JUSTIN Food & Wine Blog

Love is in the air...

February 14th

Valentine’s Day.

Here it comes.

My stomach lurched as I thought about the hours spent in card stores, looking befuddled and searching for someone else’s catch phrase to define my love.

And what is it doing here in February? The remnants of winter, or at least what those of us on California’s Central Coast refer to as winter, still frigidly lingered and yet we are told to think romantically?

It was particularly dreary as I sped home the other day. As I passed another brown and dormant vineyard Love is in the Air came on the radio (The Tom Jones version, not John Paul Young’s. Sorry Purist.) and a wave of irony washed over me. It was clear that drizzle filled the air, and not love.

Or did it…

As I rounded a corner a field of wild mustard caught my eye. There in the middle of the grey and damp, were vibrant yellow flowers full of hope and resilience, and I felt my smile forming. Perhaps Mr. Tom Jones had it right after all and this was a time for romance. But could it be found amongst the muck of winter? (Again for those of you that have real winter, I apologize for the reminder.)

As a newlywed, expressing my love has come naturally. We believe the best way to experience love is by diving in, and finding something new. We are always hunting for the next adventure, whether camping the Pacific North West, to exploring the wonder in everyday activities. I knew I truly loved my wife when I realized there was no one else I would rather do this with. It’s who we are, helplessly curious.

This passion for discovery was what propelled me into the world of food and wine. Every new dining experience became a study of aroma, texture, history, and harmonization. Delving into this enthralling world of flavor became exponentially more fun now that I had my wife by my side.

As the song ended I agreed that Love [was] in the Air, and the feeling of irony was out the window.

It was time for a new adventure.

The path of culinary exploration is well worn, yet, bias be damned, the John Muir of my trail is Will Torres-Executive Chef at The Restaurant and JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery. To embrace this season of love, my wife and I decided to give Will’s inspired menu a chance to combat this winter drear.

As we were seated, the romantic and enchanting dinning room was rife with anticipation. Our server, Kevin, skillfully explained the choices for each of the five courses and suddenly I was a mess…. choices? How can one hope to choose between a perfectly seared Venison Loin with garden greens, cippolini onions, and grits or a local Short Rib cooked slowly overnight and plated with wild mushrooms and Romanesco cauliflower? Luckily, my wife was there to save me from this happy culinary conundrum, and made sure we never doubled up on a dish.

The gustatory adventure unfolded with something nearing culinary alchemy. The Borscht soup mixed local Bautista Farms beets with Canada’s Northern Divine Caviar, showcasing Chef Will’s ability to seamlessly blend the bounty of the central coast with unique flavors from around the world. Vogue cooking methods such as ‘Sous Vide’ were showcased in dishes like the Squab and the poached Ocean Trout. These were balanced by classic techniques as seen in the perfectly seared Mano De Leon Scallops. Each course was perfectly paired with a JUSTIN wine, and while each pairing was breathtaking, the epicurean synergy of the Venison Loin with the 2009 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon made our night.

In the middle of winter we had found a reason to rejoice. Love for each other and discovering something new had bloomed once again. While driving home, with both our hunger and curiosity appeased, a familiar thought reemerged:

February 14^th.

Valentine’s Day.

Here it comes.

I hope this season gives everyone a chance to feel the love, and express it perfectly. Perhaps you’ll try a culinary adventure, by experiencing The Restaurant at JUSTIN six course Valentine’s Day Dinner. Whatever you choose, I hope you see your own field of flowers.

Cheers,

Chris Jahns, CSW

Assistant Tasting Room Manager

To book a reservation for the Valentine’s Day Dinner or any other night please contact our Reservation Desk by phone: 805-591-3224 or e-mail: innkeeper@JUSTINwine.com

 

 

The Most Memorable JUSTIN Moment

 
We are pleased to announce that “She Said YES!” won the JUSTIN Most Memorable Moments contest! As a prize for having the best story, Jen and Dave Schelling will be joining us for a stay at the JUST Inn, Dinner in Deborah’s Room, couple’s massage, a private barrel tasting, and more!

The winner was chosen by votes from the public - our Facebook fans! (Read my older post for a more detailed reminder of how the winner was chosen).

