Mrs. Doc's Birthday 2009.

Mrs. Doc belatedly celebrated this past Saturday at Shang Palace her *UHURM*th birthday (I think the unusually cool weather these days is giving me a cold).

We were only 9 at the table since Mr. Powers was still out of town, but very ably represented by his better half. The Doc told us not to bring any wines as he would take care of everything. I couldn't help but bring one new one though that I got as a Christmas gift, just to try it out and see if I should buy more.

We started off with...

...which we had with...

Pol Roger Champagne Extra Cuvée de Réserve NV - Kicking any dinner off with champagne always sets a festive tone, most apt for a birthday celebration. I've long favored the wine of Paul Roger and lament that they are infrequently locally available (in my experience, anyway).

This particular bubbly was youthfully exuberant, fresh, very lively, with crisp apple, bit of citrus, slight chaume, bread, subtle hint of white minerals, all touched by a yeasty theme. Somewhat linear, bright acidity, well-focused. This may put on a little more roundness and weight mid-palate with more time in bottle. Very enjoyable, its exuberant personality and bright purity of fruit lend it a festive personality.

As regards the pairing, it was excellent with the sliced jellyfish (which just happens to be one of my favorite starters with Chinese meals).

Then came the Peking Duck...


...which was perfectly paired with:

2004 Domaine Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl - The Doc reminded me that he brought this before, at our relatively recent Blind Bordeaux Challenge XI. Right he was, of course. my notes then were as follows:

A nicely reserved, comparatively lean (and that is a good thing for me),
minerally, well-focused, just slightly sweetish pinot gris from a world-famous
Alsace producer known for its rich, ultra-ripe-fruited wines with a lot of
residual sugar in the more modern style.

The dominant fruit flavors are those of clean apricot and Indian mango (as we know them here in Manila) with nuances of honeysuckle and white minerals. There is also a very slight whisper of spritziness mid-palate and towards the back. Of the hallmark vaguely almond/nutty notes of pinot gris, they become more apparent towards the back of the mouth and on the finish.

Well-crafted with good reserve, with a nice, steely backbone and acidity that gives this wine a bright, fresh and cleansing character.

This particular bottle presented itself very differently, and, to my mind, more typically the Zind Humbrecht style - richer, more luxurious, fuller, riper, rounder with gewürztraminer-reminiscent notes of lychee to its honeyed apricot, pear and mango. No spritziness this time. I am convinced this is because the Doc had this breathing for at least an hour by the time we got to it, whereas, at the last Challenge, I recall it was it was popped and poured.

As regards pairing Peking Duck with a good Alsace pinot gris, I first learned this around 4 or so years ago from Bernie Sim (Ostertag PGs I bought from him and greatly enjoyed). Interestingly, every single Alsace producer I've subsequently met and spoken at length with (no less than Weinbach's Catherine Faller, Léon Beyer's Marc Beyer, Hugel & Fils' Etienne Hugel and Bott-Geyl's Valerie Bott-Cartier) all recommended the same pairing.

~ oOo ~

Next was an excellent Japanese Teriyaki-esque special dish (not on the menu but usually available on request, as I understand) of Cod in Light Soya Sauce. With this I paired:

2007 Weingut Hermann Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese - *Whew*, it's as hard to spell as pronounce. My bottle, a Christmas gift (among others) from Rocky & Apple Villadolid. Thanks to German wine buff, J-Lab, for suggesting pairings for me.

Apparently, Dönnhoff is widely recognized as one of the very top German wine producers and their Niederhäuser rieslings are of particular note (not surprising as Rocky, who chose this for me, is into German rieslings these days). Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson's book says so, and so did everyone I asked: J-Lab, the Doc and Stockbroker. They, as well as members of http://www.westcoastwine.net/, assured me that while this producer's riesling can easily age from 10-15 years, they are already quite delicious young. They were absolutely right.

Spätlese, as I understand, are late harvest wines, somewhat equivalent, I suppose to the Alsace vendanges tardives. Thus, these wines are generally a bit sweet (a.k.a., "off-dry"). This particular wine was zippy, extremely well-focused and pure in fruit (lightly honeyed ripe grapefruit, peach, lime, melon, bit of ripe lemon) with pronounced minerality, fantastic definition and acidic lift, and, in its aroma, an alluring white florality.

Nice complexity all packed, as the Doc noted, in a taut 9% abv body. There was a faint, but noticeable bit of spritz in it, most likely due to its youth and/or lack of material breathing time.

Wonderful wine, one you could drink all day and all night. With the excellent fish (crunchy skin, moist inside) dish, it was a great match - the wines crisp sweetness playing well with the sweetish, teriyaki-like light soy sauce.

~ oOo ~

The rest of the dishes came in rapid succession, much to our celebrant's obvious delight...

