Wine Club – Cotes du Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape

For the month’s meeting we were taking a look a couple of wines from southern Rhône – a 2004 E. Guigal Cotes du Rhône and a 2005 Perrin & Fils “Les Sinards” Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Kim, a Wine Club member, was nice enough to make a homemade lasagna to go with the wines.

"And in this corner..."

Both wines were a nice dark ruby/purple in colour. The nose on the E. Guigal was a combination of spice and dark berry. The nose on the Perrin & Flis had cherry, tobacco and a slight floral element lingering in the background. Out of the two wines the Perrin & Fils was my winner for nose.

"The plucky half price option"

Tasting both of these wines was interesting as they both had a lot in common; fruit and spice on the tongue to start, big tannins and good acidity. Where they differed was the finish the Perrin & Fils had a smoother finish. I was leaning towards Perrin & Fils as the more enjoyable wine of the two before we tried the food.

"Was it worth double the money?"

With the food, I actually liked the E. Guigal more as the lasagna mellowed the finish and brought more fruit to the forefront. The Perrin & Fils with the lasagna picked up a funny taste at times.

Here is the LCBO information on both wines –

E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône

LCBO# 259721
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 18.40
Wine, Red Wine,
13% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : 1
Made in: Rhone, France
By: E. Guigal,
Release Date: N/A

Tasting Note - Deep ruby purple colour; complex aromas of mixed spice, plums, dark berry and pepper with floral notes; dry, medium to full-bodied, well balance with supple tannins, and flavours of white pepper, cassis,black cherry and mineral; good length on the finish.
Serving Suggestion - Pepper steak, lamb, grilled portabello mushrooms or seared duck in a cherry reduction sauce.

Perrin & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Les Sinards”

Vintages# 926626
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 38.95
Wine, Red Wine,
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Rhone, France
By: Perrin & Fils
Release Date: Oct 11, 2008

Description - Jean-Pierre, François and Pierre Perrin created Les Sinards as an homage to their late grandfather. With some of the grapes sourced from their famous Château de Beaucastel estate, this is a classic Châteauneuf with cherry, chocolate, tobacco and chicory aromas. It's dry, medium- to full-bodied and packed with rich fruit flavours, as well as earthy and smoky notes. With such great structure, match with a leg of lamb or roast beef cooked with plenty of garlic, thyme and rosemary. It will also reward 2-4 years in a cellar

I would probably give the Perrin & Fils the nod as the better wine of the two but not by much; it certainly wasn’t worth twice the price. Both wines went with the lasagna but I’d probably prefer a Merlot over either them. Being completely honest – both were fun to try but I wasn’t blown away by either and don’t see myself rushing out to get more. I do have a bottle of the 2004 E. Guigal as my “take home” bottle from Wine Club which I will store on the rack. I’d be curious to try this wine again with prime rib roast or roast chicken and see how it pairs as I suspect that it would be very good.

Next month’s meeting we’ll be taking a look at South African Chenin Blanc vs. a French Chenin Blanc.

I don’t see any wine opportunities coming up from now until Christmas, so I take this time to wish all three or four of my dedicated readers a Merry Christmas and hope that they all receive a nice bottle or two under the tree this year!

Cheers!

Mark

Happy Birthday Sara!

Kathy and I were at my parents for dinner on Friday to celebrate Sara’s (my sister) Birthday. The menu for the evening was Dad’s lasagna, garlic bread and Caesar salad. If you have been reading the blog for awhile this isn’t the first time that menu has popped up at my parents’ house. My father is a great cook and does a ton of different wonderful meals but lasagna and Caesar salad would have to be his signature dish and happens to be both my wife’s and my sister’s favourite. Since tonight was to celebrate Sara’s Birthday, lasagna it is.

We started with the Caesar salad and garlic bread and paired it with a bottle of the 2006 Louis Jadot “Bourgogne” Chardonnay. Great pairing but I have covered this wine and food combo so many times on the blog if I write about it one more time you’ll think Louis Jadot is paying me or I’m a member of the Romaine Lettuce Farmer’s Association!

"Black labels with gold or white lettering are hard to get good photos of!"

To pair up with the lasagna, I brought a bottle of 2006 Zenato Valpolicella Ripassa. This wine was a recommendation of Diane Braemer, a LCBO Product Consultant at the Upper Gage and Fennell LCBO. Diane has done a wonderful job of stocking the store’s Vintages section with very good wines and the store, for its size, has a great selection. Diane has also been very helpful in getting in wines for me for Wine Club.

Even though I feel that the LCBO should be privatized to better serve Ontario consumers, I certainly can’t deny that there are some very talented and knowledgeable people who work at the LCBO and Diane easily fits into this category. Kinda of a “hate the game not the player” sort of situation.

The nose on this wine was big, no swirling of the glass needed to nose this wine! Raspberry, chocolate and peat moss aromas jumped from the glass and had me drooling in anticipation of tasting it.

Unfortunately, the wine wasn’t quite up to my expectations I got from the nose. It was slightly off balance with the acidity a touch too high and the tannin a touch to low, nice fruit and a great finish. Don’t get me wrong, it was a nice wine and it did go well with the lasagna but it didn’t live up to the stunning nose. This was a big wine and at times was a bit too much for the lasagna, I will try this wine again but would like to try it with a roast or a NY strip steak.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

Zenato Valpolicella Superiore Ripassa
Vintages# 479766
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 24.95
Wine, Red Wine,
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: Veneto, Italy
By: Azienda Vinicola Zenato
Release Date: Oct 11, 2008

Description - Founded in 1960 by Sergio Zenato, the winery's philosophy is to celebrate the region's traditions coupled with an unquenchable desire to surpass everything they have done before. The Ripassa consistently delivers on that philosophy with its aromas of blackberry, plum purée, smoke and cocoa. The palate is dry with plenty of fruit flavours, hints of licorice, ripe tannins and even more cocoa. A great match for pecorino cheese, roast beef, or pasta with meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce.

Thanks to my parents for hosting the dinner and Happy Birthday Sara!

Cheers!

Mark

Wine Club Bonus Tasting – Port

We had some extra cash in the kitty, so Wine Club decided to have a bonus tasting. This would be our first look at fortified wines as we were trying the 10 year old and the 20 year old Taylor Fladgate Tawny Ports. I brought in some Stilton and St. Agur blue cheese to go with the port.

I have reviewed the Taylor Fladgate 20 year old a number of times on this blog so I won’t go into much detail. The 10 year old Taylor Fladgate was a big surprise as I haven’t been a big fan of it in the past but the one we tried was really good. Usually there is a world of difference between the 10 and 20 year version, but they were much closer than usual and that makes the price difference between the two harder to justify.

Both were excellent with the cheeses and slowly sipping on both while nibbling on the cheese and crackers made it a fun way to kill a lunch hour.

Here is the LCBO information on both

Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny Port

VINTAGES# 121749
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 34.95
Wine, Port,
19.8% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : S
Made in: Portugal, Portugal
By: Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman
Release Date: Oct 11, 2008

Description - With these top-of-the-line Tawnies with age indication, Taylor Fladgate aims to create a consistent quality year in and year out.

