A friend just returned to Uk from a visit to Redmond in Washington with two
bottles of Chateau St Michelle that she chose at a tasting there.
Chateau St Michelle Cold Creek Vinyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1995 and Chateau
St Michelle Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1999.
Although these wines come with the best recommendation available ie she
tried them and liked them, I was wondering if any of you good people have
tasted either or both and have any thoughts, tasting notes and opinions as
to when to drink etc.
The plan is to have a kind of themed evening with a menu to suit the wines
etc. I can't find any washington whites here locally but I'm planning to
find a california Fume blanc such as Grgich Hills which is available at my
local wine merchant down here in darkest dorset.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to a typical west coast USA menu that
would lend itself to such an evening? I must stress that the ingredients
will be obtained locally to myself and so anything unique to the west coast
may prove impossible to find here.

Regards and seasons greetings,

Alex Hayne

Alex Hayne wrote:
> A friend just returned to Uk from a visit to Redmond in Washington
> with two bottles of Chateau St Michelle that she chose at a tasting
> there.
> Chateau St Michelle Cold Creek Vinyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1995 and
> Chateau St Michelle Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1999.
> Although these wines come with the best recommendation available ie
> she tried them and liked them, I was wondering if any of you good
> people have tasted either or both and have any thoughts, tasting
> notes and opinions as to when to drink etc.
> The plan is to have a kind of themed evening with a menu to suit the
> wines etc. I can't find any washington whites here locally but I'm
> planning to find a california Fume blanc such as Grgich Hills which
> is available at my local wine merchant down here in darkest dorset.
> Does anyone have any suggestions as to a typical west coast USA menu
> that would lend itself to such an evening? I must stress that the
> ingredients will be obtained locally to myself and so anything unique
> to the west coast may prove impossible to find here.
>
> Regards and seasons greetings,
>
> Alex Hayne

Well greetings from my neighborhood in Woodinville, adjacent to Redmond.
The Cold Creek Cab you've mentioned is of the producer's better vinyard
designates, but I don't know the details of the year. Or the 1999 for that
matter. Doesn't matter I suppose since your friend already likes and has
purchased them. I would imagine they're both drinking well right now. As
for what's available to you - I can't know of course but I can tell you what
we do here.

Locally (in the Northwest) the whites might be paired with local seafood
like sea or bay scallops, Dungeoness crab or alder smoked / planked Salmon.
Crab cakes are a local favorite - especially local legend Tom Douglas'
(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...2838416-302955
1?v=glance). There is a heavy Asian influence on the food here which
doesn't always lend itself to heavy red wines, but you can be creative of
course.

We might try a good grilled steak, accompanied with Idaho garlic mashed
potatoes, or spice up a Salmon or steelhead to match the wine. Roasted or
grilled whole sea bass is a passable match for a heavier wine but maybe
better for a Pinot Noir. As you can tell we're heavy on the seafood. Pork
loin with some local berry sauce would work here too in season -
blackberries, blueberries and raspberries are prolific in the summer. Also
rosemary, sage, plum and apple. Pork loin with plum sauce and one of your
reds sounds pretty good to me right now actually...

If your scope is the whole West coast, you can get anything from lamb or
beef in Oregon to anything you could possibly think of in California so the
range can be quite wide.

Good luck,

Greg Sumner
Woodinville, WA

"Greg Sumner" > wrote in message
...
> Alex Hayne wrote:
> > A friend just returned to Uk from a visit to Redmond in Washington
> > with two bottles of Chateau St Michelle that she chose at a tasting
> > there.
> > Chateau St Michelle Cold Creek Vinyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1995 and
> > Chateau St Michelle Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1999.

> > The plan is to have a kind of themed evening with a menu to suit the
> > wines etc. I can't find any washington whites here locally but I'm
> > planning to find a california Fume blanc such as Grgich Hills which
> > is available at my local wine merchant down here in darkest dorset.
> > Does anyone have any suggestions as to a typical west coast USA menu
> > that would lend itself to such an evening? I must stress that the
> > ingredients will be obtained locally to myself and so anything unique
> > to the west coast may prove impossible to find here.
> >
Alex, Greg gave you good tips about our local food, though I would probably
put salmon in there somewhere as the star entree food for the Puget Sound
area. The Grgich Hills doesn't really represent the Washington style of
whites. Have you considered pitching in with friends to pick up a few
bottles of St. Michelle Eroica online? A number of sites will ship to
England.

The next time you/your friend do the Woodinville Wine Country trip go to
Deville, or call ahead to JM Cellars just up the road from St. Michelle.
For $24 you can get a truly fabulous red at JM.

Let us know how your dinner went!