A member of our “Too Many Fine Wines Dinner Group” {my affectional name for it} hosted a wonderful dinner party for 10 at his home.
It was well organized and well thought out starting with a “fellowship” champagne hour on the outside back patio, 9 courses in all beginning with some exotic cheeses, pates and caviar before moving into the inside dining room for the main dishes and desserts.
Our host had put a lot of time into designing the menu and personally preparing many of the dishes and wisely, he employed 2 very competent wait staff/ servers who were kept busy throughout the evening and had it all together to efficiently prepare, serve, clear and cleanup as we moved through a 4+ hour dinner.
True to form, we had way too many fine wines as everyone brought additional wines to add to those already provided by our generous host.
We sipped 3 champagnes and snacked on appetizers for over an hour before moving into the dinning room to taste our way through 19 more wines.
Here’s the menu and wine parings:
1st course: Welcome starter cheeses with pate, crackers, breads, etc.
2nd course: Caviar with buckwheat blinis, minced onions, hard cooked eggs, yokes and whites chopped separately along with some creme fraise.
2000 PIERRE PETERS LES CHETILLONS CUVEE SPECIALE BLANC de BLANC GRAND CRU- I gave our host 3 champagne options and this was his choice; showing a bit of age, the color was a darker yellow followed by aromas of advanced notes of yellow peach, apricot and almond milk; on the palate it was more like peaches and cream with all of the aforementioned in the background; it was super rich, full bodied and even had a little weight providing a wondrous mouthfeel and adding to the length; I loved it and also recognized we caught this bottle at or near its apogee; the fruit was sourced from 3 parcels of vines ranging from 40 to 70 years old in the legendary Grand Cru village of Les Mesnil Sur Oger; years ago, I was told Taittinger also sources this fruit for their Comtes, but I do not know for sure if that is true and if so, if they are still sourcing from Les Chet.
2000 TAITTINGER COMTES de CHAMPAGNE BLANC de BLANC- the color was medium yellow; the nose was redolent of maillard reaction toasty brioche, yellow apple and golden pear and the taste profile had more of the same with an emphasis on the brioche; it was very rich and full bodied as evidenced by its creamy, oily mousse; this was the complete package and in a perfect place now although there’s enough acidity to keep this going for maybe another 10 years or so; when it came time to vote on the 3 champagnes, this was my fav.
2012 TAITTINGER COMTES de CHAMPAGNE BLANC de BLANC- I found this to be really delicious and delightful showcasing elegance and charm in its youthful state featuring citrus fruit forward notes with lemon zest in the forefront; the fruit was coated with a layer of honey while being delivered in a light honey like texture; yes, it needs much more time to evolve and expand, but I found it to be a taste and tactile treat that satisfied my palate as I tend to drink a many Grand Marques champagnes in their youth and then track them as they transition.
3rd course: Fois gras with brioche points and amarena cherry compote
1989 CHATEAU d’YQUEM SAUTERNES- our group has had many a bottle of d’Yquem including this and the 1990, but most have been in 375 ml formats and on this night, both bottles were in 750 ml; the color was a dark amber and the nose and taste notes consisted of mint and honey laden apricot delivered in a top cream like textured medium where the last taste lingered on and on; check out the colorful label; this was so good.
1990 CHATEAU d’YQUEM SAUTERNES- the color was a dark amber; the nose and taste was a milder version of the 1989, but still with loads of richness, body and texture; honeyed white peach and yellow apple made up a lot of the taste profile with some pineapple arriving past mid palate; the ’89 was bigger and creamer and this was more elegant charming.
1976 BERWEILER-PRUM EBBEN WEHLENER SONNENUHR BERRENAUSLESE RIESLING- Wow! the label was unique and impressive, but what was in the bottle was even more so; following its dark red amber hued color came aromas of wild apricot, plum, red cherry and spicy caramel which continued on to the back end while being delivered in a tactile pleasing creamy texture; its viscosity may have been its hallmark and I secretly laughed at the thought that it might have been better to have poured it out of a small bottle dropper.
4th course: Sautéed scallops with beurre blanc sauce and caviar topper.
2013 PIERRE-YVES COLIN-MOREY EN REMILLY SAINT AUBIN 1er Cru- I’ve had many a bottle of this fabulous wine and all have been stupendous, but this one was super funky with matchstick flint dominating the minerality and overwhelmed citrus notes; it was so closed and on a night with a plethora of wines, I did not have time to allow it to open up as it seemed to need more than the few minutes I had it in the glass before having to move on or before someone lit a match and our dining room blew up. One or two liked it when it came time to vote; so, I assume they must have allowed more time to follow it.
2014 AUBERT LAUREN ESTATE VINEYARD SONOMA COAST CHARDONNAY- I loved this bottle for its tasty yellow apple fruit and honeysuckle notes, smooth texture and its gracefulness.
2014 WILLIAM FEVRE LES PREUSES GRAND CRU CHABLIS- this had a light yellow color and aromas of white flowers and mineral accented citrus and honeydew melon fruit; it was medium to full bodied and finished with everything coming together after a gentle ride through the palate.
1994 ZIND-HUMBRECHT ALSACE CLOS WINDSBUHL VENDANGE TARDIVE PINOT GRIS- dark, red amber color; apricot was the most prevalent aroma and in the taste, but it was joined on the palate by honeysuckle, yellow bruised apple, yellow peach, tangerine and a coat of honey; it had a marvelous mouthfeel and an impressive finish that never wanted to quit.
5th course: Roasted pheasant over butter lettuce/ endive salad with pomegranate.
