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.