Super Bowl Weekend

It's Monday February 6, 2017 and that means it's time to head to LAX for my flight home after a great weekend with the family and some familiar food and beverages.

Yes, the kind of fruit that comes in a bottle and food from one of our favorite restaurants, Casa Nostra's in the Pacific Palisades.

We also asked the resident Sommelier (Mike Wojo) to become a mixologist to get us started each afternoon (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) before tasting the wine from the cellar.

And so we started each afternoon with the following happy hour drink: Friday was Blood Orange Martini's; Saturday was Lychees Martini's; and Super Bowl Sunday was a pair of Bloody Mary's from the Bel Air Bay Club.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention a special Bloody Mary that was delivered by my good friend Ray Poblick. You can see that gem HERE.  It was just what I needed to help my paddle game at the club.

Speaking of paddle tennis.  We had a great family match with Mav and I taking on Madison and Jackson, the next generation.  We split sets and all went to lunch happy.

As the weekend progressed we dug a little deeper into the wine cellar and pulled/enjoyed the following wines.

Whites

• 2010 Ramey, Chardonnay, Hudson Valley
• 2011 Ramey, Chardonnay, Hudson Valley (2 bottles)
• 2014 Au Bon Climat, Chardonnay, Santa Barbara
• 2014 Aubert, Chardonnay, Carneros
• 2014 Aubert, Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, Richie Vineyard
• 2014 Liquid Farms, Chardonnay, Bien Bien
• 2015 Carmenet, Chardonnay

Reds

• 1994 Stagliano, Sangiovese, Napa Valley
• 2003 Downing Family Vineyards, Zinfandel, Napa Valley
• 2009 Tamarack Cellars, Syrah, Columbia Valley
• 2010 Melee Grenache, Napa Valley
• 2012 Stagliano, Sangiovese, Rutherford, Napa Valley
• NA The Transcendentalist, Santa Barbara (Magnum)

The weekend ended with a great Super Bowl party at the Bel Air Bay Club on Sunday evening.

Just for the record, sunny California was not sunny this trip!

For pictures from the entire weekend go HERE.

WPO Wine Reception

On Saturday, February 9, 2013, The Hilltop Winery hosted 19 wine enthusiasts from Canada and the United States.  They even let a few locals in, as well as, their brother-in-law from Washington they can't seem to get rid of - get over it!

The reception started with a selection of Chardonnay's, we then proceeded to the backyard for a quick picture or two of the sunset and then immediately ran to the cellar where the fun began on pulling some reds.

Let's not forget to mention our caterers who were fantastic, Monrose Catering Company based out of Malibu delivered on the promise of an exquisite evening of hors d' oeuvres.

The following 25 wines were consumed.

White

• 1995 Kistler Russian River Chardonnay
• 1996 Chassagne-Montrachet Burgundy
• 2004 Alsace Riesling
• 2005 DR Stephens Chardonnay
• 2007 Staglin Chardonnay (two bottles)
• 2009 Ramey Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (two bottles)
• 2010 San Simeon Chardonnay (two bottles)
• 2011 Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay

Red

• 1984 Shafer Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Hillside Select
• 1985 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1989 Caymus Special Select Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1991 Pahlmeyer Napa Valley Blend
• 1994 Dunn Vineyards Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1994 Maya Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1996 Eisele Vineyards Syrah Araujo
• 1999 Eagle Rose Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2000 Constant Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2000 Downing Family Zinfandel
• 2002 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia)
• 2002 Muga Rioja Unfiltered (Spain)
• 2004 Alto Moncayo Garnacha (Spain)
• 2007 Stagliano Sangiovese

For a slideshow of the evening event click HERE.