For our reds that night (the Doc and Stockbroker would never have a dinner without some red), the Doc had breathing a...

1996 Château Cos d'Estournel (Magnum) - The Doc has obviously been loading up with and opening a lot of mags these days, I have half a mind to re-name him "Magnum MD". I think this is the 3rd I've had this wine from him since he won with it by a landslide in our Blind Bordeaux Challenge VIII a little over a year ago (I believe it still holds the record of the widest winning margin). My notes then were:

Wine # 1 - Best nose of the night, an exotically spiced, delicately sweet jasmine tea/plum/raspberry liqueur perfume. I immediately guessed it to be a Cos d'Estournel. In the mouth, it was definitive all the way from the confident attack to the long finish. Rich and generous in the mouth, leaving virtually nothing for analysis or the imagination.

In the Doc's and Sevrine's notes, they indicated that the mouth did not fulfill the bouquet's promise, commenting that it was even a bit short. Edouard liked it best and easily pegged it as a left bank. The Stockbroker commented that it tasted quite fresh. I identified it as a Cos...

The Doc had told me what he was bringing, but not the Stockbroker. With one whiff, however, of the rich, exotic spice laced (vaguely Asian/Indian) bouquet, he immediately nailed it as a Cos d'Estournel despite the Doc's attempts to mislead him.

I had just a few sips of this graceful red with the beef with peppers, but drank most of my share after dinner proper, before dessert. This '96 Cos had the most breathing time compared to the others I've had - at least a couple of hours worth. Tonight's performance was the most refined so far, with an almost ethereal display of its warm, dark spice and jasmine tea leaf notes intricately woven into its barely full-bodied cassis, cedar, dark plum, whisper of raspberry, slight mocha and barest hint of vanilla.

The hallmark Asian/Indian touches of this fine Médoc truly sets it apart. The only one I ever noted such touches in was the 1990 Montrose that the Stockbroker entered in our hilarious 7th Blind Bordeaux Challenge in the 2nd week of August 2007. Significantly, I've not noted the same similarity to Cos in two other bottles of the '90 Montrose I've had the pleasure of drinking. Be it as it may, the exotic blend of Asia (China in particular) in a Bordeaux is very distinctive, yet the wine holds true to its French roots - much like the Vigneron who eats his Salted Fish Fried Rice from a rice bowl, but with a fork.

Our feast was brought to an end with a lot of humorous (albeit mildly controversial) debate that got the Stockbroker roaring with laughter, and delicious bowls of Warm Almond Cream and the ubiquitous, but always welcome, Mango Sago.

Many thanks for the wonderful evening, spouses Doc; and, to Mrs. Doc, belated happy birthday yet again! I actually did know what it was we gave you as a gift, it's just that it slipped my mind when you asked. I swear it.

Re: Corkage....

Socky recently made a very good suggestion - that I post on the corkage policies of restaurants. Though I am more than happy to do my little bit in disseminating handy info to fellow winos, I have 2 problems in doing so as regards corkage policies:

1. Those precious few followers of my blog know that I regularly go to only a handful of restaurants. Consequently, I know the corkage policies of only those establishments.
   
2. In some restaurants I frequent, I'm not really sure if my (and my regular group's) not being charged corkage is due to our being somewhat regular customers or if it is a policy they maintain for all customers.

With this caveat in mind, the corkage policies of the following establishments are, to the best of my knowledge, as follows (with proper qualifications as called for):

• Lolodad's (Main) - No corkage


• Pepato - No corkage (maybe just for regulars)


• Mamou - No corkage


• Je Suis Gourmand - P250 per bottle


• Caruso's - P300 per bottle


• Elbert's Steak Room - P500 per bottle


• La Tienda - p500 per bottle


• La Régalade - P500 per bottle


• Antonio's Fine Dining - P550 per bottle


• L'Opera - P750 per bottle


• Sala Fine Dining - P750 per bottle


• Sala Bistro - P750 per bottle


• People's Palace - P750 per bottle


• Aubergine - P750 per bottle


• CAV - P750 per bottle


• CiÇou - P1000 per bottle, waived during monthly special menus and promos


• Old Manila* - P1500 per bottle


• Tivoli* - P1500 per bottle

*These establishments, among others, have special arrangements with the International Wine & Food Society whereby the members thereof are extended certain courtesies.

Some of these restaurants discount or even waive their corkage - mostly for regular customers - but, sometimes, others do seemingly without rhyme or reason. Thus, I do not want to mention which do discount or waive since they do not do so as a matter of general policy. Of course, it is natural that regulars are extended special courtesies.

Hope that helps.

In Retrospect: My Favorite Locally Available Wines for 2008.

No pictures. No notes. No Musings. No panel of judges, secret or otherwise.

These are my favorite locally available wines for the past year 2008.

