May 22, 2020

GROTH Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

(Oakville, Napa Valley, CA) $150

Groth’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a small rocky section of the Groth estate in the heart of Oakville. Once part of a large alluvial fan that flowed out of the Vaca mountains, this block of vines is famous for giving rise to the first California wine (the 1985 Reserve) ever awarded 100 points by the wine critic Robert Parker. The Groth Reserves are intensely structured, dense, concentrated, and somewhat closed when young, but in my experience, take on polish and expressiveness after ten years of aging.

Available at Groth Vineyards & Winery

What food was the result of cooks needing to be quick about their cooking?

A. Soufflés

B. Popovers

C. Baguettes

D. Macarons

Although no bread was recorded as being called a baguette (French for “wand” or “stick”) before 1920, long loaves of crusty wheat bread have been typical in France since the era of Louis XIV, when they often reached lengths of a yard or two and were quite wide. One origin story of the modern slender shape claims that Napoleon Bonaparte passed a law decreeing that bread for his soldiers should be made in long slim loaves of exact measurements to fit into a special pocket on their uniforms. Another points to a growing interest in bread that didn’t need to be cut with a knife. For some time, a loaf of bread was regulated by weight, so in order to make it thin enough to be easily torn, it ended up being long and slender. A final theory gives credit to a 1920 French law forbidding bakers from working between the hours of 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. With less time to prepare the traditional, often round, loaf or boule (hence bakers in French are called boulangers) before the morning rush, bakers turned to the baguette, likely because its thin form allowed it to cook fast. The bakers loved it because it went stale quickly and the customers would come back for more later in the day!

Cock Ale? Ahem.

Reading the words “Cock Ale” while finding myself in Portland recently led to a string of unintentional associations. Oregon. Craft beer. Lumberjacks. Wow, who knew? Alas, cock ale has nothing to do with Oregon or… Continue reading

GROTH Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

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