Question: What wine should I serve this year with my Christmas dinner?
Answer: Receive lots of these same questions in late December every year. Impossible to give you a specific bottle answer. With the Omicron variant presently being so prominent it probably means the family and friends get-togethers will be smaller in number. You may need less wine than previous years so serve better quality. Depends on so many factors from what foods you are serving for dinner, your own tastes, your own wine cellar or access to wine in your home community, your budget etc. Also nice to support your local wine producer in the region where you reside. Just Google “best wine for the holidays” and you will be overloaded with a plethora of questionable choices. Check out here for an answer by your scribe two years ago on December 18, 2019. Wine choices should be vastly expanded for sure. Lots of wines that should pair well including improved versatile Rose wines from everywhere. Sparkling Rose is ideal as are any other festive “bubbles”. Also find that Cru Beaujolais, fruity Gamay, and easy drinking Malbec match-up well on these occasions. Most whites will be ideal. Explore and discover your own nirvana. The search is a big part of the fun. Enjoy your holiday season!
Those were two challenging horizontal blind tastings written up last week on this Blog. Easier this week with a non-blind vertical of nine vintages of that outstanding Chateau Palmer Third Growth Bordeaux from the Margaux AC. A similar event of a Chateau Palmer vertical was spotlighted on January 16, 2017. Check it out here. Your scribe reflecting back has enjoyed more verticals of Chateau Palmer than any other wine property (though Pichon Lalande is right up there too). Several earliest visits there in the seventies with Peter A Sichel or John Salvi resulted in my admiration for this most elegant wine and the special unique terroir of their 55 hectares of vineyards. Wonderful dinner at the Chateau on May 2, 1983 with Franck Mahler-Besse (and his father Henry who acquired a part of the Chateau Palmer property in 1938) resulted in an inspiring discussion on 3 bottles of 1959 Chateau Palmer each opened an hour or two apart. All showed lovely styling but quite differently. Was that because of bottle variation of 24 year old wine as advocated by your scribe or length of airing in the decanter as submitted by our hosts? Most interesting debate. Franck conducted a tasting in Vancouver a few months later at The Four Seasons Hotel on July 7, 1983 for our popular wine club Les Chevaliers des Vins de France. He was so proud they had not produced any Palmer in those terrible vintages of 1963, 1965 (a few bottles), or 1968. Franck liked his 1978 “showing character” that “will age” while 1979 will be “ready sooner”. Compare the comments by Peter on the 1978 being “not as deep red colour” as 1979 which has a “brighter younger look because of the higher acidity level”. At Gourmet of the Year September 1989 by Society of Bacchus celebrations in Vancouver your scribe served a vertical back to 1966 and 1961. Close friend Peter so kindly provided those pristine bottles directly from the Chateau at the unbelievable price of 600FF and 1000FF per bottle respectively. Good storage is so important for aged wine!
David Spurrell held an amazing blind vertical on August 5, 2001 from 1989 back to 1970 with details posted below. Your scribe was hot that night in solving the theme with the 1970 an open star with outstanding depth and complexity as it showed on November 1, 2021 Blog here. 1989 and 1983 were both solid but 1989 had more lively balance and length while 1983 showed mint, spice, and forwardly.
On December 14, 2021 at Blue Water Cafe some 20 years later nine wines previously tasted showed similarly even the Mystery Wine which was 1975 a bigger atypical year for Palmer with floral drier notes. This time though the clear group vote (including me) was for 1989 for Wine Of The Night followed by 1983. The 1978 was a tad musty and not the best bottle. 2004 a nice surprise with 47% merlot, 46 cab sauv and 7 petit verdot (almost identical to the vineyard plantings) using 1/3 of the crop in the Grand Vin. Big and also a bit atypical but impressive indeed. The 2000 was very good but less ripe and full than expected from the vintage and 1996 harder big fruit. 1988 a hard tannic acidic year but more accessible here.
