Thursday, November 25, 2010

Pre-Thanksgiving dinner


Last night at my boyfriend's parents' house we had a decadent pre-Thanksgiving dinner, featuring rack of veal and 2 cellar treasures. Both wines were twenty years old and the corks were a bit soft. So, after they crumbled under the corkscrew we ran the wines through a coffee filter and into a decanter (and vase, as the case was for the second bottle!). I don't know if there is a gizmo out there to filter out disintegrated cork but if not maybe this is an invention waiting to happen. The filtering and decanting exercise was actually great for aerating the wines. Older wines tend to need a little time to open up so this was perfect.

The 1990 Ridge Monte Bello from California was a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. It was expressive and fruity with a little spice and really smooth oak. The 1989 Lynch-Bages from Bordeaux was more complex and richer, with deeper tobacco and coffee nuances layered over the dark fruit.

Both wines went great with the rack of veal.

Happy pre-Thanksgiving!

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