Saturday Night – Blackout Dinner – Part 2

For the main course, Mick did NY strips, Zippy sauce and fresh corn on the cob and I brought a bottle of 1998 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon.

"Oh yeah, now we are in Flavour Country"

1998 was a funny year for California Cabs as they were some of the lowest rated Cabs in the nineties. They tend to be tannic with not much fruit on the tongue which is very different than the easy drinking fruit-forward style you usually get out of a California Cabernet Sauvignon. And I’d agree with those low ratings if I was sitting in a room trying them with just a glass of water to clear my palate as they aren’t very nice on their own. On the other hand, if you try these same Cabs with a medium-rare NY Strip with nice marbling, my goodness those 1998 Cabs are really good.

"Good-bye 1998, unlike the critics, we'll miss you!"

The nose on the Chateau Montelena Cab consisted of tobacco, leather, coffee, peat, menthol with a hint of fruit lingering around in the background. Tasting the wine on its own you get a very narrow mouth-feel and a taste that almost disappears as it hit your tongue. Surprisingly thought the tannin wasn’t very noticeable at all. With the NY strips this wine came alive; a much fuller mouth-feel, cassis, tobacco and a subtle smoky flavour. This wine was very easy to drink with the food. The toned down fruit makes this wine seem more French than Californian. I was sorry to see this bottle go as it was the last 1998 California Cabernet that Mick or I had left.

I picked this up in the US for $79 (about $129 CDN after duty, exchange and taxes) so this wasn’t a cheap bottle. I picked it up as I knew we had no 1998 left for this year’s blackout dinner. Would I do it again? That is a tough one as it was very good with the NY Strips and I enjoyed it but there are much better wines out there in the this price point so probably not.

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

CHATEAU MONTELENA THE MONTELENA ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2004

Vintages 709881
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 132.95
Wine, Red Wine,
14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: California/Californie, United States
By: Chateau Montelena
Release Date: Aug 30, 2008

Tasting Note - The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, all from their old vineyards in Calistoga. This is a dense, ruby/purple-tinged wine with full body, and despite the softness of the general vintage, Montelena has plenty of structure. Like nearly every vintage of their top Cabernet Sauvignon, it will last for 25 or more years. The wine has sweet tannin in a broad, flavorful, concentrated style with plenty of black currant, licorice, and spice. The wine is beautifully textured, slightly more forward than most Montelena Cabernets tend to be. It is another beauty from probably the most consistent winery for Cabernet Sauvignon over the last three decades. Drink 2007 to 2037. Score - 94+. (Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, Dec. 2007)

Note – this is the 2004 and not the 1998 reviewed here

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Saturday Night – Blackout Dinner – Part 1

Every year at this time Mick, Amy, Kathy and I get together to remember the power grid failure of 2003. Rather then go into the details again about how this annual event got started I will just provide a link to last year’s dinner –

http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2008/08/saturday-night-noahs-ark-edition.html

The important details about this event is we have NY Strips, Zippy Sauce, Corn and 1998 California Cabernet Sauvignon.

"So, what is everyone else eating? :)"

Mick did grilled lobster tails as the starter for the evening and paired it with a Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay.

The nose of the KJ was a pleasing mix of wet stone, pineapple, tropical fruit, honey and nutmeg. Tasting this wine on its own was a real treat; it was well oaked but the crisp acidity balanced out the wine nicely. A rich vanilla flavour tempered with green apple and pineapple were the dominate flavours to this Chardonnay. The issue I have with the KJ Grand Reserve is I have found that it is usually better on its own then with food. This was the case this evening; on its own it was exceptional but with the lobster you got an odd bitter flavour at times. Its cheaper cousin, the KJ Vintner’s Reserve, is the opposite as it tends to be better with food than on its own. So if you are planning on killing a day drinking wine on the back deck go with the Grand Reserve if not stay with the Vintner’s Reserve.

"Actual portion size..."

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick - 89, Mark - 89, Kathy – 92, Amy - 90, Overall – 90

Mick picked this up in the US and got a real deal on it as it was $10 US (about $17 Cdn after duty, taxes and exchange), usually the KJ Grand Reserve will be in the $15 to $18 range.

