BYOB Tasting Menu Meritage
Meritage, St. Paul
Tasted Thursday, April 12, 2012 by rocknroller with 700 views
Introduction
Meritage was doing their annual BYOB, no corkage tasting menu night. What a great opportunity to savor some of Russel Klein's tasty dishes with great wines from our own cellars. Six of us gathered along with many other wine geeks from a series of groups in the Twin Cities to partake of this fabulous menu and share our wines.
Flight 1 - Tasting Menu and Wines (7 Notes)
Amuse Bouche
Billi-Bi
Saffron Mussel Soup
2002 Roederer Estate Brut Premier
First Course
Sautéed Quenelle de Brochette
Lobster Risotto & Sauce Americain
2010 Domaine Vacheron Sancerre
Second Course
Lacquered Breast of Duck
Vanilla Scented Winter Fruit, Confit Gizzard & Creamed Savoy Cabbage,
Pomegranate Gel & Sauce Madeira
2007 St. Innocent White Rose
Third Course
Stuffed Saddle of Iowa Lamb
Mushroom & Spinach, Glazed Carrots, Pomme Puree
2002 Barossa Valley Estate E & E Black Pepper Shiraz
Fourth Course
Ossau Iraty
Aged Sheep Milk Cheese from the French Pyrenees
2002 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Dessert Course
Marquise au Chocolat
Coconut Tapioca, Grilled Pineapple & Macadamia
N.V. Cockburn Porto 20 Year Old Tawny
Bonus Dessert Wine
2005 Chateau Rieussec
Closing
I can't speak for any other tables, but I will say that all of our wines paired spectaccularly well with each course. Thanks to Russell, Desta, and Nico at Meritage!!
2002 Roederer Estate L'Ermitage Brut 91 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Very light gold color. Drank 2 glasses over 20 minutes. Nose shows green apples, pear, yeasty. The palate has vibrant acidity, yeast, green apple, pear, minerals. Medium body, long 30s finish. I found this to be pretty darn nice, and it paired beautifully with the saffron mussel soup. Very easy drinker.
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2010 Domaine Vacheron Sancerre 90 Points
France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre
Pale green-gold color. Pop and pour, drank 1+ glass over 30 minutes. Bright nose of lychee, citrus and some tropical fruit, fresh rain, flinty minerality. The palate shows excellent balance, lychee, citrus, grapefruit, mineral. Nice finish. Very light and refreshing, had a little less tropical feel than the last time out.
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2007 St. Innocent Pinot Noir White Rose Vineyard 94 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Dark red color. I believe this got about 30 minutes top on the decant. Drank 1+ glass over 30 minutes. It was gorgeous as usual. I love the mix damp and dry earth, perfumed, black raspberry and black cherry fruit, mushroom. The palate is ever so elegant, and very, very, long. Just another spectacular bottle. And what great pairing with the lacquered duck. Thank you Mark Vlossak! 94+pts.
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2002 Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz E & E Black Pepper 95 Points
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Very dark red-purple color. This was a very interesting study. We had discussed how to treat this wine, given that more recent bottles had disappointed with decant times of around one hour. The first bottle was opened and recorked first thing in the morning. It was then decanted for about 1 hour immediately prior to the event. The impression was that everything was more vibrant upon opening and prior to the decant. As an experiment, a second bottle was popped and poured at the event to test this theory. While both bottles were outstanding in their own right, the pop and pour had an incredible palate compared to the decanted bottle. Noses were quite similar. The nose shows fabulous earth, blackberry, blackcherry, smoke, pepper, florals, dry herbs. The palate is very classy, what Aussie shiraz is at its pinnacle, elegant, understated yet with concentration, balance, fine tannins, no alcohol showing at all. Lovely fruit, but floral, blackberry liqueur, black cherry, a hint of tartness, long finish. Based on this, future bottles will be pop and pours. (pop and pour 95pts, decanted one hour/recorked slow ox 92+pts)
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2002 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
I had another opportunity to drink this wine and share it with a large group. The notes are consistent with the previous bottle. Popped and splash decanted and returned to the bottle immediately. Drank 1+ glass over 30 minutes. Thoroughly impressed by this as were the others. 92+ and probably underscored.
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NV Cockburn Porto 20 Year Old Tawny 90 Points
Portugal, Douro, Porto
Really a nice tawny, very well balanced, butterscotch, caramel, almonds, very caressing mouthfeel.
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2005 Château Rieussec 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Medium dark yellow color. Pop and pour, from 375. Just a small pour to make sure this got around. Young, but so tantalizing to drink now. All the elements are there, just some extra time needed to fully evolve. Nose is bright, peach, honey, spice, and caramel, apricot. Palate is creamy, full, good balance, a little more acid on this bottle, layered, intense.
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