Wine dinner with Loire wines

[wondersofwine]

Saint Jacques Restaurant in Raleigh (French owner) hosted a seafood and Loire wines dinner last night. I enjoyed the rose' sparkling wine handed out to participants upon arrival. It was a Marquis de la Tour rose'. Didn't get the particulars. The first course was a wonderful seafood crepe (or paupiette) including diced shrimp, salmon and tilapia sauteed in clarified butter and finished with a velvety bechamel cream sauce). I think that was my favorite dish of the evening. We had that with a Chateau de Monfort Vouvray that didn't do a lot for me. Next up was Oyster rock'n Saint Jacques--oysters cooked with a filling of smoked bacon, garlic, pastis, cream and Parmesan cheese. It was accompanied with a 1994 Cave Clos de la Perrieres Sancerre which was quite nice. The wine had a grapefruity and mineral orientation. The distributor had considered a Muscadet with the oysters but opted for the Sauvignon Blanc in consideration of the bacon, cream and other ingredients. As a palate cleanser instead of sorbet this time we had a single large shrimp with lemon and shrimp cocktail. The chef had spent a week at Le Bec Fin, famous Philadelphia restaurant, and brought back the recipe for Turbot "Le Bec Fin." This was a pave' of turbot pan-seared in butter, served atop risotto with whipped cream and carrot veloute' (glaze). A small side salad of fennel and mussel with a cole slaw like dressing was nice. The sweet carrot glaze with the white fish was interesting and I liked it but not as well as the seafood crepe. Another at my table chose it as her favorite dish of the evening.
With the turbot we had a Remy Pannier Chinon (Cabernet Franc grape) that again didn't do a lot for me. (I have enjoyed Remy Pannier Rose d'Anjou). Dessert was a very tasty "Tarte aux Poire"--pear poached with a Port sauce over pastry and light cream Anglaise. We had a Remy Pannier Vouvray with the dessert--a dry Vouvray but still seemed to match well with the dessert. I liked it better than the Chateau de Monfort Vouvray and at $10 a bottle it was less expensive than the Monfort which was listed as $13.50 a bottle. Those at my table included a female math professor at NC State, her husband whose area of expertise is physical chemistry, a married couple in the medical field, two other couples (one man in the software industry and I'm not sure about the others) and a 3 1/2 year old who did not have any wine but is developing sophisticated tastes.

[Innkeeper]

Sounds like and fantastic and lovely event.

[brappy]

Great notes Wonders. I'm sill waiting for 1 more schedule before I can commit to dinner in Oct. As soon as I find out, I'll let you know.

mark

[Bucko]

No Quarts de Chaume? Shame on them.