Saturday night - the sins of the Zin, part 3

Part I
Part II

Kathy and I were to bring the dessert and wine to go with said dessert as our contribution to the evening’s festivities. Mick mentioned that Amy was still raving about the scones, Devonshire cream and strawberry jam from last weekend, so I decided to repeat last week’s dessert.

"The spread"

I hit the supermarket where I got the raisin tea biscuits last week but they were sold out. I hit next supermarket where I got the Devonshire cream and strawberry jam last week. They had one pack of plain scones in stock which I grabbed. The Devonshire cream brand I picked up last week was sold out, but they had another brand of Devonshire cream in stock so I grabbed that one instead. They still had the strawberry jam in stock so I grabbed a jar of it. I also grabbed a jar of black currant jam as well, just to see what it was like with the scones.

Once getting home from shopping I looked over the wine rack and decided on a bottle 2005 Henry of Pelham Botrytis affected Riesling and put it in the fridge.

"What Canadian wine should be!"

After dinner we broke out the dessert Riesling and poured it out. The wine is nice light golden amber colour in appearance. The nose on the Botrytis affected Riesling is milder than I was expecting but good floral notes are present as are apple and peach. Sipping the wine, I noticed that it had good acidity, sweetness and a refreshing tartness to it. The taste of the wine reminded me strongly of grapefruit with sugar on it.

The Henry of Pelham Botrytis affected Riesling went very nicely with the scones. The strawberry jam was the clear winner of the two jams. The raisin tea biscuits we had last week were better than the plain ones this week, but they were still quite good.

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

Henry of Pelham Botrytis Affected Riesling 2005

Vintages# 534628

375 mL bottle

Price: $ 27.90

Wine, White Wine,

10.0% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : MS

This is a VQA wine

Made in: Ontario, Canada

By: Henry Of Pelham Family Est. Winery

Release Date: Sep 29, 2007

Description - Botrytis cinera is a fungus that is responsible for many of the world's great dessert wines including Sauternes and Hungarian Tokaji. It shrivels the grapes which concentrates the sugars and acids, as well as adding a distinctly 'wild' quality to the wines. Henry of Pelham reserves a small, low-lying block of Riesling in hopes that once every five years they get the warm days, cool nights and foggy mornings needed to create these unique wines. Enjoy this rich, complex wine with a selection of fine artisan cheeses.

There are still good stock levels at a number of LCBO locations, do yourself a favour and pick up a couple of bottles. This is one wine that will only improve as the years go by.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday night - the sins of the Zin, part 2

Part I

For the main course, Mick had a new pork tenderloin recipe he wanted to try and a new recipe for stir fried eggplant. To complete the meal, he did up a side of couscous. The pork tenderloin was grilled on the barbeque and served with an East/West BBQ sauce. The eggplant was cooked in the oven for a bit and then stir fried on the stove top in a light garlic sauce.

"East/West sauce in the makings"

The wine to go with the meal was a 1997 Newton Napa Valley Merlot. The wine was decanted through a fine strainer to remove the sediment. We poured out the wine and sat down for dinner.

"Eggplant never tasted so good!"

Before starting the dinner, we took the time to nose and taste the wine. An aroma of plums and dark berries was prominent with the Newton Merlot and a large amount of heat (alcohol) was very noticeable as well. Tasting the wine, I found the Newton Merlot had good tannin, high heat, lack of fruit and a subtle herbaceous flavour to it.

"BBQ'd Pork Tenderloin"

With the food, the Newton Merlot became lost at times or worse was creating a sharp taste. The pork with the East/West sauce was very good but the sauce was too much for the wine. It was ok with the eggplant and good with the couscous. We discussed what would have gone well with the pork tenderloin and the East/West sauce as a wine pairing and it was decided that a medium sweet Riesling probably would be a good match.

"Back in the day -1997"

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick - 89, Mark - 83, Kathy – 87, Amy -83, Overall – 85.5

"Now we are in flavour country!"

