Here are some of the highlights from a staff dinner for the crew at a local winestore I help out at.
Food included chicken wings, crab stuffed mushroom caps, mulligatawny, arctic char and a duck casserole.
After 2 delicious bottles of bubbly from Domaine La Rogerie, we were poured the 2017 J.J.Prum Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese and the 2010 Donnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Spatlese. Pretty exclusive rieslings for sure!
Next up was the Domaine Tempier Bandol Blanc 2017. Certainly needs some time...mineral citrus and very good acidity. Price here is close to $60 Cdn though. Next up was my WOTN, the 2016 Cuilleron Saint-Joseph Lieu-Dit Digue. 100% Roussanne, light straw colored, lovely perfume nose.peach pear and apples. A terrific wine!
Dirk, who held the party, as expected pulled a Bordeaux from his vaste cellar..the 1995 Lagrange from St. Julien. Redcurrant, leathery and a few thought at its prime. My notes mention "tired wine" but duck was good though!
Other wines passed my lips but no notes. This summer party also has some very unique beers and I liked the Burdock Black Ruby from Toronto.• 50% barrel aged brett saison (aged in neutral – 3rd use – 400L cognac barrels with cab franc skins in the barrel for 8 months) then blended in a stainless tote and aged on black and red raspberries for 3 months.
• 35% brett saison aged on cab franc skins aged in tote with a ratio of skins to beer of 1:1 (that’s a lot of cab franc skins).
• 15% high acid pinot noir rose from a winery in Niagara that starts with a P.