Saturday Night – Salsa for 700 people

Mick and Amy were hosting this past Saturday night’s dinner.  The first course was a new recipe – crab and corn fritters with salsa.  He paired this with a 2010 Cape Point Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa.  We have reviewed this wine before so I won’t be going into too much detail on it - http://zippysauce.blogspot.ca/2012/08/saturday-night-tomato-extravaganza-part.html

 

The crab and corn fritters were very good, as was the salsa Mick made to go with it.  Mick is lucky that the salsa was so good as there was a ton leftover. He did the salsa as per recipe but it made probably 4 times more than was needed.  I’m assuming Amy will be having salsa on her cereal for the next few days and Mick with be finding other creative ways to use it up.  The wine was a decent pairing with the dish.

The main course of the evening was Mick’s chicken quesadillas and he paired them with a 2009 “The Prisoner” by winemaker Dave Phinney.  The Prisoner is a blend which contains the following - 51% Zinfandel 19% Cabernet Sauvignon 18% Syrah 7% Petite Sirah 3% Charbono 1% Grenache 1% Malbec. 

The nose on the wine was powerful with aromas of raspberry, dark chocolate, mint, cedar and nutmeg.  Tasting the wine, strawberry is the main flavour with raspberry, dark chocolate and vanilla notes in the background.  The structure was off on this wine as it came across very hot as the fruit, acidity and tannin weren’t enough to temper the high alcohol level (15.2%).  It was an OK pairing with the chicken quesadillas but the pure Zinfandels we’ve had in the past made a better pairing.

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

11 THE PRISONER RED NAPA VLY (HUNEEUS)
VINTAGES 104299
750 mL bottle
Price $ 49.95
Made in: California/Californie, USA
By: Huneeus Vintners, Llc
Release Date: N/A
Wine, Red Wine
15.2% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content: 10 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry

* Note – this is for the 2011 and not the 2009 reviewed here.

Mick actually bought this in the US for $22.  Either the price of the wine has gone up since the 2009 was released or Mick got a really good deal on this.  When I rated this wine I thought it would be in a $30 Canadian price point based on Mick $22 US purchase price.  As $50 Canadian a bottle wine, I would probably lower my rating from 86 to 85/84 as for that money there are much better wines out there.

 

For dessert Amy picked up a Chocolate Banana cake which made a great ending to the night.

 

Thanks to Mick and Amy for hosting and to Mick for the wonderful dishes.

 

Cheers!

 

Mark

Saturday Night – Combique with so many different wines – Part 2

Click here for Part 1

 

Mick did grilled Brie on a cedar plank with a bruschetta topping or as he calls it “Briechetta”.  Mick paired this with a 2009 Chateau La Croix Chaigneau from Pomerol.

 

The nose on this wine was powerful and easy to find with aromas of green pepper, clove and black pepper.  Tasting the wine, sour cherry was the dominate flavour with some black pepper and mushroom notes.  The structure on the wine was good but it did come across slight tannic at times but this got better with the food.  It made a good pairing for the food but I think with this dish I’d lean more towards a pure Merlot vs. a blend like this one.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 88, Mark - 88, Kathy – 86, Amy – 88, Overall – 87.5.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

CHÂTEAU LA CROIX CHAIGNEAU 2009
VINTAGES 173278
750 mL bottle
Price $ 23.95
Made in: Bordeaux, France
By: Vignobles Chatonnet
Release Date: Oct 27, 2012
Wine, Red Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Blend - Meritage
Sugar Content: 4 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note  -  A bold, complex and stately Right Bank wine showing notes of blackcurrant, plum, cherry, woodsmoke and coffee. Very nicely structured with tight fine-grained tannins surrounding a core of bright, spicy fruit en route to a dry, balanced, lingering finish. One for the cellar, this will really open up over the next 5 years or so. A fine choice for herbed beef stew. (VINTAGES panel, Aug. 2012)

The third course was Steve and Melanie’s and they did grilled flat bread with roasted corn, old cheddar and double smoked bacon.  They paired this with a Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne.  I won’t be reviewing it here as I don’t like to do this when guests provide wine.  I will add that their course was very good and the Champagne made a very good pairing with the food.

The fourth course was Alex and Zdenka’s and Alex made a Beef Tenderloin with smoked paprika mayonnaise with a side baby Arugula salad.   He paired this with a 2008 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon.  I really liked the wine as it was very fruit forward but with more than enough body to it that it didn’t come across as a ‘fruit bomb’.  Alex did an amazing job with the beef as it was cooked to exactly medium-rare and had a wonderful flavour to it.

I made the dessert course which was raspberry and white chocolate based.  Steve and Melanie were nice enough to provide the wine which was two bottles of Ice wine Riesling from Henry of Pelham.  The Ice wine was very good and worked exceptionally well with the dessert.

 

It was a fun night but judging by the way my head feels today probably too much wine.  It was great seeing everyone again and you just can’t beat a Combique for great food dishes and even better company.

