Lobster and Chard

This past Friday I was treated by a friend to a wonderful lobster dinner with roasted fennel and risotto. She was kind enough to share with me a couple bottles of wine that I'd not yet had. What a meal! This is a little more complex of a meal than I've posted so far, but definitely worth it. I also only took formal tasting notes on the Chardonnay, so the TyTanium will simply be my impressions.

Wine: 2006 Laura Zahtila Vineyards Chardonnay and 2003 Ty Caton TyTanium
Meal: Lobster medallions and claws with saffron cream sauce, roasted fennel, and risotto

Tasting notes on the wine:

Laura Zahtila Chardonnay
Color: 5/5
Totally translucent and golden. Beautiful color. Clear at the edges to about 1/8" in.

Nose: 12/15
A little simple on the nose. Earthy and minerally, a little granny smith apple. Simple, but nice.

Flavor: 8/10
Okay, I'm not a fan of chardonnay. Typically. This is not your typical chardonnay. My notes say "red drinkers' chardonnay" - you don't get that over-oaked, buttery flavor that you find with most chards these days. It's different. Grassy, with green apple and citrus notes. A little hit of oak, but not in your face by any means. It's a little tart to me, and not my favorite flavors, but a good effort.

Finish: 7/10
The finish falls short. Nothing of note there - it didn't really last long enough to pull anything out.
But it wasn't unpleasant. Just ... forgettable.

Aging: 2/5
Not exactly a cellarable wine. But that's fairly typical for whites. I'd say drink this in the next year or two.

Overall: 3/5
Worth a try, especially if you don't care for your typical chardonnay. Definitely a better wine with food than without. Good with creamy things, and shellfish. So probably a seafood alfredo would be absolutely divine!

Total: 87pts

This chard with the risotto is quite possibly one of those "perfect" pairings. The creaminess of the risotto with the earthiness of the mushrooms in it just accented the wine beautifully, and really toned down the tartness of it. The fennel, well, not so much. I wouldn't recommend doing that - the lemony flavor of the fennel just makes the wine super acidic and extra tart. Not good. But the lobster was quite good with it - better without the sauce, in my opinion, but good either way.

We had the TyTanium as dessert, and even though it's not a dessert wine, it sure holds up well as one. Cocoa was the dominating flavor on the palate for this, with a lingering vanilla spice finish. Very memorable wine, and gut instinct rating without working out the numbers would place this at a 90+ wine. Beautiful offering.

Want to make this meal?

Saffron Cream Sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon crumbled saffron

Wrap the saffron in a foil packet and bake in a toaster oven for about 5 minutes at 300.

In a medium saucepan heat the cream until just simmering. Crumble in the saffron, crushing it between your fingers. Let the sauce reduce by about 1/3, and remove from heat.

Lobster Medallions and Claws
3 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 lb lobsters
2 Tbsp olive oil

Kill the lobsters using the method found on Lobsters with Laura. This is the most humane way to kill them as it is swift and painless. Don't be surprised if the lobsters still move even after they are dead; the muscles have reflexes that will activate while you are preparing them.

Break off the claws at the main joint, place in a shallow pan, and roast in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes. These can be placed in at the same time as the fennel.

Cut the tails into medallions but cutting them at each joint. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until it begins to lightly smoke, then add the medallions, cooking them for about 3-4 minutes on each side until the meat becomes opaque.

Plate with a little of the saffron cream sauce poured on top.

Roasted Fennel
2 fennel bulbs (thick base of stalk), stalks cut off, bulbs sliced
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Rub just enough olive oil over the fennel to coat. Sprinkle on some balsamic vinegar, also to coat. Line baking dish with silpat or aluminum foil. Lay out piece of fennel and roast for 15-20 minutes, until the fennel is cooked through and beginning to caramelize.