I couldn’t find any information on the Newton Merlot from LCBO so I’m going to assume Mick got this in the US as well.

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

Newton Merlot Napa Valley 1997

Combines supple, polished black cherry, currant, anise and cedar notes with a deceptively firm tannic backbone. Tasty now. Best from 2001 through 2009. –JL

Score – 88, Price - $41

At $41 US per bottle that would work out to about $67 CDN per bottle after duty and taxes. At that price you can get a much better Merlot for much less money.

Part III

Saturday night – the sins of the Zin, part 1

Kathy and I were at our favourite Saturday night hangout – Mick and Amy’s for dinner. Mick had his chef’s hat on and his “I’m the Grill Master!” apron and was ready to go when we arrived. He had a couple of new dishes on tap for the evening, some new wines to try as well as some old favourites.

"Pass the rudy port..."

The first course was BBQ’d Chicken wings and a bottle of Zinfandel to go with them. I was excited to see his Zinfandel choice - a 2004 “San Francisco Bay” Rosenblum Zinfandel. I have always liked Rosenblum ever since trying their 2001 Zinfandel. Rosenblum was the first red Zinfandel I'd ever tried and are the standard to which I hold and judge other red Zinfandels to. The basic Rosenblum Zinfandels from 2001-2005 were excellent, though the 2006 seems to have lost the magic of the earlier years.

Enough preamble, time to get to the wine... the nose on the 2004 “San Francisco Bay” Rosenblum Zinfandel had a huge cherry aroma and a marzipan note in the background.

"Citrus latifolia or as it's commonly known - Limes"

I was shocked at the first sip of this wine and almost got up to check the label on the bottle to confirm this was actually a Zinfandel. This was more like a ruby port than a Zinfandel. It was incredibility heavy, thick, sweet and cloying. I like a big Zin but this one was so far over the top it was almost stupid. The flavors on the wine consisted of a mix between candied cherry and wine gums.

"BBQ'd love!"

It was just OK with the chicken wings which was a shame as the chicken wings were truly excellent and deserved a better wine to go with them.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick - 83, Mark - 80, Kathy – 82, Amy -82, Overall – 81.75.

I couldn’t find any LCBO information on the 2004 “San Francisco Bay” Rosenblum Zinfandel, so I’m assuming Mick picked this up in the US.

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

Rosenblum Zinfandel San Francisco Bay Appellation Series 2004

Superripe and jammy, with a sweet edge to the fruit that robs it, for me, of its varietal character. OK as a red wine that may be a touch sweet. Drink now. 12,000 cases made. –JL

Score – 82, Price $18.

At $18 US per bottle, that works out to about $29 CDN after duty and taxes. At that price point there are many more attractive Zinfandels out there for less money.

Part II

Friday night surprise

We had an impromptu get together with Mick and Amy on Friday night. They came by to drop off a couple of things and brought by some dessert. Mick and Amy had picked up a selection of chocolate cake slices.

The dessert wouldn’t have been complete without a bottle of wine to go with it. Cabernet Sauvignon is generally a good match for chocolate. I looked over the rack for something interesting and found a bottle of 2001 Château Batailley from the Pauillac region of Bordeaux.

"The Wine"

Upon opening the bottle, I was greeted by the distinct smell of black currant, which had me drooling in anticipation of trying it. We left the wine to breathe for a bit and did a tour of the house to show Mick and Amy what we had done so far with the renovations.

"A wee bit of sediment."

Once the tour was completed, we divided up the desserts and I picked a Rocky Road cheesecake slice… hey, I’m a sucker for marshmallows (and caramel and chocolate doesn’t hurt either!). I poured out the wine and gave everyone a glass.

Black currant was the dominate aroma of the wine, with green pepper a close second. There was also a note of tar and an earthy smell to the wine which none of us could nail down any more specifically than that.

"One of the desserts."

