Tatnuck Booksellers-Another Winner Wine Dinner! Dr. Bob Ouellette On
a beautiful summer evening, 17 anxious diners met in a cozy nook of Tatnuck’s
Restaurant to enjoy their second wine dinner. The evening promised some
scrumptious food matched with wines from Paso Robles. Our maestro for the
evening was Chris Pedersen,
newly ensconced as representative of Gilbert Distributors. All
the diners attired in relaxed summer wear, were greeted by Chris with an extra,
a 1999 Chardonnay from little known winery called Carmody McKnight. Soft easy
quaffing wine ideal for this time of the year, we called for seconds even before
the first food offering came our way. What pleased most imbibers next was
a price
tag of less than $15. Now
well seated with our invited friends, we looked anxiously to Liz Carroll and
Rachel Hubka, our lovely lasses, who appeared with our initial course, fresh
salmon on a bed of lettuce with a
ring of onions, egg whites, and dollop of sour cream . Believing strongly in a
partner that would be ideal for this presentation, we smacked our lips with a
smooth Pinot Noir from Stephen Ross. This 2000 vintage varietal, produced in
very minute quantity and priced in the middle 20s, left not a trace in our glass
as we waited anxiously for the follow-up. You might think that a salad sprinkled with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing covering over chunks of gorgonzola cheese would be toasted with a Chardonnay? Not so! This was enjoyed with a Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 from Changala in Paso Robles. Again, wine that unbelievably falls within anyone’s pocketbook and begs for current drinking. Our
entrée for this evening was something that we had infrequently seen on a wine
dinner menu. A roasted pork tenderloin stuffed with lobster meat and boursin
cheese. Even our friend Fred Busch who is supposedly allergic to lobster could
not resist (he did cast aside the lobster meat). Roasted Russian fingerling
potatoes and braised, bok choy (a Chinese cabbage) complemented the pork. The
wine choice was the once tasted Stephen Ross’ Chardonnay 2000 from Paso
Robles. What a treat to taste and linger over a Chardonnay that was not sweet,
but minerally ,smooth, touching of oak, and offering apples and a smidgen of
lemony flavors, all persisting for minutes . Needless to say that we could not
wait to head for Mass. Liquors where the special discount price of $23.19 was
offered to the diners this evening. In
setting up the dinner we had persuaded John Rovezzi
, our chef, to forego the usual sweet dessert for some fresh fruits and a
hunk of Stilton cheese to accompany the rare Carmody McNight Cabernet Franc 1999
(production under 250 cases).
Having had this stellar wine from
Paso Robles previously, we delighted to remember the big raspberry fruit that
coated the wine glass and our sensory apparatus. Add to that a generous amount
of soft tannins and acidity that would have made Frank Prial’s article that
morning in the New York Times on Cabernet Franc wines.
Oh, yes! The price, a mere $19.99.
More bottles added to our list from Wendy! A
special kudos’ to Larry Abramoff for hosting this wonderful dinner and his
very capable staff headed by Heidi Brooks. Keep
an eye out for future Tatnuck dinners. They are not to be missed.
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