Wine dinners can be extremely enjoyable, and they provide information and knowledge, as well as excellent meals. We attended three very different ones over the last couple of weeks, and the report, looking at the wines rather than the meals, goes like this, in reverse chronological order:
STONE HILL WINERY, Hermann – Every spring for almost a generation, Stone Hill’s Held family has led a vertical tasting, 10 successive vintages of its premium red wine, Norton, from a well-aged wine to a tank sample (even younger than a barrel sample). I’ve gone to almost all of them, and I find them especially fascinating. The best red grape grown in Missouri, Norton results in a long-lasting red wine, similar to those of the Rhone Valley in France. Young Nortons show a great deal of fruit, but often are tightly closed, so that the flavor is all in the first part of the sip. After three or four years, some of the depth of flavor and length of finish begin to come forth, and another year or two add the balance and soft tannins that make the wine superior.
A tasting like this brings even more understanding because the grapes all come from Stone Hill’s own Gasconade County vineyards. They all have been made by Dave Johnson, an extremely talented winemaker who would be a major star if he were in California, so the style is consistent. Johnson introduced two of his young staffers, Shaun Turnbull and Tavis Harris, who will be moving into senior winemaker positions as they gain experience. And all the Nortons have been made in the same winery, mostly on the same equipment under the same conditions. The tasting shows, without doubt, differences from vintage to vintage, and the fact that weather can bring different things to the mix.
Most recently, we tasted 1996-2005. The 2003 is the current release, with the ‘04 still in barrel and the ‘05 in steel tanks. Those who attend the tasting then vote on their favorites, but there is no limit on how many favorites a drinker can have, so there is no exact count, and after an hour or so of tasting, enough people have drunk enough wine so that they are happy at any opportunity to throw their arms into the air.
My favorite was the 1999, big and rich with a great deal of dark fruit, plus a long finish and excellent balance. The aroma is deep and full, the color the rich, almost-black hue that well-aged Norton grows into. An extremely close second was the 2000, winner of the Governor’s Cup as the state’s top wine in 2002. The aroma was well-nigh perfect, with a hint of the French oak in which it is aged, and the deep and hearty leather notes that top reds often show. The current release, the ‘03 vintage, was next, in my opinion, followed, rather closely, by 2001, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2004, 1996 and 1997. This does not mean that the last few are undrinkable. They’re fine wines, but some are just a little better than others. The ‘97, believe it or not, was still showing considerable hardness. And keep an eye on the ‘04 and ‘05, especially the latter, when they are bottled in a couple of years. The ‘05 could be among the best yet, although many people, including me, still consider the 1994 the all-time champ, with the 1992 right behind. If you’re fortunate enough to have some in your cellar, drink it on your next feast day. You’ll find it exceptional.
And by the way, Stone Hill also poured a superior sparkling wine, an outstanding Chardonel and a fine example of its Port before and during the dinner at the Vintage 1847 Restaurant that followed the tasting.
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MOUNT PLEASANT WINERY, Augusta – One of the state’s oldest wineries, a leader in helping popularize Missouri wines in the 1960s and 70s and at the forefront of the successful effort to have little Augusta named the first American Viticultural Area after the passage of the enabling U. S. legislation. Mount Pleasant is one of the first Missouri wineries most St. Louisans visit. Chuck Dressel is the man in charge these days, with Mark Baehmann the winemaker and Brandon Davis the cellar master. Matthew Birkenmeier supervised dinner at the Top of the Riverfront, where he’s the chef.
The Mount Pleasant affair was more of a traditional wine dinner, with different wines to complement the various courses, and Baehmann and Birkenmeier did well in their selections.
Baehmann does create some superior Vidal Blanc wines, working with a French hybrid grape that grows well in Missouri. The wines are lighter than Chardonnay, slightly softer than Sauvignon Blanc, and Baehmann showed off his talent in three different wines, all based on the same grape.