Tell us about your “Most Memorable JUSTIN Moment”…

We had visited 6 wineries that day but none of them felt right to me, then we found Justin for the first time and I knew this was the place where I would make my move. I saw the white gazebo that looked perfect. Justin was preparing for a wedding that day and for some reason there was a very quiet moment where I needed to act fast. I got down on one knee and asked Jen to marry me. She said “YES” Just-in time because the wedding party was beginning to arrive.

As amazing as that Justin moment was, it was not my “Most Memorable Justin Moment." That moment came 6 years later when we came back to celebrate not only our wedding anniversary but that fact that Jen was cancer free after being treated for stage 3 breast cancer.  Almost an entire year of chemo, radiation and multiple surgeries to get through and we were incredibly blessed to make it to the other side. We decided to spend a weekend in the Bordeaux Suite and enjoy the incredibly serene surroundings of the Justin Winery to appreciate the journey we had been through and remember the place where Jen said “YES.”

In addition to this story being an example of the ultimate JUSTIN experience (wine, dinner, and a stay at the inn!), a cancer survival story is a very fitting choice if you know the history of JUSTIN Winery – and Justin Baldwin himself.  Justin is also a cancer survivor and founded cancer support community The Wellness Community of the Central Coast, which is one of the charities that JUSTIN Winery supports the most.  

Thank you for sharing your incredibly moving story, and Congratulations, Jen and Dave! We look forward to hosting you!

What is your most memorable JUSTIN Moment?

 
Have you always dreamed of spending a night in the lap of luxury at the JUST Inn? What about savoring a five-course meal at our critically acclaimed Deborah’s Room fine dining restaurant alongside Justin and Deborah Baldwin, or attending a private barrel tasting with one of our Certified Sommeliers? If you have the best JUSTIN story, you have the chance to win all of the above!

Here at JUSTIN, we are always receiving letters and photos from our loyal fan base....like George Sheth, who rented out the entire JUST Inn for a family reunion (that's him and his family above, with Justin and Debby Baldwin). We love hearing your JUSTIN Moments, and we think the rest of the world should get to hear them, too…so we are hosting a JUSTIN Moments contest!

There are just four easy steps to enter:

1. Visit our Facebook Page (http://facebook.com/JUSTINwinery) and “Like” us!  You must be a fan to upload your picture or video.
2. Reflect upon your most memorable JUSTIN moment. Maybe you served JUSTIN at your wedding and toasted with ISOSCELES on your anniversary, or perhaps the JUSTIN Times was your reading material on your way to Bordeaux, with a bottle of JUSTIN as your traveling companion.
3. Upload a photo or video, along with a story describing your JUSTIN Moment.
4. Vote! The JUSTIN team will choose our five favorite Moments, and it will be up to our Facebook Friends to choose the winner.

The Moment with the most votes wins! The winning Moment will be featured on our Facebook page, Blog, Twitter, and website, and will be published in the 2011 Spring JUSTIN Times. 

Click here to see the entries we have received so far – there are some GREAT stories!

The deadline to submit your “most memorable JUSTIN moment” is January 31, 2011. 

 

 

 

JUSTIN Vineyards to Table at the James Beard House

 

On October 27, 2010, Chef William Torres prepared a fabulous five-course meal at the James Beard House in New York City. He was accompanied by Deborah Baldwin, JUSTIN Proprietor, who presented a wine with each course to a captivated crowd. “It was a fabulous dinner served to a full house, and Will wowed everyone,” Debby said, “Our Chef and wines work perfectly together!”

Chef Will took JUSTIN Chef Tournant Tim Barakat along for extra support, and was met in the city by Justin Ermini, Executive Chef at the Mayflower Inn & Spa in Washington, Connecticut. Will and Justin first met when Justin traveled to JUSTIN Winery as part of our guest chef series in May 2010. The Chefs were also assisted by the house chefs at the Beard House, who do over 250 dinners per year.

 

Prior to cooking in the famed Beard House, Will and Tim had heard that the kitchen was small. However, compared to the very small Deborah’s Room kitchen, Will said that the Beard House had a “dream kitchen.” Chef Tim added, “We felt right at home – it was just a little bit larger than our kitchen.”

On cooking at the Beard House, Will remarked, “The Beard House chefs and waiters are incredibly professional! The entire dinner took about two and a half to three hours.” He added, “The Beard House is an unassuming Brownstone, and cooking in it feels as though you are cooking in someone else’s home.”

