Last night my SO and I held a small dinner to celebrate our fathers, both of whom passed on 13 and 14 years ago, respectively. My Mom was the guest of honor, and we made a meal that would have made both Dads quite proud (if not full): saucisson sec to start, then butternut squash soup, followed by veal chops in a mushroom cream sauce with spinach and ending with salad with 19 month-old Comte smuggled in from France. And, of course, there were some nice wines…
-NV Perrier Jouet Grand Brut
Mom brought this along, and it was quite nice if soft, a perfect apperitif wine that went quite nicely with the saucisson sec. Nothing to get too excited about, but good if a tad simple. I prefer the geekier stuff, but wasn’t about to make a fuss and wouldn’t say no if someone handed me a glass (unlike the Piper Heidsieck red label I had the other night which was just VILE).
- 2000 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape
I opened this about 4 hours before dinner and it was funkmaster flash, with some brambly black berries hidden underneath the Mourvedre’s stink. Not in a bad way, more like it was slightly angry at being opened and needed to relax a bit to calm down. So back to the cellar it went, standing up open and breathing, its temper cooling down a bit. When I went back to pour it 4 hours later, it had chilled and was ready to party. Gorgeous aromas of bright black berries, leather, roast meats/bacon, with a vivacious and energetic aspect that showed it was a happy wine. The structure was both rustic and elegant at the same time, starting off kind of rough around the edges but as it travelled through the palate it smoothed out and showed its class. Tannins were fully integrated, this was a gorgeous beast, like a proud showdog that’s got a wild streak of wolf still in him. The finish was beautifully long too, and it went surprisingly well with the food.
Pretty sure both Dads would approve of that dinner.
Cheers!