These are notes from an excellent dinner with wines pulled from our collective
cellars.

With blanched peeled white asparagus wrapped in smoked goose breast with EVO
and black pepper:

1989 Henriot Brut Champagne - a fair bit of colour betrayed the age, and the
nose was the sort I prefer, with complexity that comes only with a bit of age.
Mellow but with enough acidity to balance nicely, this was a good match to the
food.

With a salad of smoked tuna and smoked salmon:

1999 Albert Mann Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Furstentum Vielles Vignes - a nose of
spice, flowers, the usual lychee, and some pear was beyond criticism. Served
only slightly chilled, it was very smooth but weighty on palate, almost
luxuriant, and excellent length. No rush on this wine!


With duck and goose foie gras:

1996 Henri Maire La Vigniere Vin de Paille - in the Rhone, they usually dry the
grapes on straw mats (hence the name), but in the Jura, where this wine comes
from, they more often suspend the grapes until they raisin before pressing.
They also keep it in cask for several years, which accounts for the Sherry-like
colour of this one. Made from Savignan grapes. Looking at the colour, one
thought of Madeira, Sherry, and such wines, and so the nose containing red
fruit and a bit of truffley je ne sais quoi came as a surprise. It had tons of
concentration and fruit, but an equal ton of acidity, so it was very difficult
to judge the actual sweetness of the wine. 15% alcohol. Raisins came in only on
the finish.

With duck breast and wild mushrooms:

1989 Drouhin Chambolle Musigny 'Les Charmes' - surprisingly dark in colour,
with a very good mature fruit driven Burgundian nose. It was sweet in the
mouth, but displayed a surprising amount of acidity; so much so that it was
definitely better with food than tasted alone. Good length.


With rare rack of lamb cut into chops, served with a sacuse made from the
Mouton:

1984 Ch. Mouton Rothschild - most of the 1984's were of dubious quality and
need drinking up, but this wine was both better than the average 84, and will
be much longer lived. The nose was pretty good (until you compared it to the
next wine) and it was dark, perhaps even darker than the 1987, although it
showed much browner at the edges. It was a bit hollow in the middle, then
finished stronger, if a bit acidic. An interesting comparison to the 1984
Lafite, which is much lighter on it's feet and more elegant; the Mouton comes
off as a bit of a clod in such company, but on the other hand it has softer
tannin, though more of them, than I recall the Lafite having (admittedly
several years ago).

1987 Ch. Mouton Rothschild - another maligned vintage, but if you are
selective, you can do very well here. I have often enjoyed wines like the
Pichon Lalande and Sociando Mallet, for instance. The nose was instantly more
complex and pleasurable than the usual cedar and currant. More complex on
palate as well, sweet and with good length, this wine has developed
tremendously in the last decade and drinks well now but will hold. I think that
this is the best 1987 claret I have tasted.


With cheeses (and many of them!):

1985 Mas Daumas Gassac - this wine is from the days before the producer was
well known (and became increasingly expensive). I have followed this wine from
the first vintage in 1978 when it was 100% Cabernet, and I think that this
vintage is my favourite. Very dark, with a good nose of fruit, a hint of mint,
and a bit of cocoa. Ripe, sweet and tannic still, it could use a few more
years. This wine has always been a bit of a chameleon for me - the last bottle
I had (which sadly was MY last bottle) showed much more Burgundian; I think the
bottle here was superior, and indeed was as good as I've ever tasted, but it
was not at all Burgundian. Very hard to place this if tasted blind!

On its own (as it should be):

1988 Ch. Rieussec - this Sauternes has really come into focus in the last few
years. Golden colour, showing ample Botrytis, and honey in the nose, it has
become a lovely balanced wine that will continue to develop for years. Fine end
to a memorable dinner. Maybe I was in a particularly agreeable mood (what? do I
hear a chorus of No!) but there wasn't a single false step in wine or food, and
the only clinker was a somehow spoiled bottle of Morin Calvados Hors d'Age that
had gone all watery and strange (maybe our host's wife has started watering his
liquor?). I shall have to find my own bottle and further investigate this
perfidy!

Wow. The food and wine you describe look to be truly spectacular. I'm
jealous Bill.

