Toby's Birthday Dinner at Keswick

I can't imagine what people must think of our fin de siècle indulgences despite it being the very beginning of the century? I spent the week trying to recover from the mammoth hangover I acquired as a result of my birthday dinner in order to be ready for Toby's the following Sunday.

The line-up of wines could not have been more exciting and I was eagerly anticipating the dinner for a number of reasons, but mainly because it would bring me one wine closer to achieving my First Growth goal. Well, that and of course, to celebrate Toby's 32 years of raucous living.

We spent the week coordinating the details with Richard, the Sommelier at Keswick. I took the wines over a couple of days early to let them rest in the hotel cellar. The site of me delicately wheeling magnums of old Bordeaux across the lobby and dining room on a luggage trolley was quite hilarious I assure you, though maybe I made more of a spectacle of myself than needed.

We arrived at the restaurant around 715pm and while I conditioned the bottles to be opened and arranged specifics with the wine waiter, Rich poured the apéritif: a bottle of 1988 Oasis "O" Reserve Rosé. This Virginia sparkling wine spent 15 years on its lees before dégorgement. The resulting wine was incredibly fresh, elegant and delicious, not to mention a huge surprise. I've had a few bottles of well aged Virginia wine that proved quite palatable, but this really transcended its pedigree. I don't mean to say that Virginia wines aren't improving dramatically in quality, but for something from 1988-when the VA wine industry was still in its infancy-to taste so delicious surprised me.

We toasted the birthday boy and got down to the business of eating our amuse: Port poached pear with goat cheese and microgreens.

After this I decanted one of the two bottles of Tokaji from an unascertained producer and vintage. This information remains unknown as all that remains of the label is the seal (depicting a crown with a cloak suspended from it with two shields in the middle) and the cursive letters "...kaji-A..." The bottle had been blown by hand as evidenced by its many irregularities. The cork was tiny and did not have a vintage printed on it. The wine itself appeared a murky mess, similar to puddle water, with a slightly more appetizing aroma. The wine contained a significant amount of sediment. Somehow Toby knew that it was 6 Puttonyos. We drank this wine along with a foie gras course (two ways: 1)torchon on apple compote and, 2)seared lobe on apple tatin tartelets. I had a scallop dish. The wine was remarkable as a curiousity, but it also tasted pretty good. Rich speculated that the bottle dated back to the Austro-Hungarian empire based on the seal and the hand-made glass.

We moved to reds next with a magnum of 1957 Cos d'Estournel. The first bottle seemed completely maderized and so we opened the second bottle. This wine really surprised me considering the vintage (Broadbent gives it a whopping one star out of five) and the age (fifty years old). It had retained a lot of vigor. I guess the underripe grapes had given the wines a solid dose of age defying acidity. This wine went somewhat clumsily with the haute version of chicken and dumplings: chicken with potato gnocchi and wild mushrooms with truffle emulsion sauce. The dish proved quite pleasant although I didn't quite understand why the chef decided to serve it in a demi-tasse.

The main event followed with the 1961 Chateau Margaux from Magnum. I opened the more decrepit looking of the two bottles and found that despite appearances the wine was solidly intact. Definitely a show stealer compared to the other wines, which were leaner with more elevated acidities. The Margaux had the flesh and fruit to charm, though maybe not quite the requisite acidity for the trio of lamb that arrived shortly after we poured the wine. The trio consisted of Rack of lamb, braised shoulder, and sweet breads. The Margaux worked quite well with the braised shoulder but I had my doubts as to the harmony with the other two. The major problem stemmed from the chef's over liberal use of salt (and we all know that salt and cab are not a pleasant combination). I had to send back my mushroom canneloni because it was inedible due to an overdose of salt. Despite the shortcomings of the food, the wine definitely showed very well. (Andrew had saved some Cos and liked that wine with lamb much better). Overall, I concluded that the Margaux deserved less assertive flavors, or no food at all. Simply to sit, consider, and enjoy this wine would have been enough.

With the cheese course we enjoyed a very inspiring bottle of 1961 Savigny-les-Beaune from a négociant in Aloxe Corton called Pédauque (from Magnum). Atypically full of color for a nearly half century old bottle of Burgundy, it still possessed a central core of red fruits that belied its age. In retrospect, it may have been more appropriate to serve the Cos with the cheese and the Burgundy with the Chicken dish. It just didn't occur to me that a 46 year old Cotes de Beaune from a négoce would be drinking so well.

And then came dessert: a bottle of 1997 Baumard Clos St Catherine (to my dismay, slightly corked, though it showed rather well despite this flaw) and the 1997 Réné Renou Bonnezeaux "Tri de Vendange" which proved underwhelming with its lack of botrytis.

Overall it was an epic wine event and (hopefully) a memorable birthday celebration for Toby. Many thanks to all those who helped make it happen: Toby, Cathy, Ted, Andrew, Amy, and Rich. Cheers!

See Part II for the Tasting Notes.