On Thursday, just the two of us celebrated our 26 Anniversary. The 1996 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses, which I posted elsewhere, was funky upon opening, but improved with air. Really acidic, but has the concentration to get away with it. Still, not my favorite Goisse or '96 in general.
Yesterday afternoon, a friend whom I’ve known since my first day in the dorms at CU in the late 70’s stopped by with her partner while driving south from Vancouver. We had a nice lunch with deli sandwiches, which paired perfectly with a bottle of 2007 Pavelot Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode. Crisp red berries, a little earthiness, nice acidic cut. My last of a case for $39.99@. Those were the days!
We texted a group of friends Friday to see who would want to come over on Saturday for a pot luck, expecting most to decline due to short notice. We hosted 11 close friends last night, and one couple who couldn’t make it still dropped off 6 dungeness crabs they had caught and cooked that morning!
We started with another bottle of champagne from our wedding year, a magnum of 1996 Renaudin Champagne L’Espiégle. One would never guess it was a 26 year old wine. It has aged almost as well as our marriage. A new grower to me, purchased from Envoyer, and another addition to the “should have bought more” list. So beautiful and graceful, in a great drinking window that might go on for decades.
On to another anniversary year wine, served with my Cuban Black Beans (tough pairing, but it worked). 1996 Château Calon-Ségur. I’ve opened one of these annually for our anniversary since 2003. This was by far the densest, compared to previous bottles. Cigar box and leather dominate the smoky dark red fruit and licorice. Intense attack persists through a long finish. Great wine. A blast from the past, I see it was purchased from WineCommune.
Next up: 2010 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py. To my palate, 2010 is a great Cru Beaujolais vintage. Foillard struck gold in '10. Structured, great tension, crowd pleasing fruit.
2012 Domaine Faury St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes. My last bottle of this. Still in a dense fruity stage. I love Faury’s VV. Meaty with dark berries and a little green olive note. This could have used some more time on its side, but still a great St. Joesph and Q/P.
We had a 2019 Eric Bordelet Poiré Granit in the chiller, and palates were calling. Still fresh at 3 years. Unmistakable pear aromas; fruity on the palate but dry and crisp; balanced. I love Bordelet’s ciders. This was much more clearly a pear cider than earlier vintages I’ve had, which were sometimes hard to identify as fruit cider (in a good way). I think this could age a long time, but it’s so good now.
A great night, and one of the first that had the care-free feel of our pre-pandemic gatherings. Cheers to good times!