A fabulous semi-social night back out and to our favorite local restaurant, The Stonehouse.
We discovered The Stonehouse, located on the premises of the San Ysidro Ranch, re-opened almost 2 weeks ago and we just had to jump back in, hoping the menu was decent and that all of our favorite servers would have returned.
They have rearranged the seating to allow for more distancing and still we could sit at our preferred outside patio table and be served by our #1 favorite server; meanwhile, all the others stopped by our table throughout the evening to say hey and elbow bump.
The menu was somewhat restricted and limited to only what they were offering as opposed to also including their sister restaurant, The Plow & Angel, located below. Regardless, there were numerous good options and we ate well.
As is our MO, we also drink well by taking a fine champagne and a Burt Williams made Pinot Noir. In this case:
2005 LOUIS ROEDERER CRISTAL BRUT- some have called this a lesser vintage for Cristal and I’ve yet to drink one that was less than stellar, especially including this one; it was nicely evolved and ready to please with a hallmark of beautiful balance; it had the requisite toasty brioche as well as some talc and sandalwood and wood spices to enhance the citrus and stone fruit notes; it was full on, had a smooth, creamy texture and long finish; basically, it was the complete package and perhaps the best 05` Cristal I’ve had.
1995 WILLIAMS SELYEM ALLEN VINEYARD RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY PINOT NOIR- 13.7% abv; high neck fill; cinnamon red color with no signs of aging; the cork was fully in tack with 50% saturation; this release has shined ever so brightly every time I’ve tasted it over many years; in fact, the 95` may be my fav of all of the Burt made Allen Pinots; this bottle, like almost all previous bottles, had cinnamon, clove and spice laden red raspberry and strawberry in the nose, joined by red cherry on the palate; it had a medium body, soft and smooth mouthfeel and a long, welcomed finish; the hallmark may be its incredible balance as was the Cristal. Simply amazing new world Pinot at age 25.
How wonderful this evening was. We were surrounded on 2 sides by beautiful flowers planted on the stone wall in our corner {see photo}. My view included fantastic views of the ocean, channel islands and lower Montecito village and we both treasured the timing of another magnificent sunset aura. This on top of the quality of service, food and wines, and most importantly, my sweetie sitting across from me, all made for a glorious night.
Cheers,
Blake