For the main course I did beef tenderloin Oscar (Béarnaise sauce, shrimp and lobster topping) with sides of baby potatoes and sugar snap peas.
We actually opened and poured out the 2003 Paul Hobbs "Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon with the first course so we could try it and the Grgich Hills side by side. With the blue cheese dip the Grgich Hills was the better pairing, so let’s see how they both do with the main course.
The nose on the Paul Hobbs was cedar, tobacco, plum, dried cherry and leather at first and then as the wine sat for a bit and opened up, coffee aromas dominated the wine. With the blue cheese dip the two flavours we got from the wine was dark chocolate and orange liquor. The dark chocolate wasn’t a big surprise but I was stunned to find the orange liquor flavour on a Cab. As the wine sat for a while the orange liquor went away and was replaced with blueberry but dark chocolate stayed as the primary flavour. The structure on this wine was perfectly balanced but with more acidity and tannin which gave the wine a much bigger mouth-feel than the Grgich Hills Cab. With the beef tenderloin, the Paul Hobbs really shined as the pairing was heavenly. Funny enough the Grgich Hills got a bit funky with the beef tenderloin, it was still a decent pairing just nowhere good as it was with the blue cheese dip.
Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 91, Mark - 90, Kathy – 92, Amy – 91, Overall – 91.
Here is the LCBO information on the wine -
PAUL HOBBS BECKSTOFFER TO KALON CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2006
VINTAGES 118794
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 224.00
Wine, Red Wine
15.3% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: California, USA
By: Paul Hobbs Imports Inc.
Release Date: May 10, 2011
Tasting Note - Not surprisingly, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard is a profound Cabernet Sauvignon. The equivalent of a Bordeaux first-growth Pauillac, it boasts abundant quantities of creme de cassis, lead pencil shavings, cedar, and subtle smoky oak and espresso notes. Atypically sexy for a 2006, it is full-bodied with oodles of concentrated black fruits, stunning purity and length, and a finish that lasts for nearly a minute. It should hit its apogee in 3-4 years, and last for three decades or more. Score - 96+. (Robert Parker Jr., erobertparker.com, Dec. 2008)
Please note that this listing is for the 2006 and not the 2003 reviewed here. Once again this was a wine purchased in the US. Kathy was actually the one who put this in the cart and I remember questioning her on the $265 US price tag (close to $400 Canadian after duty, taxes and exchange).
The overall rating of 91 gets this wine into the Zippy Sauce Top Ten Reds.
Now a bit of disclosure, the four of us got into a bit of heated debate over our ratings on this wine. Mick and I, when rating wines, will take price point into account whereas the ladies don’t. Mick and I both loved this wine and I can say it is easily in the top five red wines we have ever tried and yet I gave it a 90 and Mick gave it a 91. My issue with this wine is its price - at close to $400 a bottle this is not an everyday wine and while I really liked it, I like the 2003 Insignia better and it is $265 Canadian a bottle. This is why I feel I have to take price point into consideration, if I can get a wine for less money that I like more, then in my mind that is going to hurt the rating. I can see where the ladies have a point that you should just rate the wine strictly on its merits of the wine and not the price but unless you are Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, price is an issue. The nice thing is with Mick and I worrying about price in our ratings and the wives not doing so the overall rating is usually pretty fair.
For dessert I picked up a Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Bombe cake. Amy was the only person who had some of the Paul Hobbs left at this point and was gracious enough to share a sip with each of us. This pairing was even better than the Paul Hobbs and beef tenderloin pairing and had me looking with longing at my now very empty wine glass.
Mark
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