Saturday Night – Ribfest

This past Saturday night Mick and Amy were hosting our usual Saturday night dinner. This one though was a touch more than the usual Saturday night dinner as Chris and Jan joined the four of us for Mick’s Ribfest.

 

The first course was Tuna Crostini and Mick paired this with a 2011 Mer Soleil "Silver" unoaked Chardonnay. We have had this wine before and reviewed it so I won’t go into too much detail other than to say it was a very good pairing with Tuna Crostini.

For the main course Mick did two types of ribs on his smoker and Jan and Chris were nice enough to provide the wine - a 2009 Limerick Lane "Block 1918" Russian River Valley Zinfandel. Mick also did sides of coleslaw and homemade Mac and cheese.

The nose was big with aromas of pine/Pine sol, strawberry and chocolate fudge; it was also very hot as your nostrils were burning due to the alcohol on the wine. Tasting the wine, green/Jalapeño pepper was the dominate taste with some cherry as the secondary flavour. The structure was decent but the lack of fruit had the wine coming across as hot. The wine was a good pairing for the ribs and the Mac and cheese but got a bit funky with the coleslaw.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 86, Mark – 86, Kathy – 89, Amy – 86, Overall – 86.75.

There was no LCBO information on this wine which isn’t a surprise as Chris and Jan picked this wine up on their last trip to California. The price point on it was $40 US which is pricey for a Zinfandel. This wasn’t a bad wine except for the heat but $40 US price point kills it as there are much better Zinfandels (Seghesio for example) for less money. I will say though, I very glad we got the opportunity to try something that we can’t get up here.

For dessert Jan made a selection of dessert squares that were a yummy way to finish of the evening.

Thanks to Mick and Amy for hosting and Mick especially for smoking those awesome ribs despite having to do this all in the rain. Thanks to Chris and Jan for bringing the feature wine of the night and for the dessert.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Dinner from A to Z – Part 4

Click here for Part 1

 

For the main course I did beef tenderloin with grill lobster tails and Béarnaise sauce with sides of baby potatoes and green beans. I paired a 2004 Clos du Val "Stags Leap" Napa Valley Cabernet with it.

 

The nose on the wine was easy to find with aromas of vanilla, raspberry, cedar, smoke and red pepper. Tasting the wine, raspberry and vanilla were the dominate flavours but there was also some eucalyptus and cocoa in the background. The structure on this wine was beautifully balanced with silky tannin, fresh acid and good fruit and alcohol rounding everything out nice. The finish lingered nicely as well. The wine was very good on its own and just about a perfect pairing with the food.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 89, Mark – 90, Kathy – 87, Amy – 88, Overall – 88.5.

There was no LCBO information on the wine but a quick web search puts it at $74.99 US a bottle which means it is in the same price point as Mondavi and Beringer’s Private Reserve Cabs.

For dessert I picked up a Skor Ice Cream Cake from Dairy Queen because life is just better with Ice Cream Cake!

It was fun evening with Zdenka and Alex joining our usual foursome and I hope they will join us on a more regular basis.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Dinner from A to Z – Part 3

The second course of the night was Caprese salad and this was paired with a 2009 Hall Merlot.

 

The nose on this wine was a monster (certainly no glass swirling needed here!) with clove, pine needle, blackberry, vanilla and hickory smoke. Tasting the wine, plum, coffee, green pepper were the dominate flavours with some oak in the background. Structure-wise this wine was damn near perfect – big and bold and smooth with a huge mouth-feel but a touch more fruit would have been nice. With fruit not jumping out at the forefront, this merlot was very cab like and while it was a good pairing with the salad, I suspect it would have been amazing with some dark chocolate.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 88, Mark – 89, Kathy – 86, Amy – 86, Overall – 87.25.

Here is LCBO information on the wine –

Hall Merlot 2009

VINTAGES#: 342782
Price: $39.95
750 mL bottle
Alcohol/Vol15.5%
Made in: California, USA
By: Hall Wines
Sugar Content:14 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry
Style: Full-bodied & Smooth
Varietal: Merlot

The last few Merlots I have had have been very thin and I’m not a fan of that style of Merlot. The Hall Merlot was a great example of what a well-structured Merlot should be like. I was amazed that the Alcohol was listed at 15.5% as it certainly didn’t come across as hot.

Click here for Part 4

Saturday Night – Dinner from A to Z – Part 2

The second Champagne with the gorgonzola dip was the 2004 Devaux.

 

The nose on the Devaux was mild and really needed to swirl your glass to find the floral and yeast aromas to this wine. Tasting the wine you will find a nice tangerine and lemon combination happening. The wine was nicely balanced as it was crisp but also had a very nice creaminess to it as well. It was easy to drink on its own but really shined with the dip.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 87, Mark – 88, Kathy – 87, Amy – 87, Overall – 87.25.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

Devaux Millésime Brut Champagne 2004
VINTAGES#: 369124
Price: $67.95
Release Date: June 7, 2014
750 mL bottle
Alcohol/Vol12.0%
Made in: Champagne, France By: Union Auboise - Champagne Devaux
Sugar Content:10 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry
Style: Rich & Complex
Varietal: Champagne

Description : This poised, precise vintage bubbly offers up plenty of biscuit, lemon tart, hay bale and brioche aromas that echo beautifully on the palate. Bright, crisp and long-finishing, it'll make a great pairing for breaded fish or a seafood risotto. (VINTAGES panel, April 2014)

I haven’t done the gorgonzola dip in a while as I have been doing the bacon blue cheese dip instead but I’m glad I made it as I missed the richness and bite of this dish. It is also a better summer dip to do as it cold dish vs. the bacon blue cheese one which requires the oven to be involved.

