Saturday Night – Yakiniku… huh? – Part 3

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Mick has certainly been much more adventuresome then I have been over the last few years in trying new dishes and I give him credit for that.  On the other hand, I think the quest to do new things is starting to put too much pressure on him as the main course was something he called Yakiniku beef.  Now I’m not even bothering to do an Internet search to see if Yakiniku beef is real or not as I’m convinced he is just making shit up at this point.

 

So the main course was “Yakiniku” beef and Mick paired it with a 2011 Loveblock Pinot Noir from New Zealand.

The nose on the Pinot was big and easy to find with aromas of strawberry, cherry, smoke, tobacco, black pepper and some herbaceous notes in the background.  Tasting the wine, sour cherry is the main flavour.  The wine came across simple and one dimensional as it was a touch acidic and the sour cherry flavour wasn’t lighting me up like a Christmas tree.  It did work as a good pairing with the beef but I wonder if a peppery Shiraz would have been a better match.

 

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 87, Mark – 86, Kathy – 84, Amy – 88, Overall – 85.75.

 

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

 

LOVEBLOCK PINOT NOIR 2011
VINTAGES 313924
750 mL bottle
Price $ 23.55
Made in: Central Otago, New Zealand
By: Loveblock Vintners Ltd
Release Date: Feb 16, 2013
Wine, Red Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Sugar Content: 5 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

 

Description -  Loveblock is the new biodynamic and organically focused project for renowned New Zealand winemaker, Kim Crawford. Free sulphur: 18 mg/L.

 

Tasting Note -  Marvellous complexity on the nose with a smoky-mocha layer atop red cherry, raspberry and a flinty minerality. The very well-structured palate demonstrates considerable sophistication through the continuance of the oak, mocha, smoke and red fruit and lengthy finish. Delicious. (VINTAGES panel, June 2012)

 

The “Yakiniku” beef or whatever Mick was calling it was very good and the two side sauces he made to go with it really put it over the top.  The sticky rice and the homemade pickles from the garden were great compliments to the beef dish.

 

Lots of good food and great company always make these nights a ton of fun.  I would like to thank Mick for all his hard work on the all three of the dishes he made (no matter what crazy names he calls them) and another thank you to Mick and Amy for hosting.

 

Cheers!

 

Mark

Saturday Night – Yakiniku… huh? – Part 2

For the second course Mick did Trout Bruschetta and paired it with a 2011 Jean Marc Brocard les Vieilles Vignes de Sainte Claire which is a Chablis.  This wine always makes me giggle as Jean Marc Brocard sounds like Jean Luc Picard from Star Trek and when Mick offers to fill my glass, I can’t resist saying “Make it so, number one”.

 

The nose on the wine was faint but aromas of butter, melon, nutmeg and floral notes could be found.  Tasting the wine lemon and lime were the two main flavours with hints of butterscotch and pineapple in the background.  This wine was very smooth and exceptionally easy drinking as the acidity was very mild, almost too much so as it got lost against the food at times.  I liked this wine but felt it needed to be a touch bigger to be a better pairing with the food.  On the other hand, we killed the bottle with no issues and I was sad when the bottle was empty as I could have easily poured myself another glass or three.

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 –

JEAN-MARC BROCARD SAINTE CLAIRE VIEILLES VIGNES CHABLIS 2011
VINTAGES 329995
750 mL bottle
Price $ 24.95
Made in: Burgundy, France
By: Jean Marc Brocard
Release Date: Aug 31, 2013
Wine, White Wine
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Light & Crisp
Varietal: Chardonnay
Sugar Content: 5 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note -  The 2011 Chablis Les Vieilles Vignes de Sainte Claire (tank) comes across as intensely saline and pointed. Lemon, flowers, and crushed rocks form the core of this beautifully delineated, energetic Chablis. Anticipated maturity: 2013+. Score - 90-92. (Antonio Galloni, erobertparker.com, Aug. 2012)

The wine was good but the real star of this course was the Trout Bruschetta; this dish certainly knew the way to downtown flavour country and wasn’t stopping for anything.  The Trout was smoked beautifully and add the garden fresh tomatoes with just a hint of dill mixed in and you have a stunning dish.

