In this edition of Supper Club Sips, we continued to explore California wines made by Sonoma vintner Ron Rubin. With so many different microclimates, winemaking methods, and varietals, it’s easy to get intimidated by California wine options, so instead we celebrated diversity with another Ron Rubin wine sampling. In the range of $14-$25 per bottle, these were affordable and very enjoyable.
[Related: Exploring California Wines with River Road Wine & Food Pairing]
Wines that we sampled:
Pam’s UN-Oaked Chardonnay
Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2017
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
Our Supper Club rented a beach house in Galveston this summer and tailored dinner to pair with these wines. The cook went to the local seafood market and purchased salmon to pair with the Pinot Noir, and grilled the salmon with zucchini and squash. While we waited, we enjoyed Pam’s UN-Oaked Chardonnay by itself, and then the Russain River Valley Chardonnay with homemade queso and flour tortilla chips fried in bacon grease. It was interesting to try the unoaked and oaked chardonnay one after another. The off-dry unoaked chardonnay was light, crisp, and refreshing after a hot day on the coast. And the creamy Russian River chardonnay couldn’t have been a better pairing with the chips and queso, and an occasional sneak of zucchini and squash.
Pairing the chardonnay with the salmon was also delightful and we wished we had a second bottle. With the Russian River Valley Pinot Noir appropriately decanted, it too was a delightful pairing with the salmon and vegetables. More approachable than other pinot noirs I’ve tried, this one bewitched me with its acidity and complexity without being overly earthy. A win!
Everything was lovely and I appreciate Creative Palate for sending over these fantastic samples, and our friend Cory for cooking for our Supper Club. For more information on Ron Rubin Winery, visit their website here (also available via Total Wine which delivers to my house!).