We will be closed on Easter Sunday in observance of the Holiday.

The tasting room will be closed Thanksgiving Day.  Please stop by Friday through Sunday to taste/purchase our 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve and 2002 Cara Mia Reserve.

1 1/2 lbs. Chicken Fried Steak

2 lg. Bell Peppers (any color)

2-3 cloves garlic

1 14oz can Tomato Sauce

2-3 eggs (beaten)

1 cup breadcrumbs

many tablespoons olive oil

Remove seeds slice and sauté the bell peppers for 15 to 20 minutes add tomato sauce and cook for another 5 minutes.  Spread 1/2 of the sautéed pepper mixture in a baking dish.

Meanwhile, crush garlic, spread on steaks, dip steaks in beaten eggs then dip in breadcrumbs.  Fry steaks in hot pan with olive oil until brown (no need to overcook at this step).

In baking dish, layer steaks with bell pepper mixture.

Cover and bake in the oven for one hour at 350 degrees.

Serve hot over rice with glass or 2 of Cara Mia!

Makes 4 servings

Harvest is near.  Mike says the Zinfandel will be picked first, currently about 23.4 brix, we expect to start harvesting in about 10 days.  Chardonnay, Fiano, Merlot, Sangiovese will soon follow.  The crop is very even this year thanks to a normal summer weather pattern, unlike the past two summers.  We will see better quality, consistent fruit ripening earlier than the last couple of years.  If all goes as planned (which is unlikely in this business), we should be finished harvesting the Cabernet Sauvignon by the end of October.  Hope to see you for the Fall Passport Weekend.

This is Rich’s version of an east coast lobster roll using shrimp instead of lobster. The key to this recipe or to any shellfish or fish recipe is not to overcook the shellfish.

•  1 ½-lbs raw shrimp
• ¾ -cup mayonnaise
• ½ -rib celery finely chopped
• 1-tablespoon capers chopped
• 1-tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1-tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 2- teaspoons chopped chives
• ½- teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 6-small hotdog buns
• Butter, softened

 Poaching liquid:

•  2-cups Solis Fiano Estate 2011
• 6- cups water
• 2- teaspoons sea salt
•  1/2- lemon squeeze then quartered
• ½-bunch parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• Ice bath, water and ice

For poaching the shrimp, put all the poaching ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Lower the heat so you have a rolling simmer, add the shrimp and poach for 3 minutes or until all the shrimp have just turned orange in color. Immediately submerge the shrimp in an ice bath. For the mayo mixture add all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. When shrimp have cooled, peel the shells and chop into medium chunks. Add the shrimp to the mayo mixture. Open the hotdog buns and brush with butter, grill or put under broiler until golden. Divide the shrimp mixture to the buns and enjoy with a glass or 2 of Solis Fiano Estate 2011.

A lot going on in the vineyard this time of year.  Not to mention some significant changes too.  Due to the beautiful weather in May, we are seeing rapid growth on the vines.  Also we are just beyond the flowering stage, so the young fruit has set and is beginning to mature; everything is very green and tender.

Some changes in the estate vineyard:  we recently grafted over more Cabernet Sauvignon to Cabernet Franc, this has been an ongoing project and we expect that we will have a light crop of Cabernet Franc this season, enough to add to our Cara Mia, but hopes of a varietal in the future.  We also just converted over some estate Merlot to Petite Sirah.  The PS will  be used in our newest Rhone blend and some day its own varietal too.

    4 – Boneless duck breast with skin

     Peanut oil 

      Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

 Glazed Hoisin Sauce

 1 – Cup hoisin sauce

¼ – cup soy sauce

¼ – cup honey

2 – Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 – Tablespoons minced garlic

1 – Tablespoons minced ginger

1 – Teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

 Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees – score the skin side of the duck breast in 2 different directions and season both sides with salt and pepper. Over medium high heat add a little peanut oil to a oven proof sauté pan, when hot add the duck breast skin side down and sear until golden brown about 6 to 8 minutes being careful not to burn, turn the duck breast over and sauté for 3 minutes longer. After 3 minutes turn the duck breast back over and brush with the hoisin sauce glaze and bake for12 minutes. Check duck for doneness, most restaurants will serve at medium rare, for medium you may have to cook a little longer. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Drizzle some extra sauce over the duck and enjoy with a glass or two of the Solis Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 2007.

Hoisin Sauce Glaze – combine all the ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil, simmer until thick about 4 to 5 minutes.

Olive oil
1-small yellow onion, small dice
2-Shallots, small dice
1-celery rib, small dice
1/4-small red bell pepper, small dice
1/4-small orange bell pepper small dice
1/4–small yellow bell, pepper, small dice
2-lb ground beef, 20% fat
1-lb ground pork
1-lb ground veal
2-teaspoons kosher salt
1-teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3-large eggs
1/2-cup heavy cream
2-teaspoons Dijon mustard
1-teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2-teaspoons dried thyme
2-teaspoons dried herbs de provence
1-cup panko breadcrumbs
1-cup cheddar cheese, shredded

FOR THE MEATLOAF – Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large sauté pan over medium high heat add some olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, add the onion, shallots, celery and all the bell peppers and sauté for 6 minutes to soften, take off the heat to cool. In a large bowl add the ground pork, ground veal, ground beef, herbs add the, salt and pepper. Add the onion mixture to the bowl and gently mix to combine. In another bowl add the eggs, cream, Dijon, Worcestershire and panko, slightly mix. Add to the meat mixture along with the cheese and mix just to incorporate, don’t over mix. Put the mixture in a loaf pan or shape into desired size on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Top the loaf with BBQ sauce. Bake for 45-minutes to 1 hour or until you reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Take the loaf out of the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice and top with the mushroom mixture and garnish with the parsley. Mushroom recipe to follow. Enjoy with a glass or two of Solis Cara Mia Reserve 2007.
SAUT’EED MUSHROOMS WITH PANCETTA
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2-lb pancetta chopped
2 – large shallots chopped
1/2 –lb shitake mushrooms sliced medium
1/2-lb cremni mushrooms sliced medium
1/2-lb portabello mushrooms cut in 3rds and sliced medium
Salt & Pepper to taste
Chopped parsley to garnish

Add the olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium high heat, add the pancetta and sauté stirring until slightly golden, add the shallots and mushrooms and sauté for 7 minutes longer until pancetta is browned and mushrooms cooked through, remove with from pan with slotted spoon.

We will be closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.