Kathy and I were hosting this past Saturday night’s dinner. My birthday is on Monday July 8th so this Saturday night ended up being my Birthday dinner.
I had a bottle of 2004 Cristal Champagne on the rack in the basement that I’d been aging. I’d loved this wine when we tried it originally but all the reviews on it said it was very young and needed more time to develop. About a week and half ago our house was broken into and some cash and jewelry were stolen. Walking through the house with the police I was relieved to see the thieves hadn’t touched any of the wine. I remember specifically seeing the Cristal and being very happy it was still there. At that moment, I decided it was time to drink it now vs. later. I was also concerned that aging the wine may not be a good thing; I loved it when we first had it and what if the changes took away from what I loved about it in the first place?
So the first course was the 2004 Cristal Champagne and I made a bacon and blue cheese dip to go with it. As we have reviewed the 2004 Cristal before I won’t go into great detail but it was as wonderful as when we had the first time. It made an amazing pairing with the dip as the wine’s crispness easily cut through the heavy rich flavours of the dip.
The main course was beef tenderloin with grilled shrimp, baby potatoes, green beans and Béarnaise sauce. As it was my birthday dinner, I went with something special for the pairing here and opened a 2003 Solaia by Antinori. I have had this aging on the rack for about 5/6 years and was very much looking forward to trying it.
The nose on the Solaia was easy to find with big aromas of sour cherry, cedar, eucalyptus, marzipan, vanilla and tobacco. Tasting the wine, raspberry and subtle spice notes were the two main flavours. The balance on the wine was amazing with fine tannin and good acidity working in harmony with the alcohol and fruit. The wine was not huge but done in more of a feminine style which was subtle and inviting. As the wine opened up it did develop a slight bite to it but this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as it just made the wine grab your attention a little more. The finish on the wine lingered around for a long time. I usually like my Cabernet Sauvignon blends to be big in body and more in a masculine style with a huge body that almost assaults you from the glass but I really liked this wine. As it was done in the lighter style it was very easy drinking and we were all sad when we killed the bottle that there wasn’t more of it. I worked well as a pairing with the beef but the green bean and potatoes were only ok with it. Mick and I were thinking a prime rib or lamb with roasted veggies would be a great pairing for this wine.
Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 92, Mark – 92, Kathy – 92, Amy – 91, Overall – 91.75.
Here is the LCBO information on the wine –
ANTINORI SOLAIA 2009
VINTAGES 987586
750 mL bottle
Price $ 251.95
Made in: Tuscany, Italy
By: Marchesi Antinori S.R.L.
Release Date: Oct 27, 2012
Wine, Red Wine
14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
Sugar Content: 5 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry
Tasting Note - The 2009 Solaia is one of the clear standouts of the vintage. Freshly cut flowers, raspberries, spices, mint and licorice burst from the glass as this fabulous, viscerally thrilling wine shows off its pure class. Today the oak is a bit prominent, but that won't be an issue by the time the wine is ready to drink. In one of my blind tastings, the 2009 Solaia was flat-out great. There is no shortage of pedigree here ... Solaia is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Franc from a single parcel within the Antinori family's Tignanello vineyard. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029. Score - 96+. (Antonio Galloni, erobertparker.com, June 2012)
*Note – the wine listed here is the 2009 and not the 2003 that we reviewed.
I don’t believe the 2003 release was rated as high as Parker is rating the 2009 so I’m really thinking I might have to grab a bottle of the 2009 now; especially since the 2003 with its 91.75 overall rating grabs a spot on the Zippy Sauce Top Ten Reds. This will mean I have a new Italian wine to place in the rack and stare at for years before I finally get to try it.
For dessert I picked up a LaRocca Lindt chocolate flan for dessert which we’ve had before and I thought was awesome.
Fun night with very good food and wine; I really have to figure out a way to make it my birthday every weekend.
Cheers!
Mark
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