Introduction
Last night Robert and Carrie, George and Sherry, joined my wife and I at our home to open some of the top wines in our cellars. The purpose of the evening was to share a bottle of Screaming Eagle, and then everything worked from there. My wife and I are vegetarians, so we were happy to do the cooking. That also allowed us to attempt to get some interesting food pairings. The wines were consumed over 4.5 hours. Although it was a lot of wine, eating slowly, in courses, allowed us to all have a nice pour of the wine and take time to enjoy it.
Flight 1 - A bit of Bubbly (2 notes)
With: Goat Cheese and Herb Stuffed Dates and candied Pecans
and Green Stuff Olives.
The Dates worked very well with the Champagnes IMO. The Goat Cheese filling was a good match and while the Candied Pecans were sweet, the Champagne made a nice foil for it.
White - Sparkling
2004 Dom Pérignon Champagne
France, Champagne
Great way to end then day and start the evening. It is so impressive to produce a wine of this quality in the numbers they do every year it seems. Light golden in color. Lots of very small bubbles. The nose is very nice. More delicate than large. Slight floral note along with some toast, and a bit of pear. On the palate, very nice acidity. Such a smooth wine, no bite anywhere. This bottle is very elegant. Quite persistent on the finish. Worked quite well with the food.
White - Sparkling
2003 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut
France, Champagne
Great showing and the groups seemed to prefer this over the 04 Dom. It did seem to be advancing pretty fast (for a Krug). Golden in color, much deeper than the Dom. The nose has that bit of oxidation Krug seems to have but just a bit and in a good way. Also some toast, hazelnut and Crem Brulee. With air, some ginger and even a slight pear emerge. On the palate, this is big wine. Lots of everything going on although perhaps it lacks the precision of the Dom. Notes of ginger, hazelnut, a bit of vanilla and peach pie. Surprisingly good acidity for 03. Long finish. Worked with the food. This exceeded my expectations for the vintage.
Flight 2 - A White: (1 note)
With: Alsatian Onion Tart with Zhug.
Great match. The Tart is rich with a heavy cream/egg filling on a slightly sweet crust. The Zhug is a spicy green pepper sauce. The Chard worked quite well with both of those, accentuating the cream, working with the onions and tempering the heat.
White
2007 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Funny, this is the second time I have had this wine and both times, part of a dinner with Screaming Eagle. Loved it then (5 years ago) and love it now. The cork crumbled on opening and it seemed the bottom of the cork was stuck to the glass. I fished out as much cork as I could and we went with it. Medium golden in color. The nose is great with lemon chiffon pie, a very slight note of oxidation and just a hint of vanilla. On the palate, this is deep and complex. Layers of flavors and a slight under layer of earthiness. Showing just a hint of maturity, this wine will continue to develop. Lemon creme, lemons with great acidity. George noted that it didn't seem as sweet/ripe as it did in its youth (a good thing). Long, long finish. Great with food.
Flight 3 - A Pinot (1 note)
With: Sautéed Mushrooms with Toasted Flatbread and Baked Eggs
Great match. The mushrooms were sauteed in olive oil then finished with fresh Thyme and a bit of white wine and small pieces of Nan. An egg was added and the dish finished in the oven. The yolks were slightly runny. The Burg worked well with the Mushrooms (no surprise) but the egg made a kind of sauce that was picked up in the Nan. The earthiness of the wine worked very well with that as well.
Red
2002 Domaine Leroy Pommard Les Vignots
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard
Bought on release, this seemed like a good time to open it. Opened and allowed to breathe for six hours. Ruby/purple in color. The nose is nice with cherries, slight earthiness (not merde), but also a very cool rose note. Deep. The palate is even better than the nose. Cherries, slight macerated cherries, a woody forest floor kind of thing going on and some spice. Very lush texture. Nice finish. Perfect with the food.
Flight 4 - "Older" Napa Reds (2 notes)
With: Cheese Ravioli with Butter Garlic Cream Sauce
The Raviolis worked pretty well here, but it was the simple garlic Cream Sauce that made it all come together. The sauce had some weight to it that countered the size of the reds. Without it, the Ravioli might have been over powered. As it was, it was an even match. The combination worked well. IMO, the earthy, stink on the Dominus and its age worked a bit better than the ripe sweetness of the Hundred Acre, but that is a) a small point and b) only my opinion, others differed.
We also had a Passion fruit Sorbet palate cleanser before moving on.
Red
2003 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan
USA, California, Napa Valley
Very nice showing for this. Unique. It was still getting better when the glass was empty. Purple in color. The nose is great with cassis, licorice, slight spice and bits of charred wood. There is a bit of alcohol as well but more like a liqueur than hot. On the palate, this seems a bit sweet (but that my be from coming next to the older Dominus). Lots of cassis. No hint of alcohol. Very clean. A wonderful seamless texture and balance. Drinking with just the slightest bit of age. Medium tannins. Long finish.
Red
1994 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard
USA, California, Napa Valley
This was the most divisive wine on the night. There is a fair amount of Barnyard stink to this which put some people off. I loved it. This seems like its at peak, but no hurry. It drinks like old Bordeaux IMO. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is awesome with cassis, barnyard, cigar box, a bit of damp earth and slight cedar. On the palate, this is so complex. Layers of cassis, dried currants, loam, with very slight tannins. A very long finish. Great with the food. I have had this a couple times many years ago and always thought it needed more time. Not any more.