Tasting Note - A refined and subtle Port. Outstanding. Lovely aromas of flan, caramel and egg custard with a hint of toffee. Medium-bodied, with a light sweetness and a refined, clean finish. Tastes older than 10 years. Drink now. Score - 91. (James Suckling, www.winespectator.com, Sept. 15, 2003)

Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Old Tawny Port

VINTAGES# 149047
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 68.95
Wine, Port,
20.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : S
Made in: Douro, Portugal
By: Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman
Release Date: Dec 6, 2008

Description - After 300 years of continual Port production, Taylor Fladgate can rightly claim to be masters at their craft. This ready-to-serve aged Tawny is close to perfection. Match it with crème brûlée or hazelnut torte to fully appreciate Taylor's trademark rich apricot and dried-fruit flavours and lengthy, nutty, honeyed finish. Just as with the 10-year-old version (121749, $34.95), once opened this will last for several weeks.

As you can see the 20 is almost twice the price which most years it is worth it but I think this year I may pick up the 10 year old instead.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday night – Something old and new – Part 2

Click here for Part 1

For the main course Mick was the grill-master again and this time giant ass “T” bone steaks were his medium. He also served them with a side of grilled vegetables. The wine for this course was a 2002 Benziger “Sonoma County” Cabernet Sauvignon.

"Where's the fruit?"

The nose on the Benziger was very pleasing with tobacco, cedar and dark roast coffee. The taste was very surprising for a California Cab. as the main thing lacking on it was fruit, which is something you don’t say very often about a California Cabernet. The wine did have good tannin and good acidity and a smooth finish. This was a very ‘adult’ cab as the main flavours running throughout were coffee and dark chocolate.

The wine was a good match with the steaks which Mick cooked beautifully but it got a bit weird with the grilled veggies.

No LCBO information on this wine so I’m guessing Mick picked it up in the US. The Wine Spectator didn’t review the 2002 but did review the 2000 and the 2005 and both were listed at $19 US a bottle. This would put the wine at about $33 CDN a bottle.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 87, Mark - 88, Kathy – 86, Amy - 88, Overall – 87.25.

I liked the Benziger Cab. but not sure if it was a good dinner Cab. The lack of fruit limits its versatility and for me makes it a winter/fall wine. I think this wine would be nice to have on a cold day, sitting around a warm fire with some dark chocolate, in this role I think it would excel.

December maybe a quiet period on the blog for Mick, Amy, Kathy and myself as our schedules aren’t matching up well for the month. On the upside, the next time we get together my kitchen will hopefully be done and I’ll get to cook for a change.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday night – Something old and new – Part 1

Mick was back to his usual hosting/cooking detail this past Saturday. The first course was an old favourite that we haven’t had in awhile – Prosciutto wrapped shrimp paired with a 2005 Robert Mondavi Riesling.

While Mick was out grilling the shrimp, we poured out the wine. The Mondavi Riesling had a soft perfume-like nose with pear, rose, lychee and grapefruit elements. The Riesling was showing peach and pink grapefruit flavours on the tongue with ok acidity.

Mick finished cooking the shrimp and we all sat down to enjoy the first course. Mick’s prosciutto wrapped shrimp were great and the Riesling was a good pairing.

I tried to find LCBO information on this wine but they don’t carry it. The last time the Wine Spectator reviewed the Mondavi Riesling was in 1996 and they gave it a 83 rating. I know we bought this at the Premier Group in NY for about $8-9 US a bottle so with duty and exchange it would be about $13-15 CDN.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 89, Mark - 85, Kathy – 89, Amy - 89, Overall – 88.

The Riesling is listed on the blog as one of my $20 favourites, but I have found the last couple of times I have had it, the shine is wearing off of it for me. I’m starting to find it too sweet and too one dimensional. The wine comes across syrupy and sloppy compared to European Rieslings and I truly feel that they would be a better food match most of the time.

On the other hand, 3 out of 4 of us still really enjoy it and it is a very good price point compared to those European Rieslings I was comparing it too.

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night - Off to a foreign country for the night – Part 2

Click here for Part 1

For our main course we all went with the Filet Mignon and ordered 3 sides for the 4 of us – Roasted sweet potato, fresh asparagus and fresh cut steak fries. Side note - the sides were huge, 2 would be more than enough for 4 people.

"1999 Chateau Latour"

To thank Mick and Amy for hosting Saturday night dinners for the past 6 months or so, we decided to order a bottle of 1999 Chateau Latour, Pauillac. Château Latour is one of the five first growths of the Bordeaux region. We tried the Les Forts de Latour back in November of 2007 -

http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2007/11/saturday-night-4-bottles-2-drunk.html

which is Château Latour’s second level wine and it is one the top five Cabernets I have ever had so I was really curious what their top level would be like. It was pricy as all of the top five growths always are but the Western Door hadn’t marked this up very much at all.

Andrew the manager came by to open the wine. We chatted and I commented about the price not being marked up very much. He said keeping all of the first growth at low markup was the Western Door’s way of thanking its wine loving patrons. He decanted the wine but poured out a small taster size in each of our glasses while we waited for our main course to arrive.

"This photo was taken days after the dinner, so picture how dark this cork was when first opened!"

The bottom of the cork was so dark purple it almost seemed black. The nose on this wine was awe inspiring – big, complex with dark chocolate, coffee, green pepper, herbs, clove, cedar and dark berry running throughout. The really cool thing about the nose is about every five minutes or so it would change and one of the aromas would pop out to the forefront and then fade five minutes later as another one took its place.

Tasting the wine was interesting as it was very nicely balanced, good fruit, tannin and acidity but it too would change. At times the wine did become a touch too tannic and at other times it was really good.

I was disappointed a bit at the taste as it was really good but it didn’t blow me away. I figure by the ratings, history and write-ups about the first growths that it would blow away Joseph Phelps Insignia or the Robert Mondavi Napa Private Reserve or even the Les Forts de Latour but I actually preferred the taste of those wines over it. The nose on the other hand was easily the nicest nose I ever had the pleasure of sampling.

It was a good match most of the time with the Filets but as I said at times the taste changed on it so sometimes it was heavenly with the food and other times merely good.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick - 93, Mark - 95, Kathy – 92, Amy - 91, Overall – 93.25.

Here is what the Wine Spectator had to say about the wine -

CHÂTEAU LATOUR Pauillac 1999

Big, yet racy '99. Shows blackberry aromas, with a hint of spice, and is full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit, firm tannins and a dark chocolate and coffee aftertaste. Wonderful texture. Goes on and on. Best after 2006. 13,330 cases made. –JS

Score: 93
Release Price: $148
Current Auction Price: $305

The main course was very good as the Filet Mignon was cook to perfection and all of the sides were very tasty.

We finished the evening with dessert or at least the ladies did. I enjoyed the Western door; Andrew, Hal and Justin were great and made us feel very welcomed. It was a blast to try a first growth Bordeaux though at their price points I don’t see me doing that again real soon. Thankfully, Kathy did very well at the Casino that night which helped offset the dinner bill.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night - Off to a foreign country for the night – Part 1

As a break from our usual Saturday night and to give Mick a well deserved rest from cooking, Mick, Amy, Kathy and I headed over the border to Seneca NY for a night. We got a room at the Crown Plaza across the street from Casino Seneca. We had dinner reservations at the Western Door restaurant that was located at Casino Seneca for 6:30pm.

