Maura and Dave's Food & Wine Extravaganza

I have attended many wine tasting dinners in the past, but nothing close to what Carol and I experienced at new friends Maura and Dave’s Wine and Food Extravaganza on Saturday night. I am not quite sure if the word Extravaganza adequately describes how incredible this event was.  David is not only an avid and knowledgeable collector of wines, he is extremely generous in sharing his wines with friends. He and his wife Maura also share a love for great food. Every five years they host one of these events at their home for fifty or sixty of their friends (I didn’t count, but a lot of folks).  I only hope this post can convey an essence of this event, as you had to be there to experience it in its totality; the wine, food, people and friendship. And thank you Mother Nature for providing an absolutely perfect evening for us to enjoy the festivities.

All the wines came fromDave's cellar, while the food was prepared on site by Focus Events and Catering from Staten Island, NY. David worked out the menu with Focus owner, Jay Dellacona. Simply awesome food served by a professional and courteous staff.  The format for the evening was seven rounds, each consisting of two wines (first round had 3) and 3-4 small bites and plates.  Most of the photos I took came out good, and those will appear below.

The Menu

ROUND ONE

IN THE INITIAL COURSE WE WILL TRY 3 CHAMPAGME-STYLE SPARKLERS FROM A NEW MEXICO WINERY WITH SOME CONVENTIONAL AND UNCONVENTIONAL FOOD PAIRINGS

Gruet Non-Vintage Brut Methode Champanoise
This was my favorite of the three. It had a wonderful yeasty and creamy feel in the mouth, with lively fruit, complexity and balance.

Gruet Non-Vintage Extra Dry Blanc de Blanc
A nice champagne, but much less exciting alongside the NV Brut.  It lacked the liveliness and yeasty palate of the brut.

2007 Gruet Blanc de Blanc 
Nice medium gold color with citrus aromatics and a crisp palate.  As it warmed in the glass, its essence began to emerge.  

David tells me these wines are in the $15 - $20 range.  That is a fantastic quality to price ratio. You can check them out by following the link here, Gruet Winery


Small bites…

A small demi cup of mildly spicy Chipotle Gazpacho. Perfectly chilled with a great texture and mild spicy palate. The perfect foil for the ice-cold hampagne. 
A grilled vegetable and goat cheese ‘lasagna’' I guess you could call this a Noveau Eggplant Parmigianno. Whatever you call it, it was delicious.





Shrimp wonton with plum dipping sauce.  This was out-of-bounds.  Perfectly cooked shrimp nestled in a lightly fried wonton wrap.  The plum sauce was a perfect complement.  


Lump crab crepe with lemon Beurre Blanc over Pea Puree (no photo).  Somehow I missed this “bite”.  Carol, did not and she assured me it was delicious.

ROUND TWO

IN ROUND 2 WE WILL TRY ONE OF OUR FAVORITE CALIFORNIA CHARDONNAY’S AND A STAPLE OF THESE GATHERINGS IN 5 LITER BOTTLES ALONG WITH A NEWCOMER AND MUCH YOUNGER WINE THAT SHOULD BE AN INTERSTING CONTRAST

2009 Relativity Vineyard Old Vines Chardonnay

From the Russian River Valley this was delightful.  Very good acidity, modest alcohol level (13.6%) with a lengthy finish.  At less than $20 a bottle, a terrific value.

2002 Talbott Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Chardonnay 5 Liter

Large format wines always drink better than those in the normal 750ml bottle and this was no exception.  If I did not know what I was drinking, I would have guessed white Burgundy.  The wine possessed a gorgeous translucent, golden hue. On the palate the fruit was ripe, round and sophisticated, and it finished with a lengthy elegance.  A terrific wine that was soaring on this evening.

I am not a fan of California Chardonnays as I find them over extracted and over oaked, but that was not the case with either these.  They drank beautifully and were a superb match for the food they accompanied.

Small bites…

Pan seared scallop with blood orange ceviche.  The photo says it all.

Lobster bisque ‘shooter’ (no photo).  Liquid decadence!

Chicken liver timbale with bacon sauce and fava bean. Perhaps my favorite plate of the evening.  A soft, creamy preparation of chicken livers bathed in a remarkable sauce.  I could have kept just eating this all evening and been a very happy man.

ROUND THREE

IN THIS ROUND WE WILL PIT A SPANISH BLEND AGAINST WHAT WE HOPE IS AN UNEXPECTED AND LITTLE KNOWN GEM OF A ZINFANDEL FROM AN UNDER-APPRECIATED YEAR IN CALIFORNIA THAT MOST CRITICS HAVE IGNORED IN A 6 LITER BOTTLE ACCOMPANIED BY SEAFOOD AND PORK DISHES

2009 Bula Monsant  (a blend of Mazuela, Grenache and Syrah)

Montsant, is a small Catalonian region in close proximity to Priorat, one of Spain’s top wine producing regions.  The regions differ in soil and microclimates.  At about $15 a bottle the wine was quite good.  I found it to be full-bodied with a soft velvety palate.

1999 Cosentino Zinfandel – 6 litre 

I am not generally a fan of Zinfandel as I find the wines to be overly concentrated for my palate. While this was not my favorite of the evening, it was toned down and had a softer palate than I expected.  If you are a fan of Zinfandel, at about $15 per 750ml, this is worth checking out.


Small bites…
Escargot and bone marrow, garlic, & parsley.  What a terrific combination of a crispy fried Escargot atop creamy & delicious bone marrow.

  

Slow cooked pork belly with cherry jam on ceramic spoon (no photo). A pork lovers delight.

Smoked salmon over petit quail egg,  Yet another delectable combination of flavors.