Please note the following:

• Around 90+% of the red (Bordeaux, Burgundy, even Rhône) I drink/write about are not locally available - those few that are, are sometimes bought abroad anyway;
• I really prefer Old World wines to New World, though I am always open to trying something new;
• It is no secret that some of the sellers and/or shareholders of the sellers are friends of mine, but, rest assured, this does not affect my judgment;
• A wine's making or not making it in my list doesn't mean much unless we have similar taste in wine - and - though I do try many, I haven't tried all out there;
• Aside from the wines I have posted on in my blog, I have tasted many others but those did not interest me enough to commit to memory, much less write about;
• Some wines may no longer be currently in stock;
• I did not consider price in my ranking;
• The prices are full retail as of the time I purchased the wines (they may have gone up) and are included merely for readers' convenience in case they are considering buying some;
• If I list less than 3 in any category, that means that I didn't think much of the other locally available wines that I've tried in such category, or, as in the case of Tempier Bandol Rosé, there is no other in its class locally available;
• Luxury wines, except rosé, will bear no price as those who would buy these can/should easily afford them anyway; and,
• Those bearing a red asterisk are those I consider as having exceptional quality-to-price-ratio (QPR).

Rosé (Luxury):

1. 2007 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé* - Sommelier Selection, P2050

Rosé:

1. 2007 Homenaje Rosado* - Terry Selection, appx. P400
2. 2007 Le Rosé de Pavie Macquin - Premium Wine Exchange, appx. P800

Champagne - Luxury:

1. 1996 Dom Pérignon - Premium Wine Exchange, this vintage is no longer available
2. Krug Non-Vintage - Premium Wine Exchange
3. 1996 Veuve Clicquot "La Grande Dame" - Premium Wine Exchange

Champagne:

1. 1999 Duval-Leroy Champagne Blanc de Chardonnay - Wine Depot, appx. P5000
2. 2002 Champagne Drappier Grande Sendrée - Sommelier Selection, P5070
3. Pommery Brut Royal* - Forth & Tay, appx. P3500

White - Chardonnay:

1. 2006 Laurent Tribut Chablis 1er cru Côtes de Lechet - Sommelier, P2130
2. 2005 Domaine Robert Denogent Pouilly Fuissé "Les Reisses" - Sommelier, P2230
3. 2003 Rustenberg "Five Soldiers", ZEN Asia, this vintage is no longer available

White - Sauvignon Blanc:

1. 2002 Michel Redde Pouilly-Fumé Cuvée Majorum - Sommelier, P3460
2. 2006 Raimbault-Pineau Pouilly-Fumé* - Terry Selection, appx. P1100
3. 1999 H. Bourgeois Sancerre "La Bourgeoise" - Bacchus, this vintage is no longer available, but other vintages and lines from this excellent producer are. Generally very good QPR for all their lines. Look for 2006s.

White - Riesling:

1. 1997 Léon Beyer Riesling Comtes d'Eguisheim - Bacchus, this vintage is no longer available
2. 2006 Bott-Geyl Riesling Les Elements* - Sommelier, P1120

White - Gewürztraminer:

1. 1997 Léon Beyer Gewürztraminer Comtes d'Eguisheim - Bacchus, this is no longer available
2. 2006 Bott-Geyl Gewürztraminer "Les Elements"* - Sommelier, P1660
3. 1994 Léon Beyer Gewürztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles - Bacchus, this vintage is no longer available

White - Pinot Gris:

1. 1997 Léon Beyer Tokay Pinot Gris Comtes d'Eguisheim - Bacchus, this vintage is no longer available

White - Rhône Blend (Marsanne/Roussanne):

1. 1998 E. Guigal Hermitage Blanc - Bacchus, this vintage is no longer available but others are
2. 2005 Cuvée du Vatican Reserve Sixtine Blanc - Premium Wine Exchange, P2200
3. 2006 Domaine du Colombier Crôze Hermitage Blanc* - Sommelier, P1400

White - Spanish:

1. 2007 Protos Rueda Verdejo - Terry Selection, P570
2. 2006 Marqués de Riscal Rueda - I bought it in La Tienda off their wine list, appx. P670
3. 2004 Marqués de Cáceres Blanco Fermentado en Barrica - Terry Selection, P550

Red - Bordeaux (Luxury):

NB: There are many excellent wines and much better vintages in this category available in Säntis and Bacchus, but the wines I drink in this category are normally purchased abroad. Some that were purchased locally though (not necessarily by me) are:

1. 1999 Château Margaux - Säntis
2. 1999 Château Lafite Rothschild - Säntis
3. 1999 Château Cos d'Estournel - either Säntis or Bacchus.

