Chardonnay 2010
Steve Storrs knows how to produce a good Chardonnay. Steve and his wife Pam are making some of the best Chardonnays around, and, I’m glad to say, they’re easily available and are carried on many a store’s shelf and on restaurants’ wine lists.
After years of crafting fine Chardonnay and other varietals, the Storrs’ fine wines are amongst the most known in Santa Cruz County and beyond.
The grapes for this particular Chardonnay ($30) were grown in the Christie Vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains and then aged for nearly a year in French oak barrels, resulting in a beautiful straw-colored wine with a creamy mouthfeel. Aromas of apple and pear combine with toasty notes of French oak and vanilla, and its flavor has an impressive well-balanced crispness with a touch of pineapple.
Storrs Winery has a welcoming tasting room in the Sash Mill complex in Santa Cruz, but we can look forward to another one opening up soon in Corralitos—a solar-powered facility that promises spectacular views of mountains and vineyards. Storrs Winery, 303 Potrero St., #35, Santa Cruz, 458-5030. Storrswine.com.
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Mary Chamberlin’s Cookbook—“The Traveling Soup Pot”
I will never forget having dinner at renowned chef Mary Chamberlin’s house in Carmel in 2009. A friend had invited me to see Julie & Julia, the comedy-drama movie about Julie Child, and then to a Julia Child-themed dinner in Chamberlin’s spacious abode. Not only did Chamberlin make the best French onion soup I have ever eaten, but she prepared enough for around 100 people. Her “dream kitchen,” as she calls it, was featured in Better Homes and Gardens magazine, so guests who didn’t fit into the dining room and elsewhere were very happy to eat in the place where she prepares her culinary wonders. The cookbook is a journey through many lands—with soup recipes from close to 20 countries. A foreword by Michel Escoffier, great-grandson to perhaps the world’s most innovative chef, Auguste Escoffier, highly recommends Chamberlin’s book—and that says plenty right there. Visit marychamberlin.com for information.
Hop ’n Barley Beer & BBQ Festival
If you love a good brewsky, then one thing you won’t want to miss is the Hop ’n Barley Beer & BBQ Festival on Saturday, June 29 at Skypark in Scotts Valley. Sixty breweries will be participating, including some of our great local micro breweries, and live music will be featured. Some finger lickin’ good barbecue is guaranteed from Sid’s Smokehouse in Aptos, along with many others. The fun starts at noon and tickets are $39 in advance and $45 at the door. Visit Hopnbarley.org for more information.