The first sip of this wine caught me a touch off guard, with the aroma of the wine being very strong I was expecting a big wine. The 2001 Château Batailley was more of a medium bodied wine and seemed almost light for a Cab blend. It was nicely balanced, very smooth and the finish didn’t linger. This was definitely a French wine, as it didn’t have the typical fruit forwardness of a California or another new world wine. It had a vegetal/herbal type of taste which was quite pleasant.

The Château Batailley was an ideal match for the cheesecake I was having. Mick had the same dessert and liked the pairing. The ladies had Truffle Royale slices which was a much darker and richer chocolate than the chocolate in the cheesecake. They thought the pairing was OK.

Mick was curious on how the wine would go with plain dark chocolate. I had some individually wrapped Lindt 75% dark chocolate squires and broke them out. This was a mistake as the pure dark chocolate killed this wine; it created a very nasty taste combination that even after a couple of mouthfuls of wine still lingered. Oh well, you don’t know until you try these things.

Here is the group rating for the wine –

Mick – 84, Mark – 91, Kathy – 86, Amy – 87, Overall – 87

Here is the LCBO Information for this wine –

CHÂTEAU BATAILLEY 2001

VINTAGES 920231
750 mL bottle

Price: $ 56.50

Wine, Red Wine,

12.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : XD

Made in: Bordeaux, France

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

Release Date: Dec 8, 2007

Description -Château Batailley is one of Bordeaux's 'traditionalists'. These wines usually require at least five years to open up. This 2001 perfectly demonstrates the evolution of a great Bordeaux wine.

Tasting Note - Fascinating aromas of blackberries, plums and smoke. Medium- to full-bodied, with plenty of silky tannins and a medium finish. Best after 2007. Score - 89. (James Suckling, www.winespectator.com, March 31, 2004)

I enjoyed this wine but at a $56 price point, I'm not sure that I’m going to rush out and buy more of it.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday night - Amy, is it not? Part 3

Part 1 can be found here - http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2008/07/saturday-night-amy-isnt-part-1.html

Part 2 can be found here -http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2008/07/saturday-night-amy-isnt-part-2.html

"Not low calorie..."

As I wrote in my earlier post, I was providing the dessert for the evening and went with a personal favourite that exposes my British heritage - Scones (tea biscuits), Devonshire clotted cream and strawberry jam. The key to this is the Devonshire clotted cream, the best way I can describe it is imagine a heavy cream with the consistency of butter. It was very rich and extremely fattening, but really good.

"But you only live once!"

Devonshire cream was a new experience for Mick and Amy. I think Amy was really enjoying it until she read the label on the cream and saw the calories/grams of fat per tablespoon.

"Drink fast"

Mick and Amy provided the wine to go with my little slice of Britain - a 1996 Stone Church Icewine. Mick also broke out a set of Icewine glasses made completely out of ice which was a unique experience.

"Nice box"

The Icewine was unfortunately a bit past prime and taste slightly off because of this. Due to this I will not be reviewing the wine as it is unfair to judge the wine in this state. I think this might have been a case of "holding it for a special occasion" for too long. So if have a 'special' bottle that has been down on your wine rack for awhile, think about enjoying sooner than later.

"Full view"

It was fun to use the Ice glasses but they are definitely a one shot deal. Mick refilled his and he a "melty" crisis on his hands shortly after.

"The details"

The Ice glasses also were interesting they would slide along the table as you tried to grab them but in our drunken state, that was part of the fun.

The evening was very enjoyable. Thanks to Mick for all his hard work in preparing dinner - excellent as always. We were blessed with two exceptionally good wines and finally got to enjoy our 'usual' Saturday night together for the first time in a long while.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday night - Amy, is it not? Part 2

Part 1 can be found here - http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2008/07/saturday-night-amy-isnt-part-1.html

For the main course chicken quesadillas were on tap with a side of sour cream and salsa. Mick provided the wine for this one and went with a 2006 Seghesio "Sonoma" Zinfandel.


