Notes on the 16th annual Terrine and wine event
There were four couples this time, each presenting a terrine that they had created along with a pair of wines that they thought would complement the food. The weather was mild and we say beside the river that is my backyard and nibbled, sipped, played a bit of bocce and generally enjoyed the occasion.
I was first up this time, and I had prepared a dish of wild caught Coho salmon en croute with a layer of crème fraiche, dill, poached asparagus tips and grated lemon peel atop the salmon, an upper layer of the asparagus stems, laid like logs on the crème fraiche mixture, and all encased in puff pastry. My sides were gomaae (spinach with a bit of mirin and toasted sesame, and a hint of sweetness added – all very familiar to Japanese food enthusiast, and a side of pan roasted cherry tomatoes (mixed colours and types) with sumac, which gives them a nice lemony touch, along with a decorative garnish of green grapes and a mini gherkin.
2017 Vincent Gaudry Sancerre Le Tournebride – lovely varietal sauv blanc nose, clean and pure and not afflicted with either cat’s pee or gooseberries, two o the usual things detected from SB from other areas. Pale colour, hints of grapefruit in the nose and of peach on palate, and perfect levels of acidity, neither too angular nor too soft. Very good pairing with the food.
2015 Inama Soave Classico Vigneti di Foscarino – this garganega based wine is Inama’s reserve selection. It showed considerably more colour, a good nose of apple/pear, balanced and with good acidity, and perhaps just a hint of oxidation in the nose. Turned out to be a great match with the gomaae, but less so with the salmon.
The second course was a ‘Ragin’ Cajun Crawfish Terrine (we discovered that in Canada we call them crayfish, but crawfish seems to the accepted terminology down South) with a chicken/lobster/ham mousseline and sides of dirty rice, Andouille vinaigrette, and a pickled okra. The choice of wines was inspired – a pair of good Bandol Rosés.
2018 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose – this wine was quite pale, had a lovely sweet nose of peach and honeysuckle. Good balance, elegant and terminal acidity was perfect.
2018 Ch. Pradeaux Bandol Rose – much darker colour with a riper, richer floral nose. Mostly mourvedre, but this house also adds some cinsault and sometimes grenache as well. The fruit was intense and enjoyable, and the balance and length were both excellent. My choice of the two, even though I am a big fan of Tempier.
Next up was a Pate en Croûte Rustique with pork, chicken, mushrooms and foie gras.
2012 Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Celebration – I thought that the pairing of one Burgundy and one California pinot was very interesting. This wine showed some very nice dark cherry fruit in the nose, but on palate was a lean and somewhat austere style with good terminal acidity and evident tannin. It would be interesting to know where this one is going, and when.
2011 Bonneau Pinot Noir Sangiacomo Vineyard – this was an unknown winery for me. More dark fruit in the nose, and oak was there too, but not excessively. Probably a hint more funk in this nose than the Burgundy. Sweet entry, tasty and with good length, and a medium length dry finish with some herbal notes creeping in. Interesting!
Next up was a Wapiti (elk) terrine with blueberry sauce, Arctic cloudberry jam and lentil salad. The terrine had four well defined ribs of elk running through it which gave some added visual attraction. It was very tasty, although one had to partake judiciously of the sweet accompaniments vis a vis the wines.
1996 Fernando Remírez de Ganuza Rioja Reserva – I know (and still own) this wine and it has always been a classy Rioja. Lovely nose of leather and dark fruit, not over oaked and with just a hint of dill (they use 80% French and 20% American oak). Mostly tempranillo, and from old vines, it is fermented and matured in oak, so I daresay that this one benefitted from not being a Gran Reserva and having the extra time in oak. In the mouth it has a rich slightly peppery feel, and a long balanced finish. Good show as always.
1999 Domaine du Colombier Hermitage – this was a great choice for pairing with the meaty Rioja. Dark, with a complex nose of black pepper, some meaty notes and a bit of road tar. Big but somehow elegant in the mouth with pepper, black olive and nutmeg notes. It somehow managed to be on the elegant side in terms of feel and presentation. Very good. Pretty much impossible to choose one wine over the other as being best with the food.
A great time was had by all. It was a relaxed afternoon with quiet wine and food discussion punctuated by somewhat inept bocce performance (out of practice).