Thankfully the weather was decent and with US dollar so high against the Canadian peso… err I mean dollar, the border was quiet so we arrived at the hotel at around 5:00pm. We all checked in and each couple went their separate ways to unpack, get changed and settle in before heading over to the Western Door for dinner. Kathy was unpacking and did an “uh oh” and explained that she forgot to pack my outfit for dinner. We called across and ask if jeans were OK and were told they were fine but no short sleeves were allowed.

We headed across to dinner and I was relieved to find that there were at least two or three other people in the restaurant in jeans. Nice thing about an upscale restaurant connected to a Casino is that they don’t tend to be as picky about dress code as a normal upscale restaurant. We were seated and soon met our serving team of Hal and Justin. Hal was awesome, very funny and great timing on food and drinks.

We decide to start with a bunch of appetizers – I had the lobster bisque, Kathy had the clams casino as did Amy and Mick went with crab cakes. We also order a “shrimp tree” to split among the table. For the wine, I picked a 2001 Prosper Maufoux, Mont de Milieu, Chablis from Burgundy to go with the appetizers.

The lighting at the Western Door is more geared to atmosphere than for examining wines and table lighting wasn’t good, the colour looked to be the normal yellowish gold that you’d expect from a Chardonnay. The aroma had a nice toasty vanilla aroma with a good mix of citrus. The Chablis was a bit of an odd duck, it was a bit more fruit forward for a French Chardonnay and the acidity was rounded but a touch blunt. The saving grace of the Chablis was that it had a very lemony finish to it which helped its pairing with all the seafood appetizers.

It was a good match for the crab cakes and the clams casino, an ok match with the shrimp tree but was a little funky with the lobster bisque. On a side note, second best crab cakes I have ever had; the actual crab cakes themselves were really good but the sauce served with it was too bland.

The Prosper Maufoux, Mont de Milieu, Chablis was listed at $62 US on the wine list and judging by the mark-up on other wines in that price point, I would guess it would retail in a store in the US for about $25. At $25 US that would be about a $35 wine in the LCBO and at that price point there are much better Chardonnays out there.

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

I couldn’t find this listed on the LCBO’s website or on the Wine Spectator’s website.

Click here for Part 2

Wine Club – Chardonnay

This past Thursday was the November meeting of Wine Club. Over a year ago, Wine Club first looked at Chardonnay -

http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2007/11/wine-club-recap.html,

Back then we looked at two Canadian Chardonnays and a South African Chardonnay. I wanted to re-visited Chardonnay and this time take a look at a couple of them from the traditional home of Chardonnay – Burgundy, France.

"Good but not quite good enough"

Here is the LCBO Information on both of the wines we tasted -

Louis Jadot Bourgogne Chardonnay 2006

Stock Number – 933077
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ 19.95
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: Burgundy, France
By: Maison Louis Jadot
Release Date: Oct 11, 2008

Description - Long-time Jadot winemaker Jacques Lardière is not one to rest on his laurels. From the geographical headquarters of the Chardonnay grape, he creates this wonderfully versatile wine. Aromas of french vanilla, toffee apple, lemon and toasty oak are prominently on display. It is a textbook example of how well oak and fruit mingle. A fine partner for grilled freshwater fish or a vegetable stir-fry.


Vincent Sauvestre Savigny-les-Beaune Premier Cru Les Talmettes 2006

Stock Number – 84517
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ 34.95
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Burgundy, France
By: Roger Sauvestre
Release Date: Sep 27, 2008

Description - Savigny-Les-Beaune is a reliable source of solid value wines. Located on the favourable, gently ascending, southwest-facing slope, Les Talmettes vineyard produces wines that feature floral, ripe apple and pear aromas and flavours. This rich and harmonious white would make a very pleasing match for oven-baked salmon or roasted poultry.

The Louis Jadot is a Chardonnay that is a personal favourite of mine and I wanted to share this wine with Wine Club. The Vincent Sauvestre was a new Chardonnay that I found at my local LCBO. As it was a Premier Cru and therefore above the Louis Jadot in the AOC pecking order I thought it would be an interesting comparison.

I did up a Caesar salad to try with the wines and Erik brought in a smoked salmon and cream cheese roll, a home made garlic cheese loaf, olives and pineapple chunks so we had lots of different foods to try with the two wines.

The Louis Jadot I have reviewed a number of times on this Blog so I will just focus on the Vincent Sauvestre. It had a classic golden yellow colour that is common to Chardonnays. The LCBO write mentions floral, ripe apple, pear aromas and flavours. On the aroma side I noticed the floral, pear but not the apple and got a slightly toasty aroma. On tasting the wine, the apple was definitely there with pear undertones, the wine was nicely balance and had a good finish.

With the foods the Louis Jadot was clearly the better match with the Caesar as the Vincent Sauvestre became a little funky with the salad. With the salmon, garlic loaf, olives and pineapple, the Vincent Sauvestre was the winner but not by a huge margin. The fruit forwardness of the Vincent Sauvestre had over the Louis Jadot was enough to give it the edge with all of the foods except for the Caesar.

Once you bring price into consideration I would have to give the edge to the Louis Jadot as the winner of the day. The Vincent Sauvestre was the better wine but not by enough to justify the extra price it is selling for.

Thanks to Erik for bringing in a wide selection of foods as it really made this meeting a very good time.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Old Favourites Part 2

Click here for Part 1

For the second course Mick did NY Strips with Zippy sauce, roasted finger potatoes and asparagus and paired it with a 2004 Bonterra Vineyards “Mendocino” Cabernet Cabernet Sauvignon.

"It says 'Cabernet Sauvignon' on the label!"

Nosing the wine brought forth aromas of spice, loam, blackberry, cedar and black pepper. The Bonterra was an interesting tasting experience as it started with a subtle cherry/strawberry flavour, nice mid-palate but then a strange lingering finish. The acidity was also lower than I’d expect for a California Cab.

I think Amy hit this one on the head when she described it as “not a very Cab like Cab”. The Bonterra’s saving grace is that is was very good with the food.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick - 87, Mark - 86, Kathy – 86, Amy – 85, Overall – 86.

LCBO Information –

Bonterra Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintages# 342428
750 mL bottle

Price: $ 18.95

Limited Time Offer

Was: $ 19.95

Now: $ 18.95

Save: $ 1.00 Until Nov 30, 2008

Wine, Red Wine,

12.09% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : D

Made in: California, United States

By: Brown-Forman Louisville Operations

Release Date: Oct 11, 2008

Description - This Cabernet uses only organically grown grapes. The extra effort rewards with pure and polished aromas and flavours of cassis, cherry, roasted herbs, licorice and ripe blackberry all wrapped in silky tannins with a medium-long finish. Toast the cooler months by serving with rosemary-and-thyme-rubbed veal chops, or with a hearty lasagna of beef, zucchini and eggplant.

*Note this might not be the 2004 reviewed and is probably the 2006 year instead.

