The Once In A Lifetime Dinner
Raleigh, NC
Tasted Saturday, June 23, 2007 by JeffGMorris with 972 views
Introduction
The idea for this dinner/weekend came to us after procuring 2 very special bottles of wine on our recent vacation in France. Dena & I had Steve & Barb, Brian & Lauren, Bill as well as Chris who flew in for the event over for what I think was a very memorable evening for all.
Flight 1 - The Hors d'Ouvres & Aperitif
Before dinner we had some great Celebrity Goat Farm Chevre on crostini. To accompany this traditional Loire dish we had an aperitif of Prosecco with Combier Fruit des Bois, a liquer from Saumur in the heart of the Loire valley. The drink brought back wonderful memories for me & Dena of having this combination at the start of a few meals in the Loire
Flight 2 - Foie Gras 2 Ways with Rhubarb-Honey Compote & Ed's Brioche (1 Note)
The Bloc de Foie de Canard was fantastic. D'Artagnan really came through with some high quality Foie. What can I say about the wine that was not in my note? Not much. A wine beyond words, an experience to remember and treasure for a lifetime.
Flight 3 - Soft Shell Crabs over Morris Farms Lettuce accompanied by Dena's Secret Sauce (1 Note)
While the Soft Shells were not quite up to par ( word is this is a bad year for them ), Dena's sauce made with a generous portion of Maille mustard was excellent and it was a treat to have the first of the lettuce for the season from our backyard garden. The wine was fabulous and I loved telling the story of its' acquisition one more time. Thanks Olivier! It's great to see that Windsbuhl was a first class vineyard before the Humbrechts owned it, though their renditions of this terroir take the wines to a whole new level of sophistication, elegance and enjoyment.
Flight 4 - Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Mushroom-Madeira sauce, Baked Potatos and White Asparagus with Morels Calvados (2 Notes)
Both of the wines in this course were excellent. The '86 Lafite was certainly the finest Bordeaux I've had the pleasure of drinking.
Flight 5 - Carte de Fromage (2 Notes)
Humboldt Fog, Morbier au Lait Cru, 4 Year Aged Noord and Colston Bassett Stilton accompanied by Marcona Almonds and a second appearance by the Rhubarb-Honey Compote. The Quintarelli was a real revelation for me, having never had one before.
Flight 6 - Honey Creme Brulee with Blackberry Honey Ice Cream (2 Notes)
Dena's Creme Brulee came out extremely well with a very nice consistency. The homemade - by hand, no ice cream maker - ice cream was a huge success and a marvel to all at the table. The beautiful taste of the fine Italian honey we used came through in spades.
Flight 7 - Petit Fours with After Dinner Drinks
Back to the living room for some after dinner conversation and drinks. While the Petit Fours were not a big hit due to the consumption of food during the meal, the after dinner drinks were enjoyed by all the men in attendance. We had a '54 Armagnac that was excellent and my all time favorite Eau de Vie, the '84 Zind Humbrecht Mirabelle. This Eau de Vie has the most aromatic nose of any I've ever tried.
Closing
The evening was a complete success. No corked or oxidized wines, some great food and a lot of fun and conversation with friends.
1947 Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Moelleux Goutte d'Or 99 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Purchased from Phillipe Foreau at the winery about 8 weeks ago. It is unclear if this wine, made by Phillipe's grandfather Antoine, was ever released or just kept at the winery for family and friends. This bottle had the original cork and an excellent fill level. Label was affixed to the bottle in front of me at purchase time. The pride Phillipe had when putting a label on a wine that his grandfather made, "the finest wine my family has ever produced" was a sight I will never forget. Few of us get to have a job where personal and family pride play such a significant role and I envy people like Phillipe for this. Opened as the first course of a long night we deemed the "Once In A Lifetime Dinner" this is surely the only time any of us will get to have this particular bottling. Paired with some amazing foie gras, my homemade rhubarb-honey compote and Dena's excellent rendition of a recipe that gives me great pride - my Dad's fabulous brioche that he perfected shortly before he passed away 3 years ago. The cork was extracted in 2 pieces by the house doctor and then the wine was immediately poured and served at cellar temp of 52F. Usually color on a wine is something to note but not of much interest. Here, that was not the case as the discussion around the table started with color as soon as the wine was poured. I decided it was the color of red amber, the kind I saw in the Polish city of Gdansk, with gold at the edges, but when swirled it also seemed to have the color of a fine caramel sauce. Wines like this one are tough to put into words as the combination of aromas and flavors is so complex. This wine was medium bodied and had a terrific acidity. There was still fruit sensations and a sweetness to the wine that was not in any way overbearing as time had clearly curtailed the sense of sweetness to a great degree. The vibrant acidity on the very long finish really cleared the wine off the palate but left a residual sensation for a very long time. I find myself grasping for further description when all I can come up with is supreme complexity, terrific balance and a wine to treasure every sip. A small amount was left in a glass by Brian and presented back to me 4 hours later to finish off. In that time the wine lost absolutely nothing and if anything the nose seemed even more open and complex. One of the finest wines ever made, I can easily see why Phillipe had such pride in his eyes when he handed me the bottle 2 months ago. The Goutte d'Or was only made in 2 vintages - this '47 and then again by Phillipe in '90. If the '90 is half as good as this wine it will be a special treat in the future. 50+14+15+10+10 = 99
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