Fil-Am wines and French fine dining

It’s not every night that one can have a taste of seared foie gras and truffle parmantier sorted together with dried cranberries to complement an excellent duck confit. To have this singular dish partnered with an excellent cabernet sauvignon, and taken in congenial company at a distinctive venue boasting a top-class chef, makes it all the more memorable.

That’s what having friends in high places gets you: a night’s entry into a select group of gourmets and gourmands who treat themselves monthly to gustatory delights.

The invite came from Federico Borromeo, Bailli or chair of the Manille La Confrérie de la Chaînes de Rôtisseurs. Some years back I had partnered with him for the production of a coffee-table book on Rotary Makati, when he was its president.

He still busies himself with various business engagements, polo ponies that he rides with a passion, and now the stewardship of the Manila chapter of what is claimed to be among the oldest organizations in the world.

This international gastronomic society dedicated to fine dining and the culture of the table dates back to the year 1248, when Les Oyers or the “Goose Roasters” guild was organized. In 1509, it became the Rôtisseurs whose Confrérie or Brotherhood of the Roasters cultivated culinary art and high standards of professionalism, until the guild system was disbanded in 1793 during the French Revolution. It was revived in Paris, fittingly enough, in 1950, and presently, besides a Manila chapter, there is another in Cebu led by the Lhuilliers.

On the first night of June, I was privileged to join the select company of wine and food lovers, chefs and hoteliers at Cav restaurant at Bonifacio High Street, where chef Markus Gfeller prepared an outstanding French menu that was paired with editions of the Corté Riva Wines from California.

I must say, a celebration of the palate it was. For starters, we had crustacean bouillabaisse with seared cod shrimps, chorizo and rouille espuma, washed down with glasses of the Corté Riva Viognier 2007, a splendid white.

Then came the duck confit, paired with the Corté Riva Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, which we learned from wine merchant Jay Labrador had merited an 89 rating from influential wine critic Robert Parker. While still short by a point of the top 90s scorecard, this cab had a welcome earthiness all over it.

Champagne sherbet followed to cleanse and revive the taste buds, indeed at the right time, as the next entrée — 48-hour angus short ribs with horseradish croquetas, young leeks and Portobello ragu — contended in appreciation with the Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, rated a 93 by the eminent Mr. Parker.

At this point, the conversation around our table centered on the distinctions between the two cabernets, how the 2005 bottle was certainly smoother, richer, and more full-bodied. As subsequent research would uncover, the grace notes that praise this vintage suggest unanimity of approval.

From Mr. Parker’s own notes: “The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (a Napa and Sonoma blend) boasts a deep ruby/purple hue along with aromas of tobacco leaf, creosote, crème de cassis, black tea, incense, and new oak. Muscular, fleshy, full-bodied, and dense with sweet tannins and a long finish, it is accessible, but promises to be even better with three to four years of bottle age.”

For its part, Winemaker Notes pipes in: “This wine has an opaque bluish purple color and a sweet nose of dark chocolate, blackberry, and cassis with a hint of fresh earth in the background. It has an outstanding fruit character, and a ripe, dense, full body with massive richness, soft tannins and enormous earth.”

It turned out that among the company that night was the lady responsible for bringing in these wines — which are even more remarkable since they’re products of Pinoy artistry.

Nieves Cortez is behind the success story that is the Corté Riva Winery, which she started with her husband Lawrence and cousin Romel Rivera. Immigrating to the US in the late 1970s, they worked in the vineyards around Calistoga in northern Napa County. Through years of perseverance, Lawrence and Romel became members of the celebrated Pride Mountain Vineyards of St. Helena, with Romel becoming an assistant winemaker and Lawrence serving as cellar master.

In 1996, they helped harvest a neighbor’s second-growth grapes, part of which they kept and blended at their place. The resulting zinfandel that they served guests at parties gained praise, so that Nieves convinced her husband and cousin to produce wines under their own label.

In 2001, a merlot was named “Top Red” by the Hi-Time Wine Cellars. The next year Mr. Parker rated the Corté Riva 2002 Merlot a 91, and recognition ensued over the following years for most of their wines — Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc.

Lawrence and Romel were encouraged to pursue their efforts by Pride Mountain Vineyards. Eschewing the traditional long-term grape contracts, they chose to go out and find the best grapes, relying exclusively on their three decades of vineyard experience for their selection process.

Modest funding allowed them to produce 350 cases of Corté Riva (coined from the partners’ surnames) in 2003. Corté Riva Vineyards thus became the first winery owned by Filipino-Americans.

The second is Eden Canyon Winery in San Luis Obispo County, where Danny Villamin planted grapes in his 60-acre property. With help from his daughter Elaine, he has also produced successful wines, with their 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon earning the silver medal in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

Both Corté Riva and Eden Canyon are run as family operations, inclusive of the designs of their respective labels. For Corté Riva, Nieves Cortez has appointed herself as sales manager. She first brought their limited samples to Manila last year, where they debuted to acclaim at Café Ysabel with a food-and-wine- pairing dinner hosted by chef Gene Gonzalez.

That event was also organized by L’Ordre Mondiale des Gourmets Dégustateurs, a special section of La Confrérie de la Chaînes de Rôtisseurs. Conducted less formally than those of the Chaine, such events focus primarily on the appreciation of wines and other spirits, with the food playing a supplementary yet still vital role.

Back to the June 1 dinner at Cav, our final delectation was baked brie meaux with black pepper crustilliade and mustard fruits. This ultimate dish was paired with the supreme Corté Riva Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon “Mabuhay” 2005 — top-of-the-line and even more sensational than the Cab 2005, rated 94 by Mr. Parker.

Again, we have to rely on extant literature to provide the appropriate purple prose: “This deep, ruby/purple color wine is full-bodied, beautifully rich and possesses sensational fruit, silky texture and voluptuous finish. Flavors of black cherries, coffee and chocolate accompanied by a sweet-smelling aroma of licorice, cedar and currant.”

Here it’s priced at a little over P5,000, so it can’t be your regular table fare, apart from the fact that Corté Riva is yet on limited production — only about 4,000 cases of all their wines the past year, of which less than 200 cases were of the “Mabuhay” 2005.

Nieves says it’s still quality over quantity as a guiding principle for their small winery. She envisions setting up a tasting facility “to give our business some real exposure to Napa Valley visitors.” They’re also thinking of creating a second label, that will feature quality wines but at half the price.

Presently, the Viognier 2007 and Zinfandel 2006 cost about P2,000, the Merlot 2004 and the Petite Sirah 2005 (which was rated +92 by Mr. Parker) run about P3,000, the Cabernet Franc 2006 is P3,400, and the Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 sells for P3,750.

If you hurry, these wines may still be available at The Wine Steward, Inc., by phone order at 942-1642 or 0918-924-1642. Or e-mail jaylabrador.winesteward@gmail.com

Even in the Napa Valley, these superb wines are becoming hard to find, owing to all the positive reviews. When I alerted my fellow Bedans in Northern California about Fil-Am wines, one of these buddies quickly drove to Napa and considered himself lucky to obtain a few cases of the Zinfandel and Petite Sirah.

By the way, the final fillip to that dinner cum wine tasting was the dessert: cantaloupe melon and port wine with vanilla bean ice cream. Burp.

My compliments to Chef Markus, and my abiding gratification, er, gratitude, to our host Federico and his lovely wife Josephine. A toast to your generous spirits, and “Mabuhay!” to Nieves, Lawrence and Romel, who do us all proud with their Corté Riva wines.