This time the menu was the following one:
- Amuse-gueule: Small crab salat with anchovy filets
- Starter: Warm goat's curd wrapped in bacon presented on salad with wild herbs together with a vinaigrette prepared with olive oil and balsamico of La Vialla
- Entrée: Beef tenderloin covered with ground pork and South Tyrol bacon paired with linguine and a sauce of carrots, onions and leek. The vegetables were reduced in port, then some wine was added, they were left simmering for another 90 minutes, after that puréed.
- Cheese plate (Taleggio, Morbier, Mimolette) with figs, grapes and fig mustard
- Chocolate cake
The idea was to taste six different red wines from the US in three flights. Of course the interaction of the wines was mainly examined in relation to starter, entrée and the cheese:
1st Fligth:
- 1997 Girard Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley
- 1997 Seavey Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley
2nd Flight:
- 2004 Saxum Broken Stones Syrah from Paso Robles
- 2004 Pax Castelli Knight Ranch Syrah from the Russian River Valley
3rd Flight:
- 2008 Dominus from Napa Valley
- 2010 Hall Wines Cabernet Sauvignon "Kathryn Hall" from Napa Valley
Both wines of the first flight were really good examples of the outstanding 1997 vintage. The Girard has a nice dark cherry red with some lighten rims and offers earthy notes paired with stewed fruits of cherry. These cherry notes were also present on the palate. Very long finish. Really good. Totally different the Seavey. Dark purple with notes of tobacco and forest floor. Also on the palate. A typical Bordeaux-style cab from the Napa Valley. Later on the evening the wine became better and better. After a certain while cassis notes came to the foreground. Very pleasant.
Then the second flight. I was very curious about it because the Syrah grape has become one of my favourites over the last two years. And I would drink the first Saxum of my life! And indeed both wines were very, very good, but the Broken Stones was a revelation for me. Very deep purple color; nearly opaque. Pure black cherries - also on the palate - with perfectly integrated alcohol. Outstanding. Syrah at its best. Different the Pax. Also purple and very dark but with some light cherry red rims. Manifold aromas: Cassis, tobacco, some earthy notes and something we needed a while to identify: Broom (Mrs J was the winner). The Pax is a little bit more violent than the Saxum. Decant it! Both wines had a very long finish. Life is good.
Tough challenge for the third flight. The level was already very high. The Kathryn Hall - my small present for the tasting - had a special history. The Js and I visited Hall Wines last year - the Js in spring and me in autumn due to their recommendation. I imported the wine only for a tasting with the Js. Funny thing: During the J's visit the wine was not yet bottled. So both had not tasted it so far. The wine offers a very dark purple color with lots of glints. In the aroma essential oils with a lot of dark berries. Very fat and velvety. Of course pretty much too young, but already a killer. Amazing. Mr. J wanted to give this wine the right counterpart. Very successfully. The 2008 Dominus was nearly black. Lots of black fruits, menthol and cassis. A beast of a wine. Still brutal because of of its youth but nevertheless tender and cajoling. I drank already the 99 vintage. This one is more bordeaux-like and I expect a very long life for this outstanding masterpiece.
Summary: It is definitely a gift to participate a tasting with wines of this level. But now more about the food pairing. Well, Mrs J prepared the perfect menu for this blockbuster team. All of this harmonised wonderfully with the goat's curd and the beef tenderloin - but all of them in a different way. My favourites:
- Goat's curd with the Seavey: Wonderful partner of the wild herbs with the vinaigrette
- Beef tenderloin: Definitely the Pax. Explosive aromas together with a bite of the tenderloin, the ground pork and the bacon
The favourite of the evening besides the wonderful menu? Perhaps the Saxum. A very bad boy. If you once start to drink you can't stop.
But what about the Chocolate cake? Mr J offered the next surprise of the evening: A 2002 Mr. K "The Nobleman"! Salmon color, very clear with a lot of glints. This Chardonnay offers a wonderful mix of apricot, petrol and turps aromas - in an absolutely positive way! On the palate dried fruits and sulfur apricots. Honey in the super-long finish. "Honey gliding down the throat". Still young and fresh. This half bottle was finished very, very soon. Bad thing.
I have to mention that I slept very well that night. Thanks to my friends Mrs J and Mr J. An unforgettable dinner.
