Disparate Wines w/multi-course dinner (menu)

Peter Creasey

Peter Creasey

Peter Creasey
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A special treat was a surprise contribution of Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape '09 En Magnum...and it ended up being the wine of the night barely edging out the Joseph Voillot Cote de Beaune Pommard Les Pezerolles 1er Cru '11.

. . . . Pete
 
What was the Rinaldi like? Never tried it. I have loved every vintage of this wine I’ve been fortunate to taste although I have heard someone I respect greatly berate their cellar hygiene (and now it’s crazy, trendy expensive of course).
 
I bought some 96 Rinaldi years ago from Chambers st. A bottle we had a year ago was only barely, with some hours in a decanter, starting to open up. Maybe 03 was different, but these seem to be 25-30 year wines.
 
Jayson, good question!

The Guisepper Rinaldi Brunate-Le Coste Barolo DOCG '03 was a real enigma. As best I recall -- dark red, complex aromas that suggested exotic Asian flavors, loosely constructed, light acid, mild fruits, no edginess, all components working in harmony, nothing not to like but surprisingly unimpactful altogether.

The "enigma" was that some experienced wine people felt the wine was still young while others, including adamant me, felt it was very evolved with minimal, if any, future development potential. One experienced taster (not me) mentioned raisiny nuances.

I was told that 2003 was a hot vintage so maybe the perceived lack of typicity can be attributed to this.

The wine was enjoyable and worked nicely with the (first time ever for me, I believe) ostrich course...



. . . . . Pete
 
Anyone have a good/not-very-time-consuming recipe for a sauce for ostrich? I like it as an odd & healthy steak substitute but it always seems like it needs an extra little something.
 
Keith, the only factoid I can offer up is that, given its leanness, I think the preparation of ostrich for this dinner involved sous vide.

. . . . . Pete
 
not sure sous vide prep would keep medallions of any tenderloin loin moister than a quick pan sear. followed by a pan sauce with shallot, white wine and a knob of butter or veal demi would be ideal in my book.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Anyone have a good/not-very-time-consuming recipe for a sauce for ostrich? I like it as an odd & healthy steak substitute but it always seems like it needs an extra little something.
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It’s been a while since I’ve had ostrich, but if I’m remembering correctly, I think you could adapt sauces for elk and venison to ostrich.
 
Keith, similar to what Jayson said, here's what I was told elsewhere by a knowledgeable cook...

Just treat it like lean beef. Grease (duck fat, butter, olive oil) the surfaces. Sear and DON'T OVERCOOK. It needs to be rare. Like duck breast. I fact, I would suggest that any duck breast recipe should work well. But remember that ostrich has no surface fat.
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. . . . . Pete
 
Re Rinaldi... I think both groups at the table had something right. The wine is young insofar as we are discussing the "life cycle" of sugars, tannins, and acids. The wine also shows the overripe flavors of the hot year. Depending which way your sensory apparatus swings you may judge one of these more significant than the other.

Re ostrich... It's been a while since I had it, too, but I recall thinking that it is really neither beef nor fowl. The shreds have a visual translucency and a textural springiness more like poultry but it does give an overall flavor and aroma of very lean beef. I think the fast sear crowd is probably right. (But if you wanted to do ostrich shwarma or a variant larb gai I'd love to hear about it.)
 
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