Saturday Night – The Peppers Strike Back – Part 1

This past Saturday night Mick and Amy were hosting and Mick had one new dish and a couple of favourites on tap for the evening.

 

The first course was grilled prosciutto wrapped curried shrimp and Mick paired this with a 2006 Reichsgraf van Kesselstatt Kabinett Riesling.

The nose was fairly powerful for a Riesling with aromas of buttered popcorn, petrol, peaches and floral notes.  Tasting the wine, canned peaches in syrup and mango were the two main flavours.  The wine was nicely balanced but was slightly cloying and the finish disappeared quickly.  The wine was OK on its own but very good with the shrimp.

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

Reichsgraf Von Kesselstatt Kaseler Nies'chen Riesling Kabinett 2006
VINTAGES#: 940809
Price : $19.95
Release Date: August 16, 2014
750 mL bottle
Alcohol/Vol 9.0%
Made in: Mosel, Germany
By: Reichsgraf Von Kesslerstatt
Sugar Content:46 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry
Style: Aromatic & Flavourful
Varietal:Riesling

Description - The Kaseler Nies'chen Kabinett has chipped stone and allspice aromas typical of the blue slate soil here. In the mouth, the wine is more like a Spätlese than a Kabinett with a fair degree of sweetness, but good firmness and stoniness and incipient white peach fruit. Drink now or let it age 5+ years. Score - 91. (Claude Kolm, The Fine Wine Review, Issue 120, 2008.

The grilled prosciutto wrapped curried shrimp were nice to have as it has been quite a while since we have had them.

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Saturday Night – Amy, in the Kitchen, with the Wine Bottle – Part 1

Mick and Amy were hosting this past Saturday night’s dinner.  The blog title comes from a reference to the game “Clue”.  The wine that was paired with the main course had one of the heaviest glass bottles I have ever come across; if you wanted to bludgeon someone to death with a wine bottle this would be your weapon of choice.

 

Mick had two appetizers on tap for us this evening.  The first one was oysters and a half bottle of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.  We have reviewed this wine before so I will just say it was a good pairing for the oysters which were also yummy.

The second appetizer was an old favourite – Prosciutto wrapped curried shrimp and Mick paired this with a 2011 Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Kabinett Riesling.

The nose on the wine was a pleasant mix of petrol, lime, peach, chalk and yeast.  Tasting the wine the dominate flavours were peach and sweet lemonade with a touch of tropical fruit in the background.  The wine had a bit of frizzante happening with it which gave it a nice lighter mouth-feel; it was like the wine was ¾ Riesling and ¼ Asti Spumante.  The acidity levels were decent but the wine was quite sweet and at times came across a touch cloying.  It did make a good pairing with the curried shrimp and also helped lessen the burn from the spiciness of the shrimp.

 

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

 

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

 

DR. PAULY-BERGWEILER BERNKASTELER BADSTUBE RIESLING KABINETT 2011

 

VINTAGES 33407
750 mL bottle
Price $ 17.75
Made in: Mosel, Germany
By: Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler
Release Date: Jul 20, 2013
Wine, White Wine
8.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Aromatic & Flavourful
Varietal: Riesling Kabinett
Sugar Content: 57 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: MS - Medium Sweet

 

Tasting Note - Fruity and juicy up front, but supported by a steely frame of acidity. Shows hints of tropical fruit, including mango and papaya, with a graceful finish of smoke and spice. Drink now through 2023. Score - 89. (Kim Marcus, winespectator.com, Nov. 30, 2012)

 

The Prosciutto wrapped curried shrimp were very good, though they were probably by a good margin the spiciest version of them that we ever had. 

 

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – Getting Figgy with it – Part 1

Mick and Amy were hosting this past Saturday Night’s dinner and Mick had three new dishes for us to try and two new wines. This was an interesting dinner as Mick went with three indoor dishes vs. using the BBQ to make any of them, so we were certainly taking the "Grill Master" out of his element and it will be interesting to see if he is up to the challenge.

 

The first course was pan fried shrimp in a mild sauce (I can’t remember the exact name of the dish, but I was stunned by the number of different herbs and spices in the dish). The sauce came out in an angry looking orange-red colour which when I first saw it my first question to Mick was "how hot are these puppies?" He said that they shouldn’t be too spicy and he was right they were fairly mild, the funny thing is the spices made the shrimp taste like they were wrapped in bacon. I joked that Mick should grab some Tofu and cook it exactly like the shrimp and he would have made perfect bacon free bacon. The shrimp dish was very good. Mick paired a 2011 Dr. Loosen "Red Slate" Dry Riesling with this dish.

