Saturday Night – More Champagne

This past Saturday night it was my turn to host the usual Saturday night dinner.   I picked up a bottle of 2002 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Champagne a couple of weeks ago as it was one I hadn’t tried before so I wanted to add it to the menu for the evening.  I debated whether or not to use it with the appetizer or for the main course; as it was fairly pricey $83, I decided to use it with the main course as the feature wine of the night.

I started with Bruschetta and Garlic Bread with Cheese.  It was a bit weird going with two bread based starters but I really was in the mood for Bruschetta but Kathy was having stomach issues with Tomatoes recently and asked me to make Garlic Bread with Cheese so I did both.  I paired this course with a 2003 Beringer’s Knight Valley Merlot.  I have reviewed this wine before so I won’t be reviewing it again - other than to say it was very good pairing with both appetizers.

For the main course I did Veal with capers in a browned butter sauce and a side of fettuccine pasta and paired it with the  Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin.

The nose on the Champagne was a pleasant mix of green apple, vanilla, peach and roses.  Tasting the Champagne for the first time you’ll find big creamy start to it with an interesting bite in the mid-palate with a dry lingering finish.  When we initially tried it, the flavours were a lime-vanilla flavour but as it opened up that morphed to a mango flavour and later in the night there was a light butterscotch flavour to it.  It was a very good wine on its own but lost a bit with the food at times and made a good but not great pairing.  Mick really liked the character of this wine, its complexity and how distinct it was and I’d have to agree with him on this.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 91, Mark - 90, Kathy – 90, Amy – 90, Overall – 90.25.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

VEUVE CLICQUOT PONSARDIN BRUT CHAMPAGNE

VINTAGES 508614
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 88.95
Wine, Champagne
12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Champagne, France
By: Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin S.A.
Release Date: N/A

Please note – I picked it up for $83 as it was on special for $5 off.

For dessert I picked up some Vanilla Slices as they looked great and were something I hadn’t had in a long time.

It was a fun night and I got to try yet another Champagne.  I’m really enjoying discovering each of these sparkling wines with their unique styles and how they work with different foods and will be keeping an eye out for new ones to try.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Raising the Bar – Part 2

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The main course was Beef Tenderloin braised in red wine with a side of Gorgonzola polenta.  This dish was paired with a 2008 De Marino Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile.

The nose caught me off guard as plum was the main aroma I was detecting with tobacco, blackberry, black pepper and green pepper in the background.  The plum aroma was odd as I usually associate that with Merlot and not Cab.  Tasting the wine you’ll find flavours of black cherry, blackberry and cocoa.  The structure was a bit off for a Cab as the acidity was good but there was very little tannin there which gave the wine a thin mouth-feel.  It was easy drinking and it was a very good pairing with the meal but I kept feeling like this was a Merlot or a Carmenere vs. a Cab.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 87, Mark - 86, Kathy – 87, Amy – 87, Overall – 86.75.

I couldn’t find a LCBO listing for this wine but a quick web search puts this in the $15-20 price point.  This wine is a decent value at that price and if the LCBO brings in the 2009/2010, I would be tempted to pick up a bottle.

The main course was very good, the flavour to the beef tenderloin was exceptional and it was cooked to a perfect medium rare.

For dessert, Jan did a Banoffee pie which is a caramel and banana based cream pie.  I’m not a huge dessert fan but this was very yummy and a nice ending to the night.

I would like to thank Jan and Chris for the amazing food and for hosting the dinner.  I joked at the end of the night that the bar, from their efforts and Mick’s new dishes, is getting set too high and that when I host next time that I will be doing frozen chicken fingers as the starter and Kraft Mac and Cheese as the main course to set the bar back to a much lower standard.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Raising the Bar – Part 1

Chris and Jan were hosting this Saturday’s dinner at their place.  They had a couple of new wines for us to try and some wonderful new dishes.  I wasn’t going to blog  this as I’m usually not comfortable reviewing wines outside of my house and Mick and Amy’s but the first wine was so good that I felt I had to write about it.

Orecchiette pasta with mixed greens and goat’s cheese was the first course.  This was paired with a 2006 Dr. Hermann Erdner Treppchen Spätlese Riesling.

