#OxbowPubMarket, Our Friends Are Waiting On Us!!!!

After leaving Ram's Gate Winery at the entrance to Sonoma Valley, we headed over to Napa Valley to pick up our friends, Dan and Linda and see their daughter, Lauren. They told us to come to a market in downtown that we would love it! Sure enough, we did!

Lauren, Linda, and Dan

We were starving after a long flight from DFW early that morning. They assured us there was plenty to eat and drink at this market. Upon arriving, we located them at the back of this huge building with many vendors and shops, bars and restaurants. Inside the market, was a vendor called Oxbow Cheese and Wine Merchant. Sitting at the wine bar were all three people we were looking for. We all hugged and I began to nibble on their cheese and bread they had left on their plate. Then we order a glass of rose' and wandered around the building.

2014 Chateau du Rouet ($15), a very good French rose'. As we sipped our rose', here's some of the things we saw in this market:

Five Dot Ranch and Cookhouse

Whole Spice, with anything you need to cook!

Eiko's Seafood Marketplace and Sushi Bar!

Napastak, high-end ingredients and delights!

The first thing Don ever bought me in 2009! Napa Soap named after wine!

Ca' Momi, an enoteca and certified pizzeria!

Kara's Cupcakes!

Oxbow Produce and Grocery, a full-service grocer and juice bar!

Also has bouquets of flowers!

We ended up eating outside in the back on a deck at this restaurant!

We also went to a charcuterie and bread vendor outside in another building that was fabulous! Way to go, Walbridges! We loved it! A must if you are ever in Napa (and who wouldn't want to go there, or live there as Lauren and Tyler do!) Lucky dudes!!!!

#RamsGateWinery, The First Stop in Sonoma!

June 2015 took us to the California wine country, a trip we had planned with my best friend and her man in the spring. The first stop (well second stop in the the Northern Wine Country-Ram's Gate Winery was the first) was in Napa Valley to pick up our friends from North Carolina. They had been waiting for us since we left SFO. Little did they know we had to make one stop before we got to Napa. You can't drive by Ram's Gate without turning in for a taste of their delicious wines. 

The view from their back patio makes it a great place to taste their wines and view the vineyards beyond the deck. Here's what we tasted and bought.

Shared one tasting!

Bought two bottles of Chardonnay! Last time we were there with two other couples and we all bought many bottles!!!

2012 Hudson Vineyard ($64)-344 cases produced

2013 Hyde Vineyard ($68)-712 cases produced

Small, boutique winery with big tasting wines! Fabulous views, inside and out, at the entrance to Sonoma Valley! Check it out! You'll only buy their wines at the winery or become a member and have it shipped to you! Either was it's very enjoyable!

Gamble Family Vineyards

Don and I have recently found a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon that is so worth trying to find. Because of the small production of this wine, it is allocated only to its members. But we were lucky enough to try it at the club the other night at half-priced bottle night. 

2009 Family Home Cabernet Sauvignon ($100) is from Oakville, California in the Napa Valley. If you click on the link, you will read that this is a very deep, intense purple inky colored wine, with a big savory nose and intense tannins. It didn't even need to be decanted. Delicious from the first taste to the finish. I highly recommend it!

Tom Gamble and Cairo, owner and friend

I love wine owners and their pets. Dog's best friend is his/her human!

Mercy Wine Bar #mercywinebar

Don and I recently had tickets to a movie in North Dallas at the Village on the Parkway. Neither of us had had dinner and didn't have enough time to eat before the movie. We stopped in at Mercy to grab a cheese plate and a glass of wine. The weather was beautiful, so we sat outside on the patio and listened to the broken water fountain in the driveway while sipping our wine. (Please get that thing fixed-it doesn't belong to Mercy, so don't blame them!)

I'm not featuring his wine because I have already done so. Like I said, we were short on time, so we didn't have time to enjoy a bottle. So we bought two whites by the glass.

The wine I chose was a 

2012 Jean-Marc Brocard Kimmeridgien Bourgogne Chardonnay ($18).

This entry level Bourgogne Blanc comes from a unique soil called Kimmeridgien. It is a grey colored limestone based soil originally identified in Kimmeridge, England and is found in Burgundy, Champagne, and the Loire Valley. This shows lively lime peel perfume. It is juicy, spicy, and floral. Very mineral driven.

If you'd like to experience the whole wine experience, then Mercy Wine Bar is one place to do that. They retail wine also, so you can take a little Mercy home with you. Check it out!

                                      

Lincourt Unoaked Chardonnay at Bistro N

Two days before Easter I was in Northpark Mall returning one of the two cross body bags that Nordstrom had sent me. Both were ordered, but one was not going to arrive before Sunday and one was. They both ended up arriving one day after another before Easter, so I had to take one back. I definitely did not need two of the same cross body bags. Since lunch had passed, I was beginning to get that empty feeling, so I headed up to the third floor where Bistro N is located.  

The food and wines are amazing and a great idea for the hungry shopper! I'm sure they're aware that customers will go and shop more because their tummies are satisfied and they can think clearly again. At least that's what happens to me!

While I was dining alone, I sipped on one glass of 

2010 Lincourt Unoaked Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills ($18).

It was delicious with my Lemon-Arugula Chicken Paillard entree, which I am determined I will make at home. It is very low in calories at only 239 per serving and very simple to make. The Nordstrom Family Cookbook did not have it included in their recipes, but the internet has several to choose from. 

I enjoyed my quiet "linner" (lunch and dinner) at Bistro N. I love that place!