All I want for X-mas is my two front teeth!

We had our friends, John and Kim coming in from British Columbia for the Christmas holidays, so we ended up doing the dinner thing on a Friday again as that was the only day open on their busy schedule. Mick and Amy joined as us well so it was a dinner for six.

The dinner menu for this evening was as follows - Poached Pear Salad, French Onion Soup and Lemon Prosciutto Pasta.

The first course was Poached Pear Salad. This recipe was one I copied from the 1010 Bistro. It is Baby Spinach in a Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing, topped with Blue Cheese, Poached Pears and Spiced Pecans. I paired this with a Robert Mondavi Riesling and a Pierre Sparr Pinot Gris.

http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2007/11/20-favourites.html (For a full write-up on the Mondavi Riesling)

I had the Pinot Gris on the rack for awhile and was anxious to try it as I'd tried the lower end version of Pierre Sparr's Pinot Gris and really liked it. I knew the Mondavi Riesling was a good match as I'd had this combination before.

LCBO Information

PIERRE SPARR MAMBOURG RIESLING 2002
VINTAGES 686006
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 31.95
13.0% Alcohol
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Alsace, France
By: Pierre Sparr Et Ses Fils S.A.
Release Date: Sep 1, 2007

Description: Sparr No Expense. With a combination of enviable terroir, ancestral knowledge and modern technology, the Sparr family have been at the top of the winemaking game for three centuries. Wine Spectator awarded this Grand Cru Riesling a 91 and saying it has 'rich peach, apple and mineral flavors and vibrant structure'.

The Riesling went great with the salad but the Pinot Gris was less than stellar. The sweetness of the dressing and the pears was too much for the Pinot Gris and it was giving off a very bitter like favour.

The second course was a French Onion soup. For this I paired the Pinot Gris again and a Bouchard Finlayson South African Sauvignon Blanc with it. I'd been saving this Sauvignon Blanc for a few years as I really enjoyed it the first time I had it. I think I might have kept it a tad too long as it was slightly past its prime; it wasn't off but lack the vibrant fruit I remembered from the first time I had it. The Bouchard Finlayson Sauvignon Blanc wasn't the greatest pairing with soup, not bad but nothing to write home about. The Pinot Gris was the biggest surprise, against the salt of the soup the fruit in this wine came to life. It developed an almost oily mouth-feel and the fruit became so dominant that it almost reminded me of an Ice Wine.

I couldn't find the Bouchard Finlayson Sauvignon Blanc on the LCBO's website which doesn't surprise me as I bought this a few years back. I can't remember the exact price but suspect it was around $20.




The Pierre Sparr was a much better match with the soup than the salad but still wasn't an ideal pairing. Discussing this with Mick, I thought the Louis Jadot Bourgogne Chardonnay would have been a great match or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Next time I make this I will try it with both and see which is better.

For the main course, I made a Pasta with Lemon Cream and Prosciutto.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/107652

This recipe is an old favourite and it pairs very well with Merlot. I paired this with the Joseph Phelps "Innsfree" Merlot. I have covered this Merlot in an earlier article -

http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2007/10/saturday-night-takeout-food.html

The Merlot paired as well as I expected it to and was a big hit with everyone.

We went with a cheese tray for dessert with crackers and shortbread cookies. Speaking of shortbread, I was trying to open the plastic wrap that the shortbread with my teeth when the wrap slipped and my top teeth came crashing down on my bottom - end result I cracked and lost half my right front tooth. I could almost hear my mother in the background going "Don't open that with your teeth." Hopefully my dentist is open this Monday or I won't be smiling for family Christmas photos this year!

To go with the cheese tray, I had two ports on hand - an old stand by and a new one I had yet to try.

The New One

"Old Faithful"

I didn't think many other ports could touch the Taylor Fladgate 20 year old port until this summer when I tried a Yalumba Tawny Port that blew me away. The R.L. Buller & Son is another Australian Port like the Yalumba and Robert Parker had rated this a 94 so I couldn't wait to try it.

I'd picked up the R.L. Buller & Son on my last trip down to NY at the Premier Group. It was $22.99US for a 375mL bottle (So about $37 CDN. after duty). This puts it in the same price range as the Taylor Fladgate 20 year port which is about $68 in the LCBO.

The R.L. Buller was more oaky and sweet then the Taylor Fladgate but I liked the Taylor Fladgate better as it seemed smoother and more complex. The R.L Buller had that classic prune aroma that most Tawny Ports have but stranglely enough its aroma reminded Mick and myself of a California Cabernet Sauvignon.

My Top 5 Tawny Ports to date are -

1. Taylor Fladgate 30 Year old Tawny Port

2. Taylor Fladgate 40 Year old Tawny Port

3. Yalumba Antique Tawny

4. Taylor Fladgate 20 Year old Tawny Port

5. R.L. Buller & Son Tawny Port

So while the R.L Buller wasn't as good as the Taylor Fladgate, it still was a very good port.

Cheers!

Mark