by Julian Schultz
julian@oxfordwineroom.com
Brrr! Was it ever cold outside – like below zero. But…ahhh! Inside
the Webster House the air was warm with excitement, anticipation and
conviviality.
Chris Liazos, Webster House owner, impresario, dared to produce an
all-game dinner for his first time, from rabbit stew through catfish over to
quail – even esoteric ostrich and buffalo. Chris and O’Hara’s Discount
Liquors, Jim Vasiliadis, ensured there would be no dearth of wine: seven! And
Joan St. Denis Clarico and John Hammerstrom delivered a bravura game dinner, to
the delight of 56 of us who gave them sustained applause.
The seven wines afforded egotistical habitué of wine dinners and
tastings, everywhere it seems, Peter Pedant, the prospect of pontificating about
wine tasting while sipping with pretentious pomposity. As usual, he sought
newcomers to the dinner to impress and awe them with his comments, and he sat at
their table adjacent to ours.
We were sipping Laurus Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2001, ($9.99) $7.99 after
O’Hara’s generous 20 percent discount to attendees at the dinner; the wine
is an equal blend of Viognier and Roussanne. As we waited for the rabbit stew
first course, Pedant went into his act:
With snobbish connoisseurs’ aplomb he held his wine glass high for all
to observe…his thumb and forefinger above and below the foot, the glass tilted
towards him: “This, dear tablemates, is how the experienced oenophiles hold
their wine glasses – never, no never, clutching the bowl for dear life – oh,
heaven forefend!”
Dr. Ron Dorris, with wife Carole, at our table, looked at tablemates and
smiled: “Any experienced wine affioncado knows to hold the wineglass by the
stem, neither by the bowl to mask the color or heat the wine, nor by the way
that fellow over there is doing it. Holding it that way he’ll probably swirl
the wine onto his shirt.”
We endorsed Ron’s comments with amused nods.
The rabbit stew was served, but our connoisseur friend astutely first
rotated his wine on the table, then sniffed the wine with his left
nostril, reflected, then with his right nostril, reflected, then with both
nostrils. After reflecting again with furrowed brow, he announced:
“Magnificent wine, 95 points on a scale of 100, 150 over 100 price value at
$7.99, has firm body and delicate aromas and tastes of honey with touches of
toast and coconut, nuances of quince, apricot and hazelnut; perfectly balanced,
richly fat, smooth swallow, extended aftertaste.
“Oh, may I remind you: What you smell…is 90 percent of what you
taste! Your mouth, the tongue, really has only four basic sensations: sweet on
the tip of the tongue, sour or acid along the sides, salt across the front, and
bitter at the back. Everything that you smell – the aroma, the bouquet of wine
in our instance – is connected to our mouth, the tongue, through something
physiologically called the retro nasal passage.
“Now, for
the proof of the pudding, so to speak: Let’s note how it matches the rabbit
stew:
“Perfection…plus!”
He beckoned to our table-roving host, Chris: “Congratulations, old chap. You
successfully met the challenge.”
Our table of the Adele Wheeler, Jason Johnson, David Desmarais, Drs. Luba
and Boris Blinder and Dr. Ron and Carole Dorris, nodded agreement.
The rabbit stew was indisputably spectacular, evoking an exclamation from Bill Messier that it belongs on the Webster House’s everyday menu. Amen! A delicious assertive hearty broth, generous tender pieces of rabbit and a variety of delicious vegetables comprised the filled bowl.
We tasted the stew with the Laurus Cote du Rhone Rouge 2000, $7.99, 55 percent Grenache, 45 Syrah. Pedant lingered, concentrating on the stew. Aware that his now-impressed tablemates’ eyes were riveted on him, he re-tasted the stew with the Rhone Blanc. Dramatically: “Every bit as good with the Rouge! What a delightful wine! Price value off the chart! Nose closed at first -- needs reaching for -- then opens with aromas of cherries/plums with a soft vanilla/oak core. Nose visits the palate -- remember through the retro nasal passage -- where aromas are joined by a firm tannic structure; tannin, fruit and acid balance presage complexity in 5 to 8 years. I will purchase both wines, and well you should do, also.”
His impressed audience applauded; our impressed table nodded agreement.
Second course: pecan crusted catfish sauté with delicious succotash of varied ingredients was partnered with Laurus Cotes du Rhone Luberon Blanc 2001, $6.99!! If ever you bought a bargain, here would be one of your best. Complex blend of 40 percent Grenache Blanc, 20 each of Roussanne, Bourboulenc and Clairette heroically sought to elevate the flavors of the fish. It couldn’t…only because the catfish had reached the pinnacle of perfection with its flavor and delectable delicacy; the crusted pecans did it wonders. That Joan is some kind of chef, all right, all right.
Our table was so engrossed discussing the wine/food combination among ourselves that we tuned out Pedant. But not for long.
Third course: mushroom stuffed boneless quail, dressed with chopped mushrooms, onions, shallots sautéed in butter, accompanied by roasted pepper creamy velvety white sauce. The sumptuous dressing outshone the tender, tasty “boneless” (??? – mine had plenty of bones) baby quail. Our table concentrated our discussion on the exquisite duxelles dressing and the Laurus Cotes du Rhone Rasteau Rouge 2000, $9.59, a blend of 60 percent Grenache, 20 Syrah, and 10 each of Mourvedre and Cinsault.
The wine took forever it seemed to open but when it did, emerging black cherries, blackberries, herbs with a hint of vanilla piqued our nose and palate.
Our table had mixed comments about the wine. Some liked it enthusiastically; others regarded it as fair enough acceptable, I among the latter. It seemed to have tasted much better at the trial dinner. I believe our trial dinner panel selected the Rasteau over the Crozes Hermitage. So much for the consistency of the palate. Price value: 120/100 at $9.59.
