Motley Cru

Made an awesome dish from Marcus Wareing’s “Nutmeg and Custard“–Scallops with Pistachios, Parsnip Crème, and Crispy Prosciutto.  This was one of those “big name chef” recipes that turned out better than expected–which rarely happens for us.  Honey and curry in the parsnip crème were a great combination of sweet and savory, and the scallops themselves were dusted with curry and salt before cooking.  The wine we cracked was the 2004 Marcassin Zio Tony Chardonnay.  The wine was initially a bit disjointed, showing good acidity, some nice tropical and citrus fruits, and a strong backbone, but those things all kind of hit the palate by themselves, leaving me wanting more.  Well, enter the food, and the wine was suddenly knit together, with the fruit and the acid and the oak and butterscotch all blending together in a seamless, delicious nectar.  It was seriously transformational.  Tried a glass after the meal and it was back to the same thing as before–somewhat disjointed, needing some time to hopefully come together.  Interesting experience, and so glad that we had plenty of scallops!

I vacillate between wishing I could drink wine like this every night, and being glad that I don’t.  I’m afraid that drinking wines of this quality on a daily basis would eventually leave me desensitized to their brilliance.  And it was kind of fun sharing this with a friend who enjoys wine, although he knew nothing about Sine Qua Non before tonight.  My only crime opening this bottle was not giving it enough air. I thought about having Carolynn decant it during the day, but then before I knew it we were home and scrambling to put on some food for our friends. It was interesting, sharing this with friends who enjoy wine, but are not wine geeks. I didn’t say anything about it until we were halfway through the bottle, then I mentioned that this was a Parker 100-pointer. My buddy said “really?” I think it was one of those moments when a person can’t reconcile their own experience with that of a professional. Not that he didn’t enjoy it, but I believe he was expecting it to do something transcendental. Interesting perspective on points. As for the wine itself, I had another bottle of this about 18 months ago (also popped and poured), and it hasn’t budged much. Intense nose, meat intermingling with perfume and black, black fruits. The palate got better over the course of a couple hours with air–it was just too tight at first, although still delicious. Tannins are quite noticeable, but there’s plenty of fruit and other stuff going on to help you forget about them. The finish lasts and lasts–more of the fruit, the meat, some licorice. The problem I have with this wine at this point is that it’s good, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I think it will be so much better when it hits its peak.

We have a recipe for a tart that is fantastic.  In addition to the ingredients above, it has a reduced balsamic/brown sugar sauce and is topped with rocket which cuts through the richness.  Served on a puff pastry base, this is always a crowd pleaser and certainly a family favorite.  I wasn’t going to drink wine tonight, but ended up grabbing an ’02 Phelps Insignia, one of my favorite wines.  Both of these were tremendously enjoyable (the wine, to be honest, slightly less-so than in the past–maybe it’s going into a shut down phase?!?).  We also had Scottish filet mignon.  Once again, I’m left wanting with the beef we can get here in England.  We go to a good butcher shop–family-run, always fresh (or aged appropriately), etc.  But there isn’t a grading scale (Prime, Choice, Select) like that which exists in the US and I think it shows.  Thankfully, they offer great lamb, and that is usually what we get, but it is a bummer not to be able to get “90 point” beef here.