Bob and I were married 39 years ago yesterday, and I invited some close friends over to celebrate with me (and Bob in spirit):
As an homage to the 23 years we spent here in Washington, I made wonton cups filled with spicy Dungeness crab salad (green onions, unsweetened coconut, diced fresh jalapenos, sesame oil, chili crisp):
2017 Salmon Champagne Special Club Rosé de Saignée Pinot Meunier
Disappointed. Not even close to the '12, my one other experience with this offering from this house. Drinkable but lacking fruit/savory and not really satisfying as a celebratory wine--mildly cooked? Dormant? Fruit was definitely shy. I dunno but I hope my other bottle is better.
2016 Bride Valley Rosé Bella Dorset Champagne Blend
Bob always called me his bride, so this one. Bride Valley is Steven Spurrier's estate champagne house. Last of three purchased 3 years ago and the best bottle of all. Tangy with plenty of bright, layered, complex fruit on the mid-palate and yet minimal dosage assures a dry finish. Best English sparkler I've had.
With a salad of greens dressed with just lemon juice and olive oil, and topped with a dish of warm panko-coated goat cheese a la Alice Waters, in remembrance of several top notch meals at Chez Panisse:
2019 Domaine Vacheron Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc
At the best possible moment of its life right now, and full of complementary opposites. Lemon and apple fruit, subdued yet intense, demure but flirtatious, fresh and yet elegant. A master class in being Sancerre and matching up with goat cheese.
2023 Daydreamer Chardonnay Marcus Ansems Okanagan Valley
The OK Valley was a happy place for Bob and I, being the only place we could easily travel to since his illness and Covid combined to make airports and airplanes beyond Bob's physical tolerance. So this wine: vivid chardonnay fruit amplified by perfect acidity and the complex of spice and herbal notes from wild fermentation. One of the best vintages of this wine I've had, and I've been a fan for a long time.
With a main course of 48-hour sous vide short ribs accompanied by a three-day demi-glace, black truffle mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts in cumin butter. The wine wasn't so much selected as it was accepted as a volunteer upon finding a puddle of syruppy red stuff on the floor in my cellar and tracing it to this bottle.
1995 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon Dedication Series Columbia Valley
From magnum. Ready to go with decanting to remove off sediment. Deep garnet red color, no bricking, fresh cabernet nose, long and lasting finish. Hard to believe it is a 30 year old wine let alone from WA as so few wines of that era have held up like this, even in large formats. Absolutely outstanding.
For dessert, Bob's favorite: a freeform apple tart. No wine.