Valentines Dinner 2009

Valentines dinner this past Saturday was at the Doc's, we were 9 in all since the Vigneron is still in Bordeaux. My wife and I arrived just a little past 7 - I was to grill some rib-eyes and she was to make our Strawberry salad. The spouses Stockbroker were already there when we got in, while Eric and Cinthy arrived shortly thereafter to help us demolish the delicious appetizers.

Aside from the platter of assorted sushi from Sugi...

...we also enjoyed Mrs. Doc's own sinful Honey Roasted Tomato & Ricotta Bruschetta and her rendition of Mrs. Vigneron's spicy Sardine Salad recipe. We all enjoyed these dishes with bottles of the Doc's:

Paul Berthelot Champagne Cuvée Rosé Brut (NV) - I'm not aware of this producer and this was the first time I've ever tried anything from them. Very fine but persistent mousse dance in this attractive light salmon red-orange Champagne. Its aromas made up a playfully light nose of ripe raspberries, strawberries, just a hint of bread which got fuller in glass and picked up some cherry and mineral notes along the way.

These were precisely, cleanly and freshly mirrored the mouth with added nuances of brown spice and slight coffee (underneath the fruit). Nice, discreet roundness in the middle, slight citrus coming in towards the back, fresh strawberries and bread taking more of a lead in the finish. Refreshing and dangerously drinkable, yet has enough depth in fruit to grab your attention, especially in the middle. Very nice indeed. Naturally, Mrs. Doc couldn't help but proudly show off her new "baby".

2002 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese - The spouses Doc have been getting increasingly deeper into German rieslings as of late; and, with this one, I can easily understand why. Off-dry, extremely clean, light yet with definitive presence, admirable focus and purity, all with low alcohol content (a shade shy of 9% abv, if I recall properly). Doc says he and the Mrs. can easily polish off a bottle of this at People's Palace without at all getting tipsy. After having some, I definitely believe him - I could probably polish off a bottle of this over a couple of hours or so without effect.

Flowery, minerally, clean, pure ripe pear and apples are in full attendance depite its light frame, with mere hints of petrol beginning to peek out from underneath. I love it how these German rieslings can be so delicately complex and flavorful yet so graceful and willowy in stature.

I then excused myself to start getting the rib-eyes ready. Mrs. Doc, efficient as always, already had her grill pre-heated and was with my wife plating the salads. Fired up and ready for action, the rib-eyes were slapped on the grill. In the meantime, Mrs. Vigneron arrived with ever well-mannered Eliot in tow, and, she, thereafter, joined the others in some pre-dinner conversation and apéritifs.

~ oOo ~

In a few minutes, we all took our seats and dinner proper began with my wife's fresh, palate-priming Strawberry Salad.

The healthy half of the evening's repast done, we moved on to the steaks (unfortunately far over done for my taste - mea culpa) with sides of Mrs. Doc's patented frites and her homemade trio of flavored butters to accompany some warm, crusty artisan bread, and, from Mrs. Vigneron, a homemade Risoni Salad. With these came four reds:

2001 Remírez de Ganuza Rioja - The Doc had texted me that he was serving this late that afternoon, saying that it was a powerful wine. I knew nothing of the wine or winery and told him I'd never even heard of them. He told me to read up on it in Jay McInerney's "A Hedonist in the Cellar", but I neglected to. I actually expected a huge, super-ripe and sweetly over-extracted Parker gobful fruit bomb and was quite surprised at what it turned out to be.

Calm, self-assured, vaguely smoky, cedary dark cherry, very ripe strawberry over a thin stream of discreetly licorice-tobacco-and-leather-laced black fruit and dark plum. The red fruit/berry leads the strike, allows for a savory dark fruit dominated crescendo, and re-takes its position past mid-mouth and sees fit to ride the surface in the finish.

There is a woodiness, yes, but not in the ubiquitous, heavy creamy toffee - cinammon - toasty knockout combination I expected from old-style Riojas. Rather, it appeared more cedary, with the oak notes calm, relatively quiet and well integrated - just giving a nod of recognition in passing. Admirable balance and depth of fruit without shouting it out - a quiet intensity. It was more my type than I thought it would be. I'd guess this was made along the lines of the so-called "modern" (i.e., Bordeaux influenced wine-making style) that Marqués de Riscal began in Rioja in the late 1800s.

