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Fall Harvest Dinner at the Chelsea Club |
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Saturday, 13 October 2007 |
Reported by Anna Cullinan
The National Capital Sommelier Guild held the Fall Harvest Dinner at the Chelsea Club and it was a resounding success thanks to Guild Vice-President Martin Carriere’s wine pairings with Chef Sean Murphy’s masterpieces. Martin and Sean worked together to offer us a beautiful evening with a hearty meal and a fabulous selection of wines. Chef Sean was in top form, ably assisted by sous-chef Caroline Ishii and servers extraordinaires Marie- Claire Julien and Mike McCourt and orchestrated by Food and Beverage Manager Robert Lafontaine. Martin chose a delightful international selection of wines to accompany the feast, including wines from Washington, Argentina, California, and France.
The evening started with a Domaine Ste. Michelle Cuvee Brut from the Columbia Valley in Washington ($17.95). This was a delightful sparkling single varietal Chardonnay, done in the methode classique. It had strong pear and light toast flavours. Some guests found this wine to be well suited to a pairing with the appetizer of local wild mushrooms with acorn squash and crab apples poached in herb honey syrup and adorned with a brandy spiked cream drizzle. The mushrooms were a melange of Shitake, Portobello and Japanese. The wine chosen for the pairing was a Chardonnay Reserva, 2005, Del Fin del Mundo, from Patagonia, Argentina. Both the starter beverage and this Chardonnay paired well the cream sauce. One guest noted a touch of cinnamon in the crab apples and sauce, which reminded him of his grandma's cooking. This Patagonian Chardonnay has gentle notes of vanilla and toast and is a particularly good value at $12.95.
The salad course was a complex dish which consisted of delightful mache lettuce paired with smoked duck, toasted pine nuts and wine-poached white leeks. This was crowned with a drizzle of white truffle oil and 20 year-old vinegar from Jerez, Spain. The wine chosen to match this dish was a 2005 Pinot Noir Domaine Chandon ($29.95) from Carneros, California. This anise and raspberry flavoured wine would have benefited from further decanting since the initial taste indicated a higher level of acidity than most guests preferred. One guest called it a ‘prickling’ sensation. This challenge was overcome with an impromptu decanting session which consisted of pouring the wine back and forth into a spare glass a few times. Happily the previously poured wines were also a beautiful pairing with this multi-flavoured dish. The duck and Pinot were, of course, delicious and the pine nuts, leeks, and sauce were spectacular when paired with both Chardonnays. The abundance of flavours was a real treat.
The main course was a Cabernet-braised short rib dish served with shaved and then toasted parsnips, and pearl couscous. Two wines at significantly different price points accompanied this dish. The Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004, Beringer Knights Valley ($39.95) from Sonoma County, California was deemed to be spectacular by many guests and others called it a passe-partout. It had aromas of plum, cocoa, blackcurrant, sweet cherry, and cedar which made it a spectacular combination with the short rib. The second wine was a Domaine le Galantin Rouge, 2004, AC Bandol ($21.95) from Provence, France. The grapes in this wine were predominantly Mourvedre with a touch of Grenache. It had notes of cherry, anise, and marzipan. Guests were evenly divided about which pairing they preferred with the ribs but agreed that the Bandol was a great value wine. Some preferred the Bandol with the vegetables and the Beringer with the ribs and others were of the opposite opinion. Everyone agreed that we were fortunate to have such an embarrassment of riches.
The last course was a delicious orange scented chocolate torte. One guest managed to save a sip of the Pinot Noir for this dish and he was particularly happy with that match. The bitter chocolate and fruity Pinot hit it off very well.
This fall harvest dinner was a tremendous success. Congratulations to the organizers. |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 10 November 2007 )
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The National Capital Sommelier Guild strongly supports moderate and responsible consumption of wine and spirits. Guild dinner events allow a designated driver to attend at a reduced price. The designated driver will not be served alcohol. Guild tasting events provide and encourage the use of spit buckets.