Red - Bordeaux:

1. 1996 Château de Fieuzal - Säntis, appx. P3400
2. 2000 Château Siran - Bacchus/Säntis, this vintage is no longer available
3. 2001 Château d'Issan - Säntis, appx. P3500

Red - Rhône:

1. 2005 Domaine La Roubine Gigondas* - Sommelier, P1725
2. 2001 E. Guigal Côte Rôtie Brune et Blonde - Bacchus, appx. P3600
3. 2001 Domaine Chèze St-Joseph Cuvée des Anges - Sommelier, P2960

Red - Tuscany:

1. 2001 Antinori Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Riserva* - Bacchus P2400
2. 2001 Tenute Marchesi Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva* - Bacchus, appx. P1700

Red - Beaujolais:

1. 2006 Domaine du Tracot Moulin-à-Vent "Jean Paul Dubost" - Sommelier, P2225
2. 2005 Domaine Lapalu Brouilly "La Croix des Rameaux" - Sommelier, P1935

Red - Spanish - Luxury:

1. 1996 Vega Sicilia Único - Terry Selection
2. 2003 Vega Sicilia Valbuena 5º - Terry Selection

Red - Spanish:

1. 2004 Alion Reserva Tinto* - Terry Selection, appx. 3600+
2. 1998 Marqués de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial* - Ralph's, appx. P2700
3 1996 Beronia Gran Reserva* - Barcino, appx. P1800+
4. 2003 Alion Reserva Tinto* - Terry Selection, appx. P3500+

La Tienda Dinner, 03 January 2009.

Yesterday's dinner for eight (4 couples), was back at La Tienda (on Polaris St., Makati) for more of Javi Lecumberri's Spanish fare. We had almost the same dishes as a month ago, sans the fresh boquerones and pulpo á la Gallega. Mrs. Doc made the reservations while Miguel kindly notified Chef Javi that we were coming.

We started off with two orders of Escalivadas atop anchovies and toast. Everyone, especially Mrs. Doc, Mrs. Powers and myself, loved it so much that we wound up ordering two more. With these we had:

2006 Herederos del Marqués de Riscal Rueda - I simply had to have some Spanish white. Since none of us brought any, I ordered off the restaurant's wine list (something I hardly ever do). There being no Albariño available, I got a bottle of this already well-chilled Rueda blanco (verdejo dominant with a bit of viura thrown in).

Very dry, bright, fresh and well-focused gooseberry, ripe grapefruit, some citrus and tropical fruitiness (hint of pineapple and Indian mango), fresh grass, all touched with a very subtle touch of mangetout (a.k.a., snow pea or "sitsaro" or "chicharo").

It had a crisp, lip-smacking dryness that made it very food-friendly. Great match for the escalivadas and, actually, the Besugo al Horno as well.

Of course, I couldn't help bringing along a bottle of 2007 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé since I love this wine so much. I also know my wife and the Doc like this a lot too. I also wanted the Powers spouses to try it out because I wasn't sure they had yet. I'm very confident in bringing this wine anywhere as it is always well-loved and is extremely versatile in food-pairing.

I drink so much of it that friends rib me about being either a shareholder of Tempier or a sales agent of Sommelier Selection, Tempier's official distributor in the Philippines (and other countries in Asia except Japan). In any event, the bottle was quickly drained, conclusive proof of this wine's irresistible charms.

The main courses then made their way to the table:

Fabada and Paella de Verduras made with Basmati rice.

Besugo al Horno

We also had two orders of a dish cooked on-the-fly by Chef Javi which I didn't get to try (I didn't get to try the fabada either). It was obviously a mélange of Manila clams and shrimp with olive oil, spices and chopped parsely. I think we ordered this because they had only one order of besugo available and had no whole fresh lapu-lapu to make an approximation of the former.

The chef's reluctance to use fillets of lapu lapu instead is a sure sign of how serious he is about the dishes he makes and how much pride he has in making them - always important, and appreciated.

Chuleton, rare to medium-rare, as it should be.

The reds, all from Spain, were:


2001 Bodegas y Viñedos Alion Reserva Tinto (Magnum) - From the Doc. I've written fondly of their 2003 and 2004 vintages previously. Before I tried these, however, and before I started this blog, I enjoyed several bottles of the 2001 Alion at Terry's until the stock ran out. Thus, when the Doc mentioned he got some of these, I was exceedingly eager for another night of Spanish food and wine.

Among the vintages of Alion I have tried (i.e., 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004), the 2001 is my favorite. The aroma alone (mirrored in the mouth) puts it above the others thus far: Open (but nowhere near wanton), suavely vanilla and toasty oak laced molten dark fruit, black cherry/kirsch, macerated blackberry, hints of violets and mild licorice. On the palate, just past mid-mouth, discreet chocolate notes come into play.

