Local Wine Events

Event ID #283623

Event Details

Please join me for an evening of superlatives: extraordinary wines, great cuisine in a stunning setting.

 

On Saturday, December 5th at 7:00 p.m., I will host the 4th annual “Flirting with Perfection” dinner at Waterfront Grill on Pier 70.  We call it Flirting with Perfection because the wines are rated 98 points and higher and they aged for proper enjoyment.

 

The dinner is limited to 10 guests and it will be held in Waterfront’s private South Bay room. The cost is $299 per person and includes gratuity and tax.

 

The menu, with wines, is below. Please let me know if you have any special dietary restrictions so we can accommodate you.

 

To reserve your seat(s), please click on the following link: reservations

 

Regards,

Arnie

 

Menu

 

Seared Scallop

with Sea Urchin, Lobster Eggs

- Kongsgaard Chardonnay Napa 2001 -

“An awesome effort, the 2001 Chardonnay may be this estate’s finest Chardonnay to date. Boasting profoundly intense notes of orange marmalade, minerals, lemon oil, and honeysuckle as well as great delineation for its massive size, this terrific Chardonnay tastes like a grand cru white Burgundy. The finish lasts for 45 seconds. It is capable of lasting and evolving for a decade.”

 

Braised Monkfish

with Shallots, Saffron, Clam Broth

Star Anise Aioli, Crouton

- Chapoutier Ermitage de l’Orée 2005 -

“The 2005 Ermitage Cuvee de l’Oree is a spectacular wine, with notes of nectarine, quince, honeyed hazelnuts, honeysuckle, and an almost exotic note buttressed by excellent acidity and no notice of any oak. The wine has prodigious richness and a full-bodied intensity that needs to be tasted to be believed. This is stunning stuff that should drink well for 50 or more years, but you can drink it over the next 4-5 years or forget it for 12-15.”

 

Grilled Lamb Rack Chop

Black Truffle Bread Pudding, Kale

- Guigal Cote Rotie La Landonne 1997 -

“The nearly perfect 1997 Cote Rotie La Landonne is an amazing achievement for the vintage. An astonishing saturated purple color is followed by scents of licorice, roasted meats, coffee, toasty oak, plums, and blackberries. The wine is extremely smoky, earthy, and terroir-driven. This 1997 offers exceptional expansiveness on the palate, sweet tannin, low acidity, and a ripe, robust finish. One to three years of cellaring is warranted, but it is capable of lasting for two decades.”

 

Roasted Beef Tenderloin

Foie Gras, Demi Glace, Very Old Balsamic

- Benjamin Romeo Contador, Rioja, 2001 -

“Romeo’s flagship cuvee (only 200 bottles for the USA) is the fabulous 2001 Contador. Along with some of the Artadi offerings, it is as great a Rioja as one could ever hope to taste. Fashioned from three parcels of 80-year old, 70-year old, and 65-year old vines, it spends 12 months in new French oak prior to being bottled without fining or filtration. It boasts a dense purple color along with a sumptuous nose of melted chocolate, espresso roast, creme de cassis, cherries, and flowers. Dense and full-bodied as well as impeccably seamless, pure, and balanced, this is a beauty!”

 

Panna Cotta Formaggioso

Apricot Sauce, Golden Raisin And Orange Compote

Almond Florentine

- Alois Kracher #12 Neusiedlersee  2002 –

-        “2002 #12 is a libation of Scheurebe and (20%) Welscheriesling that never achieved the 5% alcohol to officially become “wine.” Kracher’s penultimate plan of desperation was to label it – a la Magritte – “No Wine.” When that received the governmental slap-down, it became simply “#12”. Furthermore, it practically goes without saying that this elixir is embryonic, and hiding more – for all of its intensity and virtually endless length – than it shows. And did I say it’s been in bottle one week? It smells of honey, white raisin, and above all peach and apricot essence. It is virtually gelatinous and, amazingly, not at all cloyingly sweet on the palate, on the contrary its rapier penetration of a finish is only possible thanks to a level of acidity that pushes residual sugar off the radar screen and leaves this taster totally enervated. But there’s no point hoping to get turned on by my poor prose: you just need to taste this.”