We poured out the wine and settled in for the main course. The Seghesio had a big nose on it filled with sour cherry, blackberries and cedar. I smiled after sipping it for the first time; it was everything a Zin should be big, fruity, lots of heat and a touch of pepper. In other words a "big monster fruit bomb".

With the chicken quesadillas it was a great match - the wine went down very easy except for a touch too much alcohol burn at times. The balance on the wine was ok, and the spiciness of the chicken quesadillas did bring out the pepper in the wine as well.

All in all a very nice wine.

Here is the group rating for the wine -

Mick - 90, Mark - 91, Kathy - 90, Amy -89, Overall - 90.

Ratings here were all very close with no large differences to be seen.

Once again, there was no LCBO listing for this wine, so I'm assuming Mick picked this up in the US. Here is what the Wine Spectator had to say about the wine -

Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma County 2006

This is like a gangly teenager, young and a bit inelegant but charming. Shows robust black cherry and spice aromas and blackberry jam and licorice flavors. The tannins firm up the finish. Drink now through 2012. 62,000 cases made. –JL

Rating - 91
Price - $20

If Mick did pick this up in the US for around $20, then it would be about $33 CDN after duty and taxes.

Part 3 dessert

Saturday night - Amy, is it not? Part 1

We finally had a Saturday in which none of us had an anniversary, vacation or any other appointments that have prevented our usual Saturday dinners. It seemed like it had been so long since we’d had dinner with both Mick and Amy, that upon seeing Amy, I joking said “Amy? Is it not?”

Mick decided to cook up some old favourites that we hadn’t done for sometime – spicy shrimp to start and chicken quesadillas as the main course .

I volunteered to bring the wine to go with shrimp and to bring dessert. He asked if I could make the mint sauce for the shrimp when I arrived. Normally when he does this recipe, I make the mint sauce to go with it, but with the renovations I currently have extremely limit kitchen facilities.

"Rescue sauce for the 'burn'"

Once Kathy and I arrived, Mick had a pile of fresh mint out and ready to go. The mint sauce recipe is fairly easy – 4 to 5 packs of fresh mint, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and ¼ cup of vegetable oil, and blend. The pain with the recipe is de-stemming of all that mint.

"Prosciutto-wrapped curried shrimp above with Spicy Shrimp below"

Mick decided to not only do spicy shrimp but also did prosciutto wrapped curried shrimp as well. He grilled the shrimp and I got the mint sauce ready. Mick also did a small green salad to go with the shrimp as well. About 20 minutes after we arrived we were opening the wine and sitting down to enjoy the first course.

"Great wine - crazy wife (see ratings below)!"

Spicy shrimp and Fumé Blanc are a great pairing. The Fumé and the mint sauce really help cut the burn of the shrimp. My wine pick for the evening was a 2003 “To Kalon” Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc. I had this on the rack for a bit and with it being a 2003, I figured it would be better to drink this sooner than later.

The To Kalon had a much milder nose to it than the regular Mondavi Fumé Blanc. A grass and celery aroma were noticeable with a faint floral scent lurking in the background. A mild vanilla scent did become noticeable towards the end of the first course after the wine had been out for 15 minutes or so.

Tasting it for the first time caused my eyebrows to raise in surprise, the acid in the wine was there but it was no where near the usual razor-sharp acidity in the base Mondavi Fumé. The wine had a much more softer, well round mouth-feel then what I was used to with the regular Mondavi. There was a nice pear flavour on the initial sip and the wine had a creaminess to it as well, it was extremely well-balanced and had a really good finish. What caught me off-guard on examining the bottle was the 14.5% alcohol. I would have put the wine at around 12% as the heat of the wine seemed very mild.

The wine was a stunning match to the spicy shrimp, I’d probably put it in my top ten wine and food pairings of all time. It wasn’t so good with the prosciutto wrapped shrimp, there was a odd flavor happening between the two of them.

