We invite you to pull out (or purchase if you haven’t already done so) a bottle of 2011 Rose, grill up this recipe and invite some guests over. We promise they will be talking about this meal for the rest of the summer!

Grilled Pomegranate Rabbit Recipe

Ingredients:

Two 3-pound rabbits cut into 1/4s
Olive oil spray
Salt and pepper
Marinade:
1 cup Pom pomegranate juice
1/2 olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Step 1 – Combine all the marinade ingredients in a Ziploc style plastic bag. Add the rabbit pieces, close opening and swish them around to make sure everything is well coated. Refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight.

Step 2 – Prepare the grill and bring to a medium hot flame (about 450 degrees). Remove rabbit from marinade and pat dry. Add the marinade to a saucepan and reserve. Spray rabbit with olive oil and dust with salt and pepper. Place on grill, cover and allow to brown. Turn rabbit over and brown on the other side. Reduce heat and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the marinade to a boil and reduce over high heat until slightly thickened. Strain. Remove rabbit and place on a platter and drizzle the sauce over it.

If rabbit is not available in your local store, quail would be a good substitution.

The Braised Beef Short Ribs with Black Mission Figs recipe is a must-try alongside Landmark’s 2010 Kivelstadt Syrah, which will be available for purchase starting next week (on our website and in our tasting room)! The wine’s savory notes of soy sauce and pepper make it an ideal match for a well marbled beef short ribs recipe like this one. Give the recipe a whirl, invite some friends over and pour a bottle of Kivelstadt Syrah and let us know what you think!

Braised Beef Short Ribs with Black Mission Figs
Serves 6

Marinade:
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1/2 cup + 1 cup red wine
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
6 short ribs (2” x 3 ribs)
salt + pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 celery stalks, medium dice
1 carrot, peeled, medium dice
2 medium onions, medium dice
3 roma tomatoes, rough chop
10 cups Veal Stock, can substitute veal demi
1 cup diced dried Black Mission Figs
1 bouquet garni

Mix together the garlic, salt, pepper, herbs, 1/2 cup red wine, 1/2 cup oil and sherry vinegar. Pour over the ribs and marinate for at least 12 hours. Preheat grill or BBW. Scrape the excess marinade off the ribs and season with salt & pepper. Sear the ribs on each side on the grill. Set the ribs aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large roasting pan. Add the carrots, onions, celery and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are caramelized. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze with the red wine. Add the veal stock, figs, bouquet garni and ribs. Bring to a simmer. Cover and place pan in oven and roast for 4 hours. Every 1/2 hour turn ribs and remove excess fat. Remove the ribs, smother with sauce and serve.

Grilled Coffee Marinated Pork Tenderloin

1/2 cup freshly ground coffee beans
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon chipotle hot sauce (tabasco brand)
1-1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
salt and pepper
2 pork tenderloins (about 3 pounds total)

1. In a blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients except the pork.

2. Process until almost smooth. Transfer to a plastic resealable bag.

3. Trim excess fat from the tenderloins and remove the silver skin. Add them to the marinade and reseal bag.

4. Refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.

5. Heat a barbeque grill. Remove pork from marinade and pat dry. Spray them with Pam. When the grill is hot lay the tenderloins on it spray side down. Cook turning often until the meat reaches 130 to 135 degrees with a meat thermometer. Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with a salsa of sweet corn, sugar snaps and chopped tomatoes.

Grilled Cantaloupe
1. Grill cantaloupes on 1 side until showing frill marks, about 3 minutes. Remove and brush with honey and dust with just a little cayenne. Serve with the pork.

As summer approaches, it’s fun to get together with friends and family and enjoy the weather by grilling outside while sipping on wine.  Throughout the spring and summer seasons, we are going to highlight different recipes that work with our wines.

Landmark’s mission is “to make great wines that enhance the joy of life.”

We always knew our Overlook Chardonnay here at Landmark Vineyards was a hit!

Here’s the top rankings according to the report -

21% Chardonnay
12% Cabernet Sauvignon
10% Merlot
8% Pinot Grigio/Gri
7% White Zinfandel

Any guesses how this might change in 2012 and if America will remain at #1 again? Which varietals do you think will become more or less popular?

Cheers!

In my my opinion, anyone can learn to taste wine and most people that do taste wine well, are the same people who have had years of practice. The best thing anyone can do in order to taste better is to push yourself into finding as many ingredients as possible when you eat or drink. For example, you are eating a pasta dish and it tastes spicy, ask yourself what kind of spice it is that you taste. Is it black pepper or is it chili flakes? Try and get as detailed as you possibly can with your descriptors. Additionally, keep trying different kinds of wines and reach out of your own comfort zone. If you normally drink mostly Pinot Noir, start drinking Merlot and Zinfandel alongside Pinot Noir. Find ways to differentiate the two wines by asking questions like the following:

• Which wine do I taste more fruit?
• Do I taste minerality in either of these wines? (i.e. grass, dirt, wet stones etc.)
• Which wine do I get more heat from? Be aware that the more heat felt on your tongue, the higher the alcohol content.

The more anyone practices these techniques, the sooner patterns will occur. For example, you might find that every time you drink Zinfandel, your strongest taste is strawberry whereas when you drink Pinot Noir the strongest taste is tobacco.

Tell us – Is there anything you do that has helped you increase your ability to taste wine?? We’d love to hear about it!

2002 Grand Detour Pinot Noir: This 10 year old multi-vineyard Pinot Noir is light in body with aromas of wild berry fruit and tobacco. The remaining structured tannins lead over red fruits flavors on the palate. This wine is probably at its peak and should be consumed in the next 6 months.