The nose on the Riesling had a strong petrol aroma with a mix of peach, honey and lychee in the background.  The flavours to the wine were huge green apple with hints of orange and lychee.  As this was a Spätlese, there was quite a bit of sweetness to it.   The sweetness was a bit of a problem; there was enough acidity to the wine to keep it from being cloying but it was close to being too sweet.  The savory tone of the pasta salad wasn’t quite right for this wine as a pairing; it was decent but a Kabinett would have been a better pairing.  This Riesling paired with a poached pear salad or an apple walnut salad or any salad with some fruit in it would be a perfect match.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 88, Mark - 89, Kathy – 88, Amy – 89, Overall – 88.5.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

DR. HERMANN ERDNER TREPPCHEN RIESLING SPÄTLESE 2006

VINTAGES 181917
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 21.95
Wine, White Wine
9.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : M
Made in: Mosel, Germany
By: Weingut Dr. Hermann
Release Date: Nov 26, 2011

Tasting Note - A seamless white from start to finish. Lime, vanilla cream, peach and slate notes hold court as this stays fresh and balanced. It's very tasty now and ends with a nice snap of mouthwatering acidity. Drink now through 2020. Score - 92. (Bruce Sanderson, winespectator.com, Dec. 15, 2008)

The pasta salad recipe was very good.  I liked the contrast of the warm pasta with the mixed greens and the sundried tomatoes.  The timing of this recipe was good, as it was a lovely starter for cool weather we get this time of year.

Click here for Part 2

January Wine Club – Champagne

This month for Wine Club we tasted two French Champagnes. 

Here is the LCBO information for both -

LOUIS ROEDERER BRUT PREMIER CHAMPAGNE

VINTAGES 268771

750 mL bottle

Price: $ 67.95

Wine, Champagne

12.0% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : XD

Made in: Champagne, France

By: Champagne Louis Roederer

Release Date: Aug 20, 2011

Description - As Decanter magazine's Steven Spurrier puts it: 'it cannot be bettered.' It makes an excellent aperitif or a delicious companion to a light entree.

Tasting Note - A delicate Champagne, with spring blossom, smoke, yellow apple and anise flavors set on a fine-grained texture. The moderate finish is fresh and juicy, with the smoky note lingering. Better than previously reviewed. Drink now through 2019. Score - 90. (Alison Napjus, winespectator.com, June 15, 2011)

TAITTINGER BRUT RÉSERVE CHAMPAGNE

VINTAGES 814723

750 mL bottle

Price: $ 53.95

Wine, Champagne

12.0% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : XD

Made in: Champagne, France

By: Champagne Taittinger

Release Date: Oct 29, 2011

Tasting Note - A mature, dusty-minerally expression of champagne, with notable autolysis character of yeast and brioche, with bruised apple and dried citrus zest aromas. The palate is fullish and well balanced, though again dominated by mature flavours and mineral expression. A champagne for the table. Score - 90. (John Szabo, M.S., winealign.com, August 2010)

I won’t be going into much detail for either as I have already reviewed both here on the blog -

http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2011/12/saturday-night-champagne-and-sheian.html

http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2011/06/saturday-night-sparkling-night-with-in.html

Both wines were enjoyed by Wine Club members but the Roederer was the clear favourite. Julie was nice enough to provide the food for this meeting adn bought in Bruschetta and a Smoked Salmon ring. Both were served with a selection of crackers and made a good pairing for both of the Champagnes.

It was nice to kick off this new session of Wine Club with a Champagne toast and I’m already looking forward to next month.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Potatoes, Shrimp and Lamb ,Oh My! – Part 2

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For the main course Mick did grilled lamb with green beans  and mashed potatoes and paired it with a bottle of 2001 Joseph Phelps’s Le Mistral which is a Shiraz/Syrah Blend.

The nose the wine was powerful with aromas of blackberry, plum, nutmeg and pepper.  Tasting the wine, black licorice was the main flavour with some black currant and pepper.  The structure on the wine was interesting as I found it hit the tongue big and then just disappears.  The acidity was good but the tannin was almost non-existent.  The wine was easy drinking but it might be past its prime at this moment.  I was a good pairing with the lamb.