Thanks to Mick and Amy for a great evening and sorry about the delay in updating the blog.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Old Favourites Part 1

This review is a tad late as things have been really busy lately with home renovations and a new project at work. Mick and Amy had us over dinner on Saturday November 9th. The first course was spicy shrimp with mint sauce and was paired with a 2005 Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc.

"Not as good as earlier years"

The Mondavi was a pale yellow in colour and had a strong citrus/grapefruit aroma with hints of grass, lime and cat’s pee. The grapefruit theme carried over to the taste side of the wine which started with a soft vanilla flavour but had a hard grapefruit finish. The Mondavi surprised me as being more rounded than usual with blunted acidity and was much more mellow than usual as well. It was almost like the grapes used to make the wine were overripe.

It was still a good pairing for the spicy shrimp but I missed the typical razor sharp acidity that earlier years of the wine had.

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

LCBO Information –

Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc
Vintages# 221887
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 24.95
Wine, White Wine,
12.7% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: California, United States
By: Robert Mondavi Winery
Release Date: May 10, 2008

Description - In 1966, in tribute to the Loire Valley's Pouilly-Fumé, the great California innovator Robert Mondavi dubbed his lightly-oaked Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Fumé Blanc. Its aromas include Granny Smith apple, citrus, mineral and light toast notes. It has a crisp, refreshing, fruity core and a vibrant, spicy, subtly toasty finish, making it a perfect partner for barbecued salmon.

*Note – the LCBO listing above is probably the 2006 vintage and not the 2005 reviewed above.

Cheers!

Mark

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night Combique - Part 4

Click here for Part 1

Fourth Course – Gorgonzola Chicken Breasts with Nutty Brown Rice and 2007 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.

Alex and Zdenka’s course was Gorgonzola chicken breasts with nutty brown rice. The wine pairing to go with this course was a 2007 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.

"Wicked Chicken!"

Alex’s found this recipe earlier in the week and decided to try it for the first time at the Combique. He is a braver man than I am as I usually do tried and true recipes for the Combique but his bravery paid off big time as the meal was great. The chicken was cooked to perfection, it was firm and moist and the Gorgonzola really brought this dish to life. His rice was very good as well as the flavour of the nuts in the dish made it seem like more than just a rice side dish.

"Gallons of Grapefruit!"

I have reviewed the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc a few times on this site so I won’t go into much detail. The main element to the wine was pink grapefruit – in the aroma as well as the taste. It was a very good pairing with the dish.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick - 90, Mark - 92, Kathy – 88, Amy - 86, Overall – 89

As there were two other couples, I will list their ratings of the wine here as well – Zdenka – 81, Alex – 88, Melanie – 87 and Steve – 87.

Here is the LCBO information -

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc
Vintages# 35386
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 19.95
Wine, White Wine,
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: New Zealand, New Zealand
By: Constellation Wines Nz
Release Date: Oct 11, 2008

Description - Vintage after vintage, the world-renowned Kim Crawford displays his winemaking prowess with Sauvignon Blanc. This version exhibits aromas such as gooseberry, asparagus, nettle, tomato leaf and citrus. Tantalizing with monkfish with tomato and fresh herbs, or steamed mussels.

"Out of focus Chocolate Cake... like our Photographer was when taking this picture!"

We finished up the night with chocolates, chocolates cake and a bottle of Henry of Pelham Late Harvest Vidal. I have reviewed this wine before so I won’t go into it, besides by that time of the evening and the amount of wine I consumed, I was having trouble even holding a pen, never mind trying to put together coherent notes.

"The always good Henry of Pelham"

The evening was a blast and thanks to Mick and Amy for hosting the night; they are probably still doing dishes at this moment! Thanks to Melanie, Alex and Mick for their amazing dishes.

Cheers,

Mark

Saturday Night Combique - Part 3

Third Course – Spicy Chicken Wings and 2007 Seghesio Sonoma Zinfadel

Mick and Amy’s course was a 50/50 mix of spicy chicken wings and curried chicken wings served with a creamy garlic sauce. The wine was a 2007 Seghesio Sonoma Zinfadel.

"Tonight's dinner brought to by Ontario's Poultry Farmers!"

The wine was something special – big, dark and powerful. Fruit, pepper and dark chocolate on the nose. The wine had a wonderful mouth-feel that just made you want to have more. The only let down with this wine was it was better on its own that with the chicken wings. Speaking of chicken wings, they were easily up to Mick’s usual standard of excellence.

"A Stunning Zin!"

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick - 92, Mark - 91, Kathy – 92, Amy - 90, Overall – 91.25

As there were two other couples, I will list their ratings of the wine here as well – Zdenka – 85, Alex – 89, Melanie – 91 and Steve – 87.

There is no LCBO information on this wine so here is the Wine Spectator’s information on it instead –

Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma County 2007

A seductive and vigorous Zinfandel, with smoky black cherry and blueberry aromas and youthful wild berry, sage and cracked pepper flavors that have a lingering finish and zesty tannins. Drink now through 2012. 68,000 cases made. –TF

Score – 93, Price - $24 US

Click here for Part 4

Saturday Night Combique - Part 2

Second Course – Cheddar Apple Soup and 2007 Vineland Cabernet Franc

Melanie and Steve’s course was a Cheddar and apple soup garnish with fresh parsley and served with a slice of multi-grain bread. The wine was a 2007 Vineland Cabernet Franc.

"Working the cheese in!"

The aroma of the wine was a very strong candied cherry aroma with a hint of a mossy/green aroma. The wine had a thin precise mouth-feel with a strawberry and green pepper flavours. It had a slightly acidic finish to it but overall a light to medium body wine that was very easy drinking. There was a sweetness to the wine that leads me to suspect that the sugar was a one vs. being a bone dry zero.

"Lots of flavours!"

Melanie did a great job with the soup; the flavours combined to give the soup a hearty rich flavour. The sweetness of the apples was showing through the richness of the cheese. We talked about the idea of adding bacon to the soup to round it out a touch more. The multi-grain bread was terrific with the soup. The Cabernet Franc was a good pairing the slight sweetness of the wine playing well with the apples in the soup.

"Suprisingly good"

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick - 88, Mark - 89, Kathy – 85, Amy - 86, Overall – 87

As there were two other couples, I will list their ratings of the wine here as well – Zdenka – 86, Alex – 87, Melanie – 85 and Steve – 87.

LCBO Information -

Vineland Cabernet Franc VQA
LCBO# 594127
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 12.95
Wine, Red Wine,
12.2% Alcohol/Vol.
This is a VQA wine
Made in: Ontario, Canada
By: Vineland Estate Wines Limited

Tasting Note - Pale ruby/purple; aromas of black fruit, herbs and green pepper; light to medium-bodied, lively finish.

Serving Suggestion - Sautéed beef and pepper or vegetable risotto.

I’m not a huge fan of Canadian wines (except for dessert wines) as I stated before on this blog but for $13 a bottle this wine was quite good. A few more like this and I might be changing my opinion of VQA wines.

Click here for Part 3

Saturday Night Combique - Part 1

This Saturday Mick and Amy hosted a Combique with Kathy and myself and two other couples. A Combique is our made up term for a party where each couple makes a dish and brings a bottle (or two) of wine to pair with it.

