Saturday Night – Steak, steak and more steak – Part 1

This past Saturday night I had a craving for steak so my starter and my main course were both steak based courses.  The first course was a blackened steak salad and I paired this with a 2005 Elderton Barossa Shiraz.

 

The nose on the wine had a lot going on with Black Forest cake, white pepper, mint, thyme, green pepper and coffee aromas to be found.  Tasting the wine, raspberry, fig, pepper and coffee were the main flavours with black licorice on the finish.  It was nicely balancing though the acidity was more dominant than the tannin.  The wine had a very Italian feel to it as the fruit and acidity drove this wine and it reminded me more of a Chianti than a Shiraz.  There were a lot of big flavours coming from the blacked steak salad and this wine was more than big enough to stand up to them and it made a great pairing for the dish.  The wine was also quite good on its own as I very much enjoyed drinking it after the first course was done.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 91, Mark – 90, Kathy – 90, Amy – 89, Overall – 90.

There was no LCBO information on the wine but a quick web search puts the price at $30-35 Canadian which for a wine of this caliber is a heck of deal.  I’m usually not a big Shiraz fan but a few more like this one and I will be changing my tune on this.

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – Good Friday, Better Saturday – Part 1

It was my turn to host this past Saturday night’s dinner and the wines were the driving factor behind the food this week.  The evening turned into a big appetizer night just so I could pair the 3 wines I wanted to drink.

 

I had my last bottle of 2009 Robert Mondavi “To Kalon” Fumé Blanc on the rack and knew this needed to be drank soon.  So the first course Mick did spicy shrimp and I made the mint sauce to go with it.  We have reviewed this wine a number of times and it is the second highest rated white wine in the Zippy Sauce Top 10 Whites so I won’t be reviewing it detail.  It was very good and I’m very sad as that was my last bottle of this wonderful vintage.

The second course was a 2012 D’Arenberg “Hermit Crab” Viognier which I picked up on a recent trip to the LCBO.  We have tried earlier years of this wine but haven’t had it in a bit so I thought I’d be fun to see what the latest release was like.  I did hummus and pita and a tomato feta and basil salad to go with the wine.

The nose on the was fresh with aromas of Irish Spring soap, candy cane, lilies, sea breeze, artichoke and some tropical fruit in the background.  Tasting the wine, orange zest with a touch of celery were the main flavours to the wine.  The wine at times had a slight oily texture to it but could also come across as very dry depending on what foods you were having at the time.  The wine structure-wise came across big and smooth.  It was a very strong pairing with the hummus but was a little odd with the tomatoes and feta salad.   This wine was a real Chameleon at times as the nose, taste and mouth-feel were always changing to something new; if you like dissecting a wine you will love it, if you aren’t a fan of doing this you will probably not be a fan as that always changing nature could be something that turns people off.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 89, Mark – 90, Kathy – 86, Amy – 87, Overall – 88.

 

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

 

D'ARENBERG THE HERMIT CRAB VIOGNIER/MARSANNE 2012

 

VINTAGES 662775
750 mL bottle
Price $ 19.95
Made in: South Australia, Australia
By: D'Arenberg Wines
Release Date: Mar 29, 2014
Wine, White Wine
13.1% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Aromatic & Flavourful
Varietal: Viognier/Marsanne
Sugar Content: 5 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

 

Tasting Note - Winemaker Chester Osborn has a terrific reputation for his shiraz and cabernet wines, but this white blend of Viognier with 32% Marsanne is fantastic! Not a lot of oak, but it combines with the fruit vibrancy to create an intriguingly rich and delicious wine. Aromas of apricot and white flowers with a dash of spice on the finish. Perfect for light to medium spice dishes. Viognier Marsanne food pairings: lemongrass chicken. Score - 92. (Natalie MacLean, nataliemaclean.com, December 9, 2013 )

 

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – Miso Hungry – Part 2

Click here for Part 1

 

Mick’s main course was Yakiniku beef, white rice and homemade pickles.  He served it with two dipping sauces – a Miso based one and a sweet ginger one.  His pairing for this course was a 2011 Chapel Hill Shiraz.

 

The nose on this wine was big and easy to find with aromas of blackberry, black licorice and black pepper.  Tasting the wine the dominate flavours were strawberry and eucalyptus.  The structure on the wine was decent as acidity and tannin were nicely balanced and it didn’t come across as hot from too much alcohol but the fruit was lacking.  The lack of fruit made the wine come across very dry.  This wine could best be described as “House Red”, as there was nothing offensive about it but nothing stood out about it either; which is a shame as touch more fruit and a slightly longer finish and I think this wine would have been something very special.  It was however a decent pairing with the food.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 86, Mark – 86, Kathy – 86, Amy – 86, Overall – 86.