"Great on its own!"

Here is the LCBO information on this wine –

KENDALL-JACKSON GRAND RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2006

Vintages 59576
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 29.95
Wine, White Wine,
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: California/Californie, United States
By: Kendall-Jackson
Release Date: Jul 4, 2009

Tasting Note - The 2006 Grand Reserve Chardonnay, which is aged 8 months in a combination of French and American oak, and put through malolactic fermentation is a cross-appellation blend of 55% from Monterey and 45% from Santa Barbara. Gorgeous tropical fruits, pineapple in particular, as well as honeysuckle and some floral notes jump from the glass of this pure, rich wine that exhibits subtle oak but is dominated by its fruit. It's a beauty that should drink nicely for several years... Score - 90. (Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, Aug. 2008)

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Saturday Night – Sheian and Kevin

Sheian and Kevin joined us for our usual Saturday night dinner. Sheian is off to university in a couple of weeks and this was a send off dinner for her.

"The menu"

We didn’t review the wines as each of them have been reviewed here on Zippy Sauce before. I will do a quick summary of the highlights for each of the courses and wines.

"Spicy Shrimp just waiting for some mint sauce"

First Course –

Spicy Shrimp with Fresh Mint Sauce paired with Robert Mondavi 2004 Napa Valley Fumé Blanc, California. The four of us had this combination last week and it was so good we decided to do it again. Last week we had the 2003 Fumé Blanc vs. the 2004 we had this week. The 2004 was nicer than the 2003 as the harshness on the mid-palate wasn’t there as much. The 2004 is the last year that the Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc was done in a frosted glass bottle which is a shame as it gave the wine bottle a very distinctive look.

"2005 - No Frosted Bottle for you!"

Here is the recipe for Spicy Shrimp -

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Grilled-Sweet-and-Spicy-Shrimp-with-Mint-Dipping-Sauce-108272

The only modification I make to this recipe is adding another tablespoon of lemon juice to the mint sauce and cutting the vegetable oil back to compensate for the extra lemon juice.

"Good on its own but better with Lobster!"

Second Course -

Lobster, Corn & Red Pepper Chowder paired with Chateau Lynch-Moussas 2003, Pauillac,France. This pairing was quite good as the richness of the lobster really brought out the fruit of the wine. The recipe was taken from a cook book called “Healthy Cooking for Two”. The only modification to the recipe was adding lobster as the original recipe has no seafood but does suggest that adding seafood to the recipe would be a good addition

"Great with the soup"

Third Course -

Almond-encrusted Goat Cheese with Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing on a bed of Mixed Greens paired with a Wegeler 2004 Riesling Kabinett, Germany.

"Ready for baking"

This recipe was a favourite from years back. I haven’t made it in probably 5 years or so as Amy isn’t a big fan of Goat Cheese. But, as Goat Cheese is a huge favourite of Sheian’s, I decided to give it a go and hope Amy didn’t mind it. I was pleased that not only did Sheian love it but so did Amy. The pairing between the food and the wine was so good that a second bottle was opened as the first just quickly disappeared.

"The finished product"

Here is the recipe -

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Almond-Crusted-Goat-Cheese-Salad-with-Raspberry-Dressing-105335

The only modification I made to this recipe was to double the raspberries from 2/3 of a cup to 1 1/3 cups.

"One bottle is good but two is better!"

Fourth/Main Course -

Beef Tenderloin served with Grilled Mixed Vegetables, Blue Cheese, and Mark’s “Zippy Sauce” and paired with an Altaïr 2004, Chile.

"Where's the Zippy?"

This recipe is pretty straight forward – 6 Beef Tenderloins marinated in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Montreal steak spice grilled to medium-rare. The vegetables were peppers, onion and sugar snap peas lightly coated in olive oil and Montreal steak spice and grilled in a metal basket on the BBQ until light charred but still crisp. The Altair was very good with both the beef and the vegetables and I’m not disappointed to have four more bottles on the rack. Kevin was a big fan of the Zippy Sauce and it is nice to have another convert!

