IW&FS Wine Education Dinner 3/12/2013

Bordeaux Wine Education Dinner-
Speaker: Ben Giliberti
Tuesday, March 12,2013
The International Wine and Food Society's Boardeaux Wine Education Dinner was held at the new Robert Wiedmaier's Restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland, Wildwood Kitchen.  This dinner was prepared by four Chefs.  Robert Wiedmaier (2009 DC Chef of the Year), Brian McBride, the current Chef at the Wildwood Kitchen,  Paul Stearman  and Matt Newland.

The moderator for this event was Ben Giliberti.

Hors d 'Oeuvres



Foie Gras Terrlne with
Cherry & Tarragon ***

Carved at the Bar, Toasted Brioche
and Golden Raisins ***

Carved at the Bar, Toasted Brioche
and Golden Raisins ***

Foie Gras Terrlne with
Cherry & Tarragon ***

Ballotine of Duck
Foie Gras Terrlne with Cherry and Tarragon
Carved at the Bar, Toasted Brioche and Golden Raisins

Champagne Barons de Rothschild Brut

First
Lasagna of Duck Confit



Lasagna of Duck Confit

Herb Crusted Braised Veal Cheeks, Farm Vegetables

Chateau Pape Clement 1999*
Chateau d 'Armailhac 1999*
Chateau Lynch Bages 1999*
The 1999 Pape was the est of the three, still youthfull and with plenty of fruit and soft tannin.

Squab Stuffed with Wild Mushrooms In Crepenette ****

Second
Squab Stuffed with Wild Mushrooms In Crepenette
Chateau Latour 1999

Third
Herb Crusted Braised Veal Cheeks, Farm Vegetables
Chateau Cos d'Estourne 2001*
Fourth
Lamb and Foie Gras en CroOte, Bordelaise Sauce
Chateau Haut Brion 2001*
Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2001*
Chateau Margaux 2001*
Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2001*
It is almost a crime to have these four fabulous wines side by side!  My favorite of the four was the Margaux,  with a floral nose and silky texture.

Dessert


Lamb and Foie Gras en CroOte,
Bordelaise Sauce ****

Warm Nancy's Camembert Filled with Prunes
2009 Chateau Climens



Dinner Committee:
Steven Snider, Chair, Edward Sands, Wine Chair,
Geoffrey Kaplan, Rachel Marti, Richard Sugarman and Andy Adelson, ex officio

Chefs: Robert Wiedmaier, Brian McBride, Paul Stearman & Matt Newland

Sommelier: Moez Ben Achour, Ramon Narvaez

*From Wine Cellar

Louis XIII Dinner at the Blue Duck Tavern

I received an invitation from Michael and Ed Sands of Calvert Woodley to attend this fabulous evening at the Park Hyatt Hotel in DC. I had no idea what the evening was going to bring.  I had imagined that there would be a multi course dinner and various Cognac from Remy Martin would be served.  I had attended Scotch and Cognac tastings before, however, this was quiet different.  Louis XIII Cognac is a special Cognac that has been in the making since 1913, as it is required the spirit be aged between 40 to 100 years in special wood barrels to constitute the bottle.

Remy Martin holds evenings like this all over the world to introduce this special bottle to the Cognac lovers.  First of all, as I said this is a very special bottle.  The caraft that the Cognac comes in is made by Bacarat and is handmade by their master glass makers in France.  The Cognac is exceptional, the grapes are top quality of the vintage.  The house master blends these various batches to create the Louis XIII.

The event was held at the second floor of the hotel where the restaurant has a long wooden table set aside for events such as this.



Hors d'oeuvre
The evening started with passed hors d'oeuvres and a glass of Charles Heidsieck Champagne.

Passed hors d'oeuvres included various canape of roe, oysters and salmon.  They were all fabulous with the elegant champagne.