 

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

CHAPEL HILL SHIRAZ 2011

VINTAGES 743989
750 mL bottle
Price $ 25.95
Made in: South Australia, Australia
By: Chapel Hill Winery Pt. Ltd.
Release Date: Mar 15, 2014
Wine, Red Wine
14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Full-bodied & Smooth
Varietal: Shiraz/Syrah
Sugar Content: 3 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note - Luscious black plum aromas on this Australian shiraz, with an amazing acidic zing on the palate for food. Full-bodied and supple. Perfect for diehard hedonists. This wine was designed for steak. Blackberry and vanilla smoke on this finish. Highly recommended. Shiraz food pairings: gourmet burgers, mutton with mint and coriander, pizza, barbecued beef, pork. Score - 93. (Natalie MacLean, nataliemaclean.com, March 15, 2013)

The main course was very good and I was a big fan of the savory Miso sauce with the beef and the rice and am very glad Mick went to effort of find Miso paste to bring this dish to life.

For dessert Mick picked up a selection of cupcakes which was a fun way to finish of the evening.

Thanks to Mick and Amy for hosting and to Mick for all his hard work in making three wonderful courses.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Keeping it simple

It was my turn to host this past Saturday night’s dinner but Kathy and I just got back from Las Vegas on Friday so my goal was to keep the menu simple. I decided on Steak Fajitas and picked up dessert from the grocery store. I did the Steak Fajitas for Kathy and I about a month or so ago and they were very good and since then I have been meaning to do them for Mick and Amy.

 

Mick and Amy picked up a bottle of 2006 Clarendon Hills Syrah as a birthday present for Kathy 39^th birthday and Mick has been looking forward to trying it since then. I thought it would make a good pairing for the Fajitas.

The nose was a rich mix of eucalyptus, cocoa, plum, blackberry and coffee. You could also detect the heat/alcohol on the nose which wasn’t surprise as the alcohol content was listed as 16.1%. Tasting the wine the main flavours were chocolate, concentrated raspberry juice with hints of coffee and marzipan. The wine had a huge mouth-feel to it which I really liked. Good tannin and acidity levels but the wine still came across a slightly hot. The wine was also unfiltered as there was quite a bit of sediment in all of our glasses which isn’t unexpected as more intense filtering would have taken something away from this wine. It was a good pairing for the fajitas as it was big enough to stand up to all the flavours such as salsa, sour cream and guacamole that were heaped on to the fajitas.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 90, Mark – 89, Kathy – 89, Amy – 89, Overall – 89.25.　

There was no LCBO information on the wine as it was purchased over a year ago. Mick said it was around $89 at the time. I do want add that this was certainly one of the better Australian Shirazes I’ve tried probably because it reminded me more of a high end California Cabernet Sauvignon than an Australian Shiraz as I’m not the biggest fan of Australian Shiraz.

For dessert our local grocery store had a new La Rocca dessert – Swiss Chocolate Flan with Lindt chocolate that I picked up for dessert. By this time the Clarendon Hills Syrah was long gone so I cracked a bottle of 2005 Altair which is a Chilean Bordeaux style blend. We have reviewed this wine before so I won’t go into too much detail other than to say it was a very good pairing with the dessert. The Swiss Chocolate Fran was also one of the better La Rocca desserts we’ve had in a while too.

 

Thanks to Mick and Amy for the great company and for picking up the Clarendon Hills Syrah as it did make a great focal point for the night.

　

Cheers!

　

Mark

 

Saturday Night – Kathy’s Birthday Dinner

This past Saturday, Kathy wanted to celebrate her Birthday with a romantic dinner for two at home.  She had two requests for the night – 1. Middle Lamb Loin from Cumbrae’s as the main course and 2. She wanted to pick the wine for this dish.

 

The Middle Lamb Loin from Cumbrae’s is locally raised lamb and is about the size of a decent sized Beef Tenderloin.  I marinate them in olive oil, Balsamic vinegar and chopped fresh rosemary for about 6 hours before grilling them.  To cook them, get the BBQ up to maximum heat and then sear them on each side for about a minute and half per side, then turn down the BBQ to ¼ heat and cook for 17 minutes at about 350-375.  This will cook them to rare to medium rare.

