Saturday Night Dinner – Love Boat Edition

Our friend Pat was in town on Saturday for dinner. Pat works aboard a cruise ship most months of the year so we were fortunate to have her company. Mick’s wife, Amy was away on a work-related training course in the US for several days so it was a slightly different group than usual.

The menu for the evening was to be an all appetizer evening. I love this type of menu as it means there will be lots of different courses and wines. The downside is Mick and I always make too much food as we are worried that since there isn’t a main course, there won’t be enough food. One day we’ll learn.

The plan was five courses – four appetizers and one cheese tray for dessert. We ended up skipping the cheese tray as everyone was stuffed to the gills.

The first course was Gorgonzola Dip. This is made by blending red onion, walnut, basil, olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, cream and gorgonzola together. Amy isn’t a huge fan of gorgonzola so I usually up the basil to make it a bit milder; but, since she was absent for the evening I made it full strength. The dip pairs well with a Sauvignon Blanc.

"Wow, this is a Sauvignon Blanc?"

I picked up a number of bottles of Kim Crawford’s 2007 Sauvignon Blanc and I was intending on using it for the next Wine Club meeting so I thought this would be a good time to try it.

The most predominate aroma that was most predominate was peaches which isn’t what I was expecting for a Sauvignon Blanc. Its taste was a surprise – it had a much rounder mouth-feel than a Sauvignon Blanc usually has and the acidity seemed less than I expected as well. It was however a very easy wine to enjoy. It went nicely with the Gorgonzola dip. I will be picking more of this up for the wine rack.

LCBO Information - KIM CRAWFORD SAUVIGNON BLANC

VINTAGES 35386
750 mL bottle

Price: $ 19.80

13.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : XD

Made in: New Zealand
By: Kim Crawford Wines

Release Date: Oct 13, 2007

Description - Kim Crawford's aim is to have every vintage of his Sauvignon Blanc exhibit all the classic flavours and aromas we've come to expect from New Zealand, such as gooseberry, peapods, asparagus, passion fruit and citrus. He achieves all that and more. The 2006 received a score of 92 from Wine Spectator (Dec. 15, 2006). Tantalzing with monkfish with tomato and fresh herbs or steamed mussels.

The next course was a combo that we had two weeks ago,

http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2008/01/saturday-night-pats-packers-pinot-and.html

Hummos and Tomato + Feta salad with a D’Arenberg Viognier. My wife requested it as she really enjoyed it the last time. I won’t go into it too much as I covered this pairing before. The one thing that was interesting is on first sip it seemed almost ‘sloppy’ compared to the earlier Sauvignon Blanc, though with the food it really came into its own. This wine at $17 is a steal as it is really something quite special.

"Something Different"

Mick prepared Grilled Curried Shrimp wrapped in Prosciutto. For this we usually pair a Robert Mondavi Riesling, but tonight I decided to go with a 2003 Hattstatty Hatschbourg Riesling from Alsace.

The Mondavi Riesling is a sweeter Riesling and this one was definitely dry. It did work with the Curried Shrimp but I wasn’t blown away by it. I was also getting very full at this point. At $21.80 as the price point for this wine, I’d rate it “worth a try” but not a must buy.

LCBO Information - HATTSTATTY HATSCHBOURG RIESLING 2003
VINTAGES 21295
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 21.80
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Alsace, France
By: Les Vign. de Pfaffenheim
Release Date: Apr 14, 2007

Description - This wine won a Gold Medal at the 2006 Concours Riesling du Monde. Established in 1998, the Concours Riesling du Monde (Rieslings of the World) competition takes place every year in Strasbourg, Alsace. Rieslings from throughout the world are submitted to an international jury of oenologists and wine critics. This hugely respected competition illustrates the diversity and brilliance of fine Riesling from around the world.

"1997 - A good year for California Cabs"

Once we got back to it, we served up the final course of the evening. I had Mick grill my two Beef Tenderloins when he was cooking up the shrimp earlier. He grilled the beef just barely Medium-rare which is exactly how I wanted them done. I thinly sliced two the tenderloins and served them on a platter with shaved parmesan and diced fresh basil.

To pair with this, I grabbed a bottle of 1997 Kendall Jackson Stature. We had a bottle of this a few years ago and it was OK but not amazing. This bottle was about the same as the first. It is a good Cabernet Sauvignon but not for the price. The structure of the wine is very good but the fruit was lacking. As it sat in the glass for about 15 minutes it improved but was just an 'alright' pairing with the beef.

We did break out some dark chocolate for dessert. The Stature got much better with the chocolate and was good on its own. For the money ($87 US = $142 CDN after duty and taxes) I’d lean towards the Robert Mondavi Napa Private Reserve Cabernet instead.

Wine Spectator Rating 93

Remarkably elegant and polished, with ripe, sweet, juicy plum and wild berry, turning elegant and sophisticated, with a long, detailed finish. Best from 2002 through 2012. 3,100 cases made. –JL

It was about at this point that we all voted to skip the cheese and port dessert course. It was fun hearing about all of Pat’s adventures at sea. Mick, with the wine in him, was also on a roll for the evening. Pat will be back in town this summer and I have promised to make Corn Chowder for her.

Cheers!

Mark