Saturday Night – Amy, in the Kitchen, with the Wine Bottle – Part 2

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For the main course Mick did a mix grill of steak and sausage with grilled veggies and baked potatoes. He paired this with a 2008 Concha y Toro "Terrunyo" Carmenere.

 

As I mentioned earlier, the bottle was impressive due to its weight but it was also nicely wrapped in branded tissue paper, the cork was also a higher quality one so I have to give bonus point here for great presentation.  The nose was big and easy to find with aromas of hot chocolate with marshmallows, green pepper and a touch of nutmeg.  Tasting the wine, cocoa is the dominate flavour with blackberry, green pepper and some earthiness in the background.  Structure-wise is where this wine breaks down a bit as the tannin levels were much higher than the acidity levels which made the wine comes across very dry.  Thankfully with the steak and the sausage the tannin was neutralized quite a bit so it made a pretty good pairing with the food.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 89, Mark – 89, Kathy – 88, Amy – 89, Overall – 88.75.

There was no LCBO information on the wine, but a quick web search put the wine in the $24-44 range with the average price closer to $34.  For a $34 dollar wine this is a pretty good value as you usually don’t find the branded tissue paper, heavy bottle and high quality cork in a sub $60 wine that often, so from a gift giving perspective this wine would give you a lot of bang for your buck.  This is also a wine that cellaring for five more years or so will cause the tannin to soften some more and it will be that much better due to this.

 

I want to add that the steak Mick did was cooked and marinated to perfection.  Mick grabbed the marinade recipe from a fajita recipe.  The marinade had cilantro, garlic, orange juice and spices and it really made the steak flavourful and tender; probably one of the better steaks I have had in a while.

 

For dessert Amy picked up a dark chocolate based cake.  The cake was an even better pairing with the wine than the main course was (for those of us who still had some left!). 

 

Thanks to Mick and Amy for hosting and Mick for all his hard work in making three wonderful courses.

 

Cheers!

 

Mark

Saturday Night – Amy, in the Kitchen, with the Wine Bottle – Part 1

Mick and Amy were hosting this past Saturday night’s dinner.  The blog title comes from a reference to the game “Clue”.  The wine that was paired with the main course had one of the heaviest glass bottles I have ever come across; if you wanted to bludgeon someone to death with a wine bottle this would be your weapon of choice.

 

Mick had two appetizers on tap for us this evening.  The first one was oysters and a half bottle of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.  We have reviewed this wine before so I will just say it was a good pairing for the oysters which were also yummy.

The second appetizer was an old favourite – Prosciutto wrapped curried shrimp and Mick paired this with a 2011 Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Kabinett Riesling.

The nose on the wine was a pleasant mix of petrol, lime, peach, chalk and yeast.  Tasting the wine the dominate flavours were peach and sweet lemonade with a touch of tropical fruit in the background.  The wine had a bit of frizzante happening with it which gave it a nice lighter mouth-feel; it was like the wine was ¾ Riesling and ¼ Asti Spumante.  The acidity levels were decent but the wine was quite sweet and at times came across a touch cloying.  It did make a good pairing with the curried shrimp and also helped lessen the burn from the spiciness of the shrimp.

 

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 –

 

DR. PAULY-BERGWEILER BERNKASTELER BADSTUBE RIESLING KABINETT 2011

 

VINTAGES 33407
750 mL bottle
Price $ 17.75
Made in: Mosel, Germany
By: Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler
Release Date: Jul 20, 2013
Wine, White Wine
8.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Aromatic & Flavourful
Varietal: Riesling Kabinett
Sugar Content: 57 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: MS - Medium Sweet

 

Tasting Note - Fruity and juicy up front, but supported by a steely frame of acidity. Shows hints of tropical fruit, including mango and papaya, with a graceful finish of smoke and spice. Drink now through 2023. Score - 89. (Kim Marcus, winespectator.com, Nov. 30, 2012)

 

The Prosciutto wrapped curried shrimp were very good, though they were probably by a good margin the spiciest version of them that we ever had. 

 

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Saturday Night – Birthday time! – Part 2

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The main course, as I wrote earlier, was Wolfgang Puck’s Chicken Alfredo.  I got away from my Italian theme here for the pairing and went with a 2006 Cristal as my pairing (nothing says Happy Birthday like high-end Champagne!).

 

The 2005 Cristal received the highest wine rating we have ever given out at 94.5 as the overall rating.  The 2006 Cristal had a slightly higher rating from the professional wine reviewers out there so I was certainly excited and curious to try it and see what we thought about it.