The First Course was Lobster Bisque, Poached Oyster, Clams, Black Mussels, Marble Potatoes and Seaweed Feuilletes.
This beautifully presented course was served with an elegant White wine from Mâcon  France, the 2005 Domaine de la Bongran (Thévenet) - Viré-Clessé Cuvée E.J. Thévenet
Lying in the north of the Mâconnais between Tournus and Mâcon, Viré-Clessé is one of Burgundy's newest communal appellations and was formed to bring together the villages of Viré and Clessé which until 1999 bottled their wines as Mâcon-Clessé and Mâcon-Viré. The Chardonnays of Viré-Clessé are distinctly different from the appellations further to the South such as Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint Véran offering fresh, delicate wines with floral and herbaceous notes. The good news is that this wine is available at the Calvert Woodley!

The second course was Wood Oven Fire Roasted Squab, Foie Gras, Black Trumpets, Celeriac Water Crest Oil.  Another beautifully presented dish that worked well with the Brunel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Cailloux Cuvée Centenaire vintage 2000 from France - Rhone - Chateauneuf-du-Pape

96 points Robert Parker: "The heady 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Centenaire is more evolved than either the 2001 or 1998. Extremely full-bodied, with low acidity, and a knock-out bouquet of blackberry and cherry jam intermixed with licorice, pepper, and dried Provencal herbs, this sexy, voluptuous, enormously concentrated 2000 possesses a huge, silky, seamless finish. Drink this irresistible effort now and over the next 12-15 years. The Cuvee Centenaire is one of the world's most compelling red wines. It is produced primarily from a plot of ancient (planted in 1889) Grenache vines (80% of the blend), and the rest younger vine Syrah (8%) and Mourvedre (12%), all aged 18 months in oak casks. It is tempting to say this is a modern-styled Chateauneuf du Pape. The use of barriques puts it in that category, but there is no noticeable new oak. This wine sucks up the oak like a sponge, but the wood provides structure and delineation. The Centenaire has been produced in 1989, 1990, 1995, 1998, 2000, and 2001. My personal favorites are the 1998 and 1990, but the 1989 still has not hit full maturity. Moreover, the 2000 and 2001 are both prodigious efforts. Life's too short not to experience at least one bottle of Andre Brunel's Cuvee Centenaire! "

The Dessert
Passion Fruit Fondant, Exotic Fruit Sorbet Pineapple Drizzle.

After the final course, the Ambassador gave a presentation on the Louis XIII and poured a glass of this eau de vie for everyone (about 26 attendees).  The color was clear golden brown, the first nose was floral with a hint of wood and roasted vanila.  The second nose was  rich fruits and intense spices. On the palate, Louis XIII takes you on a world journey: to China with flavors of lychee and ginger, to Cuba with cigars and cigar box, and Central America with cinnamon that goes down smoothly.

2013 Valentine Dinner at the House

Alinda prepared a dazzling menu this year for the three boys. We missed Reza!

First course was the special crab cakes with celery root roumalade.
For this course I opened my long awaited white Burgundy, the 1991 Bâtard-Montrachet. We purchased two cases of the white Burgundy wines back in 1992. From the two cases, only seven bottles are left. This is one if the two 1991 Bâtard bottles. Bâtard-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the communes of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. Bâtard-Montrachet borders on the Grand Cru vineyard Montrachet in the west, on Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet in the east/northeast and on Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet in the south. In terms of the Côte d'Or hillside, Bâtard-Montrachet is located below Montrachet, with the Route des Grands Crus running between the two vineyards. The AOC was created in 1837.

The color of this wine reminded me of an old Sauternes, amber gold color. The nose was raisin stem, minerals and roasted vanilla, On the palate the wine was outstanding with full body, chewy and layers after layers of complex flavors including toasted honey, Carmel and vanilla. This wine was just perfect with the crab cakes.

The main course was s beautiful cut of meat (bone in prime rib) that Alinda specially grilled using Bobby Flay's recommendation where she placed the cast iron skillet on a hot grill for ~15 minutes prior placing the steak for sizzling. The sides were sweet potatoes gratin and micro greens.

Since the Burgundy was such a big wine, I decided to continue with the same wine for this course. As I suspected, the wine just stood up to the rich flavors of the meat and the sweet potatoes gratin. Wow, what a versatile wine!

