1996 Clos Du Val paired beautifully with our first course, Katsuo or bonito tataki (lightly seared on the outside) with an onion sauce and wasabi.
A tad hot when we first opened it but the alcohol dissipated within 10 minutes to reveal softened tannins and notes of preserved plums, dark stone fruits, distressed leather and earth. It lifted the oily/fishiness of the bonito. Might have clashed with the sweetness of the onion but otherwise an ideal pairing.
Sushi Gyoshin in Honolulu is a must and they are BYOB for now, so it’s fun to try different things with each course. The wait is about 3 months out right now so book in advance if you can.
by thomasohhh
18 Comments
Looks stunning. I love myself a clos du Val.
Not sure if sushi and napa cab would be my first choice… but always good to find more BYOBs in Honolulu!
Huh
Champagne and sushi is my preferred pairing.
But I’ll always support how well good food pairs with ANY good wine.
Cab with sushi, eugh
Quality shitpost
I have never once thought to reach for Napa cab and sushi. Ever.
BUT with that being said, people on here seem to jump quickly on what is “right” or “status quo”. I’ve experienced wild pairings that just oddly work.
I’ll give it a shot, but I’m keeping my expectations nearly at the floor. Like literally nothing else would make sense in my head but whatever, why not try it.
I’m no somm but that pairing doesn’t make a ton of sense.
ITT: People who have never had Napa cab from the 90’s
I’m a bone-dry riesling and sushi guy myself, but I’ve got a 20 year old Octagon that I am curious about now…
Red wine with sashimi is a theoretical possibility
This makes sense to me. Lots of uncivilized chodes in this thread.
I can get the pairing with a seared fatty cut of tuna or bonito, but then you’ve got several more courses coming and half a bottle left…
Even with more restraint in 90s Napa, did it not wash out the more delicate courses?
I can imagine this but will happily try for myself
Traditionally sushi was served with beer
Im with you! I love red with sushi
OP says sashimi, and most comments are referencing sushi. Which is different.
Sashimi is just the fish and therefore can handle the acid and tannin of a cab because the oil in the fish can balance it out.
The vinegar in the shari of sushi however will clash. The skill and style of the sushiya is expressed equally through the flavors in their rice. The top chefs in Tokyo like Saito, Mitani, Kimura, Arai, Harutaka all have their own styles and preferences in balancing the acidity, salt, umami and sweetness of the rice.
As someone who is as passionate and pedantic about sushi as they are about wine, I feel like a distinction is important.
I support your pairing! If it works for you, it works! I got plenty of hate for having Sassicaia with Indian food because apparently a cuisine of 1.3B people can only be paired with Riesling.