The motto of the evening was "Bordeaux red" paired with a barbecue, framed by German white wines for starter and dessert. The following wines were served:
- 2010 Siegbert Bimmerle Sauvignon Blanc (Ortenau, Baden, Germany)
- 2006 Château d'Agassac (Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France)
- 2005 Château Du Beau Vallon (Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France)
- 2004 Château L'Inclassable (Médoc, Bordeaux, France)
- 1991 Château Montrose (Saint Estèphe, Bordeaux, France)
- 1975 Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling Spätlese (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany)
Starter
As starter our friend prepared a tuna salad with olives, pineapple and a lemon vinaigrette. Delicious. The pairing with the Bimmerle Sauvignon Blanc was risky, but it worked very well. The wine has a clear corn-like yellow colour and offers fruity aromas of pears and quinces. On the palate the quinces were more present together with kumquats and green apricots. With the tuna salad also the quinces dominated whereas all other parts came together in a very pleasant way with the salad and the vinaigrette. A real nice starter.
The Barbecue
For the barbecue every one of the red Bordeaux was served with a different style of meat. In addition tomato salad, corn-pepper salad, tzatziki and baguette were served.
Turkey cutlet au natural seasoned with olive oil, pepper and salt
The Château d'Agassac was paired with a turkey cutlet. The wine itself offers a deep dark cherry red with ripe cherry aromas and green pepper. Some dark chocolate in the background. Still very young! Morello cherries on the palate with still very present tannins. Very long finish. Excellent. Paired with the turkey cutlet and some tzatziki the wine suddenly became very smooth. The tannins were shifted more to the background.
Shish Kebab
The Château Du Beau Vallon has a cherry red brighter than the d’Agassac with some light rims. The aroma of ripe stewed fruits was restrained. Not very intensive. One taster detected some nettles. On the palate berries dominated. Medium long finish. The pairing with the Shish Kebab was difficult. Directly after a bit of the meat the wine was totally dead. You had to shift the contact point for 15 seconds. Then the nettles were confirmed and the taste was more spicy. The total impression was that the wine was already a little bit over the time.
Thuringian Grilled Sausage
This is a classic German barbecue dish. And it was wonderfully paired by the L’Inclassable. The wine has a dark, deep cherry red and offers Christmas aromas: Cinnamon paired with “hot” raspberries and cherries. Also cherries on the palate; very smooth and well integrated tannins. Wonderful. Absolutely on the top. Together with the sausage the wine offers in addition some spicy notes. Very pleasant.
Grillet Fillet of Pork
Another perfect pairing – although the Montrose made it very easy. Still an incredibly dark and deep cherry red with light rims. Nice balmy and earthy notes. Wet foliage. Still fruit aromas in the background. Surprisingly strong taste. Very spicy with clearly present tertiary aromas. Never-ending finish. Pretty much better than the last bottle I drunk two years ago. Together with the perfectly grilled and beautifully soft filled of pork a true inspiration. Terrific.
Dessert
For the dessert our friend offered us a very delicious Strawberry Tiramisu. To pair this dish is very difficult and we were not really surprised that the Piesporter Michelsberg did not totally fit. But no one cared. The tiramisu was outstanding and the quality of the nearly 40 years old Riesling surprisingly good.
It was not possible to uncork the wine and so we had to press the cork into the bottle. The color was golden amber and the aroma a wild mix of soft petrol, butter caramel and old wax candles. On the palate all these and more were confirmed. Also sherry notes. One of the tasters thought that the wine smelled a little bit like an old cat. In total an inspiring experience.
Then the dinner was finished. For the rest of the evening we simply relaxed on the sofa and drunk the remaining wine. No need to mention that the mission was completed when we left our friend.
