For Xmas my wife got me tickets to a wine dinner hosted by Justin winery. The event took place Saturday night at Wentworth by the Sea hotel in New Castle NH.
Anyway, here is the meal, prepared by the chefs at Justin and Wentworth:
6-7pm Appetizers and Sauivgnon Blanc
7pm First Course - pan roasted scallops with asian pear in a saffron-vanilla buerre blanc. Paired with the 2004 Sauvignon Blanc
Second course -- Salad of white asparagus and black truffles with goat cheese vinaigrette. Paired with Justin's 2004 Chardonnay
Third course -- almond crusted sonoma foie gras with carmelized red apples and figs. Served with Justin 2003 Cabernet
Fourth course -- Morel crusted venison chop with butternut squash, heirloom beets, and dried cherry reduction. Served with Justin 2002 Isoceles.
Dessert -- Chocolate toffee crunch marquis served with Justin Obtuse port (100% Cabernet port)
The dinner was quite fine, to say the least and I drank way too much wine. Justin's whites were nothing special, although perfectly good examples of the styles. They leaned towards tart acidity, strong fruit flavors, and little to no oak (in the Chardonnay). They did not wow.
The reds showed much better, especially the Isoceles, which is muscular with a bordeaux earthiness to it that I just do not see a lot of in California cabs. The Cabernet was typical of the style, with a lot of finesse, but not the bold punch that some of the Napa examples are known for.
The port didn't do much for me any more than a Taylor LBV.
The Isoceles, espcially paired with a wonderful Venison, was the highlight of the evening, and I spent most of my effort on consuming it vs the other wines.
Overall it was an outstanding evening, and fairly priced considering how much Isoceles alone would cost at a restaurant.