Saturday Night – Mick’s busy in the kitchen – Part 3

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For dessert Amy picked up a Lemon based cake and this was paired with a 2006 Late Harvest Riesling from Henry of Pelham.

"Thank goodness this was a lemon based dessert!"

I was pretty excited about trying this wine as the 2005 Henry of Pelham Botrytis Affected Riesling was awesome and the 2006 Henry of Pelham Late Harvest Vidal was one of the best Late Harvest wines I have tried. So the 2006 Late Harvest Riesling by Henry of Pelham had some great siblings to live up to.

"Not what I've come to expect from Henry of Pelham!"

I was shocked at how pale this wine was for a Late Harvest wine as they usually are closer to amber in colour whereas this was so pale I’d of guessed it was a Sauvignon Blanc. The nose was extremely disappointing too as most Late Harvest wines the nose is so powerful you can almost smell them across a room. The nose on this wine was extremely faint, so faint that you could barely catch the barest hint of floral it contained. Tasting the wine was also disappointing as it was very sweet without the usual high acid to cut through the sweetness. The main flavour was tropical fruit/pineapple. It wasn’t bad with the Lemon cake though as the lemony tartness of the cake help offset some of the over ripe sweetness of the wine.

Here is the group rating for the wine – Mick - 86 Mark - 83 Kathy – 87 Amy - 86 Overall – 85.

I think my companion were a touch generous with their ratings and that is probably because it did work so well with the dessert. If we had some apple based rather than lemon based for dessert like we usually do with Late Harvest wines, I think their ratings would have been much lower.

There was no LCBO information on this wine, if I remember correctly this was a bottle Mick and Amy picked up directly from Henry of Pelham. I’d probably guess the price point to be in the $19 to $23 range.

I’d like to thank Mick for all the wonderful food as it was all very good. December is shaping up to be a stupid busy month for the 4 of us so not sure when the next Blog entry will be coming.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Mick’s busy in the kitchen – Part 2

For the main course Mick did Diablo Burger with bacon and 3yr. old white cheddar and paired it with a 2008 Seghesio Zinfandel.

"Diablo Burger with Zippy!"

The nose on the Zinfandel consisted of blackberry, fudge and heat/alcohol. Tasting the wine you got dark cherry, clove and licorice as the dominate flavours. The structure of the wine seemed a little off as the tannin was low to non-existent, good acidity, high alcohol and lingering finish. Seghesio usually makes an outstanding Zinfandel but this one comes up a little short of their usual effort. It was a pretty good pairing with the burger though.

"Not Seghesio's best effort to date"

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

There was no LCBO information on this wine so I'm assuming that Mick picked it up in the US.

The burgers were really good but super spicy – they aren’t called Diablo burger for nothing!

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Saturday Night – Mick’s busy in the kitchen – Part 1

Mick and Amy had us over for dinner this past Saturday for our usual Saturday night get together. Mick had a new recipe on tap as well as an old favourite.

For the first course, Mick dove into his cooking Bible, the Weber Cookbook, and found a recipe for Grilled Crab Cakes with a Mango Salsa.

"Crab and Mango?"

Mick picked a 2005 “Les Vénérables” Chablis to pair with the crab cakes.

The nose on the Chablis was a pleasing mix of lilac and orange zest. Tasting the wine you were rewarded with grapefruit, wet stone and a hint of soapiness. The balance on the wine was decent though a touch acidic. It was a good pairing with the food but could be awkward at times if you had a lot of mango and not much red onion or crab cake in your previous mouthful.

"No questioning that this is a French wine!"

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

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine –

La Chablisienne Vieilles Vignes Chablis

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: Dec 5, 2009

Description - Vieilles Vignes, or Old Vines, yield less fruit, but these precious grapes are endowed with a greater concentration of flavours. This intense, consistently excellent Chardonnay presents aromas of sweet apple, chalk and citrus. This is classic Chablis: dry and steely, with a long, crisp finish. It would pair equally well with oysters on the half shell, or pasta with olive oil and crumbled goat cheese.

