Tom's Big B-Day Dinner

Four couples gathered to celebrate the birthday of a close friend. All the toddlers had babysitters, and we were ready for an evening of great dining and wines.

We ordered some starter whites off the list. Bottles of the O and Sleight of Hand, and thankfully just a couple glasses of the Jaillance. I would have avoided the Jaillance if they would have had Lillet Blanc stocked, but unfortunately they were out.

• 2007 O Wines Chardonnay Horse Heaven Hills 88 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills

  This was a pretty nice inexpensive Chardonnay. Nice tart apple, pear, and buttery flavors with some citrus notes. Medium length finish. This could be a good QPR Chardonnay for the summer.

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• 2007 Sleight of Hand The Magician 90 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  Really light color. In the restaurant lighting, this looked almost clear. The nose had spicy pineapple aromas. Really nice citrus flavors blend in with the spices and carry through a medium long finish. This was a fun little wine, and went really well with the Berkshire Pork Sliders and a spicy slaw.

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• NV Jaillance Crémant de Bordeaux Brut Rosé 74 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Crémant de Bordeaux

  The nose of this wine had an aroma of deodorant. Not very appealing right from the start. As the wine warmed up, the nose had a bit of a B.O. funk that was hanging out under the deodorant smell. The wine tasted much better than it smelled, but some nice apple flavors aren't going to overcome B.O. No way, no how. Didn't even finish half the glass. The only disappointing wine of the evening. I recently heard a quote from "Waugh on Wine" along the lines of Never speak of a wine you did not enjoy as a disappointment - Speak of it as an attempt to poison you. OK. This one might have been poison.

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We brought along some big reds to go with dinner. These were all a lot of fun to taste and had good stories to go with them.

• 1999 Sine Qua Non Icarus 90 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast

  This wine was very cloudy. So cloudy that several people at the table commented that it "looked unfiltered". That was a new one for me. When this bottle was opened, it had a slight "old wine" funk to it. There was also a slight bit of a metallic aroma - the kind your hands will get if you handle coins for a while. Eventually the nose showed some tart cherry and plum aromas. The palate had the same tart cherry and plum flavors with a slight earthy note. The plummy note started showing nicely on the finish after about 2 hours. That was when this wine finally got to the 90 point level. The tannins in this wine were fully resolved - I would drink these up if you have any. It's always fun to drink an SQN though.

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• 2005 Cakebread Cellars Dancing Bear Ranch 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

  The nose had dark cherry, currant, spice and a nutty aroma. The palate showed currant, plum, spice and a nice earthy note. I was surprised that this had Howell Mountain fruit in it, because I can usually pick out a loamy-like flavor that I don't really enjoy from Howell Mountain wines. Not this time - this was a nice wine with a good mouthfeel and fairly long finish.

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• 2003 Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  The nose showed blackberry, cherry, spice and a note of earth. The palate had very rich dark cherry flavors that developed nicely after about 2 hours. This had a really nice mouthfeel, and has a long life ahead of it. This went really well with the braised short ribs, and this bottle outperformed my expectations. WOTN for a couple of us in the group.

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• 2005 Seven Stones Cabernet Sauvignon 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  The nose had a lot of cherry and vanilla aromas and showed some heat. The vanilla notes gained in intensity over about two hours, and the heat seemed to be not as noticeable. The palate was packed with ripe cherry and cassis flavors with a very smooth mouthfeel, and a long, mouthwatering finish. I was surprised at how approachable this wine was even without a two hour decant. This wine wasn't terribly complex, but it was a fantastic compliment to a filet mignon with a green peppercorn demi-glace.

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This bottle came along because foie gras was on the menu, and I wanted to finally try the classic pairing with Sauternes.

• 2003 Château Suduiraut 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  From a chilled 375. This had a wonderful nose of honey, oranges, and tropical fruits. The palate added peaches and vanilla cream flavors. This was very sweet, but not cloying. What a great mouthfeel and a long finish! This wine paired beautifully with the seared foie gras and tayberry demi-glace. That was a great way to end the meal. This was the first time that I have had a Sauternes and foie gras together, and I was a huge fan!

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It had been a long time since we all had an evening out together. This was a lot of fun, and something we need to make the effort to do more often.