The latest “Wine Talk” is here, and this one is heavy on pinot noir. Specifically, pinot noir from California. Adam Lee, of Siduri fame, opens up about his journey from Austin, Texas, to making wine with his former wife, Dianne Novy, in California, to founding his current main project, Clarice Wine Company.
Along the way Lee debated alcohol levels with Rajat Parr, surprised Robert Parker with some wine left with Meadowood’s concierge, and made myriad outstanding wines. He’s still making them.
One night, not so long ago, I decided to make a curry dish. It would be piquant, it would be made with cream and fresh chili peppers, and it would include tofu, which I planned to sear in a pan until it was well browned. I’d garnish it with basil, basil grown on our balcony in West Los Angeles.
When I cook, I always, as part of the process, which includes the actual serving and eating of the food, think about the wine (or wines) I would like to drink with the dishes.
“Pairings” is a word one sees often in culinary milieus, and it’s used with alacrity for good reason: the wines I choose to serve my dinner guests are selected as companions to the cuisine. They might accentuate a certain flavor element or ingredient, or they could serve as a counterpoint to a dish. I love how a juicy, racy red wine tastes with a pepperoni pizza, and some of my best moments have been spent eating oysters while drinking Chablis.
Oysters are never tiring.
Conversely, how about halloumi and a big Gigondas? Or a sparkling rosé and beef short ribs? I have offered these two pairings at dinners, and when guests saw them on the menu they expressed disbelief at the former combination and incredulity at the latter (in the case of a gentleman who was in the habit of drinking nothing but heavy cabernet sauvignons with his beef). Once they put the food and wine in their mouths they conceded.
Taste, and Taste Often
What should you take from all of this? First, the classic food and wine pairings are classics for a reason. Use them as part of your repertoire. Second, don’t be afraid to blur the lines, or surprise your guests (and yourself). Above all, taste. Often. Taste when cooking, taste with intention when pairing food and wine.
Drain and press tofu well before browning and the crisp factor will stun you.
Tofu and rice in this dish.
To that curry, and what I drank with it. It was an Eroica Riesling, 2024 vintage, an off-dry wine produced from a joint venture between Dr. Loosen and Chateau Ste. Michelle. It’s a low-alcohol (11 percent), vibrant, fresh, and delicious riesling, one that, as I was certain it would, paired well with the tofu curry, which I made by roasting red onions, garlic, and ginger in sunflower oil. I made a spice mixture that included toasted and ground cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, turmeric, red chili, fenugreek, cinnamon, coriander, and several other components. A highlight for my palate was the play between the wine and the touch of cinnamon in the dish.
The Eroica riesling is well worth its $22 suggested retail price.
The Eroica’s aromas — papaya, peach and other stone fruit, and springtime grass — give way to a comforting minerality and notes of honey and cold-river stones. A medium body and whispering acidity complete the wine.
The fruit here comes from the Evergreen Vineyard, which is in the Ancient Lakes AVA, and is a wonderful example of cool-climate growth. Grapes were harvested at night and went directly to press, and the wine was aged for 10 months in stainless steel.
The Eroica represents great value; it sports a suggested retails price of $22, but is often available for a bit less (buy here). If you already know and love riesling, this one will definitely not turn you off, and if you are new to the wines produced from this noble grape, give this one a try.
Chicken thighs — bone in and skin on — have been on heavy rotation at The Brockhaus home kitchen lately. I prefer dark meat — thighs and legs over breast for me (though I do make an exception for the perfect scaloppine made with chicken breast, second only to veal in my book for this) — and cooking pieces of poultry that have not been deboned almost always results in more flavorful dishes.
I like to trim the excess skin from the thighs, pat them dry with a towel, place them on a rack on a quarter sheet, and season them liberally on both sides with salt and black pepper (and other spices and herbs, depending on what I’m making.) We let them rest for 20 minutes or so while we do other prep work.
A sauce that provokes desire.
A few nights ago I decided to make what I’ll call chicken puttanesca. I had thighs, and I had some olives, green and black, and capers. The thighs, prepped as noted above, I put skin-side down in a large skillet that contained a tablespoon of shimering olive oil. Heat was medium high. Be patient, don’t manipulate the chicken; when the skin is ready it will release from the skillet. Six or 8 minutes should do it. Flip, brown the other side. Remove the chicken to a plate.
Which Onion Should I Choose?
You’ll have thinly sliced an onion — I used a white onion, but red works as well. In addition, 10 garlic cloves are sliced razor thin, and a red and yellow bell pepper are sliced. If you want, and if necessary, remove all but a few tablespoons of fat from the skillet, but know that that liquid is full of flavor. Add the onion slices and soften them for a few minutes, stirring a few times; add the peppers and cook for 5 more minutes. Then throw in that garlic and a teaspoon or so of fresh crushed red pepper, more if you like it hot, because some do. Cook for three minutes more, then push the mixture to the side of the skillet and squirt some tomato paste into it. I say 2 tablespoons of it. Stir the paste for 4 minutes.
