2008-2009 Season Kick-Off at Mio, Tuesday September 9, 2008

We kicked off the season with an adventurous pairing of Latin American influenced cuisine and some of Argentina's exciting and robust wines. Manuel Iguina's Mio, one of downtown's lesser known modern American restaurants hosted the Society with inspired cooking in a casual dining setting. We sampled approachable presentations of exciting cuisine from Chef Nicolas Stefanalli – a rising star with impressive credentials that stunned the dinner committee at the tasting dinner with a wonderful experience. These treats were matched with wines selected by Hugo Linares and the dinner committee for a memorable evening.

Passed Hors d'ouvres

Chicken Pinchito- The chicken was served on a skewer with a green sauce made of onions cumin, paprika garlic and cilantro tender chicken with mesquite light taste.

Plantain Goat Cheese and Chorizo- Very unusual (in a good way) combination, soft creamy goat cheese works well with the crispy plantain.

Beet Gazpacho- A fresh, chilled and mild gazpacho easy to drink.

2007 Lurton Pinot Gris- Satiny-textured with thick layers of yellow fruits, citrus peel, butter, floral and peach, and a round clean finish. Light soft and easy to drink. Worked well with the plantain and the chicken.

Beef Carpaccio- The plate was nicely presented. Quail egg was cooked just right, the cheese filling in the beef carpaccio worked very well.

2006 Luca Chardonnay- Laura Catena, daughter of Argentine wine pioneer Nicolás Catena and founder of the Luca label, has a vision of creating a new breed of Argentine wines: small quantities, artisan quality, and true to their individual terroirs. She starts with some of Argentina’s best fruit from low-yield, high elevation vineyards. State-of-the-art winemaking and oak aging (primarily French) elevate the wines to a quality level demanded by true wine connoisseurs. This week we are featuring her 2006 Luca Chardonnay, which received a 92 point rating from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, with the following review:"Luca Chardonnay is annually a candidate for Argentina’s finest Chardonnay, the primary competitor being Catena Zapata. The 2006 Chardonnay was aged for 12 months in French oak, 50% new. It is light gold in color with a superb aromatic display of spicy oak, mineral, butterscotch, poached pear, and tropical fruits. Medium to full-bodied, it is smoothly textured with outstanding depth and concentration and a lengthy finish. It blows away most white Burgundies and California Chardonnays at twice the price."Clean crisp with a hint of oak. The wine worked well with the beef. 92 Points -- Wine Advocate

Gnocchi- The potatoes were in a ceamy sauce with sweet sausage/bacon with smoke flavor.

2004 Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon- Intense, dark ruby color with enticing aromas of ripe, black plums and black currants. The richly textured plum and currant flavors are joined by accents of dark chocolate and some vanilla-scented oak. The ripe, vibrant tannins give the wine beautiful structure and an amazingly long finish.

This wine had an off nose, though brought up the smoky flavors of the dish.

Suckling Pig- The kichen staff presented the roasted pig prior to carving. Additionally, we were served the crispy skin before the main dish was brought to the table.
2005 Mayol Finca Montuiri Malbec- Intense red color, fig jam nose.

Cheese Course-

2006 Luca Malbec- Heady with raspberry and currant confiture aromas followed by a dense palate of warm fig sauce, crushed boysenberry, bramble, bittersweet ganache and Christmas pudding notes. Long powerful finish.

Petite Fours-
Cigar- Cohiba Rubusto

Committee: Brian Kraff – Chairman
Hugo Linares – Wine Committee
Jacques Rogozinski
John Coons
Steven Greenwald – ex officio

Father's Day 2008, Four Fathers Present

Father's Day 2008, June 15- Present were, Luis (Pops) and Consuelo; Yahya (Pops); Abdy (Pops), Jessie, Natalie and Nicholas; Rana and Jamsheed; Shiva and Nazanin; Gisela, Hanna and Shannon; Karim (Pops), Alinda, Sina, Reza and Arman.

Appetizers- Smoked Trout with Horse Radish Sauce and White/Brown Rice Crackers- Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio 2007. Color is pale greenish yellow, the nose is clean with a hint of lemon zest, on the palate, dry, crisp and focused. Goes well with the smoked trout.