1987 Vega Sicilia Unico - The Doc served this to us semi-blind, all we knew was it was from Spain. I tried to analyze it for whatever my efforts would be worth (I am very far from being well-versed in Spanish wine). Normally, I take many deep sniffs and a few sips and "gargles" in attempting to dissect a wine - saving most of my glass for just enjoyment.

With this one, however, I simply couldn't stop myself from drinking it deeply and immediately. It was just sheer pleasure to savor its silken, shade-over-medium-bodied elixir of pure, deeply-veined, ripe red fruit, strawberry and dark sour cherry over a somber underpinning of cassis, hint of plum, delicately laced with nuances of leather, cedar, mocha and violets. Nice balancing acidity. Elegant and exquisite.

This is no "blockbuster" of a Ribera del Duero (for me that is a good thing), and I seriously doubt it was meant to be one. I suspect Vega Sicilia has Alion for that. I do not think this has the bones, structure or longevity of the 1996, but that, to me, just means it can be enjoyed "relatively sooner" (and with the Unico, I use that term very loosely because we are, after all, talking about a 21+ year-old wine here). I say drink up now and soonest.

1992 Clos Mogador - From the Stockbroker. I don't recall ever having a Spanish wine from this vintage or one that even vaguely tasted like this. The Stockbroker let on that it was a Priorat. All the Priorat wines I've had were relatively young, super-ripe and pedal to the metal in style.

The oldest Priorat I've had was the super-rich '93 Clos Erasmus the Doc shared over dinner at Sala on the 28th November 2007 (barely 14 years from vintage). This wine was quite different from that generous and super-ripe Erasmus from the succeeding vintage - but, then, again, this Mogador was already a bit older (16+ years from vintage).

Brambly dark fruit, touch of prune, cassis, black pepper, hit of chocolate, some black coffee, licorice, cherry, oak/vanilla - there was so much going in there I was, honestly, getting a bit confused with it - perhaps I should have relaxed a little instead of trying so hard to pick it apart in my likely-already-addled state. Much more subdued (which is not a bad thing), but a bit more than I could handle at the time. I'd certainly wouldn't mind re-trying this at some other time (that's not a hint, buddy).

2004 Caine Five Napa - My bottle, a gift from Rocky and Apple Villadolid. The only Spanish red I had at home at the time was my old reliable 1996 Beronia Rioja Gran Reserva which I didn't bring since I had already made the Doc try it not long ago. I figured I'd give this young Napa from a heralded vintage a try just to see how it is. Due to its youth, I decanted it for 3 hours before serving.

This wine is so named because it is an à la Bordelaise blend (except for the malbec) of 5 kinds of grapes: 47% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 21% cabernet franc, 4% petit verdot and 3% malbec. Eric and the Stockbroker were able to detect the relatively hefty use of cabernet franc, of which, I've read, the winemaker, Chris Howell, typically uses even higher percentages thereof.

This is a sultry, civilized, earthier type of Napa red. Not aggressive even in youth, with sweet-supple tannins, good concentration, judicious ripeness, to its primary black fruit, black cherry, cassis, ripe dark plum, cedar, touches of dark spice and moderate vanilla/oak. Surprisingly approachable and, to me, enjoyable, even at this very early stage. This speaks well of its balance. I think harmony, balance and confidence (without being over-the-top) are what struck me the most in this Bordeaux-esque Napa red. Eric guessed it to be a BV Georges de Latour - I can well understand why actually - such maker also having a Bordeaux slant to its general style.

~ oOo ~

A parade of desserts then followed, Cherry-Chocolate Torte, Plum Cake, three (3!) kinds of ice cream (all homemade by Mrs. Doc), as well a Yulo Strawberry Shortcake and a Turtle Pie brought by the other guests. I was already too tipsy to remember taking pictures of them - as well as too full to finish more than the homemade ice creams (thankfully, I'm close enough to Mrs. Doc not to have felt ashamed to ask for some of her cakes to take home). During dessert, the Doc broke out a 1999 Château d'Yquem (which has gained substantial weight and breadth since I last wrote about it) and shared with us a couple of humorous video clips.

