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.
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