The crab cakes were quite good but a touch dry at times. The mango salsa with the red onion and cilantro was very good as well. The combination of mango and crab wasn’t perfect though and we discussed options for both. The mango salsa would be an awesome pairing with grilled Salmon and the ladies and I thought that Mick’s Chipotle mayo with the crab cakes would be killer. Mick agreed to try these suggestions in the future and I’m already looking forward to it.

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Wine Club Bonus Tasting – Pinot Noir

With the rest of the leftover money we had from our monthly Wine Club meetings we got to do two ‘bonus’ tastings. Last month we looked at dessert wines for the first bonus tasting –

http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2009/10/wine-club-bonus-tasting-late-harvest.html

This month we looked at Pinot Noir. I like using Pinot Noir in a bonus tasting vs. in a regular tasting where every member takes home a bottle due to Pinot Noir being such a inconsistent grape. This way if the Pinot isn’t very good, we just lose the cost of the bottle and when you are splitting the cost 11 ways, it is a cheap way to try it.

Here is the LCBO Information (with pictures) on all 3 Pinot Noirs that we tried –

DOMAINE TAUPENOT-MERME GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN 2005

VINTAGES 87023
750 mL bottle
$49.95
Wine, Red Wine,
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Burgundy, France
By: Domaine Taupenot-Merme
Release Date: Aug 28, 2009

Description - Gevrey-Chambertin produces some of the most exciting wines in the Côte de Nuits region of the Côte d'Or. It is said that Emperor Napoleon preferred the wines of this region above all others. In a vintage such as 2005, you don't have to be an emperor to appreciate or afford these wines. At every level, from quality village wines such as this to single-vineyard expressions like Domaine de la Vougeraie's Les Evocelles and La Justice (in this release, +088732 and +088740, respectively), spectacular wines were created.

ANDREW RICH CUVÉE B PINOT NOIR 2006

VINTAGES 127043
750 mL bottle
$33.95
Wine, Red Wine,
14.1% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: Oregon, United States
By: Andrew Rich Wines
Release Date: Jul 4, 2009

Tasting Note - This wine's fresh woodland berry scent melds with spice mix, sassafras and pink pepper. Its youth doesn't get in the way of its fineness, with ripe fruit pulled into line by fine acidity and the clean grip of fruit tannin. For roast chicken. Score - 92. (Wine & Spirits, Feb. 2009)

WILD ROCK CUPIDS ARROW PINOT NOIR 2007

VINTAGES 61242
750 mL bottle
$24.95
Wine, Red Wine,
14.1% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: New Zealand, New Zealand
By: Kobrand Corporation
Release Date: Aug 1, 2009

Tasting Note - From Craggy Range, the 2007 vintage was harvested at 24 brix [approximately, the percentage of residual sugar in the grapes at harvest] and matured for six months in French oak (15% new). Full of drink-young charm, it's ruby-hued, with strong cherry, plum, spice and herb flavours, a gentle seasoning of oak and ripe, smooth tannins. Score - 3 1/2 Stars (out of 5). (Michael Cooper, Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines, 2009)

Here are my tasting notes for each of the wines –

ANDREW RICH CUVÉE B PINOT NOIR 2006

Nose – Fresh Strawberry, White Pepper
Taste – Fresh fruit mix but with a sharp finish

WILD ROCK CUPIDS ARROW PINOT NOIR 2007
Nose – Strawberry Jam and Raspberry
Taste – Very fruit forward, strawberry flavour thoughout with a lovely smooth finish

DOMAINE TAUPENOT-MERME GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN 2005

Nose – Green pepper, Leather, Smoke
Taste – Sour Cherry and pepper.

Trying the wines before the food, the Wild Rock Pinot Noir was easily the crowd favourite; with its fruit forward flavour and smooth lingering finish it was a very approachable wine. We tried the wines again with Lamb Stew and French Bread and this time it was a tie between the Wild Rock and the Domaine Taupenot-Merme Gevrey-Chambertin. I personally found the Wild Rock with the food became a bit jammy whereas the fruit and complexity of the Domaine Taupenot-Merme Gevrey-Chambertin was a nicer pairing.