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

There is no LCBO listing for this wine but if I remember correctly it is around a $25 price point.

For dessert Mick picked up a caramel cake and we had it with a bottle of Henry of Pelham 2005 Botrytis Affect Riesling.  Both the wine and the dessert were excellent.

I like to thank Mick and Amy for hosting and Mick for all the wonderful food and for indulging me on my Champagne craving.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Potatoes, Shrimp and Lamb, Oh My! – Part 1

Mick was hosting this past Saturday night’s dinner and had three courses on tap.  After the Cristal last weekend, I had Champagne on the brain and was really in the mood for more.  I called Mick just before dinner started and mentioned that I was craving bubbles and had a bottle of Perrier-Jouët Champagne nicely chilled and if anything he was making would pair with it.  Mick answered that he indeed did have a course for it and to bring it by.

The course for the Champagne also happened to be the starter which was oven-roasted baby potatoes stuffed with bacon.
The last time we had the Perrier-Jouët Champagne I was disappointed - http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2011/12/saturday-night-champagne-and-sheian_11.html as it wasn’t as good as the bottles we had in Las Vegas but this time it was much better.  The flavours to it were much more like Vegas ones and it was a good pairing with the potatoes.  Mick and I were wondering if that last bottle was slightly off as this one was so much better.

The second course Mick had on tap was Shrimp Bisque.  Mick had a 2007 Roux Pere & Fils Clos des Mollepierres on tap as the pairing and we also had some of the Perrier-Jouët Champagne to go with it as well.

The nose on the wine was a mild nose with aromas of vanilla, lemon and a hint of lychee in the background.  Tasting the wine a Macintosh Apple flavour dominated the wine with more oak than I was expecting from a French wine there as well.  The structure on this wine was decent but it got a bit flabby as it warmed up.  It made a good pairing for the bisque but the Perrier-Jouët Champagne was a much better one.

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

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine -

ROUX PÈRE & FILS CLOS DES MOLLEPIERRES RULLY 2007

VINTAGES 169193

750 mL bottle
Price: $ 23.95
Wine, White Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Burgundy, France
By: Domaine Roux Pere Et Fils
Release Date: May 15, 2010

Tasting Note - Pretty lime blossom, acacia and citronella aromas and flavors highlight this elegant yet vivid white. Spice notes from oak aging add depth, and this lingers with citrus and spice accents on the aftertaste. Drink now through 2012. Score - 90. (Bruce Sanderson, winespectator.com, Dec. 15, 2009)

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – Happy New Year! - Part 2

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For the main course I did Beef Tenderloin with a port and shallot sauce with mashed potatoes with caramelized onions and a side of green beans.  I went with another bottle I was looking forward to trying - a 1996 Chateau Margaux.  Chateau Margaux is one of the five first growth Bordeaux and we hadn’t tried it yet, so I was eagerly looking forward to this.

The nose on the wine was a mix of eucalyptus, buttered lobster, rose, cherry, cassis and vanilla.  Tasting the wine, cassis and black licorice are the dominate flavours to the wine.  For the structure of the wine you will find fine silky tannins, good acidity and a lovely delicate balance to the wine.  Mick and Kathy really loved this wine, I on the other hand was disappointed as I found it too thin and too precise, I like my Cabernet Sauvignon blends to be bigger and bolder with a huge mouth-feel to them and this wine was not that.  I was a decent pairing with the food and I enjoyed it, just didn’t love it.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 94, Mark - 89, Kathy – 93, Amy – 90, Overall – 91.5.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

CHÂTEAU MARGAUX 2001

VINTAGES 176826
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 695.00
Wine, Red Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Bordeaux, France
By: Compagnie Medocaine Des Grands Crus
Release Date: May 5, 2010

Tasting Note - Performing well from bottle, Chateau Margaux's 2001, which is somewhat reminiscent of both the 1985 and 1999, is an elegant, seamlessly constructed effort with a deep ruby/purple color, and a beautiful nose of flowers, creme de cassis, blackberries, and cedar. A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, and 4% Cabernet Franc, this forward, opulent beauty can be drunk now or cellared for 15-20 years. This is one of the most elegant wines of the vintage. Score - 93. (Robert Parker Jr., erobertparker.com, June 2004)
Please note that this is for the 2001 and not the 1996 reviewed here.  Kathy found this bottle two years ago at the LCBO for $399.  The $399 price for a Chateau Margaux was a heck of deal.  For two years I had been looking longingly at this bottle in the rack and itching to try it.  The wine was nice but just didn’t meet my expectations.

