Food, Wine & Friends 208
Jonathan's mother, the famous Jane Tolmach, must have seen this freeway sign
down in Oxnard, as she asked her grand-daughter Rebecca to drive up to Woodside
for some eating & drinking.
They arrived to see another sign indicating good food and wine
was ahead.
And so a group gathered on a warm Sunday afternoon at the home
of Lucy & Jonathan...
They had already been to the berry 'cage' in search of fruit
for dessert...
As is customary, we began our visit with a home-brewed beer.
Jonathan then went back out to the garden to do a little
"shopping."
Onions!
Then he sliced some "Munchen Beer Radishes." to accompany the Tolmach
beer...
Paul Obester has a visit to the cellar in search of beer...
Aha! Found it!
Jonathan had prepared some bread dough for baguettes and was
showing Evan how to move these onto the bread peel.
Rebecca.
Lucy has a pet turtle out in the backyard...
Meanwhile, back inside, the bread was out of the oven...
Nice of them to include me on the menu (and I had top billing,
apparently!).
Alexia brought some nibbles and Roederer Estate Brut.
Sandy, Evan, Jane and Alexia.
Jonathan had three ducks in the roasting pan...
We then opened a couple of 'tasting sample' bottles...
Nicely fruity and it became more melon-like as it aired and warmed...
We do not know this producer...Artur Steinmann in Germany's Franken region.
A 2008 Ribolla from Movia showed well on the nose, with some interesting fruit
tones (sort of ripe mango, peach, etc.), though the finish had a touch of
oxidation, giving it a nutty, Sherry-like quality.
Meanwhile, the ducks were roasting nicely...
...as were the fennel and potatoes.
A few minutes later, the ducks were ready to fly into the
kitchen...
We then opened a couple of bottles of red wine to pair with
the duck...
These were both from the winery of Isole e Olena, where the famous Piero Masi
was the cellar-master.
Piero's daughter Giulia stayed with Lucy & Jonathan some years ago.
Lucy was chopping peas...
Jonathan started to assemble the berry tarts.
The peas were steaming and the ducks were all a-glazed.
The Famous Jane Tolmach
Once everything was ready to serve, everyone made a pass through the kitchen,
helping themselves...
Paul brought a bit of his homemade sauerkraut...
This was exceptional und sehr lecker!
The 1998 Cepparello was nicely developed and still youthful. The bouquet
was complex and showing a touch of cherry and an earthy tone. On the
palate, the wine was medium-bodied and nicely tart and acidic.
The 1997 Isole e Olena Cabernet Sauvignon was exceptional! It was still
dark and youthful in color, with classic cedary, woodsy Cabernet aromas.
The wine has blossomed nicely and can still be cellared for another 10 years,
most likely.
These were wonderful accompaniments to the duck. The potatoes were
stellar, beautifully roasted an crisp on the outside and soft and delicious
inside.
After dinner we went for a stroll through the garden...
Jane was motoring around nicely...
All sorts of flowers were in bloom...
Some people have said Evan and Rebecca are "out of their tree," but
clearly that is not the case!
Lucy has some birds, too.
Feeding time!
Back at the house, it was time for dessert.
Berries and Cream!
Then it was time for some birthday gifts for Jonathan...
Chop, chop!
And it was soon the witching hour...so we old farts got up and
made our way to the door...
It was great seeing Jane and meeting Rebecca and Evan.
Thanks for the invitation, kids!
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