A big salute to Chateau Palmer for their sensual so elegant complex wine yet with depth. Admire that special smoothness delivered from those merlot grapes grown on choice gravel soils usually saved for cab sauv plantings. Thanks for the memories. Property still is going from strength to strength over many vintages including presently.
Question: Like Dungeness Crab. What are a group of crabs called and your recommendation for best wine pairing?
Answer: I really like Dungeness Crab too. Delicate unique seafood sweet flavours that IMHO show superbly using simpler presentations matched with your best dry wine. Top chardonnay (not too oaky) works well – especially sings so brilliantly paired with a rich Premier or Grand Cru Chablis with some maturity! A group of crabs are called a CAST.
We are most fortunate in Vancouver to have many long standing wine tasting groups. One of the grandparents is the IWFS Vancouver Branch started around 1967. Another early one was Commanderie de Bordeaux Vancouver (CBV) ten years later in 1977 now coming up to our 45th anniversary. Recently enjoyed receiving from Scott Bailey their excellent Histories booklet on Commanderies de Bordeaux Miami & Greater Miami Florida (celebrating their 40th in 2022) that includes an Appendix with a wonderful tribute to Dr. Lou Skinner (1917-2005) including reminiscences on his amazing tastings of outstanding 1961 Bordeaux. Lou founded both the Miami Branch of the International Wine & Food Society in 1962 and the Commanderie de Bordeaux in 1982. On December 8, 2021 at Blue Water Cafe CBV held their first ever totally Blind Wine Tasting thanks to the orchestration and generosity of long-time member Ian Mottershead who kindly donated all 10 wines (4 bottles of each) for this memorable event. Unbelievable wine education at the highest level. There were four wine flights served with appropriately paired food courses. Studying the wines by your scribe was delightfully challenging and here follows some of my random thoughts during my analysis:
2002 POL ROGER “CUVEE SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL” CHAMPAGNE BRUT This arrived in a flute showing an explosive powerful stream of continuous tiny bubbles in a rather pale solution. It looked & smelled youngish while fresh and vibrant with clean classy deep intense fruit. First impression taste was so rich and full with interesting lees aging notes all balanced by outstanding higher acidity. Thinking definitely Prestige Cuvee Champagne maybe 2008. Usually I have my Champagne in a tulip shaped glass for better access expression and this flute took longer to warm, air, and really open up to me. As it did much improvement showed more apples, ginger, candied lemon, and brioche than earlier on plus the palate was rounder with complexity of age starting to develop but still very alive. Lovely plateau of enjoyment now but no rush. Must be that marvelous 2002 vintage. Amazing weighty smooth texture and robust length reminds me of Pol Roger Grand Cru blend of full pinot noir fruit driven with chardonnay finesse. Lucky deduction but matched openly by insightful commentator member Drew Malcolm who nailed it with “green apple, peaches, nutty, not Blanc de Blancs, early 2000s – say 2002 PR Sir Winston”. Well done indeed.
2001 CHATEAU MARGAUX (M)
2001 CHATEAU HAUT-BRION (H-B)
2001 CHATEAU LATOUR (L)
2001 CHATEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD (MR)
2001 CHATEAU LA MISSION HAUT-BRION (LMH-B)
Five red wines double blind. Talk about a difficult challenge. Likely a vertical of different years of a single property or a horizontal of the same vintage across five properties. Will all be Bordeaux? Any ringer? Same commune? Different communes? Could be a mixed bag but unlikely top wine collector Ian would do that. So many questions. Must be a theme here! Difficult to solve. Best initial strategy is to systematically go through all five and look for regional styles as well as similarities and differences.
#2 has a ruby red colour to the rim. Approachable lighter cabernet sauvignon style more tea-like red currant herbal floral in character from a cooler year. Almost like a Right Bank top wine with cab sauv (Figeac? – too much baggage knowing Ian is a big collector of it). 1999?
#3 Similar red look but darker right to the edge. Shy at first yet seems riper purer and creamier with more merlot with the cab sauv. Structured rich full sweeter palate with delicious flavours in an earthy Graves style. Perhaps the first two are both Right Bank or maybe Pessac-Leognan? 2001?
