WTN: Bob's Birthday wines

[Jenise]

Saturday night:

2001 Château Latour Grand Vin Pauillac
Decanted two hours before serving, very little sediment, but not quite enough time--showed best at the four hour mark. Dark red fruit that got blacker in the glass, plummy, iron-rich earth, lightly herbacious, long long finish and a deeply resonating aftertaste. Superb match with green chile cheeseburgers. Yes, you heard that right. 1/2 lb grassfed beef patty--check. Muenster cheese melted on top--check. Thick onion slices tamed in vinegar--check. Arugula and fire-roasted green chiles to speak to Latour's characteristic herbal component--check. Finally a toasted Kaiser roll for neutrality, and the best part--no sweet goopy sauce to get in the way. Burgers and fine wine--you bet it can work.


Sunday night:

2016 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Vino Spumante Di Qualità Rosè, Sangiovese
Great match for parmesan coated shrimp. Pale coral color, very dry with notes of strawberry and canteloupe. Texturally en pointe with a fine, persistent bead.

2017 Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie Chardonnay
With salad of red butter lettuce and fresh chives in a mustard vinaigrette topped with a thick, crusty disc of warm chevre cheese, plus artichoke focaccia. More integrated than our last bottle 7 months ago. Medium golden yellow with rich yellow fruits, good finish. A pretty perfect crossroads of my brother in law's preference for bigness in his chardonnays and mine for articulate and detailed minerality alongside the fruit.

With braised lamb shanks on saffron risotto, these two 92's:

1992 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon Dedication Series Columbia Valley
Pitted against a '92 Pride Cab, this didn't win. Leaner and meaner, it had astringent acidity and tannins on old underripe blackberry fruit. Surprising, as I generally love these old Ded Series wines.

1992 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa / Sonoma
Splash decanted to check on sediment--none--and returned to bottle about an hour before service. Rich red color with no browning. Exudes the swoonworthy leathery nose of a perfectly mature California cab with dark cherry and tobacco on the palate with more leather in the finish. Tannins fully resolved. A true wow wine.

And lastly, with a free-form apple tart:

1988 Y'Quem
Bob gave this to me as a birthday gift decades ago, so this year I gave it back with his birthday dinner. On pulling it out of its resting place in the cellar, I was kinda shocked by the bourbon brown color. Yes I know Sauternes can go there but last time I looked at this (been awhile!) it was the same bright golden yellow of some '01s and '02s I have. Flavor: great with the tart but for my tastes too aged. I enjoy the panoply of tart fruits in younger Sauternes and this was all toffee and brulee.

Wow, Jenise. Sounds like wine and cuisine more fab than that in a fine restaurant. Enjoyed the post. Best to you and to Bob.

[David M. Bueker]

That 2001 Latour is an amazing wine. I opened my lone bottle for my parents' birthday/anniversary/birthday trifecta in 2018.

Early 1990s Pride Cabs were consistently amazing wines. No shock it performed so well.

[Jenise]

Thanks, Pat! Yes, it was a great weekend. Actually, I'd tried to make it a whole week's worth but the failed Flaccianello and '99 Grand Cru burgundy in the days before took all the punch out of the lead-in.

David, yes on that Pride. I'm not a fan of today's Prides and I despise their Reserve, but I'm a '91/'92 vintage Cal Cab fan so was willing to take the chance. The most amazing thing? Picked them up (yes, I have another!) at auction for $41 each just a few months ago, with no competing bids. Guess your average wine buyer looking at that decade flocks to the Wine Spectator favorites '94 and '97--I'll take '95, '91 and '92 any day.

[David M. Bueker]

The Pride Reserves are a guilty pleasure, though I have not had any post-2005.

Send Bob my belated happy birthday wishes!

[Jenise]

John, will do--thanks.

Yes, belated Happy Birthday to Bob.
Latour sounds great, and a fine match
Never seen a Felsina spumante before, how cool.
I will take your and David's word re Pride. My experiences have been more recent vintages.... urrp.

[Jenise]

Dale, thanks, I'll tell him. The Felsina bubbles are fantastic, and only about $30. They're not common, but if you ever see them load up.

Your tasting note prompted me to take a look at the bottles of 1988 d'Yquem in my cellar. They are all a golden color. I think something may have gone wrong with your bottle.

-Paul W.

[Robin Garr]

Send Bob my belated happy birthday wishes!

Same from me!

[Jenise]

Thanks, Paul, for the report. I'm not surprised. I've had 30 year old Y'Quems before (albeit always from 750 IIRC) that were correct on color like yours, barely a shade more golden than on initial release.

To Jenise: I envy both of you your digestions: I had to turn down invitations to join the Chevaliers du Tastevin and La Commanderie de Bordeaux because my digestion could not handle the very delicious but very rich food served with the wines (to quote Oscar Wilde, I can resist anything but temptation). The 2001 Latour was apparently a fine wine from a so-so year. Long ago the Wine Spectator apparently gave a slightly higher rating to the Woodward Canyon than the Pride Mountain. I was surprised that the Yquem had "browned" after a relatively short time for that exceptional wine. It sounds as if you had a fabulous time. All the best, Richard L l

[Jenise]

I bought a lot of '01s. I realize the critical expectation was low, and of course '00 was a hard act to follow, but anyone who bought deep into '01 like I did has been pretty happy about it.

And besides, someone had to buy them. Once upon a time in Burgundy, a lady vigneron went ape-shit when I--then under the influence of the Wine Spectator and vintage ratings--asked an unfortunate question about one vintage vs. another. She said, "They are all my children, and they are all different. Some show how clever they are early on, some are late bloomers. In Burgundy we do not drink the vintages in order, we drink the clever early ones while we wait for the late bloomers--they all have a place. You Americans who come here and only want the "best vintages" are no good to us and leave us to starve the rest of the time...."

It was a spanking to be sure. And I've never looked at vintages the same way since. I really don't care about ratings. Especially after 20 years.

To Jenise: You make an excellent point. I am finally beginning to think that i should just go with my characterization of the wines and pay no attention to whether or not they came from a fine year. it will make things much simpler. It is so good to have found a forum where there is information I can use. Many thanks, Richard L

[Jenise]

There's a lovely saying floating around that after X amount of time, there are no good vintages, only good bottles. I heard it long ago, and have finally lived long enough to know that, once Madame Nicolai's axiom about the talents of her children has been applied to selection along the way, this is also true.