Roots Winery

• November 2009

  It's A Vegetarian Thanksgiving Perfect for Breaking Out of the ordinary ... us back to the culinary roots of our cuisine. Thus I present to you: Eggplant with Creole Wild Rice Stuffing served with baked squash, dosed with a lime dressing. This meal has it all, sweet, roasted... Read more It's A Vegetarian Thanksgiving Perfect for Breaking Out of the ordinary ... us back to the culinary roots of our cuisine. Thus I present to you: Eggplant with Creole Wild Rice Stuffing served with baked squash, dosed with a lime dressing. This meal has it all, sweet, roasted notes, spice and heat, as well as the refreshing, cooling qualities of the lime. What to expect: Roussanne Roussanne is a grape that usually plays second fiddle. An important component in most white Rhone blends, it is valued for its bright acidic character. Roussanne has usually added cut and depth to these blends, acting as a counterpoint to Marsanne’s rich, fruit driven character. In warm climates, certain clones of Roussanne have proven to be great soloists. The typical modern winemaking routine, harvesting when physiologically ripe, barrel fermenting, and aging sur lees,that has had mixed results for some grapes, has worked to draw our Roussanne’s strengths: it’s unusual orchard fruit and nutty components, as well as it’s ability to develop remarkable aromatic complexity with age. Find More Roussanne wines This compelling white is a great choice for your Thanksgiving dinner, vegetarian or not. 2006 Zaca Mesa Roussanne Priced from $19.49 Really rich yet bright on entry, with a seductive mouthfeel that manages to be both filling and vivid. The fruit is verging into the slightly honied, dried peach end of the spectrum, with lovely spice tones and creamy edges helping to frame the mid-palate. Vegetarian Dishes for the Thanksgiving Table By; Gregory Dal Piaz Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate, not spend in the kitchen. My recipes are designed to work together for a minimum of mess and fuss. My stuffing can be made in one pot and both dishes bake together to perfection. Click here to download a printable pdf file of this recipe. Eggplant with Creole seasoned Wild Rice Stuffing Ingredients for 6 servings 2 large or 3 medium eggplants 1 cup wild rice, uncooked 1/4 cup butter 1 cup onion, fine dice 1 cup celery, fine dice 1 cup red bell pepper, fine dice Scooped out insides of eggplant, 1/2inch dice 1 tbsp salt 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 chipotle chili pepper, finely chopped 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tbsp sweet paprika 4 cups vegetable stock 3 cups of French Bread, ½ inch dice, baked until well toasted, Toasting the bread cubes before adding them to the stuffing will help produce a crisper crust for the finished dish. ½ cup chopped celery leaves, or parley leaves 2 eggs, well beaten Directions Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, and scoop out the center, leaving enough meat inside the skin, about an inch, so that it holds its shape when baked. Dice the scooped out flesh, and reserve for use in the stuffing. Preheat the oven to 350F, make sure to place racks in the lower and middle thirds of the oven. In a strainer, rinse the rice well with cold water. Place a large (6qt or larger) stock or sauté pan over medium high heat. When the pan is warmed, add the butter and allow to melt. When the butter is melted, and just beginning to brown, add the onions, celery, peppers, diced eggplant and salt. Sauté the vegetables until the have softened, about 6-8 minutes, then add the garlic, chipotle, dried thyme and paprika. Blend well and sauté until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add 3 ½ cups of the vegetable stock. Raise heat to high until the stock comes to a simmer. Add the rice, reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. The rice will take about 40 to 45 minutes to fully cook. While the rice is cooking you can slice and toast the bread cubes and turn your attention to preparing the squash. Toast the bread cubes on a baking sheet placed on the middle rack of the pre-heated oven. After 4 minutes or so give the cubes a stir to help promote even browning. Allow to bake for an additional 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the bread from the oven and raise the heat to 425F Once the rice is fully cooked remove the pan from the heat and blend in the bread cubes, adding additional stock as required. Allow the rice to cool enough so that the eggs won't cook when you stir them in. Add the celery (or parsley) leaves and eggs and blend until well combined. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired. Fill the scooped-out eggplant halves with this mixture, dividing it evenly among the halves. Place them on an oiled oven tray or baking dish, and bake for 40 minutes, on the lower rack in the preheated oven. Let cool briefly, slice widthwise and serve. I like to top the eggplants with a bit of cheese for color and flavor but I’ve omitted the cheese, keeping this strictly vegetarian. For this dish I like a Sheep’s milk cheese such as Manchego or Pecorino. Baked Squash with Lime dressing Ingredients for 6 servings. 3 1.5lb Kabocha squash, (You can substitute acorn, or buttercup) 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced or 1 tbsp garlic puree 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste 1 tbsp minced Jalapeno ¼ cup tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro Directions Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, Scoop out the seeds and slice the squash into ½ inch thick slices, discarding the tops and bottoms if they are too uneven or lack enough flesh to roast. Toss the squash with the pepper, salt, and olive oil then arrange on a large backing sheet. Roast squash, on the middle rack in the preheated oven. After 20 minutes, halfway through the cooking process, remove the pan and flip the slice of squash over to brown both sides. While the squash roasts, whisk together the garlic, lime juice, and jalapeno. I like to do this in a mini-food processor. After another 20 minutes, once the squash are cooked, remove them from the oven and arrange the slices on a serving platter. Drizzle the Lime dressing evenly over the slices. Garnish with the fresh Cilantro leaves and serve.    (hide)

