the quote of the day for april 1 comes from the wall street journal.

'PHILO, Calif.—In wine vernacular, "smoky bacon" is a prized flavor for pinot noir. Not so is "wet ashtray," which is where the powdered sturgeon bladders come in.'

i do not think we want that wine, nothing sounds right about it in those two sentences. maybe they could add some oak chips, apply reverse osmosis, and maybe put in a ton of sugar per hectoliter of must... might as well be made in argentina or australia.

enough silliness.

as promised, tonight's post reflects a special bottle of chateauneuf du pape opened on march 30 to celebrate a birthday. this wine had to match the varied meals of 3 people at a unique restaurant. www.solabyob.com

Late Winter Menu, March 2010

Appetizers

Roasted Vegetable & Black Mussel Soup
tarragon aioli, mussel fritter

8

Boston Bib Salad
grape tomatoes, pickled red onions, sun dried cherries, sliced
Bartlett pears, Vermont cheddar, buttermilk-chipolte dressing


9

Pan Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras
house made duck prosciutto, spring rhubarb,
sherry reduction

18
Spanish Rock Octopus
chick pea, chorizo sausage & artichoke salad,
smoked paprika aioli, herb pistou

12
Red & Golden Baby Beet Salad
blue cheese, rainbow micro greens, navel orange,
candied walnuts & blood orange vinaigrette

10

Hand Cut Potato Gnocchi
sauteed rock shrimp, spicy oven roasted plum tomatoes,
baby spinach, herbed ricotta cheese

12

Sushi Grade Tuna Tartare
pickled English cucumbers, avocado, shaved botarga
16


Entrees


Seared Diver Sea Scallops
roasted cauliflower gratin, tomato-corriander chutney,
French watercress, curry-shellfish emulsion

26


Roasted Veal Tenderloin
Yukon Gold potato tart, sauteed wild mushrooms,
crispy sweetbread, mushroom-veal jus

34


New England Swordfish
horseradish pomme puree, cippolini onion confit, fava beans,
haricot vert, pinot noir reduction

26


House Made Pappardelle Pasta
pulled slow roasted natural chicken, morel mushrooms, English
peas, preserved Meyer lemon, shaved pecorino cheese
24


Crispy Skin Wild Striped Bass
saffron-potato souffle, New Zealand cockles, spinach,
olive oil cured black olives, roasted onion-herb jus

27

Grilled Australian Rack of Lamb
braised fennel puree, ratatouille vegetables, mango chutney

32


Cioppino "Style" Shellfish Stew
lobster tail, diver scallops & prawns in a spicy tomato-fennel
broth with sausage, parsley, fingerling potatoes

28
Espresso Braised Beef Short Rib & Grilled Flat Iron
creamy potato croquettes, tomato marmalade,
pea tendril salad, royal trumpet mushrooms, natural braising jus
29

Corkage: $2 / bottle

Desserts

Frozen White Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse
dark chocolate cake, Valrhona chocolate ganache

Warm Chocolate Gâteau
malted milk ice cream, raspberry coulis

Orange Scented Ricotta Cheese Cake
blood orange curd, stew kumquat

Almond Financier & Poached Pear
dulce de leche ice cream

Creme Brulee Trio
classic vanilla, nutella, ginger

Roasted Bananna-Brown Sugar Gelato

Fresh Blackberry-Butermilk Sorbet

~All Above Desserts $8. ~

as usual, there are a lot of flavors in that mix of options. i chose a reliable chateauneuf du pape from a small volume producer. i have had both the 2003 and 2005 vintages and it is in my cellar. this is a great wine for food and pairs well with many flavors; tonight i put it to the challenge by getting the papardelle with lemon... red wine, relatively young (madame at clos saint michel says 10 years minimum for the chateauneuf), and lemon- this begs for a white wine.

the wine opened well. it is a dark ruby. the nose has aromas of ripe red cherries and strawberry. the taste carries through with ripe cherry, plums, and tar. it finishes with lavender and herbs. the tannins are soft. on tasting the next evening, the fruit had mellowed, the smoke and leather had come forward, yet the tannins remained balanced. the wine is ready to drink now or can last in the cellar for a couple of more years.

this wine is produced by gilles rouillon, formerly a soil specialist who has taken over domaine le soustet; this small producer has been owned by the roux family for 3 generations. they have 1.5 hectares of chateauneuf and produce approximately 6000 bottles per year with the blend approximately equal parts of grenache and syrah. for us they are imported by a local importer, star cellars, and it is easy to obtain these wines in the pennsylvania state stores. also produced is a cote du rhone rouge and blanc.

Address: Impasse Saint-Georges 7, 84350 Courthezon.
Cave: Chemin Louise Michel 1 Bis (near the camping site)
Tel. 490 70 77 24
Direct sale: Only after appointment
Email: sarl-le-soustet@wanadoo.fr

there is not a web site for this producer.

this is an excellent wine at a very reasonable price, about $32. i have located it on line for less than $25.

i feel very strongly that we need to support these smaller producers who craft a wine which is unique and represents the terroir of their vineyard. the style of this wine is one which is not manipulated and is an exceptionally pure expression of the grapes and the land. producers such as this are craftsmen, and create an unique and special product. this is part of my personal joy in these wines and this region. i hope to be able to visit this producer on my next trip to chateauneuf du pape.

i strongly recommend this wine and will keep it in my cellar for short and long term consumption as long as i can find it. to quote p from the other day, "run don't walk" for this wine when you want a special bottle at a reasonable price for now or later.

the next post probably will be the summary of the march wines. i have begun the tasting for something really unique, a "local wine" from a grape many have not heard of; no, it is not something i have concocted in my cellar.