It was both Chef Will and Chef Tim’s first time in New York City. Will said he enjoyed being able to walk everywhere, and Tim enjoyed Central Park – and also mentioned, “The taxi drivers are crazy!” As for food, Will Enjoyed Otto, Mario Batali’s new restaurant, and Tim enjoyed the iconic hot dog restaurant Gray’s Papaya.

Just as Chefs Will and Tim visited NYC, JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery brings chefs from all over the country to our winery for our annual Guest Chef Dinner Series. This year, we will feature:

- Kent Rathbun of Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen in Dallas on March 18, 2011
- Barbara Lynch of No. 9 in Boston on May 20, 2011
- Pascal Hollaender of Lyford Cay Club in Nassau on July 8, 2011
- Matt Dillon of Sitka & Spruce in Seattle on August 5, 2011
- Ris Lacoste of Ris in Washington, D.C. on October 21, 2011

Dinners are limited to 80 and fill up quickly. To reserve your place, please call Event Coordinator Laura Zolnoski at 805-238-6932 x 3223.

The Blessing of the Harvest at JUSTIN Winery

 

Friar Dawson blesses the JUSTIN 2010 Tempranillo

We are pleased and excited to announce the first day of Harvest at JUSTIN! We kicked off Harvest by picking our Sauvignon Blanc on Wednesday, September 8, 2010, and we brought in our Tempranillo the following day.   

As a result of one of the coolest summers in Paso Robles history, our Harvest this year has been pushed back about 10-18 days. We usually start to harvest our grapes at the end of August, but this year we did not get started until we were more than one full week into September. If this sluggish trend continues, we could be harvesting all the way into November – “Things are moving very slowly,” said Estate Vineyard Manager Paul Kaselionis.

The JUSTIN team gathers around the grapes

Despite the late start this year, we introduced a new tradition – new to us, that is. The Blessing of the Harvest is a custom dating back to classical Greek, Roman, Hebrew, and Christian times, when the first fruits of harvest were offered to the temple or church. The ritual has evolved and changed over time, and at JUSTIN we adopted our own version.

Friar Wayne Dawson, from St. Rose of Lima Church in Paso Robles, California, was kind enough to come to the winery on a moment’s notice (as Harvest comes suddenly and has a short window of opportunity, even in slow seasons!) to bless our Tempranillo, the JUSTIN staff, and the forthcoming Harvest season. He spoke about the excitement and camaraderie of Harvest and prayed for a fruitful season for JUSTIN.

During the ceremony, Friar Dawson sprinkled the Tempranillo and the JUSTIN team with Holy water. “If you get a big splash, it might be because you need it!” he joked. We aren’t sure about the JUSTIN team, but we know for sure that our grapes can use all the blessings they can get – so say a little prayer for the JUSTIN Harvest!

 
Friar Dawson sprinkles the team, including Justin Baldwin (in the stripes!) with Holy Water

Barrels and Bottles Tour with Jim G.

 

Jim doles out a barrel sample of our 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon on a JUSTIN Barrels and Bottles Tour

“Jim gave a really detailed tour. Think of the cave as an upside down pool!” –Anita P, Foursquare

 

This recent posting to our Foursquaretips inspired us to chat with JUSTIN Winery’s resident Certified Sommelier and Tour Guide, Jim Gerakaris.  Jim is famous for translating his deep knowledge of wine to simple terms for our guests at the tours and tastings he conducts. The Barrels and Bottles tour is a special tour, in which guests get to sample wine straight from the barrels in the JUSTIN caves. This tour is given daily at 3:30 Monday-Friday, and at 11:30 and 3:30 on Saturday and Sunday.

 

“On our tours, I have many people ask about how our caves were constructed, especially what material the walls of our caves are made out of. The best analogy is to use the swimming pool visual.

 

For most swimming pools, you dig a big hole in the shape you want, into the ground and spray concrete over reinforcing material like mesh or bars to form the permanent structure to hold the water.

 

For our caves, we had a contractor bore tunnels into the hillside like a coal mine, then lined the walls with a reinforcing material and sprayed 4-5 feet of gunnite on top. Gunnite is a type of concrete that is sprayed through a hose, which makes the concrete stronger and more waterproof than a traditional setting process. This method of cave creation provides a safe, cool structure, with very stable temperatures in which to store our wines during their elevage (the time they spend in barrels). 

