Judith Henderson’s Wine & Country Living

Watching the old Elvis/Ann-Margret film, "Viva Las Vegas" got me thinking; is there a difference between feeling nostalgic or collecting old Bauer pottery?

Take the old saying, "if you can't make it in the real world, you can always come back to the farm." For me, this brings nostalgia to mind: dusty boots, chaffed necks, the driven ambition to beat the weight at the scales from the pre- vious year's harvest and the kind of appetite that talks loudly after a long hard day's work.

Recalling grandma's cellar is nostalgic. I'd go down into the cellar and retrieve an apron full of apples. Sitting on a kitchen stool, I'd watch grandma make her delicious apple pie encased in larded crust, pie lid brushed in heavy cream, sprinkled in at tons of white sugar, baked to a bubbly golden brown.

This week, I tasted a local Cab Franc that was so new to Cab Franc's style that it had to be mentioned in this week's column. Revelry Vintners, 720 C Street, Walla Walla, has created a rich Bordeaux-styled 100% Cabernet Franc, aged in oak for 24 months, limited to just twenty cases. With first sip, a meritage of black currant, ripe blackberry and cherry nuance coats the mouth. Unlike the big tannins of a classic Cab- ernet Sauvignon, the '09 Revelry Cab Franc melds in light whimsical flavors; smears of rosy lipstick, crinkled mint, sap of cedar, crushed anise finishing in a minced olive tongue.

This week's wine honor goes to Revelry winemaker, Jared Burns, who applies both traditional and new winemak- ing techniques in creating Revelry's small-lot wines. The '09 Cab Franc shows a new level of rich concentrated flavors in a wine so beautifully honed that food and wine specialist Judith Henderson for Wine & Country Living, honors winemaker Jared Burns with 98 points of wine perfection for his '09 Cab Franc. Congratulations Team Revelry!

Readers, until next week, "Eat Art, Drink Imagination!"

Two Olive Tapenade

1/2-cup each: seedless black kalamata and green piccolo olives 2-tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1-tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3-cloves minced garlic

1-tablespoon capers

1-tablespoon minced parsley

In a food processor, blend all until smooth. Smear over sauté of chicken breasts sided with steamed broccoli rabe and paired with a bottle of Revelry's '09 Cab Franc.