My Birthday Celebration at Steve & Barb's house

Greensboro, NC
Tasted Saturday, September 24, 2005 by JeffGMorris with 729 views

Introduction

Since Dena & I were on vacation last week over my 40th birthday, Steve & Barb invited us over for this Saturday to celebrate in style with some great food and terrific wines shard amongst 4 great friends.

Flight 1 - Assorted Cheeses and Olives (1 Note)

A great starter before the "formal" meal began, the cheese was the perfect foil to this Vouvray from the momentous vintage.

1965 Domaine Bourillon Dorléans Vouvray Demi-Sec 88 Points

France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

Medium yellow in the glass. Still well alive and showing slightly sweet. Waxy. Nice foil to the cheese. Medium bodied and a minerally palate. Medium length finish. Very nice today but it doesn't seem like it will go much longer. 50+11+11+8+8 = 88

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Flight 2 - Foie Gras with a Rhubarb and Macerated Blackberry Sauce (1 Note)

The only "young" wine of the evening, this one needs lots of time to show all it has ( which is quite a lot! ). The Foie was the richest in recent memory, not to mention quite generous portions.

1993 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain Sélection de Grains Nobles 94 Points

France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

Odd bright amber color, but Olivier has said the '93 has looked this way since it was young. Very young with bracing acidity that does a good job of hiding and balancing the sweetness. Roasted fruits on the nose and full bodied. Long finish. Great with the foie gras. Somewhat monolithic today but the underlying material that is obvious in this wine will make this beyond words for anyone with the willpower to stay away from a bottle for another 15-20 years. 50+13+13+9+9 = 94++

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Flight 3 - The Main event: Osso Bucco and White Truffle/Porcini Risotto (1 Note)

This course was highly anticipated for both the food and wine. Barb's always excellent Osso Bucco, Risotto made with White Truffles and Dried Porcinis we purchased earlier this week from a farm stand in Croatia, and 2 some ancient wine purchased in Venice.

1949 Marchesi di Barolo Barbaresco 92 Points

Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

Murky raspberry tea colored in the glass, most unusual. Good cork with a fill into the neck. Nose of roses and crushed berries was really nice but yielded to an amazing palate that was surprisingly rich and viscous with fresh cherries and good acidity. The finish even had a little tannin in it and a slight licorice note at the end of a 15 second decrescendo . Quite an experience and lovely with the food. A small amount saved in the glass to see if it developed any further was horribly oxidized after 45 minutes, but boy was it good before that. 50+11+13+9+9 = 92

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Flight 4 - 2nd Cheese Course: 2 types of Pecorino ( aged and with rosemary ) (1 Note)

The 2nd of the ancient Italian wines, and the 2nd to blow us away.

1929 Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico Brolio Riserva 96 Points

Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

Tea colored but brighter in hue than the '49 Barbaresco. Good cork with base neck fill. Nose smells mature but very inviting with a very fresh palate of cherries and raspberries. Medium plus in body with very rich and deep fruit and a glyceral mouthfeel. Long finish, but no tannins left. Great acidity. A fruit bomb old wine. WOW! 50+13+14+9+10 = 96

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Flight 5 - Warm Chocolate Cake with a Molten Center and Winter Spices (1 Note)

One of my all time favorite desserts, the quantity of food and wine from earlier in the evening made this course unnecessary, but we were troopers and made it through!

1965 Krohn Porto Colheita 84 Points

Portugal, Douro, Porto

Medium brown in color. Nice inviting nose of mixed nuts and some plums on the palate. Unfortunately, also a lot of heat on the palate and finish, which greatly reduced my enjoyment of this wine. 50+11+9+7+7 = 84

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Flight 6 - After Dinner Drink (1 Note)

I had purchased this Armagnac in France last April with the intention of opening it to end a special evening and this certainly fit the bill.

1945 Saint Christeau Bas Armagnac 90 Points

France, Southwest France, Gascony, Bas Armagnac

Orange/bronze in color, this Armagnac had some grassiness and caramel on the nose along with the typical overpowering of the sinuses. Smooth and extremely long with a warm finish that worked its' way slowly down the throat. No rough or harsh edges on this one. 50+13+11+8+8 = 90

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