Beckmen Vineyards Santa Ynez

Still along the wine trail in Santa Ynez we stopped in to the small production Beckman Vineyards . This stop was suggested to us by a few winemaker friends so we knew this was one we could not pass up.

Once again we sampled many on their wines and settled on the Beckman Vineyards "Barrel Select " Syrah 2005. This is one Syrah that we cant wait to open in a year or so

Bridlewood Vineyards Santa Ynez

We have had Bridlewood Syrah in the past but we had never visited the Vineyard. We were passing through the very quaint town of Santa Ynez and decided to drop by the vineyard to get a real feel for what they produce. When you first dive into the vineyard you think you are at an old Spanish mission. The building is surrounded by its vineyards on all sides. Once inside we tasted the full array of what Bridlewood produces.

The Bridlewood "Six Gun"Syrah 2004 is limited production and the one that we enjoyed the most. On the nose it had aromas of smoke, leather and plum. On the palate there were big tannins and spice that gave way to a long finish. This is 100% Syrah and very indicative of the Santa Ynez appellation.

Scott Cellars Los Olivos

We usually try to stop by Los Olivos. This time we found Scott Cellars. We had met Frazer Peterson at the Santa Barabara Vintners Festival when he had just started his winery. This is one of Santa Barbara County’s newest wineries and produce small lots of handcrafted Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel/Syrah blend sold exclusively from its tasting room in Los Olivos.
He truly has a passion for what he does. We tasted all of his wines and enjoyed the Cuvee J the most. The Cuvee J is a blend of 78% Zinfandel and 22 % Syrah. He has a nice tasting room located on the main street in Los Olivos. It is worth a stop. For Lunch or Dinner the Los Olivos Cafe is a great option.

Beaujolais Nouveau 2007 with Vino Las Vegas

Its November and that means the 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau is about to be released. This is a special category of 7 to 9 week old wine that by French tradition is released annually on the third Thursday of November. This year that date falls on November 15th. This new wine is sometimes called Beaujolais Primeur and is meant to be drank very young. Because it is so young and not meant to age, it is best drank within a month or two.

No matter where you are most any French restaurant or wine bar should have some kind of tasting celebrating the release of Beaujolais Nouveau. We plan to be at Marche Bacchus for their celebration and a special menu. If you see us there stop by and say Bonjour!

Wine trail moves west

Sometimes the best trips along the wine trail are those made at the last minuet. We had planned to help out with harvest and crush a few weeks ago. However , those devastating California wildfires were burning between us and the vineyards so we were unable to go.

We have the all clear so we are headed west along our wine trail to Santa Ynez and the Santa Rita Hills. We plan to help out in the winery and explore some smaller lesser known vineyards and try some great wines along the way. If you want to learn more about those appellations there are links to the right of the page.

We will have lots to report on when we return. And plan on bringing back our best picks.

Cheers !

Lotus of Siam Thai Resturant

One of our favorite restaurants in Las Vegas is Lotus of Siam. After spending many years in Thailand we knew this was the real thing the minute we walked in. It is located in a very questionable part of town but well worth the drive. Don't take my word for it. In 2000 it was named by Gourmet Magazine the "single best Thai restaurant in North America.

Saipin Chutima is the owner and Chef of Lotus of Siam. She had been cooking from the age of 5 in Thailand. She has done a great job here as well. Lotus of Siam is nationally acclaimed and has too many awards to mention here.

Their wine list is one of a kind. We have never seen so many Rieslings. In fact Wine Spectator awarded Lotus of Siam its award of excellence.

On our latest visit we made a reservation ( a must for dinner ) and studied their vast wine list. We decided on a Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtropchen Kabinett 1998 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Germany. The Haart family has the longest wine making tradition in the village of Piesport. As far back as 1382, documents show a certain Johannes Haart owning vineyard property in Piesport and with over 600 years of history behind them, the Haart's have shown a rare dedication and love for wine. During this time they've acquired outstanding vineyard property especially in the famous Goldtröpfchen vineyard. The village is located along the Mosel River in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region. The wines from this region of Germany are usually ripe and elegant with powerful bouquets. These wines have been known to be some of the best in the region.

In the glass this wonderful wine was light to medium bodied with a light gold color. On the nose there were hints of earth and citrus fruit. The palate exploded with hints of lemon, orange and citrus acid as well as mineral attributes then a long finish with citrus acid again on the very finish. This was an incredible wine that we will surely look for again. It also was an choice to pair with the spiciness of the Thai food.

The food is always incredible and our favorite dish is the Thai Beef Salad. After spending six years in Thailand, this dish and every other one we have tried, is the most authentic to the Thai regional cuisine. The best way to describe the marvelous food is to say that during our meal we often exclaim between bites, " this is amazing". If you have not been to this best kept secret of Las Vegas, you have indeed missed a truly amazing culinary adventure.

Bertolini's in Summerlin

Bertonini's is a regular stop for us during the week. Monday through Friday 3:30-630 they have a great happy hour. All of the appetizers are half price and wine by the bottle up to $ 49.99 is half price as well.

The appetizers are so big we go there just for the happy hour and there is no need to eat dinner after that. Bertolini's is an economical place to to unwind and have some good food.

The wine list is a little small compared to many other places we have dined. We can usually find a decent bottle to complement the food. The service is good and the waitstaff is personable. The last time we dinned there the General Manager Brandon Bueltel stopped by to introduce himself. Brandon told us about Bertolini's Rewards club where you earn points every time you dine. They even have several events from harvest dinners to winemaker dinners in a separate area of the restaurant.

