Charleston, SC (various locations)
Tasted Thursday, March 7, 2019 - Sunday, March 10, 2019 by MC2 Wines with 323 views
Our third annual Charleston Food and Wine. I think it's prob fair to say that the food is more dominant for us at this event, but there are a few hidden gems always in the wine (last year we tried Spottswoode for the first time).
As part of our annual tradition for Charleston we always visit with some friends who run a Burgundy Thursday. As Burgundy is not as much our jam we take to providing the bubbles and the stickie. All wines great. The squab as a dish was one of the best things I've ever eaten.
Held at the Establishment in Charleston. This was a fun event mostly because who doesn't like starting their day with bubbles? And then to top it off we got some fun small bites from the chef. Learned some interesting stuff although I think this ended up being more of a nice opportunity to meet some other folks at our table and chat bubbles and we perhaps were less into the lecture side. The Chartogne-Taillet was a nice find fo rme. I also liked the Pouillon and always love Vilmart.
Menu
Fried Chicken Skins
herb sea salt
Sorbet
cucumber-lime
Poached Scallop
compressed cucumber, pear, chervil, verjus
Oyster
tomato water mignonette
Cheese
house ricotta, salted walnut
Meatballs
fried in brown butter and fresh oregano
This was one of my most favorite events of the festival. I am not a huge Trimbach fan, but I respect what they do and the restaurant was wonderful and the whole combination was just very well done. Also loved the stories from Jean Trimbach.
Onion and Bacon Alsatian Quiche
Cassolette of Mussels en Gratin
Alsatian Beef Stew in a Pinot Noir Vine Sauce
Creme Brulee and Red Berries
This was the outlier event of the weekend. Wines I'd say were just ok and given it was the most expensive event we had for the weekend (more than the dinners) it didn't quite live up. Not sure any of these are wines I would actively seek out.
Not extra bites here
Very charming presentation by a representative from Catena Zapata. She did a nice job of wrangling the troops and making it interesting and interactive and educational. Fun to try through the line-up from entry level to their more higher end offerings. I particularly liked the Nicasia Vineyard one that we tried.
Every year we've tried a new Charleston restaurant to do their signature dinner. This was a funny one to pick, but I mostly did it because I knew Spottswoode had been the wine last year and assumed they'd have a nice pairing partner and had heard the food was good. I would say it was a big day and we were pretty tired by the end, but the duck pot pie definitely stood out for me.
Menu:
HORS D'OEUVRES
Pork rind rooster
Deviled Egg
Black-eyed Pea Samosa
DINNER
Brown Butter Scallop
cocktail tomatoes, grits
Turnip Run-Ups
sorghum vinaigrette, ricotta, Tom Thumb cornbread crumbs, radish
Duck, Date & Rutabaga Pot Pie
duck fat biscuit crust
Braised Beef Short Ribs
pickled peanut salad, citrus sweet potato butter
Charleston Cream Pie
cornbread chiffon cake, sorghum honey mousse, Muscadine wine ganache, green peanut caramel, Cathead Honeysuckle whipped cream, Carolina Gold Rice Krispie
Super cool space. Their first time running a signature dinner and I think they were still sorting through some kinks, but the food was awesome and well thought through and overall we had a fun time. Usually by this point in the weekend I can't eat so much and I found myself finishing most all of this
Astice in Panzanella
lobster, burrata, taggiasca olives, tomato bread, basil
Cherry Peppers Cavatelli
lamb ragu, borage, green peas, dill
Seared Scallops
foie gras, celery puree, blood orange, fine herb
Dry Aged Duck
leek risotto, huckleberry marmalade
Carrot Olive Oil Cake
meyer lemon custard, almond gelato
Some random other bottles we had throughout the weekend (Culinary Village, some pre-dinner drinks, etc.)
The champagne tasting was fun as always and I really loved the opportunity to meet Jean from Trimbach. The presenter for Catena Zapata also did an excellent job. I will say the wines at Italian Stallion and the dinners a bit less exciting, but you wine some and you lose some.
1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon
France, Champagne
(3/7/2019)
A bit more tired than I expected it to be but could just be the bottle and storage conditions. It's old Dom though which to me is always great (the young stuff I just don't understand). Lots of toast and almost a hint of bitterness to it which more makes it a bit interesting. Quite fine and an amazing pairing with fried oysters.
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2002 Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Champans
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
(3/7/2019)
More of a fruit profile for burgundy which I like. And with a bit of age which also helps. Darker cherries in the glass. A bit more body. A bit spicy. Very enjoyable. Was served next to a squab confit dish which was just out of this world. Great pairing.
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1995 Château d'Yquem
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
(3/7/2019)
It's D'Yquem. So of course awesome. I would say this is more of a full bodied D'Yquem than some others. Still lighter than most sauternes. Paired with an apricot bread pudding which went very well with this. The apricot flavor pulled out more fruit and the butter pulled out the sweet. Very enjoyable.
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