I do one or two dinners a year that focus on one wine theme or another and I decided that this one would feature older California wines – in this case from 1986 to 1993, with one additional slightly younger wine with cheese at the end. The wines had been collected by me on release and cellared since.
First wines were with nibbles – a small square of tofu on oriental soup spoons – the ceramic sort that sits flat on a tray with the handle sticking up. On the tofu (which was just a base for other ingredients, not a taste component) was a small heap of freshly grated ginger, a few finely chopped green onions, with a few drops of fresh lime juice on them. This worked out quite well with the first wine:
Mumm Napa Brut Prestige – a decent but modest California bubble, slightly off dry.
With cherry tomatoes filled with basil pesto:
Domaine Carneros Cuvee de la Pompadour – a vey nice rose bubble that could pass in a flight of champagnes, head and shoulders above the previous wine.
First course was a prosciutto wrapped Kabocha squash terrine with a celeriac/green apple salad.
1985 Joseph Phelps Insignia – this still fairly dark wine opened up over a few minutes and displayed some excellent complex notes in the nose, and on palate it was elegant while remaining quintessentially New World. It drank beautifully and was voted best of flight. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Franc.
1987 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve – slightly darker colour, with some pleasant mint, a little bricking at the edges, and a sweet plumy strawberry mélange of taste and long finish. Would have been the winner against most other pairings.
Second course was a butternut squash and bacon soup.
1990 Dominus – dark wine with a lovely sweet nose of cassis and some lead pencil shaving hints, long finish, very smooth and the unanimous winner of this pair. Would be interesting tasted blind against another Christian Moueix French wine.
1990 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection - this precedes the lamentable time when this producer decided that they could ‘improve’ their wines by oaking the heck out of them (which had exactly the opposite result). We once did a lengthy vertical of these wines and concluded that the excessive oak had pretty much ruined them for anyone with a palate set for Bordeaux. Slight green notes, significant mint and already more American than Bordeaux, back then, but still a tasty wine. Dominus was rated above this by the group.
Third course was Caprese stuffed Portobello mushrooms – thinly sliced cherry tomatoes laid on the underside of the mushrooms, anointed with garlic butter, topped with thinly sliced fresh mozzarella and lightly drizzled with balsamic vinegar with some brown sugar, reduced to a glaze, and then lightly broiled.
1992 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve – dark wine with some black/blue fruit and still dark, with an excellent nose and long supple finish.
1992 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate – a favourite of mine. Warmer nose, higher acidity, darker wine and elegant. I favoured this wine but the group decision was that the Beringer edged it out.
The main course was long braised lamb shanks on a bed of faro with several different forest mushrooms sautéed and mixed in.
1993 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon – quite ripe nose with hints of soy sauce indicated a spoiled wine. Too bad as it had showed much better the last time I had it.
1993 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks - elegant wine with a decidedly minty nose with red berry notes and some earthy anise hints. Very good.
With cheese:
1997 Turley Petite Syrah Rattlesnake Acres – interesting leathery tobacco nose, big wine with lots of sweet fruit, but now balanced and long – cheese was the best place to put this one. First bottle I’ve opened.