It was a fun tasting and it is always interesting when the lowest price point wine (the Wild Rock) is the one that everyone is talking about.

We aren’t meeting in December as that is always a busy month but will be starting the new session in January.

Cheers!

Mark

Com-B-Q – Part 4

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4th Course – Mick and Amy – Sweet Potato Fries with Chipotle Mayo with a 2006 Sterling Vineyard “Napa Valley” Chardonnay.

"Sweet Potato Fries with Chipotle Mayo"

Mick did for the final course sweet potato fries with Chipotle mayo. The sweet potato fries are OK but what really makes this dish stand out if the Chipotle mayo. The Chipotle mayo is so good that if Mick did this recipe years earlier, this Blog might have been called Chipotle mayo instead of Zippy Sauce.

"Standard California Chardonnay"

The Sterling Chardonnay had a big nose of vanilla and lime and those same flavours carried through to the taste. The wine was a bit oaky and was sharp at times with the food pairing. I think the sweetness of the mayo at times was messing with the wine. The best way to describe this wine is infinitely forgettable as it wasn’t particularly good or bad and really didn’t stand out from a lot of other California Chardonnays.

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

Sterling Vineyards Chardonnay 2006

Vintages 330233

750 mL bottle

Price: $ 24.95

Wine, White Wine,

13.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : D

Made in: California/Californie, United States

Release Date: Sep 12, 2009

Tasting Note - Scoring highly on the Wow! meter, it also displays some elegant nuances. Brioche, vanilla and smoky on the nose, the fruit gets into high gear by attacking the palate in velvety textured waves with tropical fruit, peach, citrus and green apple to the fore. Incredible balance and a lengthy finish portend a healthy four to five year drinking window. Pair with lobster bisque. This is a Winecurrent.com exceptional value pick. Score - 4 1/2 Stars (out of 5). (Vic Harradine, www.winecurrent.com, May 2, 2009)

The tasting notes made me laugh, especially the “Scoring highly on the Wow! meter” comment. I should send the reviewer a bottle of KJ Chardonnay or Louis Jadot “Bourgogne” - if the Sterling Chardonnay hit the Wow! meter, he will damn near piss himself with excitement over those two wines, particularly when he finds out they are $5-6 bucks cheaper a bottle!

I’d like to thank everyone who spent part of their Saturday making up the dishes for Saturday’s menu. These Com-B-Q’s are always a ton of fun and I’m already looking forward to the next one.

Cheers!

Mark

Com-B-Q – Part 3

3rd Course – Alex and Zdenka – Roasted Red Peppers and Bocchini on Focaccia Bread with a 2007 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir.

Alex did up a batch of Focaccia bread topped with roasted red peppers, Bocchini, basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. These were all toasted in the oven and created a great course that was flavourful and comforting at the same time.

"Roasted Red Peppers and Bocchini on Focaccia Bread"

The nose on the Pinot was huge strawberry and vanilla that had your mouth watering to try it. Unfortunately the taste experience on this wine wasn’t as good as the nose. It was very tannic and hot with flavours of cherry and raspberry running throughout. It also was a touch sharp on the finish. It wasn’t a bad wine but I think the nose of it just had you expecting so much more from it. It was an OK pairing with the food but I think if you found a less tannic Pinot that was a touch more fruit forward this pairing would be perfect.

"Great Nose"

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

Here is the LCBO information on this wine -

MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir 2007

Vintages 48207
750 mL bottle

Price: $ 19.95

Wine, Red Wine,

13.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : D

Made in: California/Californie, United States

By: E. & J. Gallo Winery

Release Date: Nov 7, 2009

Tasting Note - Slightly more structured, darker-colored, richer, and muscular is the 2007 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. It reveals floral notes along with sweet, autumnal vegetation, black cherry, and spice characteristics in its well-made, medium-bodied style. Score - 88. (Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, Dec. 2008).

Click here for Part 4

Com-B-Q – Part 2

2nd Course – Mark and Kathy – Almond-Crusted Goat Cheese Salad with Raspberry Dressing with 2006 Mark Molitor Spätlese Riesling.