Click here for Part 3

Saturday Night – Yakiniku… huh? – Part 1

This Saturday it was Mick and Amy’s turn to host the usual Saturday night dinner.  Mick had 3 new dishes and 3 new wines lined up for us to try.

The first course was Santa Fe Popper made from peppers from Mick’s garden and filled with cream cheese and bacon.  Mick paired this with a 2009 Robert Mondavi “Napa Valley” Fumé Blanc.  If you look through the North American wine list link on the right side of the page, so will see we have been drinking this wine for years; a new vintage year is more like a returning friend than a something new but we haven’t reviewed it in a while so it was time to take a fresh look.

The nose on the wine was pretty with aromas of diced peaches, wet stone, melon, mango and vanilla.  Tasting the wine a grapefruit and smoke flavour dominates this wine.  It came across a little bitter on the mid-palate which I didn’t like and wasn’t a huge fan of this wine on its own.  With the food the wine got much better, which historically has been the case with this wine.  The food softened the bitterness and brought out more of the wine’s fruit to the surface.  The Santa Fe Poppers were much spicier than Mick figured and the wine really helped neutralized the burn of them.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 88, Mark – 86, Kathy – 86, Amy – 85, Overall – 86.25.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

ROBERT MONDAVI FUMÉ BLANC 2010
VINTAGES 221887
750 mL bottle
Price $ 22.95
Made in: California, USA
By: Constellation Brands Inc.
Release Date: Jul 6, 2013
Wine, White Wine
13.9% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Aromatic & Flavourful
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon
Sugar Content: 2 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note  -  Fumé Blanc is just another name for Sauvignon Blanc, and this is a delicious one. Dry and racy in acidity, it has deep citrus, tropical fruit and gooseberry flavors. At this price, it's one of the best Sauvignon Blancs on the market. Score - 90. (Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast, Oct. 2012)

* Please note that this listing is for the 2010 and not the 2009 reviewed here.

Fumé Blanc has always been an odd wine as it isn’t something that will pair well with millions of things but give this wine something citrus or cream based and that has a lot of spicy burn and it will shine.

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Saturday Night – It’s a sign – Part 2

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The main course was middle Lamb loin from Cumbrae’s with sliced garden tomatoes with feta and basil and green beans with butter and parmesan cheese.  I paired this with a 2004 Adelsheim Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. 

 

The nose on this wine was easy to find with huge aromas of cherry, herbs, mushroom, pine needle, sulfur and cedar.  Tasting the wine, you will find black cherry, raspberry with a hint of mint in the background.  The structure on the wine was phenomenal with acidity, silky tannins and alcohol all being in perfect balance together with a long finish.   The wine was a bit cloudy but didn’t show any bricking around the edges which was surprising considering its age.  It made a wonderful pairing for the lamb but was also very good with the tomato and green bean sides.  I’m not normally a huge pinot fan but this wine was big, complex and there was very little I could find fault with and I was sad when the bottle was empty.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 91, Mark – 92, Kathy – 91, Amy – 92, Overall – 91.5.
Bonus Rating – Chris – 91, Jan – 92.

There was no LCBO listing on the wine which isn’t a shock as I bought this down in NY state years ago.  Doing a quick web search puts the bottle price at $27-32 a bottle.  The 2011 is the current release so that shows it has been a few years since I bought the 2004.  This is one of those bottles that had I known it was going to be this good, I would have bought a case without even thinking about. 

For dessert I picked up mini Angel food cakes and topped them with a fresh berry medley, raspberry coulis and fresh whipped cream.  I really couldn’t resist doing something berry based as they are all in season and so inexpensive at this moment, it would have been a crime not to do this type dessert.  I opened a bottle of Henry of Pelham Late Harvest Riesling to go with the dessert (I have reviewed this before so won’t go into much detail).  The first time we had the 2006 Late Harvest Riesling we rated it a 86; this one certainly tasted better than that but I was disappointed on the nose of the wine as dessert wines usually have an amazing nose and this one was a bit funky so maybe the 86 isn’t too far off the mark.  The berry based dessert was also a good choice as I think we were all pretty full at this point and this lighter styled dessert was a great way to finish up.

