with a raspberry beurre blanc "spooning" with duck confit in sour cherry compote.  The pork was tender and delicious and the duck was succulent and the Syrah is unbelievable.  It's young but it's a huge, kick ass wine with some serious aging potential and I can't wait to check on it in a year or so.

Finally, the dessert course: "Opera" by Christian Thiron.  A gorgeous, delicate layered pastry composed of cake, espresso butter cream, and Belgian chocolate ganache served on a salted caramel sauce.  It was heavenly and it might very well be the best dessert I ever had.  The pairing?  It was a cellar secret...and shall remain so...

The Finger Lakes, Damiani Wine Cellars, Magnolia Place B&B, Stonecat Cafe - some of our favorite things and people, all wrapped up into one awesome evening!

The Sweetheart of the Cellar

My introduction to Gewurztraminer occurred on a trip to San Francisco back in the late 80's.  I was going to a conference and my good friend Patti-Jo asked if I wanted company.  Hell yeah!!  While I had survived this meeting a couple of times before, the thought of having some relief from a week with 10,000 dietitians was awesome!

The time we had for sightseeing was limited to a couple of days before and after the conference and a few hours during the week.  We made a list of the must-see's and crammed as much as we could into the time we had.  There was Lombard Street, Fisherman's Warf, Muir Woods, the bobcat, the naked guy in Golden Gate Park, and of course, a day trip to wine country.  We visited Sebastiani Vineyards and Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma before heading up into Napa.  I think the only stops we made there were   Mondavi, just to smell the roses (quite literally), and a convenience store in Healdsburg before  heading back to the city and the dreaded dietitians.  Despite the few stops, we each brought home a case - a story my dad still loves to tell!

Twenty-five years later, I still vividly remember two of the wines we tasted.  Both from Sebastiani, the first was a Cherryblock Cabernet Sauvignon, now their flagship wine, the one that they feel best expresses their terrior; the second was a Gewurztraminer they called "Kellerschatz".  From German, it translates to "cellar treasure" but they referred to it as the "sweetheart of the cellar".  

Which brings me to this:  I have a love-hate relationship with Gewurztraminer.  It's floral and it's spicy and if those two components are not in the right proportion for me, I can't handle it but, when it's right, it's like Bloomer Creek 2008 Tanzen Dame Second Harvest Vintner's Select Gewurztraminer.

It is a straw yellow color, with honey notes and the perfect balance of fruit and spice.  Beautifully soft on the palate, this wine is delicate and lovely and everything a Gewurz should be - to me, anyway.