Saturday Night – Mick is pulling out all the stops – Part 1

Mick and Amy were hosting this past Saturday night’s dinner and Chris and Jan joined us as well. Mick had two new courses and three new wines for us to try. As an extra bonus, Chris and Jan brought dessert and an ice wine to go with it, so we have four wines to review in this Blog article today.

The first course was Tuna Crostini that was paired with a 2009 Simon Alexandre Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

 

The wine was a concern to me when I first opened it as it had a strong alcohol and chemical aroma to it and when I poured it out the colour was more golden than I was expecting. As the wine sat for a bit and opened up, the alcohol aroma was still there but aromas of peat, pineapple, honeysuckle and burnt marshmallow developed. Tasting the wine flavours of vanilla bean, grapefruit and oak were to be found. The wine had a slight oiliness to it, with a large mouth-feel and was quite hot. It also had a not so nice bite to it on the finish. I really wasn’t a fan of the wine on its own but it did work well as a pairing for the tuna crostini.

 

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 86, Mark – 83, Kathy – 84, Amy – 85, Overall – 84.5.

Bonus Rating – Chris – 83, Jan – 83.

I couldn’t find an LCBO listing for this wine but Mick said it was about $35 a bottle. At $35 a bottle there are much better white wines out there that I would go with instead. It was fun to try something new though and we haven’t done much white Chateauneuf-du-Pape so that was an interesting change up.

The Tuna Crostini course was really good. I’m not usually a huge fan of Tuna as I can take it or leave it but I really liked this course and lovely fresh flavours of it.

Click here for Part 2

 

Saturday Night – It’s my Birthday!

Kathy and I were hosting this past Saturday night’s dinner.  My birthday is on Monday July 8th so this Saturday night ended up being my Birthday dinner. 

 

I had a bottle of 2004 Cristal Champagne on the rack in the basement that I’d been aging.  I’d loved this wine when we tried it originally but all the reviews on it said it was very young and needed more time to develop.  About a week and half ago our house was broken into and some cash and jewelry were stolen.  Walking through the house with the police I was relieved to see the thieves hadn’t touched any of the wine.  I remember specifically seeing the Cristal and being very happy it was still there.  At that moment, I decided it was time to drink it now vs. later.  I was also concerned that aging the wine may not be a good thing; I loved it when we first had it and what if the changes took away from what I loved about it in the first place?

So the first course was the 2004 Cristal Champagne and I made a bacon and blue cheese dip to go with it.  As we have reviewed the 2004 Cristal before I won’t go into great detail but it was as wonderful as when we had the first time.  It made an amazing pairing with the dip as the wine’s crispness easily cut through the heavy rich flavours of the dip.

The main course was beef tenderloin with grilled shrimp, baby potatoes, green beans and Béarnaise sauce.  As it was my birthday dinner, I went with something special for the pairing here and opened a 2003 Solaia by Antinori.  I have had this aging on the rack for about 5/6 years and was very much looking forward to trying it.

The nose on the Solaia was easy to find with big aromas of sour cherry, cedar, eucalyptus, marzipan, vanilla and tobacco.  Tasting the wine, raspberry and subtle spice notes were the two main flavours.  The balance on the wine was amazing with fine tannin and good acidity working in harmony with the alcohol and fruit.  The wine was not huge but done in more of a feminine style which was subtle and inviting.  As the wine opened up it did develop a slight bite to it but this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as it just made the wine grab your attention a little more.  The finish on the wine lingered around for a long time.  I usually like my Cabernet Sauvignon blends to be big in body and more in a masculine style with a huge body that almost assaults you from the glass but I really liked this wine.  As it was done in the lighter style it was very easy drinking and we were all sad when we killed the bottle that there wasn’t more of it.  I worked well as a pairing with the beef but the green bean and potatoes were only ok with it.  Mick and I were thinking a prime rib or lamb with roasted veggies would be a great pairing for this wine. 

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 92, Mark – 92, Kathy – 92, Amy – 91, Overall – 91.75.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

ANTINORI SOLAIA 2009
VINTAGES 987586
750 mL bottle
Price $ 251.95
Made in: Tuscany, Italy
By: Marchesi Antinori S.R.L.
Release Date: Oct 27, 2012
Wine, Red Wine
14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
Sugar Content: 5 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note - The 2009 Solaia is one of the clear standouts of the vintage. Freshly cut flowers, raspberries, spices, mint and licorice burst from the glass as this fabulous, viscerally thrilling wine shows off its pure class. Today the oak is a bit prominent, but that won't be an issue by the time the wine is ready to drink. In one of my blind tastings, the 2009 Solaia was flat-out great. There is no shortage of pedigree here ... Solaia is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Franc from a single parcel within the Antinori family's Tignanello vineyard. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029. Score - 96+. (Antonio Galloni, erobertparker.com, June 2012)

*Note – the wine listed here is the 2009 and not the 2003 that we reviewed.

