Notes from the Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Degustateurs dinner at Lemuria.
Valformosa Cava Brut NV - One of the aperitifs offered to guests as they arrived. Light, lemony, very crisp. fresh tasting with a hint of sweetness. Although a dry wine, had a bit of butterscotch on the finish. A good, friendly wine.
Valformosa Cava Semi-seco NV - Served with the amuse bouche. Slightly grapey and a bit short but paired very well will the sweetness of the glazed mushroom and tomato with mustard dressing.
Valformosa Cava "Carla" NV - Very dry, smoky, deep flavored sparkler. While some thought the semi-seco might have been a better wine for the creamy clam and chorizo soup which did have some sweetness to it, others thought this dry Cava was better as it refreshed the palate and cut through the heaviness of the soup.
Mas de Cadenet Rose Cotes de Provence 2006 - Pale, old rose color. Soft and dry. By itself, just pleasant but really woke up with the food. Somehow the fruit in the wine was woken up by the deconstructed salade nicoise with a tuna tataki in a tapenade crust.
Frescobaldi Chianti Montesodi 2000 - Smooth with dried herbs on the palate and ending with bitter cocoa on the long, long finish. Despite it's smoothness, a wine powerful enough to stand up to the duck ragu in a rhubarb canneloni.
Argiolas Costera Cannonau 2004 - Lots of berry on the nose. Very dark. Leather. There is a slight leafiness as well in the flavor. Big, hearty wine that stood up to the equally hearty lamb osso bucco.
Gonzalez-Byass Pedro Ximenez "Nectar" NV - Beautiful wine. real smooth, silky, raisined, intense but easy to drink. This was brilliant with dessert which was ice cream in chocolate bon-bons and a what I would describe as a very sophisticated Kit-Kat bar - a chocolate covered and layered bar of puff-pastry.
I was among the last to leave dinner and that paid off as our host insisted on one bottle for the road - our choice. Having perused the cellar earlier, we asked for:
Robert Weil Kiedrich Grafenberg Auslese 2006 - Very pale, grapey. Lots of balance to balance sweetness. Peaches and lychees mostly. Some citrus notes as well. Silky, Burnt sugar. Round. Apple skin and grape skin texture on the palate. Very good to drink now but I get a sense that there's much more to this which can be uncovered given more bottle-age.