A Bit of Bubbly in J’s Bubble Room
Monday my Irish friend, her family, and a few of us non-Irish had a grand time tasting up in Healdsburg. The first stop was J Vineyards, where the tax man among us had arranged for an introduction to The Bubble Room and an amazing line-up of food and wine. Let me just start by saying that I wish I had one of those in my house! A table was ready for us, and Genny began bringing out wine glasses as we looked over the menu. While we waited, she let us sample J’s first ever still rose’ from free run Pinot Noir. I was impressed with its flavors of watermelon, lemon, and slight reminder of the cotton fields back home.
As for the food, the first sampling was Puget’s Sound Steamboat oysters on the halfshell with the 02 J Vintage Brut. The doughy lemon and pear went perfectly with the saltiness of the oysters, as always. The second pairing was rather unexpected, and I honestly didn’t think it would work. The 02 J Chardonnay was full of clove, pineapple, and mango. To go with it? A spring artichoke bisque, which I never would have paired due to its slight bitterness. However, the soup brought out the flavor of coconut in the wine and somehow complimented the tropical fruits. Round 3 was pan-seared lamb with parsley and mint pistou paired with a 97 J Pinot Noir, which truly showed its age, conjuring up dried cherry and dirt. Though a lovely pairing, it was my least favorite of the wines, as I don’t think it can hang on much longer. The final item was the yummiest: grilled Snake River Kobe beef and the 03 J Pinot Noir, Robert Thomas Vineyard. We also tried the 04 Nicole’s Vineyard, which had aromas of cola and roses and the 05 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir: my favorite wine of the day with its beautiful nose and earth, cola, cherry, and vanilla.
Overall, it was a terrific experience. If you’re heading that way, it’s definitely worth the stop and the $45 ($35 for wine club members). Call 707-431-5430 to make a reservation.
….Farley Walker
May 9th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
I’m drooling! What a feast you had!! What do cotton fields smell like? Artichoke bisque, Snake river Kobe Beef?? Geez, next time I want to go!
July 9th, 2007 at 9:45 am
[…] working. But I do drink other wines! Case in point: the 2006 J Vin Gris. This was a bottle from that Healdsburg trip back in May. This time I still found the watermelon, but the citrus was more like lemongrass. Very […]