Chateau Montelena Trip

For those of you who don’t know, I’m a proud member of Orange Sunrise Rotary Club. Yes, me. A Rotarian. Back in January I was fortunate enough to prepare what was called “The Million Dollar Dinner,” an event for some of the Rotary’s most generous donors. It was held in Orange Hills and wine pairings were provided by Brian Baker from Chateau Montelena. It was a raging success and after (quite) a few glasses of wine, Brian asked me if I might be interested in coming up sometime over the summer to cook at the winery. Who could refuse that? We set a date for the event and it was a lock.

Wifey and myself got into Sonoma a bit late the first evening but were up bright and early the next day to spend some time in town. I feel a very special connection to the region for a number of reasons, certainly the biggest one being my rich family history in the area. We first went to Mountain Cemetery, visiting the Robin family plot, to pay our respects to my ancestors who are buried there. Then we toured General Vallejo’s home and waterworks. My great-great uncle Joseph Eugene Robin ran the waterworks and made wine for Vallejo. After a quick beverage and a bite to eat at a great Mexican food joint on the plaza we headed over to Chateau Montelena. We traveled via what is termed the “Petrified Forest Road”, a positively breathtaking drive over the mountain range that divides the Santa Rosa area and the Napa Valley.

The winery itself is beyond spectacular. It sits at the base of Mount St Helena and the grounds offer breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside. The main building is a Gothic-style castle built in the mid-1800s by a wealthy San Francisco businessman named Alfred Tubbs. After visiting France he purchased the surrounding 240 acres and built the main building for the purpose of winemaking. We were fortunate enough to be given the VIP treatment, staying in the castle itself for two nights. We had what were termed “guest quarters” but were more suited for visiting royalty than OC peasantry such as ourselves. I also had access to Chef Britny Sundin’s kitchen there, an impressive facility that is perfect for preparing food for the Chateau guests. Upon our arrival the wine and laughter flowed and, after the staff left for the evening, we had the castle and grounds all to ourselves. What an experience.

Okay, I’ll cop to it. Wine knowledge is not my strong suit. Start talking whiskey, however, and I’ll go on about it for a week. I am fortunate, however, to have some amazing people/resources available that have made my palate considerably more sophisticated over the past few years. I also know enough to be aware Chateau Montelena is a top-notch winery, with an amazingly knowledgeable and courteous staff who are collectively at the top of their game. After preparing a special meal for the crew, George Blankensee was kind enough to give us a wonderful tour of the vineyards and the inner workings of the winery itself. They are on the tail end of a very formidable renovation and the new facility is absolutely spectacular. The high point was holding a bottle of the ’73 Chardonnay that put them (and California) on the map. There are a very few left and last year one went for more than 11k at auction, the proceeds being donated to charity.

For the tasting event itself I decided on three small courses; Grilled Chimichurri Asparagus over field greens with cilantro vinaigrette, my famous tri-tip with an Asian presentation and gulf prawns in citrus ginger butter over grilled ciabbata. I wanted to have flavors that would play well with the various whites and one red we were pairing with. Most notably, I wanted to have a light citrus/herb-flavored dish that would go well with the 2009 Chardonnay. The shrimp went over the best of all the dishes (although I thought the tri-tip with daikon and carrot was better), so here’s the recipe! Enjoy.

Gulf prawns sautéed in citrus ginger butter

You’ll need:

½ lb salted butter

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbls minced garlic

3 tbls fresh ginger, grated in a micro plane

Zest of one large, fresh lemon

1/2 tsp salt

A generous pinch of crushed red chile or Shichimi tōgarashi

Fresh lemon juice

Shaved manchego or parmesan cheese

1 lb large gulf prawns

First, build the butter itself. In a double boiler melt the butter, then add olive oil and balance of the ingredients except shrimp and lemon juice. Mix with a whisk and remove from heat. Let sit for at least one hour before using, overnight is better. It holds in the fridge for a long time as well.

To prepare:

Melt ½ cup of mixture in a medium sauté pan and heat until garlic barely starts to brown. Be careful! Add shrimp and sauté for two minutes, turning once. Add a couple teaspoons of fresh lemon juice and cook for another minute. Serve over grilled bread topped with a drizzle of the cooking mixture and cheese.

Feeds 6-8 with enough butter mixture for another three meals. Just keep covered in the refrigerator.