Saturday Night – Shrimpageddon – Part 3

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The final shrimp course of the evening was a baked shrimp dish with feta and diced tomatoes. Mick paired this with a 2007 D’Arenberg Hermit Crab Viognier.

"Good but missing something..."

The nose on the wine moderate with aromas of honey, grass and pine. There is an oiliness that Mick and I always enjoy but I think it puts the ladies off a bit. The wine had a vanilla flavour that dominated the wine. The acidity on the wine was decent and between that and the oiliness gives the wine a full rounded mouth feel. It was a good pairing with the dish as it contrasted nicely against it.

"Wonderful wine!"

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 89, Mark – 89, Kathy – 85, Amy – 86, Overall – 87.25.

Here is the LCBO information for this wine –

D'Arenberg "The Hermit Crab" Viognier/Marsanne 2008

Vintages 662775
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 17.95
Wine, White Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: South Australia, Australia
By: D'Arenberg Wines
Release Date: Jan 23, 2010

Tasting Note - (a 72/28 blend) Light, bright gold. Pungent aromas of tangerine, poached pear and floral honey over a subtle underpinning of minerals. Supple, gently sweet orchard fruit and melon flavors are firmed by a citrus zest quality and pick up an exotic floral note on the back end. This juicy, fruit-driven wine will work well with spicy foods. Score - 89. (Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar, July/Aug. 2009)

* Note – this LCBO listing is for the 2008 and not the 2007 reviewed here.

The baked shrimp was probably the weakest of the three new recipes but it was pretty good, it just seemed to be missing a certain something to make stand out and ‘wow’ you.

It was great trying three completely new recipes and a couple of new wines. I’d like to thank Mick and Amy for hosting this week.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Shrimpageddon – Part 2

The only problem with the first course and the first wine is both set the bar quite high for the next course.

The second new recipe for the night was grilled blackened shrimp with an avocado corn relish. Mick paired this one with a 2008 Kim Crawford "Flowers" Sauvignon Blanc.

"My mouth is still burning..."

The second new recipe for the night was grilled blackened shrimp with an avocado corn relish. Mick paired this one with a 2008 Kim Crawford "Flowers" Sauvignon Blanc.

The nose on the "Flowers" was big and easy to find with aromas of pineapple, citrus and pear. Tasting the wine you are knocked upside the head with its ripe melon flavour. The balance on the wine was off as the huge melon flavour needed to tempered with lots of acidity which wasn’t there; this made the wine seem flabby. It was an OK pairing with the food.

"Way too fruity"

I didn’t mind this wine but prefer the regular $20 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc more. I’m finding that usually I’m not a fan of ‘special’ releases. I find what happens with ‘special’ release wines is this, the wine maker is known for imparting a certain characteristic to a wine (Example – Kim Crawford makes a fruit driven Sauvignon Blanc, or Toasted Head makes a big oak Chardonnay) and then the wine maker for the ‘special’ edition takes that same characteristic and puts it on steroids. The problem is that characteristic is already exaggerated in the normal wine so when they push it up another level it just becomes ridiculous (Fruit monster, Oak monster).

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 87, Mark – 85, Kathy – 86, Amy – 85, Overall – 85.75.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

Kim Crawford SP Flowers Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Vintages 69245
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 24.95
Wine, White Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: New Zealand, New Zealand
By: Constellation Wines Nz
Release Date: Jun 12, 2010

Tasting Note - This top-end label from Constellation NZ is sourced from various vineyards. A generous wine with a strong presence, the 2008 vintage has concentrated tropical-fruit and herbaceous flavours, fresh, crisp and dry. Score - 4 Stars (out of 5). (Michael Cooper, Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines, 2010)
　
The blacken shrimp were OK. Mick hit the spice weasel on them a touch too hard so some of the flavours were lost/hidden by the spicy burn. The avocado corn relish was truly excellent.

Click here for Part 3

Saturday Night – Shrimpageddon – Part 1

Mick was doing the cooking this part Saturday and had three new shrimp recipes on tap for the evening.

"One of the best new dishes we've tried in awhile!"

The first recipe for the evening was a skillet of Creole shrimp and scallops. The shrimps and scallops were blended with green and yellow peppers, onions and celery in a lightly spiced tomato and herb sauce. Mick hadn’t picked a wine to go with this yet and handed me a small spoon of the sauce to try so I could suggest a pairing. I tried it and found that the tomatoes and herbs were the predominate flavours in the sauce and "Merlot" jumped into my thoughts at this points. We discussed it and Mick came back from the basement cellar with a bottle of 2005 Chateau Pey La Tour which has 89% merlot in its blend.