We then gathered in the living area for a Valentines game concocted by the wives, wherein we randomly get to choose gifts from a pile according to cards we dealt and called out.

There being less gifts than cards in play, those whose cards are called later get to "steal" gifts from others - much to the dismay of the victim and the delight of the rest.

As the game ended, the last gift "stolen", we then began opening our "Valentine-related" prizes. It was then that I turned off my camera to preserve wholesome character of my blog.

It was an evening of great fun, lavish food, over-flowing and generous wines. Thanks to the wives for organizing this and our gracious hosts for having us over. Me, I'm still thinking of that '87 Unico.

12 February 2009: Wine Lunch at CAV

Lunch today was at CAV, organized by the Stockbroker. It was actually originally just he and Keiichi, but James and I tagged along. Unfortunately, the Doc was busy so he couldn't join us. I think we all had the identical dishes, both for starters and mains.

L-R: The Stockbroker, Keiichi and James.

Since nobody brought any white, we just got ours from CAV. With a nice, clean Carpaccio of Tuna...

2007 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc - I've much liked Cloudy Bay's sauv blancs ever since I first tried it at Mom-Tri's Boathouse in Phuket, February 2003 (before the tsunami hit), with my wife, Tonji, Sylvia and our host, JP. I recall it was terribly hot and humid; Tonji, I and JP were a bit dehydrated from 18 holes in Blue Canyon. The cool, crisp, clean white was a perfect apéritif. I can't remember the vintage of that first one, but I believe I've had the vintages 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, and, today, the 2007.

This wine was typical Cloudy Bay sauv blanc, gooseberries, slight ripe grapefruit, hints of citrus, fresh cut grass and minerals. Riper, gentler, calmer than most vintages I've tried in the past, the gooseberries and grass didn't jut out like before - but well integrated and comparatively subtle. Very nice.

An no-brainer pairing for the tuna carpaccio, it had just enough acidity to cut the slightly creamy dish while refreshing the palate between bites. I was glad to know that this pride of New Zealand is readily available at Premium Wine Exchange for P1800 per bottle full retail.

~ oOo ~

With our main dishes of magret de canard...

1997 Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta - From the Stockbroker. I know nothing of this wine except that it's Chilean and that, per the Stockbroker, it has carmenère in the blend. When someone asked about that grape, I answered that it was formerly grown and used in Bordeaux long ago but is now virtually gone in that region, now used more in Chile and other South American wine producing countries. I also mentioned that I saw some in the grounds of Mouton Rothschild, but was told by our guide that they were only there for historical display and are not used for their wine-making.

The bouquet reminded me of California red - toffee, cinammon, mildly spicy/toasty new oak, ripe red fruit, ripe dark plum and cherries. In the mouth, these were mirrored over blackberry/dark fruit slightly touched with black pepper, vanilla/oak and discreet dark chocolate nuances. Lush, very extracted, generous, with buxom curves in its lowish acid, full body. Modern styled wine to be sure, and more than likely to have garnered high ratings from many US reviewers. Very generous, it holds none of its charms back.

2001 Domaine Daniel Rion Clos Vougeot Grand Cru - My bottle. Not well-known in the US, seems to have more of a following in France and the UK. I visited this domaine in early October 2007, in the late afternoon (my wife was too woozy from lunch to join me), a week when everyone in the Côte de Nuits seemed to be rushing to deliver their 2005s. I met with Pascale Rion, tasted through her 2006s and was very impressed with her wines' consistent, understated and graceful style.

As I've stated in the past: "As its name indicates, this wine is from the grand cru vineyards of Clos Vougeot in the town of Vougeot ("clos" indicates an enclosed, walled area), a short hop to the north of Vosne-Romanée, before hitting Morey St-Denis and Gevrey-Chambertin. The picture of me is one taken by my wife as we were walking to Clos Vougeot on my left (idiot that I am, I insisted on parking down the street and the walk was longer than I anticipated)."

2001 is, to my mind, a very under-appreciated vintage for Burgundy, the US wine press extolling much more the riper, fruitier, lower acid 2002 and even 2003 (winemakers there actually told me that they had to struggle to make a "balanced wine in 2003) - let's not even begin to talk about 2005 - and, thereby, driving prices for said vintages to ridiculous levels. The 2001 Burgundies I've tried (akin to 2004s of Bordeaux) are not as super-ripe/roasted and are firmer in acid, more austere and in better balance for my taste. To my mind, these are wines more in the classic style.

