Saturday Night – Yakiniku… huh? – Part 3

Click here for Part 1

 

Mick has certainly been much more adventuresome then I have been over the last few years in trying new dishes and I give him credit for that.  On the other hand, I think the quest to do new things is starting to put too much pressure on him as the main course was something he called Yakiniku beef.  Now I’m not even bothering to do an Internet search to see if Yakiniku beef is real or not as I’m convinced he is just making shit up at this point.

 

So the main course was “Yakiniku” beef and Mick paired it with a 2011 Loveblock Pinot Noir from New Zealand.

The nose on the Pinot was big and easy to find with aromas of strawberry, cherry, smoke, tobacco, black pepper and some herbaceous notes in the background.  Tasting the wine, sour cherry is the main flavour.  The wine came across simple and one dimensional as it was a touch acidic and the sour cherry flavour wasn’t lighting me up like a Christmas tree.  It did work as a good pairing with the beef but I wonder if a peppery Shiraz would have been a better match.

 

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 87, Mark – 86, Kathy – 84, Amy – 88, Overall – 85.75.

 

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

 

LOVEBLOCK PINOT NOIR 2011
VINTAGES 313924
750 mL bottle
Price $ 23.55
Made in: Central Otago, New Zealand
By: Loveblock Vintners Ltd
Release Date: Feb 16, 2013
Wine, Red Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Sugar Content: 5 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

 

Description -  Loveblock is the new biodynamic and organically focused project for renowned New Zealand winemaker, Kim Crawford. Free sulphur: 18 mg/L.

 

Tasting Note -  Marvellous complexity on the nose with a smoky-mocha layer atop red cherry, raspberry and a flinty minerality. The very well-structured palate demonstrates considerable sophistication through the continuance of the oak, mocha, smoke and red fruit and lengthy finish. Delicious. (VINTAGES panel, June 2012)

 

The “Yakiniku” beef or whatever Mick was calling it was very good and the two side sauces he made to go with it really put it over the top.  The sticky rice and the homemade pickles from the garden were great compliments to the beef dish.

 

Lots of good food and great company always make these nights a ton of fun.  I would like to thank Mick for all his hard work on the all three of the dishes he made (no matter what crazy names he calls them) and another thank you to Mick and Amy for hosting.

 

Cheers!

 

Mark

Saturday Night – Yakiniku… huh? – Part 2

For the second course Mick did Trout Bruschetta and paired it with a 2011 Jean Marc Brocard les Vieilles Vignes de Sainte Claire which is a Chablis.  This wine always makes me giggle as Jean Marc Brocard sounds like Jean Luc Picard from Star Trek and when Mick offers to fill my glass, I can’t resist saying “Make it so, number one”.

 

The nose on the wine was faint but aromas of butter, melon, nutmeg and floral notes could be found.  Tasting the wine lemon and lime were the two main flavours with hints of butterscotch and pineapple in the background.  This wine was very smooth and exceptionally easy drinking as the acidity was very mild, almost too much so as it got lost against the food at times.  I liked this wine but felt it needed to be a touch bigger to be a better pairing with the food.  On the other hand, we killed the bottle with no issues and I was sad when the bottle was empty as I could have easily poured myself another glass or three.

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

JEAN-MARC BROCARD SAINTE CLAIRE VIEILLES VIGNES CHABLIS 2011
VINTAGES 329995
750 mL bottle
Price $ 24.95
Made in: Burgundy, France
By: Jean Marc Brocard
Release Date: Aug 31, 2013
Wine, White Wine
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Light & Crisp
Varietal: Chardonnay
Sugar Content: 5 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note -  The 2011 Chablis Les Vieilles Vignes de Sainte Claire (tank) comes across as intensely saline and pointed. Lemon, flowers, and crushed rocks form the core of this beautifully delineated, energetic Chablis. Anticipated maturity: 2013+. Score - 90-92. (Antonio Galloni, erobertparker.com, Aug. 2012)

The wine was good but the real star of this course was the Trout Bruschetta; this dish certainly knew the way to downtown flavour country and wasn’t stopping for anything.  The Trout was smoked beautifully and add the garden fresh tomatoes with just a hint of dill mixed in and you have a stunning dish.

Click here for Part 3

Saturday Night – Yakiniku… huh? – Part 1

This Saturday it was Mick and Amy’s turn to host the usual Saturday night dinner.  Mick had 3 new dishes and 3 new wines lined up for us to try.

The first course was Santa Fe Popper made from peppers from Mick’s garden and filled with cream cheese and bacon.  Mick paired this with a 2009 Robert Mondavi “Napa Valley” Fumé Blanc.  If you look through the North American wine list link on the right side of the page, so will see we have been drinking this wine for years; a new vintage year is more like a returning friend than a something new but we haven’t reviewed it in a while so it was time to take a fresh look.

The nose on the wine was pretty with aromas of diced peaches, wet stone, melon, mango and vanilla.  Tasting the wine a grapefruit and smoke flavour dominates this wine.  It came across a little bitter on the mid-palate which I didn’t like and wasn’t a huge fan of this wine on its own.  With the food the wine got much better, which historically has been the case with this wine.  The food softened the bitterness and brought out more of the wine’s fruit to the surface.  The Santa Fe Poppers were much spicier than Mick figured and the wine really helped neutralized the burn of them.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 88, Mark – 86, Kathy – 86, Amy – 85, Overall – 86.25.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

ROBERT MONDAVI FUMÉ BLANC 2010
VINTAGES 221887
750 mL bottle
Price $ 22.95
Made in: California, USA
By: Constellation Brands Inc.
Release Date: Jul 6, 2013
Wine, White Wine
13.9% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Aromatic & Flavourful
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon
Sugar Content: 2 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note  -  Fumé Blanc is just another name for Sauvignon Blanc, and this is a delicious one. Dry and racy in acidity, it has deep citrus, tropical fruit and gooseberry flavors. At this price, it's one of the best Sauvignon Blancs on the market. Score - 90. (Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast, Oct. 2012)

* Please note that this listing is for the 2010 and not the 2009 reviewed here.

Fumé Blanc has always been an odd wine as it isn’t something that will pair well with millions of things but give this wine something citrus or cream based and that has a lot of spicy burn and it will shine.

Click here for Part 2