The nose was very faint but aromas of pineapple, lemon and peaches could be found. Tasting the wine really caught me off guard as I missed the "Dry" on the label and assumed this would a Kabinett done in an off-dry style. Once I adjusted to the fact that it wouldn’t be sweet, I found flavours of grapefruit and candied ginger as the two main ones. I found the wine too thin and bitter at times and really didn’t like with the shrimp dish as a pairing. We had this wine with the next course and it was a much better pairing with it.

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

DR. LOOSEN RED SLATE RIESLING DRY 2011

VINTAGES 295923
750 mL bottle
Price $ 16.80
Made in: Mosel, Germany
By: Weingut Dr Loosen
Release Date: Oct 27, 2012
Wine, White Wine
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Riesling
Sugar Content: 9 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: D - Dry

Description - A study in terroir, this estate-grown dry Riesling is sourced from red slate vineyards in the steep Mosel valley (as opposed to the famous blue slate vineyards of the same region). It has intense minerality as well as floral, spice and crisp apple notes. Vibrant and well-balanced, this juicy wine would pair beautifully with fresh lighter seafood dishes, roast turkey or rotisserie chicken.

The next course was a Camembert, Prosciutto and Fig Salad in a light oil dressing. As I mention earlier the pairing worked much better with this dish then with the shrimp. The figs really gave this dish a nice pop and overall it was a very good dish.

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – Mick is pulling out all the stops – Part 2

The second course of Prosciutto wrapped curried shrimp was an old favourite that Mick hasn’t done in a while so it was nice to see it return to the menu. Mick mentioned to me earlier in the week that this would be one of the courses and I begged him to let me provide the wine to go with it. I had a German sparkling Riesling that I’d picked up a month or so ago and really wanted to try. The problem was the wine was done in a drier style so it probably wouldn’t have been a good pairing with what we usually pair Kabinett Rieslings with. The Prosciutto wrapped shrimp though were on the savory side so I figured they would make a very good pairing for it. Mick was up for trying this wine so a Non-vintage Schloss Wachenheim Sparkling Riesling was our pairing.

 

The nose on the wine was easy to find with aromas of peach, honey and yeast in the forefront with cantaloupe husk and petrol in the background. Tasting the wine you will find lively flavours of melon, lemon, tangerine and honey. There was a slight sweetness to the wine so it came across less dry then a French Champagne and was more like an Italian Prosecco in style. It was a very light wine that was easy drinking with light acidity and a nice balance to it. It was more of a contrasting pairing with the shrimp as it very quickly cleansed the palate and was very good at washing away the spicy burn of the dish. It was a good pairing with the shrimp but not ideal as we’ve had better pairings in the past. It was very good on its own and is a friendly wine that most people will enjoy.

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

Bonus Rating – Chris – 88, Jan – NA (Jan said she hasn’t had enough sparkling wines to feel comfortable about giving this wine a rating).

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

SCHLOSS WACHENHEIM RIESLING TROCKEN TRADITIONELLE FLASCHENGÄRUNG SEKT

VINTAGES 301366
750 mL bottle
Price $ 10.75
CLEARANCE SALE
Was: $ 14.65
Now: $ 10.75
Save: $ 3.90
Clearance Sale products offer price reductions of Wines, Spirits & Beers - on some familiar brands! Clearance product supplies are limited. Product selection may vary by store. No transfers between stores. In-store shopping only. Prices & savings subject to change.
Made in: Pfalz, Germany
By: Sektkellerei Schloss Wachenheim Ag
Release Date: Jan 5, 2013
Wine, Sparkling Wine, White
11.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Riesling
Sugar Content: 21 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: D - Dry

Description - Traditionelle Flaschengärung translates as traditional bottle fermentation, meaning it is made in the same manner as Champagne. This is a rare technique that is not often used with Riesling.

Tasting Note - Opens with delightful floral notes, white peach, apple, pear, toast and a touch of strawberry. Off-dry and soft on the palate with a slightly waxy texture and good mousse. A wave of bright acidity makes for a crisp, dry, tasty finish. (VINTAGES panel, April 2012)

This wine was a good deal at $14.65 a bottle but at $10.75 it is a steal and I’d strongly recommend that you hit your local LCBO and grab a bottle or 2 (or 12).

Click here for Part 3

Saturday Night – Return of the Spice Weasel – Part 1

Mick and Amy were hosting this past Saturday night’s dinner.  Mick had two new recipes and three new wines on tap for us to try.

 

The first course however was an old favourite recipe – Prosciutto wrapped curried shrimp grilled on the barbeque.  Mick paired this with a 2010 Schloss Schönborn Kabinett Riesling. 

