Monthly Archives: September 2008
Brisket, Hagafen Zinfandel 2004, and Hagafen Zinfandel Moskowite Ranch Block 61 Reserve 2004
It was our turn to run the Rosh Hashana seder with all those simanim. Being of North African descent my parents would prepare a different set of symbolic treats than most do, and we prepare them in a classically Tunisian manner. That would be to steep the vegetables into egg, followed by honey, followed by oil, then flour, and finally – for the final step – they dropped it into a pot of boiling oil! You see the Tunisians see life as a combination of oil, oil, and more oil. The recipe for Tunisian meatballs (termed boulettes) is meatballs fried in oil – you have got to love tradition. Well we could not really hack that – sorry to break with tradition here. So we came up with a nice and sweet (pun intended) alternative. The simanim are eaten in this order:
- Dates or Figs – no extra preparation
- Black Eyed Peas or Fava Beans – boiled and served plain
- Note: Black Eyed Peas, Cumin, and Olive Oil mixed together are a classical Middle Eastern food and are really awesome. However, these beans are served plain as we want a sweet year, not a cuminy one!
- Leeks – prepared as described below
- Spinach – prepared by creating a sweet parve spinach casserole and cutting pieces out and serving them to each person.
- Butternut Squash – prepared as described below
- Pomegranate – opened ahead of time and served the seeds
- Sweet Apple – again simple assortment of sweet apples served on plate
- Fish Head – always a big hit on our table (that was stated tongue and cheek). Still the idea is to eat some of the fish head, so we find some edible part from the end of the head. We have known friends of ours that would eat the eyes, but that would always gross out the whole table. I have often wondered if they did it more for affect then actual gastronomical enjoyment.
So to get around the deep fried vegetables, we came up with a new technique. Simply cut the vegetables up, and place them on a cookie sheet. Then pour honey over them and broil them for 15 or so minutes. It needs to be slightly charred and then the food is perfect. This is served cold, so no need to worry about drying them out when reheated. Far healthier I think, and really quite yummy!
After the simanim we served roasted lemon garlic Tilapia. Then we served one of my favorite meals – Sweet and Sour braised brisket. I have described it before and what makes this so good is the fact that I cool it before cutting it over night. This gives the gelatin in the meat time to re-congeal and really get yummy. However, cutting hard gelatin is really HARD work, so be ready to pay for the good stuff. But when reheated the meat is tender and awesome.
To match the brisket I took out two wines that had been sitting in waiting for a couple of years. The wait was worth it. They were just absolutely exquisite and paired fantastically with the sweet and sour meat. Ernie did himself proud with these two Zinfandel wines.
The wine notes follow below:
Hagafen Zinfandel Moskowite Ranch Block 61 Reserve 2004 – Score: A-
Only one word describes this wine – wild! Yep, this is one crazy wine and one that places on a roller coaster and does not let you off till the wine has long left your mouth. The nose on this dark garnet to black colored wine is filled with blackberry, dates, currants, and wood. The mouth on this full bodied wine starts with blackberry and continues with raspberry into the mid palate which is where the roller coaster starts its twists and turns. The super extracted flavors of spice, wood, and a hint of tar, hit you along with the now integrated tannins. The finish is super long with pepper, oak, more extraction, and a nice dollop of chocolate, to finish it off. This is a wine that could have sat a bit more, but was super enjoyable and worth getting still.
Hagafen Zinfandel 2004 – Score: B+
This is a bit easier on the palate then its block 61 sibling. The nose on this garnet colored wine has aromas of chocolate, raspberry, black cherry, and figs. The mouth on this medium to full bodied wine is filled with blackberry and dark cherry. The mid palate has nice integrated tannins and lush with fruit flavors. The finish is long with leather, pepper, and cocoa. This is a real nice wine and it ready to drink now.
Rosh Hashanah Dinner and Katlav Merlot 2005
First night Rosh Hashanah found us at a good friend’s house. We were served some lovely simanim that were both sweet and had really nice texture. We had some nice white table wine with the appetizers, followed by festive meal. There was Parve lasagna (parve cheese – really nice), salmon, and gobs of awesome side dishes. I brought over a Katlav Merlot 2005, while others brought over a Segal wine, whose name, unfortunately escapes my memory.
The Katlav Merlot was way more than the food could handle, but still a nice showing for the wine. The food was out of this world, I just need to remember to bring white or lighter red wines to dinner out sometimes.