I did boiled baby potatoes and green beans as the sides and served the lamb with a nice helping of Zippy Sauce on the side. 

Kathy’s choice of wine was a 2003 “The Signature” by Yalumba which is a Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz blend.

The Signature was a dark inky purple colour that was very dense.   The nose on the wine was a rich mix of black cherry, cinnamon, white pepper, dark chocolate, eucalyptus and lead pencil.  Tasting the wine, dark berry (blackberry?), spice, oak and coffee are the main flavours.  Structure-wise the wine came across a touch thin but was very smooth and had a finish that lingered around for a very long time.  The only reason I say it was a bit thin as with the deep colour and the rich powerful nose I was expecting this wine to be a monster and have a huge mouth-feel but it was more of a medium bodied wine.  It was a lovely pairing with the lamb and the potatoes but was a little sharp with the green beans.

Here is the group rating for the wine -  Mark - 90, Kathy – 90, Overall – 90.

Here is LCBO information on the wine –

YALUMBA THE SIGNATURE CABERNET SAUVIGNON/SHIRAZ 2006
VINTAGES 528356
750 mL bottle
Price $ 51.95
Made in: South Australia, Australia
By: Negociants International
Release Date: Sep 3, 2011
Wine, Red Wine
14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Blend - Cabernet/Shiraz
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note -  The 2006 The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz is composed of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon and 31% Shiraz. Deep garnet-purple in color, it offers intense notes of blackberry preserves, warm cherries, black currant cordial plus an earthy / gamey undercurrent and nuances of marmite toast. The tight-knit medium to full-bodied palate is firmly structured with a high level of grainy tannins, high acid and just enough savory flesh giving a long finish. Approachable now, it should be best 2012 to 2018. Score - 91. (Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW, erobertparker.com, Dec. 2010)

*Please note that the 2006 listed is the current release and not the 2003 reviewed here

It looks like the LCBO is pretty much out of stock on the 2006 “The Signature” as they are only listing 4 bottles in the entire province.  If you do come across a bottle of this wine, pick it up as at $52 a bottle this wine is a heck of a value and can compete with wines at twice that price point.

It was a really fun night and I hope my lovely wife enjoyed herself as much as I did.  It is appropriate that this is a wine blog, as like a good wine, my wife gets better with age.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Bacon’s a vegetable, right?

This past Saturday night Mick and Amy were over for our usual Saturday night dinner and we were joined by Sheian and David. 

 

This was an interesting night as Sheian and David are vegetarians.  I wasn’t too concern about this as no meat wasn’t a big deal to work around especially since seafood was ok.  About a week before the dinner, Kathy got a text from Sheian that seafood was off the menu too.   At this point I was like no meat, no seafood, what the heck am I going to make for dinner?  We kicked around a number of different ideas and decided to do a buffet of appetizers – hummus with pita, a cheese tray and roasted red pepper dip with crackers, Greek salad from scratch, homemade cheese sticks with marinara, bruschetta, and Mick did up an avocado corn relish with tortillas.  As a bonus for the non-vegetarians I skewered some shrimp and Mick did grilled blacked scallops and grilled both on the barbeque.

Since we were being eclectic with the food, I decided to have some fun with the wine and went with a couple of unusual choices – a 2010 D’Arenberg Hermit Crab Viognier and a 2007 Lealtanza Rioja Reserva.  The Hermit Crab we have had many times before and we have reviewed it already.  I picked it as one of my choices as it pairs very well with hummus and I figured it would be good with the Greek salad as well and it was. 

The 2007 Lealtanza Rioja Reserva I picked as a pairing for the cheese sticks.  We haven’t had this wine before so let’s take a closer look at it –

The nose was powerful and aromatic with black pepper, nutmeg, black cherry and eucalyptus notes.  Mick added that he absolutely loved the nose on this wine and I fully agree with that comment.  Tasting the wine it was an interesting mix of cherry, green pepper and coffee flavours.  The structure on the wine was disappointing and it was tannic, needed more fruit and finished thin.  On the upside, it was a very good match with the food, especially the cheese sticks as they neutralized the tannin and brought out the fruit in the wine.  This wouldn’t be a wine that I sit and drink on its own but with tomato based pastas, NY strips steaks, ribs on the BBQ this wine would be very good pairing.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 87, Mark - 88, Kathy – 87, Amy – 87, Overall – 87.25.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

LEALTANZA RESERVA 2007
VINTAGES 208223
750 mL bottle
Price $ 19.95
Made in: Rioja, Spain
By: Bodegas Altanza S.A.
Release Date: Dec 8, 2012
Wine, Red Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content: 6 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note -  Vivid ruby. Spicy, assertive aromas of candied cherry and blackcurrant, with smoke, rose and anise accents. Sappy and seamless on the palate, which displays gently sweet cherry-cola and vanilla flavors and a hint of bitter chocolate. Finishes with good breadth and focus, leaving a suave floral note behind. Score - 90. (Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar, Sept. 2012) .

