Last night's Paul Hobbs wine dinner at the Mandarin Oriental was a magnificent treat in many ways. The wonderful melange of guests that all seemed to enjoy every bite and every sip, the expert commentary on the superb wines by Paul's brother Matt Hobbs, the superb service and just everything else, made this a really terrific dining experience.
Matt spoke extensively about the means and methods of the winery and its mission and explained that the wines are fermented with wild yeast and are totally natural with no filtration. He told us how 12 of the 17 wines produced are vineyard specificand terroir driven, which can easily be tasted in the wines we enjoyed. His truly entertaining mien made this an even more wonderful evening. He commented on how he and his brother were separated by 17 years saying that "Paul was number 2, and I was number 10; and all of us came from the same mother and father, or so we were told!" They grew up on a 500acre apple farm in
Lockport, NY near Buffalo and it was a bottle of 1959 Chateau d'Yquem that their father brought home one day (which they drank from stryrofoam cups) that got Paul to make their dad rip out some of the apples and plant grapes for wine.
My comments are interspersed with the menu below:
Passed Hor's d'oevres:
Smoked trout and white asparagus stew
Cured tuna carpaccio, pine nuts and sun-dried cherry relish, pastry crisp
Roasted monkfish, baby spinach, pepper confit, savory brioche
Serrano ham, pickled mustard melon canapé
2004 Chardonnay Russian River Valley
The first wine was released less than two weeks ago and will undoubtedly be a winner on the 2004 California Chardonnay tastings! It had wonderful, yet subtle hints of apple which worked amazingly with the green apple in the Tuna Carpaccio and complemented the monkfish as well. We never got the stew, and the serrano ham was simply a canape version of prosciutto and melon.
first course:
Cherry wood smoked frog legs jalapeño-coriander sauce, queso blanco grits
2003 Cuvee Augustina, Richard Dinner Vineyard, Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay
This course was magnificent and the wine was sheer perfection. Grown at 800 feet in volcanic soil it is a BIG winner and indeed was so big it worked great with the mild jalapeno and the rich grits.
second course:
Confit of sea scallops, tapenade, tomato marmalade, warm couscous salad
2004 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
Another brilliant dish and it also had a fried anchovy on top for another flavor blast. The wine was a new release as well, and actually one of the bottles used at out table was a bit fizzy. We all were tasting from each other's glasses and finally asked Matt to come over and help us. We did discover that this one bottle had somehow gotten a bit of CO2 in it and was clearly not as smooth and enjoyable, so we all traded ours in for a new one! Matt told us that in 2005 this Pinot will be vineyard designated as well and is looking like it will be a truly elegant wine; look for it next year.
third course:
Duet of steak and crispy muscovy duck, champagne choucroute, boudine noir potato smash
2003 Pinot Noir Hyde Vineyard Carneros, Napa
While this course was another "smash" hit (sorry for the pun), we really enjoyed the construction of the various elements. The champagne choucroute was a variation on the Alsatian cabbage dish that is eaten there regularly with various sausages and wurst, but worked here perfectly with the duck. The smash itself was mostly potato, but the introduction of the boudin noir was a real and exciting novelty. The wine was simply the best we had all night, I could drink the Hyde Pinot forever and be very happy.
fourth course:
Roast loin of veal, infused with sika deer, braised veal cheeks, pomegranate demi, vidalia onion jam
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bramare, Mendoza, Argentina
The veal loin was not really "infused" with deer, like an injection, but simply wrapped around it like a roulade, the veal cheeks were in a pastry puff like a small stew and were excellent and a dash of sea salt on the side gave a dash of flavor to this already wonderfully flavored plate.
The Napa Cab was smooth and superb, being a blend of several vineyards, but I must admit I was not aware that Paul Hobbs was producing wines from vineyards he has developed in Argentina. The Bramare Mendoza Cab was quite brash for me and I simply did not enjoy it, especially next to the more refined Napa.
fifth course:
Milk chocolate parfait with cherry salad mignardises
2003 Malbec, Marchiori Vineyard, Bramare, Mendoza, Argentina
The dessert was spectacular as well, a visual and taste delight, with those cherries getting us in the seasonal cherry blossom mood. The milk chocolate logs on the mignardises plate were superb creamy rich chocolate; some of the best ever. My only regret was the Malbec was just too much for the dish. I was shocked to find out the cost is only several $10 shy of the $100 zone; definitely a bit too rich for my pocket, and not nearly exciting enough at that price range. No matter, it was a spectacular evening and a totally thrilling experience.
