Spring Paella and Pinots

All of our friends, including one we hadn't seen in much too long, soldiered through traffic to join us for a Memorial Day weekend party. We referred to the occasion as a Spring Get Together, which was technically correct, but mostly a misnomer given it was so close to the unofficial start of summer.

We started with magnums of Roederer Brut Estate and Brut Rose. Paul and Jennifer turned us on to Roederer, gifting us a magnum a few years back. It's a great tasting, and reasonably priced sparkling. We were curious about it, and made a day trip to Anderson Valley last year to taste and see how it was made.

We had a casual tasting before dinner. Sue was making paella and had a special pan for 20. We had been to a couple of events with paella. Sue wanted to give it a try and had practiced a couple of times before.

Sue and a number of others worked together to prepare the tasty paella. It was a team effort that everyone greatly appreciated.

There were a couple of birthdays on or around the party, so we had to serenade them with birthday wishes.

Our neighbor made a wonderful basque cheesecake that all enjoyed. When she mentioned she was bringing it the first time, I heard bass. This cake was wonderful and not a bit fishy.

Results

A - 2020 Papapietro Perry, Peters Vineyard, Russian River Valley came in first place with an average of 3.43. It was 2023 Pinot Cup Winner. It cost $66 from the winery. We're members of Papa. We love their light and fruity Pinots.

C - 2021 Wayfarer, Wayfarer Vineyard, Fort Ross - Seaview came in second place with an average of 3.36. It was 2024 Pinot Cup Runner-Up. It cost $85 ordered from the winery.

D - 2021 Merry Edwards, Georganne Vineyard, Russian River Valley tied for third place with an average of 3.32. It was Wine Enthusiast #9 wine of 2023. It cost $70 from the winery. I had ordered it to be delivered, but they called and asked if we wanted to come in for a taste. A brilliant move on their part. I bought more wine than I had ordered. We had a wonderful experience when we picked up the wine. A young Chilean wine maker told us about his worldly adventures honing his skills.

E - 2021 Convene, Russian River Valley tied for third place with an average of 3.32. It was Wine Enthusiast #13 wines of 2023. It cost $68 from the winery. Convene is owned by Dan Kosta, of Kosta Browne. We first ran into them at Healdsburg Crush and had to pay them a visit or two. We've enjoyed our experience both times we went.

B - 2019 Read Holland, Deep End, Anderson Valley came in last place with an average of 2.93. It was 2024 Pinot Cup Winner It cost $60 ordered from the winery.

Pinot Cup is the award given at Pigs & Pinot's Friday night tasting, a wonderful event where they stuff you with so many great pork dishes and Pinots. We had never heard of it before we moved to Sonoma. We went for the first time this year with Ted, Shannon, Mac, and Rebecca. We hope to go back. We were told we have to get a hotel package, which includes more events than the tasting. Maybe some year we'll budget for this extravaganza.

Correction

I somehow missed Jennifer's scores. It wouldn't have changed first place, but it would have changed others. Sorry Jennifer!