First Course – Caesar Salad and 2006 Louis Jadot “Bourgogne” Chardonnay.

As I still have no kitchen due to the renovations, I ended making the salad course as it required the least amount of stove time. I truly believe the secret to good cooking is the following – use fresh quality ingredients and don’t take shortcuts.

"Caesar from scratch!"

Caesar salad is a good example of this - you can buy a bag of pre-chopped Romaine lettuce, buy a kit that has the dressing and croutons already made and then buy the pre-cooked bacon bits, assemble and presto, instant Caesar salad. Or you can buy a Romaine lettuce and be selective using just the heart. Making the dressing from scratch so you can customize the ingredients to your guests tastes. Buy bacon and cook it up and finally make the croutons yourself. There is a world of difference between the above two salads that your guests will notice.

Home-made croutons recipe - Cut up a baguette into one inch cubes. Melt a stick of butter, add a tablespoon or so of grated Parmesan cheese and half a tablespoon of garlic powder. In a large bowl, throw in the cubes of bread and pour the melted butter mixture over top and stir so all the cubes are nicely coated. Pour the cubes on a cookie sheet and broil in the oven until evenly toasted. Less then 10 minutes you have wonderful fresh tasting croutons.

"Classic French Chardonnay"

I served up the Caesar salad and poured out the wine and we all sat down for the first course. I have reviewed the Louis Jadot a number of times on the blog so I won’t go into much detail. The wine is a very food friendly wine and is an amazing pairing with Caesar salad at a pretty reasonable price point.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick - 89, Mark - 91, Kathy – 89, Amy - 88, Overall – 89.25

As there were two other couples, I will list their ratings of the wine here as well – Zdenka – 88, Alex – 91, Melanie – 88 and Steve – 87.

Here is the LCBO Information –

Louis Jadot Bourgogne Chardonnay
Vintages# 933077
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 19.95
Wine, White Wine,
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: Burgundy, France
By: Maison Louis Jadot
Release Date: Oct 11, 2008

Description - Long-time Jadot winemaker Jacques Lardière is not one to rest on his laurels. From the geographical headquarters of the Chardonnay grape, he creates this wonderfully versatile wine. Aromas of french vanilla, toffee apple, lemon and toasty oak are prominently on display. It is a textbook example of how well oak and fruit mingle. A fine partner for grilled freshwater fish or a vegetable stir-fry.

Click here for Part 2

Saturday night – Amy’s needs two and half people to replace her! Part 2

Click here for Part 1.

For the main course, Mick was firing up the grill again but this time for lamb skewers. He accompanied the lamb with roasted baby potatoes and Greek salad. He also made up a batch of homemade Tzakiki “Hey you lika da sauce!” sauce. Mick choose to pair the lamb with a 2005 Castle Rock “Edna Valley” Pinot Noir.

"Sorry for the poor quality picture - I though the picture was blurry 'cause I was drunk... turns out it was blurry!"

I laughed as I poured out the Pinot Noir as it was slightly more opaque than the Zinfandel was and was wondering if this was going to be the most “Zinfandel like” Pinot I’d ever had. The nose was odd as there were some aromas like green pepper, mint and pine there that I usually don’t associate with Pinot Noir as well as a good hit of cherry. Thankfully the taste was very Pinot Noir; nice fruit, high acid and low tannin with a nice cherry/plum favour working throughout.

The lamb was beautifully grilled to medium-medium rare and Mick’s Tzakiki was very good as well. The wine was a good pairing, not perfect but still quite good. The Greek salad would throw the wine a bit at times but the lamb and potatoes went really well with the wine.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick - 86, Mark - 87, Kathy – 87, John - 90, Overall – 87.5.

The LCBO doesn’t list the wine and I couldn’t find the exact review for this wine but after web searching it looks like this bottle was about $12 US so $19-20 CDN after duty, taxes and exchange. Not a bad wine for the price point.

For dessert we broke out a bottle of Yalumba Antique Tawny Port (I have reviewed this a couple times so I won’t bother doing it again) and three different types of Blue cheese. Kimmy made a pumpkin pie which I didn’t have any room left to try after all of the food but my wife really liked it and considering she isn’t a huge fan of pumpkin pie that is really saying something.

It was fun getting together with John and Kimmy, Mick did an outstanding job with the food but without Amy there it felt like something was missing but as the song says 2 out 3 ain’t bad!

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday night – Amy’s needs two and half people to replace her! Part 1

Amy was off this weekend on a business trip so our usual Saturday night cast of characters was different this weekend. Mick was cooking up his usual Saturday night bevy of delights and added in two guests for the night – John and Kimmy.

John and Kimmy have been living in British Columbia for the last few years, but have returned to the nest as they are expecting a little John (shudder) or a little Kimmy (please God, let it be a girl that takes after Kimmy as we only need one John on this planet!) in the next few months. All of John and Kimmy’s families are in Ontario so this area has a much better support network than BC did. (Note – I kid John because I care, Mick, John and I have been buddies for so long that it isn’t funny.)

So as Kimmy wasn’t drinking due to the pregnancy, John would have to take Amy’s place as the ‘Russian’ judge for the evening.

"Great Pinot! Oh it's a Zinfandel?"

Mick’s starter for the evening was his world famous Chicken Quesadillas paired with a 2006 Bogle Old Vines Zinfandel. As Mick was out cooking up the Quesadillas, I poured out the wine. I was surprised as I poured the wine into the glasses how ‘thin’ it was. Usually the colour and clarity for Zinfandels is dark and opaque, the colour was a nice ruby red but the clarity was almost Pinot Noir like.

The Bogle did have a pretty nose of vanilla, raspberry, strawberry and smoke. Tasting it was interesting as well as it had big fruit, high acid and low tannin which caused the balance to be off on this wine. Funny with the fruit, acid and tannin this was another thing that was more Pinot like than Zinfandel like. On its own I wasn’t impressed with this wine but it was much better with the food. The cheese in the Chicken Quesadillas and the sour cream dip help neutralize the acid in the wine and made it very agreeable.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick - 87, Mark - 86, Kathy – 84, John - 85, Overall – 85.5.

I know Mick picked this wine up in the US as the LCBO has no listing for any of the wines that are made by Bogle.

Here is what the Wine Spectator has to say about the wine –

Bogle Zinfandel California Old Vine 2006

Supple, juicy and easygoing, showing cola and bright cherry aromas, with spice and zesty licorice flavors. Drink now. 100,000 cases made. –TF

Score – 85, Price $11

At an $11 US price point that would be about $19 CDN after duty, taxes and exchange. At that price point this wasn’t a bad Zinfandel, though it was probably the most Pinot Noir like Zinfandel I have ever experienced.

Click here for Part 2.

Wine Club - Malbec

Our October meeting of Wine Club was this past Thursday and we were comparing two Malbecs from Argentina. I’d picked both of them up during our wine shopping trip to the Premier Group in NY state in September.

"The Battle of the Malbecs!"

I was looking forward to this meeting as I haven’t had a lot of exposure to wines from Argentina or Malbec. I picked up some hard cheeses (Aged Cheddar, Asiago and a Swiss) as well as a couple of salamis (Genoa Mild and Hot) and a selection of crackers.

