I'll have to check at home to get the details, but i'll bring a '99 Burgundy, figuring it will be a nice first red and a contrast with the New World pinots.
And if I bring a date, our second bottle will be a '06 Sea Smoke Southing. Figure that would be nice to compare to the Le Cadeaus.
I'd say between Tom and myself we'll have the pinots covered.
I thought the rockfish and wild mushroom ragu might benefit from a white burgundy pairing. I'll add a 2005 Joseph Belland Chassagne-Montrachet Clos Pitois to the evening.
Hope your Memorial Day weekend is a happy one.
Posts: 754 | Location: Baltimore, MD, USA | Registered: May 09, 2003
At present: Cuffthis and Ms. Cuffthis (2)-Le Macchiole “Paleo” (Cabernet Franc), Bolgheri 2003 Isole E Olena “Cepparello” (Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon), Tuscany 2003 (Mag) Irwin (2)Taittinger and Veuve Cliquot to start BH Vineyards (1)-Le Cadeau "Red Label" and the two new Aubichon wines.? Sibster (1) Newsguy (2) Bob in MD (2) Gentleman Farmer (1)'04 Le Cadeau Rocheux Comet Spider (1)-2005 Joseph Belland Chassagne-Montrachet Clos Pitois Festiva (1)
Purple Haze (maybe for dessert) Sarbuze and Kim (maybe)[/quote]
Originally posted by irwin: newsguy: If your date attends, remember..she can order off the regular menu if she wishes, but it'd be nice to know that ahead of time. Irwin
Secondo: Grilled Rockfish (provided it's available) with a wild mushroom ragu (lobster mushrooms are the 1st choice)
Terzo: Veal Ossobucco with Risotto Milanese
Quarto: Arugula with lemon and oil and shaved Parmesan Reggiano
Formaggio et Dolci: Cheese plate with a little fruit and some small sweets
Irwin (2)Taittinger and Veuve Cliquot to start BH Vineyards (1)-Le Cadeau "Red Label" and the two new Aubichon wines. Gentleman Farmer (1)'04 Le Cadeau Rocheux Comet Spider (1)-2005 Joseph Belland Chassagne-Montrachet Clos Pitois Bob in MD (2)2005 Erath Pinot Noir Estate Selection; 2001 Michele Chiarlo Barolo Tortoniano Festiva (1) ( A white Burgundy to match up with Cometspider's, and a dessert wine, tbd). Cuffthis and Ms. Cuffthis (2)-Le Macchiole “Paleo” (Cabernet Franc), Bolgheri 2003 Isole E Olena “Cepparello” (Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon), Tuscany 2003 (Mag)
Newsguy (2)
Purple Haze (maybe for dessert) Sarbuze and Kim (out) Sibster (out)
This message has been edited. Last edited by: irwin,
Bob: I can't speak for others, but I wonder if the Barolo is ready yet. (I did see some notes on CellarTracker indicating that is was....but someone like Lentini or one of the other Italophiles knows far more than I). I'd love to try the Erath or the Brunello. I am a big fan of mystery wines as well.
We'll definitely bring the Erath as this is drinking great right now and will be fun to compare.
We think the Barolo is drinking better right now then the Brunello, but they are both quite approachable for their ages at this time.
As I’m thinking about it, we have a few other interesting and wonderful Italian wines as well (so many wines and so little time). Maybe I can talk my wife into bringing her favorite one; but to pry this baby out of her hands as well as the Erath will be a tall order.
Posts: 51 | Location: Howard County, Maryland | Registered: Feb 04, 2009
Just arrived in MSP today, back from Oregon. By the way, the vines are off to a rockin' start-- just solid warm weather and blue sky for the last three weeks. The Le Cadeau Red Label and the two Aubichon wines made it through as checked baggage, so as long as they survive the trip to Philly on Thursday, the requested wines will be present.
See you all on Sunday!
Tom H.-- Deb and I will swing by on Thursday night after we land... just love the food at Domaine Hudson!
