Left to right: Tom Bailey, Jeri Lynne Jones, Mike Otto of Rombauer Vineyards, and Tim Hirota of RNDC Distributors (photo by Kathy Foord)
Kathy Foord
The PebbleCreek Wine Club was treated to a special dinner on March 21 featuring wines from the well-respected Rombauer Vineyards. The pre-dinner reception was held in Chianti’s featuring Rombauer Sauvignon Blanc.
Upon moving to the Tuscany Ballroom, President Jeri Lynne Jones presided over a very short annual meeting while we sipped Rombauer’s flagship Chardonnay. The report from the treasurer indicated that the club is in a solid financial position going into the new fiscal year. Jeri Lynne then introduced the incoming slate of officers. After the business meeting was concluded, she introduced Mike Otto, Southwest Regional Manager for Rombauer Vineyards. Mr. Otto gave us a brief history of Rombauer Vineyards, which has been based in St. Helena, Calif., for over 40 years. Recently they added a new location in Amador County, Calif., for their Zinfandel wines with grapes sourced from Amador and El Dorado counties, in addition to their Napa Valley Zins. The 2020 fires in the Napa Valley, while not damaging the winery buildings, caused the grapes to develop a smoky taint so, unfortunately, there will be no 2020 Rombauer Merlot or Cabernet wines released.
Our dinner commenced with a delicious spring mix salad that was enjoyed with Rombauer Napa Merlot (pre-smoked vintage!) For our main courses, we had two choices of entree: chicken saltimbocca (a chicken breast wrapped with prosciutto and sage) covered by melted provolone cheese and a mushroom wine sauce or the second choice, which was sliced pork loin, marinated in honey and ginger, and topped with a sweet soy sesame sauce. Both entree choices were delicious and were accompanied by cheesy au gratin potatoes and sautéed green beans topped with bacon and onions. We very much enjoyed Napa Valley Rombauer Zinfandel with our entrees. As always, a vegetarian option was also available. Our last course, a delicious black forest cake with cherries and whipped cream, was enjoyed with a special Rombauer “El Dorado” Zinfandel. It was interesting to note the flavor differences in the Zins from two different areas. The happy, satisfied club members were in no hurry to leave and enjoyed mingling with their friends, old and new!