Wineshark Recipe Card - Penne Pasta with Ham

Ingredients:

• Sliced ham - 8 oz
• Penne pasta - 10 oz
• Diced peeled tomato - 1 lb
• Chopped onion - 2 oz
• Cooking oil - 1 oz
• Garlic finely - 1 tsp
• Oregano - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - dashes
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Procedures:

1. First boil a pot of water, put some salt and then add the penne to cook for about 14 min.
2. Once it is done, drip dry the penne.
3. Prepare the sauce by sautee the onion finely with cooking oil, then add garlic till fragrant.
4. Then add the tomatoes and seasonings.
5. Add the penne into the sauce, as well as the ham, stir well before serving.

Wineshark Recipe Card - Roast Lamb Leg with Cajun Seasonings and Spicy Mayonnaise

First we make the Spicy Mayonnaise:

Ingredients:

• Mayonnaise - 8 oz
• Spring onion finely - 1 tbsp
• Red curry paste - 3 tsp
• Coriander leaf - 1 tbsp
• Lime juice - 2 tsp
• Mint leaf finely - 1 tbsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp

Procedures:

1. Mix well all the ingredients and then keep in fridge.

Then we prepare the lamb.

Ingredients:

• Lamb leg - 2 pcs
• Garlic finely - 1 tbsp
• Onion shredded - 6 oz
• Red chili pepper - 3 pcs
• Black pepper finely - 2 tsp
• Mustard - 1 tbsp
• Celery - 2 sticks
• Ground cumin - 2 tsp
• Oregano - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - 2 tsp
• Cooking oil - 4 oz
• White wine - 4 oz

Procedures:

1. Mix all the ingredients together and squeeze to add to the flavors.
2. Marinate the lamb with the seasonings overnight.
3. Put the lamb in oven for 15-20min, at 250 degC.

Wineshark Recipe Card - Assorted Satay with Satay Sauce

First we make the satay sauce:

Ingredients:

• Cotton seed oil - 12 oz
• Garlic finely - 6 tsp
• Onion slice - 10
• Peanut butter - 2 lb
• Cayenne pepper - 10 tsp
• Coriander powder - 5 tsp
• Ground cumin - 5 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 5 tsp
• Ground cinnamon - 2.5 tsp
• Sugar - 15 oz
• Assam rub - 10 oz
• Coconut milk - 2 cans
• Plain flour - 1 lb 8 oz
• Salt - 1 oz
• White pepper powder - 2 tsp
• Water - 7 lb 8 oz

Procedures:

1. First sautee the onion and garlic with cotton seed oil, no need to brown the onion, then add flour.
2. Add assam rub, water and other herbs into the mix, slowly cook for 45 min.
3. After it cools down, blend well.

Then we prepare the meat:

Ingredients:

• Sliced chicken and pork - 2 lb 2 oz
• Coriander powder - 1/2 oz
• Ground cumin - 1/4 oz
• Ground anise - 1/4 oz
• Onion finely - 1 oz
• Garlic finely - 1/2 tsp
• Galingale - 3 slides
• Lemon grass - 2 sticks
• Ginger finely - 1/4 oz
• Salt - 1/2 oz
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 1/2 oz
• Cooking oil - 8 oz

Procedures:

1. Cut the meat into the proper sizes, in stripes.
2. Mix well the herbs and seasonings, then blend together.
3. Marinate the meat for 40min.
4. Skewer the meat and then grill.
5. Prepare some cucumber and tomato as side dish, pair with satay sauce.

Wineshark Recipe Card - Grilled Fish Steaks with Pepperonata

First we prepare the fish steaks:

Ingredients:

• Sea salt - 1 tbsp
• Thyme - 1 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• Olive oil - 3 tbsp
• Fish steak - 4 pcs

Procedures

1. Mix well the sea salt, thyme, lemon juice and olive oil.
2. Marinate the fish steak for 30min.
3. Grill the fish steak.

