I signed up for two events at this biannual charity fundraiser--a wine dinner at Upstream seafood restaurant in Phillips Place with wines from Elk Cove (Andy Cambell) in Oregon and an All-American tasting with twelve wines and vintners at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse Uptown. Both events have concluded.
Andy Campbell said it was refreshing to have a wine dinner at a seafood restaurant as the menu broke away from the usual duck and pork. We were greeted with a flute of a nice sparkling wine. First course was diver scallop tataki (ginger-cured scallops with Asian pear butter, vergus-apricot vinaigrette, gingered carrots and scallion grass) with
2014 Elk Cove Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley Delicate pear flavor, gentle spices (white pepper). I prefered this to the St. Innocent Pinot Gris I had at a Raleigh wine dinner April 12.
Second course was hamachi carpaccio with compressed pineapple, blood orange, crispy jalapeno and white ponzu with
2014 Elk Cove Pinot Blanc. Andy said both the white wines have stone fruit notes but the Pinot Blanc is perhaps more minerally and gravelly. It had some viscosity. (We had a great meal at Upstream with great service but this may have been my least favorite course.)
Third course was porcini-crusted black grouper, foraged mushrooms, sweet pea puree, ramp coulis and white truffle foam with roasted clam shells. It was served with two Pinot Noirs.
2014 Elk Cove Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley. About the same color as the next wine, a pretty Burgundy color. Cherry flavors, bright and fruity.
2014 Elk Cove Pinot Noir, Clay Court Vineyard. More depth than previous Pinot. Cherry and raspberry flavors. Viscous but silky smooth. My wine of the night.
Andy said 2014 was a great vintage in Oregon.
The fourth course was Szechuan-crusted Magret duck breast with tonkotsu broth, forbidden rice ramen, and sugar snap peas with
2014 Elk Cove Pinot Noir, Mt. Richmond Vineyard. This tasted riper than the previous two Pinots. It is from 20-year-old Pommard clone grapes and had soft tannins.
Dessert was a pear and apricot tart tatin with orange blossom honey gelato.
2012 Elk Cove Ultima Dessert Wine with 21% residual sugar and 8.5% alcohol by volume. It is made mostly from Riesling grapes with some Gewurztraminer and Muscat. The others at my table found the dessert to be too sweet but I found the wine to be too sweet.
Without coordinating ahead of time, I ended up choosing the same wine dinner as a friend who lives in Charlotte and we were assigned to the same corner table for four (with a couple from Ohio.) Fortuitous.
A description of the All-American Tasting will have to wait (probably until tomorrow.)