The Marlboro Man of the wine world was here for one night only. On June 12^th, Paul Hobbs visited Palmetto Bluff to host “Home for Dinner”, an evening of home cooking paired with eight of Paul’s tremendous wines.

I will admit that I was a little intimidated at the thought of meeting Paul; after all he is a legend in my world. We were to spend at least an hour together in the car on the way back from the airport and it could have been awkwardly silent but thankfully he is down to earth and easy to talk to. You would have never known that he is the head of an empire and one of the most influential winemakers in the United States not to mention his projects in Chile, Argentina and Hungary.

We instantaneously hit it off at the airport and chatted our way through a few errands and throughout our journey to the resort. In anticipation of our time together I had a long list of questions that I was eager to ask him but our conversation never made its way to wine. We discussed politics, wealth, the Bohemian Club, corporate America etc. but never a mention of our one commonality. It was surprising and refreshing.

The evening started off in the garden of Marge and Norm Agin, our hosts for the evening, which was complete with a coy pond and miniature locomotives circling atop the pond.

The dinner began with Paul telling us about his childhood, the early part of his career and how the Paul Hobbs Winery began. As dinner started Guest Chef Kevin Gillespie of Woodfire Grill in Atlanta, GA eloquently explained his approach to the menu and his creations for the evening. Our Executive Chef Kirk Gilbert shed some light on his menu items and revealed the meaning behind his “Home for Dinner” menu item, “Spaghetti & Meatballs”.  

I think we made quite an impression on Paul and hopefully it convinced him that there are some serious food and wine lovers in the south and to visit Palmetto Bluff again soon.

Only one week left until Paul Hobbs joins us for Five Courses of decadence. We are serving up comfort foods, guilty pleasures that you don't dare eat in front of others paired with multiple glasses of Paul's own brand of decadence. This sinful cuisine will be created by Guest Chef Kevin Gillespie of Woodfire Grill in Atlanta, GA and Palmetto Bluff's own Executive Chef Kirk Gilbert.

A boisterous crowd from all over the east coast gathered for both nights of our Plumpjack Weekend spectacular Hosted by Winemaker Tony Biagi. 

The weekend started with a casual evening at Buffalo's Eatery. My favorite pairing was a cheerwine barbeque glazed pork tenderloin with a vidalia onion pirlau, tomato confit and early spring peas served with the ’06 Cade Howell Mountain Cabernet. After dinner we retired to the firepits for a blind tasting game and some smores.  

Saturday we really hit our stride with Chris Hastings of Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham, AL behind the wheel. His "Woodland" Alabama cuisine paired beautifully with the inspired wines of Plumpjack. The reds for the event were opened four hours prior to the event and were well worth the wait. The estate cabernet was humming by the time it hit the first glass. Syrah has always been one of my favorite grapes and Plumpjack's was no exception, it was smokey, meaty and delicious. Chef Hastings' passion for food translates beautifully to a plate. The spring onion spoon bread served with the roasted duck brought me back to Birmingham and the amazing meal that I enjoyed at Hot and Hot Fish Club.  

We laughed, cried and drank moonshine, not necessarily in that order.

Last week's Domaine Serene Dinner was all that I wanted it to be and just a bit more. Guest Chef Sean Brock of McCrady's in Charleston and our Executive Chef Kirk Gilbert out did themselves reinventing family recipes to take our guests on a stroll down memory lane. The evening started with Sean Brock's take on PB & J, Foie Gras with Peanut Butter and fresh strawberries. We then moved onto Rabbit Meatloaf and settled in with a decadent Chicken & Dumplin's wrapped in pork belly. All these wonderous foods were paired with the ethereal wines of Domaine Serene including the spellbinding 2005 Monogram.

The last magical part of the evening was a special treat that Sean brought with him. It was a big ol Mason Jar full of Moonshine infused with Damson Plums from West Virginia also known as trouble with a capital T that rhymes with P that stands for Moonshine.

We are prepping for our Domaine Serene Dinner with Grace Evenstad and Guest Chef Sean Brock of McCrady's in Charleston, SC. Sean is still sizzling from his win yesterday at COCHON 555 US TOUR in Atlanta so we may see a little pig on the menu. We are serving reinvented recipes from yesteryear paired with the alluring wines of Domaine Serene. Don't miss our "Pantry Dinner", only a few spots remain!!!

