While Dan Bailey’s name is Dan Bailey, we should note that he is, for all practical purposes, a Jones. Husband to Stephanie Jones, one of the sisters in “The Sisters,” Dan’s been part of the Jones Family for years, and intimately familiar with their wines. As luck would have it, Dan will be in town this week for the Tucson Culinary Festival, and as our own good fortune would have it, we’re lucky enough to be doing a small but fancy-pants wine dinner with him. For those of you unacquainted with Jones Family Vineyard, their wines have been made by cult popstar winemaker Heidi Barrett through 2006. In 2007, she half-made the vintage with other cult popstar winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown.
If you’re not familiar with these two, maybe you’ve heard of some of the other wines they make: Screaming Eagle, Paradigm, Amuse Bouche, Showket, Barbour and Lamborn Family (Heidi); Schrader, Outpost, Maybach, Chiarello, Diamond Terrace, Harris Estate, Jones Family, Wallis, Round Pond, and Black-Sears and Rivers-Marie (Thomas).
So this Wednesday, you’ll get a chance to taste wines that were put together by two of the most critically acclaimed and sought-after winemakers in recent history, paired with four tasty courses of serious eats. Plus something sweet at the end. And you’ll be able to taste the 1996 Estate Cabernet, which is long gone, even at the winery. The menu looks like this:
Roast ribeye steak with mousse truffée and cherry-orange cinnamon glaze, served over sautéed spinach.
2007 Jones Family “The Sisters” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa
Turnip and parsnip grits cake with St. André cheese and mochomos.
2005 Jones Family “The Sisters” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa
Lamb rillettes and duck fat potatoes wrapped in crispy pancetta, served with blackcurrant demiglace.
2007 Jones Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa
Sautéed tenderloin of beef with dark chocolate and aromatic vegetables, served with roast winter squashes and Swiss chard.
1996 Jones Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa
The dinner will begin at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, October 27th, and the cost is $80 plus tax and gratuity. You’ll also be entitled to discounts on the wines, which range in retail price from $60 to $150, by the bottle or by the case. Call 326-9363 to reserve your spot.