Commanding presence this full-bodied, well extracted, modern Ribera del Duero has, as well as great confidence. Greatly enjoyed it. Savoring the last of my glass, re-committing the wine to memory, however, my reverie was interrupted as Mrs. Doc (admittedly prompted by a verbal slip of mine) and the rest had a good laugh at one of my food-related idiosyncrasies (i.e., my general aversion to eating a particularly common fowl, especially when cooked a certain way).

1998 Bodegas Marqués de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial - Mr. Powers' bottle, one I've greatly enjoyed before from J-Lab at a paella dinner/spur-of-the-moment Spanish red tasting at Je Suis Gourmand a little over a month ago. My notes then were:

...Composed of 85% tempranillo, 13% mazuelo and 2% grenache; it spent an astounding 41 months in American oak as I understand. Graceful, ethereal, complex and elegant Rioja with a sweet Spanish cedar-and-camphor-laced bouquet of cherry essence, dried red berries (over) cassis, with a shade more rancio and oak notes, slight crème de cacao and (likely from the American oak) toffee and nutmeg notes. Exquisitely woven silk on the tongue. Loved it. Between this and Robert's '96 Beronia Gran Reserva, it was extremely difficult to choose, but I eventually named this Ygay my red wine of the night, as did JayLab and Johnny.

The Vigneron noted apparent "coconut and banana" scents that clearly indicated American oak. Probably made for the American market he opined. I agree that there was a lot of coconut cream and toffee in this, though the Doc and I couldn't get the "banana". I also noted much less rancio in this particular bottle as compared to the one I previously had. Still, a very nice wine for me.
Opened later in the evening, I wished I also had this with the chuleton.

The last red opened that evening was my traditional 1996 Bodegas Beronia Rioja Gran Reserva which I have written about several times - most recently during dinner at Sala last week. No need to write more on this.

I was getting a bit tipsy in the meantime and asked the restaurant's resident "Trio los Panchos" to play a few of my favorites - Solamente Una Vez, La Malagueña Salerosa, while my wife requested Historia de un Amor - and I couldn't help but sing along a bit. That's probably why nobody else was left in the restaurant by the time we went home.

Wonderful dinner, fine wines, great company. ¡Olé!

New Year's Dinner 2009.

It just so happens that my family has always celebrated New Year with a dinner on January 1st, while my wife's family celebrates on the eve proper (i.e., late on the 31st until the wee hours) - a most fortunate arrangement so there is never any conflict of schedules. Dinner on the 1st was at our place since most of my father's staff was on vacation. We were only eight: my father, brother, sister-in-law, my wife, 3 sons and I.

We started off with appetizers of Dill Flavored Blinis Topped with Smoked Salmon, Sour Cream and Caviar (made by my wife); and sliced Jamón Serrano. To wash these down and toast to the New Year, we had some:


1995 Dom Pérignon - From my father. No new year celebration is complete without some good champagne. Very fine but persistent mousse on this mildly creamy, refined toasty (more apparent just past mid-mouth), vaguely biscuity ripe apple, stone fruit. There were faint nuances of fig, small dried (but not sweet) fruits and toasty oak/vanilla as well.

Good length, quietly rounded feel mid-mouth. Not brightly exuberant and driven like the 1996; not linear and citrus-forward like the 1998. Very nice. I had only one glass since I hadn't eaten and still had to cook, so my wife gave her Christmas reindeer half a glass of bubbly for himself.

We then got to cooking while my sons entertained their grandfather.


We all have our individual strengths in the kitchen. I never really learned how to do any healthy food, my wife takes care of the salads during parties with our friends. Since she already made the appetizers, though, my brother and his wife took the reins that night.

They collaborated on a Salad of Arugula, Assorted Greens, Caramelized Walnuts, Thinly Sliced Radishes, Dried Cranberries with a Light Vinaigrette.

We intended this to also go with my Pan-Fried Foie Gras in a Tokaji Aszú - Balsamic Vinegar Syrup. I suggested this as I've increasingly found foie gras with sweet sauces too overwhelming - I can only take two bites before my palate gets tired. A nice salad always brightens up the fat liver's richness and helps me get through the course.

My brother also prepared a platter of his Rosemary-Fried Potates which I love and specifically requested. He fried them in a combination of extra virgin olive oil and duck fat rendered from the searing phase of the duck breasts. It has a crustiness on the outside and a deliciously soft interior. I couldn't stop filching some every so often and popping them in my mouth - still piping hot - while we were cooking.

Our main course was my simple Seared-Then Roasted Magret de Canard with Sauce Siran. I had originally planned this dish to be roasted atop sliced, pre-baked buttered apples (a dish I made at Château Siran for dinner the first night, the very first time I was there), but the maids forgot to slice the apples beforehand and I had no time to wait for them to do so by that time.

The sauce was made from the duck drippings, deglazed with some 1999 Château Siran (from the magnum the Vigneron had given me as a gift in late 2008), then seasoned, reduced and finished with butter.


