Rare Flower and Fine Wines



9:35 p.m.

 

8:50 p.m.



7:00 a.m. next morning

   

11:28 p.m.

This article is written more about the flower than the wines, but it was the wines that complemented the evening of flower appreciation.



A friend of mine gave me a pot of Queen of the Night (Epiphyllum Oxypetalum). In the evening of August 22, 2011, when I was taking out the garbage, it started to open up. As the flower only blooms for one night, I immediately took out my camera and starting taking pictures of the flower. At the same time, I started calling my friends who live nearby to come over to watch the blooming flower. I proposed to open a bottle of Burgundy red wine to enhance the evening. Two of my friends also brought over some Burgundy wines and we ended up with a great evening of beautiful flower and fine wine.

I am no expert in Burgundy wines, so I am just writing down the experience of the evening. I only know that men tend to “progress” from Bordeaux to Burgundy wines as they mature. I brought out a bottle of 2005 Domaine Vincent Sauvestre Pommard Clos de la Platiere (WS 90 points) that I bought two years ago from LDB. I had four Burgundy Riedel glasses and I used them for the occasion. The nose was pleasant and the wine was somewhat fruity, not surprising. Then as the evening went on and the flower bloomed more, we opened the second and third bottle. They were the 2005 Domaine Doudet Beaune Clos du Roy Premier Cru and the 2005 Domaine Doudet Savigny-les-Beaune Les Guettes Premiere Cru. When first opened, the nose was stronger than the Pommard and the color was definitely more brown even though all three wines were from the same vintage. Once poured into the glass, these two wines exhibited the classical cat’s pee nose for pinot noir grapes. The nose was very strong and both wines had fuller body than the Pommard. We started an elementary lesson in Burgundy geography while enjoying the wines.

Don’t be put off about the long names of these wines. Just google how to read Burgundy wine labels and you will be educated. The evening ended with the Queen of the Night in full bloom and all of us learning a bit more about Burgundy wines. In retrospect, all three wines should have been cellared for another five to ten years since 2005 was a great vintage for the area.

Chateau Briatte Roudes Sauternes 2002

Chateau Briatte Roude Sauternes 2002 ($14.99 375 ml.) – I bought this in November of 2010 and it is not available in the LDB stores now. Sauternes are the dessert wines of the Bordeaux region and I like them because they are not as sweet as the ice wines. They are also less expensive than the ice wines. Good Sauternes can be cellared for a long time (up to 200 years) and they change color from clear light gold to deep brown like syrup. 2002 was not a great vintage for the Sauternes, so I thought I can open a bottle to complement the cold soufflé that was served. This economical Sauternes had quite a bit of fruit in the mouth, especially peach and it had medium body. There are some other Sauternes currently available at the LDB stores that can be opened now. They are usually sold in half bottles of 375 ml. The wine is served chilled.

Chateau La Gaffeleiere St. Emilion Grand Cru 1998

Chateau La Gaffeliere 1998 St. Emilion Grand Cru ($70, WS 92 points) – I picked this up from LDB in 2008 when they released wines from 10 years ago. It was No. 69 of the Wine Spectator Top 100 wines of 2001. You cannot get this wine anymore and don’t confuse it with the Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere that is available now. Since this was a right bank wine, the predominant grape was Merlot. The 1998 right bank vintage was better than the left bank (Lafite, Latour, Margaux etc.), and Wine Spectator indicated that the wine should be opened after 2006. In spite of 13 years in the bottle, it tasted quite fresh and the body was medium to full. That was the last bottle in my cellar, so this was put on the blog for historical reasons.

Chateau La Gorce Medoc 2004

Chateau La Gorce Medoc 2004 (SKU 420232, $24.95) – This wine was recommended by one of the wine consultants at 39^th and Cambie. It was opened along with a 92 point 1998 Bordeaux and stood up well. It was decanted for about an hour in the decanter and was found to have medium to full body. 2004 was not a great vintage for the left bank Bordeaux wines but the Medoc region had a lot of sunshine. If you want a traditional Bordeaux that is drinkable now, try this. There is ample stock at all the LDB stores.

Dr. Loosen Erdencer Treppchen Riesling Kabinett 2009

Dr. Loosen Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett 2009 (SKU 134304, $26, WS 88 points) – I picked up this wine to a friend’s dinner party where seafood appetizer and winter melon with crab meat soup was served. The sweetness code at LDB was 6, indicating that it is on the sweet side (0 = very dry, 10 = very sweet). This was a German white wine produced in a way that gave the wine more of the fruity taste. Indeed there were lots of fruits on the palate and the ladies present all liked it. It went well with the food. So this is not a bad choice to be paired with some seafood dinner.