The nose on the wine was a pleasing mix of pear, apple and lilac.  Tasting the wine green apple and mandarin were the two dominate flavours.  The wine was fairly straight forward and simple, crisp but a touch sweet as the acidity was good but it could have used a touch more to help offset the sweetness.  The wine also had a very short finish which disappeared very quickly.  It was very easy drinking and made a decent pairing with Prosciutto shrimp but it didn’t help much too alleviate the spicy burn unlike Fume Blanc and Spicy Shrimp.

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

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine –

SCHLOSS SCHÖNBORN HATTENHEIMER PFAFFENBERG RIESLING KABINETT 2010
VINTAGES 70946
750 mL bottle
Price $ 18.95
Made in: Rheingau, Germany
By: Karl Graf V. Schonborn
Release Date: Nov 10, 2012
Wine, White Wine
9.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Riesling Kabinett
Sugar Content: 44 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: M - Medium

Tasting Note - Young and fruity-tasting, with apple and pear flavors that feature good cut and vibrancy. The crisp finish features plenty of fresh acidity. Drink now through 2020. Score - 88. (Kim Marcus, winespectator.com, Web Only, 2012)

The Prosciutto wrapped shrimp were good but were way too spicy as the burn of the spice tended to overpower all the other flavours of this dish.  Mick is an exceptional cook but his one small flaw is that he tends to squeeze the Spice Weasel a little too hard at times and the problem is once you have added too much spice there isn’t a heck of a lot that you can do about that.

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – Trying not to Boar anyone – Part 1

This Saturday it was my turn to host our usual Saturday night dinner. The only snag was Mick and I had tickets to go drive a Lamborghini around a track for a few laps at 3:00pm that afternoon. Getting to and from the track plus the time spent at the events meant a good chunk of my afternoon was gone, so keeping the dinner preparations simple was my main goal.

 

Friday I hit Cumbrae’s in Dundas (see link on the right) as I wanted some middle lamb loin for the main course as Mick and Amy were asking why I hadn’t made these for them yet after Kathy was raving about her birthday dinner.  I picked those up but they also had wild boar sausage on display which Kathy and I have had before and really love.  They also had a very nice looking Waldorf styled salad which I also grabbed. 

So the first course was the Waldorf salad and taster size wild boar sausage with Zippy Sauce.  As the Waldorf salad had apples, grapes and pecans I wanted a wine that could handle the sweetness of those ingredients, so I went with a 2009 Schloss Reinhartshausen Kabinett Riesling as my pairing.

 

The nose the wine was mild but complex with aromas of peach, green apple, pear, honey, lilac and a very faint aroma of petrol.  Tasting the wine you will find green apple tempered with pear as the main flavours.  Amy described the wine as being very clean tasting and I believe she was dead on with that assessment as the acidity was fresh without being overbearing and the sweetness was there but thanks to the good acidity didn’t come even remotely close to being cloying; all in all a very well balanced wine.  It was an amazing pairing with the Waldorf salad and a pretty good pairing for the wild boar sausage which I was worried about as I wasn’t sure how the Boar sausage and Riesling would work together.

 

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

 

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine –

 

SCHLOSS REINHARTSHAUSEN HATTENHEIMER WISSELBRUNNEN RIESLING KABINETT 2009
VINTAGES 114801
750 mL bottle
Price $ 17.95
Made in: Rheingau, Germany
By: Schloss Reinhartshausen
Release Date: Aug 4, 2012
Wine, White Wine
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Riesling
Sugar Content: 46 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: M - Medium

 

Tasting Note - A hedonistic sweet-edged riesling from a renowned producer who once tried to grow chardonnay in Germany. Tangerine, apple, jasmine, lime candy drops and a lemon tart delivery. Mouth-wateringly good. Score - 91. (Gordon Stimmell, The Toronto Star, Aug. 22, 2011)

 

This Riesling for $18 was a heck of a deal for the price point as it is exceptionally solid, unfortunately the LCBO is showing 3 bottles left in the entire province so there is no more to be had.  The nice thing is the release date is showing August so I will have to look for the 2010 vintage in the near future.

 

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – A Thank You Dinner – Part 1

This past Saturday night, Cathy and Tom joined our usual group of four for a dinner I’d been meaning to do for a while. Tom was our contractor when we did our home renovations a couple of years ago and his wife Cathy works in the same building as I do. Tom was amazing during our renovations and I dread to think of what the process would have been like without his help. So I really wanted to do a ‘Thank You’ dinner for him.

 

My other motivation was Cathy a couple of times in the last six months has gone to the Keg for dinner and would always rave about how great it was.  I don’t mind the Keg but the steaks we do at home are so much better than what the Keg offers.

