Jar was shut down on Saturday night for a private event. One of our biggest supporters, Quinn Taylor, hosted a fundraiser for the Trevor Project. We had about 70 people in attendance and I was thoroughly pleased because it's not so often that I get such a captive audience. We prepared a five-course with wines paired especially for this event.
Dinner opened with our delicious Dungeness Crab over Watermelon and Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette. One of my favorite pairings at Jar is this dish with a German Riesling. We used Donnhoff's Oberhauser Leistenberg Kabinett 2009. The spiciness of the Jalapeno is counteracted by the residual sugar in the wine. Also, you need a slightly off-dry wine because of the sweetness in the dressing and the melon. It was not my first choice to open with a sweeter wine, but the order was chef's choice. American palates sometimes get freaked out when you pour an off-dry wine, and such was the case here, but I found it worked brilliantly.
Second course was a Gnocchi with Oven-Roasted Tomato. Suzanne is notorious for her gnocchi and she rarely makes it, so when she does, people go crazy. To pair, I poured a Hiedler 'Spiegel' Pinot Blanc 2006 from Austria. I really dug this wine. Flavors of orange, a little petrol note, ripe pear. A more austere version of what you would find from Alsace. People were loving this wine.
Third course was our Butter Lettuce Salad with Breakfast Radishes and Parmesan. This was just screaming for a great Gruner Veltliner, so I poured Schloss Gobelsburg 'Steinsetz' 2008. Super-typical Gruner: stonefruit and citrus with that green asparagus/radish note and a big ole blast of white pepper on the finish. Perfect fit for this salad. I always love a good Gruner. I find myself tucking more and more of them away in the cellar these days.
The last savory course was a Venison with Roquefort and Cherry as well as Potatoes Anna. I have to say that this Venison was really awesome. Suzanne threw a piece at me as I was passing by and I promptly tasted it with a pour of the 1991 Lopez de Herredia 'Bosconia' Rioja that I used. This was such a cool pairing. The Rioja was light in body, but with some structure underlying. The fruit was super-elegant and perfect after all the light, crisp whites. We could've gone heavier, but with this many courses and wines, a heavier wine would've been a shock in the overall experience, I think. Even cooler, the venison has this metallic/meaty quality that was also in the Rioja, and both cancelled each other out leaving pure juice cherry/ plum in the wine.
For dessert, and as a toast (and just why not?!!!), we poured the Chartogne-Taillet 'Cuvee Fiacre' 2002. This is a superb Champagne vintage and, in my experience, a very ripe one. Loads of orange marmalade and yeast on this baby, with a slightly oxidative note. The Chardonnay really shines in the blend in the form of pear liqueur. I was pleasantly surprised by the power of this.
During the course of the dinner, they auctioned off a personalized meal for 6 cooked by Suzanne at the bidder's home. During the auction, I offered my services as a personal sommelier as well and paired wines. That pulled in another $2000. The dinner went for $6000 total - pretty impressive. I'm excited about it!
All in all, it was a great event and raised a significant amount of money for the Trevor Project. Everyone left happy. Job well done!
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