The nose was big and yummy with orange zest, butter and nutmeg notes.  Tasting the wine, there were flavours of lemon zest, ginger, white grapefruit and vanilla.  The wine was a lot more crisp then previous Cristal Champagnes we have tried and I wasn’t a big of fan of this style of Cristal; I prefer the more creamy style of the 2005.  That said, it made a very good pairing with the Alfredo and we had no problem finishing two bottles of it.  Reading a number of the professional reviews out there on this wine, most are saying it is young and could do with some aging.  We have another bottle in the cellar so this will be one I will keep down for a few more years and try again.

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

 

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine –

 

CRISTAL BRUT VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE 2005

VINTAGES 268755

750 mL bottle
Price $ 287.95
Made in: Champagne, France
By: Louis Roederer
Release Date: Aug 31, 2013
Wine, Champagne
12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Rich & Complex
Varietal: Sparkling
Sugar Content: 11 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

 

Tasting Note -  Vibrant and mouthwatering, this offers a range of patisserie pear and apple fruit, candied lemon zest, pastry dough and marzipan notes set on a finely detailed texture, which imparts a great deal of finesse. The lasting finish echoes a smoky mineral note. Drink now through 2025. Score - 94. (Alison Napjus, winespectator.com, Nov. 30, 2012)

 

The Alfredo was very good, but very rich and very heavy and I knew it would be like that so I went for something lighter for dessert.  I picked up a Lemoncello cake for dessert vs. something chocolaty and heavy.  The cake was a nice way to cap off the evening.

 

Kathy enjoyed all the food, wine and great company so all-in-all the evening was certainly a success.

 

Cheers!

 

Mark

Saturday Night – Birthday time! – Part 1

Kathy’s Birthday was this past Friday so we kicked things up a notch for this Saturday night’s dinner.  In addition to Mick and Amy we also had our next door neighbours Joe and Olivia joining us. 

 

Kathy requested Wolfgang Puck’s Chicken Alfredo as the main course for her dinner, so I decided to go with an Italian based theme for the evening.  My first course was an Anti-Pasto with all sorts of goodies – Calabrese salad, a selection of Italian cold cuts, a roasted red pepper dip with crackers, a pickle tray and fresh sliced baguettes.  I paired this with a 2009 Fattoria La Ripa Chianti Classico Reserva.

The nose on the wine was big and easy to find with rich leather, tar, black cherry and wood aromas.  Tasting the wine, raspberry with a touch of menthol were the dominate flavours.  The wine had a precise narrow mouth-feel that was nice balance of acidity, tannin and alcohol and it came across very smooth.  It was a decent pairing but was thrown a bit by some of the spicier meats. 

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

FATTORIA LA RIPA CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA 2009

VINTAGES 984401
750 mL bottle
Price $ 26.95
Made in: Tuscany, Italy
By: S.A. Santa Brigida S.R.L.
Release Date: Jan 18, 2014
Wine, Red Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity
Varietal: Sangiovese/Canaiolo
Sugar Content: 4 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note -  A dense, muscular style, with saturated cherry, iron and earth flavors. Dry and savory in the best sense, this offers a lingering aftertaste of tart cherry, tobacco and earth notes. Best from 2014 through 2024. Score - 92. (Bruce Sanderson, winespectator.com, Oct. 31, 2012)

This was a certainly a solid wine and a decent value at its $27 price point.  The nice thing is I just picked this up from the LCBO on Friday so if you wish to try a bottle for yourself, there is still plenty of stock left.

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Saturday Night – A Ray of Sunshine – Part 3

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For dessert, Chris made Crème Brûlée and this was paired with a 2010 Vineland Estates Vidal Ice Wine.

 

The nose was a pretty mix of honeysuckle, peach, clover and caramelized sugar.  The taste was very straight forward as Macintosh Apple dominated the wine, though it did finish with a spicy (clove/pumpkin spice) finish.  The structure was a touch off as the acidity wasn’t high enough to offset the sweetness of the wine and it came across as cloying/syrupy but it did have a nice long finish to it.  The wine did work as a very good pairing with the dessert.  I wasn’t a huge fan of it on its own as it was just too sweet.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 87, Mark – 87, Amy – 87, Chris/Jan – 87 Overall – 87.