  From the article A vegetarian wine pairing, just in time for Thanksgiving

  
  
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  November 2009

  Roots Pinot Noir Estate 2006

  Snoothrank: Starting at $19^.99

  Nice inexpensive wine great for entertaining guests.

  Wine review by sneakyskillet

  
  

• November 2009

  So it's bare knuckles eh? As far as rationality, sometimes they do almost seem ... a hole and just jam the tree roots in, push some dirt down on it and leave it alone. Guess which one works best? In the first case, the roots grow nicely then they come to the edge of their little... Read moreSo it's bare knuckles eh? As far as rationality, sometimes they do almost seem ... a hole and just jam the tree roots in, push some dirt down on it and leave it alone. Guess which one works best? In the first case, the roots grow nicely then they come to the edge of their little area, the dirt is harder, and they turn back into the nice rich soil. Eventually they strangle themselves as the tree becomes root-bound. Same thing happens with any woody plant actually, but there's more investment in a tree because six years later your tree dies and you need to start again. So the idea is not to make life too easy in the beginning because then the tree will be lazy. Somehow the roots just know that they should seek out nutrients and they go where those are most easily found, "easily" being of course relative. Those nutrients are mostly in the upper soil layers, so the feeder roots like to spread widely. They go deeply too, especially in drier regions, but a lot of organic matter doesn't find it's way too far down. In some of the vineyards you've been to I'm sure they have grass growing between the rows. I'm sure they've done it in CdP but I can't recall who off the top, but in the Loire a few of the vineyards sliced trenches to see how the roots were growing. What they found was that in rows where they let the grass grow, the vines sent fewer roots into the inter-row space than in the vineyards where the rows were plowed. Grasses don't even penetrate that deeply but apparently they made enough of an impact that the vines didn't find it worthwhile to compete. It's increasingly used around the globe as one way of reducing the vigor of vines. It's pretty cool because it seems like relatively minor adjustments can make a big difference in the output of the vine.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic How old are your vines? by GregT

  
  

• November 2009

  Brad Brad Brad. I'm really claiming no expertise as a botanist. I liked the ... pretty much BS. But back to roots. Let's think about it for a second. The part of the root that takes up food and grows is usually the tip, or the meristem. The tip is also what develops the... Read moreBrad Brad Brad. I'm really claiming no expertise as a botanist. I liked the ... pretty much BS. But back to roots. Let's think about it for a second. The part of the root that takes up food and grows is usually the tip, or the meristem. The tip is also what develops the various micorrhizal associations. But how could it do so once you leave the soil layer containing organic matter? The mass of food is taken thru the fine roots. The plant does use its larger roots for storage though and of course that has to be available to the plant too. However, while some vines are lazier than others, none of them really grow continuously downward. More typically they reach a comfort zone. You're right regarding what people often say about nutrient uptake, but if you think about it, it makes no sense. Why on earth would the roots goes deeper and deeper to fewer and fewer nutrients? If they have a comfortable place where they get plenty of nutrients, why leave that and go into desolate regions of soil? That's just not how plants work. Intensity of flavor and mineral tone (God spare me from hearing any more about that term) are therefore not dependent on the depth of the roots or the age of the vine. I have to leave so can't write more at the moment but we'll talk. Actually I'd rather do that than write anyhow. Haven't seen you forever. (Not that I'm complaining mind you!!)    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic How old are your vines? by GregT

  
  

• November 2009

  That Pie Franco is indeed a good wine. They also do a version in barrique, ... Despite popular belief, the roots don't continue growing deeper each year. At some point they would hit the center of the earth and there isn't much nutrition in molten iron. So it seems that deepness... Read moreThat Pie Franco is indeed a good wine. They also do a version in barrique, ... Despite popular belief, the roots don't continue growing deeper each year. At some point they would hit the center of the earth and there isn't much nutrition in molten iron. So it seems that deepness of the roots is not the key factor, which is interesting because that would be the most logical place to look for reasons that old vines may differ from younger ones. I don't want to write a whole Snooth article about it, but there are many factors, not least being that different vines have different growth habits. One might note as well that Bordeaux claims few "old" vines. They typically replant after a 40 years or so and if the quality kept improving, it would be dumb for them to do so. Is that due to the rootstocks they use? Maybe, but not likely for several reasons. My hunch is that it has more to do with the way we treat our vines today. However, that's a whole research area and I'm not qualified to really discuss it with any authority. It's been many years since I got a biology degree and vine age was not something I recall EVER reading about for class. Of course, if you express any doubt about old vines, you get laughs, mostly from people who know pretty little about the issue other than the mythology. So maybe the best thing to do is to simply enjoy those wines that we still get from ancient vines and leave it at that. Interesting subject though    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic How old are your vines? by GregT

  
  

• October 2009

  You SHOW yo roots bro.