Recipe courtesy of Simply Recipes

Creamy Risotto
4 chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 medium red onion, diced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (we used Sake)
Salt to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mixed dried gourmet mushrooms, rehydrated

Put stock in a medium saucepan over low heat. Put oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, add onion, stirring occasionally until it softens, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add white wine, stir, and let liquid bubble away. Add a large pinch of salt. Add warmed stock, 1/2 cup or so at a time, stirring occasionally. Each time stock has just about evaporated, add more. After about 5-10 minutes, add the mushrooms.

After about 20 minutes, begin tasting rice. You want it to be tender but with a bit of crunch; it could take as long as 30 minutes total to reach this stage. Remove skillet from heat, add remaining butter and stir briskly. Add Parmesan and stir briskly, then taste and adjust seasoning. Risotto should be slightly soupy. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from The New York Times

Enjoy!

Malbec, Take 2

Wine: 2006 Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec Alamos Selección
Meal: Pan-fried Panko Breaded Chicken with broccolini

Not much difference in the flavor of the wine today, after 5 days in the fridge. Still quite good, and I stand by my previous notes and scoring. The only real noticeable change is that I'm now getting black cherry flavor coming through on the palate and the finish, and the tannins are completely calmed down at this point. It's much easier to drink by itself this time.

So without further ado, the recipe!

Pan-fried Panko Breaded Chicken
1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup panko
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp dried sage
1 egg
1 tsp milk
1 tsp water
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter

In a shallow dish, combine panko, salt, cumin, paprika, and sage. In a small bowl, combine egg, milk, and water.

Using a meat mallet, pound out the chicken until it is approximately 1/4" thick throughout. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, then into the panko mixture, tossing to coat.

Heat oil and butter in a skillet until the butter has melted and begins to smell nutty. Place breaded chicken in skillet, and cook for about 6 minutes on each side, or until the chicken has cooked through.

I cooked up the broccolini in a similar method to the previous veggies (garlic and olive oil), except that that I simply placed the broccolini in the pan and then covered it, and let it cook until tender-crisp.

Enjoy!

Malbec and Veal

Wine: 2006 Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec Alamos Selección
Meal: Grilled veal chop with garlic-sauteed green beans and bell pepper

Tasting notes on the wine:

Color: 5/5
Dark, black plum, clearing out at the edges, clean, with good legs.

Nose: 12/15
Right out of the bottle, bacon predominates the nose. Through time, floral notes show through, along with leather and dark fruits.

Flavor: 8/10
Very fruit-forward, but not quite a fruit bomb. Lots of blueberries and plum, smoke, and violets. It makes me think of a cross between Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Finish: 8/10
Lasts about 30 seconds. At first it didn't seem very tannic, but as time wore on, the tannins began to show through, which I thought was kind of backwards to what you typically see. I get a good hit of oak and berries.

Aging: 3/5
With the fruits and tannins, I'd say this one will do just fine with some time in the cellar. Drink now - 2015.

Overall: 4/5
Really great wine. Easy to drink, but it does better with food than on its own.

Total: 90pts

With the characteristics of both PS and CS, this wine becomes a very versatile drink. Good with chicken, beef, lamb, veal, pork... Just about anything. It takes about 20 minutes in the glass to really open up nicely, and at about 40 minutes hits its sweet spot and holds steady for quite some time. If you're into the "correct" stemware, I found that this works better in a Syrah glass than a Cabernet - which, as it turns out, is what Riedel recommends.

Want to make this meal?

Grilled Veal with Garlic-Sauteed Veggies
1/4 - 1/2 lb veal chop, cut to 1/2" thickness
kosher salt
1/8 tsp coursely ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup cut green beans
1 yellow bell pepper, diced

Salt and pepper the veal chop and allow to rest for about 10 minutes before placing on the grill. Cook for approx. 8 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and let rest.

In a saute pan, place olive oil and butter and heat until butter has melted. Add garlic and a pinch of salt, stirring gently until garlic becomes fragrant. Toss in green beans and bell pepper, and saute until tender-crisp, or about 5-6 minutes.