“Fleshly and full with noticeable tannins, acids and structure; hale, hearty and Herculean; red and black grapes flavors, I believe, were kissed by older charred barrels. Yes, this Rasteau shows the best of Rhone winemaking tradition!” Pedant loudly lent his imprimatur to the Rasteau.
Fourth course: Came now the first of two “heavyweight” courses: roast ostrich mignons topped with creamy Gorgonzola butter, accompanied by sliced carrots and green beans. The 1999 Domaine de Longue Toque Gigondas $14.39, comprising 75 percent Grenache, 20 Syrah, 3 Mourvedre and 2 Cinsault, proved worthy consort to the ostrich.
At the trial dinner, with anxious visages we implored Chef Joan to “do something” about this chewy flightless bird or risk disaster…or scrap the course entirely. Joan tasted the ostrich with us and laughed: “Don’t worry guys, I know how to prepare this critter better.”
And she did! True, the ostrich needed the use of a little muscle in the cutting, but its tenderness and flavor were perfection for this initiate to ostrich. I took some home for my caregiver, Linda, who was timid about attending a game dinner.
The Gigondas. Nose: emerging spice and vanilla with hints of black/red cherries and plums. Aromas transferred to the palate with rich, assertive big fruit; much better balanced, finished and persistent than the Rasteau. PV: 125/100.
Fifth
course: sauté buffalo filet with roasted shallot sauce and tiny whole roasted
potatoes. Laurus Cotes du Rhone Cairanne Rouge 2001, $9.59, consisting of 50
percent each of Grenache and Syrah, blissfully wedded with the buffalo. Just a
super wine, price valued at 150/100. We had selected the Cairanne over a
Chateauneuf-du-pape at the trial dinner.
Cairanne: Nose: full and open with black cherries, plums, varied herbs that transfer to palate; balanced, round with firm soft tannins, bold structure, smooth swallow, long aftertaste. Big, big bargain!
Again, Chef Joan allayed our fears at the trial dinner that this terror of the Western Plains would be one tough animal. Yes, as with the ostrich, Joan worked some magic in the kitchen; and as with the ostrich, the buffalo cut hard but tasted delicious, delightful, medium-rare to medium, tender on the palate.
We were already calling for Joan to take a bow…even before the dessert. I sought Chris, asking him to extend my contrite apologies to wife Helena, who continually insisted, despite my fervent protests, that we have buffalo at some future dinner. I would always snicker my derision and wave her away.
The Cairanne. Pedant was in full flight now: “The 2001 vintage is rated 6/7 on the International Food & Wine Society vintage chart. This my friends is indeed a ‘right’ vintage, a ‘proper’ vintage, and this exemplary 6 score proves it.” I had all I could stomach of this verbose pompous ass and I approached his table:
“Look
buddy, your comments about vintages and vintage charts are really obsolete, old
fogy now. Baron Philippe de Rothschild put it this way: ‘With today’s
knowledge of wine and winemaking, oenologists are making better wine than at any
time in history, and today there are no more bad years, only greater or lighter
vintages; they know how to compensate for climatic deficiencies. Moreover, many
lighter vintages have finesse and elegance that the so-called greater –
perhaps longer-lived vintages -- lack.’ ”
Embarrassing people is something I never do! I was chagrined at myself when Pedant soon moved to another table.
Dessert:
Fresh fruits of pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, honeydew infused with
Laurus Beaumes de Venise Blanc 1999, 19.99 500ml bottle. Nose: aromas of sweet
scented flowers, peach and leeches. Palate: Aromas transfer to taste buds with
sweet, soft, round, lively acid/tannin freshness; excellent balance, smooth
swallow, persistent farewell.
All 56 us agreed with Dr. Bob Ouellette whose idea it was to have the game dinner and this particular dessert combination. He opened the dinner, explaining how we conduct the trial dinners; then interestingly closed the dinner, relating his first experience on the French Rivera with Beaumes de Venise and fruit varieties. He earned our enthusiastic applause.
O’Hara’s Jim Vasiliadas humorously augmented Dr. Bob’s remarks about the trial dinners – the trials and tribulations, the snide disagreements, our figurative embraces when we agreed. Jim had selected the Laurus wines for the game dinner. Nice going, Jim!
Chris, thrilled at the success of this first game dinner, announced that every January henceforth a “Dr. Bob’s annual game dinner” would be held. Again, we applauded Dr. Bob.
Kudos to waitstaff: Sean Maynard, Patty Thomas, Richard Hinton who were lightning fast and efficient and served us with only smiles of pleasure.
Reserve now: chocolate nuance-d Valentine dinner, Wednesday, February 18. Reservations already are being made. So don’t wait until it’s sold out: 508-757-7208. Dr. Bob did the trial dinner and was most enthusiastic about. He’ll be in Florida for a few months…He just called me from Georgia! He said to extend his and Lu’s best wishes.
Wine Pick: Victor Hugo Opulence 1998, $22.49, a blend of 45 percent Merlot, 32 Cabernet Franc, 19 Cabernet Sauvignon, 4 Petit Verdot. Big fruit of berries and plums, balanced with fruit acids, soft texture, gentle tannin; smooth swallow, persistent aftertaste. I am doing my second tasting of my bottle for this evening’s dinner.
Wine Pick: Victor Hugo Petite Sirah 1999, $17.99. Fruit laden with complexity of berries and varied spices; balanced with unobtrusive tannin; magnificently balanced with fruit acids, soft tannins, rich fruit; smooth structured and forever lingering after the swallow. Superb wine!
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julian@oxfordwineroom.com