 

Even though we didn’t get to go out for dinner, in the end, it worked out for the best as I believe any restaurant out there would have been hard pressed to match the quality of the food and wine of last night’s dinner.  It was great having Chris and Jan added to our usual Saturday night dinners and I am already looking forward to the next time we get together.

 

Cheers!

 

Mark

Saturday Night – It’s a sign – Part 1

This past Saturday, Kathy and I hosted dinner for Mick, Amy, Chris and Jan.  The initial plan was to go out for dinner but the place we wanted to go for dinner, didn’t have a table for six available.  Kathy and I discussed other restaurants but in the end I decided as our first choice wasn’t available that this was a sign we should eat at home instead.  So as of last Thursday, the plan changed from going out to eat to Kathy and I hosting dinner for six.

 

Now that the ‘where’ question had been answered then the next questions was the ‘what’ as in what are we going to have to for dinner.   Kathy decided that she wanted Lamb as the main course and that worked for me. 

To start the night I did a Breaded Shrimp recipe on the BBQ.  The coating for the shrimp was made up of breadcrumbs, parsley, oregano, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper and was served on a bed of mix peppers that were sliced thin, tossed with olive oil and sea salt and then grilled.  My wine pairing for this dish was a 2011 Catena Alta Chardonnay for Argentina that I’d picked up a few weeks ago. 

 

The nose on the wine was mild for a Chardonnay as you really had to swirl the glass to pick up the aromas of dish soap/lemon Pledge, vanilla, citrus and honeydew melon.  Tasting the wine, it started with a lemon/grapefruit flavour that transitioned to butterscotch on the mid-palate and then finished with a funky medicinal flavour.  The wine was 14% alcohol but the flavour and oak in the wine balanced that out nicely as it didn’t come across as hot.  The shrimp dish helped smooth out the funky medicinal finish and really helped bring out some of lovely flavours to this wine.  I liked pairing but if I had another bottle of this wine I would lean towards pairing this with an Alfredo as this wine was big and bold on the flavours and really would shine against a heavy rich dish like Alfredo.

 

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 88, Mark – 88, Kathy – 86, Amy – 86, Overall – 87
Bonus Rating – Chris – 86, Jan – 85.

 

Here is the LCBO information for the wine –

CATENA ALTA CHARDONNAY 2011
VINTAGES 959973
750 mL bottle
Price $ 39.95
Made in: Mendoza, Argentina
By: Bodega Catena Zapata
Release Date: Jul 20, 2013
Wine, White Wine
14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Chardonnay
Sugar Content: 5 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

 

Description  -  TASTING DATE: Rich and full-bodied with generous layers of tropical fruit, peach and green apple. Just the right amount of smoke to create a luscious package of complete satisfaction for Chardonnay lovers. Long finish leaves you looking for a top up. Perfect for dinner parties. Food matches: rich seafood pasta dishes, boiled lobster, grilled pork tenderloin. Score: 92 (Natalie MacLean, nataliemaclean.com, June 21, 2012)

 

The breaded shrimp recipe was very good, and I was surprised how good the mix grilled peppers were with it as I really did them more to just add some colour to the plate vs. trying to add another flavour. 

 

As there was some time to kill between the first and second course, I opened a bottle of KJ Chardonnay Vintner’s Reserve (a nice simple $20 California Chardonnay).  The KJ Chardonnay is fun as its bursts with pineapple flavours and has been a cellar staple of mine for years.  The KJ really showed how simple it was a wine vs. Catena Alta and how much the Catena Alta had going on with it.  I’m not so keen on the $40 price point on the Catena Alta but I did enjoy trying it and will probably pick up next year’s vintage just to see how it is.

 

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – Putting a little spark into dinner – Part 2

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The main course was grilled Beef Tenderloin with a brandy, cream and shallot sauce and I did a corn, cherry tomato and potato side to go with it. I figured the sauce with the brandy in it would be fairly rich and was leaning towards something French to pair with it. When Mick and Amy arrived I grabbed the four 2003 left bank (More Cabernet Sauvignon based than right bank which is more Merlot based) Bordeaux I had on the rack and we pick a 2003 Chateau Haut-Bages Averous from Pauillac as our pairing.