2013 LUCINE LE MOINE ECHEZEAUX GRAND CRU- this is one of the wines that really suffered with the onslaught of wines and little time to allow them to open up and evolve; it started out with some wild and tart cranberry/ red cherry and then a little burnt accent showed up before it mellowed out with some nice spicy and talc flavored red raspberry joined in; it was full bodied with layered complexity and had nice feel and length; a decant would have been helpful and/or more time.
1999 COMTE de VOGUE CHAMBOLLE MUSINGNY 1er Cru- unlike the 2013 Echezeaux before it, this was great out of the gate and then got better; initially the nose had some licorice and mint that seemed to dissipate and give way to some really nice spicy red raspberry that complimented its grainy red raspberry color; the flavor profile just kept growing as it morphed from mild and easy to full on and impressive; it was my fav in the category we voted on and one of my favs on the night.
6th course: Grilled venison chops with berries sauce and wild forest mushrooms also paired with the above 2 wines.
1996 GIUSEPPE MASCARELLO e FIGLIO MONPRIVATO BAROLO- I loved this wine first for its unadulterated pretty red purple color and then for its delicious taste profile that included unexpected spicy red raspberry, strawberry and red currant as well as its velvety mouthfeel and crescendoed grand finish.
1967 GIUSEPPE MASCARELLO e FIGLIO MONPRIVATO BAROLO- the color on this bottle was medium red and quite the faded contrast to the 1996; the nose had musty, dusty, dirty aged, dried red and dark fruit that translated into cranberry, red plum and black currant with noticeable sweetness once tasted.
7th course: Braised short ribs with shallots, mashed potatoes, and a side of steamed broccolini with herbs and butter.
1979 CHATEAU MARGAUX- following its dark red purple browning color came aromas of leather and earth laden black currant that were joined by red plum and black licorice once tasted at which point, some pretty stiff tannins showed up and it finished very dry; there were definite glimmers of some righteous juice in this bottle, but that might have been 5 or 10 years ago.
1995 CHATEAU CALON-SEGUR SAINT ESTEPHE- the first one to receive this pronounced it corked and I passed in favor of not having to thoroughly clean out my glass that was one of 4 large Bordeaux stems reused throughout the evening.
2014 CHATEAU LUNCH- BAGES PAUILLAC- this was pretty big and certainly fruit forward with concentrated ripe dark fruit from the nose through the tail; blackberry, black cherry and accents of graphite, dark chocolate and cedar; I drank lots of LB from the 1970s through the 90s and loved them for their fruitiness and easy of drinking early on and later on; this was almost the anthesis in that it was really not ready being very big and bold with lots of depth, complexity and intensity; but, there were strong suggestions of something really good forthcoming down the line.
2012 RENE ROSTAING LA LANDONNE COTE-ROTIE- I’m a pepper freak and this was loaded from the nose and all the way through with a streak of black pepper, probably imported- ha; the pepper accent complimented the wonderful fresh blueberry fruit that also inundated the aromatics and through the finish; meanwhile, it was being delivered in a super smooth textured medium and even though I’m simplifying the taste profile, it was superlative and my 2nd fav red in the grouped pairings with Burgundy and Rhone.
2001 GUIGAL HERMITAGE EX-VOTO ROUGE- this was the debut release of the Hermitage Ex-Voto which is made in exceptional years; it spent 42 months in new French oak and was sourced from 4 vineyard sites, l’Hermite, Les Murets, Les Greffieux and Les Bessards; this was undoubtedly the most intense, concentrated wine on the night as evidenced first by its dark, inky purple color and then serious aromas of blackberry and blueberry that also made up a major portion of the taste profile along with embellishing accents of tar, tobacco and licorice; it had layered complexity and depth, was full bodied and was highly energetic dancing along the palate to the back end where it hung on seemingly forever; this was appropriately decanted prior to serving.
1996 PENFOLDS GRANGE SOUTH AUSTRALIA- 94% Shiraz, 6% Cabernet Sauvugnon; after the huge Ex Voto before it, I expected this to be its equal or more but that was not the case as this bottle actually had elegance and charm albeit with lots of depth and length; following its dark red purple color, talc and mocha laden blueberry and black currant was most apparent in the nose and on the palate; I liked the flavor profile, but the super soft and smooth mouthfeel made it even more stellar and the finish left a coat of pleasure on my palate that I would have been just as happy to stop here and just hang out with this lovelly wine which was decanted prior to serving.
8th course: Stilton cheese wedge.
9th course: Chocolate decadence cake.
1970 FONSECA VINTAGE PORT- the color was a dark red and it suggested some red fruit which is exactly what it gave with spicy and tart red apple notes in the nose and beyond with a twice applied coat of maple flavored honey; the thick, viscous texture was the perfect compliment to the wine that was decanted prior to serving.
1964 QUINTA do NOVAL DOURO COLHEITA TAWNY PORT- this is essentially a single vintage Tawny Port that was aged in barrel for at least 7 years and bottled on demand; it was decanted prior to serving and sported a brown red color; the nose offered clove, caramel, and toffee accented sweet red berries that were joined once tasted by a sprinkling of white pepper and almond butter; it had a thick almost molasses like texture that if it was just a bit thicker, would be a nice topping for pancakes.
What a wonderful evening our host provided for us. I arrived at 5 and left a little past 11 with a vapor trail around my head and thoughts of rehydrating for a few in the cortical region of my brain.
We had an amazing group of people who bonded throughout the evening in pairs and small groups before becoming one with the common thread consisting of gratitude and joy for a great evening and a righteously shared experience.
So, now, maybe I have a new name for our dinner group:
“Too Many Fine Wines with Just Enough Fine People."
Cheers,
Blake
19 of the wines sans the 3 champagnes