Rachel and I just got back from an overnight trip to Astoria where we attended a winemaker's dinner with the wines of Antinori Family Wine Estates. The Antinori family has been in the wine business for 26 generations in Tuscany, Italy, and were one of the first producers of the so-called "Super Tuscan" in the 1970's. Antinori wines are imported into the US through Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington, and we had the US brand manager on hand to talk about the wines with us. The dinner itself took place at The Cellar on 10th, a wonderful wine shop in Astoria, and was catered by The Silver Salmon restaurant.
We arrived slightly before 6:00, but were the last ones there (apparently it was an early arriving crowd). We were greeted with a glass of Scalabrone Rosato - a rosé made from Cab Suav., Merlot, and Syrah from the Guado al Tasso vineyard on the Tuscan coast. It was bright and fruity without the bitterness that some rosés have. At that point, the Antinori representative told us a little about the family and their vineyard holdings. Rachel and I had listened to an interview with Alessia Antinori on Grape Radio on the drive to Astoria, so we actually knew quite a bit more that the rep. was telling us. While we were standing around listening, they brought out the appetizer course - Jamaican seared scallops in puff pastry with a lime chive aioli. This was paired with Vermentino, a white varietal that tasted a little like a bright, acidic, lightly oaked Chardonnay. We were surprised to learn that it as done in 100% stainless because it had some vanilla overtones as if it had seen some oak.
After the appetizer, we went into the cellar room to be seated for dinner. The entire wine shop is underground, but they have a separate climate controlled cellar room where they keep many of their high-end wines. At the center of the room is a long table with seating for 14. It's really a very nice environment for a dinner like this. The next course was an incredible tomato, pancetta and gorgonzola soup served in an acorn squash which had been topped, hollowed out and roasted. One could scape a bite of squash along with the soup and it as just wonderful - smokey and comforting. It was paired with the 2007 Il Bruciato, a red wine from the Guado al Tasso vineyard made from the same varieties as the rosé - Cab, Merlot, and Syrah. This was fruity, with dark cherries and a slight toastiness.
We were then served a palate cleanser of lemon sorbet with crushed pink peppercorns. I wasn't sure about pepper in sorbet, but it was light and refreshing without being too sweet. The two wines chosen to accompany the entrée were a couple of Chiantis - the 2004 Marchese Antinori Riserva Chianti, made from Sangiovese and a little Cab grown on their Chianti Classico estates, and the 2001 Badia a Passignano, 100% Sangiovese from their estate in the town of Passignano. This wine was a lot darker and bigger than the first. The entrée was smoked beef ternderloin with sautéed Crimini mushrooms and onions, served with a green pepper demi-glace accompanied by sun-dried tomato polenta and balsamic green bean sauté. It was very good, but not spectacular, and Rachel was sad that the chef took a perfectly good tenderloin and masked its flavor by smoking it. The pairing however, especially with the second wine, was amazing. Without food, nearly everyone preferred the first Chianti (except for me) - it was more approachable and perhaps smoother. However, when paired with the meat, the second Chianti shined - its boldness and complexity were a perfect match for the smokiness of the meat.
After the entrée we were served a small cheese plate with a selection of several nice cheeses, including Oregon bleu cheese, parmigiano reggiano, and others. This was the second night of the dinner, and apparently last night they had served Tignanello with the cheese. This was one of the first Super Tuscans, and we had really hoped to taste it tonight. Unfortunately, it had been so popular last night that they sold out. Instead, we had a Guado al Tasso, the flagship wine of that vineyard. It can be thought of as the big brother to the Il Bruciato that we had earlier. It was smooth as silk and went well with the cheeses.
Finally for desert we had a gingerbread and peach cream torte with creme Anglaise and raspberry scented whipped cream. It was OK, but Rachel and I both thought that it was too many flavors thrown together. This was accompanied by Muffatto, a dessert wine made from Sauvignon Blanc, Grechetto, Traminer and Riesling affected by botrytis. It was a nice well-balanced wine, but nothing special (although I do love wines with botrytis!).
It was a wonderful evening and we both had a great time. Our table mates were fun, the wine was great, and the food was better than we were expecting. This was the 330th winemaker's dinner that the Cellar on 10th has put on, and they did a nice job. The wine pours were generous and the food portions were about right, so we were full, but not stuffed. We headed back to our room at the Red Lion and enjoyed the view of the boats in the marina outside our window. Not bad, not bad!
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