I had a '47 d’Yquem last week and it had blue cheese with it, and it completely overpowered it and wrecked it for that sip. This was a very sweet and intense wine too.
You can see from my photo it was quite ‘blue’ so I’d exercise some caution…
Love the photos! And duly noted on the blue cheese. Strong ones have never been a favorite of mine with (youngish) Sauternes, so would be dubious anyway.
Bumping since we will finally open this tomorrow. Any thoughts on service? I’m planning on decanting about one hour ahead of time to remove tartrates/cork/whatever and lightly chilling in an ice bath.
Pair it with ME!
Pair it with ME!
If you are open to experiment, you could consider to pair it with caramelized thin strips of bacon with small drops of honey and roasted seseme seeds. In any case, don’t over-chill the wine. Around 14-16 degrees C should be perfect.
Enjoy!!!
Hi Barry,
Sorry!
Sorry! (LOL)
Freek,
my passive cellar has warmed to almost 18c and the ice bath cooled it to around 15. I ended up pairing with Lobster in Sauternes:
It was a great pairing! More later.
Stinky cheese. Or at least have some handy.
We had our little luncheon and all came off splendidly. The lobster and Sauternes matched the aged beauty perfectly. We also shared an obscure Mosel 1985 Reichensteiner, both for the vintner as well as the grape. This Weingut no longer exists, and I am sure the Reichensteiner has been pulled up as well. We drank this with BBQ roast chicken and sauerkraut in Riesling (also cooked on the 'Q.) This segued into a 1998 Clos Vougeot, which was pretty nice as well. Finally we ended with Blenheim apricot tart with coffee and apricot schnapps on the side. All was good, and the company better.
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1927 Château Rieussec - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (7/7/2018)
Striking dark gold color. Mild roasted almond, honey and lychee on the nose. Butter, almond, orange peel, toffee interplayed and meshed well on the palate. This is supposed to be an off vintage, and while it struck me at times as slightly dilute, the 1927 Rieussec was quite lovely. Paired extremely well with lobster in Sauternes. Excellent. (93 pts.)
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1985 Leo Ames-Scheer Zeltinger Himmelreich Reichensteiner Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (7/7/2018)
“The failed experiment.” These were the words of the vintner’s son the previous time I drank this. My thoughts were more along the lines of “my, what an interesting wine.” Deep yellow but not golden color. Hay and lemon on the nose. Grassy lemon on the palate. Sweet sensation too on the palate, but the finish is dryer with more of a citrus finish. This bottle went fast. Excellent. (91 pts.)
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1998 Jean Raphet et Fils Clos Vougeot Cuvée Unique - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru (7/7/2018)
Fairly firm darkish red with some ruby color. Not at all muddy as some burgundies get with age. Cherry and forest floor with some barnyard on the nose, though not particularly dirty. Upon opening it was pretty muted. Around four hours later the palate really opened up with glimpses of cherry, cranberry, mint, and citrus peel. If you were looking for a stunning Grand Cru experience, move on. However this minor vintner in an off year put together a pleasurable wine. Excellent. (90 pts.)
So glad to hear you had a great experience and that the recommendation of Lobster worked well for you and your guests. Such a treat to get to experience something like that in good company.
Paul, thank you so much for this thread.
Best to your mother, she looks full of joy!
Glad the pairing suggestion worked out 
FWIW I have increasingly come around to the idea, expressed by Francois and a few others (?), that sauternes in non-celebrated vintages can be great food wines in general due to the higher acidity-to-sweetness ratio
You and Kirk called it! This was, indeed, a great “food wine”. With the benefit of hindsight I can now state best with a mildly sweet dish (lobster) or on its own. Unlike a younger Sauternes, a strong blue cheese would have been overwhelming with it.
BTW those that suggested (very) mild blue or salty, savory hard cheeses were probably spot on as well.
One last photo. It was very easy to insert the worm, but it helped to keep the integrity of the cork as well as prevent it from being pushed into the bottle upon insertion of the ah so.
The idea of putting an old Sauternes in the middle of a meal is interesting.
Concerning foie gras, it is possible, but I prefer it poached than as a terrine because the fat adds to the fat.
The idea of lobster is very good. It is also possible to cook a chicken very simply and the white meat of the chicken goes very well with a Sauternes.
Of 1927 I have drunk Doisy Barsac, Yquem and a Sainte-Croix du Mont Chateau Terfort. They are delicate, not powerful, and with the Doisy we had a dessert with grapefruit and tea which was excellent.
It is very nice to explore new combinations because old Sauternes are delicate and flexible.
Hi François,
Thanks for the thoughtful response. From an oenophile perspective, this was a pretty exciting meal (except, perhaps, for the Clos Vougeot.) The order of wines was upended with Sauternes before white, but it worked well. Pairing the Sauternes with a savory course that wasn’t Fois Gras or Roquefort was exciting as well. For some present it was also their first experience with an aged Mosel as well as a Reichensteiner. Pairing Mosel wines with more savory, non-Asian foods can work well, and it was a pleasure to introduce some to this.
What type of corkscrew is that? It looks similar to a Durand with a fixed helix?
Hi Mark,
That is a replacement worm being used in conjunction with a Monopol cork puller. Monopol: €22 Worm: €0.50