Niner Wine Estates

     Thursday February 21, 2019

Reservations Closed
Course Pairing / Description Wine
Hors D’oeuvres Pear and Almond Brie and Short Rib Manchego Empanadas
Nestled into the rolling hills of the north¬west corner of Edna Valley, on California’s Central Coast, Jespersen Ranch lies three miles from the Pacific Ocean and derives much of its person¬ality from the coast. The growing season in Edna Valley is typically long and cool with early morning fog and mid-after¬noon ocean breezes. Niner has a little over three acres of southwest facing Sauvignon Blanc planted on the southern edge of the vineyard. 2016 was a fantastic growing season for Sauvignon Blanc at Jespersen Ranch and Niner experienced extremely high vigor and growth in the vines. Even and cool temperatures evenly ripened the grapes and they picked ½ in early September to preserve the slight grassy notes and the rest a few weeks later. Winemaking was all about creating balance in this wine. By splitting the Sauvignon Blanc grape pick in half, they got the best of both worlds: one expres¬sion was crisp and tart with the other had more developed fruit flavors. The Niner team barrel-fermented and aged 10% of the wine in New French Oak barrels for just a kiss of warmth and more roundness in the palate to balance the naturally high acidity. The finished wine is a great meld of bright fruit and textured taste bottled under screwcap to maintain freshness. This Sauvignon Blanc is extremely reflective of its cool-climate upbringing. Aromatics of crisp cucumber and hon¬eydew melon mix with fresh cut grass on the nose with a backsplash of tart Granny Smith apple. The palate is ample and finishes like a bite of a firm yellow peach – fruity with a mouthwatering crisp finish. 		Niner Wine Estates Sauvignon Blanc Jespersen Ranch 2016
Salad Course Avocado Toast with Spring Mix Salad and White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Nestled into the rolling hills of the north¬west corner of Edna Valley, Jespersen Ranch lies three miles from the Pacific Ocean and derives much of its person¬ality from the coast. The growing season in Edna Valley is long and cool with early morning fog and mid-afternoon ocean breezes. The wines from Jespersen com¬bine classic regional characteristics of delicate fruit and white pepper with hints of earth and consistently strong acid, characteristics unique to this property. Despite the ongoing drought (and in some cases because of it), the 2014 vintage was fantastic. A warm and dry winter led to an early bud-break with the season’s largest and only rainstorm shortly after. It was a miracle storm as it led to healthy root sys¬tem development, full canopies and good vine balance. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed and the juice was transferred to a stainless steel tank where it settled overnight. The next morning, the wine was racked and transferred to oak barrels, of which about 1/3 were New French Oak. Primary and secondary fermentation happened in bar¬rel, with twice monthly lees stirring during secondary. 100% of this Chardonnay went through ML fermentation and the lees stir¬ring created a creamy & luxurious mouth¬feel on the finished wine without lending any dominating butter notes. With abundant personality on the nose and a rich, yet vibrant palate, this wine is the definition of balance. Brioche, yellow peach and caramel aromas prelude a silken mouthfeel that showcases pear and cream notes elicited from lees stirring this wine received in barrel. 		Niner Wine Estates Chardonnay Jespersen Ranch 2016
Poultry Course Frenched Breast of Chicken with Wild Mushroom Ragout,Grilled Polenta Diamond, Jeju Radishes and Turnips
Nestled into the rolling hills of the north¬west corner of Edna Valley, Jespersen Ranch lies three miles from the Pacific Ocean and derives much of its personality from the coast. The growing season in Edna Valley is long and cool with early morning fog and mid-afternoon ocean breezes, ideal for Burgundy grape culture. The wines from Jespersen com¬bine classic regional characteristics of del¬icate fruit and white pepper with hints of earth and consistently strong acid, charac¬teristics unique to this property. Niner grows 33 acres of Pinot Noir at Jespersen Ranch and they experienced a difficult growing season in 2015; drought conditions combined with late spring rains and