photo credit: C. Silversidesphoto credit: C. Silversides
Cheers from California! It has been a glorious week of weather and wine. I celebrated Mothers Day with my family at Montage Laguna Beach, a gorgeous property that sits upon a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean which has received a Five-Star rating for their hotel, spa, and restaurants. They put on an exquisite Champagne brunch in their Grand Ballroom with many offerings including a wine tasting bar with a sampling of cheeses from around the world and house-made condiments, accompanied by a jazz trio playing in the background. With tremendously good food and friendly staff in a stellar setting, this is one impressive place.
Richard, one of eight sommeliers at Montage, showed me their wine menu of 2,500 selections and told me their expansive wine cellar houses over 40,000 bottles of wine! He poured a few tastes from the wine bar, my favourite being the De Loach Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County, California. A medium-bodied wine, this was a perfect choice to go with the many brunch dishes served. De Loach began growing Pinot Noir in 1973, a pioneer in the Russian River Valley. The Boisset family from Burgundy purchased the winery in 2003, 'widely considered a world expert in the Burgundian varietals Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Boisset seeks to express the qualities of its wines with an “art de vivre” and style that consistently enhance terroir, provenance, history, heritage and quality.'
Thinking about wine, what's happening in Oakville? Please drop me a comment and let me know what I am missing!
So there you have it: California, Laguna Beach and Wine