"World's heaviest 750mL bottle!"

Dessert -

Sheian’s “PICS” Dessert paired with a 2005 Henry of Pelham Botrytis Affected Riesling. This creation is an invention of Sheian’s. It didn’t have a name until recently when we made one up – PICS is short for Peanut Butter, Ice Cream, Chocolate and Skor. We enjoyed the dessert while watching UFC as Mick and Amy are big fans and Kevin and Sheian wanted to see it to. I’m not a dessert fan but I really liked this one; with all the different items in it, each bite was completely different from the last. The wine went nicely with it too.

"P.I.C.S."

The evening was a lot of fun. My only disappointment for the night was that we didn’t do this sooner and both Kevin and Sheian were a great addition to our usual Saturday night dinner. I wish we could have had a few more of them before now. Well maybe Sheian will get bored of University food and need another dinner here…

"Exceptional wine at an exceptional price"

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Back to Normal – Part 3

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For the main course Mick prepared Diablo Meatballs with Greek Salad and paired the meal with a 2006 Seghesio Zinfandel.

"Diablo Meatballs"

There was no searching or swirling of the glass to find the aromas on the Seghesio. This was a wine you could smell as it was being poured from the bottle. The powerful and aromatic nose contained pepper, spice, leather, blackberry and a faint hint of plum. Mick described the wine as “awesomeness in a glass”. The balance of the wine was spot on but there was a bit of tartness to the flavour. The flavour profile to the wine was rich and complex with raspberry, black cherry, clove, black pepper and nutmeg. The wine was a great pairing with the meatballs and a good pairing with the salad.

"Greek Salad"

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick - 92, Mark - 90, Kathy - 88, Amy -88, Overall – 89.5

"Aromatic nose!"

There is no LCBO listing for this wine as Mick purchased it in the US for about $20.

We have reviewed this wine before - http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2008/07/saturday-night-amy-isnt-part-2.html.

"Amy does her Betty Crocker impression!"

Amy surprised us by getting into the act and baking a lovely Pineapple Angel Food Cake served with Mixed Berries. It was very good and light which was nice after all that food. We didn’t pair this with any wine as by this time all of us had had more than enough wine for the night.

It was a great evening and it was fun to have a Saturday night off and it is nice to be getting back to alternating Saturday nights.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Back to Normal – Part 2

The second course of the night was another favourite that we haven’t had in a while – Blackened Scallops with Avocado & Corn Relish. Mick chose a 2004 Vineland Estates Dry Riesling as the pairing for this dish.

"Betcha you can't just eat one!"

This was another wine that we had to work at to find the aroma as it had a very mild nose with subtle notes of floral, orange and wet stone. On its own this wine wasn’t at all nice as it was very green and acidic with flavours of green apple, lemon and yellow grapefruit. The wine was better with the food but not by much. Thankfully the Black Scallops were so damn good you barely noticed the wine.

"Now almost drinkable!"

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick - 84, Mark - 79, Kathy - 82, Amy -82, Overall – 81.75.

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine –

VINELAND ESTATES RIESLING VQA

LCBO 232033
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 13.95
Wine, White Wine,
11.8% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : 2
This is a VQA wine
Made in: Ontario, Canada
By: Vineland Estate Wines Limited

Tasting Note - Medium straw colour; delicate floral, citrus, apple and peach aromas; peachy and citrusy flavours; light-bodied, medium dry with crisp acidity

Serving Suggestion - seafood chowder, glazed ham, Chinese food and smoked salmon.

* Note – Not a 100% sure this LCBO listing is the correct match; it was the only Vineland Riesling they had listed but the one we had was “Dry” and this is listing the sugar content as a “2”.

I think Mick was being very generous with his 84 especially considering he gave the Fumé an 87 as this wine was no where near being within 3 points of the Fumé. I’m going to assume he was still very drunk from said Fumé.

I will add that I’m happy we tried the Vineland Riesling as unless you try new wines you won’t find that ‘next’ amazing bottle.