Here is the information on both wines -

Premier Group Information – Altos Las Hormigas Malbec 2006

Stock Number – 46781
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ 9.99 US - Club Discount - $1.22 = $8.77
Duty + Exchange - $5.88
Final Price - $14.65
Made in: Argentina

Wine Spectator Description – Ripe and juicy, with lots of plum, sweet toast, cocoa and boysenberry jam notes that are fleshy and delicious through the finish. A crowd-pleaser. Drink now. 20,000 cases made. –JM

Score - 87

Premier Group Information – Bodega Renacer Malbec Mendoza Punto Final 2006

Stock Number –
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ 9.99 US - Club Discount - $1.50 = $8.49
Duty + Exchange - $5.69
Final Price - $14.18
Made in: Argentina

Wine Spectator Description – Juicy and fresh, with raspberry and blackberry fruit, followed by a round, easy finish. Drink now. 5,000 cases made. –JM

Score – 86

Both wines had great aromas coming off them that were similar but slightly different. The Altos Las Hormigas had a stronger nose and the fruit aroma was stronger on it and it also had an earthy smell to it that the Punto Final didn’t. Taste wise things were similar to the aromas of the wines - the Altos Las Hormigas was more vibrant and seemed ‘fresher’ than the Punto Final. The wines were ok with the cheeses but really good with the salamis. What was interesting with the salamis pairing is the wines were equally as good with the mild as they were with the hot.

Both Malbecs remind me of a Cabernet Sauvignon with their high tannin and their preliminary taste but didn’t have the full mid-palette that Cabs usually do. The colour of the wine was closer to a Merlot as both were a nice inky purple in colour.

Nice advantage to not Blogging right after a Wine Club meeting is I sometimes get feedback as one of the wine club members had a bottle of the Altos Las Hormigas over the weekend with pork tenderloin and raved about how good this wine with it. This was cool as most of the pairing information I had found on Malbec leaned towards beef rather than pork, so it was interesting to hear that a pork pairing was so good.

I will say that I wasn’t ‘blown’ away by either of the Malbecs, though I did enjoy both of them and it was fun to try something new. The wines were good enough that I will be looking for more Malbec in the future.

Cheers!

Mark

Friday Night – 2005 Rosenblum Zinfandel

As Canadian Thanksgiving was this past weekend, Mick and Amy/Kathy and I had family commitments this weekend, so we decided to get together for a quick dinner on Friday instead. We settled on ordering wings and ribs for dinner. We have a local wing place that is quite good.

We went and picked up the food and retired back to Mick and Amy’s to eat. Mick had a couple of Zins out and we picked the 2005 Rosenblum Zinfandel to go with dinner. Rosenblum Zinfandels are a long time favourite of mine and is listed as one of my $20 favourites.

The 2000-2004 Rosenblum Zinfandels were a great value for money, I had the 2006 back in the spring and was extremely disappointed. I was curious to see if the 2005 leaned towards the earlier years or was closer to the 2006 in taste.

The nose was quite nice with raspberry, leather and sour cherry showing through. The structure of the wine was ok as it had a nice mouth feel but the acid seemed to be a touch high. There was a raspberry/strawberry taste with a woody finish happening with this wine on its own.

The 2005 Rosenblum was good with the wings and ribs as they helped cut the sharpness of the high acid.

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

Here is the LCBO Information –

Rosenblum Zinfandel

Vintages 284653
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 17.95
Wine, Red Wine,
14.1% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: California/Californie, United States
By: Diageo Canada Inc
Release Date: Oct 11, 2008

Description - Rosenblum is one of California's Zinfandel masters. This version serves up-front aromas of strawberry preserves, ripe berries and mocha. Full-bodied, this delicious Zin possesses rich and plush flavours that are well-balanced by acidity. It has a very nice spicy-berry finish. Excellent with prune-and-almond-stuffed pork tenderloin or grilled back ribs.

The 2005 Rosenblum wasn’t as good as the previous years but was much better than the 2006. Hopefully the 2007 will get back to the quality of the 2000-2004 years.

Cheers!

Mark

A hundred posts and a thousand spelling mistakes later…

I just crossed the hundred post mark on Zippy sauce and thought it was something to celebrate. In two weeks I will also hit the one year anniversary of my first post.

It was fun to look over the early Blog posts and see how things have changed. There are more pictures on the later posts and the quality of pictures improved as Amy’s photography skills are much better than mine.

Standardizing on colours in the articles – Blue for our group ratings on the wine, red for the Wine Spectator comments and brown for the LCBO information is another improvement over the earlier posts.

The Wine List in the right hand column providing an easy list of wines with links that have been reviewed over the last year.

Hopefully the writing skills have also improved on the Blog over that time, but I won’t hold my breath waiting for positive feedback on that!

I recently added the Top Ten Wines reviewed Zippy sauce to the right hand column. This will provide a quick links to the Blog posts about those wines.

Last month I added my first book review to the site and hope to do more.

It will be fun to look back on this post next year and see what else has changed or been added to the site.

Anything that the 2 or 3 readers of this site would like to see added, just drop a comment and I will do my best to accommodate it. Feedback is always nice to get.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday night – A very good Knight! Part 2

Click here for part 1

Mick for the main course decided to use up the rest of the crab topping to top beef tenderloin with Béarnaise sauce. A side of grilled vegetables completed the menu. Mick opened a bottle of 1999 Beringer’s Knight’s Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to pair with this course.

I was looking forward to this wine as this was an old favourite. At one point in my life I would have said that 1999 Beringer’s Knight’s Valley Cabernet Sauvignon would have been my absolute favourite wine period. We hadn’t had it 2 to 3 years so it will be interesting to see what it is like.

"Not as magical but still damn good!"

This wine has a strong nose of sour cherry, dark berry, loam, green pepper, and cocoa with a bit of earthiness to it. Upon tasting the wine you get nice fruit, good acidity, fine tannins and a smooth finish; a very nicely balanced wine. The mouth feel on it was a bit thin and it just didn’t have that “wow” factor to it to take it to the next level. It was a great pairing with the beef and a good paring with the grilled vegetables.

There is a line in a Bob Seger song that goes “I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then…” and that is how I feel about the 1999 Beringer’s Knight’s Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. At one time I would have described this wine as stunning, amazing, legendary, and now I’d describe it a good value for money and a solid Cab. It isn’t as magical as it once was as since then I have tried a number of higher end Cabs that are superior to this one.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick - 91, Mark - 91, Kathy – 90, Amy - 90, Overall – 90.5.

Here is what the Wine Spectator had to say about this wine –

Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley Appellation Collection 1999

Vanilla, cedar, cassis and roasted plum flavors have very good intensity, with tart, gripping oak tannins that firm up in the finish. Drink now through 2008. 43,000 cases made.

Price - $26 US, Score – 86

Here is the LCBO information on this wine –

Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintages 352583
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 39.95
Wine, Red Wine,
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: California, United States
By: Beringer Vineyards
Release Date: May 10, 2008

Description - This sensual Cab from the Knights Valley appellation in Sonoma County displays aromas of plums, cocoa, blackcurrant, sweet cherry and cedar. Creamy textured and loaded with sweet fruit flavours and a nice backbone of acidity, it is medium full-bodied with a long fruity/gently tannic finish. An excellent companion for barbecued leg of lamb.

