Wine Dinner

[sundaynfl]

I thought that I would share some notes from the wine dinner on Saturday:

 

For starters our host had a Magnum of 96 Duckhorn Napa Merlot: I tried this about four years ago and thought it was at it's peak at the time. Saturday confirmed that the wine was slightly passed it's peak and the integrated flavors had become too integrated. I found myself searching for the cherries, currant and spicy herbal flavors I had experienced before. They seem to have been somewhat buried by the earthy flavors that were there. Still a nice wine and probably a perfect starter for the evening.

 

97 Flora Springs Trilogy: This is a 97 that is drinking very well right now. The nose had hints of a mocha vanilla that followed through on the palate, with layers of cherries, currant and a finishing edge of sage. Nice wine, but I probably prefer the 97 Wild Boar Vineyard.

 

We had apps. of cheeses, crackers, fruit and shrimp..

 

Dinner was nothing fancy, but they served some fantastic filets (I ate to much!) He said he wasn't much of a cook, so I offered to cook next time, as long as I could raid his cellar to match the food... I would also have to taste the wines prior to setting the menu!

 

8 hours prior to dinner he had opened a Jeroboam ( = 6 bottles) of 97 Chateau Montelena which is coming along very nicely! It was not as backward as when I opened a bottle in 2002 and is moving in the right direction! It needs a few more years before it comes close to reaching it's potential. It had earthy cherry flavors laced with saddle leather, currant and minerals. I won't start opening any more of mine for a couple of years.

 

 

Friday night I brought a bottle of Gunderloch Riesling Auslese Rheinhessen Nackenheim Rothenberg (don't you love German wine names!) to an early Thanksgiving dinner that our friends had since some of them were going on a cruise or out of town on Thanksgiving.

 

Note: This was an extremely well integrated vibrantly structured wine that showed all of the great traits of this grape! Layers of passion fruit, mango, honey and spice that coated my palate. There is a long finish of citrus and minerals. I will be taking some to my sisters on Thanksgiving... anyone know any great Thai Turkey recipes??

 

To your health and families this holiday season!

[detlef]

I thought that I would share some notes from the wine dinner on Saturday:

 

For starters our host had a Magnum of 96 Duckhorn Napa Merlot: I tried this about four years ago and thought it was at it's peak at the time. Saturday confirmed that the wine was slightly passed it's peak and the integrated flavors had become too integrated. I found myself searching for the cherries, currant and spicy herbal flavors I had experienced before. They seem to have been somewhat buried by the earthy flavors that were there. Still a nice wine and probably a perfect starter for the evening.

 

97 Flora Springs Trilogy: This is a 97 that is drinking very well right now. The nose had hints of a mocha vanilla that followed through on the palate, with layers of cherries, currant and a finishing edge of sage. Nice wine, but I probably prefer the 97 Wild Boar Vineyard.

 

We had apps. of cheeses, crackers, fruit and shrimp..

 

Dinner was nothing fancy, but they served some fantastic filets (I ate to much!) He said he wasn't much of a cook, so I offered to cook next time, as long as I could raid his cellar to match the food... I would also have to taste the wines prior to setting the menu!

 

8 hours prior to dinner he had opened a Jeroboam ( = 6 bottles) of 97 Chateau Montelena which is coming along very nicely! It was not as backward as when I opened a bottle in 2002 and is moving in the right direction! It needs a few more years before it comes close to reaching it's potential. It had earthy cherry flavors laced with saddle leather, currant and minerals. I won't start opening any more of mine for a couple of years.

Friday night I brought a bottle of Gunderloch Riesling Auslese Rheinhessen Nackenheim Rothenberg (don't you love German wine names!) to an early Thanksgiving dinner that our friends had since some of them were going on a cruise or out of town on Thanksgiving.

 

Note: This was an extremely well integrated vibrantly structured wine that showed all of the great traits of this grape! Layers of passion fruit, mango, honey and spice that coated my palate. There is a long finish of citrus and minerals. I will be taking some to my sisters on Thanksgiving... anyone know any great Thai Turkey recipes??

 

To your health and families this holiday season!

 

What vintage Gunderloch? I'm staring at the same wine 99 vintage on my desk as we speak.

 

As for you Thai Turkey. I would take a page from a rather classic southeast asian chicken dish where they use that sweet chili sauce that often comes in 750 ml glass bottles. In fact, many times it is labeled "Sweet Chili Sauce for Chicken".

 

If I was looking to do a Thai turkey, I'd do a water based brine with ginger, lemongrass, thai chilis, fish sauce, brown sugar, and salt. Then I'd take a puree of cilantro, mint, ginger, lemongrass, fish sauce, lime juice, and sweet chili, carefully work my fingers between the skin and the breast meat as well as in the cavity where the leg joins and smear that mixture in there. You need to be more careful than usual about covering it most of the way or you'll burn the herb mix. Baste with the drippings as usual.

 

At any rate, just a thought. I've had great luck doing this with chicken.

[sundaynfl]

What vintage Gunderloch? I'm staring at the same wine 99 vintage on my desk as we speak.

 

As for you Thai Turkey. I would take a page from a rather classic southeast asian chicken dish where they use that sweet chili sauce that often comes in 750 ml glass bottles. In fact, many times it is labeled "Sweet Chili Sauce for Chicken".

 

If I was looking to do a Thai turkey, I'd do a water based brine with ginger, lemongrass, thai chilis, fish sauce, brown sugar, and salt. Then I'd take a puree of cilantro, mint, ginger, lemongrass, fish sauce, lime juice, and sweet chili, carefully work my fingers between the skin and the breast meat as well as in the cavity where the leg joins and smear that mixture in there. You need to be more careful than usual about covering it most of the way or you'll burn the herb mix. Baste with the drippings as usual.

 

At any rate, just a thought. I've had great luck doing this with chicken.

 

 

Thanks Detlef! That sounds great and will be made in the next few weeks. Same group that I had dinner with Friday night, gets together with a bunch of turkeys that everyone does their own thing with; then we put two fryers and smokers in the back yard and fry, smoke and drink throughout the day. It's a great way to stock the freezer up with a lot of different turkey meals. Your recipe idea just means that I have to get an extra turkey and set it aside!

 

The Reisling was an 01'....