Saturday Night – Out to the 1010 Bistro

Kathy decided we were due for a night out and wanted to hit our favourite local dining spot – the 1010 Bistro. So this past Saturday night Mick, Amy, Kathy and I found ourselves enjoying the good food and excellent service of the 1010.

"Roast Duck"

We started with a number of different appetizers which were all yummy and a bottle of Bouchard Pere & Fils Petit Chablis. I have covered this wine before so I’m not going to go into much detail. It is good value priced white wine that pairs well with seafood and Caesar salad.

"Cinq Cépages"

For the main course the ladies and I went with the beef tenderloin with gorgonzola and white truffle oil and Mick ordered the roast duck. We picked a 2001 Chateau St. Jean “Cinq Cépages” to pair with the meals. Chateau St. Jean sounds French but they are actually a California winery. The “Cinq Cépages” is a typical Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Caberent Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.

"Grilled Calamari"

The nose on the wine was very aromatic with big fruit, loam and tobacco aromas. Tasting the wine you are met with a very smooth and balanced wine with nice acidity, good fruit and fine tannins. The finish on the wine lingered in a very pleasant way. I cannot stress how easy drinking this wine is. It was a stunning paring with tenderloin and a good pairing with the duck. My only complaint with the wine is the same thing I like about it – it was too easy to drink; I would have like a slightly bigger mouth-feel on the mid-palate.

"Heirloom tomato and bocconcini salad"

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

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

CHATEAU ST. JEAN Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County Cinq Cépages 2001

Beautifully crafted, dark, rich and layered, with blackberry, cherry, plum and wild berry fruit that zooms across the palate, holding a tight focus and finishing with a long, complex aftertaste. The tannins firm up nicely on the finish. Drink now through 2011. 15,500 cases made. –JL

Rating – 92, Release Price - $75 US

"Crab Cakes"

This wine was really good but just missed being ‘magical’ so the 90 rating we gave it is right on the money. This is a wine that you could serve to someone who isn’t a big wine fan and they probably would enjoy it as it so smooth; no harsh tannin or razor like acidity to put them off.

It is always fun to have dinner at the 1010. Daniela does a great job with the wine list as there is always an interesting new bottle or two on the list to try. The service and atmosphere is first rate and most importantly the food is awesome. If you are in the Hamilton area and enjoy fine dining and good wine, I encourage you to try the 1010 Bistro, you won’t be disappointed.

Cheers!

Mark

Wine Club - Rioja

In our latest meeting of Wine Club, we looked at a couple of red wines from Spain. Both wines were Rioja but made by two different producers and at two very different price points ($40 vs. $20).

What is Rioja?

Here is a excerpt from Wikipedia.org and their write-up on Rioja -

"...Among the Tintos, the best-known and most widely-used variety is Tempranillo. Other grapes used include Garnacha Tinta, Graciano, and Mazuelo. A typical blend will consist of approximately 60% Tempranillo and up to 20% Garnacha, with much smaller proportions of Mazuelo and Graciano. Each grape adds a unique component to the wine with Tempranillo contributing the main flavors and aging potential to the wine; Garnacha adding body and alcohol; Mazuelo adding seasoning flavors and Graciano adding additional aromas..."

"Two examples of Rioja"

And here is the LCBO Information for both wines

VIÑA ALBALI GRAN RESERVA 2001

Stock Number – 9621
750 mL bottle

Volume - 750mL

Price: $ 19.95 (+$.20 Deposit)

Wine, Red Wine,

13.0% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : D

Made in: Valdepenas, Spain

By: Bodegas Felix Solis

Release Date: Feb 28, 2009

Description - Selection and patience are the keys to this award-winning Gran Reserva's success. First there's the fruit selection in the vineyard, where only the best Tempranillo grapes are picked. Then with the crush, only the best free-run juice is used to make the final wine. Patience is required for the long ageing process: at least two years in American oak and then a further three-to-six years in bottle before release. The result is a beautifully balanced, soft-textured red that's delicious with a lamb casserole, chorizo sausage or roast chicken.