In any event, this relatively young wine, after around half an hour's breathing in my glass, readily displayed a perfume of dried cranberries, ripe black cherry, pressed violets, whispers of damp earth, all bringing to the fore the wistful romance of Burgundy decay. In the mouth, it was just shy a notch of legitimate full-body. Neither austere nor lavish, the wine readily rewarded the palate with a smooth, supple blend of dried cranberry, ripe cherry, raspberry over red beet, touches of plum and violets. Slight chocolate notes emerge discreetly just past mid-mouth and join in the finish. The dried cranberry/cherry/cranberry/ceps notes form the firm backbone of this wine. Admirable focus and grace, good typicity.

I liked this a lot and ordered more the moment I got home. I also read up on it on the net (what would we do without google?), and found out that in the first quarter of 2003, Allen Meadows' Burghound rated this wine 89-92. While I am no big fan of assigning scores to wine (something I have absolutely refused to do), I do have great respect for Meadows' evaluations of Burgundy's wines. Happily, I got it at a very reasonable price.

2000 Château Cissac - This caught my eye in CAV's wine dispensing machine, having met Eric Holsteins of Cissac during a cigarette break at the Commanderie dinner in Hong Kong this past 27th May 2008. Very interesting and friendly fellow, we discussed in depth the 1986 Mouton Rothschild served at said dinner. It turned out he was an old friend of the Vigneron as well - the world is indeed very small.

The wine was medium-bodied, clearly cabernet sauvignon dominant, with refined, mildly herbaceous cassis, blackberry, slight plum underneath, touches of tobacco, gravel, smoky cedar, very discreet and well-integrated oak (likely a small percentage of new oak). Just past mid-mouth, cherry and raspberry notes gently emerge, joined by a mere whisper of anise towards the back and finish.

Properly austere and refined, this shows good balance and poise. At its price, it's a definite buy for those who like old school Bordeaux. A wine you can drink and serve to guests anytime.

I must note that service by Paco was impeccable: crisp, efficient, precise, friendly but not familiar. He immediately knew the proper stemware to bring for my red Burgundy - that did not escape my attention. He does CAV proud. Great lunch. Very casual and most enjoyable for it.

This Runner Stumbles.

10 February 2009. Got a late e-mail from James last night, asking the Doc, Stockbroker and I for a little help in choosing more wines to order. I don't really see why he'd need our help as he seems to be doing quite well on his own. In any event, I made sure to stop by Premium Wine Exchange, the appointed venue, late this afternoon.

Unfortunately, I ran late at the office and, knowing the others had dinners to attend, rushed over. No thanks to the traffic on Pasay Road (why is it that there always is or seems to be more traffic than usual when one is rushing?), I was a bit frazzled when I got there. The others had already started with their first pours, a mystery wine from James.

After a few bites of bread and butter, as well as a taste or three of dried sausage, I attempted to identify the wine. My first sip was big, ripe, well-extracted and a bit hot towards the back with sweetish dark fruit, cassis, cedar and a touch of camphor. This made me initially suspect I was being slipped a Bordeaux ringer (i.e., a wine made with a Bordeaux blend, in the Bordeaux style, but made other than in Bordeaux or even France). The Doc assured me it was Bordeaux.

I tried to settle down a bit and get into tasting mode. A few more sips revealed a good, definitive yet fine strike/attack flowing easily to a fullish middle, tapering smoothly to a long, elegant finish. The dark fruit was very ripe - somewhat sweetish - over cassis, cedar, touch of baked fig, sweet camphor and hints of licorice and truffle. There was a nice, subtle over-all gravelly nuance to the wine. Very silky and refined. Wonderful balance.

The Doc then hinted that we tried this a long time ago from the Stockbroker, but that didn't help me any because we've all shared so many wines over the years.

