Mole and Merlot- Lazy Sunday in Wine Country

When I was a kid I use to look forward to Sunday Mornings. That was the time we would all gather around to watch Charles Kuralt and his show On the Road. Something about a bowl of warm oatmeal, one-piece jammies and a grainy, pre-cable broadcast made me feel happy and safe. I still flash to images of a Winnebago rolling over a creaky wooden bridge, kids on sleighs, melting icicles, flowers blooming and horse drawn carriages somewhere in the Pennsylvania countryside. We were by no stretch a Norman Rockwell painting. More like characters from Married with Children. Instant coffee, cigarettes, hair pulling, neighbor bashing and crude jokes. But we were a family and gosh darn it we loved being together watching quality TV!

I bring up the show On the Road and the imagery that it evokes because it’s a good parallel to my story. Lazy Sunday in wine country was an outing that gave me and a few our friend’s adult warm and fuzzies much like the program did. The oatmeal was replaced by grilled mole chicken tacos and wine was our sleigh ride to giddiness. And after a few glasses, even the cats roaming the farm became the horses … Rockwell became Alice in Wonderland? Ok, just turn me off.. I don’t even know where I’m going with this.

Anyway where were we… oh yes, the trip…It all started with an invitation from our favorite-in-the-whole-wide-world winery Medlock Ames. They invited their wine club members and industry friends up to their vineyard for an afternoon of pruning classes and wine tasting. It was an opportunity to get a hands-on feel for what it’s like to grow grapes and talk to the wine maker about process. So early on that Sunday morning a group of us jumped in the minivan and took off on our journey to Chalk Hill Sonoma. It was an early Spring morning car ride that sang “over the bridge and through the woods to grannies winery we go”… I mean I wish you the reader could have been with us to experience the pool full of sensory explosions all around us. Narrow one lane roads shrouded in foliage, the smells of spring onions, damp earth, people in their yards doing chores and farm trucks clogging the lanes.. Priceless!

When we arrived at the winery the class had already begun so we tromped out into the fields, grabbed a pair of shears and followed instructions from the master pruner. There were a bunch of folks in between the vines clipping away. For the most part it didn’t seem that hard and I was joking around with Alfredo about how I could join the crew. He gave me a friendly punch in the arm and said he would see me at 4 AM on Monday. Then he proceeded at lightning speed to prune 12 feet of vines in no time flat. I respectfully quit before I began my new job. Ha!

After about an hour in the fields, we all went back to the winery where the grill was smoking and wine was being poured. We had an opportunity to do a tour of the facility and see all the space age-looking tools they use to make wine. Pretty cool stuff. Modern wine making seems a blend of old and new world technology. Medlock Ames is a small producer that takes time and care to produce wines with a big punch. For example their merlot, regardless of that stupid movie, breaks all the stereotypes and kicks out some AMAZING flavor. Good fruit, mild acid and a wonderful mouth feel.

So check this out. Alfredo’s wife made some mole which was being basted on the chicken. I’m thinking what an odd match with wine. But why? Slightly bitter chocolate, chili, nuts seeds and raisins. OHMYGOD. It was awesome! So awesome that we all sat in the sun and melted like icicles devouring tacos and sipping juice while the sun hovered over us making shadows on the warm ground. It was pure heaven I tell you. One of those experiences in life that you don’t soon forget.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful; the car ride home was smooth and none of us really said much. We rolled over the golden gate bridge, took in the fog and spectacular views and were grateful for living in such a magnificent area. Home. Ain’t it wonderful.

Chicken Mole
Ingredients

Instructions
In a heavy skillet slowly toast the sesame seeds to golden brown and cool. Reserve a little sesame seeds for garnish. Toast the chiles over medium heat in the skillet until they begin to slightly darken. Remove from pan and pour 1 cup of oil in the pan. Fry the toasted chiles in the oil for about 3 minutes over medium heat. Combine the sesame seeds, roasted red pepper and fried chiles in a large bowl. Add a little more oil to the skillet and fry the ginger, garlic, tomatillos, tomatoes, raisins and onion until the tomatoes are charred and the onion is soft and begins to brown. Drain the oil and discard. Combine the tomato/ raisin mixture with the toasted nuts, the baguette and the melted chocolate along with the chilies mixture. Process in a blender with chicken stock and strain. Heat a large stockpot and add 1 ½ cups of oil. When hot, fry the strained sauce and simmer. Be careful when adding the sauce to the hot oil. Add the piloncillo to the simmering sauce and adjust the viscosity of the sauce by adding more chicken stock as needed. Place chicken on hot grill. Brush with mole. Grill until cooked all the way. The breast and thigh will take longer than the leg and wing. Chop meat and serve with fresh warm tortillas and grilled spring onions.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 3rd, 2009 at 5:04 pm and is filed under Food Experiences , california, medlock ames, merlot, napa, pruning, sonoma, vines, wine country. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.