This wine dinner was so much fun!! I really love the Wine Vault and Bistro here in San Diego. The service is always good and the staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Our wine drinking group met for a very good 5-course dinner to celebrate the San Diego release of the 2005 Justin Isosceles. The regional sales manager Steve Lister personally came down from PR to host this event for JUSTIN and was originally from San Diego, very informative and helpful with questions and comments. Here's the line-up: Salad of Baby Arugula | Goat Cheese Panna Cotta (his was very yummy!!|) Roasted beets | Pine Nut Puree 2007 Justin Sauvignon Blanc This pairing was good, but the SB needed a little more substance, like the chard, it was very thin. The salad did bring out some of the nuances.... of this wine. I would say it is very food friendly but not a stand alone wine for everyday quaffing. Sold @ $17 a little pricey for SB of this caliber. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sauteed Diver Scallop | Crispy Potato Cake | Saffron Beurre Blanc 2006 Justin Chardonnay The potato was a little salty, but the scallop was amazing!! The second wine was the 2007 Chardonnay, freshly bottled and brought down because they were completely out of the 06. I thought it was very flimsy, and lacked substance and style. It tasted like stainless steel. But of course the wife loved it, not sure why? WS gave the 2005 79 pt's and I have to say I scored the 2007 the same. Blah!! Um not recommended at all. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fricasse of Lamb | Spicy Merguez Sausage | Medley of Coco & Azuki Beans 2005 Justin Syrah This wine is very good! The nose is amazing, emanating from my glass like a bouquet of flowers and ripe fruit bursting upon my senses, a thin veil of peppery aroma wafting ever upward, ahhh glorious! I was immediately enveloped by its suave sophistication as I took my first sip and swirled it many times between sips and it opened even more to ever so gently grace my palate with overtones of white pepper, cassis and black berry.. BTW, WS gave this bottling 89pts of which I most readily concur. 15% alc, I barely noticed, as it was smooth and sumptuous, can you tell how much I liked this wine?? The pairing was okay, not sure I really thought it was a best choice for this wine. Highly Recommended and priced at $22.00 each a good value! In my opinion of course. ------------------- $55.00 + tax and gratuity (well worth the price of admission) ------------------------------------------------------------- NY Strip Loin | Short Rib Hash | Red Wine Demi Glace 2005 Justin 'Isosceles' Red Wine I really not a fan of Bordeaux stylistic wines per se, but this wine was quite good and like WS I gave it 87 pt's . The leg's on this muscular wine were amazing and spoke to my palate most eloquently, with cassis, cherry , and boysenberry.. which paired excellently with the NY Strp Lion and accompanying short rib hash and RW Demi glace.. The nose was initially a little stinky, but then the aromas of chocolate and cassis wafted from the glass as I swirled, sniffed and sipped what was a very complex and well put together wine which will reward with some careful years of cellaring..! Highly recommended. In the glass the color was deep hues of brooding and intense blueberry and dark cherry intermingled... priced @ $54.00 each a little pricey but I did secure a couple. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flourless Chocolate Cake | Strawberry Coulis 2006 Justin 'Obtuse' Cabernet Port The dessert was good, but a little more of emphasis of the raspberry glaze would have completed the flavor profile and perhaps would have helped the port take off to new height. but the port was good, balanced and begged for a cigar to be smoked in concert with the port..... like a good montecristo??
I really did not get to taste much of the port as everyone else was pouring their Syrah and Isosceles into my glass, a little bit of a wine pig.. I just can't pour out good wine... Cheers, Here is address if you need it? San Diego Wine Vault & Bistro 3731-A India Street, San Diego, CA ostalCode w:st="on">92103ostalCode> |