We started with a magnum of Mumm Napa Brut Prestige, which at about five or six years old (it was non-vintage) was delicious. Jim brought in a 20 year old Chilean Sauvignon Blanc which we thought had a chance of coming out intact, but alas, too many years had passed for this one. When the Sauvignon Blanc failed to meet our expectations, we moved on to a very nice 2001 Dehlinger Chardonnay.
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| Ritchie, Richard and Carolyn |
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| Ruth and Jodie |
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| Jim enjoying the chardonnay |
After the introductory wines, we moved to the dining room for the main course. The three Brunello di Montalcino stars of the evening were a 1985 Lisini, a 1985 Canalicchio di Sopra and a 1990 Mastroianni. The marvelous food preparations include tenderloin, a souffle of carrots and spinach along with a wild rice and mushroom dish. All were delicious, that is excepted for the Lisini which turned out to be mildly corked - what a drag as we were all looking forward to that one. Ken quickly brought out a replacement Brunello in the form of a 1990 San Filippo and all drank very well.
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| Ruth, Ken and Jodie getting ready for the dinner |
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| Starting line up |
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| Dinner is served |
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| Here we are |
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| Substituting for the Lisini |
After dinner, Ken opened up a 1977 Grahams Vintage Porto which was served with Stilton cheese and water crackers. Upon completing the round of port and Stilton, we moved the entire party across the street to our house for the dessert portion of the evening.
For dessert Jodie presented three different cheeses for our enjoyment: Roquefort Le Papillon AOC, Le Marcaire and Manchego along with blanched almonds, Halloween cookies and flourless chocolate cake. These cheeses were selected to accompany two excellent Sauternes contributed by Ken and Richard, a 1961 Château Coutet à Barsac and a 1988 Château Rieussec but the opinion of the group was that the Roquefort was a bit overpowering for the Sauternes.
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Mumm Napa
N.V. Brut Prestige
Napa Valley
Cousino-Macul
1990 Sauvignon Blanc
Santiago, Chile
Dehlinger
2001 Chardonnay
Russian River Valley
Lisini
1985 Brunello di Montalcino
Montalcino Siena
Canalicchio di Sopra
1985 Brunello di Montalcino
Montalcino Italia
Mastroianni
1990 Brunello di Montalcino
Montalcino Italia
San Filippo
1990 Brunello di Montalcin
Montalcino Italia
Grahams
1977 Vintage Porto
Portugal
Château Rieussec
1988 Sauternes Premier Grand Gru Classe
Sauternes
Château Coutet à Barsac
1961 Sauternes Premier Grand Gru Classe
Sauternes Barsac
That is it for this post and as always, if I can be of any assistance to you or any of your friends, family or colleagues with any of your real estate needs (residential, commercial or otherwise) or if I can help find a real estate professional for you to work with in your local community, please let me know. It would be my pleasure to help.
Jim Rea
Keller Willliams Palisades
Thank you sharing your extrordinary experience! 1961 is a oustanding vintage at Château Coutet and I am happy to read that you enjoyed it. Usually we find our wines work well paired with Roquefort as there is a deep contrast between the saltiness of the cheese and the sweetness of the wine, but also by he fact that the creamy texture of the cheese is wraped by the silkiness and density of the wine.
ReplyDeleteYour bottle was almost 50 years old when opened. The sweet sensation in the mouthfeel decreases over time (even thought the amount of sugar remains the same)and therefore the wine is less opulent. This may be the reason why the Roquefort, which is quite a strong cheese, seemed to be a bit overpowering alonside the wine. Have you ever tried a younger vintage of Château Coutet?
Cheers!
Château Coutet
www.chateaucoutet.com
Thank you for your comments Jeanne and thanks for visiting. The Château Coutet was wonderful as was the Château Rieussec. You may be right about the age of the Château Coutet, however for a 50 year old bottle of wine, it had a delightful taste.
ReplyDeleteI have not tried a younger Château Coutet but look forward to doing so in the future.
Regards - Jim