Wines of the Americas North to South Part 2

Continuing last week’s column, I thought it important to point out that our voyage aboard Explora I was not just about the wine related events as last week’s column may have suggested. After embarkation from Barbados, we also enjoyed shore excursions to Rouseau, Dominica; Oranjestad, Aruba; Cartagena, Columbia; Willemstad, Curacao; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica and our final destination in Panama City.

Each excursion presented its own experiences as we ventured independently to explore the diverse local personalities of the areas we visited.

However, the crowning experience was sailing through the Panama Canal on a 51-mile journey. This is an all-day experience highlighted by a 6-hour crossing of the man-made fresh water Gutun Lake that sits 85 feet above sea level. In the early morning hours, we all gathered on three decks in the bow section of the ship to watch the slow, precise and very exciting entrance to the Colón locks on the Atlantic side.

The original canal was completed in 1914 and a new larger and deeper lock system, to accommodate larger vessels, was added in 2016. Today, both sets of locks on the Colón and Pacific sides remain functional while sitting side-by-side. Through the newer locks, ships are guided by tugboats, while steam engines are used in the historic locks.

The entire canal is fresh water that constantly flows from rivers and lakes in the surrounding jungles and rain forests of Panama. With current drought conditions on the isthmus and surrounding areas, water flow into the canal has been limited and traffic greatly reduced. We observed the “traffic jam” of vessels awaiting entrance on both sides of the canal where literally hundreds of freighter, tanker, cargo vessels and other ships remained anchored waiting their turn. Wait times can extend from many hours to several days depending on the Canal Authority’s ability to handle the flow.

While sailing from Puerto Limon, Costa Rica to the Colón entrance of the canal, we gathered in the Astern Lounge to enjoy the hors d’oeuvre course of our Fairwell Dinner featuring a selection of California wines from across the state and representing a broad range of varietal diversity. The talents of Chef Travis Da Silva were on full display for this and every other delectable course served in a private area of the Fil Rouge restaurant one deck below.

Our hors d’Oeuvres reception began with Chef Da Silva’s culinary treats of leeks mosaic in nori with wasabi mayo, lobster medallions and tuna tartar on crispy plantain and his truffle croque monsieur. These tasty morsels were accompanied by two whites from Tablas Creek in Paso Robles and CourAvant in St. Helena.

The 2021 Esprit de Tablas Blanc brings to mind a classic “Châteauneuf” blend based on Roussanne with additions of Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, Bourboulenc and Clairette Blanche for a true Southern Rhone experience with a Paso touch.

The 2021 CourAvant Blanc is in the style of the great whites from the Graves and Pessac Leognan appellations of Bordeaux with about equal parts of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. A wine displaying bright acidity and a deep sense of structure (Sauvignon Blanc) with an alluring mouthfeel and pitted fruit notes (Semillon) so reminiscent of its Bordelais heritage.

After the hors d’oeuvre reception we moved to the beautiful Fil Rouge restaurant for courses two through dessert where we were joined by F&B Manager Alex Brotsman, Future Journeys Ambassador Ana-Daniela Stanescu and Charter and Journey Together Lead Cindi Occhuizzo. Fil Rouge is a large restaurant that is tastefully divided into several smaller areas so guests feel part of an intimate dining experience rather than just a table in a large/open dining area so common on other ships.

For our second course we enjoyed a 2021 Lombardi Pinot Noir Gap’s Crown from Sonoma’s Petaluma Gap and 2018 Hitching Post Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict from Santa Barbara’s famed Sta. Rita Hills. To pair with some of Pinot’s more savory side, Chef Da Silva prepared an artistic duck foie gras carpaccio – thin sliced cooked foie gras with Brittany artichokes and black truffle vinaigrette. A delightful pairing and a dish to remember.

Tony Lombardi began his vinous career with Sonoma Pinot Noir icon Kosta Brown and then developed his own Lombardi Wines. Under his eponymous label, Tony focuses on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from prestigious vineyards across Sonoma County with award winning wines that have garnered a dedicated following.

