Saturday Night – Recipe on a box – Part 2

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For the main course "Recipe on a box" or Creamy smoked salmon rotini was on tap.
I picked a 2007 Tabali Chardonnay from Chile as my pairing for this dish.

"Looks good but..."

The nose on the Chardonnay was much more powerful than the earlier Riesling, with big aromas of lemon zest, truffle and vanilla notes. Tasting the wine the lemon aroma carried through to the taste, with hints of vanilla mixed in. The Chardonnay was done in more of white Burgundy style than a California fruit forward/big oak style wine. The oak was very subtle. The balance on the wine was good but it was a touch acidic at times. It was an OK pairing with the pasta. The wine would be an ideal pairing for Caesar salad or Gorgonzola dip. I wasn’t blown away by this wine but did like the character it displayed

"You sure this isn't French?"

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 87, Mark – 86, Kathy – 86, Amy – 84, Overall – 85.75.
　
Here is the LCBO information for this wine -

TABALI RESERVA ESPECIAL CHARDONNAY 2007

VINTAGES 663005
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 18.95
Wine, White Wine
14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: Chile, Chile
By: Vina Tabali
Release Date: Dec 5, 2009

Description - Jancis Robinson, MW, also recently praised this wine, giving it a score of 17 out of 20.(www.jancisrobinson.com, Oct. 7, 2009).

Tasting Note - The grapes for this stellar 100% chardonnay were grown in a coastal area of the dry Limarí Valley, where the vines are cooled daily by winds blowing off the cold Pacific Ocean. It shows in the lovely crisp and refreshing texture, which is a perfect counterpoint to the rich, full fruit flavours. Mouth-filling and stylish, it's a great choice for richer poultry and seafood dishes. Score - 4 1/2 Stars (out of 5). (Rod Phillips, www.rodphillipsonwine.com, Aug. 13, 2009).

The Creamy smoked salmon recipe was OK but I wouldn’t do it again. Or as Amy put it best "It tastes like a recipe off of a pasta box". I was kind of surprised at how this turn out, I have bet that with the capers, smoked salmon, lemon zest, dill, garlic and red onion in the recipe this would be much more flavourful.

"The superstar of the evening - Triple Lemon Tart"

The big surprise for the evening turned out to be dessert. I wanted something lighter for dessert as pasta is usually quite heavy and the salad with the blue cheese and pecans can be quite filling as well. I picked up a La Rocha Triple Lemon tart from our local supermarket for dessert and it was awesome. The lemon tart was nicely balanced between tartness and sweetness and it was the perfect size too as there wasn’t a morsel of this dessert left at the end of the evening.

Cheers!

Mark