I finished up the foie gras by the time the duck breasts had rested for about 20 minutes. Sliced on the bias to ensure tenderness, dinner was served.

I made the foie's "syrup" by reducing some 2000 Oremus Tokaji Aszú 3 Puttonyos, adding balsamic vinegar, reducing further, then mixing in a dollop of dark molasses and a tablespoon or two of the fat rendered from the foie. Sinful, I know, and definitely not something you'd want to eat everyday, but, hey, it was new year.

My sister-in-law loves to eat, but you could hardly tell by her build - she's slim as ever. She obviously has the will-power to implement moderation even when eating foie gras.

The picture on the right is her first course of the salad with a piddling portion of foie, though she did go back for a bit more later on.

I've stated before that Oremus is an early-90s investment of Vega Sicilia in Hungary. Tokaji Aszú is a sweet wine made out of the juice of botrytised furmint grapes, the increasing sweetness levels of which range from 3 to 6 puttonyos.

Beyond 6, the wine is called "Eszencia", which is, according to the Stockbroker, so syrupy sweet it is better consumed by the spoonful.

I chose the least sweet (3 puttonyos) of this dried apricot, orange marmalade, canned peach, citrus and vanilla/oak - flavored dessert wine for its brighter acidity to cut the foie's inherent richness and also because I know my father and brother do not really favor anything very sweet. Everyone liked it, even my eldest son had some with his foie.


A sure-fire indicator that my bohemian sibling is enjoying his meal is his patented tongue-wagging accompanied by an incomprehensible, guttural sound. My wife is understandably amused.

1999 Château Siran (Magnum) - As mentioned earlier, this magnum was a gift from the Vigneron to me earlier in 2008. I was very happy to receive it because the first and last time I had this wine was at a dinner party in Siran with many friends in July 2006. My notes then were as follows:

Chateau Siran 1999 - I have become quite familiar with Siran's hallmark
masculine, well-structured, hefty, earthy, leathery dark fruit (cassis,
blackcurrant with a bit of plum underneath) middle and its demure semi-sweetish
red fruit to the back ever since I met Edouard; having tried several vintages
with him, including 1982 (my favorite until that evening), 1996, 2000, 2001,
2004 and 2005.

The '99 was true to its heritage, yet different in the
sense that it seemed to have, for lack of a better term, a slight
"international" slant to it which made it, to my mind, more lush and
approachable than other vintages I've tried. Not marginally thinner, mind you,
as I've generally found '99s to be, but softer - despite its relative youth -
"friendlier", as you will.

Nice and silky texture, the structure and
balance is there, with good length to the finish; yet noticeably lighter on its
feet compared to the '82, '96 and '00. Also noted some slight mocha whispers to
the back.

I recalled Michel Rolland's services were engaged as wine
consultant by Siran for a time and asked if this vintage fell under his watch.
Edouard said it did. Perhaps that was the reason, who knows?

I definitely liked this wine.

What I can add now is that this wine has bright, effusive red cherry and raspberry topnotes over its moderately minerally cassis/blackcurrant base. There is the masculine nuance of leather and a whisper of iron typical of Siran, but this is a very approachable and food-friendly wine. It certainly went well with the duck - the red berries gave a nice cut to the duck's earthy gaminess, while the dark fruit base went hand-in-hand with latter.

My wife, brother, sis-in-law openly expressed their appreciation for the wine, while my father kept drinking it (always a good sign). My second son obviously enjoyed his glass with the duck.

Desserts were Cuerva's Cherry Torte (a perennial favorite of my family) and Toblerone Balls made by my wife (paired with 2005 Josefina Piñol Vi Dolç).

It was pure happenstance that the desserts featured the color red and round shapes considered lucky symbols for a new year. We didn't plan this at all, but I'm glad it turned out that way. With the way things are going with the world's economy, we all need as much luck as we can get.

My wife and brother really liked the way the Vi Dolç's chocolatey grenache flavors paired with the Toblerone balls, but my sis-in-law and father couldn't really get into it.

Dinner eventually ended late into the night over glasses of digestifs and cups of double espressos. We noted that our father left later and seemed more animated than usual - always another good sign that he enjoyed himself. We wound up sharing stories on the lanai. It was a great start to 2009.

Our compliments to the chefs (ourselves).

Sunday Dinner at Sala.

Dinner the day we got home from the beach, 28th December 2008, was at Sala with my wife, Doc, Mrs. Doc and our guests from Mission Viejo, Tech and Jamie. While all of us are friends, it is the ladies who have been so for the longest time - decades, to my knowledge - Mrs. Doc and Tech particularly close ever since.


Before anything else, I must comment that the service in Sala has always been exceptional in my experience. The staff is invariably neatly attired, polite, efficient and friendly without being familiar. The same could be said for Colin Mackay's other restaurants, Sala Bistro and People's Palace. The service is always crisp and precise.

