 |
ZD Wines
Lamb and Pt. Reyes Blue |
| ZD Wines Owners,The deLeuze family |
The deLeuze family, owners of ZD Wines
When Gino Zepponi and Norman deLeuze—two aerospace engineers—started ZD Wines in 1969 (yes, ZD stands for their last names—and “zero defects,” an aerospace engineering term), they ended up creating the first Pinot Noir to designate the Carneros region on its label. It wasn’t until 10 years later that Norman and his wife Rosa Lee purchased property along the Silverado Trail and devoted themselves full-time to making wine. In 1980, they planted Cabernet Sauvignon, which is now one of only three varietals they grow (the others are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay). Since then, the winery is still family-run but has more than tripled in size. Its Cabernets are made mostly from low-yielding, hillside fruit from several Napa vineyards. Each vineyard is hand-harvested and fermented separately before it’s aged for two years in American oak barrels. The 2003 has a rich nose of dark berries, plums and vanilla. It’s fruit-forward with a lingering, rounded finish—a big red for sure. It’s paired here with a lamb and blue cheese quesadilla recipe created by Brett deLeuze, president/owner of ZD Wines.
| Print 4×6 notecard |
| Lamb and Pt. Reyes Blue Cheese Quesadilla
|
| 1 leg of lamb, deboned 5-6 cloves chopped garlic 2 cups olive oil 1 bunch fresh rosemary leaves 1 teaspoon garlic salt |
12 flour tortillas 1 cup softened cream cheese 1 cup sour cream 1 cup Pt. Reyes blue cheese Fresh mint leaves, finely chopped |
| Preparation:
Marinate the leg of lamb in olive oil, chopped fresh garlic, rosemary and garlic salt. In a separate bowl, mix equal amounts of cream cheese, sour cream and Pt. Reyes Blue cheese, then add some mint leaves. Refrigerate everything overnight. Serves 6-8 |
|
