Enjoying a Friday night

[Andre]

Fine company and wine.

The fact that I stopped working Friday nights yanked me of my working kingdom to become a sitting nobody overlooking the Haifa Bay and wasting time. I simply hate crowded place, so going out was not an option.

A friend’s invitation for dinner was cordially accepted by my wife and I.

The evening starts with some antipasti served with Silvaner Spatlese Trocken, Wurzburger Stein 1999. This delicate yet complex Franken wine, lacked the necessary acidity for further development and although a gold medal winner, I found it less complex than expected with a good balance but with a too smooth drinking feel. Fresh herbs and minerals dominated the scene.

Cabernet Sauvignon Dunn Vineyards, Napa Valley 1984 was served with a perfectly made Ossobuco served with tiny green peas and Jacket potatoes .

The wine was wronged by being open for 5 hours before we got to taste it, although not oxidized the wine was situated at the bottom of no return. Fading ripe fruits were joined by simple mildly toasted oak and oxidized aromas.

[ Now I can almost hear Brad: why on earth would you open a ....]

The Chambertin that came to the rescue had to wait until Dunn’s last drop was consumed. After all he was may favorite Renaissance poet…

Chambertin Grand Cru Domaine Trapet pere & fils 1995. Massive fruits without finess indicated the youth of this long distant runner. Young Burgundy wines can be deceiving. The gang tof seven enjoyed this concentrated black cherry and gooseberry aroma skillfully crafted with good acidity and a slightly dominating oak finish. The wine kept on growing but five more years would have resulted in a much better wine.

Vega Sicilia “Unico” Ribera del Duero 1990. Bottle number 48131 expressed layers of concentrated ripe fruits, herbs, mild spice, earth and tobacco yet lacked the harmony of the Chambertin appearing nearly as a new world wine when the two were compared. Unlike the Chambertin, the Unico lost some of the layers after 20 minutes in the glass. Chewy tannins mingled with some dried fruits in the mouth showing the winemakers potential of winemaking yet I am not sure about his blending skills. I recommend drinking this one between 1997 – 2000.

A dried fruit cocktail with dense mildly scented cream threw some more compliments the cook’s way.

Aged cognac topped the evening.

The world is a wonderful place to be.