Jarman Tasting Room: The Holman Ranch Family Empire Expands

Last month, the family behind Holman Ranch opened up their doors and invited bloggers from all over to visit and learn about the family empire. From the ranch (event venue extraordinaire) to the Holman Ranch Vineyards Tasting Room to their newest acquisitions - the Jarman Tasting Room and Will's Fargo Restaurant - owners Hunter Lowder and Nick Elliott were the consummate hosts.

I joined up with the crew that included some blogging pals - Susan of The Wimpy Vegetarian and Marlene of Nosh My Way - for wine tasting and dinner. Though I have participated in online events with these gals throughout the years, we've never met in person. So it was a treat to put a face with the name.

Earlier in the day, they had toured the ranch and tasted wines at the Holman Tasting Room. This was my first time at the Jarman Tasting Room (ever!) and Will's Fargo Restaurant (in probably two decades!).

Jarman Wines is a tribute to Jarman Lowder who died nearly 5 years ago after a battle with early onset Alzheimer's disease. She was only 60 years old. To honor her memory - and love of good wine - the Lowder family has created two varietals from their estate grapes. And they have partnered with the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation and committed a portion of inventory and a percentage of sales towards finding a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease.

Having watched my own grandmother's life deteriorate from Alzheimer's, that makes this wine even more special!

The 2014 Jarman Chardonnay is an intriguing blend of feminine and masculine. Odd to think of wine in terms of gender, really, but the flowery notes that remind me of perfume are complemented by a subtle earthiness that is distinctly masculine. On the palate, it's lush and silky. Serve this wine lightly chilled. I could see this pairing remarkably well with roasted lobster or some home-cured gravlax and capers.

The 2013 Jarman Pinot Noir has a distinctly comforting feel. Think warm gingerbread cake with salted caramel sauce. Not so much that I would pair it with that - I'm more of a savory kinda gal and definitely see this with a slow-cooked lamb tagine or a grilled porterhouse steak - but each sip feels warm and luxurious. Its a voluptuous wine with some spice and some oakiness.

I can't wait to get back over to Jarman. And, speaking to Hunter and Nick, they have some fun events in the works. Keep an eye on the website: Jarman Wines. They have a Books and Brunch Series planned. And I suspect that their Sip and Chat Series will resume soon.

Comments

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy. Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the Bread Bakers home page . We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Homemade Lorna Doone Cookies #SundayFunday

Today the Sunday Funday group is celebrating childhood favorites. Thanks to Stacy of Food Lust People Love , Sue of Palatable Pastime , Rebekah of Making Miracles , and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm for coordinating this low-stress group. Today Stacy is hosting and she's given us the following prompt: "Childhood favorites. Did you have a favorite dish growing up? It could be something your family cooked or a restaurant dish, even a Chef Boyardee canned good or packaged ingredients like Rice-a Roni or mac and cheese. Recreate THAT dish from SCRATCH for this event." Here's the #SundayFunday childhood favorites line-up... Chili Mac from A Day in the Life on the Farm Ham and Mushroom Breakfast Burritos from Making Miracles Homemade Lorna Doone Cookies from Culinary Adventures with Camilla Homemade Wonder Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories K-Mart Sub Sandwiches from Palatable Pastime Kempakki Dosa from Sizzling Tastebuds Meat Chilly Fry by Sn

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Search This Blog