Main Course- Prime Rib Roast, with Green String Beans Olive Oil and Roasted Garlic, Red Potatoes- Treana 1999 Central Coast Cabernet. Treana Red is a Proprietary blend of predominately Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. Barrel aged 14 months in French oak, 40% of which is new; this wine shows deep plum color with excellent clarity. The wine is full-bodied, with an abundance of deep, briary, wild black fruits, anise, and leather aromas. The finish is long and warm with undertones of fruit and spice. I would give it another 5 years in the bottle. Great compliment to the meat and brings out the smokey flavors of the meat (meat was prepared on the grill).

Dessert- Almond Cake, Fruit Tart, Vanilla Ice Cream. Espresso and Cappuccino (Mayorga, Dark Roast)

After Dinner- Labrot & Graham Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select Bourbon Whiskey (Thanks Abdy)- Onyx Maduro Reserve Churchill Cigar.

Chef de Cuisine: Alinda Iman

Spouse Event, June 10, 2008

Le Paradou!

Chef Yannik Cam is one of the greatest chefs in DC, in his restaurant, Le Paradou, is where we enjoyed the 2008 IWFS Spouses' dinner.

Dinner Theme- Auguste Escoffier 1846-1935

Hors d'oeuvre- Roederer Champagne, NV- Crisp and refreshing, this Champagne is always a delight to start the evening with, the passed hors d'oeuvres were, mushroom and tuna.

First Course- Consomme de Homard, Paupiette de sole en feuille de blettes- Lobster consomme with swiss chard wrapped sole- Chateauneuf du Pape, blanc Domaine Font de Michelle 2004-

The color is pale yellow, the nose is neutral, on the palate, this wine is light to medium body. The gold color consommé is very light and not too over whelming with parsley bits, light and easy. The lobster meat was spongy. The marriage was good. Elegant golden rimed plates and the silver ware. The service; impeccable.










Second Course- Tourte de foie gras de canard, pointes d'asperges vertes, aiguillette de pigeonneau, jus aux truffes, Tomates de Jardin, feuille de basilic- Duck Foie Gras Torte with asparagus tips, with baby squab, truffle jus, tomatoes and basil- Nuits St. George, Le Boudots 2002 Louis Jadot.










Clear light red color, with red fruits nose, on the palate, dry with some tannins. The foie gras was good with sweet under tones. The marriage was good.










Main Course- Caille aux raisins aux carottes fondantes- Roasted quail with raisins and baby carrots- Chateau La Fleur Bouard 1999 Lalande de Pomerol-
The color of the Pomerol was dark red, nose was closed, on the palate, sweet under tone. The stuffed Quail was good, the combination of the grapes and baby carrots worked very well. The marriage was; good.









Dessert Course- Peche melba voiles a l'orientale. Asian Peach Melba- Chateau Raymond Lafon 1995-
The golden yellow Sauternes was inviting with aromas of saffron, on the palate, sweet and medium to full body, worked well with the dish.










Petit Fours and coffee-










After Dinner- Cohiba Rubusto Cigar, Habanos Cuba, production date 4/2/2008.

Committee: Neal Baron – Chairman
Earl Copp
Jack Ellison
Mel Greenblat – Wine Committee
Steven Greenwald – ex officio

Le Paradou

Chef de Cuisine: Yannick Cam

Great Wines Dinner- May 13, 2008

So what is there not to like? The evening starts off with passed hors d'oeuvres (scallop Ceviche, quail egg canape, miniature crab cakes) and non stop flow of the 2002 Roederer Cristal!
After mingling with some of the old friends and meeting a couple of guests, we are requested to sit down for dinner. I take a look at the menu, and the first thing that catches my eyes is the 1990 Latour! Didn't this wine get 100 points by Wine Spectator and 96 points by Robert Parker? And isn't it too young to open, only 18 years in the bottle? In my mind, the Latour would be the star of the evening! But, I was open to all the possibilities (1992 Dominus, 1992 Groth Reserve, 1990 Haut Brion, 1994 Silver Oak and 1995 Chateaux Coulet)


First Course- Lobster and Spring Vegetable Salad, Carrot Jus- Marquis de Laguiche Chassagne Montrachet 2003- Brian McBride is a very talented DC chef and boy oh boy, did he make an impression with the presentation of this dish. As I tried the lobster with some of the fresh vegetables and took a sip of the Montrachet, I was immediately transported to South of France to one of the outdoor country restaurants in Provence! I could see the blue Sky, the white starched table cloth and the beautiful herb garden! Everything about this course was just right; it was like being in heaven! The vivid colors of lobster claw meat, the spring vegetables, the orange carrot sauce and the temperature of the dish including the plate at about 45 degrees Fahrenheit! I love the white Burgundies, this wine had an elegant pale yellow color, the nose was lemony with a hint of fresh summer herbs, on the palate; crisp and smooth. I turned to my friend Ricardo sitting next to me and told him about my experience. Ricardo smiled in agreement that the course was just perfect. Brian needs to work very hard from here on, I told Ricardo, because, this course would be hard to top!

