WTN: The time was right.

Bistro 29 in Santa Rosa has a prix fixe menu for $29 midweek during the summer.
This week's menu -

$29.00 Menu
available Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday -
Week of 7/24/2012
Amuse Bouche: Crêpe Dentelle of Serrano Ham & Peach with Port Syrup
First Course: Corn & Goat Cheese Custard with Herbs de Provence Toast & Baby Greens
Second Course: Grillade D’Agneau- Grilled Lamb & Lamb Merguez Sausage, Warm Quinoa Salad & Garlic-Mint Red Wine Reduction
Dessert: Apricot Bread Pudding with Raspberry Sauce & Whipped Cream

- cried out for a good bottle, and I just happened to have the right thing.
Calif., Sonoma County,Foppiano Petite Sirah 1997
Plenty of structure expressed in soft tannin, luscious black fruit, lots and lots of length. One of those wines that's good enough that I don't want to disturb my enjoyment with analysis.

The waitress offered to decant it after she opened it, and after a sip full of sediment, I agreed. Then they were kind enough to pour the leftover back in the bottle so I could bring it home!

The amuse bouche was excellent, and twice as much as one usually gets. The wine was actually compatible with the corn and cheese custard, and of course the croutons. And with the lamb, which was beautifully presented, the wine just sang. I ended up guzzling 2/3 of the bottle!

The dessert was very good, and <brag> almost as good as I can make it myself. </brag>

There's something about a PS that has been ignored for a sufficient amount of time.



33.33 1/12 7/12 What a delicious wine! Bistro 29 with lamb. 14.1% alcohol Bought at the winery

I finished the bottle with the lamb stew out of the freezer that I was going to have until I saw Bistro 29's prix fixe.
The stew was good (I say so even though I made it myself), and the wine was none the worse for wear after a few days in the refrigerator.
Reinforces my idea that wines in this area (SonNpaNoma I guess, but Mendo should go in there somewhere) are more forward in odd years than those in even years.
This, young for a PS, was fully ready to drink, though more in the prime of early maturity than in middle age.
I slurped up the stew and had a few ounces to savor while waiting on the coffee. Very savorable!

John

Bistro 29 sounds interesting, John..Wife and I plus our daughter and future SIL will be in Santa Rosa late october..While we will probably taste a wine or 3, primary focus will be running the Wine Country Half Marathon ..Race starts in Geyserville, finishes in Healdsburg but race HQ and pre-race functions, etc are in Santa Rosa.

Bistro 29 is very good, and they also have a good wine list. Another couple of restaurants I can recommend are Catelli's in Geyserville, and K&L Bistro in Sebastopol.
And if you'd like to stop by for a glass of Zin or something, I'm in walking distance of downtown Santa Rosa - I walked to Bistro 29 last week.

John

John,
Sounds like the time was a little more than right.. . Will keep Bistro 29 in mind next time I am in those parts.
-Shaji

John: appreciate the feedback and invite..Will keep you in mind when we head out to the left coast in the Fall..Queen Mother is the organizer/planner for this trip and I have no idea what my born again runner will have planned..Plans will probably change at least 6 times before we gt there..Am hoping to get together with Carlisle and Donelan while we are in Santa Rosa and perhaps with Raffanelli and Coffaro in the Healdsburg area..but, who knows?? Dinner at Willy's one night is probably the only thing etched in stone

Willy's is good. And I have a(nother) couple cases of futures of Coffaro to pick up this summer.
Between Coffaro, Swan, Yoakim Bridge, Hawkes and Foppiano, I hardly have room for my dozen or so other faves.
Good problem to have!

John

We have enjoyed futures purchased from Coffaro as well as wines we bought while tasting there on prior trips.., Am down to my last bottle of Coffaro so I bought a case of their 2010 zin but that will be shipped early October while we are still back East.

?? '11s were recently bottled (the 10 months in oak ones anyway), to open up some empty barrels for this year. Which looks pretty good, I think.
I got a note last week that my '11s could be picked up any time. (Except the 16-month ones. Matt has been an interesting influence.)

John

I picked up my '10 futures few weeks ago. Had a chance then to try the Chalk Hill (16 month) Zin. It was splendid and would only get better in a few years. Based on that impression, I bought another case of '10 Russian River Zin. Will be shipped in October.
-Shaji

Yup, it was the 2010 Coffaro Russian River Zin ,a 16 monther, that I bought as well