My wife Chris threw a little surprise birthday party for me on Friday night, celebrating a major life milestone. Yes, I’m now officially old. And hungover. So might as well write this over a very large cup of dark roasted Java. Chris already left for a team tennis match.
My dearest friends from Orlando - my wine and cycling buddies - were all there, but even better, their spouses too! Fellow berserkers @Charlie_Carnes, @KSpengler and @Marc_Frontario.
Meant a lot to me that Charlie and his wonderful wife Jules “drove” in from Winter Haven. Of course their version of driving is baller-life German RV with someone else doing the work!
I’ll start backwards here because my wife out-did herself: the dessert. Paired with 1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild.
Oh wait, is that real, is that Rudy, is that . . . edible? Yes folks, that’s a cake. I have no idea how my wife’s friend made that, but it was a work of art. Every part of it was edible, even the wood box! The detail on the label was exceptional. And the cake, the black forest cake, was truly spectacular! We felt bad cutting into it, but it had to happen. This is hedonism, as someone quipped.
Paired this with an electric 1965 Kropke Porto Colheita. This is a spectacular tawny. Quite rich, with dried orange marmalade, candied toasted walnuts, figs and dusty notes of cocoa. Just a glorious drink. Lively citrus acids to keep this aging beauty, like me, quite fresh. I think a Sercial Madeira or a Cognac would have been a better pairing but hard to complain with a mature, quality tawny like this. Followed it all night and it just kept getting better. (95 pts.)
Me, MarcF and Charlie.
Ok I’ll go back to the start. I love surprise parties for me. Especially those where I learn about the party six weeks out and therefore can plan the menu and the drinks accordingly! Chris booked it at our favorite restaurant in town, Kabooki Sushi, in one of the side party rooms. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve eaten at this restaurant over 100 times and would happily go there every single week. Everything Chef Henry touches is genius. I’m also not exaggerating when I say he also makes the best pan seared ribeye I’ve ever had.
A fun menu that had things on it that should appeal to anyone, even two of my friends who are gluten-free! Kicked off the party with a little cocktail thing, White Linen, a concoction of gin, elder flower liquor, soda, lemon, and cucumber. It’s a regular drink in my group for parties, we all dig it and gets everybody well-lubricated for the evening!
And then voila, straight to magnums of 2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut and NV Krug, and quickly followed by the 2015 Dom Pérignon. Just some brief note as I was really more focused on my friends and the fun, but hard not to have mental notes of some of these spectacular wines as you are enjoying them, paired with an incredible array of sushi bites. The magnums were perfect for this night as it allowed us to follow the champagnes over the course of the evening, while we were opening and enjoying other things as well. I’m surprised to say this, but I give the nod tonight to the Krug, after a day or so ago, declaring that 2008 Cristal was my favorite Young champagne ever. Or maybe that statement can still remain true as this wine is starting to evolve, seems like it is putting on some weight, tangy with a great range of citrus notes. Always so crystalline and pure fruit. Lots of structure to this wine as well. @MChang could be right here. It’s taut right now. The Krug was wide open, effusive, with a big powerful and expansive mousse. Love the house oxidative style, some kisses of Sherry, lemon curd and toasted walnuts. The 15 Dom doesn’t hit the high notes of 13 and 8 for me but it is quite approachable, creamy and inviting. The Dom was drained very fast, definitly a crowd pleaser! The lobster nigiri with white soy and that Krug was so $$$. Just delish.
Sounds sacrilegious to eat meat at a Sushi joint, but trust me, the dry-aged ribeyes are insane. We had four of these giants for the group, and gracefully, I have a few slices leftover for today!
Knowing these were coming after the sushi courses, we started diving into the reds, magnums of 1989 Chateau Magdelaine and 2015 Allemand Cornas Reynard. The Magdelaine was pure silk, so quintessentially classic old school St Emilion. Warm evocative perfume of dried red fruits and spicey plums, soft balsam, umami and dry earthy notes. The palate is just gorgeous, silky and fully-integrated, tannins like butter. The 2015 Allemand was a big blast by comparison, all gamy with dark ripe fruits, pepper spice, earth and florals. As gorgeous as the Magdelaine was, it took the Allemand to standup to the richness of the ribeye. This is an excellent 2015 Northern Rhone, not really a vintage that I would normally buy up, but Thierry put on a masterclass of wine making here. This is a young wine, but approachable, and it clearly has decades ahead of it, especially in Magnum format.
Sitting next to @Charlie_Carnes is dangerous. “Meats” as we affectionately call him, is like the energizer bunny with a hollow leg. He gets into a zone and can go nonstop for hours. And what’s my point, just when you think you have reached the saturation level, we start popping more bottles!
I sourced two pristine bottles of 1965 Charles Krug Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage Selection and one of those needed to be popped tonight. My understanding is that this is the last vintage that Robert Mondavi made before he started his eponymous winery that we all grew to know and love. I also understand this is predominantly if not all To Kalon fruit. But what I do now is this is classic old school Napa Cabernet. Obviously more tertiary than anything else at this point, but still showing a lovely melange of red and dark fruits, and a broad range of dry earthy notes, cedar, tobacco, saddle leather, and I also detected a very subtle vein of eucalyptus. Just excellent. And alive!
Followed this beauty with a classic St Em comparison: the 1982 Chateau Canon versus the 1983 Chateau Canon. Vintages where Canon really did showcase. One would think that the 1982 would eclipse the 1983, but that is decidedly not the case. @Marc_F and I have been enjoying a handful of 1983s over the last year or two, and some of them are drinking so beautifully. It’s a much more savory and red-fruited vintage compared to 1982, which obviously is showing bigger, darker, riper, fruits, but both have excellent citrus acids to keep them fresh. Just a fantastic pairing with two wines still in their zone, but I do think the window on the 1983 is closing.
It was a bit decadent closing to the evening. I literally have five glasses of wine in front of me ranging from the remainder of the 2008 Cristal, the Cannons and Krug, and the port. And more black Forrest cake. We were eventually kicked out of the establishment.
Just a wonderful memorable birthday celebration with my closest friends and their spouses, I really could not have asked for more. My birthday is on Wednesday, so that will be around two with family and my son comes to town. I’m already planning the wine menu!