Here is the group rating for the wine –

Mick – 90, Mark – 93, Kathy – 82, Amy – 86, Overall – 87.75

There is a big disparity in the ratings and it really comes down to personal preference; I like a softer, well round Fumé/Sauvignon Blanc, where my wife likes a narrow, crisp, precision driven one. So the To Kalon was right up my alley where as my wife would have preferred the normal Mondavi Fumé Blanc.

I knew I picked this up in the US but couldn’t remembered what I paid for it. I hit the web and this is what the Wine Spectator had to say about it –

Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc Napa Valley To Kalon Vineyard Reserve 2003

Intense and vibrant, with rich, focused herb, citrus, floral and sweet pea scents that are shaded by toasty oak. Drink now. 1,048 cases made. –JL

Rating – 90
Price - $35

If they are listing it for $35 then that is probably close to what I paid for it, so after duty and taxes it would be around $57 CDN a bottle. Which makes it more than twice the price of the base Mondavi Fumé.

Part 2 the main course.

July Wine Club

This past Thursday was our latest Wine Club meeting and the focus wine was California Zinfandel – the Red one not the White/Blush/Kool-Aid one. Here is the LCBO information on the two Zins we tried –

LCBO Information – Clos du Val Zinfandel

Stock Number – 590216
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ 21.75 (+ $.20 deposit)
Made in: California, United StatesSugar Content : XD
By: Clos Du Val Wine Company Ltd
Release Date: Apr 26, 2008

Description - This zesty Zin is dominated by ripe, dark cherry-fruit aromas with hints of spice and black pepper. Dry, soft and creamy, with ripe red-fruit flavours and moderate tannins, this wine is easy to love. You may want to break out the barbecue early for this wine.

LCBO Information – Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel

Stock Number – 359257
Volume – 750mL
Price: $ 17.75 (+ $.20 deposit)
Made in: California, United States
Sugar Content : D
By: California, United States
Release Date: Jun 21, 2008

Description - Ravenswood was one of a handful of wineries that recognized early on that Zinfandel was an exceptional grape variety for fine wine production. Their Vintners Blend Zin is ready for any occasion with aromas of spice, raspberry, and mocha. Soft and round with lots of fruit and cocoa flavour, enjoy it with pork chops or barbecued chicken.

Ravenswood and Rosenblum are probably the two most well known red Zinfandel producers out of California. As I wasn’t overly impressed with the 2006 Rosenblum, so I decided to go with the Ravenswood instead. On the other hand, I haven’t be a huge fan of Ravenswood in the past but it had been awhile since I’d tried it so I thought it would interesting to see how it was for the 2006 vintage.

If you read this Blog for a bit, then you are no doubt aware that I’m not a huge fan of the LCBO – I would like to see it privatized and feel that Ontario consumers would be better served this way. I also always like to give credit where credit is due, so I’d like to thank the Vintages Manager at the Ancaster LCBO. I was talking to him about Ravenswood and Rosenblum and he agreed that they had both been nothing special in recent years and suggest the Clos du Val.

"Old School California Zinfandel"

Of the two wines, the Clos du Val was clearly the better one. The Ravenswood was ok but it had a cloyish candied cherry flavour to it that I wasn’t a fan of. The Clos du Val had a big mouth-feel to it, good fruit, nice pepper and a smooth finish.

Dorie, did up some ribs, spicy sausage and grill vegetables topped with goat’s cheese to try with the wine. Here again the Clos du Val came though as the winner as it was a much better pairing.

I think the comment Adam made at Wine Club summed up the Clos du Val the best – great wine, shitty label. As you can see from the picture the bottle’s label is nothing to write home about. I guess that old adage of “you can’t judge a book by its cover” also seems to apply to wine bottles as well!

Cheers!

Mark

Tommasi Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso

On Sunday my parents had Kathy and I over for dinner. My father, John was making Lasagna or as we joking call it La-John-ya. I volunteered to bring over a bottle to go with dinner. Since it was Italian, I decided to grab a bottle of Italian wine from the rack and grabbed a bottle of Tommasi Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso. The first time I tried this wine was at wine club -

http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2008/05/wine-club-10th-meeting.html

At Wine Club we tried it against a wonderful Amarone that was about 3x its price and against the Amarone it wasn’t very noticeable.