Small plate…

Cod and Chorizo with Caramelized onions and Crispy Potatoes.  Spectacular marriage of flavors and textures.  I had a couple of these.

ROUND FOUR

NOW THINGS START TO INTERSTING AS WE SHIFT TO ITALIAN WINES FOR A WHILE. THIS COURSE WILL CONTRAST A LIGHT OLDER BURGUNDIAN-STYLED BAROLO WITH A MUCH YOUNGER, MORE  POWERFUL, MODERNIST-STYLE BAROLO AND MATCH THEM WITH FOODS INSPIRED BY PIEMONTESE CUISINE

2006 Domenico Clerico Barolo - Ciabot Mentin Ginestra.  While a bit more modern in style I find Clerico’s wines to be elegant with good roundness and focus on the palate.  That was certainly the case with this wine.  It drank beautifully tonight.  The wine showed great pedigree and will benefit from 4 or 5 years in the cellar.

1994 Rocche dei Manzoni Barolo – Rocche.  One of my favorite old world estates, this bottle had appeared to have closed down by the time it was poured.  Decanted about 6 hours prior, the wine had an earthy nose, but really offered very little on the palate.  Deciding when to decant some of these older wines is one of the mysteries I hope to some day solve.

Small Bites…

Unfortunately I did not take any photos of these bites, but suffice it to say it was not because I did not like them as they, like their predecessors, were terrific.

Carne cruda with truffle oil topped with grated Parmesan.  A more chunky style of steak tartare, that was tender and delicious and a perfect pairing with the Barolos.

  

Risotto Arancini with Wild Mushrooms.  Ah, the Sicilian rice ball. Risotto in one bite.  Superb!

Small plate…

Agnolotti del Plin with Wild Boar Ragu.  This stuffed pasta is a trademark of Piedmont.  Usually stuffed with veal, which I believe was the case tonight; it is served with a variety of sauces.  The wild boar ragu was an excellent choice, given the Baroli that accompanied these plates.  The Agnoletti themselves were light and delicious.

ROUND FIVE

IN ROUND 5 WE MOVE TO TUSCANO AND COMPARE TWO VERY NICE BRUNELLO’S FROM THE 2001 VINTAGE WITH SOME CLASSIC PAIRINGS

2001 Cerbaia Brunello di Montalcino.  This was a new Brunello producer for me.  I enjoyed it a lot as it tasted like a traditionally made Brunello. The wine is fermented for 6 weeks in steel and then sees 4 years in oak barrels (large Slovian Oak?).  Fresh and young fruit, nice balance and complexity and a soft finish.

    

2001 Pinino Brunello di Montalcino.  This was also a new producer for me.  Another nice Brunello, but a bit oakier than the Cerbaia, suggesting perhaps the use of Barrique in the aging process.  

Small Bite…
Potato gnocchi stuffed with Gorgonzola and a sage butter sauce.  This was terrific.  Just the right amount of Gorgonzola served in a sage butter sauce.  Perfect match for the Brunellos.

Small Plate…
A “spedini” of house smoked beef filet, sliced paper thin, with baby cilantro shoots and chipotle crème fraiche (no photo).  Somehow I missed this plate.  I think I was too focused on the Gnocchi.


ROUND SIX

THIS SET OF WINES INCLUDE OUR OLDEST FOR THE EVENING AND ONE OF THE MOST CURIOUS THAT IS MADE FROM EXCESS JUICE FROM AN UNDISCLOSED CULT PRODUCER BUT COSTS DRAMATICALLY LESS, BOTH OF WHICH ARE 100% CABERNET SAUVIGNON PAIRED AGAIN WITH TWO CLASSICS

2001 Waterstone Cabernet Sauvignon.  The 2001 was aged for 23 months in 100% new Barrique barrels.  For me it had too much oak and vanilla.  The next Cabernet, 1988 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was quite a different story.  This was very, very good. It had young and vibrant fruit on the palate, wonderful balance and complexity, with a long and velvet finish.  If all Cabs were like this, I think I could become a fan.  

Small Bite…
Baby lamb chop with a green pepper crust with a drizzle of demi-glace.  I don’t eat Lamb.  Just have never been a fan of it.  Carol, on the other hand, loves it and her comment here was “Delicious, really delicious.”
Small Plate…
Long Island duck breast with honey balsamic reduction.  Neither of us are fans of duck breast, so we both passed on this.  Those around us however were enjoying every bite.

ROUND SEVEN

HAVE FUN WITH DESSERT AND RED AND WHITE DESSERT WINES FROM BONNY DOON VINEYARDS


I have always enjoyed the wines of Rhone styled wines of Boony Doon in California.  These two dessert wines, one red, the other white, were simply delicious with a great QPR.

Bonny Doon Mon Doux – Mouvedre (Partially Raisined).  Made from 100% old vine Mourvèdre grapes that were dried like raisins before fermentation, the wine was sweet and seductive on the palate.

Bonny Doon Vin Ferno – Grenach Blanc/Rousanne Blend.  Made in a similar style to the Mon Doux in that the grapes were air-dried on mats prior to fermentation, it was lush, ripe and decadent.  My favorite of the two.

Both of these wines perfectly complemented the insanely delicious and decadent desserts.  Sorry no photos.

White chocolate cream pie – some with apricot and some with banana

Chocolate ganache topped with fresh cream and fresh berries 

Mini scones with brulee’d marshmallow 

Ginger and black pepper biscotti

I will make no attempt to rank the wines as I believe that wine in context with food and friends is what events like this are all about.  Not only did Maura and Dave provide the wine and food, but the context as well...and in spades!  Thanks for a spectacular evening!

Saluté