Food Wine & Friends Page 287
Our old Friend Merrick Dowson (we knew him so long ago when he
was called "Jimmy") said he had a Bordeaux from Alexia's vintage and
perhaps we might organize something to celebrate her birthday.
So a bit after her birthday and just prior to his we put together some vittles
and set the dinner table.
Alexia brought a bottle of Dom Perignon to celebrate.
1993 Oenotheque...it's essentially a late-disgorged version of Dom Perignon,
this bottle being disgorged in 2005.
Henry! took care of opening the bottle and pouring.
We had a few nibbles out on the table to accompany the
Champagne.
The wine was very toasty and bready thanks to its extended aging on the spent
yeast. It was moderately effervescent, being a bit less energetic than a
young bottle of Champagne.
Very fine, though.
As we drained that bottle, we popped the cork on another venerable bottle of
Champagne.
1990 Clicquot.
This was another nice bottle of old Champagne. It was lightly bubbly at
the start and then it seemed to go a bit flat. The acidity in this,
though, was remarkable and it was nicely dry and quite tart.
We then sat down at the dinner table, beginning with a salad and some smoked
trout.
I purchased some really fresh Sea Scallops at the Burlingame
Fresh Market and these looked promising.
The wine looked promising, too.
The Sea Scallops were seared in Olive Oil and Butter, having only been seasoned
with salt and pepper.
The spinach was sautéed with onions, golden raisins and pistachios.
Nice!
The Meursault from Henri Boillot was excellent...a bit young, but toasty, mildly
smoky, stony, etc. And it paired handsomely with the sweet sea scallops.
Merrick then decanted a shoulder-level filled bottle of
Bordeaux.
This was brown in color and unusually dark. I was surprised by the
intensity of the color...the nose was quite old, a bit past its prime, for
sure. The flavors were somewhat brighter, though.
We opened Alexia's bottle of Pomerol from La Conseillante.
This, too, was quite mature. I recall it being remarkably complex in its
youth. We had tasted one at maybe six or eight years of age and it was
closing in on its peak I thought.
This bottle was quite old, though (as it should be) and was a wine of interest,
if a bit past its prime.
Valery was quite shocked to learn Alexia alphabetizes the spice rack in her
kitchen.
Then Alexia confessed to organizing the dollar bills in her wallet according to
serial number in ascending order.
Oh my, the dark secrets are now out in the open!
A Grilled Lamb T-Bone with oven roasted potatoes, okra & mushrooms and a
medley of peppers with zucchini, poppini mushrooms and eggplant.
We then opened something a bit more youthful from a winery
which Alexia and her wine brokerage company represent in the Bay Area market.
Soquel Vineyards "Intreccio," a nicely-woven blend of Bordeaux
varieties based on Cabernet Sauvignon...quite good, nicely oaked with lots of
dark fruit.
I went in to the kitchen to prepare dessert...but Alexia's alarm went off and
she and Henry had to make tracks for home as she had some things to do early the
following morning.
Here's what they missed:
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream with some fresh berries.
The 2008 Raymond Lafon was one of the best vintages of that Sauternes in memory.
It was mildly honeyed and nicely sweet but not heavy or ponderous.
Thanks to all for participating and contributing some interesting bottles!
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