TN: A night of paella and wine

[zin1953]

After a full day of work, Lynn and I raced home to make dinner for ten Friday night . . . after a detour to the Spanish Table for some rice, roasted piquillo peppers, sweet and smoked paprika, aged Serrano ham, and then to Ranch 99 from some Manilla clams and beautiful tiger prawns . . . .

We started off with

n.v. Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé (Champagne, France): Is this the perfect Brut Rosé? Well, no, probably not -- but it's damned close! So elegant, so flavorful, so delicious and appetizing, what more could you do but to serve the appetizers?

We began with hors d'oeuvres of sliced fresh red bell peppers and cucumbers, baguette and anise-scented Spanish olive oil crackers, and bowls of fresh-made Romesco and an artichoke-and-Manchego cheese dip, with some Marcona almonds and the aforementioned Serrano ham. And with all this, we moved on to

2006 Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand): Pale straw color, with a light greenish cast; classic NZ SB aromatics and flavor, with good acidity and a clean, refreshing finish. Very fine indeed.

As we moved on to the main course, two pans full of paella -- made with chicken, sausage, clams and prawns - we opened up

2005 Ostatu Blanco Jouven (Rioja Alavesa D.O.C, Spain): Light gold in color, clean and brilliant; the bouquet of this 90 percent Viura, 10 percent Malvasia blend is perfumey and has fleshed out with bottle age, combining aromatic floral notes with golden delicious apples; on the palate, it is medium bodied, round and supple in texture; the fruit is expressive and enticing; the finish long and flavorful. Very fine.

1996 Bodegas R. Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia Viña Gravonia (Rioja Alta D.O.C., Spain): Produced from 100 percent Viura, estate grown, this is an exceptionally complex and extraordinary wine, with aromas of fresh and dried apple, orange peel, hazelnuts and accented with pipe tobacco and light earth; the wine is very dry, yet not austere, round and supple in texture, and very rich and flavorful on the palate; hte finish is exceedingly long and flavorful. Outstanding!

After this, we moved onto dessert -- a Lemon Meringue pie from Massé's -- and then, with coffee,

n.v. Henriques & Henriques 10-Year Malmsey (Madeira, Portugal): burnt caramel in color, clear and clean; the bouquet combines toffee, caramel, hazelnuts, raisins, dried cranberries and more -- all of which is carried through the palate and into the exceeding long, tasty finish; very complex, sweet but never cloying, a true delight!

Cheers,
Jason

[ibstatguy]

damn, wish I'd been there. re the Billecart, not that I don't like it but a current fav is the Larmandier-Bernier rose

[zin1953]

What has been really exciting -- for me -- is the significant improvement in quality seen (tasted) in a number of Brut Rosé Champagnes of late.

[ibstatguy]

had a Margaine rose last week with lunch, very nice, fruit (or was that dosage?) driven I'd say. picked up some Billiot rose as well but have not tried it as of yet.

[souvenir]

This was a great post to read as it finally begins to feel like spring in northern Cal!

In envisioning the pairings, I am missing a detail... were the paellas done outside involving wood or smoke of some sort or no?

[zin1953]

Sadly, no . . . we got home too late to fire up the grill and do these outside. Started on the stove; finished in the oven. But NEXT time . . . ;^)

[ChefJune]

What a lovely dinner and a lovely description! You're making me hungry, and I'm eating while I'm typing this!

[maria lorraine]

Beautiful report. Lots of descriptives and imagery -- I could picture the table and foodstuffs and wines as I read on. Glad you enjoyed the Billecart-Salmon Rose, and thanks for the notes of the Viura wines. New to me. I am a huge fan of the H&H Malmsey and am pleased you enjoy it too. It's stunning!

Jason, do you have prices for the Viuras? Since we're sort of in the same neck of the woods, if you bought them in the East Bay, I could easily pop down there and get some.
I saw the Lopez Gravonia on the K&L website, but couldn't locate the Ostatu. Thanks.

[TonyO]

Is there a better dish than paella for communal dining ? It really has something for everyone. When available, a rabbit loin is a great addition.

[zin1953]

Maria Lorraine,

H&H was run by a good friend of mine, John Cossart, who sadly passed away on February 27th. His funeral was held Friday, February 29th, on Madeira. The dinner itself was a bit of a memorial for passed friends . . . John Cossart, artist Hassell Smith, Judge Al Delucchi . . . .

I bought the Ostatu at Vintage Berkeley. It's "around" $10 . . . .

[maria lorraine]

Thanks for the H&H news. Is John Cossart also of Cossart Gordon, another Madiera producer?

Best to you,
Maria

[zin1953]

Long (complicated) story short (and simplified). John's family founded Cossart Gordon a VERY long time ago. It was sold to the Madiera Wine Co., THE major producer on the island, along with just about every other producer. MWC is owned by the Symington's, one of the two major producers of Porto (they own Dow, Gould Campbell, Graham, Martinez, Quarles Harris, Smith Woodhouse, Warre, and Quinta do Vesuvio). MWC is comprised, today, of Cossart Gordon, Blandy's, and Leacock's -- along with probably a dozen or so "dormant" labels.

Henriques & Henriques was the largest independent producer of Madeira -- the third-largest producer on the island, but that sounds larger than they really were. They were a proverbial drop-in-the-bucket compared to MWC. John inherited the company when his father Peter died in 1991.

Cheers,
Jason

P.S. In the FWIW Dept., the other major producer of Porto is the Fonseca Partnership (aka the Taylor-Fonseca group), owning Taylor Fladgate, Fonseca, Delaforce, Romariz, Croft, and I'm probably leaving something out.

[vickib]

Sounds delicious. You've inspired me to explore some Spanish whites. And that Billecart-Salmon rose is lovely. It's one of my favorites.