My Menu for the night was as follows –

Lobster Chowder with Roederer Champagne
Poached Pear Salad with2009 Forster Jesuitengarten Spätlese Riesling
Beef Tenderloin and Grilled Shrimp with Béarnaise sauce and Green Beans and Baby Potatoes with a 2005 Beringer’s Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Baked Apple Tart with Almond Custard with a 2005 Henry of Pelham Botrytis Affect Late Harvest Riesling

The Lobster Chowder was a new ‘recipe’ which wasn’t an actual recipe but a mash up of a number of different soup recipes I have done before.  I was looking for something rich and decadent that put the focus squarely on the Lobster meat in the soup.   I bought 3 lobsters and had them steamed.  I removed the claw and tail meat from them and then the bodies and shells went into a stock pot.  I made a Lobster stock from this which took about an hour.  While this was happening, I cooked 8 slices of bacon that I’d diced and then set it to the side.  I then cooked two dice onions and five cloves of garlic in some butter until the onion were soft and slight golden in my main soup pot.  I added the bacon and corn shaved from 10 ears of corn (sounds like a lot of corn but they were small ears) to the pot and then added my Lobster Stock and brought to a boil and then simmered for 20 minutes. 

I set the pot to the side and let it cool and then pureed the whole thing until it was smooth.  I then add ½ cup of Sour Cream, ½ cup of Sherry and 4 cups of whipping cream and mixed it all together.  A touch of salt and a healthy whack of crushed black pepper and then simmered for about 15 minutes to let it thicken slightly.  I then let it cool and put it in the fridge overnight.

The day just before dinner, I heated the soup back up and then added the lobster meat just before serving.  I garnished the bowls with some chopped chives and a touch of cracked pepper. 

The soup was very good and it certainly was rich and decadent so ‘Mission Accomplished’ there.  The surprise of the night was how good a pairing the Roederer Champagne was with the soup.  I thought it would be a decent pairing but it was much better than that.  The Champagne really cut through the richness of the soup and had a lovely lime and tangerine flavour to it that the soup brought out.

The next course was Poached Pear Salad.  The salad is a base of baby spinach with a raspberry vinaigrette with poached pears, blue cheese and spiced pecans.  This was paired with a 2009 Forster Jesuitengarten Spätlese Riesling.

The nose on the Riesling was an interesting mix of soap, oil, melon and petrol. Tasting the wine, flavours of melon, pear and some tropical fruit are to be found.  I was surprised, as for a Spätlese, it was nowhere near as sweet as I was expecting; it was sweet enough to deal with the sweetness of the pears and the dressing however so that was good.  It was nicely balanced and had a finish that lingered around for quite a while.   It was a good pairing with salad and I’m happy to say I have another bottle of this in the cellar.

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

REICHSRAT VON BUHL FORSTER JESUITENGARTEN RIESLING SPÄTLESE 2009

VINTAGES 946673
750 mL bottle
Price $ 24.95
Made in: Pfalz, Germany
By: Weingut Rvb Gmbh-Von Buhl
Release Date: Dec 8, 2012
Wine, White Wine
9.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Riesling
Sugar Content: 41 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: MS - Medium Sweet
Tasting Note -  Von Buhl pulled way back on the residual sugar in their 2009 Forster Jesuitengarten Riesling Spatlese compared with other recent vintages, and the result is more than sweet enough to support both its decadent, musky floral perfume of peony and heliotrope and its very ripe peach fruit, yet discreet enough to be well-balanced even for immediate consumption. Peach kernel, green herbs, salt, and crushed stone all serve for fascinating counterpoint, and a soothingly creamy texture is allied to refreshing primary juiciness and lift. This ought to delight for at least a dozen years; though I am not convinced it is structured for longer-keeping. Score - 91. (David Schildknecht, erobertparker.com, Feb. 2011)

This was an odd Spätlese and by our ratings you can see the opinions were mixed.  Mick and I really liked this Spätlese for its subtleness whereas I think Amy was looking for a more ‘in your face’ type of Spätlese.  Either way it was fun to try something new.

Click here for Part 2

Friday Night – Thanks Mom!

For Christmas of 2011, my mom bought Kathy and I a Groupon deal that entailed a professional Chef coming to the house and cooking a dinner for 4.  We kind of procrastinated on setting this up and didn’t get around to booking it until late August.  Between our schedules and Chef Jonathan’s, we ended up booking for Friday Jan. 11th 2013 as our date.

 

This past Friday was the date and we got together with Mick and Amy and Chef Jonathan came by to make us dinner. 

The first course was a wide range of foods, flavours and sauces so we decided to crack two different wines to accompany them.  The two bottles were a Roederer Champagne and a 2011 Darting Kabinett Gewurztraminer.

