Tom Gore told me that on a recent phone visit. A second generation farmer, his dad moved to the Alexander Valley in 1973 and Tom was born two years later. His 2014 Chardonnay lets the vineyards speak.
The music continued and the smell of smoke from meat being grilled began to waft into the room. You expect Malbec when you attend an Argentinean tasting and we tried two from 2012; La Posta Pizzella from Mendoza and Colome Estate from Salta.
He put that idea on the back burner until he lost his job in 2004 and thought to himself 'what the hell?' Starting with $78,000 and a naive stubbornness, M2 was born.
Clearly I needed more French fries, so chef promptly sent out an order of truffle fries ($6.50). The first thing to hit you is the aroma of truffles. They, too, were cooked to perfection and served piping hot.
For entrées we opted for the Argentinian style Gaucho steak and pan seared local white sea bass. Each carries a $10 up charge to the $30 restaurant week menu, but they were divine and easily worth the extra money. I challenge you to find a better $40 dinner.
If you feel like splurging, check out the chilled Grand Seafood with a whole Maine lobster, shrimp, oysters and king crab legs for $80. Appetizers range from $9 to $16 and entrees run from $25 to $59.
Over-sized concrete chairs and sofas dot the patio. Empty wine bottles are embedded in cement. They built the winery using natural ingredients, most of them sourced locally.
This wine offered plenty of citrus on the nose, mostly lime and was mineral on the palate. It proved quite food friendly and was wonderful with the St. Géric blue-veined triple crème from Fromagerie Guilloteau.
He called it an "incredible value and a must buy" at $14. Cindy gave it four out of five stars and said it "tastes more expensive." Tony thought it drank more like a $30 or $40 bottle.
Elena and her team are highly conscious of the environment and make sure the winery meets or exceeds every standard for emissions. Water is re-used for irrigation. The goal is to have a completely sustainable winery.
