Saturday was my 45th, and Betsy invited some friends for dinner. She had to play matinee, so cooked maniacally in the morning, and jumped right back in on return (I was in charge of turning off stove at one point, and appetizers).
To start we had paté and olives, along with cold shrimp with a delightfully simple warm cocktail sauce (ketchup, vinegar and butter warmed, then spiked with horseradish). The starter wines were:
NV Oudinot Champagne A nice lighter-styled Champagne, some biscuit and white flowers on nose, crisp green apple fruit with a clean yeasty finish. B/B+
2004 Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet Does anything more need to be said about this? Light yet with structure, brilliant seashell/seashore nose with clean fruit and long finish. B++
All my friends attending like wine, but none are geeks, so I looked for a theme that would be fun, instructive (without me being pedantic), and not ruinously expensive (I love sharing wine with friends, but I do try to save my most precious bottles for those who might appreciate what is being offered- hope that doesn't make me a pretentious A$%hole!).
So how about that misunderstood grape, Merlot? I decided on an Anti- Sideways theme, put together menu cards (with the dishes and the wines) entitled "Well,. I AM going to drink some F%^&ing Merlot!"
First courses was a take on Balthazar's grilled trout with lentils and spinach. A complex and beautiful dish (though I did do a misflip on one filet, luckily it was an extra).
I thought I'd pair the geriatric Merlots with this, figuring the resolved tannins would make a nice soft backdrop. It was an ok match, but I think a younger lighter more acidic wine (a Beaujolais, light Northern Rhone as Bob suggested, or maybe a drier Freisa) would be way I'd go next time - and there will be a next time for this dish.
1982 Dalem (Fronsac) Ok, so a 23 yr-old satellite wine is pretty chancy. And indeed this seemed a bit overmature when served (a few minutes after being decanted). Somewhat tired old Merlot fruit, with an overlay of damp forest floor and mushrooms. OK but just ok. But surprisingly this had improved strongly when revisited later (maybe 90 minutes?). Resolved tannins, good red plum and blackberry fruit, some earth and cedar intertwining with that loamy/mossy note. There's also a sweet roasted hazelnut aroma dancing around there. Not great, but good. B+
1983 Beau-Sejour-Becot (St. Emilion) This is even more chancy, as it's a 375 from an underperforming estate. It's on the downslide, but not as much as I feared. The fruit is not very vibrant, but it's smooth and easy to drink, with lots of cigarbox and leather. There's a tiny bit left in the decanter, retasted at same point as the Dalem it's deader than Generalissimo Franco. But on opening, B/B-
Main Course was Beef Short Ribs with Creamy Leeks served with mashed potatoes. Really delicious, and served with 3 Merlots:
1999 Albini Family Vineyards Merlot (Russian River Valley) I thought this was obviously New World, but 2 guests immediately assumed it was the Bordeaux, from the huge dose of earth and herbs on the nose. Rich deep black plum and blackberry fruit (maybe a little blueberry), lots of earth, and a long tannic finish. Good concentration, very nice wine (Merlot is not first thing I think of when I hear RRV). A-/B+
2001 Ch. Magdelaine (St. Emilion) I picked this after Alex R. posted a note saying that Magdelaine has the highest Merlot (90%) of any St-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé. I decanted in mid-afternoon, returned to bottle just before dinner,and it was served a couple hours later. Mistake!!!!! This was rather tight on opening, but after the decant and wait it had settled into a totally dumb state. These things are always guesses, and I guessed wrong. I set aside my glass in frustration, and return after the cheese course. Ah, this is more like it. Rather dense berry and cherry fruit, loads of herbs with a light coffee note. A rather distinct minerality on the finish, this merits an A- at the end.
1999 Neyers "Conn Ranch" Merlot (Napa) Big typically Californian Merlot. Rather lush texture, very sweet dark plum fruit. More fruit-forward and fruit-driven than the others, it's an impressive wine but better on its own than with the food. Some toasty oak and chocolate aromas. A B, if not really my style.
A really nice night with good friends. Lively conversation (nature/nurture, would a thinking/caring god have created crusaders for Intelligent Design classes, African waterholes, gender stereotypes, etc.), fantastic food, mostly good wine.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency