Coming Together

April 9, 2011


To begin, I am compelled to offer my apologies for my VERY long hiatus from writing. Sometimes life just gets in the way, you know? Over the past few months there have certainly been some memorable experiences, delicious food, and fantastic wines. But, I would be totally remiss to not begin my reengagement into the blog-o-sphere with the biggest and most important event of my time away (and of my entire life, for that matter,) my engagement to my beautiful and amazing fiancé, Kendra. You have heard some of our story through past installments of LDV, but this is the most momentous of all of our moments to date.

Love, like wine, can require great patience. In this particular instance, the meaning in which I am referring is directed towards a feeling that we all know so well, waiting for true love to come along and for it to materialize so that you can live it and experience it in all of it’s splendor. The counterpart insofar as the world of wine is considered is finding that bottle of wine that ignites a spark within you without your knowing why or how. After the magical moment comes torturous excitement of waiting to see how things develop and living with the uncertainty of not knowing. While eventually giving way to faith that in the end, it will all come together to be something greater than you ever imagined. Yes, you could say that I am a fool in love and my writing has become cloyingly sweet, but hey you signed up for this. Anyway, I feel that my current condition has brought me back to why I fell in love with food and wine to begin with; embracing and sharing the things that you love with those who you love.

Coming back to our story of celebration, I simply would like to begin by saying that I was able to ask without fumbling too much and most importantly, she said “YES!” As a way to cap off an already perfect day, we went to The Wine Cask for dinner. Arriving a little early for our reservation, we settled in at the bar of Intermezzo for a glass of much needed and deserved bubbles. After a great start, we were seated at a cozy table next to the fireplace.

As we settled into our table and began our meal we enjoyed a second glass of Champagne before diving into the already decanting bottle of Barolo waiting for us. Along with the food and wine, our serves was wonderful. I began the meal with a special appetizer of seared foie gras, served with a pear tart and bay leaf ice cream that was both sweet and savory. Kendra started things off with a luxurious saffron and marcona almond soup. Both were a wonderful match of the crisp acidity of the Champagne. Next for me came quite a large serving of perfectly cooked Wagyu steak along with homemade bacon and earthy mushrooms. My lovely companion got the delicious pan-roasted chicken over mascarpone mashed potatoes. A wonderful meal with warm and attentive service.

Wines:

NV Jean Louis Vergnon Blanc de Blanc Brut **
Bright and Fresh with notes of pear, nice minerality, and good acidity.

NV Louis Roederer Brut **-
A little more simple than the Vergnon, but showed nice fruit and class.

Aldo Conterno Barolo Colonnello 2001 ***Just a baby, but I am very glad to have checked in on this wine because I don’t think that I would touch it again for 4-5 years. It did show notes of crushed red fruit and notable minerality. The tannins were fine, but still quite astringent. This is going to be something special, just not quite yet.

All in all, this was a day that I will never forget. A day highlighted by beautiful weather, great food and wine, so much happiness, and more than anything else, love.

Talk to you all, soon.

Cheers!


0 Stars - No rating

1 Star (*) - Not of significant quality or interest
2 Stars (**) - A notable wine of legitimate interest
3 Stars (***) - Great wine that should be searched out
4 Stars (****) - Fantastic wine that should not be missed
5 Stars (*****) - An absolutely mind-bending wine - beg, borrow, or steal to get your hands on some of this amazing juice!

Disclaimer: This rating is based on my palate and at the given time when tasted and may differ from yours. Also, I may catch a bottle in a dumb phase or it just may not speak to me at that particular time.