First up was a very creative baked scallop and Dungeness crab terrine, Nantucket bay scallop ceviche, chicharrón chip with sea urchin roe, and avocado-cucumber aspic.
2012 Ridge Estate Chardonnay – showing a bit of colour and some nice vanilla nose with floral notes, this was a smooth, tasty, well made California Chardonnay with none of the common mistakes too often seen of over oaking or being slightly unbalanced. Perfect choice.
2014 Hecht Bannier Cotes de Provence Rosé – a last minute happen-stance replacement brought by mistake in place of a planned Podere Ruggeri Corsini Rosato, but all turned out well, although I’d have been interested in tasting the nebbiolo version. Interesting medium pink with orange tones, a nose of herbs and fruit, slightly off dry finish. It complemented the food.
My offering was up next which accounts for the added details on the food. Wild mushroom (chanterelle, brown beech - Buna Shimeji - and royal trumpet) and Veal Terrine with roasted Yellow Pepper Coulis, Onion Confit, Celeriac Remoulade (that I made with a bit of extra Dijon mustard and finely chopped match sticks of green apple, which I finds elevates this dish) and Carrottes Rapees with Pistachios and a toasted coriander vinaigrette.
2010 Dom. de la Taille aux Loups Montlouis-sur-Loire Remus Plus – this Loire Chenin is rich without being off dry. It had a beguiling nose of pear and wild flower honey and a smooth silky mouth feel with good terminal acidity. It went well with the food.
2004 Ferd. Richter Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese – a half step up in sweetness, although this was so crisp that you’d be forgiven for thinking it a very good Kabinett. More colour here and a lovely nose of stony petrol and fruit. Bright acidity balanced it out well and I thought it went particularly well with the slow cooked onion confit.
The next dish was a smoked ham hock terrine with vegetables and herbs, served with:
2014 Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc – we never see Rochioli wines up here as they are a waiting list distribution and so I was glad to get the chance to try this. Definitely not a grassy style, it was all about fruit – lemon, lime, with some sweetness and the sort of balance and acidity that would make you look to France, if tasted blind, were it not for the fairly lush up front fruit. Excellent!
2009 Manoir Tete de la Rouge Anjou ‘Chapitre’- another Chenin, a bit darker and with slight oxidative notes but nonetheless enjoyable, although the previous wine was my favourite of the two.
Next was a vegetable mousse with white and a red wines and accompaniments meant to complement each:
2007 Albert Mann Gewurtztraminer Furstentum Vielles Vignes – a stand out Alsatian with a nose of honey and orange rind, good balance and a quite persistent finish.
2011 Lapierre Morgon – a pleasant Beaujolais, but unfortunately a poor match to the food – just didn’t work well. The wine still seems to have a bit of light purple at the edges, although I’d judge it to be fully mature and enjoyable now. Sappy nose and a pleasant spiciness on palate, smooth and medium long.
A very traditional foie gras and oxtail terrine was the last course and although one thinks of a certain heaviness when you hear oxtail, it turned out to be a quite traditional and not overly heavy brasserie sort of dish.
2007 Joh. Jos Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese – just as had been the case with the Morgon, this wine failed to suit the terrine it was served with. As a stand alone, it was very good, though, a lighter colour than the older Spatlese and with primarily citrus elements in the nose, with better acidity than the Alsatian wine of the same vintage, and with medium length, a contrast to the very long finish on the Mann wine.
2001 Branaire Ducru - this choice redeemed this course as far as wine and food matches as it was excellent.. Good colour, a slightly ripe nose, medium to full bodied and ready to go but no rush. Had we not then opened the back up claret I’d have been fairly hap[py, although the Branaire fell a little short of expectation (just the bottle, I think, not a general comment on this wine).
2001 Cantemerle – darker and with an immediately better nose than the Branaire, with good red fruit and a green tinge to it, as well as some tobacco and cedar. Lots of soft tannin, and a generally brighter wine than the previous one.
Another page in the terrine book and a pleasant day for all.
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