Sunday, March 23, 2003
My closest of friends got together for a "Boy's Night Out" last night with dinner at Arterra, inside the Del Mar Marriott. It was nothing short of amazing...Coming on the heals of the "awe" inspiring Friday night affair at the newly opened "808" made this meal just dazzling. I am so happy that my good friends, Ray McKewon, Jim Irish and Rich Spahl could join up with me on the literal feast of wine, food and friendship last evening.
Without question, Arterra's Carl Schroeder has set a new standard that every San Diego chef can only hope to catch up to. From the very first course, of super clean oysters, all the way through to the excellent and so delicately flavored chicken, pork and beef dishes, chef Carl Schroeder demonstrated how every course at Arterra is prepared with cutting edge imagination, precision and care. Matt Andrews, Arterra's super competent Wine Director key pairings of our wines allowed us to sit back and enjoy the gastronomic journey on what felt like autopilot.
The meal began with a pair of Prager and Freie Smaragd Rieslings that together were a devilish tease to what laid ahead. Both 1999s were real treats, for as we tasted them, first without the oysters, then with them, they showed how different the wines were. First tasted alone the Freie appeared to be the better wine. Then we had two dozen of the freshest of fresh oysters and the 1999 Prager Riesling Smaragd Weissenkirchen Achleiten became absolutely opulent, where without food, it was just a normal wine. Its mineralness was clear and the flintiness very evident. The 1999 Freie Weingartner Riesling Smaragd Weibenkirchner Achleiten was a wonderful wine as well, with many flavors of fresh white and yellow fruits and is surely another outstanding example of winemaking excellence. Without food the Freie was the better sipping wine as it was lusher, richer and fruitier compared to the Prager.
Our Rose, a 2000 Chateau de Lascaux Coteaux du Languedoc was very good as well, but in association with all of the rest, it was just a refreshing interlude. Paired with the beet and goat cheese salad, it was a an imaginative match up, and it was the first wine that actually went well with Asparagus, other than a Sancerre, I've ever had.
Then the fun began.....we went through three courses of highly conceptual courses. Roasted chicken, grilled pork tenderloin and a Angus grade beef and crab soufflé surf and turf dish, each with flavorful sides of baby vegetables, pasta or potatoes.
The 1985 Monsanto "Il Poggio" Chianti Classico Riserva was sheer delight. At age 18 it was still acting and tasting like a wine much younger than it is. I'm not sure how many more I have left, I can only hope I do. If the word monumental can be used to describe a wine, this would be the wine to attach such a word. Saddle leather, tar, old cigar box tobacco, reedy cherry and dried, aged smoked meat flavors, in a perfectly deep, dark red colored wine.
Ray brought along a 1998 E.Guigal Chateau d'Ampuis Cote Rotie that was nothing short of downright amazing. I've never found the mint like quality in a Cote Rotie before to be so developed and dominant. It was by far the most interesting and flavorful wine of the evening as it delivered green olive, black pepper and pie filling blueberry.
Jim brought along an exquisite 1997 Brunello that was so good I only wish we could have had more (and recalled the producers name). The two Brunello's, Jim's and the 1995 Banfi Brunello di Montelcino like the two Rieslings described above were emblematic examples of how from the same region, same grape, different producers what terroir and winemaking do to influence the final wine.
The 1997 Az Ag Icardi Barolo Parej was something on another plain. Had it been served alone, or been our only red wine of the night it could have been the big gun wine winner, but in the company of the Guigal, Monsanto and the unnamed Brunello, it placed fourth--a real understatement. It was classic Barolo, with cherry, tar, smoke. It was rich and deep that only Barolo can be. That and the unknown other Italian Nebbiolo, a 1995 Vallentina, that I brought along as a last minute, as a "what's this" wine were so perfect with the beef dish (and what remnants I had left of the pork dish in match up and flavors. This unknown wine I have since learned is from an area close to the Swiss border that had a wonderful mouth feel and flavor of tea, tar and tobacco, but was a totally different Nebbiolo style, and more elegant, almost Bordeaux like in palate weight and aging ability.
As for the two 1991 Peyre Rose Coteaux du Languedoc reds, now at 12, neither could be deemed, "ready" to be drunk. Of the two, we found the Clos de Cistes to be better right now, as it had much more in the way of complexity and a wider range of flavors with very complex black fruit and blackberries sprinkled with pure Garrigue aromas of sage, rosemary, marjoram and basil. The Syrah Leone drunk next to the Cote Rotie, is best described as backwards and closed down showing only hints of blueberry, blackberry and tar.
