We started the afternoon/evening of eating around 1pm with oysters paired with a sparkling wine, a Cremant de Bourgogne- Albert Bichot Brut Reserve NV. This wasn't as yeasty as I thought it was going to be. I would have appreciated a little bit more fruit in this sparkler. The oysters were great. My favorites were the Hamma Hama, Kumomoto, and Snow Creek.
We also had a light white wine from Santorini with the oyster course. Thalassitis- Santorini 2008. You could taste the volcanic soils and stress from the sun in the wine. While this wine was good, it wasn't as good as the wines sitting on a patio, watching the sunset in Santorini with my sister in 2007. Perhaps my memory has inflated the experience after 3 years, but after looking at old pictures, I'm pretty sure all wine tastes better in Greece.
Domaine Jo Pithon- Savennieres, Chenin Blanc 2006 La Croix Picot
Following the oysters was another appetizer course consisting of Monkfish Liver. In the past we've done monkfish liver, wasabi roe and ponzu sauce. This time around, the prep was a little more French with Creme Fraiche and lemon reduction. I'm glad we did some experimenting.
Now it is time for our first main course. My roommate prepared Gambas al Ajillo- shrimp, garlic, sherry, and dried red pepper. It was delicious. The sauce tasted simple but the flavor was quite experssive. I caught everyone sucking their fingers clean after each shrimp. The shrimp was paired with "Tio Pepe" sherry and a White Gran Rioja- "2000 Vina Gravonia". On the nose of the white Rioja there was wax, oak, nut, and walnut. On the pallet there was pecans, sharp granny smith apples and allspice. There was something that made this taste like an aged white, even though I've never had one before. The finish was carmeley and toasted. Such an interesting wine!
Next was my course. I decided to cook Provencal Fish Stew with a recipe from Alice Waters. The stew was made with a halibut stock and had pieces of halibut cheeks, rainbow trout and mussles flavored with lots of fennel bulb, saffron, thyme. The stew was paired with a White Cotes du Rhone and a Washington white Rhone Blend. The stew was delicious. The broth was outstanding but I may argue anything tastes delicious with halibut fin in it.
Unfortunately, both wines were a bit disappointing. "Tour de L'Isle 2007", had a nose of mildewy milk carton. Later, there was a more appealing peach and gravel. On the pallet, there was pear and old box (not corked, just box.) All and all, it wasn't all that expressive and generally under-whelming.
The other wine paired with my stew was a WA Syncline Subduction White 2009. The nose= Hawaiian punch. In your face with intensity. Later, there was cooked peach. The pallet was intense with fruit, Hawaiian punch, pear and pineapple. Over time the candy quality of the wine dissipated and pear and toasted oak became more evident.
Next was CWH's dish. He prepped seared scallops, crimini mushrooms and parsnip puree. The Scallops were great and the parsnip puree was outstanding, but CWH says that may be partly attributed to the amount of fancy butter added. The dish was made all the more special with a glass of "Nickle & Nickel Searby Vineyard 2005 Russian River Valley Chardonnay". The nose can be described by pear and cinnamon. It was very complex. The pallet was bright with acidity, vanilla, coconut, toasted marshmallow. While these tasting notes are dominated by characteristics that I traditionally do not like about California Chards because they are easily over done, this wine tastes like what all the other California Chards are trying to be. There was tremendous balance; a pleasing body, acidity, oak balance. And it was a great accent to the sea scallops, crimini mushroom sauce and parsnip puree.
We then took an intermission to watch the Sounders game. During the game we drank a Alsace "Domaine Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris". Unfortunately, the game was so terrible I didn't take tasting notes from the wine tasting.
Shortly after the Sounders season came to an end, PAW served his grandmother's Cioppino paired with Damilano Barbera d'Asti 2008. The nose of the wine didn't have not too much to it. I guess there was some red fruit and violet. On the pallet, I picked up raspberry, vanilla, oak. Overall there was good body and acid in the wine to hold up to the tomato sauce in the cioppino. Overall, this was a good pairing.
Our final course was Salmon, mashed potatoes and spinach. This dish was paired with a "Coeur de Terre 2006 Pinot Noir Kenelle's Block Reserve"- There was dark fruit, cola and a subtle herb on the nose. The pallet was complex. I picked up nutmeg, moss, and cherry on one layer. Then there was some sort of cola, Dr pepper thing going on. Next there was some sweet soil, tobacco and mushroom. It has the depth and body of an Eola Hills, OR Pinot Noir, but nose and the gentile nuances from Dundee Hills. Overall, a terrific wine and probably my favorite of the evening.
I would like to say after 7 courses, 10 bottles of wine and a bottle of sherry that Gluttonous Feast III- Seafood Fest was quite the success. I think that we'll take a few months off to recover from all the food and reconvene for Fowl Feast.
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