So keeping that major caveat in mind these were our favorites by a majority and none in unanimity. Best overall wine and food pairing went to the newest name on Rancho Cal, "Bel Vino" formerly Stuart Cellars, their combination of the double stacked, (chubbie) lamb sliders with Sonoma goat cheese, carmelized onion and cherry tomato jam on fresh baked buns paired with the 2007 Stuart Cellars "La Grein" always a favorite, aged in french oak right from the barrel was simply superb! If that wasn't enough, they truly went over the top by serving their luscious 2004 "Zinfandel Port" just this side of decadent with its chocolate, blackberry and caramel overtones again out of the barrel with an amazing Basil scented Mascarpone souffle covered with a walnut caramel pesto with scattered Belgium chocolate chunks sprinkled on top! 6 of 8 in our group voted for this perfect duo of pairings.

Best overall red wine by a slim majority was Steve Andrews, (Oak Mountains) 2009 Estate Morera Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon which will be bottled in December and released to their wine club early next year. This is already a BIG Cab with deep currents of black cherries, plum, currant and wild mountain blackberries, lingering nose and a long silky finish with a smoky character... I Want More, he ran out and it was everyone's loss that didn't get to sample it.

Honorable mention to Palumbo's Merlot/Syrah 75/25 blend as delightfully crafted by local estate winemaker Nicholas Palumbo. Another favorite, although a somewhat biased choice I must admit as I helped to pick the grapes just weeks ago, was Europa's 2011 "Barbera" still very much in process after only 3 weeks in the barrel but amazingly very smoothly drinkable and enjoyable now with a stunning deep color. Looking for big things from this wine and this winery as well, another one of Temecula's newest jewels on the Rancho Cal Winery dance card.


Last but certainly not least was Miramonte's "Bin 33410" (their street address on Rancho) Red Rhone blend aged wonderfully in a combination of american, french and russian oak. "how international of you Cane!" It exhibited deep dark color with all the spice and berry you could ask for while showing a slightly sweet side with a hint of milk chocolate. Can you say YUM?

Our favorite white was a tie between a crisp, semi dry with just the right amount of citrus notes to the palate 2010 "Pinot Grigio" poured by Don Frangipani which had a delightful green apple snap to it and Thornton's 2010 Chardonnay fermented in stainless steel touching no oak, very fruit forward with an apple lemon citrus character and a little spice in the nose and on the palate.

There was no lack of wonderfully complementing food pairings all over wine country on this weekend. In some ways our favorites here were an even tougher choice then the wines themselves. Taking everything culinary into consideration though including, originality, creativity, presentation and of course taste our almost unanimous choice was Chef Martin Corso's "M Group" offering at Danza del Sol. His triple presentation of a pumpkin and  roasted plantain soup shooter served piping hot along with a wild mushroom and boursin cheese flake pastry empanada followed with a grand finale of a bleu cheese, spiced apple glaze shortbread crust cheesecake pillar was simply KILLER all the way! And then to put the proverbial cherry on the whipped cream of this presentation were the wonderfully refreshing and ruby red pomegranate seeds picked from his own tree which just popped with juicy flavor in your mouth as they dissolved!

Running a very close 2nd and the favorite of the beef eaters in our group was Chef Michael Cragg's "60 hour" short ribs cooked "sous vide" served with a delightful chimichurri sauce. Never was there a bigger waste of plastic knives as it literally fell apart as soon as your fork touched its perfect medium rare texture. Honorable mention goes to Nick Palumbo's harvest soup made with locally grown (Crows Pass) Tahitian and Kobocha squash topped with chipotle cream and crispy fried pancetta. If Nick ever goes fully pro on the culinary side... Temecula chefs better look out!


Chef Volckers butter poached Omaha Strip Sirloin served in brioche slider bun with beer battered french fries drizzled with arugula aioli with petit strawberry bite drizzled with a balsamic reduction as offered at Miramonte was also right at the top of our list.



And again last but certainly not least Thornton's heavenly Caramel Apple and Spinach salad served with a brown sugar sherry viniagerette topped with hazelnuts as paired with their "Blanc De Noir" Champagne could have kept some of us there all day. However the watch words for the weekend were "We Gotta Go" and go we did 16 on Saturday and 18 on Sunday. It definitely expedited matters to also follow a no left turn policy on the busy Saturday also.

Of course entertainment was everywhere as well and variety was in abundance. Whether you kicked back to the rocking tunes of JD Priest at Danza, the jazz tunes of Will Sumner at Cougar, the sultry sax of Naomi Balcombe at Keyways or danced to the grooving R&B sounds of Randi and Associates at Oak Mountain as we did, there was something for everyone their palate, their appetite and their enjoyment on this weekend.

So whether you are into reds, whites, beef, chicken, seafood, pork, rock, funk or jazz, it doesn't matter because there is no end to the variety, enjoyment and fulfillment awaiting you on these special one of a kind weekends that only happen twice a year.

Next up is WoW, (World of Wine) March 3-4, 2012... It's all due to the hard working staff, volunteers and members of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association. Don't miss it, we'll be there and we hope to see you too. Be sure to tell Peggy at The TVWGA that "TNO" sent you.