This wine surprised me with how good it was with dinner. Dad made a side Caesar to go with the Lasagna. I expected the wine to be a decent match with the Lasagna but was impressed by how well it went with the Caesar too! I will be grabbing a couple more bottles of this wine as it is a good value for money.

Cheers!

Mark

Sausage Friday

Mick was on his own Friday as Amy was in Chicago for a business meeting, so he invited Kathy and I for dinner. The menu for the evening was Caesar salad to start, and BBQ’d sausage, roasted potatoes, and a tomato and feta salad for the main course. I was to provide the wine to go with the Caesar to start.

"Cold wine + Hot day = Good times"

I was going to go with a bottle of Louis Jadot “Bourgogne” as I have found that to be a good pairing with Caesar salad, but decided I wanted to try something new. I chose a La Chablisienne Chablis Vielles Vignes instead.

Here is the LCBO information -

La Chablisienne Chablis Vielles Vignes
Vintages# 942243
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 24.95
Wine, White Wine,
12.6% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Burgundy, France
By: La Chablisienne C/O Bcb Export
Release Date: May 10, 2008

Description - Vieilles Vignes, or Old Vines, yield less fruit but the quality is much higher than that of younger vines. This intense Chardonnay is consistently excellent with aromas of sweet apple, chalk and citrus. This classic Chablis is dry and steely with a long, crisp finish. It would pair equally well with oysters on the half shell or double cream brie.

The Chablis on its own was quite nice, crisp and refreshing. The LCBO description above on the aroma (sweet apple, chalk and citrus) was right on the money. The sweet apple was extremely noticeable with the chalk and citrus being there in the background.

The wine with the Caesar salad was ok but was occasionally giving off a sharp taste (the Louis Jadot is a better pairing). After the salad was done, I did find myself sipping the rest of the wine and enjoying the experience. This wine is a funny one for me, I liked it quite a bit but it didn’t blow me away. So I’m not sure if I going to rush out and replace the bottle immediately.

"No, if anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot!" Miles Raymond from movie Sideways.

For dinner Mick picked out a 2003 Franciscan Napa Valley Merlot which he purchased in the US on special for about $15 a bottle. I was surprised to see that the LCBO had a listing for it –

Franciscan Merlot
Vintages# 67793
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 29.95
Wine, Red Wine,
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: California/Californie, United States
By: Icon Estates
Release Date: N/A

But the LCBO is showing no stock and usually there is a description write-up that describes the wine. I’m guessing that this may have been a special order for someone and that they never had any publically available.

I found the Franciscan Merlot had a strong berry aroma and was very approachable. It was a decent match for all the different types (Italian, Honey/garlic, English bangers) sausages Mick had cooked up. This wine reminded me of the Chablis earlier, easy drinking, enjoyable but also forgettable.

The Wine Spectator had this to say about it -

Franciscan Oakville Estate Merlot Napa Valley 2003

Rating - 83, Price - $22

Tight and compact, with a narrow range of earthy currant, lead pencil and cedary tannins. Decant. Drink now. 65,000 cases made. –JL

For dessert Mick had picked up a Chocolate Truffle cake. My wife quickly informed us that the Merlot and the cake didn’t go together well at all. With that advice, I finished my wine before starting in on the cake.

Cheers!

Mark

All quiet on the blog front

Not much happening on the Zippy sauce blog for the last couple of weeks. For a change it isn't due to me being behind on posting articles. We just haven't been drinking wine in the last couple of weeks, so I really don't have anything new to post.

Mick and Amy have been on vacation. Kathy and I have been busy with home renos - the only drinking we have been doing recently is hard liquor out of a brown paper bag to relieve stress :).

There should be a couple of new posts coming as Mick and Amy are home so a drunken Saturday night is in our future, and there is a Wine Club meeting next week...

Enjoy your summer!

Cheers!

Mark