A good way to make your friends happy.
Time for tomatoes. Don’t fret if you can’t get ahold of fresh tomatoes, but if you can, use them. (Score a small “x” on one end of each tomato, boil for 45 seconds or so, then put them in an ice bath until they are cool enough to peel. I won’t judge you if you skip the seeding process. Use about 30 ounces of tomatoes.) I had a 28-ounce can of whole San Marzano tomatoes, and I crushed them in my hands over the skillet. Keep some chunks in your sauce, this is not a thing over which to stress. Once the tomatoes and juice are in the mix stir everything, being sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet. About 5 minutes later I am in the habit of adding a cup of good red wine, perhaps a Chianti or a tempranillo. Stir and let simmer for another few minutes, at medium high.
Here come the olives and capers. I prefer 1 cup of olives, whole and pitted, and 3 tablespoons of capers. Put them in the mixture and stir it all. The thighs can now go back into the skillet; tip the plate they were resting on over the skillet, because you don’t waste the liquid. It tastes good. Oh, I forgot to write that I from time to time add some chicken stock along with the tomatoes and wine. This time I did, because I had made stock earlier in the week and needed to either use or freeze it. Lower the heat to low, partially cover the skillet, and simmer for 20 minutes or so. When done, if the sauce is too thin, remove the chicken and raise the heat for a few minutes, cover off, to thicken the sauce. Taste and season.
A bowl that makes one’s evening better.
Rigatoni or Polenta? You Decide
Now you decide how you’ll serve this. I like rigatoni, or another tube pasta, as the sauce plays well with that, and that’s what I did on that evening, but polenta is another option. Crusty bread? Yes. Sprinkle some Italian parsley over the bowls, and grate some Parmigiano-Reggiano over it all. Drizzle some good olive oil on this if you like that. I’ve served to this many people, and they all, with the exception of one individual, still like me. Pair with that Chianti. (Note: Unlike some skin-on chicken recipes, the goal here is not keeping the skin crisp. In fact, I will often, before serving, remove the skin and take the meat off of the bone, putting equal amounts of the meat in each bowl. The flavor the skin imparts while cooking is marvelous, however, so leave it on while cooking this dish.)
Ilove talking about wine with people who share my passion for it. We open bottles, we trade stories about travel and soil types, terroir and residual sugar, and we talk of taste and food and restaurants. We recommend wines to one another, we drink, and we learn a lot.
In Wine Talk, I introduce you to friends, acquaintances, and people I encounter as I make my way around the world, from Houston to Mexico City to Los Angeles, Burgundy, and other locales far and near, individuals who love and respect wine as much as I do, who live to taste, who farm and make wine. Whether my subject is a sommelier, a collector, a winemaker, a chef, a buyer, or an avid drinker of wine, you’ll appreciate their insight, and I hope you’ll learn something from them as well.
I am never unhappy to see Rick Arline.
Whenever I run into him, which usually occurs at wine events or dinners in Los Angeles, I smile. I appreciate his quiet, assured, and steady approach, qualities on display whether he’s volunteering at a festival pouring wines and shepherding attendees or working as a sommelier on a dining room floor. One evening several years ago I was perusing a wine list at a table in LA’s Arts District, and who should come over and take my order? It was Arline; I had forgotten he had taken the position of wine director at the restaurant. The evening immediately became more pleasurable. I had my eyes on a cabernet franc from the Loire, and was disappointed when he told me it was unavailable; he steered me to something else, a nebbiolo, and my trust in him was rewarded.
Rick Arline left a career in broadcast sports and shifted to the wine world. He is a Certified Sommelier.
Earlier in his career, following graduation from the Universty of Miami, Arline worked in the sports broadcast arena, and he does have a voice and the look for television. He had worked at a country club in New Jersey, the state from which he hails, during high school, and the hospitality bug had never really left him, he said. He began coursework that eventually led to the title of Certified Sommelier, and a career was born, one that has so far taken him to Chicago (Girl & The Goat) and into the dining rooms of a number of high-profile restaurants in Los Angeles, including Camphor and Auburn, and a stint at the Hotel Bel-Air. Most recently, he put together the beverage program at Jacaranda, Daniel Patterson’s new restuarant that opened this week in Los Angeles.
Rick Arline has a thing for nebbiolo. (Courtesy Rick Arline)
James Brock: Tell us about three wines you think are drinking well at the moment. What makes them worthwhile? How about a food pairing for each one?
Rick Arline: The 2019 Schloss Johannisberg Gelblack Feinherb. I picked up a case of these a while ago and have slowly been working my way through them. They’re delicious; beautiful golden apple fruit, great acidity, just really complex overall. I go to a Thai restaurant around the corner at least once a week, so this wine is perfect with those dishes. (Buy here, or ask at your favorite merchant.)
Schloss Johannisberg is the source of some outstanding Riesling.
J. Lassalle Cachet d’Or Premier Cru Brut. I’m obsessed with Champagne, I legitimately want to drink it every day. This one is just delicious, and incredibly consistent. (Buy here.)
