A Fabulous Meal With Good Wines

[Sharon Bowman]

We made a good meal with very eclectic wine and food!

First course was a Mexican herb soup with lime squeezed into it and lots of salt.



One of our party wanted to drink Dos Equis with it, but I said no way and instead we had a 1989 BLOSSOM HILL BLUSH. Dark with bottle age it had a nose of dried fruit peel and bubble gum. Good sweetness to fight the lime and the salt!

Second course was a butternut squash flan. Some of them got burnt, but they were overall Pretty Excellent.



Drank it with 1990 GUIGAL CONDRIEU which was superbly varnishy, with beeswax and pith and toast. It picked up the burnt notes on some of the flans and smoothed them out. Very Good.

Third course was Chicken with Boiled potatoes in jus.



This robust dish needed something hearty, so we uncorked a 1985 SASSICAIA. This was the second best pairing of the night, as the tons and tons of fruit and oak just blended perfectly with the succulent juices in the broth.

Last to finish out we had a fun little dessert of pig-decorated cakes with butter cream.



Someone mentioned a Huet Moelleux but it got vetoed in favor of a 2003 TARDIEU-LAURENT CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE. Pairing of the night! Wow. Who would have thought. The roasted grape profile was just right for the cake.

Many thanks to Martin Parr for taking the photography.

 

[Brad Kane]

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
2003 TARDIEU-LAURENT CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE. Pairing of the night!

I'm stunned to hear you liked it. Not a good vintage for CDP, imo, due to its extreme over-roasted nature with unripe tannins (to generalize) and my experience with Tardieu-Laurent is that you learn more about the cooper than anything else.

The shot of the chicken is a bit pornographic, btw.

 

[Levi Dalton]

Is Peter Creasey using Sharon Bowman's account now?

I'm so confused.

 

[Yule Kim]

I personally think that a boilermaker of Budweiser Lime with a shot of Zima would have made a good pairing with the herb soup.

 

[lars makie]

I give this thread an [EXCELLENT - OUTSTANDING]!

 

[MLipton]

Winegrrrl, you jaded wag, you!

Tch!
Mark Lipton

 

[Peter Creasey]

originally posted by Sharon Bowman: A Fabulous Meal With Good Wines 1985 SASSICAIA. This was the second best pairing of the night, as the tons and tons of fruit and oak just blended perfectly with the succulent juices in the broth.

Sharon, I haven't had the pleasure of having this wine in a long time; however, I remember classifying it as one of the better wines I have had.

The Condrieu sounds like an inspired choice for the squash course.

. . . . . Pete

 

[Christian Miller (CMM)]

Second course was a butternut squash flan. Some of them got burnt, but they were overall Pretty Excellent.



Drank it with 1990 GUIGAL CONDRIEU which was superbly varnishy, with beeswax and pith and toast. It picked up the burnt notes on some of the flans and smoothed them out. Very Good.

Hah! Everyone knows there's no beeswax in the 1990 Condrieu, only the 1989. Did you save some of the 89 Blossom Hill to taste with the flan? I think it would have picked up the nuances from the plastic spoon nicely.

 

[Josh Fontaine]

Wait, you hang with Martin Parr? Sweet....

 

[MarkS]

Didn't we just have a discussion about AVOIDING Tardieu-Laurent's wines??
Come a little closer, I have to knock some sense into you!

Btw, those little piggie cups are kawai!

 

[Salil Benegal]

Hilarious, Sharon!

 

[Marc D]

originally posted by Levi Dalton:
Is Peter Creasey using Sharon Bowman's account now?

I'm so confused.

Can't be, there is no fish course with red wine.

 

[SFJoe]

Genius.

 

[Steven Dilley]

Bravo.

 

[Karen Goetz]

I tried to duplicate your flan and I'd like to know how you avoided scorch marks on the spoons. My spoons didn't turn out so well, maybe because they are plastic. Anyway we had to wait a whole long time for them to cool down.

 

[Keith Levenberg]

Did you open a corked wine to pick up some of the moldy notes of the cheese course?

 

[Sharon Bowman]

originally posted by Brad Kane:

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
2003 TARDIEU-LAURENT CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE. Pairing of the night!

I'm stunned to hear you liked it. Not a good vintage for CDP, imo, due to its extreme over-roasted nature with unripe tannins (to generalize) and my experience with Tardieu-Laurent is that you learn more about the cooper than anything else.

My favorite vintage in the world, especially for Tardieu-Laurent, and Dominique Laurent in general and Tardieu, too. So roasty-toasty, I could seriously pair their cooper with my breakfast!

originally posted by Karen Goetz:
I tried to duplicate your flan and I'd like to know how you avoided scorch marks on the spoons. My spoons didn't turn out so well, maybe because they are plastic. Anyway we had to wait a whole long time for them to cool down.

It's better for the pairing if you burn your tongue, actually. The spoons got burnt, but I had a bunch of Wite Out, and Martin felt like doctoring them for the picture, for better contrast. Was that dishonest?

 

[Levi Dalton]

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:

The spoons got burnt, but I had a bunch of Wite Out, and Martin felt like doctoring them for the picture, for better contrast. Was that dishonest?

Cheaper than Photoshop, I guess.

 

[Sharon Bowman]

Too true.

 

[The Wine Mule]

"Varnishy," indeed. 19 years seems extraordinarily long in the tooth for Condrieu. Then again, it was following 20-year-old Cali-Pinky-Dinky, so I suppose I should really be congratulating you for your courage and joie de vivre and etc. So I will: Congratulations! Y'all sure know how to have fun!