 

Cheers!

 

Mark

Saturday Night – Combique with so many different wines – Part 1

This past Saturday night we got together with 3 other couples and had a Combique.  Combique is our name for a dinner get together where each couple brings a course and a wine to pair with it.  These are always great for a number of reasons – no one is doing a multi-course meal for eight people on their own, as everyone is only doing one course and can focus on that, they tend to be amazing dishes and lastly as everyone is bring their own choice for wine, there is a diverse selection of wines to try throughout the night.  This dinner had white, red, sparkling and dessert wines that made an appearance.

 

The first course was my and I did an almond encrusted goat cheese on a bed of mixed green with a raspberry and poppy seed dressing. I paired this with a Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Kabinett Riesling.

 

The nose on the Riesling was mild with aromas of musty apple, rose and caramel. Tasting the wine you will find a nice mix of smoky apple and pear with some peach notes in the background. The structure on the wine was good as there was easily enough acidity to offset the sweetness of this off-dry wine. The finish on the wine was good as it did linger around for a bit. It made a good pairing for the salad but I think it needed to be a touch sweeter to compliment the sweetness in the raspberry dressing.

 

 

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 87, Mark - 88, Kathy – 86, Amy – 89, Overall – 87.5.

 

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine –

 

REICHSGRAF VON KESSELSTATT SCHARZHOFBERGER RIESLING KABINETT 2006
VINTAGES 282343
750 mL bottle
Price $ 17.95
Made in: Mosel, Germany
By: Reichsgraf Von Kesslerstatt
Release Date: Aug 4, 2012
Wine, White Wine
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content: 67 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: M - Medium

 

Description -  With a history that dates back over 1300 years, the Scharzhofberg vineyard is so respected that it is one of the few in Germany that does not have to mention its village designation on the labels.

 

Tasting Note -  Round and lush on the palate, tropical-fruited and sugary in flavor, this is an unusually soft and sweet kabinett from a top vineyard. The aromas of pear, melon and guava are intriguing and exotic, and the wine is wonderfully easy to drink now in its youth. Score - 89. (Joe Czerwinski, Wine Enthusiast, June 1, 2008)

 

The next course was Mick’s and I will cover that in Part 2

 

Click here for Part 2

 

Saturday Night – We haven’t had that in a while…

This past Saturday it was my turn to host our usual Saturday night dinner and I had a couple of old favourites on tap and a new recipe to try.

 

I had a bottle of 2005 Mondavi Napa Valley Fume Blanc which I wanted to get rid of as Fume Blanc isn’t a wine you usually want to keep around that long.  As soon as I mention this to Mick, he said “Spicy Shrimp it is” as this is our favourite pairing for this wine.  He even volunteered to make the shrimp and marinade as long as I would do the mint sauce. 

I was relieved to see the Fume was still a pale/greenish yellow colour when I poured it out as this meant it was still good; when Fume Blanc has turned, it will go a deep golden/amber yellow.  I won’t be reviewing it here in detail as we have reviewed it before.  I liked the 2005 Fume Blanc as the acidity had softened and it had an easier to drink and rounded mouth-feel to it.  Kathy on the other hand was not impressed as she likes Fume Blanc when it has that razor-sharp-kick-you-in-the-teeth type of acidity.  It was good with the spicy shrimp but I will have to agree with my wife that with the shrimp, a Fume Blanc with more acidity would have been a better pairing.

For the next course I did smoke salmon with bagel crisps, cream cheese, capers, red onion, cucumbers and slice lemon.  I paired this with a 2009 Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay. 

The colour was that typical rich golden yellow you would expect on a California Chardonnay.  The nose on the KJ was a comforting mix of toasted caramel, marshmallow, butterscotch, vanilla and mango.  The caramel aroma carried over to the taste and was the dominate flavour with hints of pineapple and vanilla.  The structure on the wine was lovely and balanced but it was over oaked.  This wine is unapologetically a California Chardonnay with its big nose and taste; if you are looking for subtle go somewhere else.  It was a very good pairing with the salmon.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 89, Mark - 89, Kathy – 87, Amy – 87, Overall – 88.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

KENDALL-JACKSON GRAND RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2009
VINTAGES 59576
750 mL bottle
Price $ 27.95
Made in: California, USA
By: Jackson Wine Estates International
Release Date: Jun 23, 2012
Wine, White Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Chardonnay
Sugar Content: 5 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note -  Readers looking for more caramelized tropical fruit and honeysuckle characteristics as well as more opulence and flesh should check out the 2009 Grand Reserve Chardonnay (a blend of equal parts Santa Barbara and Monterey fruit). This 100% Chardonnay was aged 9 months in primarily French oak, and was put through 100% barrel and malolactic fermentation with lots of lees stirring. Kendall-Jackson's Chardonnay program has always been a reference point for how to get the most out of this grape and this cuvee highlights the buttery melon, tropical fruit and peach-like characteristics of Chardonnay. It also possesses medium to full body, well-integrated wood and a long, heady, rich finish. Score - 91. (Robert Parker Jr., erobertparker.com, Feb. 2011)

For the main course I did Chile-Lime Chicken Kabobs and paired this with a 2004 Comtes d’Isenbourg Pinot Gris (once again another white wine that I kept too long) from Alsace.  This time it came back to bite me as it was past its prime; it was drinkable but it had certainly lost a step or two.  As this wine was past its prime, we decided it wouldn’t be fair to review it.