Here was the first course – Caesar bites wrapped in Proscuitto, Endive  topped with cream cheese, cranberry and pecans, beef skewers and rice paper wrapped vegetable medley.  They were served with a peanut sauce, a spicy mango sauce, spicy jerk sauce with mayo and very hot sauce which I don’t recall the exact name of.  As you can see, this is a very wide range of different tastes and I was concerned how the wines would pair.

 

We have reviewed the Roederer before so I won’t go into it again here but we did review the Darting.

 

The nose on the Darting was an interesting mix lavender, floral soap and lychee.  Tasting the wine, you’ll  find mango and pear flavours that run the length of the wine.  There was a slight oiliness to the wine but the fresh acidity did a nice job of cutting through it as well as the off-dry sweetness of the wine.  It was ok on its own but really shined with the food.  It was an exceptional pairing with the endive with cream cheese, cranberry and pecans and very good with any foods that were dipped in the spicy mango sauce.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 89, Mark - 90, Kathy – 90, Amy – 89, Overall – 89.5

Here  is the LCBO information on the wine -

DARTING DÜRKHEIMER NONNENGARTEN GEWÜRZTRAMINER KABINETT 2011
VINTAGES 944181
750 mL bottle
Price $ 16.95
Made in: Pfalz, Germany
By: Kurt Muller Weinexport
Release Date: Aug 4, 2012
Wine, White Wine
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Gewurztraminer
Sugar Content: 57 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: M - Medium

Tasting Note  -  Medium straw-gold colour with a youthful green tinge. Rich nose, featuring grapefruit, mineral, peach, melon, rosewater and spice cupboard. Medium in sweetness with excellent aroma replays on the palate. Textured and very flavourful, with an exotic spice that lingers on the medium-full bodied, fruit-packed finish. A great choice for spicy barbecued chicken or chicken vindaloo. (VINTAGES panel, June 2012).

Both wines worked really well with the starters, the Roederer I liked more with most items but anything that had a slight sweetness to it, the Darting was the better pairing.  As to the food itself, it was very good.  I really enjoyed how the four different sauces really change the experience of each of the foods.

The second course was Wedding Salad which was cucumber, celery root and apple and grilled shrimp.  I wasn’t overly excited about this dish when I read about it on the menu beforehand but really enjoy it.  It was a very lovely combination of flavours and the dish presented very well.  The Darting was a nice pairing with this salad and the Roederer wasn’t far behind either.

The main course we had our choice of four different dishes and pre-ordered the Beef Two Ways.  This dish was Beef Tenderloin and Braised Beef Short Ribs with potatoes, zucchini, beans and goat cheese.  I paired this with a 2004 Altair Red from Chile (Bordeaux-style blend).  We have reviewed this wonderful wine before so I won’t go into too much detail.  The wine was a good pairing with the Beef dish but we all thought a more fruit forward Californian Cabernet Sauvignon would have been a better pairing.  The Beef Short Ribs were simply mind-blowing; I usually lean towards Beef Tenderloin as my favourite beef dish/cut but I would have happily traded my Tenderloin for more Short Ribs as they were very tend and so flavourful.  That last statement was in no way a knock on the Tenderloin as it was very good too.  The goat cheese in with the vegetables was a lovely contrast to the beef and will be something I will keep in mind when doing vegetables in the future for my own cooking.

The final dish of the evening was Pot of Chocolate which was a very rich and sinful chocolate based dessert.  I could only manage a couple of bites of the dessert at this point as I was stuffed to the gills as the food portions were very generous; though my lovely wife didn’t have any problem finishing her dessert off and the rest of mine too!

 

I wasn’t sure how having a Chef come to the house would work as I didn’t know how I’d feel about someone taking over my kitchen, what the food would be like, etc.  After experiencing it, I’m happy to report it was a great time; Jonathan was professional and a font of knowledge which he was kind enough to share with us.  It was obvious that he had been doing for a long time and Mick and myself were in awe of the depth of his knowledge and experience.   My kitchen sparkling clean at the end of the night as well.

 

We discussed pricing with him, which I won’t cover here as that can be his prerogative to discuss with interested parties, but the rates were very reasonable.  I certainly have spent more going out for a nice dinner, especially when you add in cab fare to and from and restaurant prices on wines, Chef Jono prices really shine. 

 

It was an extremely fun evening; I would love to do this again in the future and highly recommend this service to any of my loyal readers.  I will update my Internet links on the right so there is a link there for Chef Jono’s website.

 

Cheers!

