LOBSTER!

                                                         Saturday August 13th, 2022

Four years ago as one of our many Foodie Dinner's, we offered a Lobster focused evening. It was a huge success and everyone was so thrilled, we knew we needed to offer a 2nd version of this, so we did.

Lobster is a decadent shellfish that in food preparation is made even more decadent. That explains this evening. Starting with Mat's creation of 'Lobster Rockefeller' which is named after a rich man, hence the name. And thus it was!

We lined up 3 wines to taste with this delicacy, Blanc de noir, Rose' and 2014 Chardonnay from magnum.

The group of wine club members that joined us voted for the best pairing for each course. The first course was great to see, divided equally between all three wines. We did a test run at home a week prior and tested multiple wines and pretty much felt the same. It's amazing that one dish can balance so well with multiple wines so well! The watermelon salad was just a little palate cleanser.

Next up, bisque, pure bliss! and the same three wines but one was clearly the winner and another didn't really work.

2014 was a great vintage and our last vintage that we were able to purchase this incredible Chardonnay from West Sonoma County in Green Valley- sub appellation. We only have a few magnums left and lobster is the deserving factor. And the winner winner lobster dinner with this course and the attendees!

The Rose' really didn't work and the Pinot was liked by a few.

Third course popcorn shrimp is a tough one. I'm not a huge fan of fried food and generally prefer Sparkling wine of any sort with it. But, I wanted to challenge everyone's taste buds and we lined up the rose', chardonnay and 2013 Bohemian vineyard pinot. And sure enough the surprise win went to Pinot almost 100%.

served with a sauce of yogurt, chive and lemon.

Now the crowd is going and we serve lobster mac'n cheese!

Surf and turf, butter poached lobster, grilled filet, pomme frits and Bernaise sauce.

An incredible course that we chose to focus on Pinot, both the 2013 Bohemian Vineyard and 2017 Ruxton were poured. The Bohemian magnum is a beautiful soft blend of red fruits subtle acidity and the Ruxton which is dark and richer from a younger vintage from 750 mL.

A lot of lobster stock went into the preparation on this evening.

And we had to finish just a little sweet treat, lobster sugar cookie.

There was a lot of love in this dinner from the days of prep, the chosen wines, the menu line up and the response from our guests. Another fabulous night at the Paul Mathew Dining Room in Graton.

Next up, we're bottling the 2021 vintage reds and then harvest will begin. Being tired is not a response!