Sheian was supposed to come for dinner this past Saturday but cancelled earlier in the week. As I had been mentally planning this meal for weeks and I had some really good Cabernet Sauvignon in mind, I decided to go that route anyways. I had a 2003 Grgich Hills Cab and 2003 Paul Hobbs Cab on tap for the night.
I also had 4oz of St. Agur blue cheese in the fridge that I needed to use up and decided to go appetizer searching on the web and came across this recipe -
http://www.passion-for-parties.com/blue-cheese-appetizers.html
and found a recipe called "How to Make One of the Best Blue Cheese Appetizers You Will Ever Taste". As the first ingredient was bacon I decided to go with it as the starter; I mean how you can go wrong with blue cheese and bacon! The recipe also called for 4 ounces of blue cheese which is exactly what I had on hand.
I will review the Grgich Hills first and then do the Paul Hobbs in part 2.
The nose the Grgich Hills brought out my happy face as big notes of green pepper, cassis, coffee and eucalyptus dominated this wine. Tasting the wine, huge fruit flavours of raspberry, plum and strawberry jumped out of the glass at you. The balance on this was damn near perfect with good acidity, silky smooth tannins and great fruit and no noticeable heat. The only small issue I had with this wine is it needed a slightly bigger mouth-feel. This wine was really good on its own but with the blue cheese dip it was stunning and one of the better pairings I’ve had in a while.
Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 90, Mark - 90, Kathy – 91, Amy – 90, Overall – 90.25.
Here is the LCBO information on the wine –
GRGICH HILLS ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2007
VINTAGES 71407
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 69.95
Wine, Red Wine
14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: California, USA
By: Grgich Hills Cellars
Release Date: Jun 25, 2011
Tasting Note - This blockbuster of a wine is certified biodynamically grown. Opaque ruby with a hint of garnet. Cassis, mocha, mineral/graphite, black licorice and woodsmoke. Dry, fruit driven, but with good structure from velvety tannins. Big, lushly textured wine that may be cellared 2+ years. Also a good choice for dishes such as veal medallions in a red wine sauce. (VINTAGES panel, May 2011)
The wine listed is the 2007 and not the 2003 reviewed here. I’m pretty sure I picked this wine up in the US for about $70 US so about $100 Canadian. Looking on the web the 2003 also seemed to be getting higher ratings than the 2007. I really liked this wine so I will be strongly considering picking up a bottle or two of the 2007.
The Blue Cheese dip was hit as everyone enjoyed it. I asked Mick if he would change anything and he wasn’t a big fan of the chopped walnuts sprinkled on top and we kicked around ideas and thought switching the topping to pecans might be interesting. There were leftovers that I heated up in the oven the today and found that the walnuts warmed up on top weren’t as in your face as the ones added after cooking last night so that too might be an idea. One thing I will note is this appetizer was very filling so keep that in mind if you are doing for a dinner party.
Click here for Part 2
1 comment:
Wow! I wish you had called me when Sheian was unable to make it. I'd have been there even at last minute notice. Bacon and blue cheese made even better with garlic - mouthwateringly delicious sounding.
The main and dessert looked fabulous! Don't think I have ever sampled a $400 bottle of wine, but I probably would not have been fully appreciative of the subtle nuances anyway. However, full-bodied reds are still my favourite.
I can see both sides of the wine rating issue as, had I the expertise, I'd rate on taste first and then inquire about the cost and factor that into my purchasing decision.
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