Stacked Tomato Salad w/ Basil VinaigretteOne of the great things about living in Portland, Oregon is the amazing amount locally produced food we have access to. Berries, produce, wine, Salmon, game, mushrooms and did I mention wine? My Labor Day weekend was just as I wanted it to be. Great food, wine, good company and even a little college football.
Tonight my dinner is going to include the following:
Menu
Appetizers
Bruschetta w/Tuscan White Bean Puree
Salad
Stacked Heirloom Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
Heirloom tomatoes layered with fresh Mozzarella, Olivita & Basil
Entree'
Jamaican Jerk Rub Rib Eye w/ Chadon Beni Sauce
Appetizers
Bruschetta w/Tuscan White Bean Puree
Salad
Stacked Heirloom Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
Heirloom tomatoes layered with fresh Mozzarella, Olivita & Basil
Entree'
Jamaican Jerk Rub Rib Eye w/ Chadon Beni Sauce
served with
Grilled Potato Salad with Arugula, Green Onions, & Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
Dessert
Drunken Grilled Pineapple
Wood Fire Grilled Pineapple with a Rum & Raw Sugar Glaze
serverd with
1985 Chateau Gilette Sauterne (F*** yeah)
1998 Ridge Montebello
serverd with
1985 Chateau Gilette Sauterne (F*** yeah)
1998 Ridge MontebelloMy buddy Sam Sundeleaf brought over three fantastic bottles for dinner tonight. First, a 1998 Ridge Montebello. This is one of California's original cult wines and this wine was spectacular.
1998 Ridge Montebello: Garnet color with a just the first hint of starting to develop some brickishness. An earthy nose (maybe just a hint of horseshit on a new pair of cowboy boots) reminiscent of some fine Bordeaux wines. Good, concentrated fruit, licorice and a great balance on the palate. Subtle tannins, though this wine does have a long finish. Drinking well now and I would say if you have this in your cellar go ahead and start breaking it out.
The next wine was an 2003 Alexander Valley Silver Oak. This too is a high quality Cabernet Sauvignon wine producer.
2003 Alexander Valley-Silver Oak: Deep, dark garnet color. Big fruit and big vanilla on the nose. Good balance, well made wine. I wish this producer would notch down the oak a touch as I think the fruit is more than good enough to carry this wine on its own. A great "date wine" and this would probably be a favorite with wine drinkers just starting to explore California wines.
The final wine of the night was one we paired with the Grilled Pineapple.
1985 Chateau Gilette: This Sauterne producer ages their wines for 20 years in concrete vats before they bottle and sell their wine. This bottle was a bright, clover honey yellow with great spice and perfume on the nose. A big, thick and full bodied wine that showed honey, caramel and spice on the palate as well. The wine has a long finish and could age in the bottle another 25 years with no problem.This is truly a transcendental wine. This wine made me glad that the food and menu for the night were on the same plane as the wine. This was a very special bottle and a big "Thank you" to my friend Sam for bringing it to dinner.
1998 Ridge Montebello: Garnet color with a just the first hint of starting to develop some brickishness. An earthy nose (maybe just a hint of horseshit on a new pair of cowboy boots) reminiscent of some fine Bordeaux wines. Good, concentrated fruit, licorice and a great balance on the palate. Subtle tannins, though this wine does have a long finish. Drinking well now and I would say if you have this in your cellar go ahead and start breaking it out.
The next wine was an 2003 Alexander Valley Silver Oak. This too is a high quality Cabernet Sauvignon wine producer.
2003 Alexander Valley-Silver Oak: Deep, dark garnet color. Big fruit and big vanilla on the nose. Good balance, well made wine. I wish this producer would notch down the oak a touch as I think the fruit is more than good enough to carry this wine on its own. A great "date wine" and this would probably be a favorite with wine drinkers just starting to explore California wines.
The final wine of the night was one we paired with the Grilled Pineapple.
1985 Chateau Gilette: This Sauterne producer ages their wines for 20 years in concrete vats before they bottle and sell their wine. This bottle was a bright, clover honey yellow with great spice and perfume on the nose. A big, thick and full bodied wine that showed honey, caramel and spice on the palate as well. The wine has a long finish and could age in the bottle another 25 years with no problem.This is truly a transcendental wine. This wine made me glad that the food and menu for the night were on the same plane as the wine. This was a very special bottle and a big "Thank you" to my friend Sam for bringing it to dinner.
3 comments:
Everything about this meal is food the way I like it! From the bruschetta to the tomatoes to the meat to the pineapple. Really nice work! You are lucky to have access to tomatoes like that.
Stacked heirloom maters?!
Gah! I'm coming over.
Foodycat-The tomatoes were great and the pineapple was really good as well.
Brittany-This is soooo easy to do. Some fresh Mozzarella and some jazzed up Olivita paste and you are ready to go.
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