Enjoy!

When you wish you could go back in time...

Last post about the Havens Albariño, but just as a "I wish I had made this when the Albariño still tasted like limey-lemonade" post. I went for a quick dinner tonight, with whatever I could find lying around. I found shrimp, pasta, butter, red bell pepper, garlic, shallots, parsley and Old Bay seasoning, along with the final dregs of the whites sitting in my fridge. Once it was all put together and tasted, it really felt like it needed a little lemon and acidity, which the Albariño would have given just beautifully as a pairing. But here's the recipe in case you'd like to try it.

Shrimp and Penne with White-wine Butter Sauce
1/2 cup white wine
1 tsp olive oil
1 stick unsalted butter
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 small shallot
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
handful fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 package penne pasta
1 lb medium shrimp
kosher salt

Bring 6 cups water to a boil.

Pour the olive oil in a small sauce pan, add the shallots, garlic, and red bell pepper with a pinch of salt, and saute until the shallots begin to become translucent. Add the Old Bay seasoning and wine and bring to a boil, and allow to reduce by half. Cut the butter up into chunks and add, along with the parsley. Stir to let the butter melt evenly. Allow to simmer while the pasta is cooking.

When the water is boiling, add a couple of healthy pinches of salt, and the pasta. Cook according to package directions, about 11 minutes. Use a steamer basket on top of the pasta pot to steam the shrimp for 4 minutes until the shells turn red.

Remove the shrimp and rinse under cold water for 30 seconds, and then peel.

Once the pasta has cooked, drain and place in a large bowl. Add the sauce and shrimp, and toss to combine.

Enjoy!

Forget the Milk and Honey

I'll take Lamb and Petite Sirah for my heavenly meal any day! This classic combination is quite possibly one of the best meals you'll ever have the pleasure of consuming. Don't be afraid of the lamb; it really is quite simple to make. Just make sure your grill is fired up and good and ready for it, at medium to medium-high heat.

Wine: 2005 Concannon Vineyard Petite Sirah Limited Release
Meal: Grilled lamb chops with a veggie side

Tasting notes on the wine:
First of all, this wine should be decanted for about 2 hours before drinking. I like to decant and then pour it back into the bottle for serving.

Color: 5/5
Deep, dark violet. Very nearly black. Coats the glass beautifully, with good legs.

Nose: 13/15
Floral and leather, chocolate and spice. Touches of oak here and there if you breathe deeply.

Flavor: 9/10
Very correct PS flavors, and loaded with blueberry. My notes have "BLUEBERRIES" capitalized and underlined about 5 times. Vanilla and spice shine through as well, with hints of other dark fruits. Oh, and did I mention the blueberries? Good, full mouthfeel, jammy. By the end of the glass, expect to need to brush your tongue, and maybe your teeth, too.

Finish: 8/10
Lasts about 30-45 seconds, with a good punch of tannins. Doesn't leave your mouth cotton-dry, but you might want to keep a glass of water handy.

Aging: 3/5
It will be interesting to see how this one develops over the next few years. It's got the body and fruit to last a while, so it should last pretty well in the cellar for quite some time. Drink now through 2017.

Overall: 4/5
Talk about excellent QPR (Quality Price Ratio). Available locally for between $10-$15, this is a massive purchase. An excellent everyday quaffer, provided you have the patience to decant it properly. Love this stuff.

Total: 92pts

As mentioned before, Petite Sirah and Lamb is a perfect combination. PS is one of those immensely flexible wines that goes really well with just about anything, but it really shines with grilled meats and barbecue. And I admit, I cheated on the meal and used pre-packaged veggies, but sometimes you just want something easy.

Want to make this meal?

Grilled Lamb Chops w/veggies
1/2 lb Kosher salt
1/2 lb lamb chops (3-4 3/4" thick chops)
1 pkg Green Giant "Healthy Vision"

On a piece of foil, pour out half of the kosher salt, and arrange the chops on it. Coat the top of the chops with the remaining salt, making sure they are all covered. Close up the foil and allow to sit for about an hour.