I look forward, with baited breath, to my next meal at Arterra and be able to share another monumental night of wine and food for last night was a night that will go down in WinePals history.....
Cheers,
Andy Abramson
Without question, Arterra's Carl Schroeder has set a new standard that every San Diego chef can only hope to catch up to. From the very first course, of super clean oysters, all the way through to the excellent and so delicately flavored chicken, pork and beef dishes, chef Carl Schroeder demonstrated how every course at Arterra is prepared with cutting edge imagination, precision and care. Matt Andrews, Arterra's super competent Wine Director key pairings of our wines allowed us to sit back and enjoy the gastronomic journey on what felt like autopilot.
The meal began with a pair of Prager and Freie Smaragd Rieslings that together were a devilish tease to what laid ahead. Both 1999s were real treats, for as we tasted them, first without the oysters, then with them, they showed how different the wines were. First tasted alone the Freie appeared to be the better wine. Then we had two dozen of the freshest of fresh oysters and the 1999 Prager Riesling Smaragd Weissenkirchen Achleiten became absolutely opulent, where without food, it was just a normal wine. Its mineralness was clear and the flintiness very evident. The 1999 Freie Weingartner Riesling Smaragd Weibenkirchner Achleiten was a wonderful wine as well, with many flavors of fresh white and yellow fruits and is surely another outstanding example of winemaking excellence. Without food the Freie was the better sipping wine as it was lusher, richer and fruitier compared to the Prager.
Our Rose, a 2000 Chateau de Lascaux Coteaux du Languedoc was very good as well, but in association with all of the rest, it was just a refreshing interlude. Paired with the beet and goat cheese salad, it was a an imaginative match up, and it was the first wine that actually went well with Asparagus, other than a Sancerre, I've ever had.
Then the fun began.....we went through three courses of highly conceptual courses. Roasted chicken, grilled pork tenderloin and a Angus grade beef and crab soufflé surf and turf dish, each with flavorful sides of baby vegetables, pasta or potatoes.
The 1985 Monsanto "Il Poggio" Chianti Classico Riserva was sheer delight. At age 18 it was still acting and tasting like a wine much younger than it is. I'm not sure how many more I have left, I can only hope I do. If the word monumental can be used to describe a wine, this would be the wine to attach such a word. Saddle leather, tar, old cigar box tobacco, reedy cherry and dried, aged smoked meat flavors, in a perfectly deep, dark red colored wine.
Ray brought along a 1998 E.Guigal Chateau d'Ampuis Cote Rotie that was nothing short of downright amazing. I've never found the mint like quality in a Cote Rotie before to be so developed and dominant. It was by far the most interesting and flavorful wine of the evening as it delivered green olive, black pepper and pie filling blueberry.
Jim brought along an exquisite 1997 Brunello that was so good I only wish we could have had more (and recalled the producers name). The two Brunello's, Jim's and the 1995 Banfi Brunello di Montelcino like the two Rieslings described above were emblematic examples of how from the same region, same grape, different producers what terroir and winemaking do to influence the final wine.
The 1997 Az Ag Icardi Barolo Parej was something on another plain. Had it been served alone, or been our only red wine of the night it could have been the big gun wine winner, but in the company of the Guigal, Monsanto and the unnamed Brunello, it placed fourth--a real understatement. It was classic Barolo, with cherry, tar, smoke. It was rich and deep that only Barolo can be. That and the unknown other Italian Nebbiolo, a 1995 Vallentina, that I brought along as a last minute, as a "what's this" wine were so perfect with the beef dish (and what remnants I had left of the pork dish in match up and flavors. This unknown wine I have since learned is from an area close to the Swiss border that had a wonderful mouth feel and flavor of tea, tar and tobacco, but was a totally different Nebbiolo style, and more elegant, almost Bordeaux like in palate weight and aging ability.
As for the two 1991 Peyre Rose Coteaux du Languedoc reds, now at 12, neither could be deemed, "ready" to be drunk. Of the two, we found the Clos de Cistes to be better right now, as it had much more in the way of complexity and a wider range of flavors with very complex black fruit and blackberries sprinkled with pure Garrigue aromas of sage, rosemary, marjoram and basil. The Syrah Leone drunk next to the Cote Rotie, is best described as backwards and closed down showing only hints of blueberry, blackberry and tar.
I look forward, with baited breath, to my next meal at Arterra and be able to share another monumental night of wine and food for last night was a night that will go down in WinePals history.....
Cheers,
Andy Abramson
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