Lunch With Tony Terlato

On November 11th, I interviewed wine legend Tony Terlato. It was a fabulous interview from a personal stand point because Tony was very transparent and really opened up about his life, his family, parenting and his relationship with JoJo. We talked more about his life than we did about wine. Although I hadn’t met him in person yet, Tony has a strong presence about him and I felt as if we were conducting the interview face to face.

Tony not only has the gift of gab but he has the gift of being able to connect with people. I felt like I knew him. At the end of the interview I blurted out that I really wanted to visit Terlato Wines International at the refurbished Armour Estate and have one of those legendary Terlato lunches I’ve heard so much about. To my surprise, Tony invited me for lunch. On a very snowy Tuesday, December 21st, I grabbed my friend (designated driver) and we headed from suburbia to Buffalo Grove to have a gourmet homemade lunch with Tony Terlato.

Before we sat down for lunch we toured the spectacularly beautiful Armour Estate. It was incredible to see the detail, the quality, and craftsmanship within the structure of this mansion. The original owners traveled around the world and would purchase entire rooms to have shipped back and included in their house, their architect traveled with them. In one of the main rooms they purchased and shipped a famous covered bridge for the roof/ceiling. The Terlato’s have fully restored the Armour Mansion to its original condition and as a result it is now apart of the historical society. You can read all about the construction and history of the Armour Estate here.

After touring the house, we started tasting through some of the Terlato portfolio. I really enjoyed their wines largely due to the fact that I like wines that don’t over power the palate. I like big wines that are complex but balanced. I have a strong attraction to European style wines that are very food friendly. All of these wines were amazing and very food friendly. I also really love Tony’s philosophy. When drinking and then rating wines, we have to ask the question of the reviewer, “What is your measuring stick? What is your reference point to which you hold all other wines comparable to?” Wouldn’t we ask this for anyone we were taking advice from?  If we don’t ask this question, then how do we really know where that person is coming from? Being in the wine business since his twenties, specializing in Italian and French wines, Tony uses these legendary wines as his measuring stick for the wines that he chooses to import and in his own winemaking. This is why he has one of the most prestigious portfolio’s in the world.

The first wine we tasted was a 2007 Chimney Rock Elevage Blanc, from Stages Leap District. I really enjoyed this wine, what’s not to like? As Steve Heimoff of Wine Enthusiast says, “Lots to like in this dry, elegant wine, which is a Graves-style blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. The flavors are quite complex, with nectarine, peach, pineapple, and flowery buttercup accented with a nutty, cashew-rich oiliness. All that richness is perfectly balanced with crisp acidity.”

We moved on to a lovely chardonnay from Russian River: 2006  Terlato Family Vineyards Chardonnay. This wine was equally fabulous. It is restrained yet elegant; clean and bright with aromas of pear, apple, butter, vanilla and toast; juicy and bright with some oak and a long butterscotch and pineapple finish. This is a great wine for the value, a wine that wine aficionados will be keep coming back for.

As we progressed through the tasting, I noticed that the wines kept getting better and better. As Tony and I talked, he gave me some friendly advice about my wine reviews and told me I couldn’t be nice all the time, his wines included, about all the wines I write about. I needed to be a bit more irreverent. I want to say that I don’t like every wine I drink. In fact, there are many wines I don’t like and if you talk to my friends, they will say that I’m quite the wine snob. I bring my own wine with me wherever I go because I would rather not drink any wine than to be stuck drinking crappy, cheap, poorly made wine and I don’t drink anything else but wine. Anyone who has drank with me learns really fast about what I’m talking about. We will drink one of my wines from my personal portfolio and then order a bottle of their choice off the menu. Each time they all make the same face and say the same thing, “This is like night and day.” But I have the attitude of, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all.” It takes more effort for me to talk about a wine that I don’t like than it does for me to praise and talk about wines that I absolutely enjoy and love. Further,  who am I to tell you what is good or bad. You might love a wine that I think is undrinkable or vice versa, I don’t feel like I should be the final authority. After all, I don’t listen to most of the wine critics myself!

We moved from whites to reds and I got excited because I love reds. The first red we tasted was from Sta. Rita Hills: 2007 Sanford Pinot Noir. This wine has generous notes of ripe cherries, fresh-turned earth, cinnamon and black raspberries. Velvet texture with deep layers of flavor, and a long finish. A fairly robust Pinot but not heavy. Superb effort.

The next was a Merlot from Rutherford Hill: 2005 Rutherford Hill Merlot, Napa Valley. Again, the wines just increased in quality and deliciousness, or maybe by this time I was very warm and toasty and in a very happy place. This Merlot was rich and flavorful. While concentrated it was elegant. Black cherries, vanilla spice and a bit smokey followed with a lingering finish. I liked this so much that I paired it with the Beef Stew I made a week later and it was spectacular.

The last wine we tasted before having lunch was a Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon from Stags Leap District. This 2005 Cabernet Sauvignong was outstanding! As Steve Heimoff from Wine Enthusiast said, “Chimney Rock continues a successful string of vintages with this powerful ’05. It’s a distinguished wine that calls to mind the description of Stags Leap Cabernet as an iron fist in a velvet glove. Rich and full-bodied, it has lush flavors of black currants and smoky new oak.”

After tasting we moved into the kitchen and had clams in white sauce. One of my favorite dishes in the world, clams, mussels, white or red sauce, bring it on! As I expressed my enthusiasm for the appetizer, Tony shared his favorite mussel dish with me. I can’t wait to make it. We had the 2008 Terlato Vineyards Pinot Grigio to cleanse our palate with. A very aromatic wine with tropical aromas and as well as in the mouth. I can’t say I remember much about this wine because I was distracted by all the excitement and conversation in the kitchen. Most of the staff joined us at this time and we simply hung out around the island with the chef and talked.

Then we moved to the dining room and enjoyed our main course which was a Tony’s favorite pasta dish followed by a light salad, the Italian way! I simply remember the Zinfandel we drank and the conversation. We drank a Dry Creek valley late release Zinfandel by Giarrusso Family which was yummy and paired well with the pasta dish. This was a fantastic estate grown late release Zinfandel. Was delicious and John made sure my glass was full. I had a driver so I indulged myself.

After some pleasant conversation, it was time to go. I would have had to move in if I stayed any longer, but I had such a delightful time spending the afternoon with Tony, John, and Billy. I can’t say enough good things about them. Including the very generous gift they gave to us when we left: a bottle of 2001 Episode and a bottle of 2006 Galaxy. I wasted no time in opening the 2001 Episode and drinking it with some of my favorite winos. We all say in silence as we enjoyed this fabulous wine. I should have laid it down, but I love to enjoy life with the people I love the most and when something like this falls into my lap, I have no other choice than to share the gift and moment with others who will appreciate it, and we did!

Thank Tony, John, and Billy and the staff. What a great day. What great wines, food, and most of all, great conversation! Muuuaaaa!

View all the pictures from that day.