461885 Sun Nov 18 17:21:11 -0800 2007 4 34 Wine 0 3136946 Please help me select from the following wines. We are definitely going with a champagne and a syrah. Given the ingredients, is there one that stands out to you ? Spicy Yellowfin Tuna Tartare ancho chili/shallot aioli, capers, green onions, toasted sesame seeds, Sauteed Haricots Verts garlic, sliced almonds Mushroom Risotto cognac, sherry, chanterelles, porcinis, morels, creminis Pan Roasted Rack of Lamb (free-range) rosemary, braised leek vinagrette, demi-glace Champagne: 1996 Duval-Leroy, Brut 1999 Nicolas Feuillatte, Brut, Cuvée Spéciale NV Aubry, Brut Rosé NV Nicolas Feuillatte, Brut, Blue Label NV Paul Goerg, Brut Blanc de Blancs Syrah: 2003 E. Guigal Hermitage 2005 Jean-Louis Chave Crozes-Hermitage, Silène 2005 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage 2005 Two Hands Shiraz, Bella's Garden 2005 Torbreck Shiraz, Woodcutter's 2005 d'Arenberg Shiraz/Viognier, Laughing Magpie In case we want another bottle of red? 2005 Château d'Oupia Minervois 2002 Olga Raffault Chinon, Les Picasses 2004 Paumanok Cabernet Franc, North Fork, Long Island 2001 Meerlust Rubicon, Stellenbosch, South Africa I'm pretty certain the Australians are ready to drink, but a little hesistant about the Rhônes. Is this too soon to open them? Total aside: What is the proper pronunciation of Guigal? Hard or soft G? Sun Nov 18 17:21:11 -0800 2007 97069 mengathon 1 3137373 I'm not familiar enough with most of those bottles to offer very good advice, but if you end up drinking the Graillot C-H, I'd love to hear your tasting notes. I have a bottle too, but I was planning on saving mine for at least 2-3 more years. My understanding is that it's a pretty big wine that would go very well with lamb, but that a few more years would help it reach its peak. I *can* help with pronunciation! Guigal is pronounced with two hard Gs, as in Ghee-gahl Your menu sounds delicious! Sun Nov 18 20:04:23 -0800 2007 3136946 16011 oolah 1 3137419 Just my gut feelings here: “Spicy Yellowfin Tuna Tartare ancho chili/shallot aioli, capers, green onions, toasted sesame seeds” Ahi calls to me from behind a glass of big Pinot Noir, or a Syrah/Shiraz "Mushroom Risotto cognac, sherry, chanterelles, porcinis, morels, creminis” Mushrooms tell me that they like a more Burgundian PN, either FR or OR. “Pan Roasted Rack of Lamb (free-range) rosemary, braised leek vinagrette, demi-glace” Here, I usually go with an old-world Syrah, especially a Côte-Rôtie, or Hermitage. Sounds like a fun, albeit non-traditional, Thanksgiving. Let us know what you chose, and how well it paired, please. Hunt Sun Nov 18 20:19:47 -0800 2007 3136946 11329 Bill Hunt 1 3137634 1) Spicy Yellowfin Tuna Tartare ancho chili/shallot aioli, capers, green onions, toasted sesame seeds, The key for the dish, IMO, is how prominent the ancho chili is... If more than just a wafting back note, then the best wines for this dish are Riesling and Gewurztraminer (neither of which is on your list, btw). Kabinett would be first ripeness choice here. The hotter and spicier the dish is, then you move closer to Spatlese. If the ancho is far in the background, then Chardonnay would be really interesting here, and a lighter-to-medium intensity Pinot Noir would probably also work. I just don't see a heavy red like Syrah doing much of anything for this dish. An alternative would be the Champagne. I much prefer the 96 over the 99, but stylistically prefer the blanc de blancs. Sec would be quite interesting given the peppery spice of the Tuna seasonings, but that's not on your list. 2) Sauteed Haricots Verts garlic, sliced almonds Chardonnay is the first choice here, but riesling and gewurztraminer would also work very nicely. Sauvignon Blanc also. The champagne choices listed above also work, but probably wouldn't be first choice ... 3) Mushroom Risotto cognac, sherry, chanterelles, porcinis, morels, creminis Ditto again.... chardonnay works so well here... This dish is fairly versatile and "works" to an extent with alot of wines, really. 4) Pan Roasted Rack of Lamb (free-range) rosemary, braised leek vinagrette, demi-glace Although alot of rich reds fit this dish, my first choice is a sturdy cabernet which isn't on the list.... Among the list the obvious choice is the extremely young Guigal Hermitage from the incredible '03 vintage. Problem of course it's so young... needs an hour or two of decanting and should be at least quite interesting. The aussies are way too young to even consider, really. Bottom line, I'd probably go with the '96 duval leroy just because it's probably more predictable than the Goerg NV BdB... bring this out initially, serve some appetizer with it, then bring out a Riesling and roll into the Tuna and Haricot Verts. The Champagne has the advantage of elements of both chardonnay and pinot noir and the riesling obviously has riesling... so you can sample these very appropriate varietals with the Tuna and H-Verts. Then bring the Hermitage out when you serve the risotto and lamb, make sure it's been well decanted and aereated (some decanters do a marginal job of aereation, IMO. Just leave your champagne and/or white wines on the table as they will be interesting "red and white" comparison wines and should match the risotto quite nicely, if just fair with the lamb. Enjoy and please report back. Sun Nov 18 22:48:16 -0800 2007 3136946 42549 Chicago Mike 1 3148595 We decided to go with the NV Paul Goerg and the Chave Crozes-Hermitage, and saving the more expensive wines for a later occasion. The menu was changed a little since I could not find an ancho chili paste (non-function food processor) and completely forgot to buy the leeks. Instead, the demi-glace and the vinagrette was replaced with a crispy sage in brown butter. The champagne was a little on the sweet and simple side, with a pleasant nose of citrus. On the other hand, the bubbles were not as fine as one would expect from champagne. Not the greatest blanc de blancs, but pretty good value for less than $25. It served as a nice accompaniment to rather than assert itself strongly against the tartare. This definitely wasn't a particularly good champagne to feature, but would be an inexpensive party sparkler. The Crozes took about an hour in the decanter to open up. The nose was fragrant and full of minerals, flowers, and red fruit, the last a little surprising since my expectation was of black fruit. Not as raspberry-ish as, say, a grenache-based CDR, but a lighter, softer version of syrah. A little thin in the middle, but with a refreshing, herbally finish. Very pleasant, good with the food served, especially the almond and garlic. This was almost the opposite of the California pinot-as-syrah, and a French syrah-as-pinot. The lamb was probably a little too big for the wine. Next time, I'd drink this with something like a roast chicken. Oolah, I have a couple of bottles of the Graillot lying around. I'll be sure to post something when I get around to it the next time I make lamb at home. Thanks for the help. Happy Thanksgiving! Thu Nov 22 22:18:39 -0800 2007 3136946 97069 mengathon