The phrase "third time's a charm"
is one that is often used. I tried
unsuccessfully to find the origin of the phrase; the closest I could get
was that it had something to do with luck and "third time's lucky."
Perhaps though, it would be best to replace "lucky" with "fortunate", since I
felt indeed fortunate to be able to be able to attend our third
Winemaker Dinner at Harvest Restaurant at Pheasant Run Resort in St.
Charles, Illinois -- this one featuring the wines of Rutherford Hill, a smallish
winery located in the northern part of the Napa Valley, just east of St.
Helena, California that is renowned for its production of outstanding
Merlots. Two previous dinners had taught me to expect
only the finest of food and service, accompanied by excellent wines from
premier wineries; I was not to be disappointed tonight either!
The evening began with hand-crafted hors d'oeuvres from the kitchen of
Chef Josef Yurisich, a true master in the art of pairing wines with his
sumptuous creations. Tonight, Mini Phyllo Roulades
with roast shrimp, wild mushroom, spinach and Asiago cheese,
Smoked Duck and Caramelized Onion Tostones flavored with
raspberry chipotle drizzle and Asian Style Grilled Scallop
Napoleons with Asian eggplant, jicama and roasted fruit
relish, along with myriad imported cheeses with fresh berries
were aptly paired with a 2005 Rutherford Hill Chardonnay.
This was a smooth and bright wine with a hint of smoke, touches of nuts
and butter and a very clean finish -- an excellent way to begin the
evening. We had the good fortune to have seated ourselves across
from Gary Enloe, the representative from Rutherford Hill.
Extremely knowledgeable about wines in general, he shared a good deal of
interesting background about the winery and its location in the hills on the east
side of the Napa Valley and at an elevation of about about 800 feet above the valley
floor.
We adjourned to the dining room where fresh and warm homemade breads
awaited -- delivered to our pristine table in a cloth covered basket;
four wine glasses topping the table in front of each diner.
Opening comments were delivered by Joe Orichiella, the resort's Director
of Food and Beverage. Mr. Orichiella then introduced Gary Enloe, who
welcomed everyone to the evening's festivities, shared some particulars
about the history of Rutherford Hill's winery, its
distinctive wines and unique wine-aging caves and also some information about the
evening's selections -- especially the Merlot, for which Rutherford Hill is
perhaps best known. Chef Josef wrapped up the pre-meal session
with some brief comments about the evening's courses. Animated
this evening and at the top of his game, the Chef appeared as
comfortable in front of the full-house crowd as anyone I have ever seen,
describing the First Course with zeal and even a few one-liners; it was
clear he was excited to let the fun begin!
We were first treated to Pan-Seared Soft-Shell Crab with Ginger and Yuzu
Glaze, enhanced with roasted langostine & Granny Smith apple
relish, garnished with toasted sesame seeds and paired with more of
the delightful 2005 Rutherford Hill Chardonnay. The wine was a
perfect partner, the subtleties of apple in the wine complementing well
the apple relish and Ginger glaze of the appetizer.
It was shortly after Gary's description of the 2003 Merlot and Chef
Josef's description of the Second Course -- Pepper-Seared Kobe
Beef Carpaccio with buttered Heirloom tomatoes & mesclun
greens, accented with imported champignon Brie & drizzled with
blackberry balsamic truffle honey glaze -- that I noticed the volume
of conversation began to rise as the plates were delivered and sips were
taken of the rich, soft and velvety Merlot, replete with overtones of
ripe berries and oak with only a touch of tannin and a pepper finish.
The match-up was perfect, the carpaccio literally disintegrating almost
before it reached my mouth, the Merlot and blackberry balsamic honey
glaze an inseparable
pas de deux.
I had not previously enjoyed the pleasure of Kobe beef, but I now fully
understand what all the raving is about.
By now the diners seemed almost in a feeding frenzy, barely able to wait
for the next wine and course descriptions, enjoying the
evening's repast almost as if it might be their last. The wine was a 2002
Cabernet Sauvignon, huge by comparison to the Merlot and laced with the
deep richness of perhaps blueberries and black currants, even hints of chocolate.
But this wine needed to be big, for it was handily paired with
Herb-Wrapped Roasted Buffalo Tenderloin, Sauced with Plum & Current Demi-Glaze,
dotted
with vanilla
goat cheese foam, garnished with roasted shallot confit & wild mushroom
timbale and accompanied with Yukon and apple bacon mashed potatoes.
An incredibly big and rich Third Course with a big and rich wine to
match, came close to pushing the ecstatic diners -- including me -- over the
top. The buffalo was as lean as one could possibly imagine, but it was also
moist, fork-tender and absolutely delicious!
The Gary and Chef Josef show had one final act to perform: Gary's
introduction of a marvelous 2003 zinfandel Port wine -- not available
for sale anywhere -- and the Chef's
piece de la resistance: a
Molten Chocolate Cake & Cinnamon Ice Cream, accented with blueberry coulis and drizzled with citrus reduction.
The dessert was like a volcano
of chocolate cake that exploded with a thick and luscious molten river of chocolate
sauce when pierced with a fork. Previous experiences with port
wine have not been memorable; this one was truly different and
remarkably tasty. It certainly was paired well with the dessert.
This was an absolutely phenomenal meal; Chef Josef and his staff
somehow manage to each time create a winemaker dinner whose quality and
imagination exceed the last. Thank you Chef!