2022 Leeuwin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. I recently had a bottle of this, and I fell in love with it. I adore the chardonnay they make; it was my first time trying the cabernet, and I thought it nailed the assignment. It was bright and punchy and tinged with just a little green, which is how I like my cabernet. Really impressive; drink with lamb. (Buy here or here, or ask your favorite merchant for it.)
This is a great grower Champagne — and its $40 price is a great value.
JB: If cost was no consideration, tell us the one bottle you would add to your personal collection, and why.
RA:Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises. I was lucky enough to visit the winery a few years back and was able to see this tiny, pre-phylloxera vineyard, and whenever I’m able to taste these wines they bring me a lot of joy. (Purchase here.)
JB: What is your favorite grape, and why? If you don’t have a single favorite, tell me about one that you are especially passionate about.
RA: Nebbiolo. I love the mix of power and elegance. I love how the wines develop. There’s a ton of complexity, and I think the wines are some of the easiest to pair with food. And not just Barolo or Barbaresco … I also love Ghemme and Valtellina.
Mayacama: A storied name from California.
JB: How about one bottle that our readers should buy now to cellar for 10 years, to celebrate a birth, anniversary, or other red-letter day?
RA: As far as ageworthy wines go, it doesn’t really get much better than cabernet sauvignon from Mayacamas. Those wines seem to live forever and are stubborn but beautiful. (Shop here.)
JB: Where is your go-to place when you want to have a glass or bottle (outside your home and workplace)?
RA: My go-to place when I’m going to drink some great wine is Tabula Rasa in Los Angeles’ Thai Town. The list always has a mix of hidden gems, classics, and new and upcoming producers, and it’s such a fun place to hang out and share bottles with friends.
JB: If there was one thing you wish everyone would keep in mind when buying and drinking wine, what is it?
RA: I wish people would be more open to wines from the Southern Hemisphere. All of my friends in the wine business geek out over Champagne and Burgundy and Piedmont and Germany, but there’s also beautiful wine coming out of Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Uruguay might be the country to watch.
Don’t overlook Uruguay, Rick Arline warns.
JB: What is your “wine eureka moment,” the incident/taste/encounter that put you and wine on an intimate plane forever?
RA: My “eureka” moment with wine was when I was waiting tables at a steak place and got to taste a glass of 2006 Beaucastel. It blew my mind. It was the first truly great wine I’d ever had, and I wanted to know more. I’m lucky to have a few bottles in my personal collection now.
‘I have the best job in the world and I have more fun than anyone could ever have,’ says Rick Arline.
JB: What has been the strangest moment/incident involving wine that you have experienced in your career?
RA: I’ve had a number of strange encounters, but it always makes me laugh when people ask to see the sommelier and don’t recognize that that’s what I am when I work the floor. I get strange looks sometimes. I’m a 6-foot-3-inch black guy, and for whatever reason that’s not what some people expect. Sometimes people want to challenge my knowledge. It’s weird, but I roll with it. I have the best job in the world and I have more fun than anyone could ever have. I don’t let them stress me out.
JB: If you could journey to one destination (or region) tomorrow to explore its wines, where would you go?
RA: My dream wine visit/tasting is absolutely Etna. I’ve become more and more obsessed with the wines; I think it’s the most interesting place for wine in the world right now. And what they’re doing with the contrada system is fascinating.
JB: Your favorite wine reference in a work of literature?
RA: In the film “Babbette’s Feast,” the cast open up a few bottles of Clos Vougeot and Sauternes. I love that, and I think we should all keep that energy.
A red wine from Paso Robles was on my sampling agenda this week, and it’s an easy-drinking blend of cabernet sauvignon (45 percent), primitivo (25 percent), petite sirah, Malbec, and pinot noir (all 10 percent).
The 2023 Highlands 41 Black Granite Red Blend carries a $15 suggested retail price, and it’s a great value for the money. Fruit comes from the Creston Highlands and Riboli Creston vineyards (both in the Creston District AVA). Highlands 41 is owned by Riboli Family Wines. (Buy it here, or find it near you using this.)
Pair this red blend with meatloaf, hamburgers, or grilled lamb chops.
Highlands 41 also makes a Paso Robles cabernet sauvignon and a pinot noir and chardonnay, both from Monterey County. Estate vineyards in Paso and Monterey are certified sustainable by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. The 2022 Black Granite was named by Wine Enthusiast as 2022’s top “Best Buy.”
Blackberry and raspberry dominate on the nose and the palate, along with vanilla, plum, and a touch of bramble. Tannins are medium. The winemakers used 10 percent new American oak barrels, 10 percent new French oak, and 80 percent neutral barrels. The blend was aged for 10 months, and alcohol rests at 13.9 percent.
The Riboli Creston Vineyard spans 320 acres in Paso Robles.
Pairings? I had a glass of this wine with a slice of pepperoni pizza, and it was a good marriage. This wine would be a great fit for your next casual gathering that features beef barbecue or grilled sausages, and pizza parties would also be an excellent idea.
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