"$20 price point = good deal"

Nosing the wine you get a odd but pleasing mixture of Christmas fruit cake (cherry, All Spice, nutmeg) and smoke. Tasting the wine, you’ll have no doubt this is French as the fruit was subtle and it had an unmistakable earthiness to it. The balance on the wine was very good but the acidity was a touch higher then it should be. Sour cherry and thyme was the flavour profile for this wine. I enjoyed the wine on its own but this wine shined with the food and was an exceptionally solid pairing with it.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 88, Mark – 89, Kathy – 88, Amy – 88, Overall – 88.25.

I did really like this wine but it was just shy of having that ‘wow’ factor I need to give it a 90+ rating. I was ‘wowed’ however by the wines $20 price point.

Here is the LCBO information on this wine

Château Pey La Tour (V)
Vintages 925859
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 19.95
Wine, Red Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Bordeaux, France
By: Dourthe Freres
Release Date: May 15, 2010

Description - Modern-styled, but definitely rooted in Bordeaux, this rich and elegant red features cassis, ripe black cherry, cedar and vanilla flavours, leading to a chewy and medium finish that suggests plenty of succulent sweet cassis. Primed for prime rib or veal tenderloin, it will continue to reward with 2-5 years of cellaring time. Formerly Château Clos de la Tour.

*Note as this is a Vintages Essential (as indicated by the "V") they do not list year so this might be a 2006 or even 2007 rather than the 2005 review here.

I would recommended picking up a couple bottles of this as it was a very good wine for the money.

Click here for Part 2

Wine Club – Bonus Tasting – Chateau Margaux

Usually when we have Wine Club, we buy a case between the 11 of us and split the 12th bottle. This means everyone has a bottle to take home. The wines range in price between $13 and $30. As I collect $25 per month for six months from everyone this means there is left over money at the end of the six months. This left over money is used for a bonus tasting. For the bonus tastings there is no take home bottle so price point per bottle is much higher than our normal ones.

"2005 vs. 2006"

I picked up a bottle of 2005 Chateau Margaux Pavillon Rouge the last time I was down in New York state for $139 US (about $220 CDN after duty) from the Premier Group with the idea that it would be a good bottle for the bonus tasting. 2005 was supposed to be an exceptional year for Bordeaux wines. The prices were extremely inflated for 2005 due to this quality. I hadn’t tried any of the 2005’s yet so trying the second level wine from a from a first growth like Margaux was something I was looking forward to.

We had quite a bit of left over money and even after taking out the funds for the 2005 Pavillon Rouge there was still just shy of $100 left. I did a quick search of the LCBO’s inventory and found they had the 2006 Pavillon Rouge in stock. I picked it up as I thought it would be fun to try the 2005 vs. the 2006. I want to see if everyone could notice the difference between the two wines.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

Chateau Margaux Pavillon Rouge 2006

LCBO Vintages# 565127
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 89.00
Wine, Red Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Bordeaux, France
By: Maison Descaves
Release Date: Dec 5, 2009

Tasting Note - Deep colour, viery ripe 40% Merlot balanced by 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc to add density and grip, a beautifully fresh wine compared by [winemaker] Paul Pontallier to 2003 and 1995. [Best] 2012-20. Score - 4 Stars (out of 5). (Steven Spurrier, Decanter, April 2007)

Ideally I would like to pair both of these wines with grilled beef tenderloin but as our work kitchen has no grill this wasn’t possible. I ended pairing the wines with Lindt dark chocolate instead.

Pouring out both wines you could immediately see the difference between them, the 2005 was more concentrated and opaque whereas the 2006 was much thinner sort of like a pinot noir can be though not quite that thin. Nosing the wines was interesting as well both had aroma of cassis, green pepper and lead pencil shavings but in different amounts. The 2005 cassis and green pepper were dominate with the lead pencil shavings in the background. For the 2006 the lead pencil shavings dominated, then green pepper and finally a hint of cassis in the background.

Tasting the two wines there were noticeable differences as well. The tannin on the 2006 was quite harsh and threw the balance of the wine off. There wasn’t much fruit to be found on the 2006 either. The 2005 on the other hand was beautifully balanced and the fruit was much nicer on it as well. Trying the wines with dark chocolate, there was more of a dramatic difference with the 2006 as the dark chocolate helped soften the tannin it became a much easier drinking wine. The 2005 was good with the chocolate but I think I enjoyed it just as much on its own.

As I sat there nibbling on chocolate and sipping both of the wines I found myself wishing for a beef tenderloin as there is no doubt in my mind that both would be great with a nice medium rare tenderloin.

