10.5 Liters of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Duck, Rabbit, Lamb, Homemade Cheesecake, Great Group of Wine Lovers - Did I get Your Attention?

Saturday, January 26, 2008, the “MD - Cru” met up for one of its “offlines”. The “Cru” is made up of friends, new and old, that have two things in common - they love great food and wine, and they make great company! Kim and I were first lucky enough to meet up with them a first time this past October (see what happened the first time around) but they’ve been doing this for years! After missing at Italian event in November (we were in Italy!) and a Champagne event in December (home for holidays), we were focused on joining in on a tasting of one of our favorite wines - Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

The tasting was held at the beautiful home of one of the “regulars” of the MD - Cru out near Bethesda. The event featured the following food menu of which recipes for some if not all will follow (these people made some OUTSTANDING dishes and I begged and begged for the recipes…hopefully we’re all lucky enough to get them!).

The wines (all Chateauneufs):
2 x 750 ml: 1989 Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe La Crau
1 x 1.5 L: 1995 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe La Crau
1 x 1.5 L: 1998 St. Benoit Chateauneuf du Pape Grand Garde
2 x 750 ml: 1998 Bois de Boursan Cuvee de Felix Chateauneuf du Pape
2 x 750 ml: 2000 Domaine du Pegau Cuvee Reserve
2 x 750 ml: 2001 Domaine de la Charbonniere - Le Hautes Brusquieres
2 x 750 ml: 2001 E. Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape

Others:
Piper Heidsieck NV Champange
Chusclan Les Ribieres Cotes Du Rhone 2001 - OUTSTANDING VALUE, Great wine
Mystery Bottle (seen in Aluminum Foil) Bob Johnson’s Homemade Pear Wine - Great Stag Winery

MENU
H’ordeurves:
Duck served with cucumber, crackers and chives - Brilliant appetizer, simple yet elegant and quite delicious
Melon Wrapped in Prosciutto - Always a crowd pleaser, the Prosciutto was very rich perfectly cured
Marinated Flank Steak - Paging CS (the owner of this recipe) - outstanding texture and flavors
Rabbit - Delicate, well seasoned, with the right amount of gaminess, perfect way to start the night of French wines!

Starters:
Green bean casserole - One of the best green bean casseroles I’ve had, so rich, good textures, lovely
Carrot souffle - Delicate. So delicate, perfectly prepared. Everyone guessed nutmeg, but cinnamon was the star.
Brussel sprouts pancetta - How do you take a vegetable some people dislike and make it to die for? Add pork! I love Brussel sprouts anyways, but this take on them is a real winner.
Potatoes - Cheesy and delicious.

Main Course:
Lamb - Perfectly tender, seasoning was spot on, cooked to perfection - juicy and delicious.
Cassoulet - It’s hard to mess up something that’s ingredients include rabbit, sausage, lamb…beans, I mean, come on…this was incredible.

Dessert:
Cheese cake (homemade with white/dark chocolate) - The crust was so delicate, the body very rich. Outstanding cheesecake.
Cannoli’s and Carinaolies - Vaccaro’s never fails!

Here’s what a plate of this deliciousness looked like:

As far as food and wine pairings go, almost everything was spot on. Anytime you have lamb, duck, or rabbit on the table, a Chateauneuf is a good match. It would be very difficult to pick a wine of the night - they were all very good. The 1995 Vieux Telegraphe was drinking INCREDIBLE, the St. Benoit as well, the Pegau had a lot going on with complex flavors and amazingly silky tannins, and the 2001 Bois de Boursan Cuvee de Felix was outstanding. This wine with a bit more age will be very special and is highly recommended if you can find it. Specific tasting notes will be posted and linked in the next day!

Again thanks to everyone in the group, especially to Mr. & Mrs. J. for hosting this incredible event in their beautiful home- Kim and I really enjoy these off-lines and look forward to many, many more!