Because of its ripeness, I said it may be a 1990 or a very well-preserved 1982. Leaning more towards 1990 (though agreeing with one that it may possibly also be a 1989), I said then that it was a left bank 1990. However, because of over-thinking - not trusting my first guess/instincts really - and the mid-mouth red fruit, dried cranberry and plummy notes that seemed to emerge later on - I changed my guess to another wine far off-base. It matters not, to me, that I was on the right path at first, I changed my answer. I just console myself by saying that it's a good thing I wasn't on a game show answering for a million dollars.

The wine was eventually revealed to be a 1990 Château Grand Puy Lacoste (5th Growth, Pauillac, in the 1855 Classification). The Doc and Stockbroker then reminded me that the latter shared a half-bottle format (375ml) of this together, among others at one of our (then) regular lunches together at Tivoli. Honestly, my mind was (and still is) a blank on that bottle. I vaguely remember that half-bottle but, honestly, all detail of the wine had long been lost to me.

The others had to rush off to their dinner engagements and I headed south for home. I checked my old notes but can't find any on this wine. It is entirely possible that, due to drinking too much that day, I didn't remember the wines well enough to write down notes with confidence - so I didn't write any. In truth, none of us even remember what other bottles we had that day - something very unusual - so we all must have consumed a lot more wine than we normally do.

It is only now, as I write, that I realize that we never even discussed James' list with him, much less give any input on what to buy. Sorry, James. Hopefully, we can be of more help over lunch later this week.

Thanks a lot for sharing that fine bottle of wine, it was excellent - definitely a refined, silky and elegantly ripe Pauillac.

Alabang Group Dinner by Ian Padilla.

Last night, 6 February 2009, was a 9-course French dinner for 14 persons by Ian Padilla at B and M's place (it had to be at their place again since only they have a dining table that would accommodate us all). Having so enjoyed my last dinner by Ian a couple of weeks ago, I wanted the Alabang group to get a taste of his cooking before he returns to Paris to resume his cooking duties at Taillevent.

My wife and I arrived at 7:30, expecting to be the last to arrive. Uncharacteristically, however, we were the first, M was putting the finishing touches on her table. B, not having to grill his usual humongous steaks that evening, was working in his den while keeping one eye out on his koi, but tore himself away from his computer and fish to help me organize the wines.

By 8:15, everyone had arrived, Ian marshalled his forces, we were seated and the first of our courses made its way to our table.

With the Selection of Amuse Bouche of Basil Infused Tomato Water, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Carrot Parfait, Carrot Paint Devilled Quail Egg, Basil Yolks, Braised Beef Wanton, Thyme, Fleur de Sel:

2007 Bodegas Protos Verdejo -I first tried this wine on the 5th September 2008 Bodegas Protos Dinner hosted by JC de Terry. My notes then still hold true and are as follows:

2007 Protos Rueda Verdejo - 100% verdejo, the main white grape of Rueda. Fruit profile: pure and clean green apple with mild grapefruit undertones; some
tropicality in the middle and pineapple more apparent slightly past mid-palate.
There are hints of fresh grass in the nose and, to a much lesser extent, on the
palate (nowhere near as aggressively grassy as many Marlborough NZ sauvignon
blancs though) . The attack is crisp and firm enough, turning somewhat softer mid-mouth as the tropicality (and a slight leesy nuance) sets in.

The underlying grapefruit lends a hint of bitterness towards the back, which, to my mind, makes it a nice apéritif as such bitterness whets my appetite - much like a very dry prosecco or Campari soda. Over-all, it is nicely dry and has good purity and brightness.

It didn't taste or smell to me like it spent any time in oak and Carlos (Villar Bada, Protos' Head of Exports) confirmed this. He said they intend to eventually marry their verdejos in oak to make them age longer. I replied that I, personally, prefer verdejos pure like this one and not (or at least minimally) oak-touched or laden - but, that's just me.

As in my first dinner by Ian at Tita B's, the carrot parfait drew immediate raves and was everyone's favorite amuse bouche amongst the four served. The wine did well, in varying degrees, with all four, but, I felt, particularly with the carrot parfait and the basil infused tomato water.

Next was a Velouté of Roasted Pumpkin Creamed Fromage Frais, Pecan Tuille, Argan Oil which we continued with the verdejo. As with each course, Ian announced and described the dish but Ñico, a graduate of Les Roches, had already explained to us what a velouté was (i.e., a stock-based soup thickened with roux, enriched with egg and/or cream).

