The first wine lunch of the cruise was the Craft of Caymus Vineyards Food and Wine Pairing lunch. Regent Seven Seas’ wine lunches are usually very good. Let’s see if you think that this one was.
Looks like an interesting line up.
Time to get to work!
Menu
First Course
Halibut crudo – leche de tigre
Looks good, popcorn is an interesting garnish. Very tasty, a great start to the food.
NV Emmolo methode traditionelle sparkling wine, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, California, USA
| Appearance: | Bright straw with a light bead |
| Nose: | Reserved nose of green apple and hint of biscuit |
| Palate: | Crisp and fresh |
| Finish: | Medium length finish with a touch of heat and a sour tail |
| Oz’s Rating: | 2.5 out of 5 Misses the body and structure of a champagne. More a wine for a hot summer’s afternoon than something to serve instead of champagne An ok pair for the Halibut |
Second Course
Iberian ham croquette
Looked interesting, had a nice texture, paired well with the Voyage 11.
NV Red Schooner Voyage 11 Malbec, Argentina
| Appearance: | Deep crimson, lots of legs |
| Nose: | Pleasant combo of black pepper, dark berries and plum aroma |
| Palate: | Balanced with smooth tannins |
| Finish: | Medium long finish |
| Oz’s Rating: | 3 out of 5, improved to a 3.5 out of 5 with a bit of time in the glass. |
Course 3
Porcini risotto with duck confit
Another good looking dish, nice duck, the rice was cooked for perfection. Great dish and paired very nicely with the Transit 2.
NV Red Schooner Transit 2, Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvede and Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale South Australia
| Appearance: | Deep garnet, great legs |
| Nose: | Medium full nose of white pepper, plum, dark cherries, a hint of forest floor |
| Palate: | Dry tannins, balanced |
| Finish: | Medium long, slight residual sweetness |
| Oz’s Rating: | 3 out of 5 This wine needs time to evolve |
Red Schooner Wines
Red Schooner Wines are a part of the Wagner Family of Wines, which included Caymus. They take grapes from the Andes and South Australia and then ship them refrigerated to Caymus in California where the winemakers do their thing and turn them into wine.
The wines are non-vintage. The number in the name of the wine indicates the voyage that the grapes were transported as a part of. Hence the name, I think, Red (wine) Schooner (Sea Vessel).
Considering that wine industry prides itself on being environmentally friendly, not sure that shipping grapes from all over the world is that eco friendly.
Course 4
Gambas ajillo – tiger shrimp, parsnip mousseline, chorizo, garlic confit, bird’s eye chili
Great presentation, the prawns were a bit chewy unfortunately. The chorizo makes the dish work.
2021 Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA
| Appearance: | Deep ruby, also has great legs |
| Nose: | Inviting mix of black pepper, tobacco and dark chocolate aromas |
| Palate: | Savoury palate, smooth tannins |
| Finish: | Medium long |
| Oz’s Rating: | 3 out of 5 Way too young, a few more years and this will be interesting |
The second bottle had cork taint, the crew quickly uncorked another and swapped out the impacted glasses.
Course 5
Black Angus beef tenderloin – shallot confit, chickpea fries, jus
Nicely presented, nice piece of meat, cooked appropriately, interesting fries. Worked great with the Cab and with the Petite Syrah
2020 Caymus-Suisun Grand Durif Petite Sirah
| Appearance: | Ruby with long legs |
| Nose: | Medium full combo plum, forest floor and subtle white pepper aromas |
| Palate: | Balanced with dry tannins |
| Finish: | Medium long finish with a slightly sour tail |
| Oz’s Travels: | 3 out of 5, improved to a 3.5 out 5 as it opened up. Needs food. |
Course 6
Callebaut dark chocolate mousse – almond crunch, cherry griotte
More great presentation, an excellent mousse with a great combination of flavours and textures. A bold choice for the pairing, it worked well.
2019 Caymus Vineyards Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon,
| Appearance: | Deep ruby, lots of legs |
| Nose: | Full body mixture of dark cherry, mocha and cassis aromas |
| Palate: | Savoury tannins |
| Finish: | Medium long with residual sweetness and a bit of heat |
| Oz’s Rating: | 3.5 out of 5 Definitely a step up in class. Way to young, still drinking well |
Bonus Wine
One of the other passengers was very generous and shared two magnums of 2006 Chateau Mouton Rothschild.
2006 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Bordeaux, Medoc, Pauillac, France
| Appearance: | Crimson with red brick edges starting to show with age |
| Nose: | Perfumed combination of berry, cedar and a hint of vanilla aromas |
| Palate: | Smooth, evolved tannins |
| Finish: | Medium long finish |
| Oz’s Rating: | 4 out of 5 Great wine, would have been better with a decent amount of time after decanting |
Definitely a very welcome addition to the lunch…
Craft of Caymus Food and Wine Pairing
An interesting tasting, the food was the highlight with the porcini risotto with duck confit was my favourite.
My wine of the day was the 2006 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, the best of the Caymus was the 2019 Vineyards Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon.
What was really unfortunate was that none of the reds had been decanted nor even opened before pouring. The reason given for this was apparently a lack of space, pretty sure that could have been sorted.
All of the reds improved in the glass.
Cheers!
I hope that this satisfies the subscriber who had been “asking” for more wine content…
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