Monday, December 26, 2011

Birth Year Bordeaux for a Gala Christmas Eve Dinner

All the children returned home for Christmas this year, affording us the opportunity for a very special Christmas Eve dinner. The venue was Sullivan's downtown Chicago location. The fare consisted of a variety of different takes on filet mignon (a specialty) accompanied by baked potato, macaroni and cheese and broccoli. This was just the right setting for a cross section of Bordeaux representing each of the childrens birth years. The three bottles were BYOB from my cellar and included a 1982 Ch. Brane-Cantenac http://www.cellartracker.com/w?22706, a 1984 Ch. Montrose  http://www.cellartracker.com/w?395777 and a 1989 Ch. Haut-Batailley http://www.cellartracker.com/w?9429


All three wines were outstanding. All were filtered and decanted for approximately 30 minutes, giving credence to the philosophy that lengthy decanting benefits young wines more than old. 
The '82 Brane-Cantenac was representative of its Margaux terroir with lilac and floral notes on the nose, dark berry and cassis on the palate. Plenty of fruit still left in this exceptional vintage. 
The '89 Haut-Batailley was next and evidenced a bit more contrast than expected from a Pauillac. The nose was a bit musty at first, reminiscent of forest floor and leather. There was some fruit on the palate but herb and spice flavors were dominant. An interesting and tasty wine but not terribly complex. 
The surprise of the evening was the '84 Montrose which we "popped and poured" for fear  the wine would be quick to close down. While the fruit and tannins were subdued, this was very drinkable and typical of a St. Estephe with notes of chocolate, mocha and tobacco. The lesson learned from this is that even in an off year, the better producers will still make an attractive offering.


The food was up to Sullivan's high standards. The food service was exceptional. attentive and knowledgeable. Given the $25 per bottle corkage, the wine service could have been better. The sommelier insisted on using a traditional corkscrew with a worm despite the age of the corks and my offer of a two pronged cork puller. The result was a broken cork on each bottle and the need to strain while decanting.


Overall, an exceptional evening of food, family, wine and fellowship to kick off the Christmas holiday.