I was surprised at the end of the meal how stupid full I was and really the scallops and shrimp weren’t needed as all the other food was more than enough. 

Sheian brought dessert which was a nice selection of individual pastries and this finished the night up nicely.

A fun night with a different menu from the norm and a couple of different wines to try as well but I’m looking forward to next Saturday at Mick’s house.  I pretty sure I heard him saying something about seafood wrapped in bacon and served on a large helping of beef… 

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – As per recipe – Part 1

Mick and Amy were hosting again this week as I will be hosting back to back Saturdays in the next couple of weeks.   Mick had two new recipes on tap and three new wines selected for the night.

The first course was a curried butternut squash hummus with pita which was a recipe that Mick hadn’t tried before.  He paired this with a 2008 D’Arenberg “The Last Ditch” Viognier.

The nose was powerful with pink grapefruit, lime, banana and lilac aromas.  Tasting the wine, honeydew melon and grapefruit flavours ran the length of the wine.  The structure on the wine was good with crisp acidity but it finished a bit shaper than I would like.  I liked this as a pairing for the hummus as it really helped in quelling the spicy burn of the dish.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 87, Mark - 87, Kathy – 86, Amy – 87, Overall – 86.75.

There was no LCBO information for the wine but Mick said it was around $18 a bottle when he bought it.  You can get the D’Arenberg “Hermit Crab” which is 70% Viognier and 30% Marsanne for about the same price and I would suggest going that way as I find the Marsanne really softens and rounds out the Viognier nicely.

The curried butternut squash hummus was good except for two things – way too much garlic and way too much spice.  The recipe had both roasted garlic and uncooked garlic in it and the combo was too much, Mick will try this again in the future but will leave out the straight garlic.  Too be fair to Mick here, he did the garlic as per recipe so it wasn’t as if he added more garlic than intended.  The recipe also called for mild curry paste and Mick used the same amount but with hot curry paste which made it very potent, he will use half of the hot in the future or find mild for the next time.

Click here for Part 2

April Wine Club - Cabernet Sauvignon + Wine Auction

This past Thursday, Wine Club got together to look at three different Cabernet Sauvignon.

Here is the LCBO information on the wines -

MOUNTADAM THE RED CABERNET SAUVIGNON/MERLOT/CABERNET FRANC 2007

VINTAGES 931105
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 30.95
Wine, Red Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: South Australia, Australia
By: Mountadam Vineyard
Release Date: Feb 18, 2012

Tasting Note - Healthy colour leads into a very elegant and fine wine, with vibrant blackcurrant, cassis and cherry fruit running through the long finish; it is amazing how easily the wine has absorbed two years in new French oak barriques, and how polished the tannins are. Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc. Score - 96. (James Halliday, winecompanion.com.au, Aug. 3, 2010)

CHATEAU CHEVALIER CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2006

VINTAGES 256776
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 34.95
Wine, Red Wine
14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: California, USA
By: Spring Mountain Vineyard
Release Date: Feb 18, 2012

Tasting Note -  The Spring Mountain District is quite remote and relatively small, and the unique microclimate it enjoys has earned the region a global reputation for the flavour intensity and balance of its wines. This example delivers complex aromas of black plum, cedar, leather, cassis and blackberries. The palate it dry and full bodied with impressive flavour replays, round and soft tannins, fantastic structure and balance and a full-flavoured finish. Enjoy with grilled lamb in a warm blackberry sauce. (VINTAGES panel, May 2011)

VILAFONTÉ SERIES M (Bonus Bottle)

VINTAGES 7757
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 34.55
Wine, Red Wine
14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Made in: Region Not Specified, South Africa
By: Vilafonte
Release Date: N/A

The Mountadam was recommended by my local LCBO Vintages consultant as it was Australian and had a high Cabernet Franc percentage which is something you don’t see that often.  It has been awhile since I had done a wine from “down under” so I figured we’d give it a try.  I picked up the Chateau Chevalier from California as a comparison bottle as it was around the same price point.  As a bonus I also decided to add the Vilafonté Series M as it too was in the same price range and I really enjoyed it ( http://zippysauce.blogspot.ca/2012/03/saturday-night-two-cases-later-part-2.html ) and wanted Wine Club to try it.