Second Course- Braised Lamb Shoulder Crepinette, Truffled Potato- Dominus 1992 and Groth Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1992- The servers did an outstanding job pouring the two wines and told us that the Groth was on the left and the Dominus on the right. Now, last year at Fred Burka's memorial dinner, we did a vertical tasting of the Groth Reserves, if memory serves me well, the vintages were 1990, 1991 and 1992. I remember that the 1992 was the best of the three vintages with a caveat that it would need a couple of more years of cellaring. The color of the Groth was light clear red and not as intense red color of the Dominus. I approached the Groth glass to my nose. It was pure and clean with hints of smoked raspberry fruit aromas, took a little sip and it was again clean, smooth with a hint of sweetness. I have had a lot of California Cabernet and this wine was just by far the best I have ever had the privilege of drinking. Brought the Dominus to my nose and it had this musty aroma and on the palate was just terrible, I thought may be the Groth is so good that it is just destroys this wine. But later found out that the bottle was corked! So, a new glass was brought with a fresh bottle of 1992 Dominus. Although a lot better than the last sample, still did not come even close to the Groth. So, I told Ricardo, we need to try these two with the food to see how the marriage is going to be. The second course was served and the presentation was very good, the lamb shoulder was not what I expected, it was ground meat in a sausage casing with intense lamb flavor and a sweet undertone. Brian knows how to do sauces,an the sauce in this course was no exception, big, bold and inviting! Didn't taste the truffle in the potato puree. Now, as far as the marriage goes, the Groth was the clear winner! The wine has a big back bone which stands up well against the sauce and the meat, as a matter of fact, it complemented the lamb flavors tremendously! At this point, the Dominus was not coming close. It was unfair to put these two great wines together, but this is parts of the education in this Society!
Third Course- Cherry Marinated Duck Breast, Roulade of Leg Confit and Duck Liver, Spring Mushrooms- Chateau Haut Brion 1990 and Chateaux Latour 1990- So, here we are at the third course. The servers pour the Latour first and then the Haut Brion. The color on both pourings is very similar; deep red color. The nose on the Latour was big and typical of aged grand cru Bordeaux, with China ink aroma, roasted wood. On the palate, the wine had soft tannins and smooth. I think the Latour needs another 5 years. The Haut Brion was ready and was a bit less forward than the Latour. Again, it is very unfair to have these two great wines side by side. Brian's Duck course went beautifully with both wines. The sauce was bold with subtle sweet under tone.
Fourth Course- Fiscalini Bandage Wrapped Cheddar, Warm Apple- Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1994- By this time, I'm loving life! The 1994 Silver Oak is a 98 point wine, of course the '94 was an outstanding vintage for California Cabernet. I remember when the '94 vintage was released, there was a lot of press about them, and without the doubt, this vintage has turned out to be a great one. So was this Silver Oak; dark intense red color, aromas of red berries and smoked vanilla, on the palate, explosion of fruit and balanced tannin. Just fantastic! The cheese course was a great way to move on to the dessert course!

Dessert Course- Roasted Pear with Hazelnut Cake, Caramel Ice Cream and Cranberry Coulis- Chateau Coutet 1995- If I said that I don't remember much by this time of the dinner, I would not be exaggerating! However, I do remember the wine. The color was clear gold, the nose had hint of saffron and honey suckle, on the palate, the wine was medium body, smooth and not awfully sweet. The marriage with the hazelnut cake and ice cream was one made in heaven!

Overall, the evening was one of the most memorable one since my membership at the Society (1993.) The best wine of the evening for me was the 1992 Groth Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. The best marriages were the Lobster course with the Montrachet and the Lamb Shoulder course with the Groth; Fabulous!

The Dinner Committee: Marvin Stirman Mel Greenblat Ed Sands
International Wine and Food Society, DC Chapter, Inc.
Menu By: Chef Brian McBride
Park Hyatt Washington, D.C.