In a world saturated with musicians-become-winemakers spanning anywhere from Lil’ John to Dan Aykroyd, two stand out above the rest for sheer awesomeness. I’m completely unbiased despite leaning towards their particular genres, but Queensrÿche’s Geoff Tate and Tool’s (and A Perfect Circle’s) Maynard James Keenan are undoubtedly the coolest winemaking frontmen around. It just so happens that Geoff Tate collaborates with Walla Walla’s own Three Rivers Winery for his Insania project.
Signed Goodness
It also happens that Andrae Bopp of La Porte Brune is friends with Geoff and his family. Good wine and good music is always a great combination, and on May 8, 2010 both of these were delivered at Three Rivers. The night started with duck confit atop dried heirloom tomatoes, and it ended with bacon whipped-cream. At least 131 animals were harmed during the making of this meal, and I have no regrets about that.
Sixty-four people packed into the event center at Three Rivers and collectively devoured four courses, beginning with a white bean gazpacho topped with perfectly spiced shrimp. This was paired with Geoff’s own 2009 Insania White – a blend of 78% Sauvignon Blanc and 22% Semillon. The wine has a healthy dosage of acid, making it a great food pairing wine but also completely delicious on its own.
Following the Shrimp came a steak roulade salad with beef from Thundering Hooves. During this course I almost understood how miserable it would be to be a vegetarian. I suppose I’d rather give up meat than wine though. At least those who were confined to the fresh arugula still had the Three Rivers Tempranillo and Malbec to enjoy. The Tempranillo had just enough funk to make the kitchen crew want to get jiggy, and that we did.
For the entree the big wines were whipped out – the Petit Verdot-based 2006 Three Rivers Svelte and the Cabernet-based 2008 Insania Red. These proved a great accompaniment to more great beef from Thundering Hooves – this time short ribs served with gorgonzola gratin dauphinois and port shallots. Put the word shallot on a menu and I’m sold – add gratin and things start to get crazy.
Geoff’s red wine, while young and in need of bottle age, provided a great pairing to the concert which followed the main course. It’s amazing how Geoff still sounds like he did in “Walk in the Shadows” in 1986. I wasn’t even alive when that song was recorded, but Geoff’s pipes still think they’re teenagers. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Luckily, on this particular night, we had profiteroles stuffed with bacon whipped cream to ease our sorrows. I had never conceived the idea of bacon whipped cream before, but Andrae continues to amaze me with his dishes which OMC can only describe as “How Bizarre”, and yet they somehow manage to work perfectly. The caramel sauce and the subtle bacon flavors made me dream as if Geoff was belting out “Eyes of a Stranger” in my living room.
Only a small amount of the current releases of Insania remain, and considering the 2009 red won’t be bottled until next February or so and the 2010 white is just now seeing budbreak, it’s probably well advised to pick up a bottle sooner rather than later. While it might take some effort to get the bottle signed, when it is finally consumed one can think about how much better it would taste when sipping the nectar while basking in the glory of the best vocalist that the 1980′s hair metal movement produced. Even Axl Rose proves little competition to the Queen of the Reich.
Posted by stevenwashuta 
