IWFS Wine & Food Gazette March 2021

MARCH 2021

EVENT REPORT: 50TH ANNUAL HIGH NOON STAG AT OMAHA PRIME AL SO INSIDE • Winery Profile: Hartford Family Winery • Blast from the Past • Upcoming Omaha Branch Events

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

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EDITOR’S

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ne of the earliest traditions of this all male Branch of the IWFS is to have a midday stag. We learned in the last issue that some of the first events were held at 2:00 in the afternoon at the Blackstone Hotel. I recently discovered that Branch founder Dr. Richard Booth said this was because by 2:00, the physicians were done with their rounds and were available to eat and drink. The January high noon stag has been a staple of Branch activity for as long as I’ve been a member (2008). I for one was glad that this tradition wasn’t torpedoed by the Corona Virus. We followed COVID procedures by wearing a mask when not at table. Our host, Steve Hipple, got down to Omaha Prime around 10:00 in the morning to begin the task of pre-pouring the tasting wines in their glasses. This, to me, is really important to let these somewhat young wines open up and breathe. This develops the wines so you can detect their attributes better. By the time we began at noon, they were all poured and laid out on the tables. Steve enjoys playing Last Man Standing. You had to raise your hand if you thought a wine was such and such, and if you got it wrong, you had to sit down. Only 7 of the 31 members were left standing, the ones that got all four wines right.

One of our tasting wines was the Hartford Zinfandel 2014. If you are a Pinot Noir or Zinfandel lover, you can’t go wrong with Hartford. The house only makes three kinds of wine, with Chardonnay being the white in their portfolio. I always think it is important to know something about your wine provider, so I thought you would enjoy a Winery Profile on the Hartford Family Winery.

Besides, I wanted to find out if Hartford and Hartford Court was from the same, or different, source.

Some members have had trouble reading the Gazette on issuu.com, Or, they don’t want to sign in, which means you can’t even read the Gazette at all. They prefer a PDF since all you have to do is click it open. We have decided to offer it in both formats. In your email, a PDF will be sent along with the issuu.com link. The advantage of issuu.com is that you can see both right and left pages, like a paper magazine. Our PDF only lets you view one page at a time.

Cheers!

Tom Murnan Cover Photo: Attendees at the 50th High Noon Stag. Photo by Tom Murnan, enhanced by Wayne Markus.

“Every vacation has at least two good days of weather— the day you Leave and the day you get back.”

— From The Best of the Cockle Bur compiled and edited by Harry B Otis, 3rd President 1973-1974

March 2021 · Page 3

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

Event Report 50 TH ANNUAL HIGH NOON STAG AT OMAHA PRIME Story by Steve Hipple // Photos by Tom Murnan & Ron Policky

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dhering to tradition, the Omaha Branch High Noon Stag convened the second Saturday in January. This year, we gathered at Omaha Prime, one of Omaha’s oldest and finest steakhouses. Moe Tajvar, the restaurant owner, was very accommodating to our requests. I arrived at 10:00 a.m. to pour all wines and make certain the wines were served at the proper temperature. I sincerely appreciated Moe’s assistance. He wanted to ensure the lunch went flawlessly.

Actually, this was not a lunch, but rather more like a dinner because of the size of the portions for each course.

Promptly at noon, an assortment of delectable appetizers, along with a fine selection of our cellar wines were served. The tasting commenced at 12:30 p.m. As always, members arrived early. Everyone knows, if you arrive on time, you are late.

The lunch/dinner began with a lively contest called “Last Man Standing.” Everyone stood up at table. In front of each attendee were four glasses of wine: Fanti Brunello 2010 WS-94, RP-92, JS-94, V-91, Château Montrose 2014 WS-95, RP-96, JS-97, WE-97, D-97, JD-95, Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 WS-93, and Hartford Russian River Zinfandel 2015 WS-94, RP-94. Everyone was told the name of the winery and given a description of the wine. Since this was a blind tasting, no one was told which wine was in each glass. Starting with glass number 1, each person was asked to raise his hand when he heard the type of wine called out which he believed to be in the glass. Then, the contestants were given the correct answer. If they did not identify the wine correctly, they had to sit down. Seven astute attendees properly distinguished each of the wines. They were: Tom Murnan, John Klemke, Larry Jobeun, Joe Goldstein, Duke Matz, Brooks Call, and Robert Foster. A photo was taken of the winners. Now they have bragging rights, at least until next year. [Photo

by Brooks Call’s smartphone.]

The first course was Lobster Bisque Baked in a Puff Pastry and paired with Brewer-Clifton “3D” Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2017 JD-96, RP-95, VN-94, WS-94, WE-93, W&S-92. This wine was not well known, yet it received very high scores from multiple wine critics. It was a perfect match.

