Salmon Chanted Evening

Another Thursday night in Walla Walla was pretty standard at Corliss Estates (see Eric’s write-up) until Ferdinando Frescobaldi came along. On this particular night some significant winos of Washington joined Ferdinando and Andrae Bopp in a celebration of wine, food, and salmon. Perhaps I should have known prior to arrival that some decent wines would be poured, but I was reassured when I noticed the wine pairing on the third course was 1999 Ornellaia.

The Man Himself

Ornellaia aside, potentially the wine of the night turned out to be a Jeroboam (3 Liter) of 1988 Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill Champagne. It’s absolute insanity how fresh tasting a 22 year old Champagne can be, but this also had plenty of toast to bring to the table as well. As much as I’d like to make a mimosa out of this to eat with bacon-wrapped-pigs-in-a-blanket, the wine is too damn delicious to ruin with a dose of Florida citrus. After experiencing this, the potential exists to never again enjoy a nice glass of Andre, unless taken straight from a beer bong at a sorority party.

Fortunately, just as the Champagne was nearly empty, Paul Gregutt and company emerged from the white room with black curtains with five Italian wines in hand. They were placed atop the bar alongside some of Walla Walla’s finest, and it was interesting how much more tannic the Italian wines were than their Washington counterparts. Has American taste gone too softy? I’ve thought this before, but I know for sure which two wines I’d love to try again in 15 years. That would be the 2007 Ornellaia, which is amazingly layered and ridiculously concentrated, and the 2006 Mormoreto IGT. The second of these is a newer “super-tuscan” made with 4 of the Bordeaux varieties (sorry Malbec), and potentially one of the most tannic wines I’ve ever swallowed. It’s $64 price tag is a bit steep for my budget, but I’m going to keep an eye out for this one in the future.

Small Glass, Big Bottle

After too many great wines and foods to mention, Andrae brought out the salmon. Never before in my life had I realized the full potential of salmon; while I had always enjoyed it this meal brings it to a new level. It literally melted in my mouth and slid effortlessly down my throat, all the while being accompanied by the 1999 Ornellaia, and neither the wine nor the food proved overpowering. The ’99 was poured out of a 3 liter bottle and was still as young as can be, making me believe the common theory that large formats age slower than their 750 ml counterparts.

Of course one cannot indulge in such extravagances without a worthwhile dessert wine to end the night. Although it wasn’t until the next morning that I found out the 1995 Chateau la Graviere Tirecul Cuvee Madame Monbazillac was a 100 point Parker wine, it was unbiasedly enjoyed. Monbazillac is near Bergerac, quite a distance from Sauternes, but this botrytised dessert wine brought back memories of the 1983 Chateau d’Yquem enjoyed earlier this year (see A Dinner which did not Suck). This dinner might have sucked even less than the first, but both are zeros on the 100 point suckage scale, and I’m one to avoid end-use.

Certifiably Insania

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.

Field Report: The Ten Bells

Presenting the first guest blogger in Terroirists history: Jeff Vejr of Portland, OR has visited New York, NY and has returned with a scintilating blog post in-hand. It is below; please enjoy responsibly.

Location: 247 Broome Street (Lower East Side), New York, NY 10002-3837
www.thetenbells.com

Sometimes when duty calls, one must rise to the occation. I had notified the Terroirists that I would be traveling to NYC for the National Kermit Lynch tasting event on April 27 and they put in a simple request: cover the event for the blog, and throw in a wine bar review if possible. Great minds drink think alike, because I had already planned on doing a little research and development in the Big Apple.

There are not enough days in the month to even begin to cover all of the wine bars in New York, so in order to widdle my choices down, I turned to my friend Google. After typing in my chosen search terms “natural wine new york wine bar” (try it, it works) the results came back (there was only one) with the name Ten Bells. Ten Bells? Could Google be wrong? Was I being sent to a bells and wine specialty shop? Armed with my MetroPass, I set out to find this wine bar on an uncommonly cold and rainy night. Joly’s speed young man. Joly’s speed.

Discovery

Apparently, signage isn’t en vouge in this neighborhood as all of the bars, restaurants, and café’s on Broome Street can attest. This must be tourist protection. After a few walk-bys, it was evident which establishment was the ellusive Ten Bells. I wiped the wet hair out of my face and walked in.

