Saturday Night - Август Восемь – Part 2

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The second wine we had was the Barons de Rothschild Blanc de Blanc.

 

 

The nose on this wine was even bigger than the Brut one was and had pretty aromas of birthday cake, hops, lemon/lime, peach/nectarine and tropical fruit. Tasting the wine, you get a burst of refreshing grapefruit and lime with some walnut in the background. The structure on this wine was beautiful and lively with good fruit and acidity and a chalky/mineral like finish that lingers. This was really good on its own but did get a bit funky with the food at times; it really worked with curried squid but with most of the sushi/sushi rolls it wasn’t very good. I really liked this wine as it was very distinct and had a nice character to it. The downside is it didn’t play very nice with the food and I’m a bit stumped on what I would recommend pairing it with other than maybe another curried based dish. If you are looking for a nice starter/statement wine to kick off a party though this would be a good choice.

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

Here is the LCOB information on the wine –

Champagne Rothschild Brut Blanc De Blanc

VINTAGES#: 263731

Price: $95.00

750 mL bottle

Alcohol/Vol: 12.5%

Made in: Champagne, France

By: Societe Champenoise Des Barons & As

Varietal: Blend – Other

Note – When I picked this wine up it was on sale for $85.00 a bottle

Both Champagnes were good though the Blanc de Blanc was certainly the more unique of the two, but neither are a rush out and get more. I probably will pick up the Blanc de Blanc in a couple of years from now to see how it has changed.

August 8 was good, we usually get our Sushi from Spring Sushi and comparing the two I would say it was tied as there were some items I liked more from August 8 and vice versa. The nice thing is August 8 is much closer to us and it will be nice having a Sushi place just around the corner.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night - Август Восемь – Part 1

This past Saturday night it was my turn to host and we have a new Sushi place, August 8 that opened near us so I thought that would it would be fun to try. If you are wondering about the Russian title to this article, I have been learning Russian via Rosetta Stone for the last six months or so and Август Восемь is August 8 in Russian pronounced “Avgust Vosem'”. The Sushi dinner also worked as I had two new Champagnes for us to try (a Barons de Rothschild Brut and Barons de Rothschild Blanc de Blanc) and as Sushi is a good pairing for most Champagnes this sounded like a good plan.

 

I will review the Barons de Rothschild Brut Champagne first and then do the Barons de Rothschild Blanc de Blanc in Part 2.

The nose was big for a Champagne and no swirling of the glass was needed to find the aromas of yeast and floral with background notes of nectarine and Granny Smith Apple. Tasting the wine, ginger with a touch of lime was the main flavour. The structure wasn’t bad but it came across a bit thin as there wasn’t that big pop you’d expect from a Champagne. The finish was a touch awkward as it came across like drinking flat ginger ale. I wasn’t a huge fan of this wine on its own but it was good pairing with all of the food and was exceptional Salmon sashimi. I suspect this wine would really shin with any dish with good fat to it such as Alfredo or a gooey cheese dip.

 

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

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

Barons de Rothschild Brut Champagne

VINTAGES#: 263715

Price: $75.00

750 mL bottle

Alcohol/Vol: 12.5%

Made in: Champagne, France

By: Societe Champenoise Des Barons & As

Style: Rich & Complex

Varietal: Champagne

Note - When I picked this wine up it was on sale for $65.00 a bottle.

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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

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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.

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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. 

Click here for Part 2