Rinse the salt off under water and pat dry, and allow to rest for another 5 minutes. Place chops on grill over medium to medium-high heat, and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Allow to rest for 3-4 minutes before serving.

Cook up the veggies according to package directions and serve alongside the chops.

Enjoy!

Leftover Luck

No picture tonight, sorry folks. Didn't plan on posting this one. However, I realize that I'm not the only unlucky soul out there that's unable to finish up a bottle of wine in a single night (let alone TWO), and so it might be of interest to post about how a wine is holding up two or three nights later in the fridge.

The Havens Albariño has been in the fridge now for three nights. This morning I looked in my fridge and saw I had a half dozen chicken wings that had been thawed for a couple days, and knew it had to be cooked up. So I pulled out the crock pot, placed them in there, poured in about a cup of my many-weeks-old leftover 2006 Mandolina Pinot Grigio, and about a cup and a half of leftover marinara sauce. Topped it off with a few sprigs of parsley, put it on low for 10 hours and tottered off to work.

When I got home, the smell was just incredible - this chicken was ready to go. I originally thought about putting it over angel hair pasta, but it turned out I ran out of that. So I just ate them as-is, with a freshly poured glass of the well-chilled Albariño. Let me tell you, not only has it held up, but I feel it is much better tonight than it was on Monday.

The limey-lemonade flavor is still there, but it's much subdued. There's a greater complexity of flavor to it, and one thing I pulled out was this raw snack-tray vegetables flavor. Like cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots, raw. Take a bite of each, and that's the flavor you get. The nose has improved as well, now bringing with it cantaloupe and honeydew. There's also a touch of new-leather scent, but the citrus scent is still predominant.

I think now, after being opened for a few days and being well chilled, this one bumps up to an 89-90 point wine for me. Chill this wine. It deserves to be well chilled.

On a side note, I mentioned I had the 2006 Mandolina Pinot Grigio leftover in my fridge for many weeks. I honestly don't remember when I opened it, but it may have been close to a month ago now. This one is a white that I know and trust, and don't mind sipping at it slowly and working on other bottles while it just sits there. It holds strong in the fridge for weeks, fantastically. It's still drinkable, although it's declining and is better for cooking with at this point.

Twofer For You!

There's a little bit of Spain in the air tonight. I was originally going for just something for the Altos de Luzón, but while I was making the dish, it dawned on me that maybe a white would be called for instead. So I figured why not try both and see which goes better!

Wine: 2005 Finca Luzón Jumilla Altos de Luzón and 2005 Havens Wine Cellars Albariño
Meal: Spanish Paella

Tasting notes on the wines:

Altos de Luzón
Color: 5/5
Rich, dark berry. Clear to about 1/8" from the rim.

Nose: 13/15
Complex nose, and yet the individual scents each present themselves clearly. Spices, particularly cloves, with dark berries like mulberry and black raspberry, a little bit of tobacco, and after letting the initial touch of heat blow off, a noseful of bacon fat.

Flavor: 10/10
I may be a bit biased, but this is one of my favorite wines. Velvet smooth. Chocolate is the first thing to hit the palate, like a dark Belgian chocolate. Following on the mid-palate are plums and dark berries, with delicious raisinettes. There are beautiful tannins nicely balanced in, soft and chewy, but they definitely make their presence known. The best part about this is that you can pop and pour with little to no decanting. Perhaps a little aeration in the glass, but not much. Nice, big, leathery mouthfeel to it.

Finish: 8/10
The raisinettes carry through the finish ending with a gentle mocha flavoring, which lasts a decent 30 seconds or so.

Aging: 3/5
Plenty of fruit in this one, and it's very well balanced. Should last for quite a while in the cellar, if you can resist drinking it that long. Drink now through 2012.