Entry

Immediately, the dimmly lit, cavernous feel engulfs you. Everything is dark except for the thin white marble bar top, illuminated by votive candles — cool factor: 100. I snag one of the last remaining seats at the bar and shortly notice that the menu is written on a chalkboard on each wall. Excellent, we are saving trees here too. Through the dim light, underneath the heading “White” I noticed the word “Movia.” Now I know I’m home.

Disappointment & Redemption

Bliss, Condensed

I order the Movia, but the Movia is sold out. This is disappointing, but it means that a lot of people have consumed the Movia, and that is a great thing. The bartender (a jovial Frenchmen) could see my unhappiness, but he had a remedy, he knew what would cheer me up. It was (out of a magnum) the 2007 Thierry Puzelat “La Tesniere” Touraine Blanc (75% Menu Pineau, 25% Chenin Blanc), which cured me to the fullest. The minerality hit me immediately. I started smiling and scrambling to read the day’s oyster selection. This wine wa begging for oysters, it was shouting at me to do the right thing! I ordered half a dozen each of the Fanny Bay (B.C.) and Malpeque (P.E.I), but this wine was so damn delicious I couldn’t wait for the oysters, so I savored sip after sip of this briny, crisp, lemon zesty white goddess from the Loire. This glass went on a solo trip. Oysters are up! Another glass of the Touraine PLEASE! It was an amazing pairing which took the wine to new heights (from the meatiness of the oysters), and the oysters were lifted by the acidity and lemon zest notes in the wine.

Food & Wine

I’m a huge fan of the small plates format (obviously) — especially when executed right. I’m looking for homemade, creative, and fresh/seasonal dishes. Food, like wine, is meant to be shared; it should be communal, you should have fun trying different dishes, pairing them with wines and talking to your dining compainion(s) about what works, what doesn’t, what is a must try and what you want to attempt to make yourself at home. The menu is extensive relative to the size of the kitchen.

I see Smoked Duck Breast on the menu and order it after devouring the oysters. I could see the cook slicing up the duck breast; it was clearly house cured and smoked and had perfect texture, perfect smoke, and an excellent fat-to-meat ratio. I paired this with a glass of 2007 Domaine du Cros Marcillac Rouge ‘Vieilles Vignes’, which is a stunning wine. I had tasted this wine before, but only once. Made of 100% Fer Servadou from an 80+ year old vineyard, this wine has an iodine/iron backbone that really held up and complimented the smoke.

Next up was the Hand Cut Steak Tartar. I can’t pass up Steak Tartar, who dosen’t like uncooked meat? There was a good amount of green onion and horseradish throughout and it was way too horseradishy for me; the onion and horseradish took away from the meat. It seemed I had ordered onion and horseradish tartar. I was teary eyed, literally — not good. It would have nuked any wine pairing option, so I choose a bread pairing instead to soak up the heat. I wasn’t deturred and was still riding a wine nerd high, so I ordered the daily empanada special. Hallelujah.

The empanada was handmade and was stuffed with chorizo and cheese. Excellent! Next up was the pulled pork slider with pickled onions. I needed a bigger wine to go with this, so I settled for the 2007 Descendientes de José Palacios ‘Pètalos’ — 100% Mencia from Bierzo, Spain. Ah, the wine gods are making up for the Movia now. The Mencia was dense, with great spice and stone fruit notes. By this time I was holding court with the fellows behind the bar. The staff was great and we traded wine recommendations back and forth. Then the wine sharing hit new levels. Bottles from underneath the counter came out and the real action started. I was blind tasted on a couple wines, a Cabernet Franc from the Loire and a Tempranillo from Spain. I nailed them both, cementing my memebership into their unofficial wine club. We became fast friends, said our warm goodbyes, and hoped that our wine paths would cross again someday. Four hours well spent.

If you find yourself in NYC, do yourself a favor and stop by Ten Bells. You will not be disappointed. If you live in NYC and you haven’t been, GO, this is a special place. Who knows, the Movia might be back in stock.

Dinner and a Dehydration

As this weekend comes to a close it is time to reflect on the events of the past two days. From slightly inebriated valet parkers to overdoses of Riesling, Walla Walla has delivered yet another wine-filled, 72-hour journey.