 

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

 

VINELAND RIESLING ICEWINE 2008

VINTAGES 563445
375 mL bottle
Price $ 39.95
This is a VQA wine
Made in: Ontario, Canada
By: Vineland Estate Wines Limited
Release Date: May 26, 2012
Wine, Icewine
9.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Icewine
Sugar Content: 220 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: MS - Medium Sweet

 

Description  -  Best in Show at the 2010 Florida International Wine Show.

 

Tasting Note -  Fantabulous Riesling Icewine that shows just how elegant sweet wines can be. Aromas suggest mango, apricot, marmalade, honeycomb, poached pear and lime cordial. Medium-sweet with terrific fruit flavours followed immediately by a brilliant ribbon of acidity to keep things very fresh. A superb dessert wine that is adaptable with dishes such as key lime pie, lemon custard or even as a nicely chilled after-meal sipper. (VINTAGES panel, March 2012)

*Note – the LCBO listing is for the Riesling Ice wine and not the Vidal Ice wine in the review as it was the closest I could find.

 

Thanks to both Chris and Jan for hosting and for all the wonderful food and wine. 

 

I wrote at the beginning of this article that I was looking forward to this dinner and am happy to say this dinner truly was that ray of sunshine I was looking for to brighten a lousy weather week.

 

Cheers!

 

Mark 

Saturday Night – A Ray of Sunshine – Part 2

The main course was Beef Tenderloin topped with roasted red peppers and Porcini mushrooms with a side of Gnocchi in a Gorgonzola walnut cream sauce.  Jan paired this with a 2010 Henry of Pelham Baco Noir Reserve.

 

The nose the wine had rich aromas of blackberry, eucalyptus and leather with a some vanilla/oak in the background.  The main flavours to the wine were black currant and mint.  I’m usually not a big fan of Baco Noir as usually I find them thin and lifeless and overly green at times, but this one was certainly none of those things.  The body was big and the flavours were lively and inviting.  The finish lingered around for quite a while.   The best way I can describe this wine is if someone took the best features about Syrah and Chianti and blend them together.  It was a great paring with the food and has me thinking I need to try more Baco Noir in the future.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 90, Mark – 90, Amy – 89, Chris/Jan – 90 Overall – 89.75.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

HENRY OF PELHAM RESERVE BACO NOIR 2011

VINTAGES 461699
750 mL bottle
Price $ 24.95
This is a VQA wine
Made in: Ontario, Canada
By: Henry Of Pelham Family Est. Winery
Release Date: Mar 15, 2014
Wine, Red Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity
Varietal: Baco Noir
Sugar Content: 11 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note -  Henry of Pelham does Baco Noir right: this is best of class. Brooding aromas of black and purple plum, blackberries and blueberries wrapped in smoke. Supple and full-bodied. Could this be the ultimate hamburger wine? Well-structured with a solid finish. Try it tonight Baco Noir food pairings: blackened, smoked beef dishes, grilled radicchio, hamburgers. Score - 91. (Natalie MacLean, nataliemaclean.com, Dec. 31, 2012)
*Note – the LCBO listing if for the 2011 vintage and not the 2010 reviewed here.


The main course was wonderful as the beef was tender and flavourful and the richness of the Gnocchi was to die for.

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Saturday Night – A Ray of Sunshine – Part 1

This past week has been a crap week for weather; on Wednesday we set a record for snowfall and then on Thursday we set record for coldest temperature on record for that date.  This winter has been brutal and it seems like it has going on forever.  Thankfully at the end of this week, Chris and Jan were hosting this Saturday night’s dinner and that was like a ray of sunshine and helped me get through the week.

 

The first course of the evening was a roasted pear, Brie and Ice wine soup.   Jan paired this with a 2011 Joseph Phelps Chardonnay which Chris and Jan picked up directly from the Phelps Winery in California on their last trip down there.

The nose was easy to find with aromas of lemongrass, lime, lavender and marzipan with a bit of nutmeg in the background.  Tasting the wine, you will find flavours of citrus (lemon/lime), nectarine, and wet stone with a touch of vanilla in the background.  Structure-wise the wine had a big full mouth-feel to it and had decent balance but a touch more acidity would have be nice; on the other hand, I have been drinking a number of Sauvignon Blancs and Champagnes recently so maybe I’m a touch acidity biased.  The wine was very good on its own though and had a unique and inviting style to it that was quite memorable.  Unfortunately as a pairing for the soup, it didn’t work as the sweetness of the pear would throw it for a loop.  An off-dry Riesling would have been a better pairing.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 92, Mark – 89, Amy – 89, Chris/Jan – 90.5 Overall – 90.
*Note – Kathy wasn’t drinking as she had spent most of the week recovering from the flu so Jan and Chris filled in for her rating.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

JOSEPH PHELPS FREESTONE VINEYARDS CHARDONNAY 2008
VINTAGES 249425
750 mL bottle
Price $ 73.95
Made in: California, USA
By: Freestone Vineyards
Release Date: Oct 15, 2012
Wine, White Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Full-bodied & Rich
Varietal: Chardonnay
Sugar Content: 4 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note  -  A stylish cool-climate Chardonnay, intense, crisp, vibrant and concentrated, with subtle citrus and pippin apple notes giving it a juicy sensation. Ends with slate and mineral notes that are firm and focused, reverberating on the finish. Drink now through 2018. Score - 93. (James Laube, winespectator.com, April 30, 2011)

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


The roasted pear, brie and Ice wine soup which also had a nice hit of garlic and pepper was very good.  The really cool thing about this soup is I’d imagine you could have a lot of fun with it by just changing the cheese from Brie to say Blue Cheese, Old Cheddar or a Smoked Gruyere and it would be amazing with those cheese as well.

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Saturday Night – Everything is Rosé – Part 2

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The main course was a new recipe which Mick found from the Beer Bistro Cookbook – Chicken wings in a honey brown ale sauce with fresh cut fries.  Mick paired this with a 2010 Montes Cherub Syrah Rosé from Chile.

 

The nose on the wine was a milder as you did have to swirl the glass a bit to bring it to life and were rewarded with a nice mix of nutmeg, cranberry juice, strawberry and ginger ale.  Tasting the wine, you’ll find flavors of strawberry, sage and pepper.  The structure on the wine was good, not overly acidic or tannic with a nice lingering finish.  The wine was pretty easy drinking but did come across slightly tart at times.  I was surprised at how good of a pairing the wine was with the wings as the cumin flavour on the wings was quite dominate but the wine handled it effortlessly. 

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

MONTES CHERUB SYRAH ROSE
LCBO 317982
750 mL bottle
SEASONAL/LIMITED QUANTITIES
Price $ 11.95
Made in: Region Not Specified, Chile
By: Montes S.A.
Wine, Rosé Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Rose
Sugar Content: 6 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

At $12 a bottle this wine is a very good value and with how well it worked with the wings, I could imagine a number of different food this wine would be a solid pairing for.

The wings were cooked to perfection, I liked the sauce but Mick has made better wing sauces so not sure I’d be in a rush to re-visit this particular one soon.

While Mick and Amy were away on vacation, I made cinnamon buns for the first time and Amy was a little pissed at me that she missed them.  As Amy is the official Zippy Sauce Photographer, I always want to keep her happy, so I agreed to make another batch for them.  I also brought my last bottle of 2005 Henry of Pelham Botrytis Affected Riesling to go with the cinnamon buns .  We have reviewed this wine before so I won’t go into much detail other than to say it has only gotten better with age and it was certain no slouch when we first tried it.

I really enjoyed the wide range of wines we had tonight and I am also thinking that I really should pick up some more Rosés in the near future as they are quite good in taste and price point. 

Thanks to Mick for the great dishes and both Mick and Amy for hosting another wonderful Saturday night dinner.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Everything is Rosé – Part 1

This past Saturday night Mick and Amy were hosting our usual Saturday night dinner and Mick had a wide range of foods and wines on tap for us to try.

 

The first course was Belgium Blonde Mussels with fresh sliced baguette and this was paired with a 2009 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons.

The nose on the wine was a fresh mix of honeydew melon, wet stone, moss and chalk aromas with some tropical fruit, floral and vanilla notes in the background.  Tasting the wine, you’ll find lively flavours of orange zest and lime as the two main flavours.  The structure on this wine was really good with crisp acidity to nicely balance out the fruit and alcohol of the win.  Everything about this wine was lively and fresh.  If I was doing a TV commercial for this wine, I would have the bottle sitting on the edge of cool, clear forest stream with the sun brightly shining and the birds singing happily in the background with an attractive couple having a leisurely lunch on the side bank while sipping this wine.  That image would perfectly sum up this beautiful wine.  It was a great pairing with the food as well.

