Our House
Tasted Friday, August 29, 2008 by Siggy with 1,806 views
My friend Kevin Sidders was visiting his native Minneapolis for the Labor Day weekend, and our regular wine group gathered at my house for a raucous Friday dinner of Steaks a la Manlin and Bordeaux. In attendance were Kevin, myself, my wife Jennie, Chris Larson, Dave Dalluge, and Craig Vanderah. This was an especially fun evening, in part because it was a mini-reunion for three of us that visited France for a two-week wine tasting trip in May of 2006. My WOTN was the amazing 1990 Montrose, and the 1985 Alain Robert "Tradition" was an absolute stunner.
We hung out in the kitchen listening to Iggy & The Stooges and Foo Fighters while we chopped and cooked. We chowed on a cheese assortment (courtesy of Chris), fresh steamed artichokes with a lemon beurre blanc sauce (prepared by Chris), and homemade crab cakes (made by Craig's wife Nita). The Alain Robert was a big surprise and a huge hit.
Dave prepared drop-dead great Steaks a la Manlin, which as usual were sourced from Nortog Meats in Rockford, MN. This was the best incarnation of this dish that I've had. Accompanying the steaks were Szechuan spicy green beans (prepared by Dave), and Jennie's homemade macaroni and cheese. The Montrose was unreal, and easily my WOTN.
R.E.M. and the Talking Heads hit the speakers, and we weren't done (only 11 bottles of wine so far!), so Dave popped a couple of Rhônes. The 1993 Chapoutier La Mordoree was a freebie from Winestreet that Chris and I had picked up earlier in the day. None of these wines was particularly inspiring.
Kevin, Chris, and Dave are three of the biggest fellow Twins fans I know, so we tuned in the late innings of the Twins-A's game, which the good guys won in a blowout. We opened a 2003 Suduiraut (my house wine?) to go with homemade vanilla bean creme brulees, which I had made earlier in the day. A great finale to a terrific evening.
2007 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé 92 Points
France, Provence, Bandol
Wonderful fresh fruit (watermelon, strawberry, peach), with crisp acidity and a long, mineral-infused finish. This was a touch less exuberant and not quite as seamless on the palate as the bottle I opened last month, but still a flat-out gorgeous, delicious Rosé.
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2005 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard 92 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Rich, medium yellow color. At first this showed a restrained, Chablis-like nose of flint/slate and toasty oak. In the glass, gobs of ripe, spicy, tropical fruit (pineapple, grapefruit, and lemon). This reminded a couple of tasters of an amped-up Meursault. Long finish with noticeable new oak. Thick, creamy, and juicy without being over-the-top. This producer really straddles the stylistic boundary between Burgundy and California in a unique and pleasurable way.
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1985 Alain Robert Champagne Tradition Le Mesnil 96 Points
France, Champagne
Attractive, rich, deep gold color. Lightly oxidative in the Krug style. Layer upon layer of flavor of complex citrus fruit, nuts, toast, and minerals. Impeccable balance. Utterly delicious. A real eye-opening wine, both intellectually and hedonistically. Thanks to Chris for sharing this.
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2004 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
It had been nearly a year since I last tasted this wine. Very creamy and weighty in the mouth, with lots of butterscotch and orange peel flavors, and sharper acid than I remember from previous tastings. When I toured the Rhône Valley two years ago, one producer explained to me that white Châteauneuf-du-Pape often enters an oxidative phase 4-6 years after the vintage, and then re-emerges at age 8-10. The reasons for this are not well understood. At age 4, this seems to be getting ready to hibernate.
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