Seminar with Sonoma Winemaker Bill Arbios: Wednesday 24

Greetings from Gosford Wine . . . we have a very special guest coming this week to Gosford, and we hope that you all will join us Wednesday night in welcoming him.  Bill Arbios, former winemaker for Jarvis Vineyards in Napa, is recognized as one of the fathers of Bordeaux-style winemaking in Sonoma.  He was instrumental in the development of Lyeth Vineyards in the North Coast, and he has made custom wines for Sebastiani and Robert Mondavi.  He’s also a swell guy who makes delicious wines, and I’m proud to welcome him as our host for this week’s Wednesday seminar.  This is an excellent opportunity to bring questions and get answers from someone who knows.

As usual . . . bring a friend anytime between six and eight this Wednesday night.  We’ll probably try to set up largish groups, so that Bill has more time to discuss each wine.  So, maybe you should bring just a little patience as well.  Thanks, and we’ll see you tomorrow.

Easy now . . . just because I said we had plenty of the Vieux Chêne Rouge doesn’t make it inexhaustible.  Save some for your friends, people(!).   You might ask, “What are we saving?”  What you’re saving is a delicious Rhone-style blend of Grenache and Syrah from Vaucluse that’s a perennial favorite at Gosford.  It’s easydrinking and beautifully balanced, and hence ideal for cocktail consumption; though it’s got enough class and aromatic complexity to make it a perfect dance partner for everything from cheese to roasted meats.  I acknowledge that the wine is a fabulous value at $10.99, but that’s no reason not to share . . . if you’re going to buy it all, be a friend-to-man and pour it at a party or something (they say there’s a pretty big, if not the very biggest, cocktail party this weekend).  This red wine defies its price with a flamboyant excellence that seems almost deserving of punishment, if one could discern just how to punish a wine.

Buybuybuy.  Call or e-mail ahead to reserve your bottles and/or cases.  

I don’t know if y’all heard me, so I’ll go ahead and repeat myself:

Everyone’s talking about the 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape . . . but until those are released (or ready to drink, for that matter), trust Gosford Wine to find the best values in ready-to-drink CDP from years past.  The 2003 Bois de Boursan CDP Rouge is a Joe Attaway selection that, in his boomingly authoritative and semi-divine tones, “stood out as an exceptionally elegant Chateauneuf in the classic style, which is all the more surprising for hailing from the typically over-ripe 2003 vintage.  Their 2003 Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a real testament to the class, restraint, and respect for tradition embodied in the wines of and personalities behind Bois de Boursan.”  Well put, buddy.  Those of you who know Joe Attaway know that he talks exactly like that.  And it was talking-like-that Joe who mandated that we’d give the wine away for $39.99/btl.  I told him that was crazy, but there was jest no stoppin’ ‘im.

Don’t forget to come to the tasting, it should be a lot of fun.

Hugh’s twenty-four buck menus

every night for 5:30, 5:45 and 6:00 reservations

prix fixe October 25th through October 31st

menu A

1.  joe pearn’s carrot-jalapeno soup with cilantro creme fraiche and toasted pumpkin seeds

2.  grilled piemontese skirt steak with crisp polenta cake, swiss chard, salsa rossa, and salted capers 

3.  honey-drenched almond cake with roasted pear

menu B

1.  local butter lettuce salad with walnut oil vinaigrette, toasted walnuts, roasted butternut squash, and feta

2.  panko dusted catfish with spicy tomato chutney, crisp okra and lemon emulsion

3.  pumpkin panna cotta

$24. dollars per person

no substitutions; no swapping between menus; no to-go

the menu options will change at least once a week

eat your vegetables or you don’t get dessert