Let's get right to it while everything is still fresh in my mind! By the end of the evening, my notes were slightly less legible than at the beginning!
First, a bonus review.....one of the dishes was made the night before (as recommended by the recipe) and half of this bottle went into the dish, and the other half went into my belly.
Louis Jadot 2013 Couvent des Jacobins ($29.99)Beautiful nose, a true Burgundian Pinot Noir. Aromas of red cherry, herbs de Provence, spice and cranberry. Flavors of red cherry, a touch of pepper with smooth and supple tannins. A lovely entry-level Jadot. 89.
Premier Cours
A French tradition; Charcuterie! Meat, artisan cheeses, crackers, and the like.
The wine:
Chateau Rahoul 2013 Graves Blanc ($29.99)
Buttery and citrus aromas jump from the glass. Flavors of lemon-lime with plenty of herbaceous notes. Creamy mouthfeel and long finish. Lovely. 92.
Chateau de Fieuzal 2010 Pessac-Léognan ($86.99)
Muted nose of white flowers, wood, and a touch of butter. Those aromas continue through to the palate, and are joined by a touch of hazelnut, melon and citrus. Just seems to be reaching it's drinking window. 92.
Deuxième Cours
The food:
Do a Google search for Julia Child's Roast Chicken and a heck of a lot of different recipes come up. This is the one I used, and it was really terrific.
The wine:
This was actually supposed to pair with the 2010 Fieuzal, but since we went through the 2 bottles of white Bordeaux so fast....well....I was out of White Bordeaux, and no time to drive an hour to my offsite cellar to get more. SO.....I just picked something that would go well with the chicken, and I think I made a good choice. I paired it with Culmina's 2016 Unicus, a delicious Gruner Velitliner that I have previously reviewed here.
Troisième Cours
The food:
This is the dish that was mostly made the night before, and it was absolutely delicious. My wife's favorite dish of the night. As good as it was, what a stupid dish to serve at BORDEAUX night. I mean, we are going to have a BURGUNDY night too, of course, and that might have been a more appropriate time to serve a dish that is literally named after Burgundy!!
The wine:
Chateau Beau-Site 2005 St. Estephe ($49.99)
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot
Superb aromas of red cherry, smoke, leather, herbs and tobacco. Concentrated flavors of cherry and blackberry, with tobacco, earth and spice as well. Drinking beautifully now and seems like it will have legs for a few more years. 91.
Quatrième Cours
The food:
Oh my. A couple of the guests thought there was too much pepper on the steaks, but I disagreed, and thought this was just spectacular.
The wine:
Domaine de Chevalier 2013 Pessac-Leognan ($75.00)
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot
2013 was a pretty poor year for Red Bordeaux, but this one is tasty and approachable. Lots of cherry and blackberry on the nose and the palate. Some smokiness develops and a hint of graphite pops up as well. Long finish and good concentration of fruit. Pretty successful effort for a poor vintage. 92.
Dessert
The food:
My first attempt at this traditional French dessert was, IMO, a rousing success. To be honest, almost everyone was so full by this point that I was the only one who ate an entire portion, but that just means there is more left for us today :)
The wine:
Chateau Rieussec 2013 Sauternes ($80.00)
Feel like having your mind blown? Pick up one of these. Or 10. Closing in on perfection, complex aromas of dried apricot, peach, lemon meringue pie, honey and a touch of mushroom. Full bodied and the perfect amount of sweet to go with the dessert. Finishes forever. FOREVER. A tour-de-force and it might even get better with further time. 98.
Oh what a way to end a really fantastic evening. Nice to find a bunch of great recipes that not only made Bordeaux night special, they were so good that we will make them again.
Next up: For the blog, back to the Okanagan report where we will pick up at La Stella. For our theme nights, just two weeks from now we are back to our friends' place as they tackle a toughie: Germany!!
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