Last night we had a family dinner, gathering for a feast of sorts that included a Domain Chandon Brut (etoile), a Kosta Browne & Londor Pinot Noir's and several Cowgirl Creamery cheeses. But it was the wonderful meal and company that made the evening perfect, the wine and cheeses only amplified the experience.
Starters
We started the evening with some sparking wine, Etoile from Domaine Chandon. Accompanying the brut we had mushroom tarts, mini crab salads on endive and an assortment of Cowgirl creamery cheeses. Their cheeses are my favorite, a bit pricey but typically well worth the cost. And last night they hit the spot, in fact I inhaled far too much but fortunately I had fasted much of the day so I still had room for the main course.
Main Meal
The main course was Short Ribs with buttery polenta & vegetable main dish. It was delicious. We drank the first bottle of Pinot, the Kosta Browne with this and they were a remarkable pairing. You don't normally think of Pinot & red meat but it was strong enough to cut thru the sauce & animal fat.
Following the short ribs, we each had a salad of rice vinegarette greens. It was the perfect palette cleanser before dessert.
Dessert
Homemade vanilla ice cream & a chocolate, slim pound cake like cake. It was incredible, and the perfect capper on a memorable meal.
Wines
Kosta Browne Pinot Noir 2005 - Sonoma Coast - after an hour of decanting this wine opened up, wonderful fruit with traditional Pinot characteristics. At 15%, it is heavy enough to handle a beef short rib dish. As Boo & Boo Mom said, "everything you want in a Pinot is Kosta Browne!"
Londer Vineyards Pinot Noir 2005 - Anderson Valley - we opened this prior to dinner but didn't start drinking it until after the short ribs with the
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