We did it!  We survived the first Christmas of the first grandchild on each side of the family.  Peace reigned, gifts were opened and exclaimed over, our baby was adorable and good natured.

We were feeling pretty good about life last night and on a whim, Pete and I opened up one of our ‘good’ bottles of wine. There are wines, and then there are wines. Everyone I know that works in the wine industry or collects has a wine that haunts them—it’s the wine that fascinates you and remains imbedded in your memory like a lost love or a one of a kind experience that you will never forget.   For me, it was a 1989 Chateau Tayac Bordeaux Superior that I had at the Escoffier Restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America while I was a student there.  It was the first wine that I actually ‘got’.  Finally I understood what all the fuss was about.  It was the moment when all the talk about nose, length and finish all made sense because this wine had it all. My husband’s wine was the legendary 1961 Latour—his Dad bought the wine when it was first released and sat on it for over 30 years.

Those wines that have it all are a rarity—but last night, we lucked out.  This wine may not have been perfect for you, but it was perfect for us.  It was amazing—It was the 1998 La Clusiere from St. Emilion.  It’s all merlot—usually I don’t care for merlot but this was something truly outstanding.  We decanted it and the perfume was wafting out of the decanter like a genie in the bottle.  It had notes of dried black cherries, dried mushrooms, a touch of smoke and vanilla from the new oak barrels. Not only were the tannins seamlessly integrated into the wine but it had heft and rounded mouthfeel from the sweet ripe fruit.  It was like drinking silk.  Sooo good (insert eye roll here).  And what did we pair with this fabulous wine, you may ask?  It was great with our Christmas leftovers—that was the plan all along. I had braised a Veal Leg with Wild Mushrooms in a traditional French cream sauce.  I love Bordeaux with mushrooms.  It is one of my favorite wine and food pairings. (The recipe is from Daniel Boulud’s ‘Braise’ if you are interested.)  As we finished the wine we also sampled some cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery.  At $100+ a bottle, I don’t expect to repeat this particular wine experience anytime soon but it was great while it lasted…..What are some of your wine memories?