Went to the Mirassou Winemakers Dinner last night at Monte's. It was an incredible 5 course meal. Each course paired with a different Mirassou wine. None of the wines impressed me on their own. However they were all fairly high in acid, which made them good food wines. Spoke with Steve Mirassou and he explained the family history and how they make the wines today. They produce about 450,000 cases/year. They have access to all of Gallo's facilities and grapes. Each grape has it's own wine maker and Steve and another person basically taste and decide on the blending components. It's interesting how they make a wine. For the Merlot they start with 75% Merlot and then throw in what they think is missing. In most years, its a high % of Pinot Noir - a suprise to me.

Appetizer - Wild Boar Bacon Wrapped Scallop with lobster jus and roasted garlic cream - 2003 Pinot Noir

Salad - Spinach salad with pears, fried shappots, goat cheese, walnuts, and caper-pancetta vinaigrette - 2003 Sauvignon Blanc

Soup - Fall Harvest Squash Soup - 2002 Merlot

Entres - Pistachio crusted alaskan halibut with avocado cream - 2003 Chardonnay
- Peppercorn crusted beef tenderloin medallions with gorgonzola cream sauce and spinach fettuccini - 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon

Dessert - Cranberry-ginger bread pudding with brandy sauce - 1995 Harvest Reserve Pinot Noir