Another excellent dinner at From the Galley in São Paulo with our dear and immensely generous friend Alberto, who brought some fabulous Bordeaux from his father's cellar, his sister Renata and brother-in-law Stephen.
2006 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
Aromas of citrus and capsicum. Flavors of lime capsicum and passion fruit. Refreshing but rather simple. Liked this better closer to release, when the capsicum was less dominant. Chosen to accompany an asparagus dish because sauvignon blanc is supposedly one of the few than can handle the cynarin of vegetables like asparagus and artichoke, and this was the only SB I had lying around…
2005 J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese
Now the pleasure begins. Paired with foie gras crème brulée and lentil soup with Parma ham. No sulfur and no petrol, just a lovely quince, lime, pear, lime and honey cocktail. This wine is consistently a delight.
1961 Château Pape Clement Péssac-Leognan
Paired with sea bream with muscatel and caviar sauce. Probably the oldest wine Marcia and I have ever tasted. On opening, the cork broke in half but the halves came out without crumbling. While obviously past its prime, it was not oxidized or spoiled in any way. Pale brick color but still clear. Nose predominantly of tar, with funk and some dark cherry. As it opened in the glass, it became better and better, adding bacon and blackberries to the mix, like a Katherine Hepburn slowly and majestically rising from her divan. It was very satisfying, even thrilling, to drink something so old and yet so dignified. For Marcia even more so as it was several years older then her.
1975 Château La Mission Haut Brion Graves
Paired with pork ribs with bittersweet sauce and black bean foam (yes). Dark ruby, appearing much younger than its years. Powerful nose of tar, leather, blackberries and wet dishrag, with some iodine generating creating the impression of salinity. Amazingly tannic and mouth-puckering for its age. Initially the considerable acidity slightly overwhelms the fruit, but as it opened and interacted with food, the fruit became sweeter and stronger and achieved perfect balance with the grippy structure. Still a powerhouse wine, with considerable life ahead of it. In a word, divine.
1982 Château Latour Pauillac
Paired with goat cheese with maple syrup, olive tapenade and green salad. Even darker ruby, almost impenetrable, amazingly young looking. Blackberries, barnyard and mushrooms, with perfect acidity and milder tannins than the La Mission. This is still quite young but already showed a level of seamless perfection that I can only describe as Platonic. For this reason, I will risk the ire of the gods and venture to say that I found it ever so slightly boring compared to the other two. Somebody compared it to Grace Kelly. I can see it. Still, a great honor to taste.
1970 Château d’Yquem Sauternes
Paired with tapioca soup with tangerine ice cream. Shows a remarkable orange marmalade shade of bronze. Pandora’s box nose of apricot, honey, grass, stewed apples, ginger, caramel and vanilla. Tasting adds acidity and sweetness in complete harmony. Utter perfection and deserving of any hyperbole that contentment can devise.