#4 Darker and deeper than the first two. Open plums, black olives and blackcurrants with phenomenal concentration seems possible St. Julien or Pauillac from an excellent year – could well be a First Growth. Confusing since it is so different from the first two wines. Maybe a horizontal tasting as the wines are not that similar. Maybe not a horizontal tasting since so much more depth here. Impressive power but still a baby. What vintage? Seems a more outstanding year than #2. Is this 1995?
#5 Again, a very dark young look. Features cherries and graphite in a classic Bordeaux blend. Oak, acidity and quite tannic up front in a medium-weight slightly austere style.
#6 Seems darkest of all right to the rim but all five of these have really good bright deep colour. Bottle variation with host Ian getting a corked bottle initially (later substituted for a pristine one). Turned stones and earth are evident with a touch of mint in this sweet enticing softer nectar. Maybe it is a horizontal tasting from the late nineties with such a variety of characteristics in these wines but this seems more like a 2000?
Hindsight is 20:20 but surprised it was five First Growths from 2001 at 20 years of age. Easy to go back and see confirmation of that with the wines. Higher cab sauv in M 82% & L 79% compared to H-B 52% merlot & LMH-B 62%. Selection for the Grand Vin was strict from only 35% for M to 50 & 53% for H-B & L. H-B had a higher yield of 52 hl/ha. Still the cooler Fall weather and late picking showed through in the acidity and tannins of these 2001s. Amazing education trying 5 First Growths yet not really singing at 20. Sometimes shoulder vintages can show the terroirs of the properties to advantage. They were opened, decanted and immediately served. Usually use that procedure but IMHO these First Growths needed more aeration and showed their distinct personalities much better an hour or two later in the glass. Another factor to assess.
We already enjoyed a horizontal so this must be a vertical. Yet these wines show even more powerfully and consistently similar as a great vintage and are requesting food accompaniment. Commentators were all over the map and tending to younger with opinions ranging from 2005, 2003, 2000, and back as far as 90 & 89 all popular. In fact 1986 is already 35 years old but these choice properties will go a long time. LLC was proprietor Michel Delon fav plus 100 point RMP classic as well as Ian’s fav tonight. Impressive big open intense vibrant cedar fruit. Group voted for LR best, which is another RMP 100 pointer with a bright future ahead of it. M86 is so atypically big and backward – even more so than the other two – but will open up at the end of this decade with the buckets of fruit still there. What a remarkable comparison of three treasures! All showed even more spectacularly standing up to the truffled beef tenderloin with mushrooms. Patience.
10. 2007 CHATEAU D’YQUEM
This was easier. Most of us identified this as the superlative iconic Chateau d’Yquem but what year? Guesses were older all the way back to the trio of 1988, 1989, and 1990. Expert Bill Blatch describes 2007 as “very fine with a special pure zest”. Unmistakable fresh exotic youth of pineapple, orange marmalade, tropical. coconut, already somewhat creamy and developing some creme brulee notes. So rich, sweet, and complex. Your scribe got up speaking on the unsung long plateau of perfect enjoyment of d’Yquem. This Sauternes is so marvelous young at only 14 years of age accentuating the freshness, acidity, vibrancy, opulence and sweetness. Yet it can age forever darkening in colour with caramel notes, peaches, apricot, honey, botrytis, and undescribable complexity of bouquet and flavours. Truly a special WOW wine whenever you open the bottle. Matched up here perfectly with the almond, quince, and apricot in the dessert.
Practice your blind tasting. Doesn’t have to be as here at the aged very highest priced wine level. Start anywhere. A lot of challenging fun is so educational in learning about the nuances of wine and your true impressions without seeing the label. Enjoy.
Question: Is there a name for that wire structure around the cork on Sparkling wine?
Answer: Yes there is. A unique specially designed wire cage or metal clip secures the cork firmly in place against the higher pressure inside a bottle of sparkling wine (including Champagne). The correct name for it is AGRAFE pronounced “uh-graf”.