For dessert we did dark chocolate and a cheese platter and finished up the wine with the chocolate and opened a bottle of Yalumba Antique Tawny to go with the cheese. 

It was fun New Year’s Eve and I very much enjoyed trying the two wines whose price point dictate that these are a once year type of occasion.  I’d like to wish my readers a Happy New Year and look forward to discovering all sorts of new and wonderful wines in 2012.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Happy New Year! - Part 1

This past Saturday, Amy, Mick, Kathy and I got together to celebrate New Year’s Eve.  As this wasn’t just another normal Saturday night, we decided to kick the wine level up a notch or two.  I have been on a Champagne kick this year so I decided to start the meal off with a bottle of Champagne with the starter appetizer.

The Champagne was a bottle of 2004 Cristal by Louis Roederer and the appetizer was an oven bake blue cheese and bacon dip with a selection of crackers.   I have done this dip before; here is link to that review and the recipe - http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2011/11/saturday-night-high-end-cab-night-part.html .

I was looking forward to trying this Champagne as the $65 Roederer was our highest rated Champagne on the blog so far and was my personal favourite for 2011, trying Roederer’s top Champagne was something I was excited about.  The Cristal definitely gets full marks for packaging, as the bottle was in a lovely golden box that was sealed closed by a 2004 sticker on the front.  Opening the box, cradled firmly in the center of the box was the bottle wrapped in yellow/gold cellophane.  Taking the plastic cellophane off the bottle and seeing a clear heavy glass bottle with its gold labeling on it was impressive as it was one of the nicer looking bottles of wines I’d seen in a while.    If you got this box as a gift and opened it up, there would be no doubt in your mind that its price tag was north of $100 just by the details in the packaging alone.

After popping the cork and pouring out the first glass, I was shocked as I was picking up its nose from more than a foot above the glass.  The Cristal’s nose was, by far and away, the most powerful nose of any Champagne I’ve tried to date.  The nose was a pleasant combination of orange zest, lime, lilac and yeast.  Tasting the wine, it hits your tongue big with creaminess and fruit and finishes crisp and clean.  I initially found lime as the dominate flavour but it changed to melon after a few sips and then to mandarin and then mango.  It was fascinating to try this wine every few minutes as the flavours of it melded into something else.    It worked very well with the blue cheese dip but Mick liked it more on its own than with food.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 94, Mark - 94, Kathy – 94, Amy – 93, Overall – 93.75.

Here is the LCBO information for the wine –

CRISTAL BRUT CHAMPAGNE 2004

VINTAGES 268755
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 286.95
Wine, Champagne
12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Champagne, France
By: Louis Roederer
Release Date: Aug 20, 2011

Tasting Note - The 2004 Brut Cristal has put on quite a bit of weight since I first tasted it earlier this year. It is a powerful, structured Cristal layered with considerable fruit. Chardonnay seems to play the leading role in 2004, at least today. Cristal is often accessible young, but that is far from the case here. This is a serious, painfully young Cristal that will require considerable patience. Readers who are willing to spend some time with the wine today will find a super-impressive, complete Cristal. The 2004 Cristal is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. This is Lot L033331E100008, disgorged January, 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2034. Score - 97. (Antonio Galloni, erobertparker.com, Dec. 2010)

I had pretty high expectations for this wine and it exceeded them.  I never thought I’d find a white wine or sparkling wine that I would put on par with Insignia but Cristal is right there.  As a side note, we also open a bottle of the $65 Louis Roederer about midway through the first course as I was curious to see straight up how the two would compare; it wasn’t even close the Cristal smacked it around which was shocking as it is a very good wine in its own right.

Click here for Part 2