by Julian Schultz
julian@oxfordwineroom.com
Mass. Liquors’ Wendy Leo, wine shop hostess of the wine dinner with
Stephen Ross wines, and I attempted to calm him. “What occasions such sweat
and distress?” I asked.
“Distress is a euphemism,” he replied scornfully. “You’ve got big
trouble in Worcester City; big…big trouble in Worcester City. Coming to
Worcester City is calamitous, catastrophic, convulsive! Why? Don’t ask me. So
I’ll tell you. I tried to fly into the Worcester Regional Airport – no plane
service. I came by snail-paced train into the Union Station -- a tomb; made me
feel as if I were dead and buried already. I tried to buy a sweater at the
Common Outlets – no shops. I’m undone!…Wendy please get me a glass of wine
to calm my frazzled nerves.”
Cheepleigh turned to me: “So here you are again, Julian. I see you
everywhere. You apparently go to everything – wine tastings, wine dinners,
wine meetings, wine seminars…perhaps even to wine brothels? Are there such
places?”
“Wine brothels? Not to my knowledge,” I said.
Cheepleigh: “Then I have it! The solution to Worcester’s ills: Wine
cathouses would flourish at the airport, at the train station, at the Outlet.
Or, say, even a casino! I am told there are lots of Tatnuck Square Indians
living in the area to qualify for a license.”
“Golly! I believe you have something there, Bingy. I said. Why didn’t
the unimaginative city papas think of such brilliant solutions to America’s
biggest municipal disgrace?”
He continued: “I can see the flashing signs on roadsides leading to
those venues: ‘Worcester Regional and Cathouse Airport will fly you to the
moon of your delight.’ ‘Worcester Union and Cathouse Train Station will ride
you to the Paradise of your dreams.’ ‘Worcester Not-So-Common Cathouse and
Outlet offers a wide variety of vava-vavavu ecstasies.’ ”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “What about the women? We need something
for them, a place for them to support.”
Cheepleigh: “I have it! Eureka! A gambling casino at the Common Outlet
instead of the cat – I mean the brothel. On different floor levels: dog
racing, craps, roulette, slots, 21-card games, strip poker, stud poker, beer
quaffing contests, cock fights…whatever! Your moribund downtown will flourish
with teeming throngs thirsting to throw away their hard-earned cash, their milk
and bread money…I deserve a medal for these brilliant solutions to the ills
and ailments of Worcester City.”
Wendy came with the wine. Cheepleigh, flushed with excitement, plopped
into a chair and savored his wine. He looked up at me. “Well?”
“I’ll propose your solution to the Worcester City crisis in a letter
to the editor of the Telegram and Gazette and to the Worcester Magazine,” I
said. “However, I am told ‘Union Station: The Restaurant’ will open at the
Union Station at the end of April – won’t be quite so tomb-like then.”
“Nah, just need to change the sign to read ‘At the Union Station:
Downstairs, The Restaurant and Upstairs, The Cathouse, Providing for Palate and
Passion.’ Has a nice ring to it, don’t you agree?”
“Uumm, sounds do-able to me,” I said.
We were told to take our seats. Dinner was about to be served.
I had the pleasure of sitting and exchanging comments with Stephen
Dooley, owner/winemaker of Stephen Ross Wine Cellars, whose wines were paired
with Grand Master Chef Stanley Nicas’s culinary artistry.
Stephen Ross Chardonnay Bien Naciedo 2000, $23.99, after $4 temporary
discount, and Pinot Noir Bien Naciedo 2001, $33.99, after $6 temporary discount,
presented a challenge as to which wine better matched the wedge of roasted
Atlantic salmon that encircled a fluffy cheese and mushroom soufflé in a light
sorrel sauce.
Wendy announced that discounts shown here are effective through Monday,
April 14. Phone: 508-753-0250 to reserve.
‘Twas no surprise, the
salmon/mushroom soufflé’s delicacy and delicious flavors that were enhanced
with the unusual accent of the green sorrel sauce. How to judge the white and
red wines with the dish, however, required some discernment and discussion.