I will just be reviewing the Mountadam and the Chateau Chevalier as I have reviewed the Vilafonté Series M in the link above.  I will add that the Vilafonté Series M was my favourite out of the three wines but the Mountadam wasn’t that far behind.

The nose on the Mountadam was very French, with strong aromas of lead pencil shavings, green pepper and Blackberry.  The nose on the Chateau Chevalier was milder with cedar, cranberry and raspberry notes.  Tasting the Mountadam it was a nice mix of raspberry and herbs with a nice balance of acidity and tannin; though it was more acidic than tannic but not by much.  The Chateau Chevalier had cherry as the dominate flavour but it had a bit of ‘green’ taste to it as if the grapes were under ripe.  The Chateau Chevalier’s structure wasn’t bad but the acidity and tannin were much less than the other two giving this wine a small mouth-feel.  Chateau Chevalier with its greenness and small mouth-feel could best be described as Cab-lite like a light beer is to regular beer; the flavours are all there but it just seems watered down.

Monica, a Wine Club member, brought in a selection of cheese and crackers to pair with the wines.  The cheeses were very good especially the Brie, which I normally not a huge fan of, but this one was lovely.

The Chateau Chevalier is a “won’t buy again”, the Mountadam is a bottle that I would recommend grabbing a bottle of as it is a very solid wine for its $31 price point.  

The other thing that we did after Wine Club on Thursday was have a Wine Auction.  One of the managers I worked with came to me on Wednesday and said his son won 80 bottles of wine at a charity event.  He said his son doesn’t drink wine and he doesn’t either for medical reasons and had no idea what to do with 80 bottles.  The manager mentioned that the raffle ticket said the 80 bottles were worth $2000 and asked me if this sounded right.  I told him not knowing what the wine were I couldn’t say if they were worth $2000 or not and then said you can bet that they would be worth $800 as it is fairly hard to find wines at less than $10 per bottle  He then asked if I wanted all 80 bottles for $800. 

I at first said no as I wasn’t sure what the wines were or how old they were and I have more than enough wine at home to get through but a few hours later changed my mind.  I hit up Wine Club members and asked if they would be interested in 8 bottles of wine for $80 and in less than 20 minutes had 9 people interested.  I told the manager I’d take it and he checked with his son and his son was more than happy to turn the wine into $800 cash.  The manager brought all the wine in the next day which happed to be the same day as our Wine Club meeting.

I looked through the cases and the second bottle I pulled out was an Italian 2008 Tignanello which is $100 at the LCBO.  I started to doubt my wisdom about split these wines ten ways!  There were lots of French, Italian and Spanish wines in the first couple of cases but after that I would say at least half the wines were domestics and I didn’t find anything else on the same level as the Tignanello.  I put all the wines out on the counter so they were displayed.

We drew cards during Wine Club to determine who picked in what order and I got 4th pick.  The Tignanello went first, there were two Amarone that went 2nd and 3rd.  I grab a Brunello di  Montalcino as my choice.  After the first ten picks we reversed the order so the person who picked 10th, got the 11th pick as well and the person who picked 1st got the 20th pick.  This meant I had the 16th pick and grabbed a Chianti Classico as my pick. 

In the later rounds I got a bottle of ice wine from a winery I’d never heard of, a Speck family reserve Chardonnay from Henry of Pelham, a French red that was a GSM blend, and two VQA wines that I gave to two girls in the office.  When I did some quick LCBO searches I total up the six bottles I kept to $143… not bad for $80.  The rest of wine club members were between $140 and $240 and were happy with what they got as well. 

The auction itself was a hoot as when you were on the clock people were pushing you to make a quick pick so it got your blood pumping and we were laughing and having a good time with it.  I would do this again in a heartbeat but I don’t expect to come across this type of opportunity again anytime soon.

Cheers!

Mark

December Wine Club – Bonus Tasting

After our regular six month long session of Wine Club we change up the format and do a bonus tasting.  In the first six months, I buy a case each month and we split the case eleven ways and do a tasting with the 12th bottle and normally have another bottle of something else as a comparison bottle.  For the bonus tasting there is no take home bottle so it is just two bottles for the tasting and that’s it; this usually allows us to pick up a couple of wines at a much higher price point than usual.