The Twice-Baked Feta, Prawn and Dill Soufflé is my favorite appetizer in Sala and I most always start off with it, that night no exception. Specifically for this dish in mind, I brought yet another bottle of...

2006 Domaine Raimbault-Pineau Pouilly-Fumé - I've enjoyed several bottles of this ever since I had it at Rene's birthday dinner, and most recently with Fin de Claire oysters at Je Suis Gourmand. This bottle was as good as the first one I've had. Aside from its fresh, gracefully floral gooseberry, freshly cut grass, white grapefruit, ripe citrus and slight mineral aromas and flavors, there now was also notably ripe guava notes to it. This is an alluringly bright and lively wine with precise balance and acidity that lend it a playful character.

Sancerres and Pouilly-Fumés pair exceedingly well with shellfish, fish and many cheeses - particularly those made from goat's milk (such as the traditional Feta) with which they are traditionally paired in the Loire wherefrom the wine hails. Since this soufflé involved both shellfish and Feta, I knew I couldn't go wrong with the pairing - and I certainly didn't. Far from it, actually, as I found the match sublime.

Available at Terry's Selection at around P1100 per bottle more-or-less, I highly recommend this wine.

~ oOo ~

With our main courses, mine of hearty Roast Duck Breast, we had two reds:

1996 Bodegas Beronia Rioja Gran Reserva - I bought many bottles of this from Barcino ever since I tried it a month or so ago and it has never disappointed me. On the contrary, I have enjoyed every bottle of this more traditionally made, "steroid-free" Rioja.

Aside from the bouquet and flavors of sweet Spanish cedar, raspberry and dark cherry, over silken blackcurrant, subtle nuances of rancio, thyme, licorice, spiced wood, dark chocolate and violets, this displayed more of the strawberry notes typical of tempranillo than other bottles. A particularly refined, almost patrician, Rioja. Very good poise.

With the duck breast, I felt that the subtle predominance of red berry made it a particularly good match - brightening the dish's earthiness, providing some cut; while the blackcurrant undertones ran with the earthiness. Good match, if I do say so myself.

Also highly recommended for fans of refined Riojas.

1994 Château La Fleur de Gay - From Pomerol, the Doc's bottle. I'd had this once before sometime in mid 2005, purchased out of curiosity because I enjoyed the 2000 version so much (a Christmas gift from the Doc that my wife and I enjoyed on our 13th anniversary dinner at RED - just the two of us). No previous notes on the 1994 though.

This bottle was much better than the one I had then, with good structure and push to its cigar box and mild star anise infused dark plum, black cherry, underlying cassis and pronounced bell pepper topnotes. The Doc noted a vegetal, not-quite-ripe green character to the wine as a whole that became more apparent as the wine sat longer in the glass. I agree with his assessment - this green, stemmy trait is present in many (but not all) 1994 Bordeaux.

In sum, it was a good wine albeit not as successful a '94 as the Haut Brion, La Mission Haut Brion, Angelus, Pontet-Canet, etc. that we've enjoyed this year. Not available locally.

The evening was most enjoyable, not only for the food and wine, but mostly because of Tech's irrepressible and biting sense of humour that kept us in stiches - but, then, she always had that talent. I hope we will be able to do this again before they fly home.

25-27 December 2008: More Food than Wine.

Once Christmas hits, I tend to focus much more on eating than drinking, to my waistline's great prejudice. This Christmas season was no exception. Allow me to share a few shots of the food over those days...

25th Christmas lunch was with my wife's family as usual at the Banzhafs' house. Mrs. Doc organizes the food - and always in my favorite manner - i.e., good and way too much of it. That's the only way to go in my book. Serving good food in barely enough amounts is almost as bad as serving bad food (in any amount).

Mrs. Doc requested that I make the pasta Doc likes so my wife and kids went ahead while I finished up assembling it. The kitchen was bustling by the time I arrived, the Doc (partially hidden on the right) attending to the wine.

An 11-kilo rib-in US Angus Roast from my mom-in-law, made by her cook. Absolutely, sinfully good.

The obligatory Christmas Ham.

Juicy and tender turkey as only Ken can make it.

An assortment of salads, starches and "healthier" sidings that I ignored - except for the pasta I made, of course. I enjoyed the roast beef and pasta with a bottle of the Doc's...

1998 Château Moulin Saint Georges - This is probably the first time I get to try a wine from this grand cru château from St-Emilion, owned and run by the same Alain Vauthier of the much better-known and highly regarded Château Ausone (the only St-Emilion producer that can even come a little close to Château Cheval Blanc, in my opinion). 1998 was a stellar year for the right bank from whence this wine hails.

This had powerful, vaguely minty-cedary black fruit, juicy blackberry, black coffee and mocha dominating with underlying ripe black cherry and nuances of violets towards the back and in the finish. More push than depth on the palate especially mid-mouth.

