With Hackleback caviar (with crème fraiche, red onions and boiled eggs)
Krug Rose, m.v., alc 12% , $300….incredible nose upon opening with a little yeast amongst fresh strawberries….the most delicate bubbles but quite a mouth-filling palate impression…great flavor, texture and finish…just wonderful…the way Rosé champagne should be made
With homemade mushroom and goat cheese pizza
1998 Dal Forno Romano Valpolicella Superiore, DOC, alc 15%
Bitter sweet high quality drinking Chocolate on the nose…mildly sweet initially followed by a serious plum/prune attack of the most rich fruit compote…builds slowly to a roar of flavors and only a hint of tannins on the finish…becomes more liqueur like as the finish ends… really drinking well right out of the bottle and one of the best pizza wines I have ever had…never too sweet, never too bitter just a wonderful blend of both…
With Pumpkin/Rice Soup
1994 Zind-Humbrecht Heimbourg Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive, alc 14% (375 ml)
Golden yellow color…ginger and fall baking spices and roses in a sweet package on the nose…on the palate, great smooth oily texture with ripe pears, baking spices and an exotic fruit undertone….the finish is smooth and pleasurable…excellent balance of the sugar/sweetness and alcohol level….a truly magnificent match to the soup
With Seared Scallops over apple puree, bacon (lardons) with cider “air” and a side of applesauce
1924 Huet Le Haut Lieu Moelleux Vouvray, alc 12%…popped and poured…still bright yellow and clear in the glass…nose of beeswax and a hint of lanolin…with the food…classic honeycomb, lanolin, lemon and apple notes with a tremendously youthful presentation (? 5 -10 yrs old at most)….BUT with the next glass…now very intense lanolin on the nose and citrus acidity as if you had just cut open a pink grapefruit…more bitter and a bit closed up… BUT wait…with a little time and some swirling…now in the glass the lanolin persists but now crisp ripe MacIntosh apple and honey come out in spades…
If a wine can ever be a chameleon, this is it…WOW!!..lets revisit in a while….
With Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Israeli Couscous
1990 Chateau du Beaucastel, Chateauneuf du Pape, alc 13.5%… popped and poured… a little clearing at the edges but still ruby in color….nose of horse leather, hot rocks and sweetness….in the mouth… .clean sweet and savory combine in an amazing palate attack…the fruit is rich and vibrant and the finish still shows some tannins…at an excellent point in it’s evolution but not tired in any way…great with the lamb and the spices…
To finish…a homemade apple/raisin pie with a crumb topping
1977 Joh. Jos. Prűm, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Spätlese Eiswein, AP # 2 576 511 10 78, alc 10%…(a 0,7 liter bottle) Now here is an oddity, an Eiswein that is made at the Spätlese level of ripeness…corked….damn
To replace
1999 Chateau d’Yquem Lur Saluces Sauternes, alc 13.5% (375 ml)…fairly pale clear yellow color…sweet boytris nose…only semi-sweet on the palate with a undertone of balanced bitterness that restrains and balances out the sweetness…tangerine + tangerine zest, ginger and other spices abound and the overall impression is of a fairly acidic lemony/citric attack on the palate (? Lemonheads at the movie theater OR a frozen lemonade) …quite delicate in texture…just a babe….
Overall an incredible evening of wonderful food and wine with good friends….It just doesn’t get any better than this!!!