Here is the LCBO information on both of the wines we had for the bonus tasting –

BERINGER PRIVATE RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2005

VINTAGES 149955
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 99.95
Wine, Red Wine
14.6% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: California, USA
By: Treasury Wine Estates
Release Date: Jun 11, 2011

Description - This vintage is being offered at a special one-time reduced price. Robert Parker awarded it 92 points and Stephen Tanzer rated it 94.

Tasting Note - Offers richness, concentration and depth while remaining elegant and supple, focusing on the ripe, spicy currant, mineral, herb and sage notes. Ends with a measure of finesse and polish, with the right mix of tannins. Drink now through 2016. Score - 93. (James Laube, Wine Spectator, Oct. 15, 2008)

YALUMBA THE SIGNATURE CABERNET SAUVIGNON/SHIRAZ 2006

VINTAGES 528356
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 51.95
Wine, Red Wine
14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: South Australia, Australia
By: Negociants International
Release Date: Sep 3, 2011

Tasting Note - The 2006 The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz is composed of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon and 31% Shiraz. Deep garnet-purple in color, it offers intense notes of blackberry preserves, warm cherries, black currant cordial plus an earthy / gamey undercurrent and nuances of marmite toast. The tight-knit medium to full-bodied palate is firmly structured with a high level of grainy tannins, high acid and just enough savory flesh giving a long finish. Approachable now, it should be best 2012 to 2018. Score - 91. (Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW, erobertparker.com, Dec. 2010)

The two wines were both excellent but in different ways.  The nose on the Beringer’s was more aromatic of the two with cassis, raspberry, green pepper and leather whereas the Yalumba it was black pepper, strawberry and mint.  Tasting the two wines, the Beringer’s had flavours of cherry, mint, coffee and a leathery flavour to it.  The Yalumba was all fruit with blueberry, blackberry and raspberry notes.  The structure on both was good but the Beringer’s was more tannic than the Yalumba and the Yalumba acidity was more pronounced than the Beringer’s. 

I brought in bars of Lindt 70% dark chocolate and a LaRocca Hazelnut Bomb Chocolate cake to go with the wines.  The general consensus was the Beringer’s was the favourite with the dark chocolate and the Yalumba was the better wine with the Cake.  Overall the Yalumba was the bigger hit as most people liked both wines equally but once the price points were taken into account (the Yalumba at just over half the price of the Beringer’s) was the winner.

We will be looking at more wines again for Wine Club in January when we start the next session and I’m already looking forward to it.

Note - the Blog is probably going to be quiet until the New Year as the next couple of weekends we all have different Christmas obligations to attend so we won’t be together again until New Year’s Eve.  So I will take this time to wish my 3 or 4 loyal readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday night – Mick’s Mom joins us for dinner – Part 2

Click here for Part 1

For the third course I did Hummus with Pita and a Tomato salad with Greek feta and fresh herbs. I paired this with a 2006 d'Arenberg “The Hermit Crab” Viognier-Marsanne. This wine we have had a number of times so I won’t be reviewing it in detail. It was its usual excellent pairing with the hummus and was good with the tomato salad.

Irene wanted the recipe I used to make the hummus -
http://mideastfood.about.com/od/appetizerssnacks/r/hummusbitahini.htm so here it is. Couple of notes, it asks for 3-5 Tablespoons of Lemon – go with 3 Tablespoons and not a drop more. I like lemon but find any more than the 3 Tablespoons and it is too much. Also it asks for 2 cloves of garlic… just do the 2 cloves as any more and the garlic will over power everything.

Irene wanted the recipe I used for my hummus -

For the main course, Mick and I decided to ‘kick it Old School’ and went with NY Strips with Zippy Sauce and grilled veggies as a side. I picked a bottle of 2002 Robert Mondavi "Oakville" Cabernet Sauvignon as my pairing for this course.

The nose on the wine was anise, cedar, raspberry, blackberry and green pepper. Tasting the wine you’ll notice big fruit flavours of black cherry, blackberry and cassis. Considering this wine was a 2002, I was very surprised at how much fruit was there. The structure on the wine was very nice with soft tannin, good acidity and great fruit; this wine has aged very well. It was a great pairing with the food.

Here is the group rating for the wine – Mick - 90, Mark - 90, Kathy – 87, Amy – 89, Overall – 89.


