Dinner At La Gare French Restaurant/john Balletto and Balletto Wines

Recently I met up with John Balletto and we decided to visit our great friend Chef Roger At La Gare. We enjoyed afew wines and chef paired all wines with dishes from his menu.It was a beautiful fall night,with a chill in the air but we were surrounded by the warmth of the heat lamps on La Gare's amazing patio. we have three great new features to share from that evening.first we will explore the Balletto website and learn more about our four feature wines. Founder and owner John Balletto started the business after the untimely death of his father in 1977. At the age of 17, when the family needed him the most, he put their needs before his own and relinquished several college athletic scholarship offers so he could stay home and help his mother, Hazel, run the small five-acre farm. The Balletto family was determined to make the business a success, and throughout the 1980s and 1990s they purchased parcels of land to gradually increase vegetable production. One of those properties is where the Balletto Vineyards winery stands today. By 1994, the Balletto family had grown the business into the largest vegetable farm in Northern California, growing more than 70 different vegetables on 700-plus acres. More than two million cases of mixed vegetables moved through the premises per year during its peak. Tonight we will start with the great Pinot Gris From Balletto Vineyards and winery. Texture and persistence define this top-tier Pinot Gris. It's focused with crisp acidity and yet still maintains a powerful weight and presence throughout. Simply delightful. Aromatically, the wine opens with citrus and delicate slate aromas followed with darker, savory elements. The mouthfeel is a contrast of zingy lime, perfect viscosity and subtle tannins that add texture and extend the wine through an incredible and lengthy finish with both texture and flavor. This has become a favorite of mine and will pair with many great starters from Chef Roger's menu. We then will open the russian river Pinot Noir and the Cider Ridge single vineyard Pinot Noir. 2018 Pinot Noir - RRV Estate Balletto's Russian River Valley Pinot Noir exhibits everything you would expect from a serious point. It combines full and captivating aromatics with a delicate texture that defines the Balletto style of Pinot Noir. The wine itself is full of contradictory forces: it's weighty with a luscious mid-palate, but also surrounded by notable tannins and acidity that keep it focused, balanced and taut. It has plenty of dark fruit, but it is also layered with savory earth and spices that offset it. The overall impact is complex, impressive and delicious. The cider Ridge pinot Noir was amazing and a treat to drink. This dark and intense Pinot Noir shows powerful aromatics with a wild blend of dried rose, kirsch, baking spices and a savory earthiness. The aromatics alone are intoxicating and ever-changing in the glass and become more subtle with time. The wine is structured around focused acidity and notable tannins that work as counterweights to the ample mid-palate weight and softness, keeping all three balanced and interesting. It's intense, beautiful and stubborn all at once. The last wine will be the 2019 Late Harvest Pinot Gris - Vin de Paille .the third audio feature will tell you the entire story of this great wine. La Gare has been a local favorite for almost 40 years and two generations. Serving old world classic French cuisine by using fresh local ingredients, they pride themselves on still including soup and salad with every entree. Known for their tableside carte service and escargot, La Gare was voted most romantic restaurant by the San Francisco Chronicle. At the bottom of this feature will be three audio links.Click on all three!First the intro to the wines and chef.Then diner as the second,and dessert as the third. Please join us as we enjoy the best of sonoma county!Cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy La Gare French Restauarant . Click here and join us as we enjoy La Gare French Restauarant . Click here and join us as we enjoy La Gare French Restauarant .