Mattison's Restaurants, Grill, Steakhouse & Catering in Sarasota, Siesta Key, Longboat Key and Bradenton, Wedding Caterer

SRQ March 2006
Wine Dinner: Wine, Then Something Beautiful Happened By Liza Morrow Photos by Barry Klip

Chef Paul pulled out all the stops and the evening was a glowing, glittering extravaganza of wine and food. The Monterey wines from Morgan Winery, which have attained something like cult status for their classic, silken pinot noirs, were the highlighted wines.

Down curving stairs we went to Mattison's wine cellar, one of the most beautiful rooms in the county, a rustic space almost entirely lit by candles. The comfortable seating for 20 at two long tables was set with sparkling glasses and handsome place settings, guaranteeing us serenity and respite from the bustle just outside the door.

The meal began with a 2004 Santa Lucia Highlands Double L Vineyard Chardonnay, a test when it comes to food pairings because, unlike grassy, straightforward sauvignon blancs, chardonnays are tough customers, sometimes borderline sweet, and hinting of tropical fruits, often full of oak and butter. But this one was a beaut: medium straw-colored with brilliant clarity and a nose of pear, brioche, and vanilla aromas. The pure and clean taste was full of flavors of spiced apples and hazelnuts. The pairing? Elaborately presented Portland scallops made an auspicious beginning. Full of the fresh taste of the sea, each plump scallop was skewered with a tiny bunch of haricot verts that had been barely blanched in truffle broth. They were perched on a mound of roasted carrots and bacon mashed potatoes and ringed with a drizzle of apple cider syrup. All this and it was only the first course.

Whether the diners were bonafide connoisseurs or knew next to nothing about wine and its many kissing cousins, it didn't matter. What we did learn is that a new experience can sometimes be the most memorable, and the Morgan 2004 Monterey Sauvignon Blanc that was poured next will not soon be forgotten. It showcased bright citrus and gooseberry fruit with a rich texture that offset the natural acidity and sweet grass characteristics of the grape. Morgan builds complexity into their sauvignon blanc by using semillon grapes, which add sweetness and depth to counter the herb and sweet grass flavors. The color was of green straw, and aroma and flavors tended toward ripe citrus fruits, peaches, and melons. A wine to invite a second glass and, if you are not driving, and of course we weren't, a third. Chef Paul paired the wine with a salad for serious arugula fans. The slight bitterness of arugula contrasted elegantly with the creaminess of toasted macadamia nuts and was tossed with a vibrant, daffodil-yellow mango vinaigrette made with a dose of house-made habañero vinegar. Sliced tissue-paper thin were crisp and soft, slightly warm foccacia tuilles with a duet of yellow and red bell pepper pestos. Curled up under the arugula salad, the whole was absolutely irresistible.

During the past 10 years, pinot noir has been a real California success story. Pinot, the great red grape of Burgundy, was long considered too fickle to produce good wine in California, but California winemakers kept at it until they got it right and have produced pinots with lots of character and personality. Morgan Winery s efforts were clearly successful, and the 2004 Santa Lucia Highlands Double L Vineyard Pinot Noir poured to accompany the third course proved it. The wine was nuanced and interesting, combining vibrant fruit with an unexpected earthy character. We noted vibrant dark cherry and raspberry fruits with flavors of vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, rose petals, and violet. Doesn t it sound delightful? It was, especially as served with a small duck confit and chevre pizza that was topped with caramelized shallots all flavors that resonated on the palate and held their own against the pinot.

Rated a 93 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine in July 2005, the next pouring earned this description: "A stunning syrah with such concentration and intensity, it is a blend of Rosella's and Paraiso fruit and offers huge flavors of chocolate, blueberry, cassis, flowers and minerals. Lush and dense; flatters now, but should soften for some years." This deep black-purple-colored 2001 Santa Lucia Highlands Tierra Mar Syrah has the classic cassis and blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry fruit flavors along with what Winemaker Dan Lee described as "a white pepper and mineral-driven pencil lead component." Only the winemaker can deliver a description like that!

Pairing food and wine, akin to never wearing white before Memorial Day or after Labor Day, used to be simpler; everyone knew, with a reassuring certainty, that red wines went with meat and white wines went with fish. Okay, it was an oversimplification, but sticking to this rule meant not being embarrassed in polite company. This rule still holds true with the big muscled syrah, and Chef Paul matched the wine's power with a classic equivalent: lamb shank. Chef Paul emphasized, however, that rules should never overrule one's personal preference. "Taste is anarchy," he told us. The shank was slow-cooked for six hours until the meat was so tender and juicy it fell from the bone and then was stuffed into a baked potato and served with a beautiful cobalt blueberry demi-glace.

The last course. There it was. A mound of house-made lavender ice cream drizzled with orange blossom honey. Ice cream, it turns out, is an absolutely perfect base for lavender, and we were entranced with each spoonful and the way the creaminess gave in to flowery sweetness. With accompanying pistachio biscotti, it proved rightfully irresistible. Sweet, generous, utterly simple, and undoubtedly the sort of thing that we would never think to pair with a syrah, but it worked brilliantly with the 2003 Syrah Highlander Cuvee that was poured. Although hotly pursued, this wine is not available for purchase. It was a collaboration of four of the top syrah winemakers from four famed vineyards of Santa Lucia Highlands The Double L, Paraiso, Gary's, and Rosella Estates and was specifically created as an auction item for The Hospice Du Rhone. Tom Tomlinson, representing Morgan Winery, brought along a couple of cases as a special treat for the evening.
Mattison's Steak House, 525 Bay Isles Pkwy. 941-383-3475.