 

Mark

Saturday Night – Decoy for Dinner – Part 2

The second course was Mick’s Curried Mussels or as I like to call them “Heaven in a Bowl”.  Mick paired this with a 2009 Max Ferd. Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett Riesling.

 

The Riesling had a very pretty nose of petrol, green apple and peach.  Tasting the wine you will find a sour green apple candy flavour that runs the length of the wine.  The structure on this wine was perfect as the sour green apple flavour and the high acidity nicely offsets the sweetness of the wine; the wine without these offsets would have been a cloying monster.  The finish on this wine lingered around for a long time.  It was a great pairing for the Curried Mussels.  I haven’t enjoyed a Kabinett Riesling this good in a long while.

 

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 88, Mark - 91, Kathy – 86, Amy – 88, Overall – 88.25.

 

Here is the LCBO information for this wine -

 

MAX FERD. RICHTER WEHLENER SONNENUHR RIESLING KABINETT 2009

VINTAGES 998120
750 mL bottle
Price $ 19.95
Made in: Mosel, Germany
By: Weingut Gunderloch
Release Date: Sep 29, 2012
Wine, White Wine
8.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content: 50 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: M - Medium

 

Tasting Note - More perfumed than the Brauneberger Juffer, a little more exotic but also a note of ginger spice. Rich, ripe citrus verging towards apricot - so much fruit in the middle that it seems almost soft even though there is plenty of balancing, bracing acidity and an underlying minerality. Drink 2011-2015. Score - 17 (out of 20). (Julia Harding, MW, jancisrobinson.com, Aug. 18, 2010)

 

The Curried Mussels were wonderful as always.

 

Click here for Part 3

Saturday Night – Combique with so many different wines – Part 1

This past Saturday night we got together with 3 other couples and had a Combique.  Combique is our name for a dinner get together where each couple brings a course and a wine to pair with it.  These are always great for a number of reasons – no one is doing a multi-course meal for eight people on their own, as everyone is only doing one course and can focus on that, they tend to be amazing dishes and lastly as everyone is bring their own choice for wine, there is a diverse selection of wines to try throughout the night.  This dinner had white, red, sparkling and dessert wines that made an appearance.

 

The first course was my and I did an almond encrusted goat cheese on a bed of mixed green with a raspberry and poppy seed dressing. I paired this with a Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Kabinett Riesling.

 

The nose on the Riesling was mild with aromas of musty apple, rose and caramel. Tasting the wine you will find a nice mix of smoky apple and pear with some peach notes in the background. The structure on the wine was good as there was easily enough acidity to offset the sweetness of this off-dry wine. The finish on the wine was good as it did linger around for a bit. It made a good pairing for the salad but I think it needed to be a touch sweeter to compliment the sweetness in the raspberry dressing.

 

 

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 87, Mark - 88, Kathy – 86, Amy – 89, Overall – 87.5.

 

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine –

 

REICHSGRAF VON KESSELSTATT SCHARZHOFBERGER RIESLING KABINETT 2006
VINTAGES 282343
750 mL bottle
Price $ 17.95
Made in: Mosel, Germany
By: Reichsgraf Von Kesslerstatt
Release Date: Aug 4, 2012
Wine, White Wine
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content: 67 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: M - Medium

 

Description -  With a history that dates back over 1300 years, the Scharzhofberg vineyard is so respected that it is one of the few in Germany that does not have to mention its village designation on the labels.

 

Tasting Note -  Round and lush on the palate, tropical-fruited and sugary in flavor, this is an unusually soft and sweet kabinett from a top vineyard. The aromas of pear, melon and guava are intriguing and exotic, and the wine is wonderfully easy to drink now in its youth. Score - 89. (Joe Czerwinski, Wine Enthusiast, June 1, 2008)

 

The next course was Mick’s and I will cover that in Part 2

 

Click here for Part 2

 

Saturday Night – Off to the Far East – Part 2

Click here for Part 1

 

The other wine for the night was a 2008 C.H. Berres Kabinett Riesling.

 

The colour on this wine was more what I would expect from a Riesling as it was a pale straw yellow. The nose on this wine was mild but with pretty aromas of lilac, peach and melon. Tasting the wine you will find canned peaches with a touch of lime as the main flavours. The structure on this was nice but as the acidity was milder than the Bollig-Lehnert it was heading towards being cloying without actually crossing the line. Everyone but me preferred this wine with the food. The Bollig-Lehnert on the other hand was the unanimous winner without food out of the two wines.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 89, Mark - 88, Kathy – 87, Amy – 90, Overall – 88.5.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

C.H. BERRES ÜRZIGER WÜRZGARTEN RIESLING KABINETT 2008

VINTAGES 207274

750 mL bottle
Price: $ 19.95
Made in: Mosel, Germany
By: Stefan Ress
Release Date: May 26, 2012
Wine, White Wine
9.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Riesling
Sugar Content: 46 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: M - Medium