Overall: 5/5
What can I say? From the very first time I tried this wine, it became a favorite of mine. I just absolutely love it. This wine drinks really well either on its own or paired with food. The chocolatey characteristics lend well to drinking it after dinner, almost as a dessert, although I would not call this a sweet wine.

Total: 95pts

Havens Albariño
Color: 5/5
Pale straw colored, clear to about 1/8" from the rim. There's some small bubbles lining the side of the glass, not sure where they came from.

Nose: 12/15
Fairly simple nose to this one - tangerines are the first thing that spring to mind, followed by watermelon and lemon. Very citrusy.

Flavor: 7/10
Not as big a fan of this, although it's still quite tasty. It reminds me very much of a limey-lemonade. Tart, and lime, lots of lime. It's like drinking an almost-flat 7-Up with its characteristic lemon-lime flavor. It's a little rough around the edges. Very summery, for sure. Would probably work really well for making some wine-based cocktails from. This may not have had enough time to properly chill before I tried it, so it might benefit from a little more time in the chill chamber before being poured.

Finish: 6/10
Short. Very short finish, almost non-existent. A little on the bitey side. Still with the lemon-lime, maybe a touch of fennel on the very back end of it.

Aging: 2/5
Drink now through 2010. Might not last much beyond that. Not a whole lot there to hold it up.

Overall: 4/5
It's a nice wine, really, if a little one-dimensional. If anything screamed for shellfish, this would be the one. Not spectacular, but not bad.

Total: 86pts

The paella consisted of four different proteins mixed in with the rice. Chicken, chorizo, mussels, and shrimp. It's precisely because of this mixed meat approach that made it so difficult to choose one wine over the other to pair with this. The chicken and shellfish called out white to me, but that chorizo with it's spicy kick just said, "I need a red with a little bit of structure to it." I'm glad I ended up going with both of these wines. They both pair equally well with it and bring complements to the dish that really ought to be experienced.

The rice turned the Havens a little on the sharp and acidic side, which I found to be quite nice. Didn't really do much for the Altos, my notes simply say "nice". The sausage, with its lovely spices, overpowered the white, while the red very nicely cut the heat of it. It also brought out the chocolate flavor even more of the Altos, and brought a new bacon flavor to it. Both the shrimp and mussels had the same effect - overpowered by the red, but the Havens became like a butter dipping sauce for them. That lemon-lime flavor of it really cut the "sea" flavor from the mussels and turned it into something beautiful. This is one of those dishes that you can just pick your favorite wine, red or white, and you shouldn't be disappointed. I ended up, unsurprisingly, going for the Altos to finish my meal.

Want to make this meal?

Spanish Paella
This is a one-pan dish, but you MUST have a large enough skillet for it! I recommend going out and getting a 16" skillet with a good-fitting lid, if you can't find an actual paella pan. Yes, they make special pans just for paella. Mine was only 14" and, well, let's just say I have a good bit of cleaning to do on the stove from overflow.

1/2 cup olive oil
4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin removed
1 small white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 teaspoon salt
a pinch saffron threads
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 cup peas (frozen is fine)
3 cups long grain rice
14oz can chicken broth
4 cups chicken stock
8-10 mussels
12-15 medium shrimp, peeled
1 lb chorizo, sliced into rounds
handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground cayenne
1 tsp dried sage
6 wedges lemon

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. Place chicken thighs into oil and sear until golden brown on both sides. Remove and set aside.

Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 1 minute. Add bell peppers and cook for 2 minutes more.

Stir in salt, paprika, cayenne, sage, saffron, tomatoes, peas, rice, stock and broth until well combined. Add bay leaves. Return chicken to the pan, add chorizo, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.

Scatter the shrimp over the top, and press the mussels into the rice. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 12 minutes. Add parsley to the top, and simmer for an additional 3 minutes. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Serves 4-6.

Enjoy!