Flight 5 - Young Napa (3 notes)
With: Grilled Veggie Muffuletta Sandwich with Roasted Baby Potatoes
Lots of Roasted veggies in the sandwich (peppers, eggplants, zucchini, etc) worked very well with these young big wines. The sweetness and the char of the food wove well with the same qualities in the wine. The potatoes made a nice foil and gave everything some body. People say vegetarian food is hard to match with big Napa Cabs, but, this had some nice synergy to it.
Red
2014 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard
USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena
This got some "votes" for WOTN. Gorgeous wine. Pop and pour, it got better in the short time before it was gone. Purple in color. The nose is great with cassis, cedar, graphite and a bit of chocolate. On the palate, firm tannins. Loads of fruit. Chewy and juicy deliciousness. Cassis, slightly candied. No rough edges though and worked well with the food. Long finish. Obviously young, but delivering wonderfully right now too.
Red
2008 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
USA, California, Napa Valley
Loved this wine. I haven't had much Bryant but I don't recall liking one quite to this level. Purple in color. Great nose with cassis, blueberries, some espresso, spice and chocolate. On the palate, this seems to be hitting its stride. It opens in the glass with cassis, blueberries, some earthiness layered together. Great texture. Definitely Napa but it has more of a reserved classiness to it than being a big wine. Great with the food.
Red
2014 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Only my 3rd or 4th time drinking this from any vintage yet it is consistently one of my favorites whether blind or not. Is it worth the money? Only if you have a lot of money to spend on wine. It is priced for the demand and rareness. Still, it is nice to be able to see what the fuss is about. Purple in color, the nose has cassis, dark cherries, dust, and slight tobacco, however, as George noted there is not the cherry notes dominating as in prior vintages. Perhaps less Merlot? This was opened and allowed to breathe in my cellar for 8 hours prior to serving.
Perhaps that affected the nose a bit as well. It needed every bit of that air and more. The palate is great. This is, again, not a huge wine. It has firm but silky tannins. Lots of cassis and some cherry fruit. A slight char to it. As it unwinds in the glass there is an elegance to it. Tight layering. A long finish. Sure, this wines best days are in the future, but it was fantastic last night and a lot of fun.
Flight 6 - The "Back Up" flight (2 notes)
With: Cheese Course: Grafton Village Cheddar, Montgomery’s Cheddar, Murrays’ La Tur
Amadeaus Schardinger, Ossau Iraty Pyraness, Epoisses, 1924 Bleu Herve Mons, Saint Angel
So, I hadn't planned on any wine at this point figuring we could finish the remaining wines in any bottles. There wasn't any remaining wine, and George pulled out the Maybach as his back up bottle. I ran down to the cellar and pulled the Kapcsandy. Boom. Extra flight of wines. Sometimes it good when a plan doesn't come together. ;-)
Too many cheeses to go thru each one. Most worked well. Not as much with the Blue, so I saved that for the next course. Loved the Murray's La Tur and Epoisses, also the Grafton Cheddar and the Amadeaus. All were fantastic though. Thanks to Robert and George for those.
Red
2014 Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Wow. Pop and pour. This was technically a back up bottle but that's how it goes. Thanks George. Inky purple in color. The nose has cassis, blueberries, cedar, slight floral notes, an underlying forest floor/earthy note. Gorgeous. On the palate, there is a lush seamless texture. Layers of blueberries, cassis, interwoven with earth and damp forest and some chocolate. So delicious yet so deep. Firm tannins that seem to melt away. Long finish. Obviously so young, but drinking well. Can it get better? Probably not, just different.
Red
2009 Kapcsándy Family Winery Roberta's Reserve State Lane Vineyard
USA, California, Napa Valley, Yountville
This was pop and pour as it was a last minute decision. Showed better than a bottle a couple of years ago, but I still think it will improve a bit. It got a couple "votes" for WOTN. All or mostly all Merlot. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is great with cherries, dark cherries, chocolate, tobacco, coffee beans and spice. On the palate, this seems open and easy but then it gets deeper and deeper (if that makes sense). Lush dark cherries along with cherries and slight cassis. More of a velvety texture. Some tannins. Long finish. I saved a glass of this to try later today.
Flight 7 - The finale - Dessert (1 note)
With: Honey-Caramelized Apricots
I thought this would be the best match. In the end it was good, but too many like flavors to get some synergy from the matches. The blue cheese from the prior course, however, worked quite well with the Yquem.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1995 Château d'Yquem
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Always a thrill to drink Yquem. Light golden in color with slight orange colors. The nose is great with apricots, honey, and slight vanilla. Viscous. Not cloying. A bit of sweetness. The apricots and honey carry thru. Just enough acidity to carry everything. On a night with many wines that had incredible finishes, this was the best. It just goes on forever. Want to time it? You can use a calendar. A beautiful end to the evening.
Closing
My favorite food match ended up being the Sandwich to the big reds followed closely by the mushroom course. All of them worked well though.
This is absolutely my favorite way to enjoy wine. I much prefer it to restaurants where there is a lot of noise of other aromas. No pressure on the clock or wait staff coming over (even if well intentioned) I prefer it to mass tastings of all the same style of wine. Breaking it up into course with different kinds of wines allows each wine (and food) to be appreciated for what it is. Don't get me wrong, I like all the others, but having two other couple in our home, where the wines are great, the food works well and where the conversations and friendships are the true stars of the evening, well, that is amazing. Jane and I are truly blessed to be able to enjoy such wines, but moreover to have friends to enjoy them with.
Until next time, thank you George, Sherry, Robert, and Carrie from Jane and I.
