Before dinner we shared an old bottle of Vin Sauvage Brut NV Champagne in front of the fire in our living room. We drank about half of the bottle and saved the remainder for dessert,
Christmas dinner for the two of us was Osso Bucco, fixed in the style of a old Spice Islands recipe, with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and artichoke hearts. The two inch thick veal shanks were braised in a rich vegetable stock for 3 1/2 hours and served over Saffron Risotto. Wine was a nice 1993 Parusso Barolo ‘Vigna Munie’ - cork saturated a rough half inch, dark ruby color; rich flowery cherry fruit, on initial pour an hour before dinner it was quite tannic, with time in our Grande Bourgone Riedel glasses the tannins resolved, with only the fruit and adequate acidity remaining; with a long flowery fruit finish.
Then for dessert we had two more slices of the lovely pecan pie that Daniel Hall sent us with the last half of the Vin Sauvage Brut. This time we heated them in the oven and the pie was very good this way. The Champagne was quite nice with the pecan pie.