Cheepleigh impatiently interrupted the crosscurrents of discussion among
table members: “Equally! I like them both…equally! I refuse to degrade one
wine by stating a preference for the other. Not fair! Just another one of
Julian’s cockamamie ideas -- having a contest between the wines that are
paired with the salmon/mushroom dish.”
“Well, Bingy,” I replied, “if we’re casting aspersions about
ideas – yours about cathouses all over Worcester City isn’t so great,
either. The only beneficiaries will be horney males and divorce lawyers.”
Stephen Dooley tried to restore order from further recriminations by
discussing his wines from an owner/winemaker perspective. He explained his
primary interest in soil and vine contribution to the fruit in his grapes; he
spoke of wood tannin and skin tannin contribution the flavor of his wines; he
emphasized his preoccupation with balance among fruit, acids, tannins, alcohol,
texture, and residual sugar in his wines; he concluded, saying, “Wine is made
in the vineyard, the winemaker is merely the caretaker – he is
dedicated to nurturing Mother Earth’s largess.”
Approval of his wines from around the table attested to his success with his credo for achieving quality: The chardonnay and pinot noir were as good as – perhaps even better than–what the West Coast affords discriminating connoisseurs.
Jim Nicas, Castle’s maitre d’/sommelier, he of double black
belt palate proficiency, nodded his head affirmatively.
Cheepleigh asked if we wanted to hear his evaluation of the wines, but
didn’t wait for an answer: “Chard great fruit! Melon! Reminds me of
grass/straw nose. I taste butterscotch, vanilla and soft oak…and maybe yeasty
toast…and maybe some kind of mineral, although I don’t ever remember sipping
any mineral. Nice zippy, zappy fruit acid balance. Now about the pinot
noir----”
Chris Pedersen, local wine rep for Stephen Ross wines, interrupted:
“Thank you very much, Mr. Cheepleigh, but I’d like to augment your cogent
in-depth analysis if I may. Stephen’s 2000 Bien Naciedo Pinot Noir recently
received 95 points and best Pinot Noir of the 2000 vintage from Wine &
Spirits Magazine. Our 2001 of this evening is every iota as good. Our
Chardonnay, which you so enthusiastically laud, is of equal caliber to the Pinot
Noir and has slumbered on its yeasty grape skins for 15 months, which accounts
for its admirable complexity in so young a wine; and it has the same Burgundian
character that is noticeable in the Pinot Noir.”
Cheepleigh: “OK, I feel vindicated, although I don’t know about what. But I’m enjoying these wines so immensely that, even with all this snow around, I would have come by dogsled to this wine dinner – only I don’t own either dog or sled. Well, I’d even come by shanks his mare. Now about my notes on the Pinot Noir --”
I interrupted: “No, Bingy, let me read my assessment of the
Pinot Noir. You know, I like to hear myself talk the same as you do – no, not
to talk like you, but just to listen to the sound of my voice:
“Smoky, raspberry, berry, slight mineral nose. Added cherries and white
pepper on the palate, perfect balance, smooth full-fruited swallow and long
aromatic aftertaste.”
Cheepleigh: “Hey, you must have read my notes when I made a hasty
retreat to the Castle’s King-for-a Day Royal Rest Room. Anyway, we agree; so I
forgive you.”
Entrée of Veal Sorrentino, an escalope of veal nestled on roasted
eggplant, garnished with roasted red and green peppers, fresh green beans,
topped with Fontina cheese and rich veal reduction, followed the pouring of
Monte Rosa Zinfandel 2000, $27.99, after $6 temporary discount.
Looked like Stanley’s hand was very heavy when he portioned the amount
of food we would get: the veal on the dish was enough for two meals, except
perhaps for Gargantua…Maybe Stanley thought we were all Gargantuans. But no
argument! The veal was delicious, tender and multi-flavored from the varied
ingredients, which comprised the dish – as delightfully tasty and complex a
veal meal as I have ever eaten.