* Note the wine listed above is probably a 2005 and not the 1999 reviewed here on the blog.

For dessert we did cheese and crackers with a bottle of Yalumba Antique Tawny. I have covered this port a couple of times and decided not to write it up again (see the Wine List and click on the links for previous write-ups).

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday night – A very good Knight! Part 1

We got together with Mick and Amy for our usual Saturday night dinner. Mick had selected the menu and the wines, so Kathy and I brought dessert.

For the first course Mick was making crab topped scallops and had a 2004 Freixenet Cava to pair with them.

"Warning - these tasty treats will disappear quickly!"

While Mick was cooking the scallops, Amy handed me the Cava to open. To open a sparkling wine without spilling it, grab the base of the bottle firmly in the palm of your left hand and grab the cork firmly in your right. Slowly work the cork back and forth and the pressure from the bottle will ‘pop’ the cork. Your left hand with the base of the bottle will cushion the bottle as it pops and stop the wine from spraying everywhere. I have used this method to open Champagne and sparkling wines numerous times without spilling a drop…except for this evening.

I was talking to Amy and Kathy with the bottle in my hands and had the bottle sort of on my lap as I was talking. I removed the top foil and then wire cover the cork, I reached up with my right to grab the cork and as soon as I touched it the stupid thing popped. I barely managed to grab the bottle and ended up spraying sparkling wine over my pants, the floor and the table. I guess the bright side was at least I didn’t drop the bottle and most of the wine was still in the bottle.

"Look, some wine is actually in the glass..."

I felt like an ass for the mess but in my defense, I have never had a cork that was as sensitive as that one was.

After cleaning up the mess we poured out the Cava and Mick served up the scallops.

"Good value for the money"

After nosing the wine, which wasn’t difficult to do as my pants, the floor and the table now smelled of it, aromas of lees, straw and a creamy/toasty aroma were present in the Cava. Tasting the wine brought forth a slightly under ripe citrus/lime/white grapefruit combo. The Cava was very dry, good acidity but had an awkward/bitter finish. It wasn’t a great match for the crab topped scallops as the sweetness of the crab topping was making the Cava do funky things taste-wise.

On the upside the crab topped scallops were excellent.

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

Here is the LCBO information -

Freixenet Brut Nature Vintage Cava 2004

VINTAGES 182014
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 10.75
Wine, Sparkling Wine,
11.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Made in: Penedes, Spain
By: Freixenet S.A.
Release Date: Sep 29, 2007

Description - This vintage-dated Cava offers excellent value. Made in the traditional method, the grapes for this wine come from a vineyard that has a high limestone content. The resulting wine is light and clean with a distinct mineral tone and a long, creamy finish. An excellent aperitif, it would also pair well with a selection of poached or grilled seafood with a garlicky aioli.

For $10.75 this wasn’t a bad sparkling wine. Due to the sweetness of the crab topping a semi-sweet sparkler such as an Italian prosecco would have been a better match. It would be interesting to see the Cava paired with mussels or oysters as I think that would be a good pairing for this wine.

Click here for part 2

Wine Club – Muscadet

For the September meeting we went with a new grape – Melon de Bourgogne aka Muscadet aka Melon. Rather than re-inventing the wheel and writing up a description of Muscadet, here is the Wikipedia write-up - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscadet

"The better of the two!"

Both of the wines that we tried were purchased at the Premier Group in the US. Here is the information on both wines -

Premier Group Information – Domaine de la Batardiere Muscadet 2006

Stock Number – 50545
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ 9.99 US - Club Discount - $2.00 = $7.99
Duty + Exchange - $5.35
Final Price - $13.34 CDN
Made in: Loire, France

"Past its prime..."

Premier Group Information – Château Bourdiniere Muscadet 2004

Stock Number – 34715
Volume – 750mL
Price: $ 9.99 US - Club Discount - $1.50 = $8.49
Duty + Exchange - $5.69
Final Price - $14.17 CDN
Made in: Loire, France

One of the interesting points the Wiki write-up mentions is that most Muscadets should be drunken within three years of production. As you can see we had a 2006 and a 2004 and the differences between the two were quite noticeable. The 2004 was a much darker gold-yellow in colour vs. the 2006 and the nose was much fainter on the 2004 vs. 2006.

The 2006 was fresh and lively with nice aromas of Green Apples, Lees and a hint of floral in the background. The 2004 was flat and with a bit of Green Apple and not much else going on. I don’t believe this was the fault of Château Bourdiniere, I think it was that the wine was past its prime. Thankfully the 2006 Domaine de la Batardiere Muscadet is the bottle that everyone is taking home as it was clearly the better of the two.

Muscadet was an interesting grape and the best way I can describe it is it seems midway between a Sauvignon Blanc and Dry Champagne with just a hint of oiliness that you get from Pinot Gris.

We had cheese, liver paté and crackers with the wine and it was OK paring. On researching this wine, people were raving about how it paired with seafood, especially things like oysters and mussels. I have my bottle of the 2006 Domaine de la Batardiere Muscadet sitting at home and will have to try it with some mussels to see if Muscadet is as good as people were writing about it.

It was fun to try a new grape, I wasn’t blow away by it but you never know until you try these things.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday night – “Don’t believe the hype!” Edition - Part 2

Click here for Part 1

The menu for the main course was Beef Tenderloin wrapped in bacon, corn on the cob, and oven roasted potatoes.

Our wine pairing was a bottle of 2000 Chateau Lynch-Moussas (Pauillac) which I had purchased on my trip down to the Premier Group the previous day.

"Smells French!"

The wine as I poured it out was a lovely deep rich ruby-purple colour. The aroma coming off this wine was very powerful and infused with raspberry, cedar, cocoa and an earthy peat moss.

I find being very familiar with California Cabs that most of them have a distinct aroma to them which I recognize instantly. I can’t accurately describe what aromas combine to do this and jokingly refer to the aroma as “smells like love”. Now that I am getting more and more exposure to red Bordeaux wines, I’m starting to get that same recognition.

The nose on the Chateau Lynch-Moussas was unquestionably French. The best way I can describe the difference between the two regions is California cabs have a fruity-wood combo going on where with the French one’s it is more of a earthy-wood combo.

"Just missing some Zippy Sauce!"

The wine was very well balanced, you could taste the subtle fruit, and it had with a nice spicy finish. It was good with the Beef Tenderloin and then we add some Zippy Sauce to the plate as a dipping sauce. The wine pairing went from good to great.

"Great with the wine!"

I asked Amy to pickup something chocolaty for dessert and she chose a Dark Chocolate Cake with hazelnuts. We all saved some of the wine to go with this dessert and I’m glad we did. The combination of the two was an even better pairing than the pairing with the beef.

