Dinner - Homemade American Cuisine

Homemade American cuisine dinner: Brie and seasoned mushrooms wrapped in puff pastry, savory chicken with brussel sprouts topped with honey, custard topped with blueberry and peach compote

The wines: Bastide Miraflors Syrah, Voss Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, El Maestro Sierra Pedro Ximenez Sherry

Appetizer: Brie with seasoned mushrooms wrapped in puff pastry
Domaine Lafage Bastide Miraflors Vieilles Vignes
Syrah Grenache Blend
Languedoc Roussillon
France
2013
$12.99
Robert Parker review: I have loved the wines from Domaine Lafage in the past, and this 2013 Bastide Miraflors Cotes Catalanes is one of the greatest red wine values I have tasted in the last year or so. A custom cuvee put together by Eric Solomon and Jean-Marc Lafage, it is a blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache that spent one year in 80% concrete tank (Grenache) and 500-liter  demi-muids (Syrah). From a Roussillon vineyard dominated by gallets roules that resembles many Chateaneuf de Pape vineyards, the wine undergoes a long maceration of six weeks. The result is an inky/blue/purple-colored wine offering a big, sweet bouquet of blueberries, blackberries, acacia flowers, pepper and spice. This full-bodied, opulent, majestic dry red unleashes tremendous ripeness, richness and intensity. One would normally think such a superb, remarkable wine would cost over $50 a bottle, but this beauty is available for an astonishing $14 a bottle. You'll have to taste it to believe it! It should drink well for 2-5 years. 93 points
Color: deep red/purple
Smell: blackberry, spice
Taste: blackberry, spice, sweet mid-palate, dry
With food: The brie brings out the spice in the wine while the mushrooms and pastry soak up the sweet, fruity flavors. The two work very well together in this aspect.
Personal review: Great wine that goes well with the dish.

Main course: Chicken with poultry seasoning with garlic and baked in the wine of this dish as well as brussel sprouts coated in honey
Voss Vineyards
Sauvignon Blanc
Napa Valley, California
2013
$19
Richard Jennings review: Light green-tinged yellow color with lots of tiny bubbles resting on the glass; aromatic, reduction, tart lime, ripe grapefruit, light gunpowder nose; tight, ripe citrus, ripe lime, mineral palate; medium-plus finish. 90 points
Color: slightly yellow tinge
Smell: pear
Taste: pear
With food: The food brings out the acidity of the wine. The sweetness of the wine is washed away when tasted with the food. The other flavors may overwhelm the sweet taste of the wine. Maybe not the best pairing because the food seems to reduce the wine.
Personal review: Great wine, but does not go as well with the dish.

Dessert: Custard topped with peach and blueberry compote
El Maestro Sierra
Pedro Ximenez Sherry
Spain
2015
$18
The wine advocate review: Another step up is the non-vintage Pedro Ximenez from 15-year-old solera. It is brown amber in color with aromas of orange peel and English toffee. It is thick and rich on the palate and very long. 92 points
Color: sweet tea color - brown with reddish tinge along the outside
Smell: dates and honey
Taste: dates/figs and caramel, very rich and sweet
With food: Flavors match, but wine is a bit overpoweringly sweet. If the compote was not there and the plain custard was paired with the wine, it would be excellent.
Personal review: Amazing wine! With some modifications, this would be an excellent pairing.