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December 15, 2007 Holiday Dinner at Terroir Restaurant & Wine Bar Terroir Restaurant & Wine Bar is owned by the husband and wife team of Stu Stein and Mary Hinds. The group has worked with Stu in the past for both monthly tastings and special events. And, after failing to get this organized last year, the group agreed that early planning for what should be an annual event was paramount. Good planning and the willingness of Stu to put together a menu to compliment the wine worked very well this year. As usual, the members were very generous with their cellar offerings for the winter dinner. Only members Steve DeShaw, Neal Bell and Bill Kimmer were unable to attend this year's event. The "Gang" and the better halves (with Kristin Webb notably absent) at the end of the evening. We started the winter celebration with a 1999 Domaine Carneros Brut and a side-by-side comparison of the 1999 and 2000 Mt. Eden Estate Chardonnay, both in magnum format. Stu paired these wines with a some House-cured Salmon on Brioche with Creme Fraiche and Caviar, Pate, Oregon Dungeness Crab Cakes and Wild Mushroom Risotto Croquettes. Both Chardonnay's, brought by members Greg Bunnell and Mike Webb, were holding up rather well ,and although they were starting to show some signs of aging, each had some qualities and characteristics of a lovely White Burgundy. A look at a couple of the Preludes with the evening's wine offering. Paul was gracious enough to say a short prayer at the beginning of the dinner and we then went to work on the second course, Terroir's Totally Insane Oregon Black Truffle Soup. Originally, the soup was to be paired with some Weathervane Scallops but Stu decided to instead use a wonderful and quite large shrimp. The soup was, in a word, spectatular. Members Brant Blodgett, Mike Webb and Paul Bonar donated magnums of three glorious Pinot Noir's for this course that included a 2001 Bergstrom Arcus, a 2002 Bergstrom Cumberland Reserve, and a 2002 Ken Wright Shea. Brant, Mike and Paul with the Bergstrom and Ken Wright Pinot Noir Terroir's Totally Insane Black Truffle Soup We turned our attention, after raving about the match of the Black Truffle Soup and the Oregon Pinot Noir, to the third course, an Oregon Rabbit roasted rack, braised leg and bacon wrapped saddle with a vegetable puree, baby roots and rabbit jus. With this backdrop, we paired two Cabernet Sauvignon's, a 1999 Phelps Insignia from California and a 1998 Leonetti from Washington, and two Chateauneuf du Papes from the strong 1998 vintage. Suffice it to say, the wines did not disappoint. Members Brad Courtney and Paul Bonar shared the Cabernet Sauvignon and members Loren Bunnell and Howard Johnson graced the group with the CDP. Brad, Howard, Loren and Paul with the Cabernet and CDP flight Oregon Rabbit Three Ways With an appetite already satiated, we lightened things up with a frommage course with some lovely local cheese. With this course, we tasted a 1994 Dominus against two St. Emilion Bordeaux's, a 1994 Ch. Angelus and a 1990 Ch. Pavie. The Dominus was courtesey of member Howard Johnson while the father and son team of Loren and Greg Bunnell dug deep in their cellars for the French offerings. A special point was made to taste these wines together as the experts had made note that the Dominus tasted like a right bank Bordeaux. Greg and Loren Bunnell not having any fun at all For the final course of the evening, Stu paired his Opera Cake, a Coffee-chocolate cake with toffee-chocolate ice cream, Petite Fours and Chocolate Bon Bons with two stunning Ports, a 1985 Smith-Woodhouse and a 1997 Fonseca, donated by member Brant Blodgett and Brad Courtney, respectively. Opera Cake with Vintage Port We ended up opening and closing the restaurant, a sure sign that a good time was had by all. Sadly, Terroir closed it's doors in January 2008. The group wishes both Stu and Mary the best of luck and looks forward to sharing another evening together in the near future. Diana and Brad Courtney Shiela and Loren Bunnell Kristin and Mike Webb Vicki and Paul Bonar Karen and Brant Blodgett The Webb's and Howard and Kathleen Johnson Cami Bunnell and Kristin Webb Greg Bunnell and Mary Hinds |
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