Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/760410
5 4 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t Tasting Notes San Simeon 2013 Storm- watch, Estate Reserve, Paso Robles ($70) Re- cipient of the "Award of Excellence" from The Tasting Panel magazine. A carmine-black ink– hued Bordeaux blend from the rocky soils and steep hillsides of the El Pomar District exuding bittersweet dark chocolate—there should be a perfume named for it—along with a wealth of brandied plum, sandalwood and espresso. And we haven't talked about texture and taste yet. What's so thrilling about this wine is how far Paso has come in bri- dling elegance, depth and restrained tannins. While the tannins are grainy, by comparison to the overly grainy tannins we remember from big Paso reds a decade ago, this wine smooths them out into a sheet of glassy liquid. The flavors of lavender, blackberry and that irreverent dark chocolate reaches a sensual level, coating the teeth with graphite. Ripe tomato and savory herbs mellow and season the blueberry finish. 98 —by Publisher Meridith May, as fea- tured in The Tasting Panel magazine's December 2016 Publisher's Picks. San Simeon 2013 Pinot Noir, Estate Reserve, Monterey ($20) This small lot, ten-month French oak–aged beauty has a nose of rich, freshly tilled soil enlisting fragrant notes of raspberry jam. On the palate, it's mouthwater- ing: juicy, concentrated but not sweet—alive with cinna- mon, lightly stewed cherry and blueberry. Deliciously cocoa'd on the finish with Bing cherry zing. 94 —by Publisher Meridith May, as featured in The Tasting Panel magazine's December 2016 Publisher's Picks. also consulting for the menu at Perry's in the historic Hotel Constance. Needless to say, Chef Beltran is a busy man, but his path to success—and the earthy, sweet sunchokes he was sautéing—started not on earth but in space . . . aerospace, to be exact. Beltran's deep Angeleno roots branched off into the culinary scene during the late 1980s when he got his start working under Thomas Keller at Checkers in Downtown Los Angeles. "I was just out of an aerospace education program and had zero experience," he recalls. "I had taken a few culinary extension courses, but that was it. Still I bugged him [Keller] enough until he finally gave me a job. I loved every day that I went to work, but I also wanted to quit every day that I went to work. It was a very busy kitchen full of crazy, hardcore professionals and I had never worked a day in my life in a kitchen. I got my butt kicked. I got yelled at. I got tricks played on me. You name it. It was really hard, but somehow I made it. Eventually, Keller and I became friends and we maintained a great working relationship. After he left Checkers Downtown, I quit the week after. We worked out of my house and his apartment catering parties. We made a lot of gnocchi, [Beltran looks down at the gnocchi he's making and laughs]—it was a great experience. I don't think I would be where I am today if I didn't have the opportunity." Eventually, Beltran developed another important work- ing relationship, with San Antonio Winery's Riboli family. Says Beltran, "We have a very eclectic wine program. Most of what we buy is ready to drink now. We have a lot of French, German, Spanish, Italian with a scattering of do- mestic producers. The San Simeon Pinot Noir in particular has been a great, consistent, fruit-forward Pinot that cus- tomers love. It's easy to understand. It's varietally correct and not over-manipulated or too muddled by wood . . . I've had a long relationship with San Antonio Winery. I cater almost all of their wine dinners and had the honor of running their 100-year anniversary party. I love surprising my customers with their wines. They've got this commer- cial side, sure, but it's really allowed them to sustain this artistic side, like their wines from San Simeon, Opaque, Maddalena, Riboli Family Cab, Santo Stefano and a few more. I took the Stormwatch to a dinner party with a bunch of wine people, and I didn't tell anybody what it was—I just poured it. It was the hit of the party. They were all impressed." Fourth-generation winemaker Anthony Riboli re- turns the Angeleno love. "Claud is a true inspiration for his creativity as a chef. We have worked together for nearly ten years on my annual winemaker dinner in November. He has great experience from decades of running both restaurants and catering companies. We collaborate very well together when pairing his dishes and my wines. I personally enjoy his calm de- meanor and sense of humor. He's a true professional and great guy." Chef Claude Beltran and Chef Sean Lightfoot at Bacchus Kitchen in Pasadena. Chive, garlic, gnocchi with roasted sunchokes and red pepper purée paired with San Simeon Pinot Noir at Bacchus' Kitchen in Pasadena. ■cr