By Bruce Neyers

Wednesday 13th April, 2022

An important bright spot in the world of grape farming has emerged with the Petaluma Gap AVA gaining recognition as a welcome new frontier for Pinot Noir. The chilly, seasonal fog prevalent for much of the summer, a brisk afternoon wind, and dramatic temperature swings on warm days combine to make this area a rewarding site for cold-climate grapes, especially Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. “It’s a tough growing environment that rewards patience and nerve,” according to Virginie Boone in a March 1 piece in Wine Enthusiast. “Yields are low, and grapes ripen slowly.”

Ms. Boone lists three properties in this AVA as ‘marquee vineyards,’ including the 123-acre ranch planted by the Sangiacomo Family in 1999 on Roberts Road. While the 61 acres they devoted to Pinot Noir include a range of clones and rootstocks, our attention at Neyers Vineyards is focused on a small block planted to budwood sourced from the Swan Vineyard in Forestville. This is non-clonal stock, vegetatively propagated from plant material brought to California from France by the late Joe Swan. His vineyards were responsible for the great bottlings of Pinot Noir he produced from the late 60’s through the 80’s.

For a variety of reasons, enjoying a bottle of our Roberts Road Pinot Noir reminds me of dining at one of my favorite Paris restaurants which was located in a mostly residential neighborhood of the central 15th arrondisement. Sadly, the restaurant closed not long ago, but in its heyday, owner-chef Guillaume Delage – one of the early participants in the ‘Fooding’ movement — turned out some of the most creative food in France. His wine list was equally thoughtful, and included attractive selections from Corsica, Savoie, and Beaujolais. His offerings of modestly-priced red Burgundies was most tempting. During our last trip to Paris, we ate there several times, enjoying a different menu each night. Each meal was accompanied with a bottle of tasty red Burgundy.

I was particularly fond of their version of Steak and Frites at this restaurant, but Barbara and I don’t eat steak often these days. A small one is too much for the two of us, even if we share it. When I mentioned this to our local butcher recently, he suggested that we try ‘the Cap’ of a tri-tip roast. It’s similar to a ‘Culotte Steak,’ he said, but smaller, and he could cut two of them from an unopened package he had in the cold box. They were about half the size of a New York Strip, and we grilled them over mesquite for eight minutes.

Barbara made her delicious ‘Potatoes Au Gratin’ – what we called ‘scalloped potatoes’ when I was growing up. We served them with a slightly chilled bottle of 2019 Pinot Noir ‘Roberts Road’, and it was a dinner to remember. Her recipe for the potatoes follows. Maybe by the time we return to Paris, Restaurant Jadis will have found a new location and reopened. If so, I’ll probably order a bottle of red Burgundy.

Potatoes Au Gratin Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 ½ pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 1 white onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• Diamond Crystal Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Peel potatoes and put in bowl of cold water
Sauté sliced onions until clear in color and set aside
Combine cream and milk and heat in medium saucepan over medium heat until warm
Rub inside of 9 by 12 baking dish with butter
Line the bottom of baking dish with the sautéed onions and layer the sliced potatoes on top.
Pour in the cream and milk mixture to cover the potatoes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cook until potatoes are fork tender and top is bubbling and brown, about 1 hour 15 minutes