Dinner with Chet Kern at Szmania's

Seattle, WA
Tasted Tuesday, July 18, 2006 by kris.h with 1,498 views

Introduction

Seven of us gathered at Smania's Restaurant in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle. The occasion was Chet Kern was in town from New York. Also visiting from New York were Marty and Carmen Edelman. It was a pleasure meeting fellow bb members from New York. Also present from the Seattle crowd were Erik Kleven, Mark Lacey, Roy Hersh, and myself. Big thanks go out to Roy for organizing yet another fabulous offline.

Flight 1 - Appetizer (1 Note)

We got started a little late and I was getting anxious to taste some of the burgundies that Chet brought. Chef Ludger Szmania started us off with a variety of small appetizers. I enjoyed a prawn in a sauce of chopped tomatoes, butter, and herbs. Chet started us off with this lovely rosé champagne.

  • NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé 91 Points

    France, Champagne

    Pink / light salmon in color. On the nose there are strawberries and blackberries with a yeasty / toasty note in the background. Very effervescent on the palate with nice acidity and full body. Long clean finish. 50 + 4 + 12 + 17 + 8

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Flight 2 - White King Salmon (3 Notes)

The next course was White King Salmon with saffron sauce and braised leeks on a bed of baby spinach. This was a nice pairing with the burgundies. The buttery saffron sauce was complimented by the acidity of the wine. The salmon was good and the burgundies didn't suck either.

Flight 3 - Burgundies redux

We kept the burgundies from the previous flight and enjoyed them with Organic Field Greens and Heirloom Tomatoes with a roasted shallot vinaigrette. Another nice pairing. The acidity from the tomatoes and vinaigrette softened the high acidity of the burgundies.

Flight 4 - Intermission (1 Note)

An excellent spot in the lineup for this unique wine. The Spring Valley Vineyard Frederick has high acidity that was not very noticeable after the white Burgundies. However, going back and tasting this after some of the other Washington reds it was apparent.

  • 2001 Spring Valley Vineyard Frederick 90 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    Dark red with a tinge of purple. This is a well balanced and well made wine. On the nose there is lots of dark berries and soft oak. There is some alcohol in the background as well as vanilla and cinnamon. The palate is medium weight with fine tannins and racey acidity. 50 + 4 + 13 + 16 + 7

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Flight 5 - Rack of Lamb (4 Notes)

Marinated in lemon, garlic, and rosemary. Served with zucchini carpaccio, purple potatoes, and garnished with chopped mint. There was no spitting this night so my already sparse notes start to become even more sparse. Needless to say, I enjoyed both the food and the wine. My favorite of the reds was the 2002 Cadence Tapteil, or "Cadence Clearwater Revival" as Chet called it.

Flight 6 - Dessert (1 Note)

For dessert we were served a wonderfully rich and decadent cherry lavender cream cheese tart. My palate started to perk up a bit in time for a Sauturne that I thought was very nice. A nice finish to an enjoyable evening.

  • 1997 Château Rieussec 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    The color of a light clover honey. On the nose there is botrysis, orange, and tropical fruits. On the palate this is thick, viscous, silky smooth, and sweet. Soft acidity.

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