Vega Sicilia Unico Reserva 1996:
Sometimes, while experimenting, you are bound to hit a snag, a bump in the road of sorts. My quest to find the perfect wines to pair with Sushi and grilled Japanese meats and fish took a slight detour on Friday night. I can’t say the experiment was a total failure however. Since I eat at MF Sushi in Buckhead so regularly the chef likes to come over and see what I am drinking and often sends over creations to pair with whatever it is. Upon first sampling the Vega Sicilia he said, with his head shaking, “its good but I don’t know if it will go with Sushi.” I wasn’t even sure if I believed him when he said it was good! I told him I though the wine needed two or three hours more to open up (it had already been open an hour or so). He nodded his head and said he had some ideas. As our very slow dinner progressed, my wife sipped on some Champagne and I drank some Japanese beer, I decided it was time to get serious, both with our food and with the wine. We started ordering and the waiter poured me my first glass. The wine was still introverted, but the nose revealed a pulsing mix of black plums, brambly blackberries, graphite and chocolate. At first, in the mouth, the fruit was pushed to the background while elements of tobacco smoke, citrus (acid- very much like the '87!) and stone seemed more alive. The high acid content seemed at odds with many of the flavors presented before us . . . I particularly was craving even a dash of fruit. I ordered some Kobe beef nigiri (made with a little truffle oil) and that was the first pairing that really worked. The second was a duck dish from the Robata grill . . . it was cooked in miso. The chef came back by, tasted the wine again and immediately ran off to kitchen. What followed was a series of fantastic dishes, each one designed to one up the next. Lamb, cooked with garlic and ponzu, Magret duck sushi with aged Balsamic and Kobe beef with caviar, truffle and creme fraiche. Suddenly fruit began to appear. After four plus hours the wine had forgotten its coquettish ways (with some culinary help!) and was now a real beauty. Lesson learned- Unico may not be the best pairing with Sushi but its a damn good wine. Lesson two- these kinds of experiments are best done without my wife who was less than enthused at the dinner’s glacial speed and amount of wine/food geekdom. But, if you are still here . . . the food- 98 points, the wine- 95 points
Baller.
MF is great for food…but I’ve never done wine there…maybe a Riesling once…but nothing other than that. Sorry the missed didnt enjoy…maybe you didn’t bring enough Champagne for her.
What red would you take for sushi next time?
I really like Bordeaux right now- Pomerol, St. Emilion. One of the best pairings was a La Croix St. Georges.