The second course was Roasted Semi Boneless Duck Grand Marnier Sauce served with a blend of basmati & wild rice served with two wines: Beaux Freres Pinot Noir 2016 WS-94, WA-92, JD-93, and Château Faugères 2010 JS-95, WE-94, RP-92, WS-92.

Course number three was Prime Ribeye served with truffle oil infused twice baked potato and grilled asparagus. Two wines were paired with this course: Château Talbot 2009 WS-91, RP-91, WE-93, JS-94 and Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 WS-93, RP-96, JS-95.

Our final course was Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Berries. This was paired with Cockburn Vintage Port 2003 WS-95 RP-91.

The Omaha Branch is known for the very high-quality wines paired perfectly with each course. This luncheon was no exception. It was a pleasurable experience for everyone.

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A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

WINERY PROFILE

BY TOM MURNAN

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or our annual High Noon Stag on January 9, 2021, held at Omaha Prime, we had a sit down tasting. We had to identify blind which wine was a Brunello, a Bordeaux, a California Cabernet Sauvignon, and finally a Zinfandel. Our Zinfandel was the Hartford Russian River 2014. I thought it would be fun to delve into one of these four tasters, the Hartford, mostly because I knew very little about the winery, and assumed the rest of my readers were likewise in need of tutoring.

I don’t know about you, but I always seem to like the Hartford Family Winery’s portfolio of wines, but am a little confused about what the difference between Hartford and Hartford Court is. More on that later.

The Hartford Family Winery (HFW) was founded in 1994 by Don Hartford and the daughter of Jess Jackson and Jane Kendall Wadlow Jackson: Jennifer Jackson. Don

started out as a strawberry farmhand in Massachusetts, got a BA and taught Spanish for awhile, then went to Santa Clara law school in 1979 where he met his future wife, Jenny Jackson. A few years later, her father, Jess, founded Kendall-Jackson in 1982.

She was reluctant to introduce Don to Jess because she was afraid he “would take over his life.” Her prediction came true, and Jess got Don interested in the wine business even while he pursued his law business. As Jess expended Kendall-Jackson into the Jackson Family Wines (JFW) empire, Don first served as legal counsel for JFW. By 1994 he and Jenny, with Jess’ help, established HFW. Located in the small Russian River Valley (RRV) town of Forestville, it is 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The winery specializes in limited bottlings of single vineyard Pinot Noirs, Chardonnay and old vine Zinfandels. They Page 12 · 2021 ·

have some of the choicest, but small vineyards in Sonoma, the RRV, Green Valley (a sub-appellation of the RRV), Anderson Valley, Carneros, and the Sonoma Coast.

These are all cool temperature sites that Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zinfandel crave. There are 25 named, family owned vineyards, most only producing around 300 cases or less a year. But they have expanded into Oregon (Zena’s Crown area, Eola-Amity Hills) and southern California in the Santa Rita Hills near Santa Barbara, CA. Besides the named vineyards, they also produce less expensive wines from the RRV, which are blends from several different vineyards. So what it the difference between Hartford and Hartford Court?

The Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are put under the Hartford Court Label, while the Zinfandel is labeled simply Hartford. >

The Hartford Family

Co-Founder Don Hartford

March 2021 · Page 13

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< Hartford Family Winery became part of the JFW conglomerate when they were brought into JFW family of wines in 1994 when they were established. Their portfolio was considered part of the Kendall-Jackson Artisan and Estates wineries at the time, the high end of Kendall-Jackson. Besides Don and Jennifer, two other co-owners are their children, son MacLean Jackson Hartford and daughter Hailey Jackson-Hartford Murray. Hailey became President of HFW Annapolis in 2020, but has had much experience with other JFW properties, in France, Australia Far Coast and of course her home ground in the RRV. The wine making team is Tiaan Lordan from South Africa and Director of Winemaking, Jeff Stewart. The winery utilizes So n artisan techniques, such as open-top and o m small barrel fermentation vessels, indigeFort Ross nous yeast fermentations, cold soaks, 100% id French oak, batonnage,R and minimal-to-no ge s Forestville filtration. Their approach ensures that each Fog Dance Jenner wine preserves the unique character of Threeits Jacks MacLean’s Block vineyard site.

Occidental

The HFW has received many accolades throughout its career. Robert Parker Jr. was a fan and wrote in the February, 2005 edition of The Wine Advocate “These are always some of the most exciting as well as diverse offerings in my tastings, and I High Risk, High Reward Single Vineyards always walk away shaking my head at just how good they are.” Both The Wine Spectator and The Wine Enthusiast and the Robb Report have put Hartford into their Top 100 list on several occasions. Likewise, Steve Tanzer, Jeb Dunnuck and Antonio Galloni sing their praises.