 

The nose on the wine was an interesting mix of cassis, pencil shavings, marshmallow, vanilla and cherry Lifesaver candy. Tasting the wine flavours of red currant, vanilla and smoke were to be found. The wine was very subtle and feminine in structure with silky smooth tannin and fresh acidity working nicely together with a long lingering finish. I’m am usually more of a fan of big huge masculine Cabs but there was something wonderfully enticing about this wine that made you want to just keep coming back to it. It was an amazing pairing with beef Tenderloin and the brandy cream sauce and worked nicely with the vegetable side as well though not quite as well as with the beef. It was also very good on its own which was a bit of a surprise as I really find Cabernet Sauvignon to be a food wine and I am usually not a big fan of it on its own.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 91, Mark – 92, Kathy – 90, Amy – 90, Overall – 90.75.

 

There was no LCBO for this wine which isn’t a shock as I purchased this down it the US a number of years ago and believe the price was around $65 US a bottle. Current pricing on the web has it listed around $85 US a bottle.
 

The 90.75 overall rating puts this wine just short of making Top Ten Red list which is a shame as I feel this wine certainly deserves to be there. If I could find more I’d happily take a bottle or two of it. I will add however that this wine is drinking perfectly right now and it will probably be great for the next couple of years but I think after that you’d be pushing it.

To finish up the night, we had scones, Devonshire cream and strawberry jam. After the first two courses I’m glad I went with a somewhat lighter dessert as everyone was stuff to the gills at this point.

The brandy, cream and shallot sauce was really good. The fun part about this recipe is at one point in the cooking process you ignite the brandy in pan which certainly added a flare to the evening. This is a sauce I will be making again as it was a real winner. I guess my Halibut failure had an upside after all.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Putting a little spark into dinner – Part 1

It was my turn to host this past Saturday night’s dinner and to be honest I have been in a bit of a rut cooking-wise lately. I was looking to do something different and decided to do Halibut in a chili lime butter sauce. As this was a new recipe, I decided to do a test run on Friday and try it out – long story short I would give it a 3 out 10, the sauce was ok and the Halibut that I’d picked up wasn’t the nicest piece of fish I’d ever had. Since the test run was a failure, I went another route and Kathy and I went through some recipe books and found a recipe for grilled Beef Tenderloin with a brandy, cream and shallot sauce that looked interesting. The main course settled we kicked around ideas for a starter and decided on an Anti-Pasto starter.

 

For my Anti-Pasto I needed a wine that would pair well with bruschetta, salami, cheese, pickle and olive tray and roasted red pepper dip. My first though when having this many different things to pair with was a California Merlot which would have been a safe bet but after looking over the wine rack I choose to go with a 2011 Ben Marco Malbec instead. 

After we tried the 2009 Ben Marco Malbec (http://zippysauce.blogspot.ca/2013/04/saturday-night-ups-and-downs-part-2.html) I went looking for more. The LCBO didn’t have any stock but Profile Wine Group (http://www.profilewinegroup.com/) did, well sort of. Mick had the 2009 on his rack for a while so Profile had the 2011 instead of the 2009. I wasn’t sure but the sales representative was sure I would like it and after chatting for a bit I ordered a case of the 2011. Mick and Amy bought 3 of the 12 bottles but hadn’t tried theirs yet so I thought it would be fun to try it together.

The nose on the 2011 Ben Marco was big and easy to find with aromas of cherry, green pepper, eucalyptus, cedar and truffle with strawberry and pine needle notes in the background. Tasting the wine, dark berry and dark chocolate flavours dominated the wine with a hint of vanilla peeking through at times. The structure on the wine was great as it came across very smooth as the balance of acidity, tannin and alcohol was in perfect harmony. The nice thing about this wine is it was just as great with the food as it was on its own. It wasn’t quite as good as 2009 was but I have no doubt that after a few years of cellaring that it will be.

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

There is no LCBO listing for this wine but if you want a case, you can get one via Profile Wine Group. The price was $21 a bottle. The people at Profile Wine Group were great to deal with and they will happily send your case to your nearest LCBO for you to pick from there.
 

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