Then we prepare the pepperonata:

Ingredients:

• Olive oil - 5 tbsp
• Anchovy fillet - 2 strips
• Garlic finely - 3 tsp
• Onion finely - 4 oz
• Red bell pepper - 4 oz
• Yellow bell pepper - 4 oz
• Tomato - 8 oz
• Green beans - 2 oz
• Small eggplant - 4 oz
• Sliced zucchini - 4 oz
• Capers - 1 tbsp
• Chives finely - 2 tbsp
• Water - 10 oz
• Salt - 1 tsp
• White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Parsley finely - 2 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Sautee onion finely with 2 tbsp olive oil, then add anchovy and garlic till golden.
2. Add 3 tbsp olive oil, and add red and yellow bell pepper to cook for 10 min.
3. Add tomato to cook for another 5 min.
4. Finally add the green beans, eggplant, zucchini and capers to cook under small fire for 10 min.
5. Add seasonings and spices.
6. Pour on top of the fish steaks.

Wineshark Recipe Card - Grill Pork Chop Tomato Apple Salsa

Ingredients:

• Pork chop - 8 pcs
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Black pepper finely - 1/4 tsp
• Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp
• Diced apple - 1
• Diced tomato - 8 oz
• Red wine vinegar - 2 oz
• Water - 2 oz
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Procedures:

1. Marinate the pork chop with salt and black pepper.
2. Grill the pork chop.
3. Peel the apple and then dice.
4. Blanch the tomatoes in hot water after cutting a cross at the bottom.
5. Put the tomatoes in cold water, then peel off the skin.
6. Dice the tomatoes after remove the seeds.
7. Sautee the apple with vegetable oil, then add tomatoes.
8. Add vinegar, water and sugar to cook for about 5 minutes to remove most sauces.
9. Add the coriander leaves and then put on top of the pork chop.

Wineshark Recipe Card - Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

• Mayonnaise - 3.5 oz
• Garlic finely - 2 tsp
• Dijon mustard - 1 tsp
• Anchovy fillet - 2 strips
• Capers - 0.5 tsp
• Tabasco sauce - 3 drops
• Worchestershire - 3 drops
• Grated Parmesan cheese - 2 tsp
• Lemon juice - 2 tsp
• Whipping cream - 2 tsp
• Water - 2 oz
• Romaine lettuce - 12 oz

Procedures:

1. Blend the garlic, mustard and anchovy well.
2. Add capers, Worchestershire, lemon juice and mayonnaise.
3. Add water, whipping cream and tabasco sauce and blend well.
4. Mix with Romaine lettuce, grated Parmesan cheese and crouton.
5. Serve with some Parmesan cheese on top.

Chateau Rieussec

The estate was known as Chateau Rieusec in the 1855 classification, located not far east and a little south of Chateau d’Yquem. At 78m above sea level the property is the second highest point in the Sauternes appellation, but in fact the vineyards are divided between the communes of Fargues and Sauternes.

The history started when it was under the ownership of Carmelite monks. The name may come from a contraction of Ruisseau, the name of a stream running between Rieussec and Yquem, and sec, referring to the dry up of the stream in the summer months.

With the Revolution the estate was sequestered as a national asset and later purchased by a gentleman named Mareilhac, already owning La Louviere in Pessac-Leognan. It was later sold to a Monsieur Mayne in 1846, with a small plot cleaved off and sold to Eloi Lacoste, proprietor of Chateau Pexiotto, a classified deuxieme cru but later disappeared, subsumed into Chateau Rabaud, but that plot was returned to the original owners, so there was no overall loss eventually.

The estate was then passed to Charles Crepin, who bequeathed to his son-in-law Paul Defolie in 1892. There was a number of changes in ownership afterwards, and because of under-investment it began to fall into dilapidation. It was acquired by Edgar and Marc Bannel in 1907, then Madame Lasseverie and her son-in-law Henri Gasqueton, who later owned Calon-Segur in St-Estephe.

Next came the Vicomte du Bouzet and his brother-in-law Berry, who later sold the property to Gerard Balaresque in 1957. Then supermarket magnate Albert Vuillier chose Rieussec when he wanted to buy a property in Sauternes, acquiring it in 1971. He replanted some of the vineyards and introduced new fermentation vessels but a string of unsuccessful vintages resulted in the sales to the Rothschilds.

The Lafite-Rothschild family took part-ownership with Albert Frere, who at the time also owned Cheval Blanc. Initially Vuillier stayed on at the property but in 1985 he was replaced as manager by Charles Chevalier until 1994, when he moved to Lafite to focus there. Now Frederic Magniez is responsible for running the estate on a daily basis.

