Fiddlehead wine dinner
Jujube in Chapel Hill
Tasted April 22, 2010 by ChrisBeacham with 417 views
Introduction
This was a fun evening with some nice wines. Kathy Joseph is quite animated, lively and charming and really fun to talk to. Jujube treated us well and the service was consistently good. The chef chatted with us afterward as we sat with our coffee. We had good company at our group table making for good evening.
Note: we didn't see the bottles so I am guessing on the vintages. I'll correct if need be once we pick up our wine this weekend.
Flight 1 (4 notes)
White
2009 Fiddlehead Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Goosebury
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
On the nose this 100% stainless aged SB is intensely grassy with lemon, grapefruit, white pepper and maybe a bit of nutmeg. The nose is actually pretty bold and dramatic and without any cat pee aromas. It follows with very tart flavors, lime, grass and something aromatic. This went very well with the raw grouper with lime dish. The dish really rounded out the tartness that was a bit much without food.
At a Fiddlehead dinner at Jujube in Chapel Hill, owner/winemaker Kathy Joseph called this her "New Zealand" SB which is about right. On the other hand she described it as "tropical with papaya and peach, not grassy" which I didn't get at all. One hates to disagree with the winemaker but I calls 'em like I sees 'em.
Very nice and the SO bought 2 but a bit pricey at $35/btl.
White
2006 Fiddlehead Cellars Sauvignon Blanc
USA, California, Central Coast, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara
(This may be the 2007 - it was at a wine dinner, never saw the bottle and the info sheet didn't say.) This is Kathy's oak SB, 1/3 stainless, 1/3 old oak, 1/3 new oak and it shows. Very creamy nose, the polar opposite of the laser-like Goosebury. I also got lemon chiffon pie on the nose with a bit of cooking spice. The nose is not nearly as impressive as on the Goosebury. Very soft and round in the mouth with a bit of an oily feel that I like. The creaminess shows up again in the mouth along with the spice. A bit of residual sugar?
Kathy described this as her "Loire SB" which I don't understand. The creamy oak is off-putting and not something I want in my SB. At $20 a pass. Those who like a richer SB might go for this wine. Well made but not my cuppa.
Red
2006 Fiddlehead Cellars Pinot Noir Seven Twenty Eight Fiddlestix Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills
(Again I have to guess on the vintage as it could be the 2007.) Fairly warm nose, a bit hot. A soft, creamy, spicy and somewhat muddy (for lack of a better word) nose. Good, ripe fruit, raspberry, spice, more cream, soft with little tannin. Decent finish. A nice enough wine with too much oak IMO.
Red
2006 Fiddlehead Cellars Pinot Noir Lollapalooza Fiddlestix Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills
A big step up in quality (and price) from the 728. Fairly deep garnet color. The nose is more precise with lovely minerality and herbal notes with black cherry. The nose stands up to the oak and is really quite impressive. A bit softer on the palate with more cherry and minerals and a good finish. Went very well with the roasted local lamb. The wine just seems much more focused than the 728. A lovely wine that might justify the $58 that the SO paid for a couple of bottles.
Closing
The pairings with the dinner were good with the exception of the Happy Canyon SB that did nothing for the prawns (not bad, just not complimentary). The Goosebury with raw lime grouper and the Lollapalooza with roasted lamb were excellent. Jujube does a good job and is recommended for those in the Triangle area.
The wines were good overall though I'm not sold on the pricing. The Goosebury and especially the Lollapalooza are quite good and fairly dramatic in their own way.
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