Plumpjack Wine Dinner at Chianina

Tuesday. June 20, 2017

Plumpjack wines along with 2 of their side labels were being poured tonight at Chianina.  www.chianina.com.    Menu looks really good. We were started off with a glass of Procesco and an amuse bouche of fried oyster, smoked cream and trout roe.  A bite of delectable flavors. So much so I forgot to take a picture of the one dish.

Then the housemade rolls came out. These are mu downfall.  The salted honey is my favorite. But I was really good and only had two. Chianina wins hands down the award for "bread".

First course is a poached halibut with yellow corn and marinated cherry tomatoes. Halibut was cooked to perfection. Succulent and moist and such a delicate flavor. I even ate the tomatoes. Paired with a 2016  Cade, Napa Valley, Sauvignon Blanc. Decent Sau Blanc but still a bit to mineraly  for me. It did pair well with the food but the bottle of sau blanc I opened at home the other night beat this one for my taste. It was a 2013  Baehnier Fournier from the Happy Canyon area. That was my style of sau blanc and a few years older.

Second course up is a ricotta and eggplant mezzaluna.  Tiny pasta stuffed with ricotta and tiny pieces of eggplant on top with a sweet summer pepper and basil beurre blanc sauce., Totally decadent, I always want more but at east I will have room to finish my dinner .  A 2016 Plumpjack, Oakville, Chardonnay was the choice of wine.  A bit oaky but the oak was really cut with the beurre blanc sauce.  A good dish and good pairing.

Next they poured a 2014 Odette, Stags Leap District, Cabernet Sauvignon and paired it with confit pork belly and loin, Italian white bean puree, compresssed fruit and pickled ramps. Pork was moist and succulent. Bean puree was just the right touch to cut the fat.  I was happy.

Fourth course is a charcoal grilled prime rib cap with braised shortrib croquette, carmelized cipollini onion and oyster mushrooms.  Meat was extremely tender and I cannot say enough about the shortrib croquette. That was one of the best things I have had in a quite awhile.  A 2014 Cade, Howell Mountain, Cabernet Sauvignon was the wine.  A good pairing.  Did like this wine 

Last curse before dessert was a San Andreas cheese with a polenta crisp, herb biscuit and fried green tomato.  This dish I was not a fan of.  Massimo and I discussed the fact that the biscuit was dry and I personally felt the pairing was way off.  A 2014 Plumpjack, Oakville, Cabernet Sauvignon.  This whole course to me was a loser Wine was too big for the dish.

They brought out a plate of tiny cookies. An Almond Peach, Pretzel Truffle and a Coffee Macaroon. 

A very good dinner and I ended up selling Massimo two cases of the Huber Dornfelder Hafen for the restaurant.