Under the Rothschilds there has been continued investment and revitalization at Rieussec, with many regarding it only second to d’Yquem in quality nowadays. Most of the vineyards surround the chateau, with some vines further to the east near Chateau de Fargues. Today it covers 137 hectares of which 93 hectares are planted.

The soils are a mix of gravel and sand, over deeper clay, with the predominance of clay tends toward heaviness and excessive water retention. The vines average 25 years old only, because of the extensive replanting, with 90% Semillon, 7% Sauvignon Blanc and 3% Muscadelle. The vineyard is large and harvesting is done in tries, with the botrytised fruit collected in shallow plastic trays.

The yield is low at about 15 hl/ha. From 2000 vintage the fermentation is done in barrel, allowing each aliquot to be individually managed and assessed. Elevage follows with up to 30 months of oak aging, with regular racking, and the oak is approximately half new.

Strict selection means only the best wines go into the grand vin, and in poor vintage no grand vin is produced. The wine sees a light filtering and cold stabilization, and the lesser wines go into the second label Carmes de Rieussec, named after the monks who once owned the estate.

There is also a dry white, made from non-botrytised grapes, a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc of which 20% is fermented in new oak, called R de Rieussec. There are approximately 10000 cases of wine produced overall.

I have recently tasted the 2004 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, it has medium gold color, with legs.

Nose

Clean, with pronounced intensity aromas, showing stone fruit of apricot, citrus fruit of orange marmalade, dried fruit of sultana, maturity notes of honey, sweet spice of cinnamon, oak notes of caramel, kernel notes of cream, and floral notes of honeysuckle. The wine is developing.

Palate

Sweet with medium (+) acidity, the wine has medium alcohol and full body, with has medium (+) intensity flavors of tropical fruit of mango, stone fruit of apricot, citrus fruit of lemon zest, oak notes of caramel and cedar, dried fruit of sultana. The wine has a long finish.

Conclusion

Very good quality Sauternes with an intense nose showing good range of aroma characters, the wine has good acidity to balance the sweetness, providing a refreshing palate of structure and elegance. Good concentration with a long finish, the wine is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 5-7 years. 

Chateau Coutet

The history of Chateau Coutet dates back to the 13^th century, long before any of the famous estates in Medoc. Some parts of the chateau date from that period, with the most notable the dovecot which towers above the vines among the northern plots of the vineyard.

Little is known about the ownership during the first few centuries of its existence, with the earliest records going back to 1643, showing the purchase by Charles de Guerin. He later passed it to Jean de Pichard in 1695, and in 1788 onto Gabriel Barthelemy Romain de Filhot, who also owned Doisy-Daene and Filhot.

Unfortunately he and his wife met their death on the guillotine, with the estate divided and auctioned off, but soon came back to their hands. Their daughter, Marie-Genevieve de Filhot, married Antoine-Marie de Lur-Saluces of Chateau d’Yquem, and in 1810 she took over Chateau Coutet again.

At that time they owned not just Coutet, but also d’Yquem, Fargues, de Malle and Piada. The Lur-Saluces family maintained control for over a century, but by 1922 production dropped significantly and demand for Sauternes also declined, so they decided to sell the estate.

The Societe Immobiliere des Grands Crus de France, who acquired a number of significant Bordeaux properties, took over but the tenure was short. It was sold again a few years later, to an industrialist called Henri-Louis Guy, who restored and renovated the estate, including the installation of a hydraulic press.

When he died the estate was bequeathed to one of his two daughters, Madame Thomas. She and her husband Edmond Rolland resided at the estate and ran with some skills, up until the death of Madame Thomas in 1977, when the Baly family took over.

Marcel Baly, from Alsace, acquired the estate, who then passed to his sons Dominique and Philippe, with extensive replanting and renovation at the cellars. In 1994 the Baly family signed a distribution deal with Baron Philippe de Rothschild, so apart from having both Mouton and Coutet showing up in the same places, the technical advice of Patrick Leon was obtained.

Recently Philippe Dhalluin took up that role, contributing to the continual improvement in the quality of the wines. In recently years Philippe is joined by his niece Aline, who was educated in US and increasingly becoming the modern face of the estate, traveling and showcasing the wines.