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

BILLAUD-SIMON LES VAILLONS CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2009
VINTAGES 330175
750 mL bottle
Price $ 35.95
Made in: Burgundy, France
By: Domaine Billaud-Simon
Release Date: Jul 20, 2013
Wine, White Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Light & Crisp
Varietal: Chardonnay
Sugar Content: 3 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note -  The 2009 Chablis Vaillons bursts onto the palate with layers of citrus, lime, jasmine and sea shells. It is an intensely pointed, energetic wine loaded with class and pedigree. The aromas and flavors meld together beautifully and lead to a multi-dimensional, inviting finish marked by clean, saline notes. This is a 2009 that could use another few years in bottle. Vinification and aging in stainless steel helped keep the Vaillons quite vibrant. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024. Score - 93. (Antonio Galloni, erobertparker.com, Aug. 2011)

The mussels, by the way, were excellent as always.  I’m starting to think that Mussels, like Champagne, should be served at least  once a month at a minimum.

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Saturday Night – Something French and Dirty – Part 2

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For dessert I picked up scones and Devonshire Double Clotted Cream and strawberry jam to go on top of them.  I paired dessert with a 2005 Chateau Suau Sauternes

 

The nose on this wine was mild but did have lovely aromas of orange zest, grapefruit, licorice and verbena.  Tasting the wine, lemon, orange and mint were the main flavours to the wine.  The structure was good as the acidity and alcohol were able to balance the sweetness of the wine so it came across as fresh vs. cloying.   With the 14% alcohol level it was more like an Ice Wine Brandy than being like straight Ice wine/Late harvest/Dessert wine.  I haven’t really been a big fan of Sauternes in the past as I find they have a slight bitterness to them that I’m not a fan of but this one has me re-thinking that position as it was a real treat.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 90, Mark – 90 Kathy – 87, Amy – 89, Overall – 89.

There was no LCBO information on the wine for 2005 or any vintage.  This was also another wine I picked up down at Premier.  A quick web search has the price at $14 US a bottle so with LCBO markup, exchange, taxes and duty I’d guess it would be in $25-30 range.  Not a bad value at that price point and if I come across the 2005 or any other year I certainly would pick up a bottle or two.

After the long hiatus it was great to have a usual Saturday night dinner with Mick and Amy and hopefully there will be more dinners in March than there were in February.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Something French and Dirty – Part 1

The blog has been quiet recently as Mick and Amy were away on vacation for two Saturdays so we weren’t having our usual dinners together. Kathy ask me what I was planning for this Saturday night’s dinner with Mick and Amy and my response was “Big, thick, rare Tenderloins with something French and dirty to go with it!”   I don’t mean dirty in a bad, I find a number of high end French wines have a slight musty/dirty aroma to them which I have grown to really enjoy.

 

I actually took the whole French wine thing to the next level for last night’s menu as every course was paired with a different French wine.

We started with grilled shrimp with two different dipping sauces - a lemon garlic aioli and a horseradish aioli.  I paired this course with a Moet Chandon 2002 Vintage Champagne.  We have reviewed this wine before so I won’t go into much detail other than to say it was very good on its own and worked very nicely with the shrimp and both dipping sauces.

For the main course I did grilled Beef Tenderloin topped with crab, sugar snap peas and Béarnaise and a side of baby potatoes.  I paired this with a 2003 Chateau Haut-Bailey Grand Cru Classé from Pessac-Léognan in Bordeaux.

The nose on the wine was pretty and powerful with aromas of root beer, dried cherry and tobacco.  Tasting the wine, you’ll find raspberry and strawberry flavours with a slight dusty of Cocoa in the background.  The structure on the wine was very good as the wine had a lovely balance to it.  The finish didn’t linger around for too long and had a eucalyptus/menthol flavour to it.  The wine was delicate, feminine and thin which really isn’t my preferred style as I’d prefer a fuller bodied/masculine styled Red.  On the upside, it was very easy to drink and made a great pairing for the main course.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 92, Mark – 89 Kathy – 88, Amy – 89, Overall – 89.5.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

06 CHATEAU HAUT BAILLY PESSAC-LEOG (MEDOCAINE)
VINTAGES 564237
750 mL bottle
Price $ 94.00
Made in: Bordeaux, France
By: Compagnie Medocaine Des Grands Crus
Release Date: N/A
Wine, Red Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Bordeaux

Please note that this is for the 2006 vintage and not the 2003 reviewed here.

I had the 2003 Chateau Haut-Bailey on the rack for a while and quite frankly had forgotten what I paid for it.  I’m pretty sure I got it down at Premier Group in NY State and thought it was in the $40-50 US price range, so $94 CDN after LCBO mark-up/taxes sounds about right.  The wine was certain good enough to justify that $94 price tag but not good enough that I will be going out and trying to find cases of it.  That said it was very good and I’m certainly glad we tried it.

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