In 1979, Frank Ostini of the famed Hitching Post II (remember the movie Sideways) in Buellton, CA and Gray Hartly (a fisherman at heart) began producing Hitching Post wines dedicated to Pinot Noir. The vineyard select Sanford & Benedict Pinot is available in only limited quantities and one of their most prestigious bottlings. Two very different expressions of the tricky Pinot Noir grape and both ideal representations of their most individual growing areas.

On to our third course with an earthy risotto ai porcini tastefully blending arborio rice, roasted porcini mushrooms and burrata espuma to pair with 2017 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas and 2015 Once & Future Mataro Oakley Road Vineyard. The pairing here complemented the earthiness of the porcinis with similar qualities found in the Southern Rhone and with its varieties grown elsewhere.

Jason Haas is the 2nd generation of the Haas family to lead Tablas Creek in the Adelaide AVA of Paso Robles. The property was founded in 1989 by Jason’s late father Robert Haas of importer Vineyard Brands and the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape which also supplied all vine cuttings for the new venture. The Esprit de Tablas bottling represents the Grande Marques of their extensive and highly regarded portfolio displaying the richness of Mourvèdre complemented by Grenache, Syrah, and Counoise with each contributing its own character to the finished blend.

Joel Peterson was the original winemaker and founder of Ravenswood in Sonoma and is known throughout the international trade as the father of heritage varieties and vineyards. The sale of Ravenswood gave Joel the space and comfort to launch his own Once & Future (“Once I made wines like this as I will do in the future”) brand. Joel’s 2015 Once & Future Mataro (aka Mourvèdre) originates from the 122-year old block of the Oakley Road Vineyard on the sandy soils of Contra Costa County where the vines continue to thrive on their own ungrafted roots.

Our main course was a tasty Black Angus prime sirloin steak highlighted by two red Bordeaux-style blends – 2020 CourAvant Proprietary Red Wine from Napa’s St. Helena and 2015 Bernardus Marinus from Carmel Valley. Coming from very different growing areas, blends and vintages, both wines presented themselves as excellent examples of the Bordelais family with structure, balance and textural appeal expressing their own individual personalities.

CourAvant is located on the southern edge of the St. Helena AVA at the border of the Rutherford AVA and the base of the Mayacamas range. The blend of the 2020 Proprietary Red Wine mirrors the vineyard planting of two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third Merlot. However, their particular cultivar of Merlot adds to the breadth and power of the wine with the Cabernet lending notes of elegance, structure and depth. An intriguing wine with a unique aromatic/flavor profile.

The 2015 Marinus is a complex blend where Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot form the foundation with Merlot and Cabernet Franc in supporting roles. Bold, rich, complex and layered are but a few of the adjectives that I recognized in this wine. A great and not unexpected pairing to the dish and a delightful counter-point to the CourAvant. Two very special wines complementing different aspects of the dish.

Chef Da Silva finished the culinary side of the meal with a caramelized mille-feuille with Madagascan vanilla cream – a signature Fil Rouge dessert that paired beautifully with 2018 Grgich Hills Violetta – a late-harvest blend primarily focused on Sauvignon Blanc (a southern Bordeaux emphasis), Riesling (a Germanic accent) and a touch of Gewürztraminer (notes of Alsace). An intriguing wine that the late Grgich Hills co-founder and wine icon Miljenko (Mike) Grgich originally named after his daughter Violet now CEO of Grgich Hills Estate. A truly delightful way to end a spectacular meal in a beautiful setting with friends new and old.

Departing Panama City, Barbara and I traveled with three other couples for a short stay at Los Establos Boutique Inn in the hills above David (pronounced Dah-veed) Panama to rest and recount our memorable Explora I experience where we all enjoyed our time at this mountain retreat.

My heartfelt thanks and appreciation goes to our fellow travelers, Frosch Fine Wine Voyages and especially to the crew and staff of Explora Journeys. Without their untiring help and passionate commitment, “Wines of the Americas North to South” could not have been so successful. Thank you!