I posted last week about my mom’s 95th birthday. This week brought another milestone: our 30th anniversary. Like Mom’s birthday, we decided a big milestone deserved more than one night, so we celebrated over several days, sometimes just the two of us and sometimes with close friends.
We started the weekend before our actual anniversary at dinner with two old friends, and I brought two old favorites.
The 2013 Vilmart Emotion Rosé was stunning. It opened with a dominant creamy strawberry note, followed by red cherry, orange and spice. A monumental rosé, one of my favorite vintages of this cuvée and easily one of my top five sparkling rosés in general.
We followed that with a wine we’ve opened on our anniversary for decades, the 1996 Calon Ségur. Gorgeous. More tertiary than secondary and more advanced than my previous bottle, but by no means past its prime. Leathery, earthy, mushroomy goodness with cassis and tobacco and a long, complex finish. Our friends didn’t like it, so I won’t waste an older wine on them again 
. But I loved it, and even Marybeth, who drinks very little red wine anymore, loved it, as did the staff we shared it with.
A couple of days later we were at the home of another couple, close friends, and I opened a Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle magnum that I thought was the 23rd Iteration. Unfortunately, with these older Grand Siècles there’s no way to know exactly what you’re opening until you see the cork code.
This one turned out to be much older than I thought, although it showed phenomenally fresh, as these wines so often do. The D50E cork code suggests disgorgement in the fourth quarter of 2005. Considering roughly 10 to 12 years on the lees, it was most likely the 1990/1993/1995 blend, Iteration 17, although there’s a chance it was the 1993/1995/1996 blend, Iteration 18.
It’s amazing how young these drink. Blind, I would have guessed 21st century for sure. It started with peach and citrus, particularly lemon and grapefruit, then gradually developed subtle signs of age, including gingerbread and coffee. Fresh, complex and a revelation. I’d say this bottle has another 30 years of life.
I followed that with a Kelley Fox Blueberry wine, which intrigued everyone. What a nose of gorgeous, concentrated blueberry, yet dry and vinous on the palate. Always fun.
With prime bone in ribeye and black cod, both prepared perfectly by our friend, I opened a 2019 Kelley Fox Maresh Vineyard Star of Bethlehem Flower Block Pinot Noir. Kelley’s wines are so gorgeous and elegant, and everyone loved this as well. Raspberry and cranberry, delicate and beautifully balanced. I could drink these every day. A perfect pairing with the meal.
Then came our actual anniversary.
Marybeth and I stayed at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia in Vancouver and had dinner at Le Crocodile. With some very nice caviar, I opened my only bottle of 1996 Krug.
Gold to dark amber in color and definitely showing its age. More tertiary, with coffee, butterscotch, maple, grilled pineapple, ginger and some orange Crêpes Suzette. A huge, dense wine, but the acidity kept it from feeling heavy. Really nice, but I’m glad I didn’t save this for our 35th anniversary, or even our 31st. If this bottle was any indication, it was great but slightly past its apogee, even for my antiquarian palate.
The next night we celebrated at the wonderful Michelin starred Sushi Hyun Omakase. Eight seats total, two seatings, and outstanding.
I brought my only 1996 Dom Pérignon Œnothèque. It was sensational, one of my WOTYs, perhaps even one of my wines of the decade. So remarkably fresh for a 30 year old vintage, in color, aroma and flavor. Meyer lemon and pear, pastry, then later caramel and cacao. A long, dazzling finish. A revelation.
I might have to track down more. While I have many more growers than Grandes Marques in the cellar, it’s hard to imagine a wine topping this one. I don’t score wines, but this was perfection.
As I threw my third sheet to the wind, I spotted the 2013 Cristal Rosé on the wine list. In my joyful and slightly inebriated state, the price somehow seemed fair. Fortunately, Marybeth said, “Really? I guess if you truly want it.” That was enough to rein me in… a little.
I bought the 2015 Cristal instead, for much less than half the price of the Rosé.
It was another beauty, although it was hard to follow the Dom. Most young Cristal, in my experience, is somewhat dominated by lemon. While this had some of that character, it showed more complexity than I normally associate with young Cristal, perhaps because of the warm vintage. Not a trace of the green character I’ve found in some other 2015s. Lemon, pear, chamomile, brioche and saline.
I didn’t buy any 2015 for the cellar, but I will if I see a reasonable offer.
We still have plans tomorrow night with another couple, so our 30th anniversary “week” apparently isn’t over yet. I may have to add to this thread.
More importantly, I realize I’m a lucky guy. We’ve always had a strong marriage, but over 30 years we’ve matured together and learned each other’s needs, habits and quirks, and somehow we’re closer now than we’ve ever been. I find myself thinking almost every day that this is the best time of my life, only to have the next day feel even better than the wonderful one that preceded it. Thirty years in, I couldn’t ask for more. I’ll ride this wave as long as I can, with Marybeth by my side.
Cheers! 
