Dr. Ken Bleifer's 80th Birthday with the Saturday Lunch Group (Marcassin, Lafite, Latour, '29 Climens)

It's impossible to believe that Ken is a day older than 70, but he claims to have been born in 1929 (maybe because that was such a great year in Bordeaux?). He hosted a fabulous lunch for the Saturday lunch group -- a group of guys who have met weekly for wine lunches on Saturday for the past 45+ years -- with his son-in-law, the talented CIA graduate Pano, doing an amazing job on the food. The theme was Bordeaux from years ending in 9 (although Ken's own flight, of '97 Marcassin Chards, all in great shape, departed from the basic theme). The '97 Marcassin Marcassin was my white WOTD, and the best Marcassin Chard I've ever had. The only wine disappointment of the day was the dull showing of our '89 Right Bank wines, the Tertre Roteboeuf and Troplong Mondot, which both seemed to be in a dumb and dull state. A big surprise was the depth and persistence of the '69 Hospices de Beaune Cuvee Charlotte-Dumay that Eric poured blind at the beginning. The star of the day, for me, besides the much beloved birthday boy and our wonderful chef, were our two 1929s, showing once again what an amazing vintage that is both for people and wine. The '29 Latour was my WOTD, but the '29 Climens was a close 2nd, and the WOTD for most of the group.

Ken, the birthday boy

Sandy and Chef Pano

• NV Guy Charlemagne Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Réserve Brut 92 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Light lemon yellow color; lovely apricot, peach, lemon nose with definition; tasty, yeasty, tart peach, mineral palate, tangy, and with some depth; medium-plus finish

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Roy, Dotty and Lloyd

• 1969 Hospices de Beaune Corton-Cuvée Charlotte Dumay Jaboulet-Vercherre 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  Very bricked medium red orange color with clear meniscus; mature tobacco, roasted fruit, dried cherry nose with a sense of dried orange; tasty, mature, tobacco, smoke, tart plum, shitake mushroom palate with depth, character, persistence and good acidity; long finish 93+ pts. (poured blind, and no one guessed Burgundy, most guessed mature first growth Bordeaux, and I was wondering about a great mature Northern Rhone year)

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Shaved brussel sprouts and fennel salad with bacon

• 1997 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard 95 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Bright lemon yellow color; lovely tart lemon, mineral, baked lemon nose; tasty, deep, tart lemon, citrus, sweet butter, mineral palate with good acidity, in great shape; long finish

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1997 Marcassin Chardonnay Lorenzo Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Medium gold yellow color; tart citrus, lemon, slightly savory, mineral nose; elegant, tart lemon, mineral and grapefruit palate with good acidity; medium finish 92+ pts.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1997 Marcassin Chardonnay E Block Hudson Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  Medium canary yellow color; floral, almond, hazelnut nose with a touch of wax; distinguished, tasty, not oxidized on palate, tart clementine, baked lemon, mineral palate with good acidity; medium-plus finish

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Kampache with white beech mushrooms and asparagus

• 1999 Château Magdelaine 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  From magnum - dark red violet color, very slightly bricking, with pale meniscus; tight, beets, currant, cassis nose; tart plum, mineral, tar and graphite palate; medium-plus finish

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1989 Tertre Rôteboeuf 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Bricking dark raspberry red color with light floating sediment and pale meniscus; a little maderized on nose, with tart berry and black fruit; tart berry, plum, rather mature; medium finish (a disappointing showing)

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1989 Château Troplong Mondot 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Slightly bricking dark red violet color with clear meniscus; slightly maderized, tart berry, black fruit and graphite nose and palate; medium-plus finish (a disappointing showing)

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Harmony Farms prime rib cap with pearl onions

• 1989 Château Calon-Ségur 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  Bricking medium red violet color with floating sediment and pale meniscus; shitake mushroom, leather nose; tasty, tart leather, tobacco, ripe black fruit and graphite palate; medium-plus finish

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1989 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Dark red violet color with pale meniscus; lovely, mushroom, truffle, tart cassis nose; tasty, tart cassis, roast coffee palate, quite youthful; long finish

  Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

• 1999 Château Lafite Rothschild 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Dark red violet color with pale meniscus; berry, menthol and plum nose; tart plum cassis and menthol palate; long finish 93+ pts.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1929 Château Latour Grand Vin 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Bricking, cloudy, medium red violet color with pale meniscus; mushroom, truffle, tobacco nose; tasty, deep, tobacco, mushroom, plum, raspberry palate with depth and persistence; long finish (from a bottle missing a label, but reconditioned by the Chateau, with a fill to just above the bottom of the neck)

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

fig tart tatin w/zabaglione ice cream

• 1929 Château Climens 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

  Medium brown color with red lights and yellow meniscus; fig, coconut, blood orange nose; very tasty, tart blood orange, fig and smoke palate; long finish (poured blind as a sweet wine, and I properly guessed '29 Sauternes)

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Ken as a slightly younger guy, fly fishing:

Dotty getting a tour of Ken's cellar