I think I know the answer but...

With our wives out of town together, my brother-in-law has offered to bring over a prize Bordeaux (1983, but unnamed beyond that), if I will cook us a meal worthy of it. I think I know the answer but I'm insecure, and I have only a day to think about it. Please help. Walter Beale, Greensboro, NC

[Robin Garr]

With our wives out of town together, my brother-in-law has offered to bring over a prize Bordeaux (1983, but unnamed beyond that), if I will cook us a meal worthy of it. I think I know the answer but I'm insecure, and I have only a day to think about it. Please help. Walter Beale, Greensboro, NC

Hi, Walter! It's so nice to see you ... it's been a while, and glad you've dropped in.

Simple answer: For me, a fine, aged wine should be the star of the show, and the dinner should form a simple, compatible backdrop. Nothing fancy, nothing spicy. I'd advice red meat in the form of an excellent steak or maybe prime rib or other fine roast beef. The meat will sing with the wine, and simple accompaniments - salad, green vegetable, potatoes or bread - will be all you need to frame it with simplicity.

How's this for starters:
Champagne
Shrimp Cocktail
French Onion Soup
Cucumber & tomato salad
1983 Bordeaux
Grilled Steak
Baked Potato
Trockenbeerenauslese
Apples & Cheddar
Espresso
Strawberry Shortcake

Rack of Lamb.

[Jenise]

Yup, lamb or beef. A good rare steak, or rack of lamb. Walt, ever do rack of lamb? Smear the top with dijon mustard, sprinkle over some black pepper and dried herbs (tarragon or basil say), then press on some bread crumbs. Drizzle a little evoo over and bake at 450 for about 20 minutes, reduce the heat at that point to warm and open the oven door slightly and let it rest another 30 and bingo, you're ready to serve some pretty fine Bordeaux-friendly red meat.

Beef with Burgundy; lamb with Bordeaux.

[Jenise]

Beef with Burgundy; lamb with Bordeaux.

You really buy into that? Especially if the beef is a rare steak, not meat softened by braising?

Beef with Burgundy; lamb with Bordeaux.

You really buy into that? Especially if the beef is a rare steak, not meat softened by braising?

Yes, I do. From experience: there is something about Bordeaux that picks up rosemary, a seasoning common on lamb but almost never seen on beef, while Burgundy works really well with tarragon & thyme, mutatis mutandis.

Though I will admit that, unless the beef is really good beef, I'd almost always prefer a roast game bird (and Rhone wine).

I'm with Jeff (sort of): lamb gets the nod ahead of beef for aged Bordeaux. For seriously old Bdx, I prefer that culinary tabula rasa roast chicken. For less old stuff, lamb and goose are my preferred vehicles. The finest Burgundy foil I've had to date was squab, but YMMV of course. And simple preparations are the best to me.

Mark Lipton

83 is a bit of a plummy vintage. Expect, too, some leathery character in the wine.

If you can get dry aged beef tenderloin, that would be my choice. I would roast it a la chateaubriand and serve a red wine demiglace reduction sauce.

Seared, then roasted, duck breast would get my next nod. deglaze pan with red wine, add some blackberries and reduce. Sweeten it slightly, if needed, with a dollop of blackberry or plum jam.

I don't use this forum often enough to be sure that I've entered correctly and that you'll see this, but I want to thank everyone for suggestions last week on what to serve with that (as then unnamed) 1983 Bordeaux. For the record, I went with a rack of lamb, and the matchup was gorgeous. I'm also happy to report that the particular 1983 that showed up at my house was a Mouton Rothschild, and it also was gorgeous--very bright and aromatic, surprisingly fruity and structured (not a bit plummy), and a loveliness that just got deeper and deeper in the glass. One of my happiness wine experiences.

I don't use this forum often enough to be sure that I've entered correctly and that you'll see this, but I want to thank everyone for suggestions last week on what to serve with that (as then unnamed) 1983 Bordeaux. For the record, I went with a rack of lamb, and the matchup was gorgeous. I'm also happy to report that the particular 1983 that showed up at my house was a Mouton Rothschild, and it also was gorgeous--very bright and aromatic, surprisingly fruity and structured (not a bit plummy), and a loveliness that just got deeper and deeper in the glass. One of my happiness wine experiences.

Hi Walter,

Thank you for the follow-up post. I'm glad to hear the rack of lamb and Mouton Rothschild worked out so well. I shudder to think what kind of wine my Brother-in-Law would have brought for dinner.