The wine notes follow below:
Katlav Merlot 2005 – Score: B+
The nose on this dark garnet to black colored wine is filled with black cherry, blackberry, mint, and wood. The mouth on this medium body to full body wine starts with blackberry and cherry. The mid palate is filled with heavy extraction, which is quite surprising for this wine, as many had it as a well rounded wine. The finish is a bit more extraction followed by vanilla and black cherry into a long and satisfying finish. I think this wine is far better than people have scored it.
Tajine Leftovers, Goose Bay Pinot Noir 2005, and Lagavulin 16 yr
Well, my nephew and friend are in town (as he studies towards his PhD) and they came on by for dinner. We openly told them that we were in leftover mode still, but that the food was killer good (unbiased of course). It was a great time we started off with some Four Gates Chardonnay 2002 (that I had chilling in the fridge), and continued on with the Tajine from Friday, along with a lovely Goose Bay Pinot Noir 2005. I have strong feelings towards the 2005 version. It has more pepper and life in it than the 2006 edition. Of course that is still subjective. However, the conversation and warmness was just great! It was a night that we truly enjoyed. We topped the night off with one of my favorite scotches; Lagavulin 16 Year and a few slices of chocolate cake!
The wine notes follow below:
2005 Goose Bay Pinot Noir – Score: A-
I really love this vintage. The nose on this light ruby colored wine is rushing with cherry, strawberry, and cloves. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is fresh and alive with raspberry, strawberry, and some cherry. The mid palate has hints of cloves while the finish is spicy and long. A real treat. I like this vintage more than the 2006, because of the spicy finish and the perceived fuller body. The wine opens up as it lies in your glass – the finish gets more pronounced as time goes on – very nice.
Katlav Cabernet, Ella Valley VC Cabernet, Zemora Castra Red, and Tajine
Tagine Pot
This past weekend I decided it was time to go out and make some food that was not quite run of the mill. On my last trip to Israel I went to a Moroccan Restaurant and fell in love with Tajine (there seems to be a discussion about the correct spelling of Tajine or is it Tajine 
, either way the food tastes great!). So I started searching for recipes to how to make a Tajine. Well the official manner is with a Tajine itself used to slow cook or braise stews. The beauty of the Tajine is the evaporative and condensing powers it beholds. You see the genius behind this earthenware pot is in its tight seal and its tepee cover. The tight seal means none of the flavors or good stuff evaporates outside of the pot. Meanwhile inside the pot crazy stuff is going on. The meat, fruit, and spices are percolating away and getting denser and richer and flavors are melding into the liquid which is evaporating under the oven’s heat. But because of its ingenious cover, the liquid that evaporates and does not leave the well sealed pot, condenses and further adds flavors to the overall dish. The sad thing is that most of us do not have one of these killer pots, or one big enough to feed 12 people. So I went with my Le Creuset knockoff from Lodge, which did the trick. The dish came out fantastic and was really a hit. Of course with all that spice packed food, one needs wine that will stand up to the intense flavors. So I had a few wines that have been sitting in the cellar waiting for their time on the table. All of them hail from Israel and they were fun to drink, but No A’s today, my friends. One wine scored an A- but no knockout. Still they were enjoyable and kept up with the meal, which was the most important thing.
On an aside two of the wines traveled with me from Israel (the Castra Red and the Katlav Cabernet). You remember my visit to the Katlav Winery and my visit to the Zemora Winery on my previous trip to Israel. The good news is that you do not need to go to Israel and schlep one back. The Katlav Cab and Merlot are available here in the US – it is imported by Abarbanel (who is really not stepping up – but that is a different topic for another time). Do a quick Google on Katlav Cabernet and you will find many reputable shops that carry the wine (along with the far better Merlot). The Zemora wine is not currently exported to the USA – but the winery is supposedly being sold, so I have no more information at this time.
The wine notes follow below:
2004 Zemora Castra Red – Score: B+
This wine is a blend of 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 3% Shiraz and 2% Petit Verdot. The nose on this inky black wine is very Syrah like (which is strange given that the wine is so low in Syrah) Blackberry, cassis, mint, and wood. The mouth on this full bodied wine is layered, starting with cassis and blackberry, but mixed with some tart cherry and blueberry. The mid palate is a tannic and green, the finish is nice but dominated by wood and acid
2002 Ella Valley Vineyard’s Choice Cabernet Sauvignon – Score: A-
The nose on this black colored wine has blackberry, cloves, plum, and wood notes. The mouth on this soft full bodied wine is filled with blackberry, cassis, and wood. The mid palate is lush and balanced with caressing tannins. The finish is long with wood, tobacco, and hints of chocolate. This soft and full bodied wine is another example of the 2002 curse. It is a wine whose fruit is going fast and one that is well balanced without an overpowering wood presence.