The deepest part of the cave is our ISOSCELES Library; it is 120 to 150 feet (about the height of a ten story building) below the surface of the hillside behind the ISOSCELES building.  This makes it a great location to store our own vertical (consecutive vintages) collection of ISOSCELES vintages for future reference and enjoyment.”

 

After tasting a variety of barrel samples, tour guests are then treated to a library wine handpicked by the tour guide. The library wine is always a surprise; it is up to the individual tour guide to choose what will be poured that day! Whatever library wine is chosen will be available for purchase following the tour.

 

Jim conducts a tasting of 2003 ISOSCELES on the JUSTIN Winery Barrels and Bottles Tour

 

Jim joined the JUSTIN team in April of 2008. He brings a variety of experiences to us from his various travels while in domestic and international equipment sales in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Jim is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. He enjoys cooking and matching the wines and cuisines from various food traditions. He is also an avid bicyclist who is known to commute to JUSTIN from his home in Paso Robles when he can.

 

The tasting room is open daily from 10:00am to 6:00pm. Barrels and Bottles Tours are available at 3:30 on weekdays, and 11:30 and 3:30 on weekends. Please call 805-238-6932 ex. 3224 to reserve. Visit our website for more information.

 

Don’t forget: in addition to checking in on Foursquare when you visit us in person, you can also keep up with us through Facebook and Twitter. Cheers!

Flying Sommeliers

Well, hello, curious wine drinker, and welcome to my new space! I plan to drop a few thoughts here about once a week, and will be truly honored that you might read and respond to anything I put forth here. As you may know, I have been with JUSTIN for just a half-year now, and couldn't be more delighted by what I see in the vineyards, in Paso Robles, in the broad spectrum of restaurants and shops who carry our wine, and in the enthusiasm of our Wine Society clientele. Not to mention the excitement of a growing group of wine professionals that I'll christen today the Flying Sommeliers!

Now, what do I mean by that? Well, you may have heard over the years of flying winemakers--those indefatigable consultants who work in multiple time zones, hemispheres, and continents. I think now that the sophistication of wine service at table as well as the myriad post-restaurant sommelier positions, such as the one I have, constitute a new intersection of talent, and since we seem to be in many places in a very short time period, we must also be "flying!"

Many of my fellow Master Sommeliers certainly know what I'm talking about. Some are rabid importers and some are intense winemakers; some are running incredibly complex multi-restaurant programs under one roof, and some are doing so in five time zones. Whatever the case, I count myself proud to sometimes be in their company. And in rather exotic and exciting places!

For example, just in the past month, I have had the opportunity to share new JUSTIN releases with sommelier friends in Aspen (hey MS pals Jay and Richard!); Boston (Juicy Fruit, anyone?!); Seattle (howdy MSes Shayn and Joseph); and Maui (a veritable softball team's worth of Masters!). I know that many of my colleagues, including those I saw hither and yon, have even more hectic travel schedules than I do--but who could complain? We are all in the pursuit of diversity and excellence in wine, and love to share and compare wherever we meet. And don't forget the primary reason we are all flying about: to educate, stimulate, and irrigate the many consumers who attend these events.

Just to detail one of these: I was truly honored to represent JUSTIN Isosceles 2005 at the Kapalua Wine and Food Festival in Maui. I was on a "Cult Cabernet" panel with many estimable producers from California, Washington, South Australia, and Bordeaux. Now, before you jump at the idea of our wine being part of a "cult," stop to think what we have achieved simply by being considered part of this set. No, we're not making a $200 wine, nor a wine of a total production of five barrels (125 cases) that mostly sells at auction to folks with bagfuls of non-dollars. But we are keeping company with many more hyped wines and regions, and I'd have to say, we tasted pretty darned good that day. Many attendees, including three other Master Sommeliers on the panel (Rob Bigelow, John Blazon, and Larry Stone), said so!

Whether you're a sometime wine taster or a full-fledged collector, you should recognize and appreciate the role that the sommelier performs in the wine trade. It is well beyond pulling corks (or twisting off screwtops!)--and certainly more complex than finding the right glass or bottle for that special dish. We are all trying to communicate some broad experience with efficiency, accuracy, and grace. We share a common goal: it's integrating the grandeur of fine dining and technical achievement in this beverage we all love.

See you in Santa Fe!