I always enjoy creamy pumpkin/squash soups, and this was particularly good. Ian explained that argan oil is the most expensive type of oil in the world. A bit of research discloses that it is made from the kernels of the ancient argan tree of southwestern Morocco. The argania, as a species, is, as I understand, under UNESCO protection.


The oil added a distinct earthy, nutty richness to the velouté which we all consumed in relative silence - a sure sign that everyone enjoyed it.

~ oOo ~

Next was a Roulade of Smoked Ham Hock Celery Root Remoulade, Roasted Red Onions, Natural Jus which was paired with the old reliable:

2007 Bodegas Marco Real Homenaje Rosado - this crunchy, red-fruited rosé never fails to please, I've loved it ever since I tried it around a year ago with spicy angulas, gambas al ajillo, Joselito ham and other tapas at Terry's 2º Piso. I can't even begin to count how many bottles I've gone through since then. My old notes are consistent:

As you can see, it is a clear, translucent celebratory cherry-red. Served properly chilled, this simple, honest, straightforward rosé will easily charm you with its fresh, clean, dry, virtually crisp, well-focused dominant flavors of (in order of prominence) ripe strawberry, raspberry, light hint of cherry. Definitely dangerously drinkable.

I really enjoyed this typical French country dish, it reminded me somewhat of pork head rillettes which I love. M noted that the wine greatly enhanced this dish. I definitely agree - the cool, crunchy red fruits certainly enlivened this delightfully rustic dish.

~ oOo ~

This was followed by generous portions of Salt-Cured Torchon of Foie Gras Vegetables á la Greque, Port Reduction, Muscat Jelly. With this I chose:

1997 Château d'Arche - a reliable and readily affordable 1855 2nd growth Sauternes from a good, relatively early-drinking vintage for Sauternes/Barsac (but a very difficult one for the rest of Bordeaux).

Just a notch or two under legitimate full-bodiedness, this has a well-extracted, lush and creamy texture, openly displaying good botrytis, honey, candied apricot, orange marmalade and, towards the back of the palate, hints of candied orange peel and crème brûlée. Acid balance is adequate to good. At barely past 11 years old, I think this wine is already at its plateau and can continue for another 4-6 years.

Sauternes with foie gras is a traditional pairing in Sauternes, and, not surprisingly, it went naturally with the dish. I chose this torchon preparation because we can always get pan-seared (I can easily make it myself and B used to serve it in all-you-can-eat-but-really-shouldn't amounts) but, other than in special menus, one will be extremely hard-pressed to find it in local restaurants' menus.

~ oOo ~

A comfortingly earthy dish of Poached Egg with Duck fat and Truffle Oil Roasted Mushrooms, Garlic Emulsion, Tomato Conccassé , Chives followed. My mistakenly brought along Sancerre rouge was matched with this dish as I recalled Jérome Philippon's pairing his Chinon with another earthy version of oeuf cocotte....

2005 Domaine Raimbault-Pineau Sancerre Cuvée Lucien Prestige - Herbaceous and peppery dark red cherry and berry aromas with good doses of pine needles and cedar. Though I love this domaine's Pouilly-Fumé, I know nothing about this red of theirs. From the wine's aromas and flavors, as well as whatever little knowledge I have of red Loire wine and this particular maker, however, I thought that this was cabernet franc based. Upon checking, though, the domaine's website only mentions pinot noir for their reds but makes no specific mention of this particular cuvée, so I'm not sure.

If it is, indeed, pinot noir-based, it is wholly unlike any pinot noir based wine I have ever tasted. Admittedly, however, my experience with such grape is limited to Côte d'Or and a smattering from California and Oregon.

The flavors of warm, mildly black peppered dark raspberry, cherry with hints of cassis and violets and a touch of pine needles and cedar on top have a rustic earthiness to them, blending well enough with the mushrooms, but, with the dish as a whole, I found it too obtrusive. There was too much push on the palate. Not a bad wine at all, just mismatched (my fault); I believe it would do better with heartier fare - I'd imagine it good with a simple venison or lamb loin.

As far as the dish goes, I loved it - it called to mind Anthony Bourdain's note on a wild mushroom dish topped with a raw egg (the mushrooms' heat cooks the egg a bit) that he had while bar-hopping in Spain. He had it with a local Spanish red most likely. I should try to approximate that pairing next time.