I did the salad part of the evening and picked an old favourite of mine as my choice - Almond-crusted goat cheese salad with raspberry dressing. This is a great fall/winter recipe as the warm goat cheese wheels on top of the salad make it a very comforting dish

"Almond-Crusted Goat Cheese Salad with Raspberry Dressing"

Here is the link to the recipe –

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Almond-Crusted-Goat-Cheese-Salad-with-Raspberry-Dressing-105335

I make it pretty much as per recipe, except I double the amount of raspberries, as I find I like the flavour the extra fruit adds to the dressing.

"A Solid Riesling"

The aromatic nose of the Mark Molitor contained peach, ripe apple and pineapple aromas. Tasting the wine you quickly noticed the increased sweetness of the Spätlese vs. the earlier Kabinett but the green apple flavour and fresh acidity really helped in balancing the wine out. There was a touch of frizzante in the mouth which also helped take away from the sweetness. It was a good pairing with the salad as that extra sweetness helped the wine in not getting lost against the sweetness of the dressing.

Here is the group rating for the wine – Mick - 90, Mark - 89, Kathy – 89, Amy - 87, Overall – 88.75.

Here is the LCBO Information for the wine –

Markus Molitor Riesling Spätlese 2006

Vintages 101949
750 mL bottle

Price: $ 33.00

Wine, White Wine,

11.0% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : MS

Made in: Moselle/Saar/Ruwer, Germany

By: Markus Molitor Vineyards

Release Date: Aug 29, 2009

Description - TASTING NOTE: Aromas of violet, apricot and smoke segue into tropical fruit and ripe apple flavors. This is rich and open-textured, yet well-balanced and even crisp on the finish. Drink now through 2020. Score - 91. (Bruce Sanderson, www.winespectator.com, April 30, 2008)

I liked the wine but the $33 price point on this would have me looking at other Spätlese Rieslings instead.

Click here for Part 3

Com-B-Q – Part 1

We hadn’t done a Com-B-Q in awhile so last Saturday night we got together with 3 other couples for dinner. A Com-B-Q is a where each couple brings an appetizer sized course and a wine to pair with it.

1st Course - Steve and Melanie – Jalapeno Soup with 2007 Lingenfelder Kabinett Riesling

"The production line"

Melanie did up a pot of Jalapeno soup for her course. The soup strangely enough wasn’t as spicy as it sounded but did have a very nice flavour to it. It kind of reminded me of a chowder in its consistency.

"Jalapeno Soup"

The wine choice was amusing as they brought two bottles to go with soup but both were room temperature. I thought the label looked familiar and sure enough I had a bottle of it in the wine fridge already chilled so we use that one instead and put one of the remaining bottle in the freezer until we were ready for refills.

"New wine for the Top Ten Whites"

The nose on this wine was very inviting with lime, wet stone, lychee and a hint of petrol. Tasting the wine brought a smile to my face as it was nicely balanced with crisp acidity that quickly cut through the off dry sweetness of this Kabinett styled Riesling. There was a kiwi flavour that dominated the wine and the finish lingered in a good way. It was a stunning match with the soup and both bottles were quickly emptied.

Here is the group rating for the wine – Mick - 88, Mark - 90, Kathy – 90, Amy - 89, Overall – 89.25.

The Overall 89.25 rating sneaks this wine into the Top Ten Whites group here on Zippy Sauce which this wine deserves.

Here is the LCBO information for this wine –

Lingenfelder Riesling Kabinett 2007

Vintages 87593
750 mL bottle

Price: $ 18.95

Wine, White Wine,

10.0% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : MD

Made in: Palatinate (Falz), Germany

By: Lingenfelder Estate

Release Date: Oct 24, 2009

Tasting Note - This '07 Kabinett displays lovely aromas of pear, pink grapefruit, citrus pulp, melon and mineral notes. Medium dry with a medium-plus body, this developing Riesling has good flavour intensity and well-balanced acidity. The mineral-packed finish is quite lengthy. Perfect with sushi or spicy Asian noodles. (VINTAGES panel, Sept. 2008).

