Senders Dinner Part 2

Photos by Megan Klugh

In a previous post, I wrote about the first half of our wine pairing dinner that a few of us from DLM enjoyed in the El Macero backyard of Senders Wines owners, Karen and Craig Senders. We started with the wonderful cheeses paired with the 2007 Pinot Noir Reserve, then moved onto the Rose’ served with the two-layer cold soup – one a creamy avocado and the other a perfectly spicy gazpacho.

For the third course that evening, Karen made lamb chops crusted with sautéed shallots, thyme, Panko bread crumbs and balsamic vinegar! Loved it!! They were prepared medium rare to medium and were perfectly pink served with Craig’s grilled Sweet 100’s and Sungolds still on a short vine. The presentation was wonderful, the lamb was perfectly prepared and the tomatoes were sweet and delicious and were tossed with Dijon and olive oil. This course was served with another Pinot Noir, the Carneros 2007. This Pinot featured more tannins and was bolder than the softer reserve with flavors of bright red cherry where the reserve had more of darker cherry characteristics. Needless to say, it was a wonderful pairing and another wonderful dish centered around their homegrown tomatoes and their sophisticated wines.

The Senders Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Reserve was brought out for the fourth course which was medium New York steak slices served over a San Marzano tomato sauce with the creamiest potatoes I’ve ever had and sautéed green beans. Karen said that her “chunky” mashed potatoes are boiled in whole milk to give them that rich creamy texture. They were pure heaven and it’s the first thing I thought of when I awoke the next morning. Karen, I’m going to need that recipe for sure! The cabernet was a gorgeous deep red and was an absolutely perfect way to end our wine tasting for the evening.

For the last course we escaped the chill of the evening and went inside to enjoy dessert, coffee and a little Damiana, that wicked stuff they put in your margaritas in Mexico. The Damiana wasn’t planned, but came out after our conversations about Mexico, margaritas and more. Craig just happened to have a few bottles in his bar. We sipped the liquor and ate a delicious cheesecake topped with fresh fruit.

To see photos of Craig and Karen Senders and to find out more about the Senders Wines story as well as to order their wonderful wines, visit http://www.senderswines.com/ where you’ll find this and other stories: It all began twenty years ago on a flight from Sacramento to Denver, when an aspiring young surgeon asked the flight attendant with a Texan drawl for more than a glass of wine.  Nineteen years of marriage, two wonderful children and the love of pairing great wine with food led to the birth of Senders Wines.

Not only did we enjoy exquisite wines with the winemakers themselves with an outstanding home cooked meal that could very well be served in any fine dining restaurant, but we left with new friends in our lives – Craig and Karen Senders. And of course, the urge to fill our wine cellar shelves with a few bottles of Senders Wines.