Ramey Wine Dinner at Cafe Maxx

Tuesday, May 13, 2014 - 07:00 PM

This Event has been read: 2033 times.

 

Hand-blow-Round-Red-Wine-Goblet-Glass.jpg (360×360) "Woke up this morning with a wine glass in my hand, whose wine? what wine? where the hell did I dine!"

Do You Feel Like I Do by Peter Frampton

 

I know where you should be dining this week and we are starting out at Cafe Maxx with one of the top wine producers from California Ramey Wine Cellars.  Then on to Scarpetta restaurant with one of the first growth Bordeaux producers Chateau Margaux with vintage wines back to 1983.  And to finish up our studies this week we have the newly released 2009 vintage wines from Brunello di Montalcino.

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David Ramey is one of the most sought after consultants in California today, in addition to having his hands in a dozen or more wines with other people’s names on the bottle, his wines are among the best wines produced in their category every year.  After several decades of making wine David knows where the top vineyard sites are in Napa and Sonoma and through his relationships with growers has been able to secure some of the best grapes to put his label on.

Join us as we sample some of the new releases from Ramey winery with the director of sales and marketing for the winery George Staikos will be here to tell us about the wines.  Chef Oliver Saucy has put together a special five course tasting menu to accompany the tasting wines.  The fee for this dinner is $95+ Tax + Gratuity, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

 

Ramey Dinner at Cafe Maxx with Special Guest George StaikosTuesday, May 13th7pm

 

Pass arounds

Cashew crusted sea scallop with citrus butterGrilled shrimp with mango chili glazeTuna and noodle summer rolls

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Ramey Chardonnay  Sonoma Coast 2011               Price: $44.00       Sale $38.72          Case $449

56% Martinelli Charles Ranch, 21% RitchieVineyard, 12% Platt Vineyard, and 11% Hyde Robert Young. This is the fourth vintage to be dominated by the Martinelli Charles Ranch on Bohan Dillon Road.  Planted in 1982, this is one of the most spectacular vineyards in Sonoma County.  Our Sonoma Coast bottling reflects its region and so is a bit crisper and leaner than our Russian River.

 

First course

Poached hog snapper with citrus butter, fruit salsa and roasted purple potatoes

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Ramey Chardonnay Hudson 2011             Price: $64.50       Sale $56.76          Case $658

This year’s bottling is the fifth to come entirely from B-block, planted in 2001 to a Wente selection from the Hyde Vineyard, so the vines were eleven years old this vintage and further developing their maturity.  Hudson Vineyard wines tend to a more muscular, masculine character—broad-shouldered, if you will.

 

Second course

Grilled crab crusted grouper with corn sauce and black bean mash

 

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Ramey Chardonnay Hyde 2010 Price: $64.50       Sale $56.76          Case $658

Vine selection for our Hyde Vineyard wines are old Wente, Robert Young and Long Vineyards.  The Wente produces a classic, Burgundian-style wine without the tropical fruit tones of some California Chardonnays.  The Long Vineyards selection adds a floral note, and the Hyde Vineyard wines often seem charming and feminine.  High natural acidity plays a prominent role.

 

Third course

Braised lamb osso-bucco over wild mushroom risotto

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Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2010 Price: $60.00       Sale $52.80          Case $612

This wine combines the harmony produced by traditional Bordelaise winemaking techniques with the voluptuousness of another great Napa Valley vintage.

 

Fourth course

Filet mignon tartare with roasted beet carpaccio, sundried fruit, crumbled blue cheese and walnut raisin crostini

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Ramey Claret Napa 2012               Price: $44.00       Sale $38.72          Case $449

This soft, easy-drinking Cabernet is a good introduction to the vintage, and while it will improve over the course of three to eight years, it is not a wine intended for long-term cellaring.

 

Fifth course

Crispy duck confit with Tuscan bean and vegetable Cassolet

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Ramey Syrah Sonoma Coast 2011             Price: $44.00       Sale $38.72          Case $449

Our Syrahs are grown in the cool climate of the Sonoma Coast which offers a style reminiscent of the Northern Rhone regions of Hermitage and Cornas:  aromas and flavors of smoked meat, white pepper, green olive and grapefruit, coupled with a silky texture and savory flavor.  Pair with long, slow-roasted pork shoulder, braised lamb shanks with garlicky white beans, seared duck breast, or cassoulet.

