Ma(i)sonry was awful, the only bad thing

This is Molly when we got home.

On our trip.  I do not want to get in to details about it.  You will have to take my word for it, I suppose.  Anyhoo, Renee and I are going to Yelp! their ass, hard.

Renee's salad at Bouchon

I love my Wife.  We'll prob  lay this down for at least four or five more years.

But my Wife loves me and she bought me a bottle of 2008 Lail Georgia.  (That was the whole reason to go to that lame, snooty, chi-chi place in the first ... )  Renee bought the wine at Dean and Deluca.  They gave her an industry discount for me; not the normal thirty per cent, but something.

Whatever.

Short Rib Rillette at Bouchon.  So amazingly good.

Yeah, that is right.  I had steak frites at Bouchon.  So frickin' sue me.

We went to Hendry Ranch on Sunday.  My Rep for Hendry set us up.  We said, No, to the tour. Renee and I have seen plenty of tanks and barrels, thank you very much.  Hendry said the tasting would take an hour and a half.  Whoa, I am starting to become wary.  We arrived and were told that George Hendry himself, the most spry and delightful man I have met in ages, would taste us on all their current releases.  Eek, when we sit down in a private room I see that that is about a Baker's Dozen wines.

Mr Hendry tells us a little bit about the Ranch he grew up and where all the wine grapes are grown. One hundred per cent Estate fruit.  We can see the vineyards right outside the window.  Estate fruit is what makes Mr Hendry's prices very reasonable for Napa Valley. Mr Hendry talks about wine a little differently than most wine makers.  He never mentions specific fruit tastes (notes) once.  Renee and I appreciate this.  Mr Hendry loves talking about food pairings.  He does not drink during the day but he has wine with every single evening meal (unless the wine he is drinking is too hot -- high in alcohol, or tasting of alcohol -- and then he quits the wine and finishes the meal.)  Mr Hendry does not like sweet wine.  He is unapologetic and proud to love dry wine. Refreshing.  Mr Hendry, upon finding out we work for the Food Hole raves about the Napa store and gets a few good plugs in for us.  Nice.  Mr Hendry shares some recipes with us.  Mr Hendry loves to talk about the palate.  The front palate, the back palate, if the wine flavor mouthfeel travels over both sides of your tongue, etc, ... Mr Hendry answers every single question we ask no matter how silly.  Mr Hendry has two awesome mannerisms that he uses for punctuation.  One is a clicking noise he makes with his mouth.  The other is a rap on the table with his finger.  Mr Hendry is a very savvy, frugal, and smart businessman.  Mr Hendry said the word, "bullshit" to us.  (He was talking about the clove flavors you get from his oak barrels for his Barrel Fermented Chardonnay -- $24 at Whole Foods Walnut Creek! Other folks actually add 'bullshit' clove flavors in to their wines and skimp on the barrels.)  Mr Hendry talks about the old house still on the property that he grew up in.  He says that was the style of house building then, Italianate architecture.  Then everyone started building Victorians.  They are renovating the old house.  It will be their new tasting rooms.  Mr Hendry gave us the proper thirty per cent discount.  Renee bought us four bottles of wine:  2008 Pinot Noir, 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon,  2009 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, and 2010 Albariño.  (Love you, Renee!) We headed home feeling wonderful about life.

Thank you, Mr Hendry.







Mwah, ...