Saturday Night – Someone say Crab Cakes ? – Part 2

Click here for Part 1

 

For the main course, Kathy picked up two good sized NY strips from Cumbraes on Friday so we had those with shrimp, baby potatoes, green beans and Béarnaise sauce.  I picked a 2003 Chateau d’Armailhac from Pauillac (Bordeaux) as my pairing for this course. 

 

The nose on this wine was awesome with big aromas of graphite, lead pencil shavings, moss, pine needle and a gas station like smell.  Tasting the wine, it starts cherry then transitions to rich caramel on mid-palate and then has a white chocolate like finish.   The tannins were silky smooth and with the decent acidity levels has this wine in perfect balance.  This is one of the rare Cabernet blends that I just enjoyed more on its own then with the food.  It was a good pairing for the food, but it was a better wine just on its own.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 90, Mark – 91 Kathy – 89, Amy – 88, Overall – 89.5.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

CHÂTEAU D'ARMAILHAC 2009
VINTAGES 197434
750 mL bottle
Price $ 76.85
Made in: Bordeaux, France
By: Roger Joanne
Release Date: Feb 5, 2013
Wine, Red Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Bordeaux
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note  -  The finest d'Armailhac I have tasted to date, the 2009 is largely Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) blended with a big wallop of Merlot (25%) and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Its dense purple color is followed by a big, sweet kiss of asphalt, black currants, mocha, barbecue smoke, cedar and spice. This medium to full-bodied, well-made, impressively endowed Pauillac should drink well for 20+ years. Drink: 2012-2032. Score - 92. (Robert Parker Jr., erobertparker.com, Feb. 2012)

*Note – the LCBO listing is for the 2009 and not the 2003 reviewed here.

The main course was very good and I’d like to thank Mick for grilling the steaks and shrimps while I prepared the side dishes.

For dessert we had a La Rocca Lemon Cake which was a nice way to finish off the evening. 

Thanks to Mick and Amy for company and I’m already looking forward to next Saturday’s dinner.

Cheers!

Mark 

Saturday Night – Someone say Crab Cakes? – Part 1

This past Saturday it was my turn to host and I had a new recipe on tap and two new wines to try.  About a month ago I found a recipe for crab cakes that I did as ‘during the week’ dinner for Kathy and myself.  I enjoyed it and wanted to share it with Mick and Amy so the first course of the evening was crab cakes.  I paired this with a Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne NV.  I had picked the Bollinger’s up two days before at the LCBO as it was rated a 93 by the Wine Spectator so I was excited to try it.

 

The nose was powerful for a Champagne as you didn’t need to swirl the glass to get the aromas like you usually do; aromas of lime, soap, pumpkin and yeast were to be found.  Tasting the wine, pink grapefruit and orange zest were the dominate flavours.  This wine starts huge in your mouth with an explosion of flavours but seems to disappear quickly after the mid-palate and didn’t linger much on the finish.  The acidity level was good but I tend to like a Champagne’s acidity to be a bit more cutting then this one was.  There was also a creaminess to this Champagne which I enjoyed.  It was a decent pairing with the food but it was actually better on its own.  Even more surprising was that as it warmed up it got even better. 

 

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 90, Mark – 89, Kathy – 89, Amy – 89, Overall – 89.25.

 

Here is the LCBO information the wine –

 

BOLLINGER SPECIAL CUVÉE BRUT CHAMPAGNE
VINTAGES 384529
750 mL bottle
Price $ 74.95
Made in: Champagne, France
By: Champagne J. Bollinger
Release Date: Oct 26, 2013
Wine, Champagne
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Rich & Complex
Varietal: Sparkling
Sugar Content: 14 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

 

Tasting Note -  Very elegant and refined in texture, with fresh, focused acidity finding fine integration with the layered notes of patisserie apple, black currant, smoky mineral and biscuit, complimented by hints of lemon zest and honey. Lingering finish. Drink now through 2020. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. Score - 93. (Alison Napjus, winespectator.com, Dec. 15, 2012)

 

The crab cakes were good and there are three things I loved about this recipe.  The first is they are pan fried in a little butter vs. deep fried in oil which is a good thing.  The second thing is instead of breadcrumbs they use crushed Ritz crackers which is genius in my opinion as the biggest issue with crab cakes is usually getting them firm enough to stay together through the cooking process.  As crackers are drier than breadcrumbs they absorb more of the moisture of the crab mix and stay together really well.  The last thing I like is the prep time to make this mix is about 15 minutes and the cook time is less the 10 minutes so fairly quick to make.

 

Here is a link to recipe - http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Ever-Crab-Cakes/?prop24=hn_slide1_Best-Ever-Crab-Cakes&evt19=1

 

Click here for Part 2

Saturday Night – Bison Burgers for the win – Part 3

Click here for Part 1

 

For dessert, my Mom a week or so ago dropped off a frozen homemade apple crumble so we thought it would be fun to have that for dessert.  We also had a bottle of 2008 Megalomaniac Cold-hearted Ice-wine Riesling to go with this. 

 

The nose on the wine was big with lovely aromas of lychee, Jolly Rancher Melon flavored candy and some petrol lurking in the background as well.  Taste the wine, peach and green apple flavours with touch of vanilla were to be found.  The best way to describe this wine is if you took canned peach syrup and infused it with vodka you probably wouldn’t be far off from this.  The wine did have enough acidity to offset the sweetness of the wine which was nice.  You know a wine is freaking sweet when after it you have a sip of Pepsi and the Pepsi doesn’t seem sweet anymore.  The wine worked really nicely with the apples and cinnamon of the apple crumble dessert.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 87, Mark – 89, Kathy – 88, Amy – 87, Overall – 87.75.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

MEGALOMANIAC COLDHEARTED RIESLING ICEWINE 2010
VINTAGES 243519
200 mL bottle
Price $ 29.95
This is a VQA wine
Made in: Ontario, Canada
By: John Howard Cellars of Distinction
Release Date: Feb 11, 2013
Wine, Icewine
7.9% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Icewine
Sugar Content: 222 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: S - Sweet

Description -  Silver Medal winner at the 2012 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, a prestigious competition now in its 90th year.

