Charleston, NC (various locations)
Tasted Thursday, September 27, 2018 - Monday, October 1, 2018 by retired_and_roving with 685 views
Our first time participating in the return of the Charleston Offlineorama with a group of CT forum members. A really great weekend of fine wine, low country cuisine, and great company in the lovely historic city of Charleston, NC. S1 and HRH did an amazing job planning, organizing, cooking and hosting the group across four days of great events. Of course there were also a number of impromptu bonus bottle sessions, as often happens when CTers gather in groups. We had a terrific time and can't wait for Charleston Offlineorama V!!
A few of us arrived a bit earlier in the day so we met up for lunch at Husk. We sampled a shared a bunch of the Southern comfort offerings paired with the '03 Chave Blanc which was drinking really well.
Charred Broccoli, Carrots, Crispy Onions
Buffalo Glazed Pig's Ear Lettuce Wraps, marinated cucumber & togarashi
Heirloom Tomato, Heritage Pork Belly brioche toasts
Shrimp and Edisto Grits, fire roasted onions & peppers, fennel, curry broth.
HUSK fried chicken, Anson mills faro piccolo, KY bacon, butterbeans, cabbage.
TN Country fried steak, roasted heirloom potato, owl's nest carrots, shiitake & spinach pan jus.
A James Beard worthy low country gourmet meal prepared by S1 and his sous chef HRH. Hosted by MHewitt and his lovely wife and their home. Paired with burgundy wines and bookended by Salon and Yquem!
1-In Praise of Piggy - Heritage Pork Rillettes
2-Charleston Receipt - Benne Wafer/Blue Crab/Pickled Palmetto
3-Sea Scallop/Shellfish Cream/ 62degree Quail Egg/ Oestra Caviar
4-A Sip of cold Carrot Bisque/Ginger/Coriander Cream
5-Butter-poached White Shrimp/Preserved Lemon/Bayonne Ham Powder/Pea Puree/Shaved Radish
6-Game Changer - Venison Sausage/Mild Harissa/Cilantro Chips
7-Tea Smoked Duck/Charleston Grits/Poultry Glaze/Plum Paste
8-Fromage Course - Epoisses/etc....
9-Trou Carolinian - Limonc(j)ello/Wild Brambleberry/Candied Meyer Lemon
10-Caramelized Peach Soup/Green Cardamom
11-Pain d'Epices Bread Pudding/Sourwood Honeyed Apricots
An amazing meal with really lovely wines but the '88 Yqeum stole my heart tonight as WOTN.
First night of Offlineorama IV - so of course we need to finish up with a bonus bottle while catching up with good friends.
Kicking off Day 2 with a Champagne tasting of six wines and a Low Country Boil (aka Frogmore Stew) made with:
-Caught-this-morning White Shrimp
-Local artisinal smoked sausage
-Corn on the cob
Pretty amazing line-up with '04 Cristal as my wine of the line-up, but in amazingly strong company with the '02 Krug, '90 Dom, '02 Rare, Selosse VO & Rose. What a treat for those of us that love bubbles!
Immediately following our flight of bubbles - we transitioned into BBQ time. Celebrating one of the attendees birthdays - we were challenged to bring wines to pair with BBQ that would impress Mike. We all did our best and it was a bacchanalian feast to be sure. This incredible line up was paired the finest BBQ Charleston has to offer and incredible sides and cake prepared by S1 and HRH:
Lewis BBQ smoked brisket
Rodney Scott's BBQ pulled pork
Assorted local pickles, preserves, and sauces
Green cabbage with Vidalia Onion, and NC mountain apples
(cooked in bacon fat)
Grandmama Cappy's Macaroni and cheese
Mama Bobbie's carrot cake (for Mike's birthday)
After enjoying a morning tour on the historic Charleston Harbor cruise, a group of us needed to once again feed our hungry selves and wash down the food with some good wine.
Whipped Ricotta with baguette
Chunky ChickPea Puree with baguette
Mozzarella sticks with Tomato Sauce
Assorted entrees
Time for some bonus bottles after lunch, leaving time for a nap and a shower before tonight's dinner at Circa 1886.
A beautiful dinner held at the historic restaurant Circa 1886 in the Private Tack Room. Chef created pairings to match to the declared wines. All wines were x2 except for the bonus champagne where we had two different bottles. We also had a bonus bottle of '94 Yquem left over from the previous night's dinner. Wine of the night for me was the '08 Rayas, closely followed by the '89 Le Conseillante, '93 Ampeau Mersault Les Perriers and the '95 Huet Cuvee Constance.
First Course:
Black Garlic Risotto with Carolina Gold Rice, Wild Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions, Crumbled Blue Cheese
Second Course:
Seared NY Foie Gras with Sangria Apple Tart, Vanilla Cheddar Anglaise, Celery Greens, Pink Peppercorns
Third Course:
Hidden Fjord Salmon with Nueske's Bacon, Fingerling Potato n Truffle Salad, Braised Spinach and Grain Mustard Hollandaise
Fourth Course:
Broken Arrow Ranch Antelope with Juniper Brine, Anson Mills Grits, Mushroom & Chestnut Duxelle and Pomegranate Demi Glace
Fifth Course:
Grana Padano Panna Cotta with Honey Chestnut Butter, White Balsamic Poached Pear, Crispy Prosciutto
S1 came up with an interesting and different (for me at least) format for today's blind tasting. We each knew where and what our own wine in the line up was, but all the others were double blind. We were given a set of tasting notes pulled from a combo of critics and CT and our first task was to match the blind wines to the tasting notes. Sounded like it might be easier but this turned out to be really hard!!! The amount of data to absorb from the notes somehow distracted me from what I was tasting in my glass. Needless to say I had far from a perfect score! After everyone had sufficient time, the names of the wines were revealed and we were given the opportunity to change our votes. Finally the wines were revealed. Lots of fun was had by all!
We finished off with some bonus bottles and the remains of different wines that were left from the previous events. A few people even took a dip in the pool. A really fun and interesting way to end this epic weekend.
My WOTN for the blind tasting was a tie between the '05 Alban Syrah Lorraine, and the '94 Abreu, with the Colgin and Chave coming in closely behind.
Revisited bottles:
'89 Justino Madeira - was crazy delicious on Sunday - just killer - wow!
'93 Quintarelli Amarone Classico - woke up and came out to play big improvement
'95 Quintarelli Amarone Classico - started delicious on Friday and held its own
'11 Suolo - still rocking!
There was also a bonus bottle of Realm - which I did not take a note on so I am unable to capture anything on that one and will rely on one of the other tasters to share.
Well we had to eat didn't we??? The remaining out of towners all headed out together for a casual dinner at Edmund's Oast and had a great time laughing, rehashing our favorite wines of the weekend and sharing the last of the bonus bottles. Great restaurant with very friendly service.
We started sharing a large housemade charcuterie platter with cheese platter then everyone had their own assorted main dishes.
What more can be said other than thanks to S1 and all the attendees who made this such a memorable weekend! Looking forward to the next one!
2003 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
(9/27/2018)
Brought as a corkage bottle for lunch at Husk (Charleston,NC). Color was a bright golden yellow. Initially a bit too cold but as it warmed up a bit the flavors started to reveal themselves. Tastes of lemon custard tart with flaky pastry, golden apple, honey and a touch of caramel - with enough acidity and minerals to keep it fresh. Satiny mouthfeel and a long finish. Love this stuff!
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