Birthday Party

This year's birthday party did have a theme for a change: four decades of Bordeaux! A bottle or more from each decade since the 70's.

And Champagne and Mosel to make sure our hearts were filled to the brim.

Vilmart, Grand Cellier Rubis, 2011

A wine that I always wanted to drink turned out to be too young still, even after eight years. Even in an unpromising vintage. Surprisingly young and backward at first, showing very fresh strawberries and not much more, it starts to hint at mineral aspects after fifteen minutes or so. It never loses that reserve but its depth is very impressive.

Chateau Montrose, Saint Estephe 2me Cru, 1974

1974 is considered one of the worst vintages in Bordeaux, but this has held up very well, and has not only survived but has retained loads of freshness and finesse. It has the mellow friendliness of deep maturity but has not fallen into the sink of generic old age. It's not very long nor complex but is rather tasty in a lean, mouth cleansing style, with aromas of cedar and tobacco leaves, and actually continues to develop aromatically.

Chateau Montrose, Saint Estephe 2me Cru, 1995

This is more typical of Saint Estephe, a muscular, complex, deep wine, with notes of iron, leather and minerals. Sweet, soft tannins that provide structure and definition without impinging on the fruit. An hour later, it evolves into a wine to swoon for, with additional facets and nuances. This, and the Chevalier, is the reason we love Bordeaux.

Domaine de Chevalier, Pessac-Leognan, 2000

A great wine, initially outplaying the higher ranked Montrose (until the second glass of the Montrose and even then it’s a close shave). Complex and deep, black fruit infused with mint, smoke and minerals.

Chateau Haut-Bages-Averous, Pauillac 5me Cru, 1989

This is the second wine of Lynch-Bages. It's in no way a great wine, just a good, foursquare luncheon claret (muscular black fruit with notes of olives, tannins that will continue to dry the palate until the fruit runs out), yet the wonder of Bordeaux is that this is the only wine tonight, except for the Montrose 74, which is obviously in an iffy spot, that couldn’t thrive and improve for another ten years.

Chateau Trotanoy, Pomerol, 2008

A good runner up to the Chevalier and Montrose (the difference in age makes such comparisons problematic, but what the hell), this was opened at least ten years too early but is nonetheless a great showcase for Merlot. Another wine defined by smoke and minerals and elegant muscularity - or should that be muscular elegance? - it seems we picked the perfect wines for the terrific slabs of steaks served at Hudson.

Willi Schaefer, Mosel, Domprobst, Spatlese #7, 2005

Barely halfway through its life voyage, this is still as young and fresh a Mosel as you can imagine and the purest essence of the freshest apples you can dream of. What the fourteen years in bottle have done is mold the fruit, sugar and acidity into a very precise, crystalline form. Of course, you have to start with a great vineyard and inspired craftsmanship.

[David M. Bueker]

That’s a great lineup. The Vilmart Rubis is always fine, even when it’s not ready. Too bad it’s so hard to find (and expensive).

[Jenise]

Great notes (I have that Montrose) and thanks for sharing your birthday party with us. You should post a pic of Shifra so we can all drool over her.

You mean here?

[Jenise]

Yes, there she is!!!

We usually adopt (or take in for temporary fostering to help out the local animal shelters) older dogs so it's so strange dealing with a barely trained 8 month old girl, for most intents and purpose a puppy out to earn the moniker b****. But she's very lovely and quite beautiful.

It's widely known in local shelters that Israelis don't like to adopt dark dogs. A weird bit of bigotry I don't understand, but I bring it up in order to manage Efrat (who's actually the more decent and kind of the two of us) whenever Shifra misbehaves, or worse. As in, "look at that black beauty, I know it's a shame she jumped on the table and ate that hamburger when we weren't looking, but we're saints for taking her in and saints are meant to suffer."

[Jenise]

Good for you for adopting and fostering. I have a brother who I got back together with after a 20 year estrangement. We aren't twins but were, prior to that, very much alike and close. It was amusing then to reconnect our lives after all that time and discover that in the meantime I had adopted 7 rescue cats, and he had adopted 4 rescue dogs and had a continuously open 5th place for a foster (now permanently filled). Yes, we were still so alike!

A puppy's fun, though, isn't it? Because like you I rescue I don't usually get kittens nor do I want to go thru all that growing up with them, they're nonetheless irresistable. Their energy and enthusiasm is so life-affirming.

My jaw hit the keyboard over the "dark dog" comment. Really???

Yes, we fostered a very nervy dark girl with sort of leopard spots and that really turned people off. It was like everything was against her. But we ran into her downtown with her adopted family a few months later and she even recognized, so that turned out well.

Of course, the same people who don't like dark dogs will probably go for Dobbermans, because that's a manly prize, but they rarely ever get abandoned.

[Robin Garr]

You mean here?

Aw, what a handsome pupper! Is that Shiphrah as in Shiphrah and Puah?

Actually, the other dog is Gary and Gary and Shifra were a couple in a local sitcom when the kids were growing up. It's the kind of name I usually (unsuccessfully) try to push, but this time, because it was their idea, it made the cut.

I will one day have a dog called Indiana. That line is still one of my favorite in movie history, I just have a lot of fond memories of a lot of dogs.

[Jenise]

Actually, the other dog is Gary and Gary and Shifra were a couple in a local sitcom when the kids were growing up. It's the kind of name I usually (unsuccessfully) try to push, but this time, because it was their idea, it made the cut.

I will one day have a dog called Indiana. That line is still one of my favorite in movie history, I just have a lot of fond memories of a lot of dogs.

What's Indiana from? I'm unfamiliar.

Re naming, we once had a two Siamese we named Herb and Gladys, so I get it. In fact, Gladys was one of the first purebreds we ever had--we don't seek that out, it just happened in her case to be so. We don't believe in breeding so it was only on a lark that we decided to register her. The registration form required three names and strongly suggested including the name of the kennel (i.e. Flavor Straw of Pugways Champion Kennels) to assure one of three names would go thru on the first try. If the first name has already been used, they go the 2nd, etc. Anyway, I only filled in the first line: Gladys Stone, fairly confident that I didn't need any other. I didn't.

What a cutie!
I don't think 1974 is considered one of the worst vintages for claret- I'd save that for '63, '65, '72, '73, '84,etc
I've had some pretty good ones from large format (LMHB, HB, Trot) and HB was pretty good in 750. Glad Montrose worked out

Jenise, it's from Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail.

Henry: Come on, Junior.
Indiana: Will you please stop calling me Junior?
Sallah: Please, what does this mean? Always with this Junior?
Henry: That's his name: Henry Jones, Junior.
Indiana: I like Indiana.
Henry: We named the dog Indiana.
Sallah: The dog? You are named after the dog. (laughs)
Marcus: Can we go home please?
Indiana: I have a lot of fond memories of that dog.

(In the prelude to the film, young Indiana, played by Phoenix River, is shown chasing robbers with his dog, which we find out in the end is named Indiana).

[David M. Bueker]

Saw that pic on Facebook...pretty puppy!