Asking around the different Wine Club members on their opinions, most liked the 2005 quite a bit more than the 2006 but wasn’t sure it was worth quite the premium in price ($220 vs. $90). The important thing was everyone easily identified which was the 2005, even though the tasting was blind.

Next month’s Wine Club we start a new session and look at the rare and exotic grape known as “Chardonnay”.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Mick’s grilling up a storm – Part 2

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For the main course Mick did a batch of chicken quesadillas. He paired them with a 2007 Seghesio "Old Vines" Zinfandel.

"Classic"

Seghesio is a winery that Mick and I both love for Zinfandels and their "Sonoma County" Zinfandel has been excellent year after year. We were both excited and anxious to try the "Old Vines" Zinfandel.

"Old Vines? Seghesio? Count me in!"

The nose on the wine was huge with aromas of cherry, tobacco, black pepper and cigar box. After inhaling that wonderful nose, I was almost drooling and couldn’t wait to taste it. Unfortunately, the taste wasn’t as nice as the nose as the flavour had almost a medicinal taste to it like cherry flavour Halls, there was also some eucalyptus and licorice flavours to it. Mick described the flavours as "oppressive’ and was disappointed that it wasn’t as smooth and rounded as other Seghesio Zinfandels that we’ve tried. The finish lasted for a long time but this wasn’t a good thing as the flavours that lingered were ones that you wished didn’t. It wasn’t a bad pairing with the food however and that was probably the wine’s saving grace.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 85, Mark – 84, Kathy – 82, Amy – 86, Overall – 84.25.

Here is the LCBO information –

SEGHESIO OLD VINE ZINFANDEL 2007

VINTAGES 56879
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 39.95
Wine, Red Wine
15.6% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: California/Californie, United States
By: Seghesio Wineries
Release Date: Jun 26, 2010

Tasting Note - The 2007 Zinfandel Old Vine (a selection from the oldest vineyards) reveals a dense ruby/purple-tinged color as well as a floral, blueberry and black raspberry-scented nose, a rich, full-bodied mouthfeel, and serious tannin in the background. Textured, rich, and long with considerable upside, it can be drunk now or cellared for a decade. Score - 90+. (Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, Feb. 2010)

We might have been a tad harsh on this wine but with the $40 price point and the Seghesio label, I was expecting more from this wine. My biggest beef with it was, the other Seghesio Zinfandels we’ve tried had a subtleness to them that made them so wonderful and there was nothing subtle about this wine.

The chicken quesadillas were wonderful (as always). We finished the evening with raisin tea biscuits, Devonshire double clotted cream and strawberry jam.

I’d like to thank Mick for all his hard work and look forward to our next Saturday night dinner.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Mick’s grilling up a storm – Part 1

Mick and Amy hosted this past Saturday night’s dinner. Mick had a new recipe to try out and two new wines as well.

The first course was the new recipe; Prosciutto wrapped scallops on a rosemary skewer grilled on cedar planks. He paired this with a 2008 Domaine A. Cailbourdin Cuveé de Boisfleury Pouilly Fume (Sauvignon Blanc).

"Rosemary skewered Scallops"

The nose on the wine was easy to find with strong aromas of lime and floral notes. Tasting the wine, the lime theme continued but with green apple and vanilla mixed in. The acidity on this wine was quite sharp and noticeable but it was refreshing. The finish on the wine disappeared quickly. The wine was better on its own then with the food but it was an OK pairing with the food.

"Good, but worth $27?"

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

Here is the LCBO information –

DOMAINE A. CAILBOURDIN CUVÉE DE BOISFLEURY POUILLY-FUMÉ 2008

VINTAGES 163527
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 26.95
Wine, White Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Loire, France
By: Domaine Cailbourdin
Release Date: Mar 6, 2010

Description - The Wine Advocate's David Schildknecht called Domaine Cailbourdin 'a consistently reliable source of Pouilly-Fumé.' (www.erobertparker.com, Aug. 2007) The domaine was founded in 1981 and its 11 ha is planted mostly to Sauvignon Blanc. Cuvée de Boisfleury is the estate's most upfront Sauvignon: elegantly aromatic, pure, light and crisp, with characteristics of citrus, herb, white flowers, and acacia. Yields are kept low to ensure the high quality evident here.

I liked this wine but not at the $27 price point; if this was in the $17-20 range I would be picking more up. For $27 I’d go with the Henri Bourgeois "Les Baronnes" from Sancerre or save my money and get some Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc for about $20 instead.

The scallops were good but unfortunately Mick has set the scallop bar quite high with some of his other scallop recipes and I enjoyed those more than this one. That said, it was fun to try both a new dish and new wine.

Click here for Part 2