WTN: Garage wine with hamburger

We made burgers tonight, along with leftover "baked" beans, broccolli, and cabbage. Lettuce and good tomatoes, plus the 2001 Ch. La Confession (St Emilion). Whoa, this is thick. Ripe/overripe fruit, milk chocolate, vanilla. Creamy texture, quite milky, with blackberry and blueberry preserves. Impressive in its own way, but this is one garagiste that doesn't say "Bordeaux" at all. Not sorry my only one (not sure why I bought, or why I bought 2004). Others will like much better, for me C+/B-

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

We made burgers tonight, along with leftover "baked" beans, broccolli, and cabbage. Lettuce and good tomatoes, plus the 2001 Ch. La Confession (St Emilion). Whoa, this is thick. Ripe/overripe fruit, milk chocolate, vanilla. Creamy texture, quite milky, with blackberry and blueberry preserves. Impressive in its own way, but this is one garagiste that doesn't say "Bordeaux" at all. Not sorry my only one (not sure why I bought, or why I bought 2004). Others will like much better, for me C+/B-

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

You and Michael Forbes, Dale. He drank Ch. Margaux with hamburgers, or so he said.

This is more like $30, not $300.

Dale,

Food and wine: Wonderful. Loved the title of your post.

Wine: Who needs wine like that when there is so much good natural wine around?

Alex R.

This is more like $30, not $300.

LOL!

You and Michael Forbes, Dale. He drank Ch. Margaux with hamburgers, or so he said.

Malcolm not Michael

Sorry to be pedantic

[Jenise]

Oh this is good news! Because 1) I actually bought 3 bottles at a Wine Commune auction last year and ended up receiving only one (and of course got a credit for the missing items) and 2) I know exactly which situation to save this wine for. It won't be an intimate dinner for two at home!

You and Michael Forbes, Dale. He drank Ch. Margaux with hamburgers, or so he said.

Malcolm not Michael

Sorry to be pedantic

You are correct Jacques, my mistake.

Whats wrong with eating a Burger with Margaux...???? As long as you dont drown the burger in Tabasco or Ketchup or some other sauce..... its just ground beef!!!!!

Whats wrong with eating a Burger with Margaux...???? As long as you dont drown the burger in Tabasco or Ketchup or some other sauce..... its just ground beef!!!!!

Alejandro, I am going to guess that you know the answer to your question.

Alejandro, I am going to guess that you know the answer to your question.

Bob... I dont think Im 100% clear on where you are going with this... other than you would not drink Margaux with a burger. Would you care to elaborate on why not?

Bob... I dont think Im 100% clear on where you are going with this... other than you would not drink Margaux with a burger. Would you care to elaborate on why not?

Alejandro, I would not drink Margaux (Chateau Margaux) with a hamburger, because there are so many other wines that will pair perfectly well with this meal. And, they will do so at $175- $200 less cost. I do not have a problem of drinking a perfectly good wine with a burger, but I am not going to waste a first growth on a lowly burger. I would save that for a much more elegant, yet enjoyable meal. I bought the meat today for the entrée for such a meal. ( boneless ribeye to roast as a roast) I expect the accompaniments with the roast will be more enjoyable than what I would likely have with the burger too. Of course that is just my opinion, I am not damning anyone who would drink Ch. Margaux with their burger deluxe at all.

Needless to say, Parker liked this one.

I have 3 bottles stashed - sounds like they will be good in a few years for fooling Jenise into thinking I brought ...what, a Californian? If not Bordeaux, what would you have said if you'd tasted this blind?

And I have no problem with hamburger and Margaux, as long as the meat stays raw and isn't spiced too highly (some people making tartare go overboard IMHO). Although I'd probably opt for maybe a Burg rather than a claret with steak tartare.

And I have no problem with hamburger and Margaux, as long as the meat stays raw and isn't spiced too highly (some people making tartare go overboard IMHO). Although I'd probably opt for maybe a Burg rather than a claret with steak tartare.

But what would you serve with a foie gras burger, Bill? Not that you'd ever fg, of course...

It has been said by men and women far wiser than I that when one is open to adventure, adventure finds you. As to hamburgers and fine wine....... Several years ago my brother was given a gift of a magnum of the superb 1982 Chateau Petrus. My brother enjoys wine but knows that I adore it and, also knowing that the wine had to be picked up in Paris, while he was in Tokyo, he decided to turn the gift over to me. Lovely brother!!!

I picked the wine up, left the shop and met an acquaintance who was with his two early teen-aged daughters. After greetings and catching up for a few moments, he told me that they were on the way to McDonald's - his daughter's favorite of course - and asked me to join them.

I am, after all, to some extent a man of the media and at that time I had a tv spot on one of the French national channels and the penny fell rather quickly. I phoned my tv editor, told him to immediately send a crew to the McDonald's branch on the Champs d'Elysees. And there, with Big Macs and chips, we opened and consumed the Petrus. It goes without saying that we shared the bottle with everyone at the McDonald's (including the staff) and that a marvelous time was had by all.

Two comments - great t.v. spot and indeed, Petrus adds a definite flair to McDonald's burgers and chips.

Best
Rogov

Rogov,

What an incredible story !!!!!!!!!

Alex R.

Rogov,

What an incredible story !!!!!!!!!

No kidding. I'm not even going to bother telling you about my Mouton with Spam and crackers story....

(PS - I doubt I'd have offered a sip of Petrus to McPukies' employees. The chances of there being a budding oenophile working there as opposed to the 'pearls before swine' alternative would seem to be vanishingly small...)