I had forgotten how much I’d paid for this wine and when I looked it up was surprised by its $19 price point as I would have guessed this wine was in the $25-30 range by taste. The LCBO has good stock on this wine and if you like Riesling, I’d strongly recommend you pick up a couple of bottles.

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – Trick or Treat - Part 3

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For dessert Mick picked up a favourite dessert of ours which is a chocolate cake that we call Cab. cake as it pairs very well with Cabernet Sauvignon. Mick opened a bottle of 2001 Caravina Cabernet Sauvignon.

"Cab Cake"

The nose on this wine was so faint it was barely noticeable but you could make out some coffee and cocoa. Thankfully the wine itself was much bigger than nose and was a full bodied Cab. with high tannin. Big flavours of cassis and black pepper were there throughout. It worked very nicely with the Cab. cake.

"No Nose"

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

The LCBO had no listing for the wine. Either they have stopped carrying it or this was a bottle Mick picked up in the US. I did a quick Internet search and found a listing for the 2001 Caravina at $65 US. If that price point is accurate, there are much better Cabernets out there for less money. Mick, if you have any information on this wine, please comment.

It was fun to try some new wines but tonight I will say that the food far outshined the wines as all of it was excellent. Thanks Mick.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Trick or Treat - Part 2

For the main course, Mick did NY Strips with Zippy sauce and a side of grilled sweet potatoes with chipotle mayo. To pair with this Mick pick a 2003 Ridgeline “Alexander Valley” Cabernet Sauvignon.

"Zippy"

Nose was a pleasing mixture of green pepper, pine, smoke, leather, black pepper and strawberry. The was nicely balanced but it was lacking in fruit, acid and had super soft tannin. The wine could best be described as Cab. light. It was good but missing the fullness you’d expect from a California Cabernet. It was a decent pairing with the meal.

"Cab Light"

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

"Great Steaks"

Here is LCBO information on the wine –

Ridgeline Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Vintages 54072
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 34.15
Wine, Red Wine,
14.7% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: California/Californie, United States
By: Ridgeline Vineyards
Release Date: May 23, 2009

Description - Ridgeline Vineyards is a new boutique project by the famous Spanish wine company Codorníu. Ridgeline's winemaker Dave Dobson also crafts the wine for Codorníu's other Californian outfit, Artesa Winery. This perfectly poised and supple Cab is brimming with black cherries, redcurrants, and sweet oak aromas and flavours. This mouth-filling and tasty wine is beautifully balanced by fine tannins. It will drink well over the next 5-7 years.

* Note – the wine the LCBO listed here is a 2004 and not the 2003 we reviewed. I’m not even sure if this is the right wine but it was the only listing for Ridgeline that the LCBO had. Mick - if you remember where you got it and how much you paid, please add it to the comments.

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Saturday Night – Trick or Treat - Part 1

Mick and Amy had Kathy and I over for our usual Saturday get together. The dinner start time was pushed back as it was Halloween. So once we finished handing out treats to the kids we got have some treats of our own.

The first course was blacken scallops on tortillas with guacamole and corn relish. These little morsels of happiness are a definite favourite. Mick picked a 2008 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc to pair with them.

"Betcha can't eat just one!"

There was no mistaking this wine for anything but Sauvignon Blanc by its aromatic nose of cut grass, gooseberry and cat’s pee with some grapefruit and nectarine lingering in the background. The main flavour to this wine was yellow grapefruit. It became sharp when paired with the food, I suspect the sweetness of the corn was throwing this wine for a loop. The one things that was neat about the food and wine pairing, is even though it was sharp to start, its finish developed a beautiful and lingering walnut flavour.

"As good as earlier versions?"

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

Here is LCBO information on the wine -

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (V)
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 10, 2009

DescriptionVintage after vintage, the world-renowned Kim Crawford displays his winemaking prowess with Sauvignon Blanc. The 2007 and 2008 vintages each received 91 points from Wine Spectator! This lively wine exhibits aromas such as gooseberry, passion fruit, grass, nettle, mineral, and citrus. Tantalizing with steamed mussels, or monkfish with tomato and fresh herbs.

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