Drinking with Elias Fernandez of Shafer - Hillside Select and Relentless
During my semi-regular pilgrimage to Napa Valley to visit favorite sights and restaurants, I stopped by Shafer for a taste and chat with Elias Fernandez. Son of farmworkers who moved to Napa when he was 2 weeks old, he grew up on this land, and is one of the few graduates of Mexican descent to have come out of the prestigious UC Davis enology program almost three decades ago. (Was the wunderkind winemaker Gustavo Brambila in the movie Bottle Shock patterned after him?) Before arriving to Shafer, my friend Sonia and I stopped for lunch at the Napa Valley classic - Mustards Grill . Paired with a dry California Rosé of Pinot Noir from Robert Sinskey, Mustard Grill's ahi tuna crackers with spicy wasabi screamed "HELLO!" to my senses like a Mexican fiesta. And the ahi was just the beginning. One would be remiss to leave this establishment without experiencing their specialties. Mustard Grill's famous Mongolian grilled pork chop with mustard sauce was out of this world, an...