The Mount Pleasant sparkling wine, dubbed Brut Imperial, is 97 percent Vidal Blanc, 3 percent St. Vincent, then bottled and aged in the traditional style of the Champagne makers of France. It was delicious, with a good bubble and a smooth flavor. A classic Vidal Blanc, from 2004, is 100 percent of the small green grape, barrel-fermented and with a bright, crisp, fruity flavor, slightly softened by the oak. It’s an excellent companion for summer picnics. A third Vidal-based wine, called Villagio, is 95 percent Vidal, 5 percent Rayon d’Or. It never sees wood, fermenting and aging in stainless steel, and the wine is delicious, with the slightly acid, mineral flavors of the steel coming through. Both wines have a slight pineapple-grapefruit flavor that comes from the grape.
Mount Pleasant also grows Merlot, one of the classic Bordeaux grapes that has been so successful in California, and the ‘02 version, nicely aged, was an elegant companion to an equally elegant pork tenderloin that had been rubbed with an Asian five-spice blend. The wine had fine fruit, and the soft tannins were not an intrusion. One of the reasons for the popularity of Merlot is that it is fruity and soft; in Bordeaux, and in California as well, it is blended with mo st Cabernet Sauvignon to temper the hardness present in the latter.
A slight digression here: For years, Missouri wineries made red wines named Norton and Cynthiana. Ampelographers, people who study grapes, have said the two grapes are the same, like twins who bear different names. In general, for the sake of publicity, old-fashioned loyalty and just plain fun, the wines made north of the Missouri River were called Cynthiana, those south of the river were Norton. A few years ago, Mount Pleasant began making wines under both names. Baehmann says he likes the Cynthiana name, because it sounds slightly more romantic than Norton. Anyway, the practice of two wines is over – all the wines made from Norton grapes will be called Norton wines. The game continues at the St. James Winery, but that’s a subject for another day.
The ‘02 Norton, which gained the Governor’s Cup in 2003, was served with a rare filet mignon, under a sauce made with the wine. It was a delight, rounding into top shape with some wood in the finish and a large amount of plummy, jammy feeling in the mouth. A 2001 Port arrived with dessert, but I’m not a great fan of sweet wine with a sweet dish. Too much sweetness for me.
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CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE, Paterson, Wash.: For the past few years, the Fish Market Restaurant in the Embassy Suites on Laclede’s Landing has held a series of wine dinner about a half-dozen times a year. Elizabeth Barnhart manages the restaurant, and the outstanding chef, Phillip Paris, does some wondrous things in matching courses with wine.
Chateau Ste. Michelle has long been a major player in the state of Washington, with a winery in Woodinville, outside Seattle, and vineyards in several parts of the state, especially around Paterson.
Two types of sparkling wine, a blanc de blancs, which means only white grapes (usually Chardonnay) are involved, and a blanc de noir, which shows a pale pink hue and shows the inclusion of red grapes (usually Pinot Noir). Both were extremely dry, bright and tasty, with the latter displaying just a hint of strawberry on the palate. The red grape brought a bare minimum of sweetness to the wine, and I think that as an aperitif, I preferred it to the blanc de blanc, which was a little stark.
While California sometimes seems awash in Syrah (both grapes and wine) these days, Washington has much less, but an ‘02 vintage from grapes grown in the Columbia River Valley, home to most of the Ste. Michelle vineyards, was a delight, and a good value at about $12 retail. The flavor was excellent, slightly lighter than most of the California offerings I’ve tried and a fine complement to a course that showed both fish and meat in the ingredients.
A Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon joined the next two courses, both from the 2002 vintage and both from the winery’s Canoe Ridge Estate. The Merlot, surprisingly big and full-bodied for a youngish wine, was a perfect match with lamb, and the Cabernet was delightful with a thick tuna steak. It displayed fine balance and rich flavors, with dark fruit predominant. Joshua Maloney, identified as the red winemaker, was present but was either unable or unwilling to discuss the red wines in terms of their blends and technical makeup.
Dessert arrived with a 2005 Riesling from the winery’s estate at Indian Wells, and it was a good match with a lime-raspberry parfait, nicely touched by basil. The crisp, light wine showed a hint of melon in its flavor, and a richness that the dessert needed.
Good stuff, both food and wine. . . .
–Joe