Dinner last night with Arnie and Alino at the new Pampas restaurant over at Uptown Bonifacio. Excellent porchetta and lamb ribs. Must try the steaks next time.
Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV - With fresh oysters and lime granita. Lively, rich, and creamy. A style I really enjoy. Wish I had more of this.
The two reds were served blind.
Wine #1 Burgundy bottle, rather pale, could be a Burg. Soft, a little smoky and touch of dried herb and earth. Doesn't taste like Pinot although it was definitely old. I guessed early 90s. Sweet red fruit at the beginning but faded after about 30 minutes. Progressively flattening over the course of the evening and, although by no means dead by the end of dinner, it wasn't too interesting anymore after 3 hours. Revealed as Chateau de Beaucastel 1979. Not bad at all, and no Beaucasel stink aside from the bit of earthiness.
Wine #2 Bordeaux bottle, deeper color than #1 but some bricking. I figured this was Cabernet. Some clues from Alino - not French, 1982, and has Carignan and Cinsault. That leads to Chateau Musar. Soft, rich and packed with sweet, plummy fruit, this was full of life and did not show any signs of fading at all. Gorgeous wine.
Dr. Loosen Beerenauslese 2006 - A half bottle (screw capped) for dessert. Honey gold color, yellow tropical fruit - pineapple, mango, peach etc. The color indicated a heavier wine to me but this was light and fresh. Very nice.