The vineyards are the largest in Barsac, amounting to 42 hectares, at 12 metres above sea level, which is a high altitude for this region, although not matching that of Climens, the highest point of the appellation. The vines are 75% Semillon and 23% Sauvignon Blanc, with 2% Muscadelle, averaging 35 years old at a density of 7500 vines per hectare.

The soils are a mix of gravel and classic red clay over a limestone bedrock rich in starfish fossils. Yield is typically 9 hl/ha, a remarkably low figure, with about six tries during harvest. Only about 50% of the harvest goes to the grand vin, with the remaining to the second wine, along with the younger vines of less than 7 years old.

After arrival in the chai the fruit is pressed using hydraulic presses, then transferred into 100% new barrels for fermentation en barrique. The blending is typically higher in Semillon than the planting ratio, with about 84% in the assemblage, sometimes even going up to 90%. The elevage will last for up to 18 months before bottling.

The grand vin is Chateau Coutet with up to 3500 cases per annum, followed by the second wine Chartreuse de Coutet of 400 cases. There is a super cuvee called Cuvee Madame, only released in exceptional vintage, created by Edmond Rolland in honour of his wife, with precise berry-by-berry selection using only Semillon from two particular plots. The fruit is lightly pressed and fermented, followed by three years in oak, with production of 100 cases only.

There is a dry white produced called Vin Sec de Chateau Coutet, using fruit from the nearby Pujols but starting from 2010 a dry wine from the Sauternes vineyards called Opalie de Chateau Coutet has been added.

I have recently tasted the 2006 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, it has medium gold color, with legs.

Nose

Clean, with pronounced intensity aromas, showing citrus fruit of lemon peel and orange, dried fruit of sultana, stone fruit of apricot, some tropical fruit of pineapple, maturity notes of honey, oak notes of toast, pungent spice of juniper. The wine is developing.

Palate

Sweet with high acidity, medium (+) in alcohol with full body, it has medium (+) intensity flavors of citrus fruit of orange marmalade and lemon, stone fruit of apricot, dried fruit of sultana, oak notes of vanilla, tropical fruit of pineapple, pungent spice of juniper. The wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion

Very good Barsac dessert wine with a very intense nose, with typical botrytis characters accompanying the complex aromas. It has a good acidity to balance the sweetness, making it refreshing and not cloying, and despite the higher alcohol level it did not feel warming. With an equally impressive palate and a long finish, the wine is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 6-8 years.

Chateau Desmirail

The Lurtons took ownership of Chateau Desmirail during the 20^th century, gaining full control in 1981 when acquiring the final portion of the vineyards from Chateau Palmer. The story began with the vast Rauzan estate, created by Pierre des Mesures de Rauzan, who in 1661 purchased a large portion of the Medoc around Cantenac.

One of the most significant of the early proprietors was Jean Desmirail, who acquired the land at the end of the 17^th century as part of a dowry, brought by one of the Rauzan daughters. He gave his name to the property, and his descendants maintained ownership until the 19^th century.

By the time of the 1855 classification it had passed to a Monsieur Sipiere, who was also manager of Chateau Margaux. In 1860 he added a chateau to the estate, but in 1905 it was passed to Robert Mendelssohn, a banker from Berlin and nephew of the great composer.

Because of the German ownership, it was seized at the outbreak of hostilities in 1914, came into the hands of Martial Michel, a glove manufacturer. In 1938 he sold the chateau to Paul Zuger of Marquis d’Alesme Becker, and the vineyards and the name of Desmirail to Chateau Palmer.

As a result, the estate was broken up, with the original chateau still part of Marquis d’Alesme Becker, with the current buildings acquired by Lucien Lurton after he bought the vineyards in 1981. During 1938 to 1981 the vineyards were harvested alongside Palmer, and Desmirail did not exist independently.

Lucien recreated the estate and started the first vintage in 1981, and by 1992 he passed to his son Denis, who remained in charge till today. The vineyards have gravelly soils typical to Medoc, with areas of sand and clay. Approximately 30 hectares of estate, with vines aged over 25 years on average, planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc.

The fruit is hand-harvested before going to a sorting table in the vineyard, and then it will be destemmed, lightly crushed and then fermented according to plot. The must is pumped over during fermentation, with the temperature regulated around 30 degC, with subsequent maceration.

The wine is then run off into vats for malolactic, and then tasted to assign either to the grand vin Chateau Desmirail or the second wine Initial de Desmirail. The grand vin is aged in oak for 12-18 months, with one-third of the barrels new. Racking is done every three months, with fining by egg white prior to bottling.

I have recently tasted the 2003 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, deep intensity ruby in color, with garnet rims and legs.

Nose

Clean, with medium intensity of black fruit such as cassis, blackberry and plum, maturity notes of savory and forest floor, animal notes of meat, oak notes of cedar, MLF notes of cream. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry, with medium acidity, medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture, the wine has a medium alcohol and a medium (+) body, with medium intensity of black fruit such as dark cherries, blackberry and plum, dairy notes of cream, oak notes of cedar. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion

Good quality Margaux with reasonable concentration on the nose and good complexity, the wine has a fine and elegant structure, with typical Margaux finesse on the palate. It has a nice, soft style with reasonable length on the finish but nothing really stood out to bring the wine to a higher level. Ready to drink now, the wine can further develop for another 2-3 years.

Chateau Boyd-Cantenac

Chateau Boyd-Cantenac has the same origin as Chateau Pouget, growing around the Prieure de Cantenac, established by the monks from Vertheuil, just west of St-Estephe. The commercialization of the wines produced during the 18^th century generated huge amount of wealth for the priory.

Surprisingly the priory came through the Revolution unscathed, and only upon the death of Prior Jouneau in 1809, the lands were sold off, with some land went to Palmer, but the largest part forming the modern-day Prieure-Lichine.

Although related to the Prieure de Cantenac, the history of this estate started earlier when it was purchased by Jacques Boyd in 1754. The Boyd family originally came from Belfast, being wool merchants who emigrated to France during hard times. In 1806 Jacques Boyd was joined by John Lewis Brown, related to the Boyd by marriage.

In the 1855 classification it was ranked a third growth but the Brown estate was subsequently divided and a section of the vineyard was cleaved off giving rise to Cantenac-Brown. The majority of the estate became the Boyd-Cantenac of today, but ultimately it was acquired by Abel Laurent in 1874.

However, during the initial years the wines were sold under his other pre-existing brands, and only his descendant Marcel Laurent again bottled under Boyd-Cantenac. After that it came the Ginestets, who acquired and took control, but selling the buildings to Chateau Margaux and using the nearby Lascombes to make the wine.

As a result now the estate did not have a true chateau and characterized by a rather featureless roadside chai. Similar to other estates, it had experienced the phylloxera, mildew and oidium, wars and economic depression, and the estate was sold to Pierre Guillemet in 1932, who already owned Chateau Pouget. Today the next generation Lucien Guillemet is still in charge.

The estate has 17 hectares of vines planted at a density of 10,000 vines per hectare. The soils are lean and gravelly typical of Medoc, with some areas having more sand than gravel but little clay. The vines are 41 years old on average, with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot.

There is no chemical fertilizer used for decades, and is one of the first in Margaux to use pheromone sexual confusion against grape moth. Double-Guyot pruning is practiced and hand-harvested, the fruit is double-sorted before destemmed, with fermentation in thermo-regulated cement or stainless steel vats.

Remontage is done several times per day, with maceration lasting between 2-5 weeks. Malolactic fermentation is carried out in barrel with 100% new wood for the free-run wines for the grand vin. Older oak is used for the press wine and those lots destined for the second wine, with aging for 12-18 months.

The process is overseen by Christine Metay, with annual production about 12,000 cases. Grand vin is Chateau Boyd-Cantenac, with the second wine named Jacques Boyd.

I have recently tasted the 2004 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, it has deep ruby color, with fading garnet rims and legs.

Nose

Clean, with medium intensity aromas, showing ripe black fruit of blackcurrant, blackberry and dark plum, oak notes of cedar, maturity notes of sweet tobacco and savory, pungent spice of licorice, kernel notes of mocha. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium (+) acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and a bit powdery in texture. Medium alcohol, it has medium (+) body, and medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackberry, dark plum and cassis, oak notes of cedar, maturity notes of sweet tobacco, kernel notes of chocolate. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion

Very good quality Margaux with a fair nose showing good degree of complexity, the wine has a good structure, well-balanced and providing a nice palate with good concentration, showing a good mix of primary, secondary and tertiary characters, all under the nice elegant style of a typical Margaux. It is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 1-2 years.