Tasting Note - This white offers breadth and depth, with nectarine and apple flavors underscored by a citrus component. The wine's richness matches with the vibrant acidity, leaving a long, fruity aftertaste. Drink now through 2020. Score - 90. (Bruce Sanderson, winespectator.com, July 31, 2010)

 

I liked both Rieslings though the Bollig-Lehnert was my clear favourite here but I wouldn’t turn down a bottle of either.  It was fun doing Riesling as with the Champagne kick we have been on it made a nice change of pace.  The Indian food was very good and their lamb curry was exceptional as the lamb was tender and very flavourful and I hope we will be ordering from the Bombay Grill again soon.

 

We finished the night with ice cream cake which made a nice ending to the night.  I’d like to thank Mick and Amy for suggestion and picking the Indian food and look forward to our next Saturday night dinner.

 

Cheers!

 

Mark

Saturday Night – Off to the Far East – Part 1

This last month or so has been a crazy time for all four of our schedules and has made our usual Saturday night dinners not so usual.  This past Saturday we decide to get together but just get take-in so if any of us had to cancel at the last minute it wouldn’t be a big deal.  The Bombay Grill is located up the street from us and Mick and Amy suggested we order in from there.

 

As we were looking at curry based and spicy dishes that meant it was Riesling time!  I was happy about this as I had picked up three different German Rieslings recently that were all 90+ rated by the Wine Spectator and all three were around a $20 price point.   I picked two of them to try with dinner – a 2009 Bollig-Lehnert Kabinett Riesling and 2008 C.H Berres Kabinett Riesling.

I will review the Bollig-Lehnert first and the do the other one in part 2.

The wine was a pale yellow with a slight greenish tint to it; it actually reminded me more of a Sauvignon Blanc in colour than a Riesling.  The nose was mild and you had to swirl the glass to find the petrol aroma with mango, green apple and gooseberry aromas lurking in the background.  Tasting the wine you are rewarded with a lovely crisp green apple flavour.  The structure to the wine was very good with fresh acidity to offset the sweetness of the wine with a long, lingering finish.  The wine wasn’t complex but there was an elegance to it due to its simplicity and it was stellar on its own and with the food.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 89, Mark - 92, Kathy – 89, Amy – 90, Overall – 90.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

BOLLIG-LEHNERT TRITTENHEIMER APOTHEKE RIESLING KABINETT 2009

VINTAGES 284448
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 17.95
Made in: Mosel, Germany
By: Weingut Bollig-Lehnert
Release Date: Aug 18, 2012
Wine, White Wine
12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Riesling
Sugar Content: 55 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: M - Medium

Tasting Note - A fleshy kabinett, with intense slate and honey cream flavors, accented by notes of apricot and spice. Rich notes of tropical fruit, including guava and pineapple, fill the finish. Drink now through 2020. Score - 90. (Kim Marcus, winespectator.com, March 31, 2011)

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – A Casual Dinner for Five – Part 1

Mick was away for the weekend as he was down in North Carolina for a meeting with some motorcycle buddies so Kathy and I volunteered to take care of dinner for Amy.   Later in the week we added in Chris and Jan to dinner as well.  The plan was for the five of us to get together and have a nice, casual dinner.  I was going to make a big pot of lemon cream prosciutto pasta and Chris and Jan were going to bring dessert.

I talked to Amy earlier in the day and she was having a rough day… client issues at work and Mick called and said he got in an accident with the bike (he’s fine – thigh and ego bruised and the bike is working but has cosmetic damage) .  So Amy mentioned that she really needed a drink of wine with dinner. 

I was planning on pairing a Merlot with the pasta but I knew that Amy loved Riesling and want to add that to the menu.  I decided to add a simple salad to the menu – baby spinach, red pepper, raspberries and cashews with Kraft Chipotle and Mango dressing.  I paired this with a 2007 Scharzhofberger Kabinett Riesling.

The nose was faint but had a lot going on as aromas of yeast, peach, roses, lilac and petrol could be found.  Tasting the wine, it was dryer tasting than I expected for a Kabinett Riesling with green apple and pear flavours and a creamy taste in the mid-palate.  The structure on the wine was good with lots of acidity and a long lingering finish.  It made a very good pairing with the salad as it was sweet enough to stand up to the raspberries and the sweetness of the mango in the dressing.

Here is the group rating for the wine –Mick* – 86, Mark – 86, Kathy – 87, Amy – 88, Overall – 86.75.

* As Mick is away, Jan and Chris are doing his rating for him.