There is no LCBO information on this wine but I’m pretty sure I picked this up at the LCBO years ago for around $60.

For dessert I picked up a La Rocca “Ruby Red Velvet” cake for dessert which made a nice ending to the meal.

It was fun having Irene join us and it was a fun night of good food, wine and conversation and you really can’t ask for much more than that!


Cheers!


Mark

Saturday Night – Six makes it a party!

Last Saturday night we added Pat and Jack to our usual Saturday night dinner with Mick and Amy. I had a new Chilean Viognier that I wanted to try so my first course was hummus and pita which happens to be a great pairing for Viognier. I also did a Tomato and Feta salad to go with this course as well.

"Hummus, Tomato and Feta"

The nose on the 2009 Anakena Viognier was pretty with gooseberry, peach, lychee and cut grass. Tasting the wine you’ll notice a grapefruit flavour running the length of the wine. The mid-palate and finish of the wine had a slight bitterness to it that I wasn’t keen on. It was a decent pairing with the food.

"Not a bad little wine for $14"

Here is the group rating for the wine – Mick - 85, Mark - 84, Kathy – 85, Amy – 85, Overall – 84.75.


Here is the LCBO Information on the wine –

ANAKENA SINGLE VINEYARD VIOGNIER 2009


VINTAGES 45138
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 13.95
Wine, White Wine
13.7% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Chile, Chile
By: A.F. Arco Iris S.A.
Release Date: Jan 8, 2011

Tasting Note - Very pale with a green tint; peach and honeysuckle nose; sweet peachy fruit, lively acidity. Full-bodied. Score - 89. (Tony Aspler, www.tonyaspler.com, A Wine Lover's Diary, Sept. 14, 2009)

"A Zippy Sauce Top Ten White"

The six of us killed this bottle pretty quickly so I opened a bottle of D’Arenberg "Hermit Crab" Viognier I had on hand. After a sip or two of the D’Arenberg Viognier it was very apparent why it is on the Zippy Sauce Top Ten Whites and the Anakena is not as it was an absolutely stunning pairing with the food. (Click the link in the Zippy Sauce Top Ten Whites for the earlier review of this wine).

"Mmm... Shrimp, Lobster and Steak"

For the main course I did Beef Tenderloin with lobster and grilled shrimp topped with Béarnaise sauce and baby white potatoes and sugar snap peas as the sides. I was in the mood for a big yummy Cabernet to go with this dish and was originally leaning towards something from Bordeaux but then came across the 2004 Altaïr from Chile (see Zippy Sauce Top Ten Reds for earlier review) and went with it instead. This wine was even better than the first time I had it and was so good that I cracked a second bottle to get us through dinner.

"A Zippy Sauce Top Ten Red"

I still have two bottles of the 2004 Altaïr left on the rack and look forward to trying them in a few years as this wine still tastes a bit young and it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if it is even better down the road. The 2004 is no longer available at the LCBO but the 2005 Altaïr is listed on Vintages Online. The 2005 has the same 94 Wine Spectator rating as the 2004 did so hopefully it is just as good. I will be ordering myself a few bottles of the 2005 and will review it once it comes in.

"No Drunken Review on this one folks!"

For dessert we had a selection of dark chocolate and I opened a 2001 Phelan Vineyards "Napa Valley" Cabernet Sauvignon. It was a nice fruit forward Cabernet that went well with the chocolate. I didn’t make notes on this wine so unfortunately there is no review for this wine. There was also a bottle of Yalumba Antique Tawny (Port) that I opened which was good at the time but my pounding headache today thinks that might have be a mistake on my part.

"Brix 70% Dark Chocolate"

"Lindt 70% Dark Chocolate"

"Good Port = Bad Hangover"

It was great seeing Pat and Jack again and thanks to Mick who grilled the Tenderloins and the Shrimp for me while I was busying in the kitchen with sauce, veggies, lobster, etc. as he did an awesome job with both.


Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Old Favourites – Part 2

For the main course I did Island Pork. Here is the link to the recipe –

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Island-Pork-Tenderloin-Salad-108103

It is an odd recipe to do during winter, as I think of this one as more of Spring/Summer recipe but doing this recipe in winter does make me forget the cold for a moment or two.

"Island Pork Tenderloin"

I picked a 2001 Yalumba Barossa Shiraz as my pairing for this dish. In the past I usually pair Island Pork with red Zinfandel (which is a great pairing) but my lovely wife has been asking me for a Shiraz pairing recently and I thought this dish would work with it.

