It Twas the Saturday before Christmas – Part 2

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For the second course Mick did Tandoori Chicken Skewers and paired this with a 2008 Frank Konstantin Gewürztraminer. The bottle was picked up direct from the winery on a recent trip they made to the Finger Lakes region in NY State.

"Spicy but good!"

The nose surprised me as it was very mild for a Gewürztraminer, with aromas of pear and rose. Tasting the wine you found an oily sweet wine that was slightly cloying. The pear aroma carried through to the flavour profile as well. The wine could best be described as ‘simple’ as there wasn’t much to it. The wine also tended to be over sweet with the food but was easy enough to drink so not a terrible pairing by any means.

"Something new and different"

I found this tacked on to the bottom of my notes –

“I like it – it’s yummy” – Amy

Thanks Forest for that insight and now to the group ratings –

Mick - 87, Mark - 84, Kathy – 85, Amy - 89, Overall – 86.25.

I remember Mick mentioning the price on the bottle and being shocked at the price as it was around $20-25 US which with duty and taxes puts this wine in a $40 CDN price… ouch. For that kind of money I’d advise people to look elsewhere.

The food was excellent as always and our next get together will be New Year’s Eve.

Cheers,

Mark

It Twas the Saturday before Christmas – Part 1

Mick and Amy had us over for dinner last Saturday. The starter courses were Smoked Salmon with cream cheese and assorted goodies, followed by a new recipe for Potato Skins that Mick wanted to try.

"Very good for a first attempt!"

Both courses were paired with a 2004 Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay. I’d had this bottle on the rack for awhile and was worried about it getting long in the tooth. (Note - There was a 2006 KJ Grand Reserve Chardonnay as well but we have already review it so I left it out of this review.)

"Smoked Salmon and Chardonnay, best wine pairing ever!"

Opening the bottle and pouring it out, you are rewarded with a pleasant mixture of kiwi, vanilla and a touch of caramel. Tasting the 2004 Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve you immediate notice that this is a big creamy Chardonnay that while being big is also nicely balanced. Flavours of butter, lime and vanilla run throughout the wine. The wine wraps itself up nicely with a smooth lingering finish that just has you aching for more.

"It certainly was Grand!"

The KJ was stunning with the Salmon but only decent with the Potato Skins. It was good on its own but pairing it with the Smoked Salmon took this wine to a whole new level.

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

I couldn’t find an LCBO listing on the Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve but it usually ranges in price from about $33 to $39 a bottle depending on US dollar exchange rates and LCBO markup.

Click here for Part 2