Here is the LCBO rating on the wine -

07 SCHARZHOF RIESLING KABINETT (MULLER)

VINTAGES 720201
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 49.00
Made in: Moselle, Germany
By: Markus Muller Wien Export
Release Date: N/A
Wine, White Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Riesling
Sweetness Descriptor: M – Medium

I liked this wine but wasn’t blown away by it.  When I pulled it off the rack, I figured it was a $20-30 Riesling and was kind of shocked when I did the LCBO search and found it was a $50 wine.  It was good but not enough in my mind to justify the price point.

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – As per recipe – Part 2

The next course was Mick’s curried Mussels which I always look forward too and this was paired with a 2010 Lingenfelder Kabinett Riesling.

The nose on the Riesling was peach, nectarine with floral and petrol notes in the background.  Orange zest and Green apple flavours were the two main flavours to the wine.  I liked the structure on the wine but a touch more acidity was needed to balance out the sweetness of the wine.  Good and solid pairing with the Mussels.

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

LINGENFELDER FREINSHEIMER MUSIKANTENBUCKEL RIESLING KABINETT 2010

VINTAGES 87593
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 17.95
Made in: Pfalz, Germany
By: Lingenfelder Estate
Release Date: May 26, 2012
Wine, White Wine
10.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Riesling
Sugar Content: 25 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: M - Medium

Tasting Note - Yellow-gold colour with aromas of spring flowers, pear, mineral, yellow apple, spice and a hint of limeade. Off-dry with pretty, intense apple and spice replays and very good acidity for balance. This tasty wine is light in body with an impressively long finish. Enjoy with soft cheeses, or pork roast with peach salsa. (VINTAGES panel, March 2012)

Click here for Part 3

Saturday Night – 3 Classic recipes and 3 new Wines – Part 1

Mick had three favourite recipes on tap for the night and paired them three wines we hadn’t tried before.

The first course was Prosciutto wrapped grilled shrimp and these were paired with a 2008 Wolfer Goldgrube Kabinett Riesling.

The nose on the Riesling was an aromatic collection of apple, peach, lilac and nectarine.  Tasting the wine you initially get huge green apple, mandarin and mango and the mandarin flavour continues right to the finish as the other two fade into the background.  The structure on the wine was decent as the acidity almost offsets the sweetness of the wine but it gets slightly cloying at the end which is a real shame as this wine just needed a touch more acidity or alcohol and it would be the best Riesling I’d ever tasted.  It was a great pairing with the shrimp.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 89, Mark - 90, Kathy – 89, Amy – 91, Overall – 89.75.

Here is the LCBO information for this wine –

VOLLENWEIDER WOLFER GOLDGRUBE RIESLING KABINETT 2008

VINTAGES 249730
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 21.95
Made in: Mosel, Germany
By: Weingut Vollenweider
Release Date: Feb 4, 2012
Wine, White Wine
7.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content: 67 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: M - Medium

Tasting Note  - At only 7% alcohol, Vollenweider's 2008 Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling Kabinett is predictably high in residual sugar. But the ultra-bright character of the vintage at this address renders the sweetness only moderate and highly supportive of the lime, kiwi, and green plum flavors, while the low alcohol helps render the wine almost weightless. Suggestions of mint and lavender combine with lime peel for a pungent, invigorating, and tactile finish perfectly balanced by sweetness. Wire this properly and it seems as though it should turn on a light bulb. I can't wait to see what happens over the next decade when (or is that -if-?) this settles down ... Score - 90. (David Schildknecht, erobertparker.com, Feb. 2010)

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – Six for dinner

This past Saturday we were joined by Alex and Zdenka for dinner along with Mick and Amy.  This blog is just a quick overview of the night with no reviews as most of the wines we have reviewed before. 

Mick and I split the cooking duties for the night and Alex and Zdenka took care of dessert.

Here is the menu for the night –

Barbequed Brie with a Bruschetta topping paired with a 2010 Graham Beck Sauvignon Blanc

Carrot Soup with Fire-Roasted Chilies paired with a 2005 Rosenblum Zinfandel

Almond encrusted Goat Cheese on a bed of mixed greens with a Raspberry Poppy seed dressing paired with a 2005 Wegeler Kabinett Riesling

Marmalade and Dijon Grilled Chicken Wings with a side of homemade Blue Cheese dressing and carrot and celery for dipping paired with 2010 Seghesio Zinfandel

Chocolate Cake paired with a 2008 Cattail Creek Select Late Harvest Merlot

The evening was a ton of fun and we got through a lot of wine hence the lack of reviews as the some of the evening was a bit fuzzy. 

Cheers!

Mark