The dessert was a chocolate mousse from the Praline Bakery & Restaurant in Bethesda, MD. Highly recommended.

IW&FS Continental Dinner at the Blue Duck Tavern

“Continental Dinner”
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
BLUE DUCK TAVERN
Park Hyatt Washington
1201 24th Street NW
Washington, DC 20037
Tel: (202) 789-1234
Reception @6:30pm and Dinner @7pm
introducing you to the new Executive Chief of the Blue Duck Tavern, Sebastien Archambault.
The “Continental Dinner” that Sebastien is preparing for the society reflects the Chief’s training in France, his 10-year experience in France in restaurants ranging from bistros to Michelin three establishments, and four years cooking in Los Angeles at the restaurant RH. Chef Archambault’s roots lie in the Perigod in South-West France, and the dinner menu for January will include delights such as fois gras, truffles and sweetbreads for which that region is known.
The 5 course dinner presentation for January promises to be memorable. The Dinner Committee, all of whom were unfamiliar with the new Chef, were impressed by the trial dinner this past week, and the fact that former Blue Duck Tavern Chef Brian McBride (well known to Society Members) has a worthy successor. The wines selected for the “Continental Dinner” are wines that you will not want to miss.

The sparkling was served was Domaine Mumm Napa Valley Sparkling with clear light yellow color with fine effervescent, the nose was clean with hint of citrus and minerals, on the palate, smooth and refreshing with clean finish.
Passed Hors d'Oeuvres
Oysters
Marinated Swordfish
American Caviar

The oysters were fresh and succulent. The marinated swordfish was light and refreshing; the American caviar was light with not an overwhelming flavors.  The sparkling wine worked well with all  three, especially with the oysters.
First Course-
Glazed Pheasant Breast and Rillette of Leg Foie Gras, Pheasant Jus and Balsamic Vinaigrette Wasabi
Beautifully presented, the dish was light with balanced flavors that were lifted with the Chablis.

Coulis Dublère Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru 2008
The 2008 vintage produced some wonderful white wines, and the Chablis Les Preuses from Domaine Dublère is no exception. First nose; minerals and chalk, second nose; some notes of lime and citrus. On the palette; a fine crisp acidity, good fruit and minerals with good long finish, and complex flavors.

Second Course-
Crispy Veal Sweet Bread, Creamy Mushrooms Quail Egg, Arugula, Black Truffle
Another beautifully presented course.  The sweetbreads were creamy and light.

Alex Gambal Meursault 1er Cru Les Les Genevrières 2009
The first nose; generous oak that fights somewhat with the spicy white peach and lemon rind-infused aromas.  The second nose; powerful medium weight flavors of fruits.  On the palate; this wine possess plenty of mid-palate fat before delivering a beautifully complex, balanced and long finish.  Worked well with the sweetbreads.

Third Course-
Roasted Pigeon Breast and Red Wine Braised Leg Glazed Chestnuts, Water Cress Emulsion

**Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Clos Pepe 2007
The color is bright red. First nose; fresh raspberry and candied cherry.  Second nose; spice and floral. On the palate; the tangy red berry flavors are focused and pure, with silky tannins adding support. The spice-accented finish leaves behind an exotic rose pastille note.

Fourth Course-
Braised Short Rib, Crispy Potatoes Baby Carrots, Salsify

**Groth Cabernet Sauvignon 1999
The intense black cherry flavors of this Cabernet will go beautifully with any red meat. especially with these ribs the fat in which enhanced by the spicy aromas and good balance of fruit and oak flavors.

Dessert-
Chocolat Ganache, Hazelnuts Dacquoise Griottine Cherries, Chocolat Sorbet Rinaldi

Moscato d’Asti 2011

**From the Society’s Wine Cellar
Dinner Committee:
Will Berry (Chair),
Henry Greenwald,
Josh Genderson
Marvin Stirman (Wine Comm)
Andy Andelson (Ex-Officio, President)