"Good value for money"

COTO REAL RESERVA 2001

Stock Number – 80341
750 mL bottle

Price: $ 39.95 (+$.20 Deposit)

Wine, Red Wine,

13.6% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : D

Made in: Rioja, Spain

By: El Coto De Rioja

Release Date: Nov 8, 2008

Tasting Note - Complex and expressive, this elegant red is rich with black plum, licorice, mineral, smoke and floral notes, all beautifully balanced, fresh and long on the palate. Still young and lively. Drink now through 2015. Score - 93. (Thomas Matthews, www.winespectator.com, Nov. 15, 2007)

I was surprise how similar the aromas were for both wines; both wines you didn’t have to work too hard catch the aromas as both were quite potent. Both wines had aromas of plum, floral notes and liquorice. One difference on the nose was the Vina Albali had a large amount of oak on the nose vs. Coto Real.

"Nice wine but pricey"

I was surprise how similar the aromas were for both wines; both wines you didn’t have to work too hard catch the aromas as both were quite potent. Both wines had aromas of plum, floral notes and liquorice. One difference on the nose was the Vina Albali had a large amount of oak on the nose vs. Coto Real.

Tasting the wines before trying any foods had me a bit worried as there was a sharp bitter note to both wines that I wasn’t a fan of. I had bought in some whole grain buns, rare roast beef, sliced Swiss cheese, mayo, mustard and horseradish so everyone could make sandwiches. With the food that sharp bitter note disappeared and both wines were very good with the food. I was disappointed in the Coto Real as other than having a nicer finish there wasn’t much difference between it and the Vina Albali. Wine Club was spilt 50/50 over which one they like more.

I asked this question to all of the people that preferred the Coto Real, “Would you take 1 bottle of this or 2 bottles of the Vina Albali?”. All of them answered the same – 2 bottles of the Vina Albali. So it looks like the Vina Albali was the ‘winner’ of the day. If the Coto Real was $25 a bottle, I would lean towards it but at double the price it is hard to justify.

I enjoy this meeting of Wine Club as I haven’t had much exposure to Spanish wines. I found out in my research for this meeting of Wine Club that Spain is the 3rd largest wine producer by volume in the world after Italy and France. If they are producing that much wine, there must be a reason and after trying the Vina Albali I can see why and I will be looking to try more Spanish wines in the future.

Cheers!

Mark

Sunday Night – Holiday Weekend, Part 3

Click here for Part 1

For dessert I picked up some Devonshire Cream, Strawberry Jam and Raisin Tea Biscuits as this is a favourite of Amy’s and we hadn’t had it in awhile. Earlier in the week, my local LCBO rep. recommended Pinnacle Ice Cider which is basically an Ice Wine but made with apples instead of grapes.

"Apple?"

The nose on it was nothing but over-ripe apple which wasn’t the nicest of aromas. The taste on Ice Cider was better than the nose; sweet but it didn’t seem as syrupy as ice wine does but sweeter than a late harvest vidal. The most noticeable flavor on the wine was apricot. It was ok as a pairing with the tea biscuits. At $30 a bottle I would go with the Henry of Pelham’s Botrytis Affect Reisling instead as it had a stunning nose and tasted much better. Amy had listed in the notes “Acquired taste?” as maybe we are too used to late harvest and ice wines that the apple based one wasn’t really our thing.

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

I will say the packaging on the Ice Cider was cool with its metal tube that the bottle came in but that is about as much praise as I’d want to give it.

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine

DOMAINE PINNACLE ICE CIDER

LCBO 94094
375 mL bottle
Price: $ 29.95
Wine, Cider, 12.0%
Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : 18
Made in: Quebec, Canada
By: Domaine Pinnacle

The night was an enjoyable way to spend a Sunday of a long weekend; re-visiting old wine and food favourites as well as trying new foods and wines with good friends.