Click here for Part 3

Saturday Night – Back to Normal – Part 1

Sorry the Blog is so late but it has been very busy recently. This past Saturday, Kathy and I were at Mick and Amy’s for our usual Saturday night dinner. For the past 7 months I have been the one doing the cooking to reciprocate for Mick doing 7 months worth of Saturday night dinners while we were under renovations. August was the break even month so now we are back to alternating Saturday nights. This was Mick’s first Saturday night back into the rotation and you can just tell by the menu that he was getting all of his pent up cooking desires out.

"Spicy shrimp and I do mean spicy!"

The first course was a couple of old favourites – Spicy Shrimp with Fresh Mint Sauce paired with a 2003 Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc.

"It'll get you drunk and shit!"

The nose on the 2003 Fumé was extremely faint and took a bit of glass swirling to find the aromas of wet stone, pink grapefruit and citrus. The initial softness of the wine when you first taste it is quickly replaced by a harshness on the mid-palate and the wine ended on a nice crisp note. The flavours dominating the wine are citrus (grapefruit), vanilla and a touch of tropical fruit. This wine was a very good pairing with the shrimp and is exceptionally good at neutralizing the burn of the spicy shrimp. The wine’s 14% alcohol content with just shrimp to soak up all that alcohol hits you like a brick. Both Mick and I were laughing after we’d finished the Fumé Blanc that we felt like we were 3 bottles into the meal.

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

Here is the LCBO information for the wine –

ROBERT MONDAVI FUMÉ BLANC 2007

VINTAGES 221887
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 22.95
Wine, White Wine,
14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: California/Californie, United States
By: Constellation Wines U S
Release Date: Jul 4, 2009

Description - Over 40 years after Robert Mondavi created his lightly oaked Sauvignon Blanc, the Fumé Blanc is as charming as ever - showing aromas of kiwi, dried grasses and hay, plus a nice layer of oak. The wine has a refreshing core of acidity and a plush mouthfeel, and culminates in a long, crisp finish. A great partner for baked snapper or grilled salmon served up with summer salads.

*Note the LCBO notes above are for the 2007 and not the 2003 we reviewed.

It was good to have Spicy Shrimp again. This appetizer was missed so much that they we be on the menu for next Saturday’s dinner.

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Saturday Night – Request night – Part 2

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Lemon cream pasta with Prosciutto was the main course for the evening. This dish loves Merlot so for the pairing I went with a Merlot we hadn’t tried before – 2004 Clos du Val Napa Valley Merlot. We have tried a Zinfandel by Clos du Val before and it was pretty good so I looking forward to trying the Merlot.

"Proscuitto with Lemon cream pasta"

The wine was aromatic with black plum, smoke, nutmeg and cassis. The cassis threw me when Mick mentioned it as that is not an aroma usually in Merlot. The bottle mentioned that 5% of the wine was actually Cabernet Sauvignon which shed light on the cassis aroma. The Merlot had very chalky tannin rather than soft tannin which I believe made it seem more tannic than it actually was. The flavour profile was coffee and cocoa which gave this wine a very mature quality to it. The lack of fruit on the flavour profile was surprising for a California Merlot and tasting this blind I would have guessed it was French and Mick said he would have guessed it to be Chilean. The same lack of fruit hurt this wine on the food pairing making at it best an OK pairing.

"The bottle says it is from California"

We had a store bought brownie cheesecake for dessert and still had some of the Clos du Val left over. The coffee and cocoa flavour that didn’t work so well with the pasta was really good with the cheesecake. I was actually surprised at how damn good this wine was with the cheesecake and disappointed that I drank most of it with the pasta.

"Needs more Merlot!"

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 84, Mark - 85, Kathy – 85, Amy – 84, Overall – 84.5

This wine was purchased at the LCBO but has been on my rack for about a year so unfortunately it is no longer listed on the LCBO’s website. The price point on this wine was around $21-25 CDN. There are other Merlot’s in that price point like the Beringer’s Founder’s Estate Merlot or Rutherford Hill that I’d recommend over this one unless of course you are looking for a Merlot to go with brownie cheesecake!

Cheers!

Mark