My wife planned a surprise trip to Tampa and dinner at Bern’s to celebrate my upcoming birthday with some good friends. The food was delicious, the service impeccable and the wine and the company were wonderful. Brad Dixon was our sommelier for the evening. He certainly is a professional. It was evident that he really knows his large cellar and was truly committed to making our evening special. Thanks Brad. The only glitch of the evening was a text we all received at the same time informing us that our flight home Sunday morning was cancelled. Southwest grounded part of their fleet for inspections. We were able to get on a flight Sunday evening and there are worse things that can happen to a person than having to spend another beautiful day on the beach at the Don Cesar. If anyone else goes to Bern’s for the first time, be sure to get a tour of the kitchen and the wine cellar. It makes it very apparent how professional the people are that work there. The wines:
1992 Jean-Mark Boillot Puligny Montrachet- Tropical fruit nose and palate. Just perfect condition, no signs of oxidation. This wine just kept opening more and more with time. Long finish. Interesting what perfect cold storage can do for a village level wine that has the right stuff to begin with.
1974 Dujac Bonne Mares- Light garnet with that wonderful aged Burg nose from the start. Earth, secondary fruit flavors some smoke and a long finish. To me the word to describe this wine is “precise”. Just wonderful Not an easy vintage, but interesting what a good producer can do in difficult years.
1961 Troplong-Mondot- Dark Ruby and unexpectedly young looking. Black fruit and mint on the nose. Well balanced an a nice finish but didn’t have the aged Bordeaux flavors I enjoy. Well made but I just didn’t feel the love, however several at the table thought it was the best wine so far.
1989 Bruno Giacosa Barolo- Flowers, tar, red fruit and spices burst from the glass. Medium body, resolved tannin and a long,long finish. this wine is in a great place right now and has many years ahead of it. (to be fair, I need to disclose I have a Giacosa fetish).
1904 Lafite Rothschild- This was an unexpected gift from some very generous friends at the end of the evening. I certainly feel lucky to have such friends and to get to taste this wine. It was also the only thing, animate or inanimate, at the table that night that was older than me. (They first selected a 1898 Lafite but unfortunately it was DOA).Brilliant garnet color browning at the edge. Red and black fruit, cedar, leather. Medium body,smooth delicious finish. This bottle was drinking perfectly and didn’t seem past its prime in any respect. I don’t really think “fresh” is a good word to describe mature Bordeaux but that is what kept coming to mind. What a privilege to drink this wine.
A very special evening with very special friends.
Also, my hat is off to Bern’s concerning many of their old bottles. We all know what Lafite prices are doing these days and they could make a mint selling their bottles, but they have chosen to keep them in house and keep their prices steady for their patrons enjoyment.