"Bill Spohn" > wrote in message
...
> These are notes from an excellent dinner with wines pulled from our
collective
> cellars.
>
> With blanched peeled white asparagus wrapped in smoked goose breast with
EVO
> and black pepper:
>
> 1989 Henriot Brut Champagne - a fair bit of colour betrayed the age, and
the
> nose was the sort I prefer, with complexity that comes only with a bit of
age.
> Mellow but with enough acidity to balance nicely, this was a good match to
the
> food.
>
> With a salad of smoked tuna and smoked salmon:
>
> 1999 Albert Mann Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Furstentum Vielles Vignes - a
nose of
> spice, flowers, the usual lychee, and some pear was beyond criticism.
Served
> only slightly chilled, it was very smooth but weighty on palate, almost
> luxuriant, and excellent length. No rush on this wine!
>
>
> With duck and goose foie gras:
>
> 1996 Henri Maire La Vigniere Vin de Paille - in the Rhone, they usually
dry the
> grapes on straw mats (hence the name), but in the Jura, where this wine
comes
> from, they more often suspend the grapes until they raisin before
pressing.
> They also keep it in cask for several years, which accounts for the
Sherry-like
> colour of this one. Made from Savignan grapes. Looking at the colour, one
> thought of Madeira, Sherry, and such wines, and so the nose containing red
> fruit and a bit of truffley je ne sais quoi came as a surprise. It had
tons of
> concentration and fruit, but an equal ton of acidity, so it was very
difficult
> to judge the actual sweetness of the wine. 15% alcohol. Raisins came in
only on
> the finish.
>
> With duck breast and wild mushrooms:
>
> 1989 Drouhin Chambolle Musigny 'Les Charmes' - surprisingly dark in
colour,
> with a very good mature fruit driven Burgundian nose. It was sweet in the
> mouth, but displayed a surprising amount of acidity; so much so that it
was
> definitely better with food than tasted alone. Good length.
>
>
> With rare rack of lamb cut into chops, served with a sacuse made from the
> Mouton:
>
> 1984 Ch. Mouton Rothschild - most of the 1984's were of dubious quality
and
> need drinking up, but this wine was both better than the average 84, and
will
> be much longer lived. The nose was pretty good (until you compared it to
the
> next wine) and it was dark, perhaps even darker than the 1987, although it
> showed much browner at the edges. It was a bit hollow in the middle, then
> finished stronger, if a bit acidic. An interesting comparison to the 1984
> Lafite, which is much lighter on it's feet and more elegant; the Mouton
comes
> off as a bit of a clod in such company, but on the other hand it has
softer
> tannin, though more of them, than I recall the Lafite having (admittedly
> several years ago).
>
> 1987 Ch. Mouton Rothschild - another maligned vintage, but if you are
> selective, you can do very well here. I have often enjoyed wines like the
> Pichon Lalande and Sociando Mallet, for instance. The nose was instantly
more
> complex and pleasurable than the usual cedar and currant. More complex on
> palate as well, sweet and with good length, this wine has developed
> tremendously in the last decade and drinks well now but will hold. I think
that
> this is the best 1987 claret I have tasted.
>
>
> With cheeses (and many of them!):
>
> 1985 Mas Daumas Gassac - this wine is from the days before the producer
was
> well known (and became increasingly expensive). I have followed this wine
from
> the first vintage in 1978 when it was 100% Cabernet, and I think that this
> vintage is my favourite. Very dark, with a good nose of fruit, a hint of
mint,
> and a bit of cocoa. Ripe, sweet and tannic still, it could use a few more
> years. This wine has always been a bit of a chameleon for me - the last
bottle
> I had (which sadly was MY last bottle) showed much more Burgundian; I
think the
> bottle here was superior, and indeed was as good as I've ever tasted, but
it
> was not at all Burgundian. Very hard to place this if tasted blind!
>
> On its own (as it should be):
>
> 1988 Ch. Rieussec - this Sauternes has really come into focus in the last
few
> years. Golden colour, showing ample Botrytis, and honey in the nose, it
has
> become a lovely balanced wine that will continue to develop for years.
Fine end
> to a memorable dinner. Maybe I was in a particularly agreeable mood (what?
do I
> hear a chorus of No!) but there wasn't a single false step in wine or
food, and
> the only clinker was a somehow spoiled bottle of Morin Calvados Hors d'Age
that
> had gone all watery and strange (maybe our host's wife has started
watering his
> liquor?). I shall have to find my own bottle and further investigate this
> perfidy!

>Wow. The food and wine you describe look to be truly spectacular. I'm
>jealous Bill.

What better way to use bottles you've all hoarded for years?

Have to go now - some of the same crew are coming over for yet more wine in the
garden today....;-)

On 09 Apr 2004 18:14:39 GMT, ojunk (Bill Spohn) wrote:

> a bit of truffley je ne sais quoi

Forgive me if I think of amorous bedroom on an April morning with the
windows open to the budding flowers...

Don't know what else could be quite so earthy. Maybe there's a small
vial of that in my wine nose training kit.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

ojunk (Bill Spohn) wrote:

> 1996 Henri Maire La Vigniere Vin de Paille [...] Made from
> Savignan grapes.

Jftr: Savagnin.

M.