Salut/Hi Bill Spohn,

le/on 05 Oct 2003 16:20:49 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

to come into focus and balance. This review after 17 years was most
enlightening. We saw some bottle variation even with these brawny and
presumably fairly durable wines.

Fascinating tasting.

1990 Dom Perignon - fine mousse in a lively wine with some quite yeasty notes
in an otherwise closed nose, well balanced. With oysters on half shell, gravlax
and shrimp spring rolls.

As it happens I've got a mag of this (cadeau from my brother) from your
comment, I'd guess it should be left a while yet. Agree?

With duck breast in sun dried cherry and red wine reduction (the wines were
tasted before, and with the food):

Sounds interesting.

After the obligatory sorbet, which was too sweet and totally unnecessary (don't
get me started - this is a favourite complaint of mine - you want your palate
cleansed and refreshed, so what do these supposedly sensitive chefs do? They
offer up an adjunct dessert which does neither and in fact makes it harder to
taste the ensuing wines!

Hear hear!!!! This disgusting perversion of the "Trou Normand" is
ludicrous. The original - a strong alcohol served as a palate cleanser
before the roast of a large menu - was perfectly logical and sensible. The
modification - made by some very talented chefs - of using a very alcoholic
sorbet (I remember a sorbet de Marc de Gewurztraminer served in a hotel in
Kaysersberg, and using a marc by Colette Faller) was fine, though IMO less
effective than the real thing. But the use of any random sorbet - words
fail me.

If I ever do a sorbet in meals I am preparing, I use an unsweetened Earl
Grey tea or similarly unsweetened Rosemary sorbet.

Interesting. Actually the problem with an unsweetened sorbet is to end up
with a decent texture. How d'ya achieve it?

Don't chefs drink wine?

Surprisingly few _really_ know their way round wine, in my experience.
Which is one real justification of having a Sommelier in a place with a
really good chef.


Talbot - I love this house - rough and ready,

I always have slight reservations over Cordier.

Lynch Bages - this turned out to be my favourite, although for a time the
Talbot was in the running, before it started to go 'off' a bit, and before this
one started to open up. After that, there was no contest. Best nose of the
flight, with currants, vanilla, and a hint of raspberry. Sweet approach, mellow
and smooth in the mouth with good feel, good length, and the tannins only a bit
too hard at the end. Why oh why didn't I cellar this wine?

I think M Cazes was about at his peak then.... wonderful stuff. Lynch-Bages
has always been a favourite of mine.

The last flight was served with a wild mushroom and cheese tart which in my
opinion admirably served the wines.

Fascinating, any idea what cheeses were used? I find that Gruyère, Cheddar,
Parmesan are all cheeses which go very well indeed with red Bordeaux. And
I'd hesitate to argue with Dale over wild mushrooms.


With (or in my case, for) dessert, which was apple tart, we had the pleasant
task of examining two whites from this vintage:

Climens -
Lafaurie Peyraguay

Actually I'd hesitate a long time before serving Sauternes with apple tart.
Of course it all depends what kind of tart. I don't blame you at all for
making the wines your dessert. I think I'd have been inclined to make them
my _second_ dessert!

--
All the Best
Ian Hoare

Sometimes oi just sits and thinks
Sometimes oi just sits.