Five Wines w/dinner (menu)

[Peter Creasey]

MENU:

. . . . . Pete

 

[Claude Kolm]

That Sauzet is a very nice wine.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

And a great match with wild game lentils.

 

[Peter Creasey]

originally posted by Claude Kolm: That Sauzet is a very nice wine.

Claude, so true. I commented that it showed way above its classification...easily like a quality 1er Cru. It actually compared fairly favorably with some Grand Crus.

. . . . . Pete

 

[Pavel Tchichikov]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
And a great match with wild game lentils.

the name of the wine as long as the name of the dish; must have been a good match!

 

[MLipton]

Pete, thanks to you I’ve now read up on shallow poaching: interesting! Does impart a different texture to the salmon? Also, a fun story about cassolette. While my wife and her niece were traveling through France many years ago, they were out for dinner. My wife, who speaks less French than I do, ordered ris de veau en cassoulette and, thinking that she was getting cassoulet, was horrified by the dish that arrived. What then ensued was a confused back and forth until she finally understood her mistake.

Mark Lipton

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

All of which invites the question of whether the menu writer meant Duck Confit Cassoulet or Duck Confit en Cassolette.

 

[Florida Jim]

originally posted by Peter Creasey:

originally posted by Claude Kolm: That Sauzet is a very nice wine.

Claude, so true. I commented that it showed way above its classification...easily like a quality 1er Cru. It actually compared fairly favorably with the Bouchard Corton which was superb.

. . . . . Pete

Blanc or rouge?

 

[Peter Creasey]

Jim, good catch. It was the Blanc and it was singing.

. . . . Pete

 

[Claude Kolm]

Sauzet makes only white wines.

 

[Peter Creasey]

Thanks, Claude, as I wasn't sure about that...even after googling to try to confirm. Probably didn't google very well.

. . . . Pete

 

[maureen]

Did the wines served with the venison seem simple after the two Burgundies?

 

[Peter Creasey]

originally posted by maureen: Did the wines served with the venison seem simple after the two Burgundies?

Maureen, good observation...and the answer is "yes" and "no".

First I'll say, I always prefer the traditional (in my mind, at least) sequence of building up to the drama of serving the Burgundy last. So, to your point, I would have served the Bouchard Le Corton in the last/premier place on the menu...and this selection would have more than lived up to the top billing

To your question, the "yes" would be that the Leoville Barton, never mind how good it was, could not stand the scrutiny. But the "no" would be that the Chateau Beaucastel CNdP was terrific and justified its place in the limelight...to the extent that it was the wine-of-the-night in my view (and I was most pleased to get a generous extra pour).

. . . . . Pete

 

[Claude Kolm]

A pairing of Ch“teauneuf-du-Pape with a Saint-Julien does seem to invite negative comparisons for one or the other, depending on one's tastes.

 

[Peter Creasey]

originally posted by Claude Kolm: A pairing of Ch“teauneuf-du-Pape with a Saint-Julien does seem to invite negative comparisons for one or the other, depending on one's tastes.

Claude, yes, definitely a valid point. However, I'd like to cite a notable exception.

A few years ago for a dinner we did, I paired Beaucastel '89 with Haut Brion '89. It was a fascinating matchup with both wines holding their own in every respect. Perhaps as evidence of this fact is that when I asked the knowledgeable wine enthusiasts at the table which wine they thought showed the best, the result was an exact tie. As host, I conveniently could claim I was staying diplomatic and not voting -- without admitting I couldn't decide which way to vote. Two premier wines, indeed.

. . . . Pete