 

Dessert

Chocolate raspberry bar with chocolate ice cream

 

The fee for this dinner is $95+ Tax + Gratuity, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

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A bit about Ramey Winery:

A select group of winemakers can be credited with revolutionizing modern day winemaking in California. They are the innovators who, some 20 years ago, brought Old World traditions back to a New World that had thrown in its lot with university scientists to make squeaky clean wines largely devoid of character. The goal of these new wave winemakers was to put terroir back into the bottle and create wines of unique distinction.

David Ramey is widely acknowledged to be among the wine pioneers whose efforts helped raise the bar for all American winemakers and brought California to the forefront of the international wine world. David’s groundbreaking work with indigenous yeasts and malolactic and barrel fermentation yielded a new California style that was richer, more lush and silky smooth than previously known. As a result, he created a benchmark style now emulated by many.

At first, David followed a traditional path and received a graduate degree from the University of California at Davis, where his 1979 thesis on volatile ester hydrolysis (translation: how flavors evolve in wine) is still used today to unveil certain vinous mysteries. But shortly afterwards, a stint working for the Moueix family at the renowned Chateau Pétrus introduced David to the time-honored methods of winemaking in France. He brought his lessons home and applied them to the grapes he found growing in California’s premier wine regions.

David Ramey started his career in wine with little more than a degree in enology and a dream. Then, after nearly two decades of creating benchmark wines for such California wineries as Matanzas Creek, Chalk Hill, Dominus and Rudd, David Ramey and his wife Carla founded Ramey Wine Cellars in 1996. “Owning one’s own winery is the dream of every winemaker,” David says, looking back on the path that led him to build his own. It took time, planning and a profound understanding of how best to bring together all the elements—from the grapes, to the winery materials, and a top-notch team of professionals—to make it all work.

Ramey Wine Cellars is located off the town square in the quaint Sonoma County town of Healdsburg. It is a sleek, efficient, no-frills work space dedicated exclusively to making the highest quality wines possible. “In our own winery, we’re not distracted, as I had been, by the ongoing and changing needs of an employer,” David notes. “At Ramey Wine Cellars, we try to foster a team environment where everybody feels empowered to contribute and make a difference in both winery operations and the wine itself. My hope is to create an atmosphere of great opportunity for all.”

The winery produces authentic, hand-crafted wines made in an Old World tradition--coupled with New World innovation and California terroir. Owned exclusively by David and his wife Carla, grapes are sourced from vineyards with which David has worked for many years.  Their next project will be to purchase land and develop their own vineyards.

Ramey Wine Cellars, which David owns with his wife, Carla, was founded in 1996. Currently, David continues to “swing for the fences,” as he likes to say. To make great wines, he takes chances, harvesting his grapes at the last possible moment and using methods in the cellar that his former college professors consider risky at best. The resulting wines are praised among colleagues, consumers and the media alike. David serves on the board of Family Winemakers of California and the executive board of Communicating for Agriculture and the Self-employed.  He lives with his family in Glen Ellen, not far from the Ramey Wine Cellars winery in Healdsburg.

 

Other wines available from Ramey:

 

2011 Ramey Chardonnay Platt Vineyard Price: $64.50       Sale $56.76          Case $658

The 2011 Chardonnay Platt Vineyard is direct and focused in style. Butter, pastry, citrus and sweet spices are some of the nuances that are alive in the glass. Because of its proximity to the Pacific and the cool vintage, the Platt is a bit compact and tightly wound at this stage....Wild flowers, almonds and mint are layered into the finish. There is a lot to look forward to here." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, February 2014

 

Ramey Chardonnay Ritchie 2010 Price: $63.75       Sale $56.10          Case $651

"2010 Chardonnay, Ritchie Vineyard shows an ethereal nose that is light and refreshing with crisp lemon, sea salt and grain along with pineapple and verbena.  The palate offers exceptional depth and texture with butterscotch, lemon, and toast with gorgeous balance.  This will help you rediscover Chardonnay, without a doubt." - Doug Wilder, Purely Domestic Wine Report, December 2013

 

Ramey Chardonnay Russian River 2011 Price: $42.50       Sale $37.40          Case $434

"Medium-light golden yellow color; attractive, spicy, baked apple aroma with a hint of cinnamon; medium-full body; slightly fleshy, crisp apple and pear flavors with good depth and intensity; lingering aftertaste. Very highly recommended."- Nick Ponomareff, California Grapevine, March 2014