2005 Katlav Cabernet Sauvignon – Score: B+
This nose on this deep garnet colored wine is filled with blackberry, cloves, and spicy wood. The mouth on this medium bodied wine has notes of blackberry and plum. The mid palate is acidic and herbal. The finish is filled with oak, oak, and more oak. The spicy oak overpowers the finish and I think takes away from an otherwise decent wine.
Ella Valley Merlot, Four Gates Chardonnay and Merlot
We spent the weekend at the Four Gates Winery and we had a grand time. I brought a bunch of wine and Benyamin had a few wines in the ready as well. The food was awesome but I must say that once again, I brought the duds – AAHH!! The worst part of it was that I personally brought these wines back from France and had great expectations for them. Unfortunately, they were total losers. I brought a Sancerre and a Bordeaux. The only saving grace I had was the 2002 Ella Valley Vineyard Choice Merlot.
Dinner started with a lovely poached fish that was rich enough in flavor to match the Sancerre – but it was a real downer. The Sancerre tasted like it was allowed to rot and such was a quarter or more along the way to a Sauterne. After that we had lovely roasted chicken and a meat stew. The Roasted Chicken was solely coated with a spice mixture that I guessed was a combination of Curry, Cumin, Coriander, and cloves. Very nice mix. The chicken and the stew called for a wine that is highly acidic and/or powerful wine. The Bordeaux I brought was truly sad as well. Really, just a sad attempt. The other wine I brought was a hit and really nice – one of my favorites; the 2002 Ella Valley Vineyard’s Choice (VC) Merlot. Finally, the Four Gates wines were enjoyed the following day with Cholent and leftovers. A very nice affair for all.
The wine notes follow:
2002 Bokobsa Sancerre Special Reserve – Score: B-
The nose on this gold colored wine had notes of honeysuckle, grapefruit, earth, and Botrytis. The smell throws off the wine, and unfortunately carries on into the palate. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is fruity. The mid palate was mineral, while the Botrytis commanded the finish. The wine lacked crispness and focus. It was all over the place, a real shame. I had a great experience with a previous Sancerre, and was hoping for it again, but it was not to be.
2003 Château du Desert Grand Vin de Graves - Score: B-
The nose on this garnet colored wine was mineral and raspberry. The mouth on this medium bodied wine has notes of raspberry, and plum. The mid palate had nice earth tones. The finish was muddled with fruit and oak. Again, a non-focused or complex wine. I had high hopes for this one, but it was not to be.
2002 Ella Valley Vineyard’s Choice Merlot – Score: A
The nose on this opaque black colored wine is a big Merlot nose. Cassis, blackberry, and oak scream to the front. Mint, chocolate, and earthy tones follow. The mouth on this full bodied wine starts off with black plum, cassis and mint. The middle is a complex mixture of oak, black fruit, and well integrated tannins. The balanced wine’s long finish is filled with meaty texture and flavor along with chocolate, tobacco, and oak. This is a really fun wine and one that is ready to enjoy now. There was not a ton of sediment, but still keep a watch out for it. The fruit is slowing down, so drink up.
Four Gates La Rochelle Merlot 2005 – score: A-
The nose on this deep garnet colored wine is flush with blackberry, mint, asparagus, and oak. The mouth on this medium bodied wine starts with blackberry fruit and black plums. The mi palate has lovely notes of acid balanced with oak. The finish is long with light tannins that have not yet integrated, and red fruit. The wine is not yet at its peak, but is still quite enjoyable now as well.
Four Gates Chardonnay 2004 – Score: A
One of the best Chardonnay out there right now. This complex yet approachable wine is a real joy. This is NOT a lightweight Chardonnay yet not a butterball like other California Chardonnays. This is what a California Chardonnay should taste like – really nice. We have tasted this in the past and it has clearly improved. The nose has gone more citrus and oaky. The mouth has really filled out and the finish goes on for miles. But the real excitement is the complexity that has appeared. The wine is far more complex in nature, with layers of oak, vegetal notes, and wonderful citrus, peach, and apricot flavors. So on to the actual tasting note now:
The nose on this electric light gold colored wine is filled with peach, apricot, and light hints of herbs, sweet oak and caramel. The mouth on this full bodied and very rich Chardonnay is packed with a complex and layered mixture of peach, apricot and citrus flavors. The mid palate is a strong crisp acid core mixed with cloves, vegetal flavors, and a slight sweetness. The finish is a long crisp and refreshing stroll with sweet wood notes as a partner. A real success. This is one of my favorite Chardonnays. The wine is crisp yet has weight at the same time, a real joy.
