Wine & Country Living

Greetings from California! Last night, a couple of friends and I met and dined at Henry's HI-Life in downtown San Jose. Henry's is an institution in Silicon Valley, known for its open pit grilled meats, friendly ambiance and the Italianate Board Commercial Building Henry's thrives in.

We sat in the bar awaiting our table, sipping Margarita's from tall frozen pint glasses. Finally, our table was called and we were seated with our salads and appropriate dressings and ice waters with floating lemon, in front of us.

The prime rib was good but the chicken teriyaki was fabulous as were the New York steaks, all hickory smoked over Henry's open pit.

Next day, while hangin' with family, I grabbed my brother, who is a huge red wine drinker and drove up Loma Prieta Mountain to visit friends, Dave and Anne Moulton of Burrell School Winery, Loma Prieta Road, Los Gatos.

This Central California winery sits on a bluff in the Santa Cruz Mountains,1600 feet above the Pacific Ocean and "drinks" in a luscious southwestern exposure with a magnificent view - something I am very familiar with having lived across the street from the early winery through the 1970's.

It was over 30 years ago when my late husband and I would sit and picnic under a lumbering Live Oak that housed a wise old Owl who'd hoot every time we came to sit under the tree.

The views from this point are still colossal and unchanged, looking west out over the Pacific mountain ridge, up and over a lazy ribbon of fog hovering and beyond to the twinkling illumines of Monterey Bay.

The Moulton's propagated seven varietals from their estate-grown grapes. My favorite, the '06 Pinot Noir, a noble red wine floating in cedar tannins, nose of sweet mustard, rich dark truffle, cheeks dappled in raspberry and bay laurel with a little whisk of materiality right at the finish.

At one point, I stood-up and scanned the terrior to see bay laurel and wild raspberries hugging the uncultivated perimeter of the vineyard and saw a grove of cedar, black walnut and bay laurel, fifty yards from where vines are trellis.

The tongue has a memory and always tells the tale of the terrior. I give a rating of 98 points to winemaker, Dave Moulton for his'06 Burrell School "Principal's Choice, "Estate Pinot Noir.

This wine shines because of its rich educational prose, showing us how the terroir has influenced the grape.

Congratulations, Dave and Anne Moulton of Burrell School Vineyard and wines. Until next week, "Eat Art Drink Imagination!"

Prieta Pate Serves 2

8-ounces cream cheese

½-cup each: pumpkin and sunflower seeds

1-tablespoon black sesame seeds

1-tablespoon sweet vermouth

1-cup boiling water

1/2-teaspoon each: cumin, cayenne, garlic, onion

salt, chili powder, paprika

Method: In a bowl add seeds and toss in vermouth. Pour boiling water over seeds and set aside for 4-hours. Drain water completely, add soft seeds and seasonings to a food processor and whip until blended.

Pot pate into a soufflé cup and refrigerate for 6-hours or more. Serve with crackers and Burrell '06 Pinot Noir.

Hear Judith's seasonal web cast commentary, recipe and photos at www.chefjudithhenderson.com