Wine of the Week: Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay

Located in the foggy hills of the Sonoma Coast appellation, Sonoma Cutrer is a winery that knows how to grow Chardonnay.

Started in 1973, the owners planted several different grape varieties. They quickly realized that their Chardonnay was better than most as evidenced by the growing demand for their fruit from some of the top winemakers.

By 1981, the owners were ready to focus 100% on Chardonnay and start making wine under their own label. As a result, Sonoma-Cutrer has become one of the top-selling Chardonnays in America. Their philosophy is to use the best Burgundian techniques with the latest in innovative winemaking.

Fruit grown in the combined vineyards from the Russian River appellation come together to create a luscious, complex Chardonnay with notes of rich tropical fruit and flowers, all balanced and lightened by a fresh vein of acidity.

This is a wine perfect for any of our fish dishes and salads, but it is also capable of standing its ground with any of Chef Harvey’s wonderful pork offerings.

The best pairing, however, is with a friend on our flower-lined patio. Come by today and get some in your glass!

Last night at Siena: Chef Harvey’s Foie Gras Black Truffle Terrine

Postcards from Florence…

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Siena Ristorante Toscana events coordinator Pam Crowder recently shared these photos of Florence taken by a family member, Ali Burgoon, who’s currently visiting Italy.

Here at Siena, we believe that Italian food is also a celebration of Italian culture, history, and fine arts. And so we wanted to share these amazing images, taken from the Pitti Palace and gardens above the city and from the Arno River banks.

Pam handles all of our private events: if you’d like to talk to her about hosting your event at Siena, please send her an email by clicking here.

Wine of the Week: Amici Cabernet Sauvignon

Amici means friends in Italian. In this case it also means darn good Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley!

Started in the early 90s by a group of amici, the aim was to make high quality wines sourced from the best vineyards of their respective regions, in small quantities.

The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes come from choice sites in the Howell Mountain, Oak Knoll, and St. Helena districts. This combination of mountain and valley floor fruit help to create a wine with silky richness supported by a strong, but not overbearing tannic structure.

The blend is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, which makes it 100% delicious. Extra hang-time was allowed to give the grapes more time to concentrate their bold flavors.

To put the perfecting finishing touches on this wine, the winemaker ages it for almost two years in French Oak, adding that trademark note of vanilla and spice to the already colorful profile of rich dark fruit.

So please, bring in a group friends and open a bottle of Amici. For just $64 a bottle it’s sure to please!

Mother’s Day is Sunday May 13…

CALL (512) 349-7667 TO RESERVE NOW!

Click image below for printable (PDF) version.

Scenes from the Ferrari-Carano dinner…

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The photos above are from our Wednesday night’s Ferrari-Carano Dinner with Winemaker Aaron Piotter (in first photo with me) and many very happy guests (39 in all).

The highlight dish was Chef Harvey’s Nilgai Antelope with Roasted Root Vegetable paired with Aaron’s “Tresor” a beautifully balanced cabernet blend from Ferrari-Carano.

A perfect marriage of natural flavors that wonderfully complimented and enhanced each other.

Our next dinner will be in early May, featuring many of the best Super Tuscans available.

Stay tuned for details!

—Stan Adams, owner, Siena

Wine of the Week: Lamarca Prosecco

We all know that there’s such a brief time in Central Texas when the weather is pleasant, so why not celebrate with a glass of Italian bubbles?

Prosecco is the former name of the most famous grape used to make sparkling wine in Italy. Prosecco is now the appellation name, and the grape is referred to as Glera (the more traditional name for the grape). This wine gets its bubbles using the Charmat method, a process that helps to maintain freshness and fruit, which are the hallmark descriptors for the best prosecchi out there.

Lamarca Prosecco is one of our favorites and we are proud to serve it by the glass here at Siena.

Its green apple and citrus fruit flavors are complemented by the soft bubbles that float elegantly to the top of every glass.

Come by and toast to Spring, it won’t last long, but our Prosecco is here to stay!