Foley and Pride Winemaker Dinner @ Silks in the Stonehedge Inn, Tyngsboro, MA (7/25/2005)

Foley and Pride Winemaker Dinner
at Silks in the Stonehedge Inn, Tyngsboro, MA (7/25/2005)

The Event

This was a Stonehedge Inn Winemaker Dinner featuring Bob Foley, Winemaker for Pride Mountain Vineyards and his own winery Robert Foley Vineyards. I attended with Matthew and Lisa and Richard and Marti. The dinner was sold out. The dinner was held in their Silks Restaurant. Sadly, the Stonehedge Inn closed in May 2020.

The Stonehedge's Winemaker Dinner Series:

Levent Bozkurt, Proprietor of Stonehedge Inn, is the passion behind the wine program at Stonehedge Inn. This year Levent has created an inspired schedule for the Inn's Celebration of Wine 2005 program. Taste some of the world's best wines as we welcome winemakers and proprietors from around the world, each hosting a dinner and sharing with us their most delightful and extraordinary vintages. This is also an opportunity for our Culinary team to create wonderful menus to accompany the outstanding wines at our monthly dinners. We continue our trend of combining the freshest native New England ingredients with classic culinary techniques, all paired perfectly with the wines featured.

All quotes below from Bob Foley. All wines opened about 5pm.

A few pictures from this event can be found here.

Flight 1/Course 1
Citrus Seared Diver Scallops with a Corn and Rosemary Chutney
Really nice. Goes quite well with . . .
2004 Pride Mountain Viognier
Light, lovely, fragrant nose of peaches, wax and cream. Light but full in the mouth. Lovely, easy to drink. Delicate and fragrant in the mouth. Soft and tasty. 90 points.
Bottled in March. No oak, simple winemaking.

Flight 2/Course 2
Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon with Rhubarb Risotto, White Wine Reduction
Good stuff. Not a particularly good match with . . .
2003 Pride Mountain Chardonnay
Mild, lemon-custard nose. Yummy, expansive. Good acidity. Doesn't do much for me. Oaky. Bland. 87 points.
Lots of new French oak and time on lees. Lots of technique here.

2003 and 2004 are low crop level vintages, 60% and 50% of normal, resp. Great potential quality for good winemakers.

Flight 3/Course 3
Thyme Marinated Medallion of Buffalo with a Casserole of Baby Carrots, Green Asparagus and Snow Peas, Red Wine Reduction.
Very tasty. Great match with . . .
2003 Robert Foley Charbono
Served in a Burgundy glass (on purpose). Inky purple color. Big spicy black-fruit nose. Huge in the mouth, but still elegant. I love this!!! Fragrant, thick and sweet up front, but the acidity on the finish keeps it elegant. 93–95 points.

Flight 4/Course 4
Grilled Angus Sirloin with a Medley of Baby Candy and Yellow Beets, Natural Reduction
First disappointing dish. Steak is tough and not very tasty.
2003 Pride Mountain Merlot
Served in a Bordeaux glass. Huge ripe fruit nose of cherries, red berries, and cocoa. Super yummy with very ripe red berries and chocolate and coffee in the mouth. Wow! Has that classic Pride candy-like sweetness. 92–94 points.

Winery Visits:
Pride Winery: Professional quality visits by appointment.
Foley Winery: No official visits, but give us a call. ;)

School House Pinot (from Foley) is from a vineyard planted in 1953!

Flight 5/Course 5
Morbier, Petite Basque, and Cantal cheeses with Olive Roasted Focaccia
Great cheese plate. Served at just the right temperature!
2002 Pride Mountain, Cabernet Sauvignon
Served in a Bordeaux glass. Big smoky cassis nose. Big, thick sweet red fruit. Notable acid and tannin. Needs 3–5 years. Should have been opened this morning. 92–93 points.

Dessert
Peach Panna Cota with Apricot Veloute
I was full, but this was so delicious, I couldn't resist!
NV Pride Mountain Mistel de Viognier, Sonoma County
Unusual nose, like Sauternes, but with no botrytis. Taste is odd. Made by pouring grappa into unfermented Viognier juice. Weird stuff! NR

Executive Chef ~ Andreas Mensch
Pastry Chef ~ Andy Moisan
$115.00 per person