Schug Wines at Utopia

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Dinner tonight at Utopia,  www.Utopiarestaurant.net,  paired with wine from Schug. It had quite awhile since I have drank Schug wines. Forgot how nice they are. The restaurant was pretty much sold out. Nice to see since it was the 17th anniversary of the restaurant.  

Walter Schug passed away early this year. One of his first jobs as a winemaker was at Joseph Phelps where he came up with "Insignia" blend. Then he went on to found his own winery in the Carneros area.  The buildings look more like they belong in Switzerland or Germany.

We started out with a Risotto and Quinoa Mango salad with fresh herbs and olive oil, lemon dressing. I was very surprised on how good this simple salad was and it paired perfectly with the 2014 Schug, Carneros Estate Chardonnay. A bit oaky on its own but the fattiness of the olive oil really cut through the oak.

Second course was a Seared Ahi with ginger, sesame sauce. Nice flavor, the sauce had a bit of a bite to it. The wine was a 2014 Schug, Carneros Estate, Pinot Noir , Well balanced, nice fruit, some earthiness to it. It went fairly well with the dish. Good with the Ahi but a small disconnect with the ginger sesame sauce. 

Next was a Grilled Pork Tenderloin with butter, garlic cream sauce topped with blue cheese. The sauce was very good not over whealmed by the cheese. The pork had good flavor but for me was a bit over cooked. for my taste.  Paired with a 2012 Schug, Sonoma County, Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine was good and paired well with the pork because of the sauce. 

Dessert was a Rum Raisin Gelato with some fresh berries that have been "syruped". Flavor was excellent and the wine a Schug, Lake County, Late Harvest Riesling was excellent. Not overly sweet but had a definite richness to it. 

Numerous bottles of wine were given away on a raffle basis. Our table got a bottle which has not happened in quite awhile.

A good dinner, with good friends. That is what life is about, Enjoyment and friends that help make it happen