Wines Made By The Pure of Heart
Some years ago Carl Doumani was served an ethereal Risotto al Limone by Matt Kramer, wine writer, cookbook author and, near as we can tell, connoisseur of all things essential to the good life.
There was no hope of luring Matt from his Portland home to Carl's kitchen as he longingly recalled this dish one recent Sunday. So, he opened his, "A Passion for Piedmont , Italy 's Most Glorious Regional Table," to see what he had to say. What he found, spoke directly to his quixotic heart:
"The best advice for making a perfect risotto is found in fairy tales. Would be suitors for the hand of the princess are told that they must go out and slay the dragon. They sharpen their swords, polish their armor, saddle up, and ride forth to do battle. If they return at all, it is empty-handed. Finally, some love-smitten fellow seeks advice from the local shaman. 'Mahatma,' he says. "What do I have to do to slay the dragon and win the hand of the princess?' The Mahatma, a trying sort in the best of circumstances, replies cryptically, 'All you need is a pure heart." Our hero, unsullied to his bones, rides forth and whacks the dragon with little more than a butter knife."
In other words, says Matt, neither fancy equipment nor cooking wizardry is needed for perfect risotto. What one needs is to be pure of heart, use good stock, Italian rice, Parmigiano-Reggiano and warm plates.
Carl thought this was pretty similar to his approach to making what he hope are the near-perfect 2002 releases of Quixote and Panza Petite Syrah. He and his team have gone to great lengths to honor the ancient terraces of our Stags' Leap Ranch vineyard with sustainable and organic farming practices. This is costly and painstaking work, but the vineyard is a sight to behold and the quality and consistency of the fruit is the reward.
Quixote's Italian winemaker Mario Monticelli blended these wines with the counsel of a phenomenally talented tasting panel and Carl who tells everyone his nose is not purely decorative. The team at Quixote is fortunate to have a small, completely hands-on winery where wines are vinified in the cheerful surroundings created for us by Austrian painter and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
The grapes that went into these wines were sorted with great care by the most enchanting crew of ladies yet seen at work in a winery. Carl and Mario are sure this affects the flavor.
Winemaker - Mario Monticelli
Both of these wines are deliciously drinkable right now and, if you can manage to set a few bottles aside, they will continue to improve for the next decade. We've enclosed the wine descriptions and an order form for your convenience. To learn more, you're welcome visit the website at www.QuixoteWinery.com.
If you'd like the recipe for Lemon Risotto, call Elizabeth Ross at (707)
944-2659. Of course, you'll want to order some petite syrah to go along
with it. 