Overlooking the Blues

April 10, 2010 will forever be written down in history as the day on which the third La Porte Brune dinner was held. This month’s feast took place high above the Walla Walla Valley in the home of Walla Faces. The five course meal included thrills, a few spills, and some risotto.

La Porte Brune #3

The wines were all delicious as expected, including the super-yeasty Crement du Jura and the somewhat-bretty Brunello. The Pouilly-Fuisse was fantastic and so was the Alaskan Halibut, but combined they were the weakest pairing of the night. We agreed the dish needed a more acidic wine, as the combination caused the Chardonnay to come across as flabby (which is absolutely never true). That said, it was still a better pairing than anything I’ve come up with in the comfort of my own kitchen. The best pairing of the night went to the Walla Faces Syrah with the Lamb Ragout, however, this may be due to the fact that we had significantly more of the Syrah available than the other wines and therefore had much larger pours.

The Nightcap

Chef Andrae Bopp tossed out stellar dish after stellar fish and ended on a high note with a delicious canolli paired with a pink Moscato d’Asti. As far as I know the 40 people attending the meal and the staff are the only souls to have tried a pink MdA. It had something going on; something which is beyond the level that typed words on a screen can describe. Actually, I’m just lazy.

For the nightcap hosts Rick and Debbie Johnson donated six bottles of a 2003 Brunello. It was not a bad way to end the night, and as far as I know the valet parkers successfully delivered all of the cars as well.

A Dinner which did not Suck

On Saturday I had the honor of serving at an underground dinner by chef Andrae Bopp known as la Porte Brune. The meal consisted of six courses, each with its own wine pairing, and it kicked serious pork belly.

The underground dinners are currently held about once per month in Walla Walla, with expansion to Seattle in the works. None of the guests know the location of the meal until the day before the event, and this one was held at Corliss.

The main table

Corliss is spectacular. A non-descript brick building on the outside, upon entering the doors the building seems twice as large and infinitely more awesome. From the huge chandelier to the giant artwork on the walls the room is flawless. Perhaps the only issue is the lack of first growth Bordeauxs in the wine coolers – I only counted four 2000s.

Between delivering and clearing plates and pouring wine we were able to sample the leftovers with their respective pairings. Every pairing was good, but three of them stand out as the best food and wine combos I’ve ever tried. The winner has to be the first course, a shellfish ceviche with tomato water granita paired with the 2008 Pascal Jolivet Sancerre.

The dessert wine

The rest of the meal was also spectacular, but my favorite single course was no doubt the main course: the bacon and eggs. The whole meal stepped up a few notches when the bottle that the host, Michael Corliss, donated to the meal came out for dessert. My dream of drinking a 1983 Chateau d’Yquem out of a double magnum could finally come true. My wine life is now at a new level.

The wine was spectacular – so much so that Jeff and I decided it would be too cruel to tell Eric and Mike of the tale the following day. We combined the end of both of our glasses into a paper coffee cup, sealed it up, and stuck it in my cup holder. They both were later awakened well past 1 a.m. only to discover a paper cup with a couple ounces of 1983 d’Yquem on the table. They forgave our trespasses.

Jeff, Andrae, me, and d'Yquem

Among the dozen or so bottles Mike generously popped after the dinner was the 2000 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard. That wine didn’t suck either, but never did I think a Cayuse would be completely overshadowed. It was. The courses are listed below for those who are curious.

Appetizer: Some sort of Green Pea ball with bacon bits served with a Blanquette de Limoux

1st course: Shellfish ceviche with tomato water granita served with 2008 Pascal Jolivet Sancerre

2nd course: Sous vide Hudson Valley foie gras terrine with Pacific ahi tuna tartar and brioche crouton served with 2004 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett

3rd course: Wild Alaskan sablefish with truffled Yukon potato foam and bacon brandy sauce served with 2006 Fogdog Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

4th course: Bacon and eggs: Thundering Hooves crispy pork belly with vanilla gastrique and a deep-fried duck egg served with 2005 Corliss Columbia Valley Syrah

Dessert: Hudson Valley foie gras profiteroles with salted caramel sauce and shaved bittersweet chocolate served with 1999 Le Caniette Sibilla Appenninica Vin Santo, and don’t forget the 1983 Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes.