Summer Solstice Wine Dinner

Fromagerie-Rumson, New Jersey
Tasted Tuesday, June 21, 2005 by bacchus with 872 views

Introduction

a celebration of the new season.

Flight 1 (6 Notes)

NV Deutz Champagne Brut 90 Points

France, Champagne

a well made champagne with perfectly balanced fruit and acidity. very clean style. brite color. floral nose. tiny bubbles speak to elegant breeding. matched perfectly with chef selected hors d'oeurves featuring crab and salmon based selections.

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2003 Nik Weis / St. Urbans-Hof Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett 92 Points

Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

markus alerted us to the fact that 2003 was particularly successful for german wines due to the abundance of heat during the growing season. what a beautiful wine this is. luscious nose that jumps out of the glass, with lots of field florals evident (honeysuckle). not full bodied, but mouth filling with lingering finish. a little spritz appears to be present but does not detract in any way. acidity stays in the background but there is enough to keep the wine going. a perfect match to the menu selection- grilled apricot-ginger prawns over english pea risotto. the wine complements and enhances the flavor components in the food. look forward to enjoying this wine again with other food pairings.

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1998 Château La Garde Blanc 89 Points

France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

although this wine is a blend, the semillon appears to predominate. markus alerted us to the fact that this is an older vintage and should be considered in that light. the wine proved to be cleanly made with a firm structure and touch of acidity remaining. the wine was not very fruit forward in the nose or in the mouth. however, with a little patience some perfume began to emerge after warming in the class for 20 minutes. the wine was a perfect match to the menu selection, braised new england day boat cod, garlic white wine broth, cherry tomatoes and kalamata olives. the fish would not have benefitted from a wine with more pronounced flavor. the wine served as a platform to bring all the flavor ingredients of the food together.

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2000 Château Greysac 89 Points

France, Bordeaux, Médoc

markus commented on how greysac is popular with a broad spectrum of american consumers. personally, my memories of greysac go back to the 1967 vintage. in those years the qpr advantage over more prestigious bordeaux chateaux was about 40%. in the present market, that advantage is considerably more significant. the quality of the wine also seems to have improved. this wine, coming from an excellent vintage, appears to be somewhat youthful, not yet showing all that it has to offer. the wine appears to be soundly made and in good balance. hints of raisin and a slight presence of chocolate provide an interesting flavor match to the beef. time will tell what charms will emerge from this wine. it served as a wonderful anchor for the food match consisting of roasted double sirloin of beef with shallots and rosemary, bordelaise sauce and rosti potatoes. the bordelaise sauce was particularly pungent and need a wine of some character to stand up to it. the greysac did the job well. this wine was served alongside the chateau jean de gue for this course. alternating between the two, each provided perspectives on the food in their own way.

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2000 Château Jean de Gue Cuvée Prestige 92 Points

France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lalande de Pomerol

this wine is a charmer. extremely aromatic at the outset with lots of floral notes jumping out of the glass. i detect lilacs. markus detects figs. the wine builds in the glass with the middle filling out and the aromatics subsiding somewhat. dominant legs indicate considerable residual sugar. this wine seems ripe and ready to go now. an interesting match to the menu selection that consisted of roasted double sirloin of beef with shallots and rosemary, bordelaise sauce and rosti potatoes. this wine did not serve so much as a pedestal but moreso as a supplement to the beef and bordelaise sauce. this wine was served side by side with the 2000 greysac for this course. alternating between the two, each provided positive perspectives on the food in their own way.

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2003 Quady Winery Black Muscat Elysium 87 Points

USA, California

although identified as a madera, this wine did have the gravity that i would usually associate as being characteristic of that winemaking style. nevertheless, the berry qualities, primarily raspberry complement the flavor components of the food- white chocolate mousse with strawberry and rhubarb comopote honey twirl. the wine appears to be made for current drinking.

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