Not 15 seconds after we were trying this wine, both Kathy and Amy were asking me how many bottles of this wine I picked up. They weren’t happy when I said “you looking at it”. The bottle was $49.99 US so it was not cheap. There was a discount on it of $7.50 which made it $42.49 US, but after duty, taxes and exchange this bottle worked out to be about $71 Canadian. At that price point, I was not about to pickup multiple bottles of it blind though I wish I did as it would be nice to have a couple on the rack.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick - 91, Mark - 89, Kathy – 90, Amy - 92, Overall – 90.5.

There was no information at the LCBO on the 2000 but they did have the 2003 listed –

Château Lynch-Moussas 2003

Vintages 963256
750 mL bottle

Price: $ 43.55

Wine, Red Wine

12.5% Alcohol/Vol

Sugar Content : XD

Made in: Bordeaux, France

By: Borie-Manoux S.A.R.L.

Release Date: Oct 13, 2007

Tasting Note - Beautiful aromas of blackberry, currant and light licorice follow through to a full-bodied palate, with big and velvety tannins and a long, flavourful finish. Rich and tight wine with wonderful texture. Very well done for this estate. Best after 2010. Score - 90. (James Suckling, www.winespectator.com, March 31, 2006)

Here is what the Wine Spectator had to say about it –

Château Lynch-Moussas, Pauillac 2000

Very pretty aromas of crushed fruit, with raspberry and blackberry character. Full-bodied, yet fine and silky, with a long, delicious finish. Very balanced red. I can't remember tasting a better Lynch-Moussas. Best after 2009. 20,000 cases made. –JS

Score – 91, Price - $25

Looking over the above two with a $43.55 CDN price and a $25 US release price, the $50 retail price at the Premier Group doesn’t look that good. The only explanation I have is that the Premier Group put down a case or two in storage when it was released in 2004 and are now charging a premium for it.

At $71 US a bottle, this wine is about the right price point but maybe a touch high at $43 CDN. If the 2003 is as good as the 2000, this wine is a steal.

The food and wine for the evening was excellent and I have to give a huge thank you to Mick for modifying his menu to pair with the two wines.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday night – “Don’t believe the hype!” Edition - Part 1

Mick was cooking this Saturday and I tossed a pairing challenge his way. I asked for an appetizer that pairs with Sauvignon Blanc and a main course that pairs with Cabernet Sauvignon.

I had been wine shopping earlier in the week at the LCBO and down in the US at the Premier Group so I was excited to try a couple of bottles sooner than later.

The Sauvignon Blanc was a 2007 Cloudy Bay from New Zealand. I have heard a number of people rave about this wine and the Judgment of Paris book I reviewed also had good things to say about this winery. I wanted to have this wine sooner than later as the LCBO still has good stock, so if it was good I could get more of it.

"You can never have too many!"

Mick decided to prepare Blackened Scallops with Avocado Relish served on tortillas. The first time he did this recipe - http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2008/08/saturday-night-noahs-ark-edition.html he paired it was a Beringer Alluvium Blanc (a white blend). I speculated at the time that a pure Sauvignon Blanc would be a better pairing so it would be fun to see if this was the case. I was also looking forward to this dish as it was awesome the last time.

Mick was ready to go with the food when we arrived so I poured out the wine while he went outside to grill the scallops.

"Good, but Pricey"

The colour of the wine was a very pale yellow, almost no colour to it. The aroma was classic Sauvignon Blanc – Gooseberry, hay/cut grass and cat’s pee but there was also a pineapple and citrus aroma as well. In tasting it, the first thing that stood out was its zippy fresh acidity. There was a nice citrus tartness happening with the wine as well. The finish was a bit sharp but nothing too distracting.

Mick served up the scallops and the room got very quiet as everyone dove into the dish with gusto. The wine pairing with the scallops was very good. It was not a perfect pairing but very close.

Mick agreed this was a better pairing than the Alluvium Blanc he paired with the dish the first time and for that I have to give him credit as it takes a big man to be honest about these things.

We killed the bottle very quickly and I think if a second bottle of Cloudy Bay was around we would have put a large dent in it as well. This was a very easy drinking wine so I can see why people like it so much.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick - 88, Mark - 91, Kathy – 90, Amy - 88, Overall – 89.25.

Here is the LCBO information on this wine –

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Vintages 304469
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 34.95
Wine, White Wine,
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: New Zealand, New Zealand
By: Cloudy Bay Vineyards
Release Date: Jun 21, 2008

Tasting Note - Zingy and vibrant with a ton of crisp, fresh, grassy flavours and razor sharp acidity balancing the ripe, sweet tropical fruit with melon, capsicum and hints of pineapple playing around in the background. It slips down nicely and the finish is pungent and long. A somewhat 'retro' style for Cloudy Bay - but that's a good thing because lots more people liked it this year. (Sue Courtney, www.wineoftheweek.com, Jan. 23, 2008)

Here is what the Wine Spectator had to say about this wine –

Crisp, tart and fragrant, with very good intensity to grass, lime peel, grapefruit and sweet pea flavors. Sea salt and fresh herb undertones extend through the finish. Drink now. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 10,000 cases imported. –DS

Score – 88, Price $27 US

The biggest problem I have with this wine is the price point. Being priced at $35 a bottle and the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc being $20; it is too hard to justify that price. I was truly expecting more from this wine due to all the hype.

I like the Cloudy Bay and I have two more bottles in the cellar that I’m sure I will enjoy but I don’t see me going out to buy more of this one.

Click here for Part 2

Book review - Judgment of Paris

George M. Taber was the Time reporter who broke the story of the 1976 Paris tasting. He was the only reporter at this small but prestigious event. The wine tasting event was put together by Steve Spurrier, a British national who owned a wine store and wine school in Paris.

The event didn’t set out to prove that California wines were better than their French counterparts. His motivation for doing so was to show how far American wine making had progressed in the 200 years since they gained their independence from Britain. The idea behind the event was to have fun and show how American wines had improved. He picked six Californian reds and six Californian whites and four top French red Bordeaux’s and four top French white Burgundy’s.

The reason the event was news worthy is a Californian red and a Californian white took first place in a blind tasting.

The book starts off with Steve Spurrier, his life, his wine business and how he went about setting up the tasting. It steps away from Steve Spurrier and starts delving into some of the key people and wineries in California that were in the tasting or had a large influence on how the wine was made. Names like Grgich, Tchelistcheff, Martini, Mondavi, Stewart, Winiarski begin showing up in the book. Their backgrounds, their personalities and their wine making methods and styles are explored. The author does a great job of bringing some of these colourful individuals to life.

He also covers the history of California wine making. It was amazing to see how things have evolved since the fifties to today and how quickly it has changed.

The book returns to the tasting, covers the credentials of the French judges and then covers the tasting itself. Once the shocking results are reveled, how people reacted; the California winemakers’ jubilation to the fallout for the French judges and Steve Spurrier.

He talks about regions like New Zealand, Chile, Australia, South Africa that weren’t well know for wine or quality and how they began changing and adapting. How the wine making began to change and globalize. He re-visits both California and France present day and shows how things in both places have changed.

It was a fascinating read. I was amazed how many wines I have tried that were mentioned in the book. It also peak my curiosity in some wines that I hadn’t tried. I recently picked up a couple bottles and am looking very forward to trying them.

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in wine.