Click here for Part 3

Saturday Night – Dinner from A to Z – Part 1

This past Saturday night it was my turn to host and we had more than just the usual band of malcontents attending as Alex and Zdenka joined us for dinner. I had three course and four new wines for us to try.

 

The first course was gorgonzola dip with crackers and I paired this with two different vintage champagnes – 2006 Marguet Grand Cru and a 2004 Devaux. I will review the 2006 Marguet Grand Cru here and then do the 2004 Devaux in part 2.

The nose on the Marguet was easy to find as it was big with a mix of canned apple juice, cedar and ginger. Tasting the wine it reminded me of tonic water with a hint of lime and ginger added to it. The wine started big and then quickly fades away. It was very dry and I found it almost harsh on its own but it got better with the dip.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 86, Mark – 84, Kathy – 85, Amy – 85, Overall – 85.

Here is LCBO information on the wine –

Marguet Père & Fils Grand Cru Brut Champagne 2006

VINTAGES#: 68791
Price: $65.95
Release Date: April 26, 2014
750 mL bottle
Alcohol/Vol: 12.0%
Made in: Champagne, France
By: Champagne Marguet Pere & Fils
Sugar Content: 6 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry
Style: Rich & Complex
Varietal: Sparkling - Dry
Description: This vintage Grand Cru Champagne is 100% Chardonnay. 

Notes - This is seamless with lovely freshness and flavors, from pie crust to dried mango. Muscular. Wonderful density yet agile. Super lively, so insane. Score - 94. (James Suckling, jamessuckling.com, March 11, 2013)

Ok, not sure what James Suckling was tasting but it feels like we were trying two different wines here and I’m beginning to wonder if our bottle was starting to turn as it is nowhere close to the 94 rated one he is talking about. 

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Saturday Night – Curried Mussels and some other stuff – Part 2

Click here for Part 1

 

The main course was curried mussels with fresh sliced baguette.  This was paired with a 2011 Kung Fu Girl Riesling. 

 

The medium strength nose on the wine consisted of peach, melon and lychee aromas.  Tasting the wine, gooseberry and green apple were the main flavours with some lychee in background.  There was also a little frizzante happening with the wine too.  The wine was nicely balanced with crisp refreshing acidity and wasn’t overly sweet but it did  come across a touch thin in the mouth.  It was a wonderful pairing with the curried mussels and very good on its own.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 89, Mark – 89, Kathy – 87, Amy – 89, Overall – 88.5.

There was no LCBO information on the wine but a quick web search puts it in the $15-20 CDN price point range which is a fair price for this lovely wine. 

The curried mussels were excellent as usual.  Mick is learning the trick to curried mussels as he makes them the last course now.  The problem is when he makes them the first course, when he explains his menu and I hear “curried mussels” everything after that is blah, blah, blah as I’m in a food fantasy dreaming of those yummy mussels and stop caring about the other food on the menu.  By making it the main course he also doesn’t have to hear me say “The ____ were good but not as good as the curried mussels” all night long.

 

For dessert, Amy picked up a caramel crunch cake with “Happy Birthday Mark” on it, which other than acknowledging my upcoming birthday(grumpy old guy who hates birthdays), was a nice way to wrap the meal.

 

Thanks to Mick and Amy for hosting and to Mick for all his hard work with all of that wonderful food.

 

Cheers!

 

Mark

Saturday Night – Curried Mussels and some other stuff – Part 1

Mick and Amy were hosting this past Saturday night’s dinner.  Mick had four courses and three wines lined up for us.

 

The first course was steamed artichokes with drawn butter.  Mick paired this with a Henriot Champagne which we have reviewed recently so I won’t be covering it in much detail.  The second course was Vietnamese beef rolls with a sweet chili sauce.  We had the Henriot with this course too.  The Henriot Champagne was ok to good with first course but really good with the second one as a pairing.  The Vietnamese beef rolls were a new recipe and were very good and I hope to see it back on the menu again in the future.

The third course was clams casino and they were paired with a 2012 Concha Y Toro Gran Reserva Chardonnay. 

The nose was big and easy to find with aromas of buttered toast, marshmallow and vanilla with a touch of lime zest lurking in the background.  Tasting the wine, lemon zest and toasted oak were the two main flavours.  The balance was out of whack as the wine came across very hot.  On its own, there was too much oak and heat for me to enjoy it very much but with the food it was much better.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 85, Mark – 85, Kathy – 85, Amy – 86, Overall – 85.25.

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine –

Concha Y Toro Serie Riberas Gran Reserva Chardonnay
VINTAGES#: 287995
$15.95
750 mL bottle
Alcohol/Vol -14.0%
Made in: Rapel Valley, Chile
By: Concha Toro S.A.
Sugar Content:3 g/L
Varietal: Chardonnay

The clams casino were very good and I was almost licking my plate at the end of that course.

Click here for Part 2