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Everyone,For Xmas my wife got me tickets to a wine dinner hosted by Justin winery. The event took place Saturday night at Wentworth by the Sea hotel in New Castle NH.
Anyway, here is the meal, prepared by the chefs at Justin and Wentworth:
6-7pm Appetizers and Sauivgnon Blanc
7pm First Course - pan roasted scallops with asian pear in a saffron-vanilla buerre blanc. Paired with the 2004 Sauvignon Blanc
Second course -- Salad of white asparagus and black truffles with goat cheese vinaigrette. Paired with Justin's 2004 Chardonnay
Third course -- almond crusted sonoma foie gras with carmelized red apples and figs. Served with Justin 2003 Cabernet
Fourth course -- Morel crusted venison chop with butternut squash, heirloom beets, and dried cherry reduction. Served with Justin 2002 Isoceles.
Dessert -- Chocolate toffee crunch marquis served with Justin Obtuse port (100% Cabernet port)
The dinner was quite fine, to say the least and I drank way too much wine. Justin's whites were nothing special, although perfectly good examples of the styles. They leaned towards tart acidity, strong fruit flavors, and little to no oak (in the Chardonnay). They did not wow.The reds showed much better, especially the Isoceles, which is muscular with a bordeaux earthiness to it that I just do not see a lot of in California cabs. The Cabernet was typical of the style, with a lot of finesse, but not the bold punch that some of the Napa examples are known for.
The port didn't do much for me any more than a Taylor LBV.
The Isoceles, espcially paired with a wonderful Venison, was the highlight of the evening, and I spent most of my effort on consuming it vs the other wines.
Overall it was an outstanding evening, and fairly priced considering how much Isoceles alone would cost at a restaurant.
Follow Ups:
Sounds pretty darned inviting to me. I think I'd have chosen to finish up sans the port and would've gone with a nice hors d'age Calvados from the Domfrontais (like we did last nite, snicker snicker). Cognac afficionados try this some time...you, like myself, may never go back.
I'll report back tomorrow with my impressions.
Absolutely wonderful wine -- complex and exciting, with lots of zest and toasty flavors. But where it really excelled was the finish -- long, long, long with the yeastiness and toast flavors really lingering on the palate.A very nice bottle of wine, although I don't think I could shell out the bucks for it (it was a gift.)
Such is wine. The difference between a $5 bottle of wine and a $20 bottle of wine can be huge. The difference between a $25 bottle and a $50 may not be quite as significant. $75 to $150, ???There usually is a difference, but you can't expect a tripling effect between a good $50 champagne and a $150.
That's why I suggested a double tasting. If you take a wine that you have a respect for and compare it side by side with a much higher regarded wine, you may find the quantum leap. Or not.
Glad you liked it. You're evaluation is spot on. A "noble" champagne, it differs so much from the young stuff because so many old reserve wines constitutue its asemblage. This is the real thing.
A bit more harsh than cognac but seems to have more robust flavors.I've also started to enjoy some quality sipping rums.
As for the Justin port, I've had a couple of half bottles in the past. I found them quite enjoyable, especially at the price.
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