Well not quite (sorry Douglas), but this was the meal to end all meals. The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that some of the wines included in my “Best Of 2013” posts had an asterisk (one of these: * , not a Gaullish resistance warrior) by them.
Just before Crimble last year we invited four friends (two couples) round for dinner, ostensibly for my wife Jess to have a dry run at making beef wellington, but it ended up being a big night!
Aperitif & Champagne
Selection of olives and nuts with:
- Varnier-Fannière Brut Zero NV
- Varnier-Fannière Grand Vintage 2006
The saline quality of the Brut Zero was particularly fine with the salt in the olives and nuts
Starter & White Wine
Pea, Chili & Coriander Soup with soda bread and:
- Sullivan’s Cove Tasmanian Sauvignon Blanc 2010
- Zind-Humbrecht Alsace Pinot Gris “Heimbourg” 2002
Both were good, though not perfect matches; the texture of the Pinot Gris was outstanding.
Main Course & Red Wine
Beef Wellington and roasted vegetables and:
- Penfolds Bin 95 Grange South Australia Shiraz 1996
- Penfolds Bin 95 Grange South Australia Shiraz 1997
- Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 1998
Beef with mature beefy wines? Perfect match!
Dessert & Dessert Wine
Fresh Fruit Meringue with:
- Trimbach Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives 2001
- Pegasus Bay “Encore” Noble Riesling 2008
- Arthur Metz Gewurztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles 2007
- Domaine Engel Pinot Gris Sélection de Grains Noble 2010
The phrase “gilding the lily” springs to mind – but what the heck, you don’t get to do this very often.
It will take a lot to top this!
Wow! I’ve not had a Penfolds Grange yet, let along three in one meal; that is decadence of the highest order – I salute you!
To be fair, one was a Bin 707 rather than a Grange – but it was actually a better bottle than the Granges!
I’m looking forward to my invite to the next one… Sounds fantastic Frankie!
Big Champagne session on 1st Nov, book flights for you and your missus!