I don’t believe the 2003 release was rated as high as Parker is rating the 2009 so I’m really thinking I might have to grab a bottle of the 2009 now; especially since the 2003 with its 91.75 overall rating grabs a spot on the Zippy Sauce Top Ten Reds.  This will mean I have a new Italian wine to place in the rack and stare at for years before I finally get to try it. 

For dessert I picked up a LaRocca Lindt chocolate flan for dessert which we’ve had before and I thought was awesome. 

Fun night with very good food and wine; I really have to figure out a way to make it my birthday every weekend.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Happy Canada Day! Part 2

Click here for Part 1

 

The main course was mesquite smoked bourbon glazed wings and Mick paired these with a 2008 Seghesio “Cortina” Zinfandel.

 

The nose on the Zinfandel was big with aromas of blackberry/raspberry, moss, cedar and close.  Tasting the wine, flavours of strawberry, pepper and rhubarb dominate the wine.  If the Parker Station we had earlier was too light, this wine more than made up for it as it was huge and unfortunately almost too big as it came across overly concentrated and syrupy.  It also finished very dry.  This is a shame as Seghesio Zinfandels are usually amazing but we were all a little disappointed with this one.  It did work as a pairing for wings but I suspect the normal Seghesio Zinfandel would have been a better pairing and less money.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 87, Mark – 86, Kathy – 86, Amy – 86, Overall – 86.25.

There was no LCBO information for this wine either but it would have been in the $40 dollar range.  The standard $29 Seghesio is by far the better wine and value here.

 

Amy picked up a selection of Cup Cakes that were a nice way to end the evening. 

 

It was good have a normal Saturday night as June has been a quiet month on the Blog due to our busy schedules but July is looking much better for Saturday dinners.  Thanks to Mick for all the wonderful food and for both Mick and Amy for hosting.

 

Cheers!

 

Mark

Saturday Night – Happy Canada Day! Part 1

Mick and Amy were hosting dinner this past Saturday night which was a pleasant surprise because for most long weekends they are away.  Mick had a couple of new dishes for us to try and two new wines. 

 

The first course however was two old favourites – blacken scallops with avocado corn relish and 2009 Robert Mondavi ‘To Kalon’ Fume Blanc.  The scallops were very good and there is a reason the 2009 ‘To Kalon’ is 2nd highest rated white wine on this Blog… because this wine is like heaven in a glass!  This was Mick’s last bottle and I’m grateful that he was kind enough to share (I half expected him drink it in the basement in the dark while lovingly stroking the bottle and mumbling ‘My Precious’ as he loves this wine even more than I do).

The second course was both a new dish and a new wine – baked brie with a cherry almonds topping and a 2007 Parker Station Pinot Noir.

The nose on the wine was a busy mix of cherry, petrol, green pepper, clove, cedar and mushroom aromas.  Tasting the wine, you’ll find tart cherry and sweet strawberry flavours.  The balance on the wine was good as the acidity, tannin and alcohol all were fairly balanced.  The issue with the wine was body and needing much more fruit, acidity and tannin to really make this wine into something special.  I would describe this wine as ‘Pinot Light’ due to the lack of body but this lighter style did make the wine very easy drinking.  It was also a very good pairing with the brie as the sweetness of the cherries didn’t throw the wine for a loop.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 87, Mark – 87, Kathy – 86, Amy – 86, Overall – 86.5.

There was no LCBO listings for this wine but Mick mentioned that it was in the $12 price range.  At $12 a bottle this would make a very good ‘during the week’ wine as it was very good considering the low price point.

The baked brie was very good, but Mick does one with a Bruschetta topping that I prefer though this was a nice change of pace.

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – A nice, normal Saturday – Part 3

Click here for Part 1

 

The final course of the evening was a cheese tray with a selection of cheeses that Mick and Amy picked up on their recent trip to NY State.

 

Mick paired this with a 2011 Saint-Bris Sauvignon Blanc.

The aromas to the wine were huge gooseberry notes with citrus, moss and floral hints in the background.  Tasting the wine, kiwi and lime were the main flavours with a slightly soapy flavour on the finish.  The wine had great crisp acidity and a nice creamy finish to it.  This was a solid wine that had the elements to it that I would expect from a good French Sauvignon Blanc.  The odd thing was it did get a bit funky with some of the cheeses which was too bad as it was very good on its own.

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

I couldn’t find any listing for the wine on the LCBO’s website.  It maybe that I’m searching for too many generic terms as Saint-Bris is a wine region in Burgundy and not the name of the winery.  Looking at the label though I can’t find something that stands out from the French labeling that identifies the winery.  Oh well, whoever makes this wine did a nice job with it.  Mick mentioned that this wine was a sub $20 wine so good value for that price point.

