File this one under, “I wish I was there.”
Alas, in 1993, when the wine dinner that I’ll get to in a second took place, I was drinking Busch Light Draft or Milwaukee’s Best in advance of swilling Natural Light out a keg later at night. Such is college life—I couldn’t even afford to drink the “Champagne of Beers,” –-it was more like the “Champagne of Beers’ cousin, twice removed.”
Since then, obviously, my taste has been refined, and I’d now love the opportunity to taste some of the great wines of the previous century.
Barring actually drinking the wines, I’d like to know guys who have drunk them which is where I’m about now, trying to hold my drinking budget under $25 a bottle. Insert the obvious statement about champagne tastes and a beer budget here.
That said, my wife has a pretty cool job (which helps support a $25 a bottle and under wine price limit) and she interacts with a diverse lot of people—she’s an editor at the publishing company that produces the “For Dummies” series of general reference books. She gets to work with authors like Dr. Ruth (Sex for Dummies), Howie Long (Football for Dummies) and other experts in their respective fields. No “Wine for Dummies” though—somebody else has that title, but Dr. Ruth and Howie Long, frankly, to me, pale in comparison to the author on her current project—she is working with Robert D. Gary, an attorney from Ohio, on the book, “Protecting Your Pension for Dummies.”
Now, I don’t have a pension and probably will never have a pension owing mostly to the fact that I was drinking beer in college in the 1990s when big companies started dismantling the programs.
But, if given a free hour and the choice of conversation between Dr. Ruth, Howie Long, or Robert D. Gary, Esq., I’m choosing Bob Gary.
My wife, through the course of conversation with Bob, had wine come up as a topic of conversation. My wife mentions my little fascination with the grape, Bob mentions his likewise fascination with wine and a fabulous wine dinner he attended in 1993 that featured some incredible wines from the 20th century becomes a topic of conversation. One thing leads to another and all of a sudden I’m looking at tasting notes from a triumphant wine dinner some 14 years ago.
I love these sorts of things because every wine lover has THAT moment—the point in time when a wine experience transcends space and time to become a reference point for all wine consumption thereafter.
I’m still searching for my moment, but Bob had his. And, he shared his tasting notes from the dinner that took place in 1993.
Oh, to have been guest at the Tom Mann dinner at Ken Stewart’s Grille in Akron, OH on April 3, 1993. The wines served that night (w/ excerpted tasting notes) included:
* Romanee-Conti D.R.C. 1971 Est. Current value: $3400 + (750 ml)
The most celebrated, exclusive and expensive red wine in the world. ’71 was massive, bigger on the palate than the La Tache with multiple layers of fruit that literally saturated the mouth with flavor.
* Borges 1963 Est. Current value: $125 (750 ml)
Rich, deep, sweet and showing well. Somewhat overlooked in this group of wines because everything else was so impressive
* Chateau D’Yquem 1982 Est. Current value: $350 (750 ml)
The 1982 is considered a great vintage and is just starting to show its potential. The flavor was honeyed fruit, rich and sweet without a hint of being cloying on the palate.
* Wachenheimer Gerumpel Trochenberenauslese 1971 Est. Current value: $750 (split cost)
Rich and viscous with intense peach, pear and apricot fruit flavors.
* Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne 1989 Est. Current value: $195 (750 ml)
Rich and full-flavored, similar to Mersaults, exhibiting nutty undertones but more refined, showing better breeding.
* Roederer Cristal 1986 Est. Current value: $250 + (750 ml)
Full-flavored and assertive; toasted bread nose and nutty flavor with great balance and finesse
* La Tache D.R.C. 1971 Est. Current value: $4600 + (magnum cost)
Enormous fruit with cherry, berries and grape flavors; an outstanding complement to the gnocchi pasta
* Richebourg D.R.C. 1971 Est. Current value: unknown
More accessible than the La Tache right out of the bottle. Lighter in body but still a mouthful of cherries and berries.
* La Montrachet Latour 1982 Est. Current value: $180 + (750 ml)
A very elegant and mouth-filling white wine that stood on its own without food. Dry, yet luscious.
* Chateau La Tour 1959 Est. Current value: $2100 (750 ml)
it showed great depth of flavor, richness on the palate and power in the finish
Kudos to Bob and double kudos for being able to procure the tasting notes in a suitable manner to email, 14 years later.
I’ve traded the bad beer for wine, now I’ve got to figure out how to get in on some of these sweet wine dinners.
What was your best wine experience? Leave a comment.