Our Journey to Miami! #AnticaWine #Fountainebleau

January is a very busy month for Don and I. Our anniversary, his birthday, and the PDC (which is a paper council he is a part of). So we usually combine them into one trip to Naples, Florida. But this year, we decided to leave early and visit Miami before the Naples work. Now don't think we didn't go out for our anniversary on the 5th or celebrate his birthday with the family on the 9th! Yes we did! That was in a previous blog.

I wanted to share this trip because of the fabulous wine we had at the Fountainbleu Ocean Resort on Miami Beach. This resort is a beautiful, very large resort with people everywhere at all times, especially the weekend we went, MLK holiday weekend. 

This is the front lobby which is so large, I can't even get the entire room in the picture (and I don't want to bore you to death-you can check it out online here).
We didn't even have to time to discover the depth of this resort because we wanted to see what else Miami had to offer!

One of the five restaurants in Fontainebleau is the StripSteak by Chef Michael Mina. It's the outpost of the extremely successful, award winning restaurant of the same name in Las Vegas. This is a innovative and contemporary concept by this chef and business partner Andre Agassi. It goes without saying that this is a steakhouse for the adventurous diner. There is an on-site aging room and butcher shop with signature specials that go beyond the usual steakhouse choices. 

Choosing red wine was not a problem except the one we chose out of this thirty page wine book was not in stock. Instead, the sommelier came over to our table and offered something just as special and we enjoyed it very much. I didn't have my phone with me, so I can't remember which Cabernet we had. I do have the cork, which says 2011 Napa Valley Antica on it. My problem is that I don't know which vineyard it came from, but pretty sure all of them are fabulous. It retails for around $55 online.

This wine was rich, savory and full-bodied, one that I will search for soon in Dallas. 

We were so pleased with the sommelier's suggestion of wine.

Maybe we can include this in our journey to Napa soon!

Our Anniversary Wines @ #fearingsdallas #minerwines #avignonesi

My husband loves to surprise me whether there is a special occasion or just a special event or activity he wants to take me to. I knew our anniversary was coming up soon and he asked if I wanted to know what he was planning or not. I always say no because I love his surprises! So after being given a beautiful bouquet of roses, hydrangeas, and purple orchids and beautiful diamond Alor earrings, he whisked me away to downtown Dallas to my very favorite restaurant, Fearings at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. It's so beautiful in the lobby, with fresh flowers on a huge entrance table.

We were seated in a room we've never eaten in, but have always noticed on our way back to the kitchen area. It's very elegant and more romantic than the back room where you can watch the cooks and waiters bustle around making sure everyone is happy! 

On our table was a welcome card with a congratulations on the anniversary. Our table had a bench and two chairs on the opposite side. We sat on the bench so we could look out at the beautiful room and be together too! The waiter took our cocktail order, appetizers, our entrees and wine, in stages of course. The wines we chose that night were for several purposes. One being that we both love red, I love whites, and we were having land and sea entrees. Here's what we ordered in half bottle size.

2012 Miner Family Winery Chardonnay from Napa Valley ($15). This winery is located along the eastern hills of the Oakville appellation in the heart of Napa Valley. The wine is "characterized by a crisp apple, ripe melon and citrus flavors gently balanced with toasty French oak."

2010 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano ($18) from Tuscany, Italy. This wine is intense with fresh mature fruit, typical of the Sangiovese grape. An elegant full bodied taste. It has been given above the 90's from Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator.

We were very pleased with our dinner and wine! Check out the decadent cake they served us for the occasion. Edible flowers were delicious, not to mention the cake itself. Yummy!

Wines for the Soul! #JDrouhin

Early January, Don and I invited Meredith and her close friend Mallory to a French wine dinner at the DCC. Neither of the girls had been to a wine dinner at the club, so we thought it would be nice for them to experience fabulous wines and amazing foods. We met for the pre-dinner reception outside the ballroom. Three wines were available along with passed hors d'oeuvres:

2012  Joseph Drouhin Santenay ($37), a Pinot Noir, produced in their vineyard in the charming village of Santenay at the southern end of the Cote de Beaune in France.

2012 Joseph Drouhin Saint-Veran ($20), a Chardonnay, produced in their vineyard at the southern end of Burgundy, just north of Beaujolais, France. This wine made me smile! So good!

2012 Domaine Drouin Oregon Arthur Chardonnay ($36) produced from 100% Dijon  clones, grown on the Drouin Family Estate in the Dundee Hills of Oregon. This is a beautiful Chardonnay.

We moved into the ballroom and found our table adorned with beautiful linens, several wine glasses, and a rather large Lazy Susan in the middle. On this rotating tray were five different international cheeses, fresh fruits, assorted crackers and breads, with honey and flavored butter.

This Lazy Susan has been attacked by four hungry people!

After everyone was seated, the night went on with fabulous foods, amazing wines, and presentations of his wines with Laurent Drouhin, one of the four grandchildren of Joseph Drouhin. The menu consisted of four courses shown below.

1st Course: 2011 Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Folatieres (not available). This Chardonnay is grown and produced in the Burgundy region of France, one of the most famous vineyards in the world.

2nd Course: 2011 Morey-St.-Denis Cru Clos Sorbe (not available). This Pinot Noir is a beautiful bright cherry in color. The wine is deep and velvety with soft tannins. 

3rd Course: 2011 Beaune Clos des Mouche Premier Cru Rouge (not available). Another Pinot Noir produced in the vineyard next to Pommard, a commune in the Cote-d'Or department of Burgundy in eastern France. "Mouches" means flies and according to history there were bee-hives in this "clos" (vineyard). The bees in local dialect were called "mouches a miel" meaning honey bees, hence the name Clos des Mouche. Notice the bees on the label!

4th Course: 2011 Beaujolais ($17) This wine was divine with the chocolate mascarpone cream and olive oil sponge cake with a cherry glaze. It's not on their website, so I'm thinking it's an exclusive.

What a fun evening at the DCC with family and friends!