The cheese tray was a nice change from a sweet dessert and I enjoyed trying the well-crafted NY cheeses Mick and Amy had selected.

Thanks to Mick and Amy for hosting and to Mick for the wonderful dishes.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – A nice, normal Saturday – Part 2

The main course for the evening was Oyster Po’ Boys and these tasty sandwiches were paired with a 2011 Graham Beck Sauvignon Blanc.  The 2010 Graham Beck Sauvignon Blanc was certainly one of my winning wines for 2012 and we easily brought more than a case of this wonderfully valued wine so I was curious to see how the 2011 would be.

 

The nose was a pleasant mix of wet hay, lemon grass, stone fruit, peach and grapefruit.  Tasting the wine, you initially get mango as the dominate flavour but it finishes grapefruit.  I liked the big mouth-feel this wine had but was a bit disappoint at the finish as it came across sharper at times than I would have liked.  It was more a New Zealand styled Sauvignon Blanc (big and fruit driven) vs. the 2010 which was more of a French style (crisp and precise).   So depending on your preference you may like this more or less than the 2010.  I tend to lean toward the French style so I was a touch disappointed but still believe this is a very solid wine for its price point.  The wine did make a good pairing with the Oyster Po’ Boys.

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –
GRAHAM BECK SAUVIGNON BLANC 2011
VINTAGES 948620
750 mL bottle
Price $ 14.95
Made in: Coastal Region, South Africa
By: Graham Beck Wines
Release Date: May 25, 2013
Style: Aromatic & Flavourful
Wine, White Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Sugar Content: 2 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note -  Q: What do lime, asparagus, peach, white pepper spice, and a bright minerality have in common? A: They are the aromas that you will find in this complex and delightfully aromatic wine. The well integrated flavour replays score multiple bonus points, while the crisp acidity keeps the wine lively and fresh. Next question: What to eat? A: Grilled prawns, shrimp, white fish, or salads with chopped kiwi, mango, and apples. (VINTAGES panel, June 2012)

The price has gone up a dollar since the 2010 vintage but at $15 this is a very solid wine that can hold its own with Sauvignon Blanc in a $20 price point.  Do yourself a favour and pick some up.

Click here for Part 3

Saturday Night – A nice, normal Saturday – Part 1

Mick and Amy were hosting this past Saturday night and he had a couple of new dishes lined up for the night as well as three new wines for us to try.

 

The first course was a Seafood Chowder and Mick paired this with a 2009 Pedroncelli Zinfandel.

 

The nose on the wine made me giggle as the first aroma that jumped out at me was Strawberry Twizzlers with some tobacco and nutmeg in the background.  Tasting the wine, a concentrated raspberry flavour hit you first with hints of vanilla on the finish.  The structure to the wine was good as the balance was almost perfect, maybe a touch tannic but not in a bad way.  There was quite a bit of oak on the wine but I liked the vanilla flavour that the oak imparted to the wine.  The sad thing was it was a miss as a pairing with the chowder as it came across very dark and harsh with the soup.   This wine would be a very good pairing with some like Korean BBQ short ribs or any wings/ribs that have more a salty vs. sweet flavour to them.  I really enjoyed this Zinfandel on its own though.

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

PEDRONCELLI BUSHNELL VINEYARD ZINFANDEL 2009
VINTAGES 463026
750 mL bottle
Price $ 22.95
Made in: California, USA
By: J Pedroncelli Winery
Release Date: Aug 4, 2012
Wine, Red Wine
15.2% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Zinfandel
Sugar Content: 4 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: D - Dry

Tasting Note -  Classic Dry Creek Zin, high in alcohol, brilliant in fruit and spices, and with that curious finish that's both sweet and dry at the same time. Really dazzles with cherries, raspberries, blackberries and all kinds of other wild forest berries. Editor's Choice. Score - 89. (Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast, Nov. 1, 2011)

The seafood chowder was good but too spicy and that was a shame as there were so many wonderful ingredients that if the spice was toned down more, I think it would have really been stunning.  I will give Mick credit as he cut the spice down from what the recipe called for because he thought it would be too much, unfortunately he didn’t go far enough.  Mick really likes printed recipe books whereas I like online recipes.  The wonderful thing about online recipes is the comment section at the end.  Can’t count the number of times I read a new recipe online and thought that it has too much salt, spice or a certain ingredient and then seen a number of people verify that in the comments.  That said I hope Mick attempts this recipe again with less spice as I truly think it will be amazing.

Side note here – As the Zinfandel was a miss as a pairing, I made the comment to Mick that I thought a Sauvignon Blanc would be a good pairing with the soup. He laughed and said the next two courses he was pairing Sauvignon Blanc with them.  Both of them were screw cap so he poured out a small sample to taste with the chowder and both were stellar pairings with the chowder.

Click here for Part 2