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!