Short notes from the second of a series of dinners prepared by the graduating class of the Center for Asian Culinary Arts done at Cafe Ysabel.
Renato Ratti Barbera d'Alba Torriglione 2004 - Cherry and raspberry. Hint of smoke. Dried herbs. Not too interesting at first but after an hour in the glass it got much better. Good.
Katnook Founder's Block Chardonnay 2004 - We didn't have any Italian white wine handy to pair with the lobster so we settled on this. Crisp. Not sure if this is oaked but if it is, it's very subtle. Lacks character and fruit. Very neutral. Bland and uninteresting.
Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Oro 2001 - Sweet fruit nose. Very dry. Dried herbs. Rich mouthfeel with a slightly burnt character. Cherry and chocolate. Needs food. Very long finish. Very good with the basil and fennel crusted lamb loin.
Ceretto Barbaresco Asij 2004 - I hardly paid any attention to this wine since I've had it so many times the past month. Caramel on the nose. Very elegant. Tannic. Very good with the mushroom ravioli. Needs time to soften the tannins.
Gomara Lacrimae Christi Malaga NV - Looks like motor oil but not as sweet as I expected. Coffee and raisins with fairly high acidity. I think the acidity tempered the sweetness to the point that it unfortunately failed to keep pace with the almond cake and hazelnut ice cream.
To cap the evening, Gene brought out a small bottle of 1982 pure Parellada Brandy taken from the Torres Brandy Cellars in Spain. This brandy is used for blending Torres' top brandies. 48% alcohol which is't particularly high but this brandy had a strong kick. Powerful, over the top, very spicy with tremendous fruit. Interesting