Bertolini's is located at 9500 West Sahara Ave at Village Square in Summerlin. If you are in the area stop by and you might event run into us. If so stop by and say hello, maybe we will raise a glass or two. To take a look and the menus and more photos go to Http://www.bertolinis.net/westlasvegas/

Big plans ahead for Vino Las Vegas

As we have always said, this blog is not only "ours" we share it with all of you. One major request that we have had from as near as Las Vegas to as far away as Taiwan is a way to contact us directly. As of today you can ! Just go to contact us to the right of the page and you can link right to our email.

There is more in the works for Vino Las Vegas and as always , you will be the first to know. We will be very busy from now to years end with all kinds of events and there will be a big announcement as well ! so keep checking back .

Cheers

Red Lily Vineyards Tempranillo 2003 Oregon

We were at Marche Bacchus and Jeff Wyatt gave our group this wine blind. After much debate we all decided it was old world and two members suggested in was a Merlot/Cabernet Blend , right bank Bourdeaux region. We were shocked that this was from the new world and even more that it was a Tempranillo from Oregon !

We were so intrigued that I had to do some research on this surprising vineyard. As we know , this varietal is widely cultivated in the northern and central parts of Spain. And is well know throughout the world.

The Red Lily Vineyards Tempranillo 2003 Oregon was quite a surprise. There are 1000 acres of Tempranillo planted in the United States . 100 acres are planted in Oregon. Now about the wine. In the glass it was medium bodied and very dark in color. The nose gave us hints of earth , leather , and smoke. This is why were were fooled and suggested it was from the Old world. This nice wine finished with spice and well balanced tannins

Red Lily Vineyards became a reality in 1991 , the dream of Les and Rachel Martin. The name for the vineyard came from the Bolander's Lily that grows in the nearby mountains. Red Lily Vineyards produces hand crafted wines in very limited production.

This was a very nice Tempranillo and a surprise. We wish Les and Rachel the best and are anxious to see what Red Lily has next !

Down Under with Molleydooker wines at Marche Bacchus

We have always enjoyed Australian wines. Molleydooker is no exception. When we heard that Bob from Vin Sauvage was going to be at Marche Bacchus and letting us enjoy some great wines from Mollydooker we had to stop by for some wine and lunch on the terrace. All of these wines have been rated as high as 97 points !! The first one we really enjoyed was The Mollydooker " Gigglepot" Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. It was awarded 95 points by Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate. This is a powerful Cabernet with hints of concentrated blackberry and plum on the nose and finished with medium tannins and oak.

The hits just kept coming when we tried Mollydooker " Blue Eyed Boy " 2006 Shiraz. This Shiraz was awarded 96 points by Robert Parker and deserved it . On the nose this Shiraz had very concentrated hints of licorice, plum, raisin and raspberry. On the palate this wine was big, bold and bursting with spice, blueberry and espresso flavours with burnt oak. The finish is long and lingering with a nice texture and big tannins.

Just when we thought the wines could not get any bigger we finished with Molleydooker's "Carninal of Love" 2006 Shiraz. This wine is also rated highly by Robert Parker at 97 points . It was made from some of Molleydookers best parcels of Shiraz. It is very dense and heavy in the glass. On the nose, powerful black currant, cinnamon and raspberry aromas hit you immediately. On the palate there is plum, raisins and finishes big with spice and long heavy tannins.

Irene from Vegaswineaux stopped by and covered the event as well.

This was a great opportunity to try some highly rated wines and enjoy lunch afterwards with a beautiful view. Thank you Vin Sauvage and Marche Bacchus for a great tasting.

Cheers.

Sonoma Cellars Steak House

We had never been to Sonoma Cellars but have heard many great things about it. When Tex and Gidget invited us to join them we could not pass it up. We were also joined by Mike and Aaron as well . The first aspect I liked about Sonoma Cellars is the ability to bring our own wines in. We had four bottles that were brought in by our group. There were two from Chateaunef-du-pape, a LeVieux Donjon and Domaine Grand Veneir 2005. We also enjoyed a Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel 2003 Paso Robles. As a special treat for the table we provided a Wagner Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2002 Finger Lakes. We got this wine when we attended the Finger Lakes Wine Festival in Watkins Glen this past summer. It is not often we can get Finger Lakes wines here in Las Vegas. If you want to know more about the Finger Lakes or Bill Wagner search the blog and you will find information about the area and its wines.

We dine out often at many of the steakhouses here in Las Vegas. As a result , We felt we could compare the food and service of Sonoma Cellars with some of the best we have been to. First off, the service was fantastic. We never had to ask a second time for anything that was needed and were provided with a new appropriate wine glass each time we opened a new bottle. This was a nice touch considering we brought in bottles.

Our server Rafael suggested we try the Rib Eye and the steakhouse salad. Being it is a steakhouse we agreed to his suggestion. The steakhouse salad is very large and full of fresh vegetables topped with a terrific vinaigrette dressing. The salad is so large it can easily be shared. The Rib Eye was cooked correctly per our request and served at the correct temperature.

Sonoma Cellars is located inside the Sunset Station Hotel and Casino. Most of the steakhouses we have eaten at have been owned or run by renowned Chefs. We were a little skeptical on how Sonoma Cellars, as Casino Run restaurant would compare. The atmosphere, even though nice was not comparable to a Emeril's Delmonicos for example. The service was professional, personable and attentive to our needs. The food was better than I expected from a casino run restaurant. Overall, it was a good experience and would and eat there again.