2004 Grand Detour Pinot Noir: The 2004 harvest was early due to warmer conditions with high quality fruit shown in all the vineyards in the Grand Detour blend. This wine showed old world pinot aromas of soil and leather on the nose however on the palate this is definitely a California pinot. Ripe red fruit dominate while balanced acidity and tannins bring it together for an excellent food wine. This wine is probably at its peak and should be consumed in the next 6-12 months.

2005 Grand Detour Pinot Noir: Four Sonoma Coast vineyards (Kanzler, Keller Estate, Flocchini, and Armagh) made up the 2005 blend. The cooler 2005 vintage Grand Detour displays light red fruit and fresh turned soil aromas while on the palate the wine is lighter in body with sleek cherry and red fruit flavors. Pleasant acidity and a dry finish make it a great food pinot for richer dishes. This wine is probably nearing its peak and should be consumed in the next 12 months.

2006 Grand Detour Pinot Noir: For the 2006 vintage Gap’s Crown vineyard was included in the blend for a total of five vineyards from the Southern Sonoma Coast. Another cooler vintage however it’s still drinking exceptionally well. Non-fruit and earth aromas lead on the nose followed by plenty of strawberry, raspberry, and baking spice on the palate. This wine can be enjoyed now or held for another 12-18 months.

2005 Kanzler Pinot Noir: The Kanzler Vineyard is planted with three different Pinot Noir clones and the 2005 Landmark Kanzler Pinot Noir featured 50% Pommard clone, 37.5% 115 clone, and 12.5% 667 clone. It smelled and tasted much more “old world” in style with aromas of damp earth, Herbs du Provance, and wet tea leaves. On the palate red fruit and herbs dominate in this medium light bodied pinot noir. This wine is probably nearing its peak and should be enjoyed now or held for another 12-18 months.

2006 Kanzler Pinot Noir: The third vintage of our vineyard designate Kanzler Pinot Noir featured only free-run juice. The cooler 2006 vintage has aromas of damp forest floor and minerals while on the palate it showed unripe red cherry and black tea flavors in this balanced medium light bodied Sonoma Coast pinot noir. This wine can be enjoyed now or held for another 24 months.

2002 Lorenzo Chardonnay: This 10 year old California chardonnay can hold its head up high; from the “sensational” 2002 Sonoma vintage it still shows nice citrus, almond, mineral, and crushed stone flavors while slight sherry and petrol notes are present on the nose with one taster also getting a  “popcorn” aroma. This wine is probably at its peak and should be consumed in the next 6 months.

2003 Lorenzo Chardonnay: Shows bruised apple and petrol on the nose with lemongrass flavors and strong mineral notes on the finish that also shows oak. This wine is probably at its peak and should be consumed in the next 9-12 months

2004 Lorenzo Chardonnay: Aromas of oyster shell and walnuts with plenty of bright citrus and kiwi flavors. Slight oak notes on the finish with almost some tannin as well; this wine is probably in its closed stage and could be decanted prior to drinking or kept for another 18 months.

2005 Lorenzo Chardonnay: This was the star of the Lorenzo flight with aromas of buttered popcorn and dairy products along with fresh orchard fruit. This medium plus bodied Chardonnay features fresh citrus and ripe apricot flavors along with pleasant oak notes on the finish. This wine is probably nearing its peak and can be consumed now or in the next 12-18 months.

2006 Lorenzo Chardonnay: Dairy product, citrus, ginger, ripe apple, and cinnamon aromas with poached pear, lemon zest, and mineral flavors. This wine is drinking nicely now but could be kept for another 18-24 months.

Brendan Tiernery received his Level Two Sommelier diploma from the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2010.  Currently, he is study for his Level Three Exam.   The course of study is quite rigorous.  Part of his final examination will be to blindly taste six wines and properly identify their vintage, region, and varietal.  To prepare for this, Brendan attends a weekly Study Group where he and other Level Two Sommelier challenge their palates.

Greg chose to partner with the Nursery at Tablas Creek Vineyard.  They import cuttings of Rhone varietals from the well-known Chateau Beaucastel.  Landmark purchased both the rootstock and budwood from Tablas Creek.  At the estate, we planted the rootstock in the spring of 2007.  Once the rootstock began growing vigorously in the fall, we grafted the varietals to the rootstock.  Our first vintage from the estate vineyard was 2009.  We created an ultra-premium blend for some of our biggest fans, our Friends of the Vineyard members.

The name of the estate vineyard, Steel Plow Estate Vineyard, embraces Landmark’s John Deere heritage.  Founder Damaris Deere Ford was the great-great granddaughter of John Deere, the inventor of the steel plow which revolutionized farming.   With such a deep connection to excellence in agriculture, we choose to organically farm the vineyard.

I am committed to organic farming because it is best for the grapes.  For me, it’s all about creating the highest quality fruit to create the phenomenal wines.  -Greg Stach, Winemaker

One organic farming practice we implement is the use of sheep in the vineyard.  After pruning in the winter, we bring in a flock of sheep to help “mow” down the cover crop between the vine rows.  They also aerate and fertilize the soil.  It’s win-win!  The commitment to organic farming is a rigorous course, but also a testament to winemaker Greg Stach’s unstinting determination to creating the ultimate Rhone style blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah from the vineyard.

At Landmark, we have always been committed to sourcing from the most iconic Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards throughout California North and South Coasts.  We are dedicated to site specific winemaking that expresses the unique terroir of each vineyard.  With that said, it’s invaluable to know about our vineyards.  Over the next few blog posts, we are going to highlight some our vineyards and growers to share their stories.

“Your wine is only as good as your vineyards,” Greg Stach.