Here is the link to the recipe - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chili-lime-chicken-kabobs/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=chili-lime&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe%20Hub

The marinade smelled terrific but tasting it, I wasn’t blown away.  I served the kabobs over rice and the flavour of the chili-lime was nice but almost too subtle; I found myself wishing for more sauce/flavour.  Mick said this would be a good ‘thru the week’ recipe but it was missing that certain something to make it a Saturday night feature dish.  I think he hit the nail on the head perfectly with that description.

We finished the night with Ice Cream cake. 

Thanks to Mick for making the spicy shrimp and being the ‘grill master’.  It was a fun night and I enjoyed getting back to a couple of favourite dishes we hadn’t had in a while.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Mick is back in the saddle again – Part 2

Click here for Part 1

 

For the main course Mick did his Dijon and marmalade chicken wings and paired this with a 2010 Artezin Zinfandel.

 

The nose on the Artezin was a pleasant mix of peat, smoke, strawberry, white pepper and green pepper.  Tasting the wine was interesting as initially had a huge strawberry flavour but as the wine opened up it became a cherry flavour with some mocha in the background.  The structure on the wine was superb as it was very smooth, with a long lingering finish which combined with the fruit on the flavour made this a very easy drinking wine.  I really liked this wine but the Amy, Kathy and Mick while they enjoyed weren’t in love with it like I was.   I think the problem is the wine was almost too smooth and it needed a little bite to it to jazz it up a bit.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 88, Mark - 90, Kathy – 87, Amy – 88, Overall – 88.25.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

ARTEZIN ZINFANDEL 2010
VINTAGES 302943
750 mL bottle
Price $ 21.95
Made in: California, USA
By: Hess Family Estates
Release Date: Sep 29, 2012
Wine, Red Wine
14.9% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Zinfandel
Sugar Content: 8 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: D - Dry

Tasting Note  -  A zesty Zinfandel that's loaded with spice, offering aromas of dark cherry and licorice that lead to lively plum, toasty sage and anise flavors. Finishes with ripe, briary tannins. Drink now through 2017. Special Designation: Smart Buy. Score - 90. (Tim Fish, winespectator.com, June 15, 2012)

Amy had picked up a Chocolate Truffle cake for dessert but we were so stuffed from the first three courses we all decided to pass on it.

Thanks to Mick and Amy for hosting and to Mick for all his wonderful hard work in making those three great dishes.  Hopefully we’ll get back to a more regular schedule and therefore more regular blog posts but with Christmas around the corner that might make things tricky.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Mick is back in the saddle again – Part 1

The blog has been quiet lately as our normal Saturday night dinners haven’t been quite so normal.  Thankfully that ended last night as Mick and Amy were hosting and Mick had three great dishes on tap and three very good wines to go with them.

 

The first course was Oysters “Mickafella”, which are oysters topped with cheese, green onion, jalapeno peppers and other assorted goodies than cooked in the oven.  Mick paired this with a 2009 Robert Mondavi “To Kalon” Fume Blanc.  We have reviewed this wonderful wine before (see the Top Ten Zippy Sauce Whites list for the link), so I won’t be doing that again here.  I will add it was a good pairing with the oysters but not perfect.  The oysters were very good as well.

The second course was barbequed Brie with a bruschetta topping and served with toasted sliced baguette.  Amy jokingly refers to this as Brie-chetta.  Mick paired this with a 2004 Beringer Napa Valley Merlot. 

The nose on the Merlot was big and easy to find with aromas of raspberry, pine, chocolate and cigar box.  Tasting the wine, it was a dominated with a plum flavour that was tempered by vanilla, clove and chocolate notes.  The balance on the wine was good but it was a touch tannic which made the wine seem very dry at times.  The finish on the wine was good but it didn’t linger for long.  I liked the wine with the food.  Mick and I both thought the wine was solid but not amazing.

 

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

 

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

 

BERINGER MERLOT 2009

VINTAGES 919647
750 mL bottle
Price $ 29.95
Made in: California, USA
By: Treasury Wine Estates
Release Date: Apr 28, 2012
Wine, Red Wine
14.3% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Merlot
Sugar Content: 5 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

 

Tasting Note - Deep bassline aromas of chocolate cake, black cherry, blackberry creme and a wisp of caramelized sugar. Full bodied, generous, lush and complex, with gobs of fruit and pinpoint balance. This has the structure to develop nicely over 5+ years, though it's drinking well now with beef stew or prime rib. (VINTAGES panel, March 2012)

 

Click here for Part 2