February 11 I hosted a church fundraiser with the theme "Hearty Winter Fare with Wines To Pair--Come Get Your Share." The wines this time were all from USA or France. We started with Gougeres and two Chardonnays: 2008 Alex Gambal Bourgogne/Chardonnay Cuvee Prestige and 2010 Frei Brothers Chardonnay Reserve, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, CA. Attendees were also encouraged to try the variety of cheeses with both white and red wines. The cheeses included Rosenberg Danish bleu cheese, Grana Podano from Italy, Chevre with herbs, Old Amsterdam, Gouda, and an American sharp cheddar. I prepared Rachel Ray's French onion soup casserole for the next course to go with 2008 Trimbach Gewurztraminer, Alsace, France.
We then had ratatouille with 2009 Paul Pernot & Fils Bourgogne/Pinot Noir. The Pernot Bourgogne could also be tried with the pork chops with cherry sauce along with a 2009 Raptor Ridge Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon. We had three more full-bodied red wines to go with stir-fry sirloin bites with dipping sauces--2007 Shafer Merlot, Napa Valley, CA, a 2002 Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel blend, Dry Creek Valley, CA, and a 2005 Rubicon Estate Cask Cabernet (Sauvignon), Napa Valley, CA. I had intended to have four dipping sauces for the beef bites but ran out of time so only had two--a sweet and sour sauce I made, and A-1 Steak Sauce. I had crushed peanuts but not the curry mayonnaise dip that was intended to go with the peanuts and no brown gravy/Marsala dip.
Dessert was a plum crumble with non-vintage Hakutsuru Plum Wine from Japan.
I closed reservations at 29 people and turned four people away. Those attending received information sheets on the wines and ballots to vote for favorite white wine, favorite red wine and top three wines of the night including the dessert wine. Some were quite knowledgeable about wine and some were novices.
The Alex Gambal Chardonnay Cuvee Prestige received two more votes for favorite white wine than the Frei Brothers Chardonnay Reserve (to my surprise in this instance I preferred the California wine although beforehand I thought I would go the other way.) The Raptor Ridge Pinot Noir received one more vote for favorite red wine than the Paul Pernot & Fils Bourgogne/Pinot Noir. Awarding five points for a first-place vote, three points for a second-place vote, and one point for a third-place vote, The Alex Gambal Chardonnay wine was the favorite wine of the evening and the Raptor Ridge Pinot Noir came in second and the Paul Pernot red Burgundy third. The Frei Brothers Chardonnay came in fourth place, and the Shafer Merlot in fifth place. The plum wine got some votes as third favorite wine of the evening but no one put it in first or second place.
Some of my impressions of the wines:
2008 ALEX GAMBAL BOURGOGNE/CHARDONNAY CUVEE PRESTIGE, FRANCE Color is somewhat on the gold spectrum. Rich lemon curd flavor--almost evoked tropical fruit on the first sip, quite rich, but morphed into the lemon curd on further tasting. Also a note of lanolin. Good match for Gougeres and also paired well with Old Amsterdam and Grana Podano cheeses. B+
2010 FREI BROTHERS CHARDONNAY RESERVE, RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY, CA
Nice; not oaky, could taste the Chardonnay grape. A-
2008 TRIMBACH GEWURZTRAMINER ALSACE, FRANCE I didn't take notes on this but rated it B or B+
2009 PAUL PERNOT & FILS BOURGOGNE/PINOT NOIR, FRANCE 12.5% alcohol by volume
Deeper color than the Raptor Ridge Pinot Noir. Light body but fruity. Very nice. Slight tartness. Quite fruity with cherry suggestions. Held up over two evenings. Faded by the third day. A-
2009 RAPTOR RIDGE PINOT NOIR, WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OR
14.4% abv. Exhibits viscosity. Deep garnet color with brownish tones; semi-transparent, Raspberry, cherry, and savory aromas. Dark cherry and plum on the flavors. Medium body. Nice pairing with pork chops with cherry sauce. Would also be good with ham and possibly duck or some beef preparations. Mellow and balanced. Raptor Ridge website has much more detail about the wine including what clones are used. The grapes come from seven vineyards. I gave this a B+
2007 SHAFER MERLOT, NAPA VALLEY, CA 14.9% ABV Mellow, well made. I have another bottle and will explore it further on another occasion. A- or B+ (and this from one who doesn't gravitate toward Merlot usually)
2002 RIDGE LYTTON SPRINGS, DRY CREEK VALLEY, SONOMA COUNTY, CA 14.4% abv A blend of 75% Zinfandel, 20% Petite Sirah, and 5% Carignane. In Paul Draper's remarks on the wine in 2003 he said it should continue to mature over the next ten years so it should be pretty mature now. I indicated that it had mellowed out from its earlier tannic presentation but didn't note a rating for it or the Cask Cabernet.
2005 RUBICON ESTATE CASK CABERNET, NAPA VALLEY, CA
Ripe grapes lend to an almost sweet impression. I have another bottle to explore further. (High ratings on CellarTracker.)
NON-VINTAGE HAKUTSURU PLUM WINE, JAPAN 12.5% abv
The story behind why this wine was included: a group from church had a ladies' night out at an Asian restaurant and I ordered a glass of plum wine. Some others followed my example and liked the wine so they suggested that I include a plum wine at the next wine tasting at church. I tried a gold plum wine but didn't like it. When I checked the label it said grape wine with plum flavoring and caramel added. The Hakutsuru says plum wine with other natural flavorings. Plum and floral fragrance. White to pale lemon color with transparency. I liked this better than the gold plum wine I had tried.