Cheers!

Mark

Sunday Night – Holiday Weekend, Part 2

For the main course, I prepared sausage and peppers in a tomato and onion sauce with cheese and spinach ravioli. It has been awhile since I did a pasta so this made a nice change of pace.

I grabbed a bottle of 2003 Beringer’s Founders Estate Merlot to pair with the pasta. Here is some free advice… go buy 6 bottles of Beringer’s Founders Estate Merlot and 6 bottles of Beringer’s Founders Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, bring them home and tape the box closed with a sign that says do not open until 3 years from today’s date. This wine is sold too young, after three years this wine really gets much better. You will thank me in 3 years.

"Sorry Papa no pictures... 'cause Amy dove into the pasta without taking any food pictures first!"

The nose on the Merlot was good with cherry, plum, tobacco, leather and a hint of black pepper. The taste on the wine was dominated by a pleasing sour cherry flavor. The balance on the wine was nice with good tannin and acidity. I remember when I first tried this wine when it came out and found it very tannic, thanks to the time on the rack this was now gone as the tannins had softened. The wine was a decent pairing with the food.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 87, Mark – 89, Kathy – 87, Amy – 88, Overall – 87.75.

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine -

Beringer Founder’s Merlot

LCBO 534255
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 19.95
Wine, Red Wine,
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : 1
Made in: California/Californie, United States
By: Beringer Vineyards

Tasting Note - Ruby garnet colour; red berry aromas with light oak notes; dry, medium-bodied palate with fine tannins on the finishServing Suggestion - Beef stroganoff

Note – this isn’t the 2003 reviewed here and is probably a 2007 or 2008.

Click here for Part 3

Sunday Night – Holiday Weekend, Part 1

Usually when deciding on a Saturday night menu, one of three factors will drive the menu – meat, wine or peoples’ likes/dislikes; sometimes I’ll buy some nice steaks/salmon/pork tenderloin/etc. or I have a bottle of wine that I want to try or someone is coming over for dinner that doesn’t like seafood or loves seafood. Tonight’s menu was picked for a completely different reason…

My sister just bought her first house and moved in on Saturday, my wife Kathy asked her what she would like as a house warming gift (Home depot gift cards, plants, some sort of furnishing) and my sister’s answer of what she wanted – spiced pecans. My sister was by for dinner a few years back and I’d made my poached pear salad with spiced pecans and she absolutely loved the pecans.

"Poached Pears, Spiced Pecans, Blue Cheese on a bed of Spinach with Raspberry dressing"

They are very easy to make - buy a good sized bowl full of raw pecan halves, pour them out into a metal baking pan, melt a half to a full (enough so all of the pecans can be lightly coated in butter) stick of butter in the microwave and then pour the butter over the pecans to coat. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set your rack height to the middle of the oven.

Lastly season the pecans with Cajun seasoning (probably around a tablespoon… enough so all the pecan get a very light coating of it). Place the tray in the oven. At five and ten minutes stir the pecans so they all cook evenly. Pull them out if at ten minute mark the pecans are turning dark brown. If they aren’t browned at ten minutes, give them 2 more minutes and stir and check them again, keep doing this 2 minute drill until browned (usually I find between 14-16 minutes total is about right for my oven). Once browned pull them out of the oven and transfer to a paper towel lined plate to cool. After 20 minutes put them in a sealable plastic container and refrigerate. I find these can easily be stored for up to a week.

"Not a bad wine for the price"

So as I made up a large batch of them on Saturday. poached pear salad was the first item on the menu. I paired this with a 2007 Balthasar Ress Kabinett Riesling.