Hey everyone. I'm sorry to have to do this, but I'm going to have to pull out for Sunday. My parents just informed me that they are coming into town for my niece's voice recital and will be here all weekend. So I'm going to be spending some time with them. It would have been nice to meet some new faces and also to see BH again. Enjoy the Red Label and Aubichon - all three wines are fantastic.
We decided our second wine will be the 2001 Michele Chiarlo Barolo Tortoniano. The last time we tried it was about a year ago and it's time to sample another bottle to see how they are aging.
We are looking forward to seeing those we meet before and meeting new friends.
Cheers,
Mr & Mrs Bob in MD
Posts: 51 | Location: Howard County, Maryland | Registered: Feb 04, 2009
The grilled rockfish with wild mushroom ragu – ranks as one of the best courses in my nearly five-year offline experience. Perfectly grilled and flaky and paired with Cometspider’s Montrachet, it was perfection. (By the way, on first blush I would have guessed the Montrachet was Californian with its pronounced soft, buttery profile.) Other standouts were the mushroom ravioli, Osso bucco (monster portion!), and the cheese course. The creative menu and subsequent pairings were well received.
Stylistically, my WOTN was a toss-up between the ’04 Rocheux and the ’05 Erath. Both exhibited dark cherry and subtle earthiness on the nose and rich dark red fruit on the palate without being heavy – very elegant. The Isole E Olena “Cepparello” has what I believe to be the greatest upside potential of all of the evening’s wines. Certainly very approachable at this point, I feel it has all of the right things to grow into something special. I’ve also added the Aubichon to my growing “gotta have” list. In spite of being opened later in the evening, I noticed how everyone’s eyes lit up with the nose and first sips – a sure fire sign of a winner. Lest I forget, Irwin’s Veuve Cliquot was made for an early summer evening with friends and food – very lightly toasted, “citrusy” and quite smooth. Anyone up for sharing a truckload with me?
This was my first visit to Donna’s. With the friendly attention shown by everyone along with chef Ian’s talents, it is easy to understand why Irwin is such a frequent guest. You sure know how to pick ‘em counselor – thanks again!
------------------------------ "Hey Man, I'm drinking wine, eating cheese and catching some rays." Oddball
I had a great time. First time meeting Bob in MD and his wife, and first time meeting Cuffthis and his wife, and great to renew friendship with the rest.
I thought Donna's outdid themselves. A couple extra light items (rockfish ceviche on Wonton crackers and a taste of beef with mustard) plus the eggplant/mozzarella/prosciutto. The weather was great to be outside. I really liked the rest of the food as well. As to the wines, I am in total agreement with Gentleman Farmer on the Isole E Olena “Cepparello”-- this is a BIG wine with huge potential. A really wonderful nose and a long finish. Terrific wine. The Le Cadeau wines are actually pretty varied. The Cote D'est is powerful, the Red Label is racy, the Rocheux is elegant. I liked the first Aubichon a great deal, and its junior partner as well. The cherry notes predominate as they should, and it has excellent New World characteristics, but a distinct Burgundian mouthfeel. The Erath was a close second place finisher to my WOTN. And, I gotta say that the Barolo, though showing a little bricky and faintly orange color, was drinking very, very nicely at this point. I think maybe we should have flipped the order of the rockfish and the pasta, and done the Montrachet earlier, which is actually what Alan (the co-owner of the restaurant) suggested. Nice that Donna (the other co-owner of the eponymous restaurant) was there to greet and serve. The Isole was my WOTN-- This wine is just super. Thanks to all.
Last night was simply one of those evenings to soak in and appreciate. Irwin hit a home run on the locale, the food was phenomenal, and the wines were a fantastic compliment...not to mention Tom's everlasting source of wine.
