TN's Hanukkahmas Dinner and Ch. Burbank Chard

First course was: Mushroom Soup made with fresh mushrooms, a touch of Sherry and cream, for which I had chosen two wines, the '02 Ch. Burbank Chard Santa Barbara County for the cream and an '00 Marc Michelete & Fils Nuits-St Georges, Les Thorey Premieur Cru red Burg to pair with the mushrooms. First, the cream overcame the Burg and the mushrooms, but it wasn't a bad fit. The Ch. Burbank was the better pairing, and all agreed. First, the Burg: nice nose of woodsy earth and truffles, with good acid. The color was reddish-brick with a tiny meniscus. On the palate, there was medium-dark cherry, a hint of tar, damp earth, and truffles. The finish was medium. Had the soup been a mushroom broth, it would have been a better fit. However, the Ch. Burbank was wonderful with the soup. Medium gold all of the way to the rim, there was maybe a hint of ageing showing on the Chard. The nose was of lemon (though subtle), sweet pear, light honey, with some oak and vanilla. I have to add that there was vanilla in the cream in the soup, so I may have been influenced by it - after all, it was right below my nose. On the palate, the Chard was a wonderful lemon. Now, this is hard to describe, but it was like a lemon custard without any sugar - soft, smooth, but with the taste of lemon noticeable. I have never had something that tasted quite like this, as most lemon tastes carry the acid element, or are sweetened to the point that their sweetness is in evidence. This was like a light lemon cloud, without the accompanying acid, or any sweetness, give the fruit. The palate also had some spice (nutmeg?) And the finish went on, and on, and on. On the winemaker's suggestion, I brought this from the cellar, and it only saw a few moments of "fridge-time." I wish that I had had my Riedel Montrachet glbuttes, but insisted that the hostess serve this wine in a medium red-wine glbutt. By the time that we confronted it, the temp was probably around 60 F. Though we had already had two btls of the SB and a good pour of the Burg, both bottles of the Chard went in a hurry. This wine also went very well with the salad course, a traditional Caesar Salad with anchovies for a bit of salty taste and a touch of balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and fresh lemon. Maybe it was the lemon, but it was the universal hit of the evening. (Thanks DaleW - what a wonderful wine!) I'd guess that this wine saw about 60% malolactic fermentation, but do not know for sure. The oak was present, but here I'd opt for lightly toasted American oak, and maybe even a percentage v stainless, as the oak was subdued and subtle.

I poured a '98 Joseph Phelps Napa Cabernet with the traditional Prime Rib flavored with whole garlic cloves, kosher salt and pepper, mashed potatoes and Yorkshire pudding topped with rich roast gravy. The '98 vintage from CA was panned by many in the wine-love business, but I have found that well-made '98 Cabs are quite good, especially in their youth. This guy was poured about 30 mins. before we sampled it. The wine was dark ruby-purple to the rim, with black cherry, current, and blackberry on the nose. On the palate, I found, in addition to the berries, some tar, and a bit of leather, followed by tobacco and spice (cinnamon?). The finish was medium-long and the retronasal indicated more of the spice and tobacco.

I also poured a '97 Chateau de Pez, St. Estephe Bdx. This wine was decanted about 1 hr. before pouring and, I think, benefitted from the air-time. Dark- ruby with a tiny meniscus of brick-red, this was still in its youth. Dark berries, earth, leather, tobacco, and a small hit of spice were found on the nose. The palate was about the same. Smooth, after the decanting time, this guy still has many years before it. The finish was also medium-long, with the spices coming through on the retro. I planned on keeping both of these for the cheese course next. A side note: the Ch. Burbank paired nicely with the Yorkshire pudding, but didn't quite hold up to the Prime Rib, as was to be expected. Maybe it was the pudding that matched so well, as the gravy was a bit on the light side.

For the cheese course, I chose dry-aged Jack, Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano- Reggiano, and an artisan Cheddar (domestic, CA). Both reds excelled with these hard and semi-hard cheeses. The last of the Ch. Burbank only really matched with the Cheddar.

Dessert was a Cherry Meringue Pie....a light meringue crust topped with a cream cheese filling and Cherry pie filling. OK, so I missed on this one, big -time. I didn't get the e-mail with this dish, and had chosen a '96 P J Valckenberg, Madonna, Eiswein from the Rheinhessen. Maybe one of Randall Grahm's Vin de Glascieres would have been better. Anyway, the Madonna was dark yellow to the rim. The nose was apricot and peach (no cherries - sorry Janne), with a ton of honey. The RS content was fairly high, but could not overcome the cherries and meringue. The wine was delightful on its own, as was the dessert, but they did not pair at all well. Though the cheese plate had been cleared, I think it would have gone better with the Madonna. Sometimes, I think dessert might go better with coffee, than wine, and this might well have been one.

Had the evening not grown so old (5 hours of dining!), we would have done Port and cigars on the deck, but that had to wait. :-(

Hunt