Part deux of day two started with a to-go sandwich in the small town of Occidental. We then traveled to the coast to dine where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean which was breathtaking. My picture cannot capture the beauty but attention still must be paid. 

After lunch we traveled through the twists and turns of the Sonoma Coast roads and above the cloud line to Hirsch Vineyards. The saying "as the crow flies" has never meant more to me; a five minute flight easily equals an hour drive. On a side note, as the crow flies, was the most commonly spoken phrase on our trip. It is a common descriptor of distance in California and appropriately so because you can see for miles but nothing is that easy for those of us traveling by foot or car. 

 At Hirsch we were greeted by David Hirsch who founded and planted the vineyard in 1980 to premium pinot noir. His background was in clothing sales but you would never know that today because there is no doubt that he is a farmer. David attributes the multiple terroirs of his vineyards to the grinding and gradual movement of the North American and Pacific Plates and the San Andreas Fault which lies beneath the vineyards. Each vineyard block has a different soil content which adds a very distinctive quality to the wines. The soils are a mixture of sandstone, heavy clay, sandy loam and clay loam that are scattered with a panoply of rocks varying in origin from igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary shale. The Hirsch website is a great source of information about their terroir and the Sonoma Coast.

We proceeded to the barrel room and tasted from fourteen different barrels of pinot noir. The 2008 vintage was smoky due to the fires in California. The barrels flavors ranged from smoked bacon to the beautiful clean fruit of a Chambolle Musigny. After tasting I selected four different blends based on the barrels we tasted. I wanted to create a wine that was predominately bright gorgeous fruit but still had a little of that vintage specific smoke. I have a feeling that regardless of my choice the wine still would have been kickin' good due to the quality of their juice. After tasting through all of the blends the one that appealed to me most was a blend of two barrels. There was a sweetness to the fruit, a silky-sexy texture and a little earthy smoke on the finish. After blending and bottling there will be fifty cases of Palmetto Bluff's first pinot noir called "Legacy".

A special thanks to David, Jasmine and Tess at Hirsch.

Last night was the final dinner of The Lowcountry Culinary Heritage Celebration hosted by David Adelsheim, it was something to write home about. Kirk Gilbert, our Executive Chef, inspired us with a true fusion of multiple generations of Southern cooking. The highlight of the evening for me was the 1990 Adelsheim, "Seven Springs Vineyard", Pinot Noir paired with a Flat Iron Steak with fork mashed sweet potatoes. The wine showed age but in a wonderful way. The color was pale with a stunning coral hue around the rim. The bouquet had notes of cherry and cranberry but was overwhelmingly earthy in it's fragrance. Alluring notes of smoked meat, pipe tobacco and a touch of petro seduced me into taking a sip. I was surprised by the lively and fresh feel of the the wine. I tasted fruit flavors but more profound were the licorice, violet and smoke notes. Over time the wine evolved in the glass and opened to orange, red cherry and apple skin. It reminded me of a modern styled Barolo.

We ate, we drank and we maybe even learned a little something.

Today starts the second event of the 2010 Wine Dinner Series. This weekend we will celebrate the Lowcountry's culinary heritage with David Adelsheim of Adelsheim Vineyard.

When I moved to the south almost three years ago it wasn't for the heritage or the food. I didn't know there was more to it than biscuits and gravy and okra. The only thing that I had ever really eaten was frozen fried okra and some grits that my New England Grandmother attempted to appease my Southern Step-Grandfather. But after listening to my boss wax poetically on the wonders of Southern food, for a long time I might add, I eventually started to listen and realized that there was a whole world of food here and some fantastic stories to tell. Pair all of that heritage of food with a rip roaring glass of wine and presto, I found a whole new way of looking at the South.

As Sommelier, and the "Wine Geek Party Planner" of Palmetto Bluff,  I work to devise new and innovative ways to intoxicate our guests. Between the planning and execution of our year-long wine dinner series and week-long food festival my glass and plate are always full - I'm creating new and innovative ways for you to experience the tastes, sights and sounds of epicurean world.

My blog entries will be a fun look at my world through the often hazy lens of my wine glass.