Three decades of Californian wines
Date – 1 October 2011 ( Saturday)
Venue – Keystone Restaurant, 11 Stanley Street
Time – 7.30pm aperitif, 8 pm dinner
Price - $180 members, $210 guests
Dress code – smart casual
Lee How Giap and Alice Lee
Ting Mei Lin and Jeff Lee
Andy Sim, Freddy Low and Renee Jen
The society’s first October event is an exploration of eight difficult to obtain Californian wines from the 2000s, 1990s and 1980s .
California is 3/4 the size of France and if it was a separate country, it would be the world's fourth largest wine producer. While California may be short in winemaking history , its passion and dedication to producing quality wines is highly respected. Since the infamous 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting, the success of Californian wines in blind tastings has never fail to astonish wine drinkers, particularly during the society's own Judgement of Paris dinner last year. At this event, three decades of Californian wine will be paired with the cuisine of Keystone Restaurant, a sophisticated and progressive restaurant serving high quality modern European Cuisine.
The 2000s - The event will start with a 2007 sparkler from Schramsberg ,a producer that has been regarded as the Dom Perignon of Napa Valley. This will be followed by the 2005 Chateau Montelena chardonnay . This vineyard received world- wide fame during the 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting for being preferred to the French burgundies.
The 1990’s-The first 2 reds of the evening will be a pair of 1997s, one of the two best vintages during the 1990s. The Sanford Pinot Noir is from the Central Coast while the St Francis old vine Zinfandel hails from Napa Valley. Zinfandel is quintessentially Californian and to be labelled as old vine, the vine has to be at least 50 years old. The next course will be paired with a Bordeaux blend ( St Supery Meritage) and a cabernet sauvignon from Spring Mountain, both from the 1996 vintage.
The 1980’s – The final iconic red wine is a gorgeous Cabernet blend offering from the 1980s, the Heitz Martha’s Vineyard 1985. Robert Parker reviewed this wine as "explosive richness and ripeness, as well as gobs of sweet fruit presented in a full-bodied, powerful style." This bottle is a poster bottle for the excellent ageability of well-made California wines.
Aperitif:
Schramsberg 2007 Blanc de Noir, Calistoga
White:
Chateau Montelena 2005 Chardonnay, Napa Valley
Reds:
Sanford 1997 Pinot Noir, Central Coast
St Francis 1997 Old Vine Zinfandel, Napa Valley
St Supery 1996 Meritage, Napa Valley
Spring Mountain 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Heitz Martha's Vineyards 1985, Napa Valley
Dessert:
John Anthony 2006 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley
