Hello All Wine Lovers,
I have just come back from a fantastic trip to Washington State where I attended "Taste Washington", a tasting of over 200 wineries from the state and, once again, I find myself even more in love with that state's wines than ever before. By chance, my trip occured two weeks before The Fearrington House wine dinner with Susan Neel of McCrea Cellars (on April 19th), one of the best wineries in Washington. What does all of this mean? Is it an oracle telling us to stand up and take notice of the greatest wine growing area in the country? The short answer: YES!!!!
Having been a fan of the McCrea wines for a long time, I have no qualms about saying that they produce the best Rhone Varietal based wines in the United States. The winery is located outside of Seattle, but they source grapes from the best growers in the state, something they are able to do because they spent almost twenty years building those relationships. If you have heard of such lauded vineyards as "Ciel de Cheval" and "Bouschey" then you know what I am talking about, and the McCrea wines from these sites are the best examples from these vineyards. Susan Neel and Doug McCrea started the winery in the early Nineties, and it was the first winery in Washington to focus only on Rhone Varietals. They produce Syrah, Grenache Rouge and Blanc, Roussane, Mourvedre, Counoise, and Viognier based wines from single vineyard sites, showing the diversity of "Terroir" that exists in the great Columbia Valley. It is rare to have a world-class Washington wine owner like Neel come to North Carolina and we have been anticipating for this for almost a year. Executive Chef Colin Bedford has created a "stand-out" menu for this occasion, and the pairings are some of the best that we have had in our three years of wine-maker dinners.
To start we will have the McCrea Sirroco Blanc, which is a white Chateauneuf-du-Pap-esque blend of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul, and Roussanne. It is paired with Black Pepper and Jasmine Tea Cured North Carolina King Mackerel, with Rhubarb and Fennel. Have you had cured Mackerel before? Neither had we until Chef tried it out and it is full of flavor. From there we go on to the McCrea Sirrocco Rouge which is a blend of Grenache Rouge, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Counoise, paired with a Wild Mushroom Pithivier and Braised Oxtail, a dish fit for winter, but will go so well with the wine that it does not matter what season we are in. Then on to the McCrea Washington Syrah, a rich fruit driven wine, with dark plum, hoisen, black pepper, and gamey aromas that with the Duck and Dumplings will really stand out. For our main course we will serve the McCrea "Ciel de Cheval" Syrah, a richly aromatic wine with strong plum, bramble, clove and cinnamon spice, also showing some charcuterie elements as well. This is a powerful wine that needs power to dance along with it, so we have a smoked short rib with seared foie gras as a partner. On to dessert, or shall I say a play on dessert. Our last wine will be the McCrea Roussanne, the famous white grape that is found in the white versions of Hermitage and St. Joseph, this wine has exotic aromas from peach and pineapple, mint and cream, with just a touch of residual sugar but not enough to warrant a very sweet dessert. So, we have a Hillsborough Camembert Panna Cotta with Passion Fruit Sorbet, savory with only natural sweetness so as to not take away from the wine.
There are a few spots left for the McCrea Cellars dinner on April 19th; this is a great opportunity to see how Washington State wines are at the forefront of American wine-making. Susan Neel is a great host and passionate about wine and food. Call 919-542-2121 to reserve or if you have any questions about the dinner please stop by the restaurant. I would love to talk to you about it and Washington wine in general.
Until then Cheers and I look forward to seeing soon,
Max