This past week has been a crap week for weather; on Wednesday we set a record for snowfall and then on Thursday we set record for coldest temperature on record for that date. This winter has been brutal and it seems like it has going on forever. Thankfully at the end of this week, Chris and Jan were hosting this Saturday night’s dinner and that was like a ray of sunshine and helped me get through the week.
The first course of the evening was a roasted pear, Brie and Ice wine soup. Jan paired this with a 2011 Joseph Phelps Chardonnay which Chris and Jan picked up directly from the Phelps Winery in California on their last trip down there.
The nose was easy to find with aromas of lemongrass, lime, lavender and marzipan with a bit of nutmeg in the background. Tasting the wine, you will find flavours of citrus (lemon/lime), nectarine, and wet stone with a touch of vanilla in the background. Structure-wise the wine had a big full mouth-feel to it and had decent balance but a touch more acidity would have be nice; on the other hand, I have been drinking a number of Sauvignon Blancs and Champagnes recently so maybe I’m a touch acidity biased. The wine was very good on its own though and had a unique and inviting style to it that was quite memorable. Unfortunately as a pairing for the soup, it didn’t work as the sweetness of the pear would throw it for a loop. An off-dry Riesling would have been a better pairing.
Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 92, Mark – 89, Amy – 89, Chris/Jan – 90.5 Overall – 90.
*Note – Kathy wasn’t drinking as she had spent most of the week recovering from the flu so Jan and Chris filled in for her rating.
Here is the LCBO information on the wine –
JOSEPH PHELPS FREESTONE VINEYARDS CHARDONNAY 2008
VINTAGES 249425
750 mL bottle
Price $ 73.95
Made in: California, USA
By: Freestone Vineyards
Release Date: Oct 15, 2012
Wine, White Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Full-bodied & Rich
Varietal: Chardonnay
Sugar Content: 4 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry
Tasting Note - A stylish cool-climate Chardonnay, intense, crisp, vibrant and concentrated, with subtle citrus and pippin apple notes giving it a juicy sensation. Ends with slate and mineral notes that are firm and focused, reverberating on the finish. Drink now through 2018. Score - 93. (James Laube, winespectator.com, April 30, 2011)
*Note – the LCBO listing is for the 2008 vintage and not the 2011 reviewed here.
The roasted pear, brie and Ice wine soup which also had a nice hit of garlic and pepper was very good. The really cool thing about this soup is I’d imagine you could have a lot of fun with it by just changing the cheese from Brie to say Blue Cheese, Old Cheddar or a Smoked Gruyere and it would be amazing with those cheese as well.
Click here for Part 2
No comments:
Post a Comment