Tasting Note -  This attractively perfumed Icewine is a liquid golden colour in the glass, and serves up bountiful fragrances of honeysuckle, tangerine and peach, clementine, mango, pear and ripe pineapple. Mouthfilling and generously sweet with nervy acidity bringing perfect balance. There's some tangy lemon zest on the finish. A rousing success that shows why Riesling Icewine from Ontario is so enchanting. Savour with spicy spring rolls or freshly sliced melon, or mix it with equal parts sparkling wine for a lively cocktail. (VINTAGES panel, Nov. 2012)

* Note – the LCBO listing is for the 2011 vintage and not the 2008 vintage reviewed here.

At $29 a bottle (though it is a 200mL vs. a 375mL) it is decently price for the quality of wine that it is.  I wouldn’t rush out to buy more but I certainly would consider picking up a bottle if I was shopping for a dessert wine.

Thanks to Mick and Amy for hosting and to Mick for all his hard work that went into making those two wonderful dishes.

Cheers,

Mark

Saturday Night – Bison Burgers for the win – Part 2

For the main course Mick did Bison burgers with an avocado corn relish and a side of lobster risotto.  He paired this dish with a 2009 Estancia Pinot Noir from California.

 

The nose on the wine was big and easy to find with aromas of strawberry, spearmint, cedar, green pepper, eucalyptus and a hint of cocoa.  Tasting the wine, flavours of cherry, strawberry and mint were to be found with a slightly medicinal finish.   The acidity was higher than the tannin which is common in Pinot and it gave the wine a very fresh feel to it.  It was a good pairing with the food but I would be curious to try a Rioja with this dish as I feel it might be a slightly better pairing.  With the slightly medicinal finish I wasn’t a huge fan of this on its own as the food helped neutralize the finish and it was much better that way.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 88, Mark – 87, Kathy – 86, Amy – 86, Overall – 86.75.

Here is the LCBO rating for the wine –

ESTANCIA BENCHMARK VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2009
VINTAGES 327049
750 mL bottle
Price $ 36.95
Made in: California, USA
By: Constellation Brands Inc.
Release Date: Sep 28, 2013
Wine, Red Wine
14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Full-bodied & Smooth
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Sugar Content: 4 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note - Estancia pride themselves on their artisanal approach to their wines. This Pinot was sourced from a single vineyard in the cool Santa Lucia Highlands. The 2009 has an intense nose offering ripe red cherry and spice notes. The palate is creamy, with more ripe fruit flavours and a long spicy finish. (VINTAGES panel, Aug. 2012)

The Bison burgers with their rich flavour and then being offset by the  soft sweetness of the avocado corn relish were very good.  The lobster in the lobster risotto was beautiful cooked and plentiful; all-in-all a very good main course.

Click here for Part 3

Saturday Night – Bison Burgers for the win – Part 1

Mick and Amy were hosting and Mick had two new dishes on tap for us to try and two new wines.  Kathy and I added to the meal by bringing dessert and a wine to go with it so we actually have 3 new wines to review.

 

The first course was Belgium Blonde Mussels with fresh sliced baguette.  Mick paired this with a 2011 Mer Soleil Sliver unoaked Chardonnay from California.

The first thing you will notice about this wine is its bottle as it is an opaque ceramic-like grey bottle that is very different from your normal wine bottle.  The plus to the design is it stands out from other bottles and the opaqueness of the bottle will prevent light from getting in possibly spoiling the wine.  The big downside to it is it is very difficult to figure out how much wine is left in the bottle as you can’t see the wine level and the bottle is heavy so it always feels like there is more left in the bottle than what there actually is.

As to the wine itself, the nose was mild but aromas of Angel’s food cake, citrus, and hops were to be found.  Tasting the wine, it was a mix of gooseberry and lime zest with the butterscotch finish.  The flavours came across a touch overripe and the wine wasn’t as crisp as I would have like for an unoaked Chardonnay.  It was easy to drink and had a slight oiliness to the mouth-feel.  It was good on its own and made a decent pairing with the Mussels, though I think a nice crisp Chablis or French Sauvignon Blanc would have been a stronger pairing.

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

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine -

MER SOLEIL SILVER UNOAKED CHARDONNAY 2011
VINTAGES 220343
750 mL bottle
Price $ 28.95
Made in: California, USA
By: Mer Et Soleil
Release Date: Sep 14, 2013
Wine, White Wine
14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Full-bodied & Rich
Varietal: Chardonnay
Sugar Content: 4 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry
Description - This intense yet elegant Chardonnay comes in an unconventional ceramic bottle that juxtaposes an eye-catching brilliance with a stripped-down minimalist style, from the Wagner family of Caymus fame. Look for ripe apple, pear, peach, mineral and a touch of hazelnut, and pair with grilled chicken.

As for the Belgium Blonde Mussels, they were very good.  They were in a very light creamy garlic sauce that had amazing flavour to it.  I also like that the sauce didn’t completely over-power the flavour of the Mussels which can sometimes happen with other Mussel dishes.  It was also a great sauce just to dip the bread into and enjoy it that way too.  This recipe was certainly a winner.

Click here for Part 2