I would say, if you picked up any bottle that the Hartford Family Winery produces, you can’t go wrong.

Healdsburg

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Sources: https://www.hartfordwines.com/; https://www.winespectator.com/articles/ the-house-that-jess-jacksonbuilt-47406; https://wineindustryadvisor.

Jolene’s Dina’s, Highwire, Hartford, Fanucchi-Wood Road com/2020/08 /12/hartford-winery-anSanta Rosa Four Hearts nounces-hailey-jackson-president OLIVET LANE WOOD ROAD

Arrendell & Hailey’s Block

Seascape

Jennifer’s

Bodega Bay

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Stone Côte

Sonoma

Portland

Eola-Amity H i l l s AVA Warrior Princess Block Zena Crown Vineyard Salem

Wi l l a m e t t e Va l l e y

Oregon Eureka, CA to Salem, OR: 370 miles Distance not to scale

Eureka

Mendocino County Velvet Sisters

California A n d e r s o n Va l l e y

Muldune Trail

Sonoma County (see inset to left)

Sonoma Coast Russian R i v e r Va l l e y Carneros

San Francisco

Healdsburg

OLIVET LANE WOOD ROAD

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Forestville Fog Dance Three Jacks MacLean’s Block

Occidental

Jolene’s

Dina’s, Highwire, Hartford, Fanucchi-Wood Road

Four Hearts

Santa Rosa

Arrendell & Hailey’s Block

Seascape

Jennifer’s

Bodega Bay Stone Côte

Petaluma Marshall Marin Vineyard

San Francisco 25 miles

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

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A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

UPCOMING OMAHA BRANCH EVENTS

Mark Your Calendars!

MAR.

13

2ND ANNUAL MARCH MADNESS STAG

APR.

17

PRESIDENT’S EVENT COUPLES

MAY TBD

STAG

Happy Hollow Club Cry Room Producer: Joe Goldstein

Producer: Mark Stokes

Victory Lane Producer: Duke Matz

HOSTING AN EVENT? Let us know when, where and a little bit about what’s going on! We would love to include YOUR event on the calendar! Email details to: murnantom@gmail.com

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

March 2021 Purpose: To meet communication and service needs, to broaden participation and understand and to be an information exchange for the membership of The International Wine & Food Society in the Americas.

Publisher: Todd Lemke Editor: Tom Murnan Graphic Designer: Omaha Magazine, LTD.

THE INTERNATIONAL WINE & FOOD SOCIETY OF LONDON, ENGLAND OM A H A, NEBR A SK A BR A NCH - E X ECU T I V E COM MIT TEE This Quick Response Code (QR-Code) can be scanned with a scanner app on your smart phone to take the reader directly to the Omaha Branch web site.

PR E SI DENT: Mark Stokes............................................................... mark_stokes@aig.com

V ICE PR E SI DENT / SECR ETA RY: Dave Thrasher.................... dave@supportworks.com

TR EASU R ER: Les Zanotti................................................................ zanol@cox.net

W I N E CELLA R M ASTER: Duke Matz....................................... dmatz@darland.com M EM BERSH I P CH A I R M A N: Joe Goldstein.............................. goldie2@cox.net

B OA R D O F D I R E C T O R S : Joe Goldstein

John Matthews

Todd Lemke

Tom Murnan

Steve Hipple

Duke Matz

Tad Singer

Lowell Wilhite

Dave Thrasher

Les Zanotti

Mark Stokes

Mike Wilke

KEEP IN TOUCH! Please notify Club President, Mark Stokes, 402-679-7317 or via email at mark_stokes@aig.com to let him know if you are interested in hosting an IWFS event.

ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE MEMBERS WILL BE POSTED ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. Like us on FACEBOOK (IWFSOmaha): facebook.com/IWFSOmaha and follow us on TWITTER (IWFSOmaha): twitter.com/IWFSOmaha

All versions of Wine & Food Gazette are published monthly by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha, NE 68046-1208. Telephone: (402) 884-2000. No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted however no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations. The opinions expressed in this publication, except as specifically stated to the contrary, are solely the opinion of the author and do no necessarily represent the views of the Board of Governors of the Americas. The International Wine & Food Society, LTD., the publisher and any officer, director, member or agent thereof. The international Wine & Food Society does not endorse advertisers’ products and is not responsible for damages incurred from the use of such products nor does it guarantee such products.