On Friday, April 30, 2021 at 12:00:59 AM UTC-4, Mark Lipton wrote:
> Tonight, Jean and I did something we hadn't done in over a year: we went
> out to eat in a restaurant. We were joined by our son Andy as we
> celebrated our 32nd anniversary with a dinner out. To celebrate, we
> brought along the wine that's been in our possession the longest
> (coincidentally, 32 years).
>
> We started with a bottle of NV Pierre Callot Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs
> with our shrimp cocktail. The bubbly was quite savory, saline with a
> fine mousse and a crisp, dry finish and little autolytic yeastiness.
> With our main courses, we opened the Gruaud Larose. The cork was moist
> and a bit crumbly but came out of the bottle without too much fuss. The
> wine was still dark with very little bricking at the edges. Overall,
> the wine was still quite youthful, though I would characterize it as
> being on the early end of maturity. The tannins were quite smooth and
> the acidity quite high. The wine showed a lot of Cabernet character,
> with brambly black fruits, pencil lead, leather and tobacco. As it sat
> opened for the hour we spent at dinner, it continued to improve in the
> glass, rounding out even more.
>
> Overall, this was a great way to return to a somewhat normal dining
> experience.
>
> Mark Lipton
Congratulations on your anniversary (and first restaurant meal) ! I love older GL, and the '86 has always been neck and neck with '82 as my all time favorite.
Betsy and I are at Mohonk Mtn House and last night was our first indoor restaurant dining in a year as well.