Wisely, we were also served the Zinfandel Dante Dusi 2000, $21.99, after $4 temporary discount. This enabled us to compare the two zins with the veal and, also, with the succeeding cheese course.
Here, Stephen spoke of the Monte Rosso zin: “The Monte Rosso vineyard
is approximately 120 years old and, consequently, yields intensely flavored
wines, albeit in small quantity. As with all my wines, it was made hands-on, in
small fermentation tanks, the must punched down by hand, aged in 30
percent new French oak barrels for 15 months and bottled unfined and unfiltered.
I like to think it is a classic example of Monte Ross Zinfandel.”
I had made the Monte Rosso zin a Wine Pick in a recent wine column. This
is what I wrote: “Lush flavors of raspberries, sweet briarwood and balancing
black pepper; smooth swallow and extended aftertaste.”
Tasting it again in the context of the veal entrée, I would add
“subtleties of fermented pomegranate and cranberry, raisins, plums, spice.”
I agree with Stephen: a ‘classic example’ of a superior zin.
The Dante Dusi, although indeed excellent, didn’t quite approximate the
Monte Ross…I thought.
Cheese course of roasted ruby raisin cheese Napoleon, comprising
Camembert, Monterey Jack and Tobias Blue cheeses, impressively accented with
raisins and raisin sauce, was partnered with both zinfandels.
Table members applauded the
matchup of both zins with the cheese. I didn’t. The sweet raisin
sauce-accented cheese combinations, although delicious, and the dry zins were
incompatible to my fussy taste buds.
After I pushed the Napoleon aside, chewed on a crusted roll, sipped some
water and returned to the zins, the zins fruited vinous flavors were
considerably improved. I enjoyed both zins and was hard put to state a
preference.
Notes on the Dante Dusi Zinfandel: “jammy red berry aromas with smack
of spice; palate: full-bodied with soft wood tannins and lingering flavors of
spice- accented berries…and somewhat reminiscent of Port. Super zin and purse
positive price.”
The now more wine-infused palateers, I included, congratulated Stephen
Dooley; Andrea Gilbert, distributor; and Chris Pedersen, indefatigable rep of
Ross wines, for the superb quality of the wines and the pleasure they afforded
us. Jim Nicas, as usual, unerringly paired the wines and food; my cheese/zin
exception, with mock derision, dismissed by other tasters.
Truly surfeited now, but not enough to diminish my enthusiasm, I savored
the dessert and euphorically ate away: dark chocolate mousse with whipped cream,
sour cream and white and chocolate bottom of Belgium chocolate. Rich, rich,
rich; caloric, caloric, caloric; what the hell, I reasoned, we live only once;
so go for it all the way before we shuffle off this mortal coil.
Came the dawn. The bathroom scale thumbed-down its dial at me….Oh, woe
is me!
Congratulations
to Bill Brady’s Sonoma Restaurant! Wins Distinguished Restaurant of North
America coveted DiRoNa award, one of the industry’s most prestigious prizes
for fine dining. The honor will be officially presented at a gala ceremony
during DiRoNa’s Annual Conference on October 1, 2003, in Montreal.
Wine Pick: Clos Pegase Sauvignon Blanc Mitsuko’s Vineyard 2001, $24.
Enjoy a rich, fat, elegant, fragrant wine reminiscent of citrus, herbs, berries,
honey, tangerine and pears; crisp, smooth swallow; lingering aftertaste.
Wine Pick: Jewell Viognier 2001, $9.99. Gold Medal winner at San
Francisco Wine Competition. Aromas and flavors of peaches and rich citrus; dry
(.3 percent residual sugar), crisp, rich; imposing on the palate; pleasing
alternative to chardonnay. Big bargain.
Wine Pick: Robert Mondavi Zinfandel 2000, $21. Flavors bursting with lush
dark berries – blackberries, raspberries, blueberries; balanced with black
pepper, spice, soft tannins, sweet oak; smooth, velvety swallow; persistent
aftertaste.