  Forum post in the topic Hi All, by GregT

  
  

• October 2009

  More grist for the mill: ... or worse conditions for roots and the fungi that help roots extract nutrients. But scientists have barely started to explore these factors in vineyards.' --'Climate -- a hugely important wine-growing variable -- also is shaped by geology. In eastern... Read moreMore grist for the mill: ... or worse conditions for roots and the fungi that help roots extract nutrients. But scientists have barely started to explore these factors in vineyards.' --'Climate -- a hugely important wine-growing variable -- also is shaped by geology. In eastern Washington, the landscape is wrinkled into giant folds by north-south compression of the bedrock. As a result, "There are spectacular differences in climate over small distances," said Kevin Pogue, a geologist at Whitman College in Walla Walla.' So I'm going to go out on a limb and posit that 'minerality' is something real, that many of us can sense, but is still so delicately ephemeral as to be beyond science's present ability to understand and explain..    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic New to wine drinking and need... by dmcker

  
  
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  October 2009

  Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2006

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by annekrye

  
  

• October 2009

  The Brilliance of Burlotto I recently had the chance to spend dinner with 4 ... by dark aromatic spice roots and a hint of leafy geranium. The mouthfeel is both transparent and mouthcoating with a hint of bitterness on the mid-palate. The tannins are pretty big but ripe enough that... Read moreThe Brilliance of Burlotto I recently had the chance to spend dinner with 4 ... by dark aromatic spice roots and a hint of leafy geranium. The mouthfeel is both transparent and mouthcoating with a hint of bitterness on the mid-palate. The tannins are pretty big but ripe enough that they already begin to melt away on the finish, which is tarry and spiced with floral tones that compliment the dark plummy red fruits. This is better on the nose at this point. 86pts 2007 Burlotto Nebbiolo Fresh and herbal on the nose with a sandy underlay and suggestions of briary wood and wildflowers adding detail. Huge acidity in the mouth is followed by a wave of fruit and perfectly ripe tannins. The midpalate is laced with minerality that adds cut and definition to the wild cherry and watermelon fruit that gains some pomegranate depth on the back end. This finishes strongly with excellent length and an almost salty, mineral finale. 90pts 2005 Burlotto Barolo Aclivi Balsamic on the nose with complex aromas of church candle, bay leaf, chalk and wild berry fruits. Nervous with fine-grained tannins in the mouth that frame slightly spice sweet red fruit notes. The feel is wonderfully fresh in the mouth and strikingly transparent though one could wish for a bit more richness to the fruit.  89pts 2005 Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero Leathery and slightly bretty on the nose with a deep gamy element that contrasts against the sweet dark fruits of the nose Notes of olive brine, mortadella and carnations emerge from the glass with air. Soft and suave in the mouth with a rich core of spiced fruit supported by great acids that keep this taut and tense. Great camphor tinged cherry fruit in the mouth conceals a bed of ripe tannins. A very well balanced 2005. 93pts 2005 Burlotto Barolo Cannubi Deep and dark on the nose with fruit, heather, dried grass and hints of grilled meats, cinnamon and green anise seed adding great detail. In the mouth this is very classic Barolo with clear acids and assertive if polished tannins supporting the slightly leathery, bright amarena cherry tinged fruit. Fine balance and great length but this is really a bit tight at this point 91pts 2006 Burlotto Barolo Aclivi A lovely nose of floral tones with savory hints of oregano, olive oil and sundried tomato. In the mouth his is sapid and round with soft tannins and sweet fruit on the palate with hints of fresh green herbs adding detail. The wine is still very tight but well balanced with strawberry fruits and fine, well proportioned structure.  88-90pts 2006 Burlotto Barolo Cannubi Wonderfully aromatic already with precise raspberry fruit framed by hints of campfire, saffron, baked clay and a slight underbrush tone. In the mouth thios is crystal clear with a lean yet very precise feel to the candied red raspberry flavors. The structure is very finely balanced and the tannins are perfectly ripe leading to a fine, long taut finish. An excellent wine in the making 91-94pts      (hide)

  From the article A dinner with the wines of Burlotto

  
  

• September 2009

  From the article Mature California Cabernet 9/2009

  
  

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