The nose on the Riesling contained aromas of pineapple, peach and floral notes. Tasting the wine you noticed lively citrus flavours but a short and some what disappointing finish. The wine was nicely balanced and was a really good match for the poached pear salad. My wife described the wine as “smells pretty, tastes good.” which sums it up quite nicely. I’d describe this wine as good but missing that certain something to make it magical.

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

Balthasar Ress Riesling Kabinett 2007

VINTAGES 735241
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 18.95
Wine, White Wine,
10.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : MD
Made in: Rhine Rhinegau, Germany
By: Stefan Ress

Release Date: Dec 6, 2008 Description - Balthasar Ress is blessed with access to some of the finest vineyards in the Rheingau like the Schützenhaus vineyard near the village of Hattenheim. The 2007 vintage is yet another dynamic, flavourful, beautifully balanced Riesling that is made with laser beam precision. A fantastic value, enjoy this wine with a variety of seafoods, asparagus, cloved ham, vegetarian curries or just chill and sip on its own.

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – Vacation? Part 2

Click here for Part 1

The Sterling Merlot disappeared quite quickly so I opened the 2003 Chateau St. Jean next.

"Halo Burger"

There was no doubt that this wine was from California. The nose had big aromas of cherry, loam and cocoa. On first sip you are hit with huge fruit and the tannin seemed very high or it may have been the acidity was very low but the balance was out on this wine. The finish on the wine was nice and smooth. This was a very easy to drink wine but I think Mick described it as being “too commercial” as it was easy to drink but lacking the character to make it memorable.

"Easy drinking"

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

"Good but too sweet"

I can’t remember where I picked this bottle up but the price point was around $20. For $20 I’d go with the Beringer’s Founders Estate Merlot instead as it is a better wine for the money.

For dessert I’d picked up a white and dark chocolate cake with strawberry filling which was quite nice but it didn’t go with the few remaining sips of Merlot that were left in my glass. The menu was simple and the wines didn’t blow me away but it was a fun evening with Mick and Amy. This weekend was Mother’s Day and we didn’t get together with Mick and Amy so the next post probably won’t be until after next weekend.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Vacation? Part 1

Kathy and I started our Vacation on May 1st with a large dumpster being delivered to our front driveway and got busier from that point on, hence why this Blog post is so late. We spent a good deal of Saturday filling the bin with leftovers from the renos and various other bits and pieces, so our usual Saturday dinner with Mick and Amy was very simple – Burgers and dessert. The burger toppings were laid out buffet style so you could use them for either burger and/or salad.

"The 'do-it-yourself' dinner buffet"

I had a bottle of 1998 Sterling Reserve Merlot which was getting a little long in the tooth so I cracked it open to go with the food. I also had a 2003 Chateau St. Jean Merlot as a ‘backup’ bottle in case we needed more wine with dinner.

"Probably should have drunk this bottle a couple of years ago"

I’ll cover the Sterling Merlot first. The nose on the wine was interesting, Amy described it as “new shower curtain vinyl smell” which after she said it I found myself agreeing with that description. The nose also had dark berry, plum, leather and tobacco aromas to it as well. Tasting the wine you got very subtle fruit to start, a narrow mouth-feel, the balance on the wine was very good but it had a bit of sour finish. This wine was more like a French Merlot then a California Merlot which normally I would like but a more fruit driven Merlot would have been better with the burgers.

"Step One - Open the burger"

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

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

Sterling Merlot Napa Valley Reserve 1998

A solid, chunky style, with tar, blackberry, anise and mineral flavors that are framed by toasty oak. Never really comes into focus, but has concentration and depth. Drink now through 2004. 2,750 cases made. –JL

Rating – 86, Price $70 (US Dollars).

I’m pretty sure that I picked this up at the LCBO for about $70 CDN a number of years ago. The mid-range Sterling Merlot ($30 CDN) at the time was a big favourite of mine so I picked this up to try. I liked the wine but at that $70 price point (CDN or US) it is extremely over-priced and would recommend that people go with something else.

Click here for Part 2.