Several of the pairings were fantastic. First the barolo and the mushroom ravioli were fantastic together. Maybe its because I've cut way down on my pasta intake, but the pasta struck me as particularly rich, but not heavy. As mentioned before the rockfish with its crispy, salty crust and flaky, firm center was a great match for the Chassagne-Montrachet which certainly had some Californian tendencies blended with some lime-centered citrousy verve. The '04 Cote Est. took on the eggplant/mozzarella/prosciutto and held its own and then some...always a fave of mine the decadent black raspberry with a touch of creme shone down on us again. Last, but not least, the Osso busso and Isole E Olena “Cepparello” were a match made in heaven.
My WOTN was somewhat surprisingly to me, the '04 Rocheux. It was the most three dimensional wine of the night, by that I mean the nose was complex with both black and red fruit with maybe a tiny herbal note and the flavors spanned from raspberry to black cherry to a light touch of anise. Thought provoking!
Anyway, the night had a little magic in that everything seemed to fit together nicely. Many thanks to Tom for opening no less than six bottles of wine- mighty generous.
P.S. If you like the Cote Est. style you'll love the Aubichon.
Posts: 754 | Location: Baltimore, MD, USA | Registered: May 09, 2003
Wow, what a fantastic evening; Irwin certainly knows how to pick‘em. We had a great spot on the outdoor patio with the best weather of the year. It was both wonderful to meet new friends as well as see those we meet at previous gatherings. It was a good complement of people that all contributed to a most enjoyable night.
The food was sensational, in both its taste and presentation. The service was top shelf. Even the effervescent owner helped to attend to our needs, as well as shared our wine and in our conversations. The wines were all outstanding, with a few notable perfect parings – as others said, the Montrachet went perfectly with the exceptionally tasty rockfish dish and the Le Macchiole “Paleo” Cabernet Franc was decadently splendid with the chocolate truffles; one could not tell when Cab Franc taste ended and the truffles taste began – mmmm.
While it is nearly impossible to pinpoint our favorite wine of the evening, since they all were soooo good, but if enhanced interrogation techniques were used then I’d probably have to say my WOTN was the Cote D'est with its dark fruit and richness (guys, please get me on the Le Cadeau list). My wife’s WOTN were the Aubichon and the Isole.
Special thank Irwin for setting it up for us and for Tom for being so generous with his wines and other special selections he brought.
Posts: 51 | Location: Howard County, Maryland | Registered: Feb 04, 2009
We finally made it back to Minneapolis, and I found a spare minute to comment. Many thanks to everyone for a wonderful evening, and a special thanks to Irwin for making the arrangements with Donna. The food, service, and the atmosphere-- helped by an outdoor patio setting on a beautiful MD summer night-- were delightful.
For the record, the wines we drank... in no particular order... were:
Taittinger Champagne Veuve Cliquot Champagne '05 Joseph Belland, Chassagne-Montrachet '07 Muxagat, Duro (Portugese white) '01 Chiarlo Barolo '03 Cepparello - Magnum '04 Paleo '97 Lupicaia '05 Erath Dundee Hills PN '04 Le Cadeau Cote Est PN '04 Le Cadeau Rocheux PN Non-Vintage Le Cadeau Red Label '07 Aubichon Reserve PN '07 Aubichon WV PN
We did not run out of wine...
The good news is that there were no klunkers in the entire line-up; all wines performed well. The notes above capture the essence of all the wines, so there's no need for me to comment further on the wine.
Thanks all for a great evening; hope to see you again soon! Then again, you could come visit us in Oregon!
Just got back from dinner at Donna's (6/19) where we had the offline on 6/7. Both Donna and Alan were there. They were thrilled to have us and thought it was a great test for them and they had fun. Anyway, tonight I had a veal parmigiana that was pretty decent after a killer appetizer of white anchovies on crisp bread with red onions and olive oil. Fantastic. I could have just eaten multiple appy's and been happy. My wife had a nice feta salad, followed by a delicious tuna steak, served with a beurre blanc and roasted potatoes and roasted fennel. The place was packed.
