Hello friends!
It has been such a busy day — I arrived back in Chapel Hill last night around 12:30 a.m., fell into bed immediately, this morning at 9:30 a.m. had a Biostats exam, followed by other classes until 3:30, a quick trip to the grocery store, yoga, and dinner! And now, finally — I’m back 🙂 The original plan was to finish this post last night and post it this morning… but my stupid laptop died on the plane before I could finish! Oh well 🙂
Here’s my official recap of one of the most fun days ever: playing in wine country on Sunday with Jenna, Tina, and Jenna’s boyfriend, Adam! 🙂
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Our first stop was Dutton Estate Winery!
I really liked their wine — my favorite was the 2008 Vine Hill Chardonnay. It was SO smooth, oaky, and delicious. I wanted to buy some but was worried it would explode in my suitcase!
With warmth in our bellies (and Adam as our DD), we headed onwards: next stop — Hartford Family Winery!
This is where the majority of the awesome pictures in my last post were taken. It was so pretty!
We tasted a ton of delicious wines, but once again the Chardonnay (Stone Côte Chardonnay) was my favorite! I’m obsessed with California Chardonnay, apparently.
Remember the super cute jumping photo (in this post) of me, Tina, and Jenna in Philadelphia in June? We decided it’s become a tradition 🙂
Lol. Have I mentioned how much I heart these girls?
The last stop on our winery tour adventure was the famous Kendall Jackson itself! Adam is head of social media for KJ Wines, so we were excited to check it out 🙂
Beautiful! This reminded me of a picture in the “Southern Living” magazine my mom always has on our coffee table at home, haha.
By the way — it blew my mind that grape leaves change color for fall just like regular leaves! Who knew?! 🙂
Not only was Kendall Jackson gorgeous, but there was a wood burning oven outside for pizza. Heaven on earth, clearly.
We started with a brief tasting inside, including a taste of their not yet released Chardonnay — the 2009 Kendall-Jackson Avant!
When this comes out — buy it. SO GOOD.
And then — Tina and I were lucky enough to get our own special food and wine tastings from KJ’s Executive Chef himself, Justin Wangler!
Tina went for the cheese and wine pairing; me, the food and wine pairing 🙂
Quite the line-up!
First up was the 2009 Grand Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, paired with a shot glass full of pumpkin soup. Very seasonal and delicious!
Also on the plate? A Johnny Cake with Trout Roe and Sour Cream, to go with the second wine: 2007 Highland Estates Camelot Highlands Chardonnay. Yayyyy Chardonnay! 😉
Third on the tasting menu was a Buckwheat Crepe with Smoked Ham Hocks and Bellwether Farms Carmody Cheese, paired with a 2006 Highland Estates Seco Highlands Pinot Noir. Mmmm
And then — my latest obsession: PORK BELLY!! This was a Sweet Tea Brined Niman Ranch Pork Belly Slider with Syrah BBQ Sauce, paired with a 2006 Highlands Estates Alisos Hills Syrah:
Next up: a Korean Style Kobe Beef Lettuce Wrap with a 2005 Highland Estates Trace Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon.
Yum.
And then came dessert!
Mama Frischkorn’s Caramel Corn, paired with a 2006 Late Harvest Chardonnay:
And Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Lees Caramel and Verjus Marinated Peaches, with a 2007 Late Harvest Riesling. Loved this!
Most amazing day ever! We were so spoiled to get to travel around with someone working in the wine industry 🙂
Did I mention there was even more awesome food for dinner?
Everything in moderation, friends. Including moderation 😉
