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Lightly Smoked Diver Scallops, Mussel-Zucchini Sauce
Roasted Peach, Bayonne Ham, Homemade Goat Milk Cheese and Red Wine Vinegar Syrup 2006 Oratoire St. Martin Cotes du Rhone Village Haut Coustias Blanc Medium straw color, with a tinge of peach; on the nose, it offers big stony white tree fruit and lanolin, all of which echoes forcefully in the mouth. One taster at another table mentioned “over-ripe pineapple, but I got none of that. Full bodied, dense, with lots of acidity, this works well with the peach, ham and goat cheese, but I’d really like to try this again in a few years, and maybe I will! Dan describes this as “big, rich and meant to age 3, 4 and 5 years,” adding that it’s “not dramatic, but very good, very traditional.” He says it’s the first vintage produced with no Grenache Blanc in the blend, adding that there’s still some ’05 left, so a side-by-side might be most interesting. Marsanne, Roussanne & Viognier. 14.5% alcohol, $30. Find this wine These two whites are both quite nice, with distinctively different personalities. The first is lighter, and more floral, while the second is bigger, more mineral dominated and age-worthy.  TMZ Farms (Pinckney, MI) Buffalo Sausage,
Apple Compote, Frisee 2006 Oratoire St. Martin Cotes du Rhone Village Cairanne Reserve des Seigneurs Rouge Good dark color, with a surprising amount of chocolate on the nose, and more of the same on the palate, with a big core of earthy black plum, currant and berry. Full bodied, with very good structure, this is a fine match for the sausage and compote, and should age effortlessly for 5 years and beyond. 14.5% alcohol, $30. Find this wine 2004 Amouriers Vacqueyras Les Genestes Rouge Ruby garnet color, with a subdued nose that is grudgingly stingy, not giving much. The earthy black plum and currant flavors almost seem dull and flat after the Cairanne, and while nice enough on its own and works well with the pork belly, it suffers in comparison to the previous selection. Full bodied, with good structure, depth and balance, this is good now, but not a “wow,” and I doubt that I’d pay the tariff listed on the sell sheet that accompanied the text provided with the price of admission. 14.5% alcohol, $30. Find this wine  Bobwhite Quail, Swiss Chard, Foie Gras,
French Green Lentils 2003 Domaine du Banneret Chateauneuf du Pape This dark colored Chateauneuf du Pape is the hit of the night, at least at our table. It exudes classic aromas of smoke, iron, earth, a little bit of the barnyard and a rich core of black plum and berry, all of which follows through beautifully in the rich, lovely flavors. Full bodied, muscular and delicious, this is a 10-15 year wine, and a new star in our CdP horizon (it’s a relatively recent addition to the J et R lineup, only having been picked up in the last year or two). This is our first taste of this, and hopefully, many more will follow; happily, it proves not to be a casualty of the excessive heat of the vintage and pairs beautifully with the quail. 60% Grenache Noir, 40% Mourvedre, 14% alcohol, $52. Find this wine  Butter-Almond Brown Betty, Fresh Fruit, Elderberry Ice Cream 2006 Tourade Muscat de Beaumes de Venise VDN Cuvee Mathys Pale gold color, with a pretty, floral, honeyed nose. Rich, but not overly sweet, it offers peach and apricot with hints of cucumber, honey, mineral and a subtle herbaceousness, all with good acids and just a smidgen of heat. (It weighs in at 16-18%, but not because it is fermented that way; they add alcohol to stop the fermentation.) Farley says that this one is made not to please Parker, but to please the winemaker’s mother-in-law. We like it quite well, so chances are, she does too! $32. Find this wine A great time was had by all, and everyone went home satisfied and happy. Many thanks to Dan Farley, Fiddleheads executive chef Tim Voss and staff, and Jack Bourget and Michael Korn from Wines of Distinction, J et R’s local distributors. The only thing I have left to ask is, when can we do this again?
Reporting from Day-twah,
geo t.
Other Recent Wine Explorations New Rieslings from Chateau Grand Traverse & more…
Not So Random
Samples: 6 From Cameron Hughes
Back to the Underground Index
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The
idea was pure inspiration; pair a selection of wines from one of our very
favorite importers with the cuisine of one of our favorite local restaurants.
What do you have? A recipe for a great evening of food and drink. 
Pale to medium straw color, with a white stone fruit nose shaded with subtle
mineral and floral notes; the rich flavors pick those elements up and run with
them big time. Excellent concentration, density and cut. Gives a slight
impression of heat with the scallops and sauce, but less so by itself. A blend
of Clairette, Marsanne, Roussanne & Viognier. 14% alcohol, $16.
