My Birthday Family Celebration!
The evening started with the family gathering around the kitchen island with our favorite starter, Champagne (Champs)! As we popped a bottle of 1996 Dom Perignon Champagne, we looked around at each other with big smiles, enjoying the effort everyone took to fly in from around the world to be together on this special day, my Birthday! The 1996 Dom Perignon Champagne was a honey apricot color; to the nose hints of orange; to the palate candied fruit, perfect balance, great acidity, pure heaven.. This paired nicely with a Duck Roulette..
Our next course which is simple to make, beautiful to the eyes and very good is, Glazed Scallops and Capers in a Madeira Glaze reduction...Gray Kunz does an amazing job with this dish...We continued with the 1996 Dom Perignon Champagne with this dish.
As we all enjoyed in good conversation and enjoyed watching all the children play together, we took a little break to prepare for our next course...It was of great pleasure and enjoyment to open a bottle of 1975 Grand Vin de Chateau LaTour, Pauillac, Bordeaux...while we BBQ'd! Amazing bottle, beautiful garnet red with a hint of brown in color, cranberries, black cherries, smoke and perfectly well balanced, great structure...Could lay down another 50 years.... this went fairly quickly and we were ready to move back into the dining room to enjoy our next pairing....
Our next wine considered the most famous wine in the world, the most sought after and "a happy accident of nature", was next! A wine that the world of connoisseurs wait their whole lives to taste; 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc, St. Emilion Grand Cru.
First Growth, 1947 Cheval Blanc is the most celebrated wine in the world and considered the best wine ever made..Cheval Blanc dates back to the 1830's, located on the right bank of Gironde, France, Merlot country. Mis en bouteille au Chateau, only one owner, original and it showed off for us this evening! The cork gave a struggle, like it wanted to continue to be preserved for a lifetime, stay a time capsule filled with the power of perfection.... Once it finally gave up with the determination of my brother working diligently to pull the cork out...we poured it into a decanter admiring the beautiful dark plum color...We immediately poured this rare once in a lifetime wine into our glasses...(No decanting and waiting hours, we drink the wine once opened and enjoy the experience immediately, evaluating the wine from the first pour and evolve with it thru out the evening....a pattern I do follow) Once poured into our glasses you see a touch of brown around the edges, age, maturity, a gift of pure love. The nose, OH the nose!!!! Perfumes of life begin to materialize, dried raisins, chocolate and prunes. Now the palate was ready to explore and experience this extraordinary moment in time...Deep concentrated port like, complex, well rounded, perfection, long enticing finish. As the evening progressed and the wine evolved and breathed, you could not help but enjoy all the different characteristics and nuances this wine had to offer...I decided to sit with my eyes closed, swirling this amazing liquid on my palate and saying Happy Birthday to myself while savoring the moment in time that will always be one of the best wines I have ever experience in my lifetime....
Could there possibly be more after The Cheval Blanc, do we really continue?....Anyone that knows my family, knows the answer is YES! Next to be opened was the 1953 Chateau Mission Haut Brion Grand Cru, Pessac Leognan. From the Graves region, named after the gravelly terroir which is a distinctive trait for this First Growth beauty. One of the oldest and longest established regions of Bordeaux. Once opened again with a slight hesitation of wanting to reward us with its grace and charm, we poured and began the process of pleasure. A beautiful ruby, garnet color, with a touch of chocolate. Huge nose and very aromatic for such a mature wine. To the palate sweet, delicate, dark fruit and a touch of earth to give it the stamp of approval from which it came, the Gravel soil....Complete divine, long finish and utterly enticing.
This paired nicely with an amazing assortment of hard and soft cheeses, especially Rogue River blue.
I know what you are thinking, is there more? Again this is my family and we can go on forever...A proper birthday dinner for me would never be complete without my favorite dish..Seared Foie Gras and this time we did it over a seared pineapple...Decadent and superb to put it mildly...Of course this was paired with its proper partner a Sauterns. 1967 Chateau Sigalas Rabaud Premier Cru. Dessert, sweet, butterscotch, creme brulee, and perfectly balanced. The color was a beautiful orange- apricot. This Sauternes had a long finish and did it ever pair nicely with the Foie Gras, specially flown in from Hudson Valley..Young and fabulous and still could lay down for more time....67!
An orchestrated night, filled with love, priceless memories and family....
Grazie Mille
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