"Pork Tenderloin with Spice Rub"

The nose on the Yalumba was big with black cherry and licorice with a hint of black pepper. Tasting the wine, flavours of cherry, eucalyptus and dark chocolate are noticeable. The structure of the wine was good with smooth/ velvety tannin and medium acidity. The finish on the wine was very brief which was a bit of a surprise. It did make a good pairing with the Island pork, but I personally would have preferred a Zinfandel.

"Another solid Shiraz from Yalumba"

Here is the group rating for the wine – Mick - 88, Mark - 88, Kathy – 88, Amy – 87, Overall – 87.75

I have no LCBO information for this wine. It looks like the current release is 2008 so I have had this wine on the rack for a few years. If memory serves I believe it was around a $30-35 price point.

Click here for Part 3

Saturday Night – Burnt or Salmonella – Part 2

For the second course of the evening Mick prepared a Baked Spicy Shrimp recipe. The shrimp were breaded in a spicy coating, pan fried briefly and then covered with cheese before being transferred to the oven to bake in individual ceramic dishes. He served the baked shrimp with a tomato-based salsa. Mick paired the dish with a 2008 d’Arenberg “The Last Ditch” Viognier.

"Spicy baked shrimp with cheesy goodness"

The nose on the wine was kind of funky as it was a mix of burnt popcorn and roses. Tasting the wine was interesting as you get a quick hit of pear and then the wine just disappears from your mouth, leaving you with a very faint taste of vanilla. The best way I can describe this wine is like throwing a drop of water on a hot plate - you get a brief sizzle and then poof it is gone. The shrimp were very spicy and unfortunately this wine did nothing to cool the spicy burn. It was an OK pairing with the shrimp but I’d lean towards a French Sauvignon Blanc as a pairing with this dish in the future.

Here is the group rating for the wine – Mick - 86, Mark - 83, Kathy – 84, Amy - 85, Overall – 85.5.

"Pure Viognier"

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

D'ARENBERG THE LAST DITCH VIOGNIER 2008


Vintages 25064
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 19.95
Wine, White Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: Australia, Australia
By: D'Arenberg Wines
Release Date: Apr 3, 2010


Tasting Note - Bright and jazzy, with a tart edge and lots of lemon and lime character mixing with the floral and pear flavors. Finishes with zip. Drink now. Score - 89. (Harvey Steiman, www.winespectator.com, Nov. 30, 2009)
I liked this new recipe it was way too spicy and buried the flavour of the pink shrimp. Albeit I was worried that frying and then baking the shrimp would dry them out, Mick cooked the shrimp themselves to perfection..

Click here for Part 3

Saturday Night – Shrimpageddon – Part 3

Click here for Part 1

The final shrimp course of the evening was a baked shrimp dish with feta and diced tomatoes. Mick paired this with a 2007 D’Arenberg Hermit Crab Viognier.

"Good but missing something..."

The nose on the wine moderate with aromas of honey, grass and pine. There is an oiliness that Mick and I always enjoy but I think it puts the ladies off a bit. The wine had a vanilla flavour that dominated the wine. The acidity on the wine was decent and between that and the oiliness gives the wine a full rounded mouth feel. It was a good pairing with the dish as it contrasted nicely against it.

"Wonderful wine!"

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 89, Mark – 89, Kathy – 85, Amy – 86, Overall – 87.25.

Here is the LCBO information for this wine –

D'Arenberg "The Hermit Crab" Viognier/Marsanne 2008

Vintages 662775
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 17.95
Wine, White Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: South Australia, Australia
By: D'Arenberg Wines
Release Date: Jan 23, 2010

Tasting Note - (a 72/28 blend) Light, bright gold. Pungent aromas of tangerine, poached pear and floral honey over a subtle underpinning of minerals. Supple, gently sweet orchard fruit and melon flavors are firmed by a citrus zest quality and pick up an exotic floral note on the back end. This juicy, fruit-driven wine will work well with spicy foods. Score - 89. (Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar, July/Aug. 2009)

* Note – this LCBO listing is for the 2008 and not the 2007 reviewed here.

The baked shrimp was probably the weakest of the three new recipes but it was pretty good, it just seemed to be missing a certain something to make stand out and ‘wow’ you.

It was great trying three completely new recipes and a couple of new wines. I’d like to thank Mick and Amy for hosting this week.

Cheers!

Mark