a July rainstorm kept their team on their toes. They picked the Pinot Noir very early and were done harvesting within two weeks. Partially due to the early pick, the Pinot Noir clusters were small with tiny berries. This created a high skin-juice ratio during fer¬mentation that led to exceptional concentra¬tion in the wine. The Niner team de-stemmed 90% of the grapes and left 10% whole cluster to add complexity, structure & spice. They drained the tank overnight to maximize the free run juice and that, plus the light basket-pressed juice, went into barrel separately from the hard pressing. The wine was aged in 30% New French oak for 11 months before being filtered and bottled. When you pour a glass of this wine, the aromatics are proudly Pinot Noir and show off raspberry and dried cran-berry notes draped over brushy herbs, sarsaparilla and tobacco. The palate is effortless in its transition from fruit to earthy spice and finishes with bright acidity. 		Niner Wine Estates Pinot Noir Jespersen Ranch 2016
Beef Course Frenched Breast of Chicken with Wild Mushroom Ragout,Grilled Polenta Diamond, Jeju Radishes and Turnips
All of the grapes in this unusual blend were grown at one of Niner’s three estate vineyards on the Central Coast of California. Heart Hill Vineyard is located on the western side of Paso Robles, Bootjack Ranch is located on the eastern side of Paso Robles and Jespersen Ranch lies in the Edna Valley region about 30 miles south of Paso Robles. The 2015 vintage kept the Niner vineyard manager on his toes throughout the growing season with a cool and windy spring that resulted in lower yields for most of their varietals. That being said, the complexity in this wine comes from the wide breadth of varietals that per¬formed well under the stress of the vintage. The Niner team hand-picked each varietal at night from their vineyards and then hand-sorted the grapes at their winery the following morning. The grapes are delivered to tank using gravity to control extraction and conserve energy. Each varietal is fermented, barreled independently and aged 14 months in a combination of French and Hungarian Oak. 38% of the oak was new, adding warmth and richness to the blend. This exceptionally dark-hued wine captures your attention right out of the bottle and exudes meaty aromat¬ics full of dark fruits & pepper. A finely grained & textured palate is studded with dark chocolate, berry pie & white pepper notes outlined by tannins. 		Niner Wine Estates 9 Red Blend Paso Robles 2015
Dessert Course California Pears Poached in Cabernet Sauvignon Silky Tofu Donuts drizzled with Caramel Sauce
The majority of the grapes for this wine were grown at Bootjack Ranch. Sprawled out on the eastern side of Paso Robles, Bootjack Ranch has two distinct soil pro¬files: expansive flats of calcareous soils (ancient crustacean remains) and rolling hills of sandy loam. The flat sections have high lime content, while the hillsides are well-draining. Each offers its strengths and Niner has been refining their rootstock and varietal choices to determine how to take advantage of the diversity. Despite the ongoing drought (and in some cases because of it), the 2014 vintage was fantastic. A warm and dry winter led to an early bud-break with the season’s largest and only rainstorm shortly after. It was a miracle storm as it led to healthy root system devel¬opment, full canopies, and good vine balance. The grapes were hand-picked at night and delivered to their LEED-certified winery. Upon arrival, the fruit was whole cluster-sorted, destemmed and sorted a second time. To preserve the unique qualities that developed in the vineyard, the Niner team kept the fermentation temperatures low and left the juice in contact with the skins for several days after primary fermentation to develop the tannins and add structure to the wine. This is one of Niner’s darkest Estate Cabernet Sauvignons ever. On the nose, this wine has depth with black currant, tobacco and dried herbs. On the palate, black cherry, dark chocolate and dried sage are balanced with ample tannin and a long, lingering finish. This is a classic Cabernet Sauvignon with its harmonious blend of full-bodied fruit, luscious tannins & well-integrated acidity and shows how well Niner’s two Paso Robles vineyards work in a blend. 		Niner Wine Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2015