~ oOo ~

A bit of a breather followed with an absolutely wonderful, moderately creamy and "milky" Mascarpone Sorbet that got everyone raving anew. Despite having gone through several courses already, many of us clamored for more, oblivious to the danger additional servings would pose to our making it through to dessert.

Unfortunately (or, fortunately, depending how one sees it), there was none left to be had. Ken pointed out to Ian that while Tonj never before enjoyed any mascarpone ice cream or sorbet he's had before, the latter enjoyed this one a lot. What better compliment could there be? I could have easily polished of five of these myself, I'm sure Johns as well if Candy would allow it.

~ oOo ~

The penultimate main dish was a subtly flavored Pan Seared U.S. Scallops with Potato Fondant, Saffron sauce and Almond Foam with which we revisited the 2007 Bodegas Protos Rueda Verdejo. Ian told me later on that "foam"-involved dishes, an absolute rage a few years ago, were making a comeback. Unfortunately, I must have been getting tipsy by that time since I forgot to take a picture of the scallop dish.

~ oOo ~

The pièce de résistance was then presented in the form of Twice Cooked Compressed Korubuta Belly of Pork Fricassee of Root Vegetables, Red Pepper Demi-Glace. With this little bit of indulgence we had 2 reds:

2001 Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Riserva - My last notes on this wine were made barely 2 weeks ago at Sunshine and Rob's latest Gourmandise Dinner and are still consistent:

The 2001 Badia a Passignano (100% sangiovese, my winner in our Blind Non-Bordeaux Challenge II) is as I remember: fullish bodied, nicely rounded and extracted, broad, showing well-knit, earthy dark fruit, kirsh/cherry, bit of raspberry, underlying espresso, with minor notes of roasted meat, mushroom, olive and violets. Nice depth. This time, though, I noticed more toasty oak/vanilla and a slight chocolate nuance.

I add now that, probably because this wine was open and breathing for at least 3 hours by the time we got to it, the roast meat notes had emerged further as noted by B and seconded by Tonj and Ken.


2001 Stag's Leap Artemis Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - A party at B's and M's place couldn't possibly take place without a Napa cab being opened - it just doesn't happen. I recall a couple or so years ago, at one of their belly-busting, artery-clogging Wagyu rib-eye dinners, Paco brought a bottle of this to try and we promptly ordered some from his source. I remember I got half a case for myself while B got a full case. I wonder if this bottle is from that same batch.

Be it as it may, this wine had much mellowed since last I'd had it (which was probably at over a year ago). Ripe, warming, well-extracted, faintly sweetish black currant, cassis, dark fruit compote, cedar, minor notes of dark, ripe plum underneath, touch of licorice and a dose of toasty/creamy oak with toffee/cinammon whispers at the finish. Very typical, ripe, juicy Napa cab. Notably better balance and comparative restraint than most Napa cabs I've had.

The pork belly was so sinfully good, I almost felt like going to confession after having that dish (the operative word being "almost").

~ oOo ~

Our meal was then brought to an end by yet another guilt-inducing dish: Fondant au Chocolat,Caramelized Berries with Chocolate Sorbet.

With this decadent delight, I paired no wine. Ken mentioned that the 2005 Josefina Piñol Vi Dolç would have gone very well with this, and I agreed and said I actually had a bottle of it left at home. However, I thought better of hopping home for that bottle since having more sweet wine with this would be much too over-the-top already - the dessert was so rich alone as it was. Besides, I didn't really feel like driving home though I live very nearby. The black coffee M served with it was plenty good enough for me.

Ian and company then came out to most appreciative applause and salutations.

We were able to prevail on Ian to stay a while longer for a well-deserved glass or two of wine and Ken discussed some of the dishes with him in depth...

...while a few of us went out on the lanai for some cigarettes and others grabbing some fresh night air while finishing up their wine.


We lingered a while more, enjoying each other's company into way past midnight, the coffee kicking in in all likelihood - all longtime friends reluctant to part ways though we pretty much all live near each other. I believe we finally decided to return to our respective homes after noticing that one of us was so far gone that he thought he was already home in bed....Wonderful dinner.

Bon voyage, Ian. À bientôt.