Tasted Wednesday, July 19, 2006 by gregg g with 660 views
Every couple of months I get together with my younger brother and father for a night of food, wine and conversation. These are special evenings that I look forward to with great anticipation and excitement. As my father approaches his mid seventies, I’ve learned to enjoy our time together more than ever. My father has done immeasurable sacrifices for my brother and I and I’ll always admire him for this. Though he is not a wine geek, he does enjoy good wine. For the man that has everything, one of the few things I can share with him is fine wines.
Our most recent dinner was at Providence in Los Angeles. Our table ordered the 9 course tasting menu. Though I will not detail all the courses, I can say with confidence that our meal was extraordinary. I have some trepidation when faced with tasting menus as some can come off as unfocused and poorly conceived, not to mention that I often leave hungry. Providence was both well thought out and nicely portioned. Based on this meal, I would rate them as in the top 5 of Los Angeles restaurants at the moment.
In traditional fashion, I am relegated to supplying the wines for the evening. Here’s what we had.
It was a great night that I know will be repeated many times.
2004 Adegas Valmiñor Albariño Rías Baixas
Spain, Galicia, Rías Baixas
We wanted a wine that was not too complex and somewhat palate cleansing. I chose a 2004 Albariño from Rías Baixais by Valminor. This was a nice wine to start with and was the perfect interlude between the champagne and white Burgundy. Clearly made for immediate consumption and not very complex, it proved to be a great match with the oyster course. There is a prominent note of salinity making this wine somewhat reminiscent of Muscadet, yet with more weight. The nose displays a flinty citrus characteristic. On the palate, the wine shows more of an herbal quality with a strong minerality presence. A very refreshing wine with food.
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