With Red Pepper & Green Onion Consommé and Sourdough Bread w/Honey Butter we had Hart’s Cellars ’04 Sparkling Cuvee – a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that adequately got things started as we broke the ice.
With Bacon Wrapped Red Snapper stuffed with Shrimp and Cucumber & Tomato Salad came 2004 Chanson Pere Fils Mersault (Burgundy). I purchased this bottle a few weeks ago at an AWS wine tasting and was impressed with it. With and vibrant fruit with the slight buttery and oak undertones, it paired up nicely with this dish.
The main course consisted of Boeuf Bourguignonne, Parsleyed Potatoes and Green Beans. Ed decanted the Leroy 1988 Richebourg (Burgundy) that he brought for about an hour before pouring. He was a bit anxious about the cork condition, but it was in perfect condition. Clear deep ruby colored with good acid structure (I was having trouble smelling). Next I pulled the cork on a 1982 Baden Affentaler Spaetburgunder (Germany). This wine was a gift from my brother-in-law who picked it up for me while visiting Germany a few years ago, mostly because of the novelty of the “Monkey” bottle. But, alas, the cork had dried out and the wine had madierized badly. So then I tried a 1979 Chateau La Lagune (Bordeaux). I discovered this wine in my sister’s basement and little hope for this, as she has ruined many bottles over the years by poor storage (standing upright on the dining room floor in direct sunlight, etc.), but what a very pleasant surprise. This wine is a fifth growth Grand Cru and comes from the southern most classified chateau in Bordeaux. Clear, deeply colored blackish-red and a well integrated tannin structure. We didn’t finish this, so the next day I asked my son, who gave up drinking for Lent, to smell it. “Plums” he said immediately.
With Grapes, Nuts, Crackers & Cheese we had to decide on whether to open the Trimbach 1989 Selection de Grains Nobles Gewurtaminer (Alsace) or the Domaine Bourillon de Orleans 1989 Selection de Grains Nobles (Vouvray), both of which Ed brought. Ed forced me to decide, so I chose the Vouvray. I never knew there was such a thing as late harvest dessert Vouvray! It was excellent – that Chenin character all concentrated and sweet, but it had sufficient acidity to balance nicely.
I was planning coffee and chocolate cake w/cherry topping and as it turned out, Walt and Laura brought a nice bottle of Hunt Country Ruby Port (Finger Lakes). However, it was getting late in the evening and Ed and Anne needed to relieve their baby sitter (I almost forgot about those days), so I prepared some of the dessert for them to take home. Walt and Laura stayed for a while longer as had the port with the cake, but nobody was interested in coffee. While I have to admit it was but wasn't the best port I've had, it was decent and a good match. The next morning I discovered that Ed left behind the Trimbach 1989 Selection de Grains Nobles Gewurtaminer (Alsace). I guess I'll have to cellar that until we get together again.
It was a fun evening with some darn good wines and some great company.
