Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 11/7/19

Way up close to the clouds, with stellar panoramic city views, Nikolai’s Roof a top the Hilton Atlanta is the perfect upscale destination of high-end food, cocktails and wine, as well as intimate events. We recently sat in the clouds and took in the city views during the Magnum Wine dinner with three courses of selectively precured wine and food pairings.

From the bubbles as you exit the elevator, to the small savory bites of the passed apps, you felt instantly welcomed to the party. Our favorite bite was the Smoked Salmon Tartare Taquito with a smoky, flaky bite of salmon nestled in corn tortilla, topped with caviar and arugula. It was stunningly platted, and a one-bite wonder of smoke, salt, and slightly sweet. Also, the Vanilla Bean Macaroon was delicious with foie gras mousse and black pepper that cut the sweet of the cookie with the savory of the mousse.

The heart of the dinner was two courses: one was duck and the other lamb perfectly paired with a high-end Magnum red wine. The first course, the Sous Vide Duck Magrete was paired with the Etude Heirloom Pinot Noir 2003. The duck was perfectly cooked at medium and there was a distinctly beautiful coffee demi-glaze that cut-through the savory, salt, and slight game of the duck. The best thing on the plate was the parsnip and Celeriac Mille Feuille, which I said was one of the best potatoes au gratin like side that was both simple, creamy, and rich. The Pinot Noir went perfectly with the duck and root vegetables!

The second course manicured by Chef Stephanie Alderete was the Charleston Lamb Chop. What a delectable good portion of lamb that was cooked medium and was mild, tender, and paired well with miso beet varieties. The beet and lamb earthiness paired well with both of the Cabernet Savignon’s that Magnum provided. These cabs were smooth and less oaky than a typical cab. Drinkable.

Our favorite wine came with the cheese plate at the end, Qupe Syrah 1999, which had enough spice to pair well with the hard cheese and mellowed out with the truffle honey! Have you ever had truffle honey? It’s both earthy and deep, but has the sweetness of honey. It was a delicious bite with the salt of the cheese.

All-in-all, we’re not huge red wine drinkers, but these red wines from Magnum really impressed us! Deep, high-end, quality wines that were easy to drink and paired well with all the food. Color us impressed. We will try more of their wines!