The readily apparent (but finely infused) minty cedar reminded me of Pomerol rather than the softer, easier wines of St-Emilion - and I commented on this to the Doc. I wondered aloud if the vineyards are situated near the border of Pomerol.

Subsequent research showed they are not; rather, they are a few or couple of hundred meters away from the Ausone vineyards in the St-Emilion côtes. That, and the style of Ausone, would explain the relative power of this wine, which power and push were absolutely called for to pair well with the hearty roast beef and rich gravy.



As one can see, there was a riot of desserts. I stuck with the Banzhaf family's traditional homemade German Chocolate Cherry Torte and Mrs. Doc's signature plum cake. Excellent.

Mrs. Doc also made me an unbelievably good sundae of mint-chocolate chip ice cream with dark chocolate sauce and thin, dark chocolate cookies on the side. I loved it and ate it so fast I forgot to take a picture of it.

~ oOo ~

25th Christmas Dinner is always with my father at his place. It is was a small gathering this year - just 8 of us - as both my my sisters, my brother-in-law and niece, as well as our usual Christmas Dinner guests, are all out of the country this year.



My brother, his wife and I all cook well (if I do say so myself, false modesty is not a trait that runs strong in my family) so we divided up the labor except for the Chili-Garlic Prawns -which my father's cook does pretty damn well anyway.

Hisako made the salad - arugula, assorted greens, edamame, thinly sliced raw ham, and I pan-seared some scallops to throw in it as well. This was served with a light dressing made by Hisako, but I don't know what she put in it.

I made two herb-encrusted (rosemary, marjoram, thyme and cracked black pepper) roast racks of lamb; my brother, Tad, made his pilaf. He always does this very well, and, I, again, have no idea how he makes it. All I know is he likes to throw in different kinds of nuts and, sometimes, small dried fruits in it.

I also made pan-seared foie gras with a reduction of 2003 Oremus Tokaji Late Harvest and balsamic vinegar, using half the bottle for the reduction and serving the rest to pair with the foie. I prudently abstained from this course and accompanying wine (so no notes) since I'd just had a two-day run at foie gras at Je Suis Gourmand.

I do not know what they had for appetizers since I was in the kitchen most of the time - and couldn't really have had any anyway since I was so stuffed from the roast beef I had at lunch. I'm pretty sure it was some cheeses and sliced, dried sausages and ham, though. I also saw an empty bottle of Pinot Grigio brought in from the lanai just before dinner was served.

After my healthy, guilt-suppressing, yet more than satisfyingly flavorful salad course, I had some Chili-Garlic prawns, some pilaf and the lamb rack. Rummaging through my father's wine cav, I came across some 1997 Château Lascombes - a 2nd Growth château from Margaux.

While 1997 is generally considered an "off-year" for Bordeaux, I've enjoyed, over the past year, several "off-year" wines that are currently drinking very well. Not super-ripe and/or roasted and sweetishly lush as favored by several professional reviewers - and all the more food-friendly for it (e.g., 1997 Château Grand Puy Lacoste, 1993 Palmer, 1994 La Mission Haut Brion, 1993 Batailley, etc.).

This wine was very good indeed, expressing well the typical perfume of Margaux in its bouquet and displaying elegantly reserved yet yielding cedar-laced cassis, earthy molten dark fruit, with a slight undertone of gravel, hints of leather and violets towards the back. Very nice with the lamb. I had none of it with the Chili-Garlic Prawns, of course.

There were a couple of desserts, some Mango Float from my wife's niece and some kind of cream-and-fruit torte from the Peninsula, but I didn't have any so can't really remember them that much. I just had fresh fruits for dessert.

~ oOo ~

We left for our father's beach compound the next morning, a liesurely 2-hour drive away, where we had a lot of food less elaborate and some good Médocs and nice Brunello di Montalcino, but they were very casually consumed - on the lanai, on the deck above where the boat and jetski are kept - aside from the dining table - so I just enjoyed them without taking any particular notes.

These few days were really just for enjoying each other's company, my sons bonding with their grandfather...

...getting away from school, homework, tutors, the computer and television...

...getting some non-academic education...

Not totally unmindful, however, I do recall that the 2006 Raimbault-Pineau Pouilly-Fumé went great with some left-over Chili-Garlic Prawns, some fresh, lightly cooked Asian Prawns over baby Bok-Choi and the fresh catch-of-the-day roasted Dorado (a.k.a., mahi-mahi) that we had during our dinner of the 26th.

We haven't often been coming here as a family the past few years. We really should.

Fine dining and exceptional wines are, of course, a passion of mine. God knows I spend an inordinate amount of time and money on these pursuits.

At the end of the day, however, it is these simple pleasures that matter and warm the heart most of all.