The Winona Chief arrives in Maine....

[JimHow]

Finishing up cleaning up the house in anticipation of the 4pm arrival of the BWE legend on the back deck in hot, hot, hot Lewiston, Maine....

[Nicklasss]

Have a great time. Cheers!

[JimHow]

A great evening out on the back deck on a splendid midsummer night. We drank 168th Krug, 1998 Angelus from half bottle, and 2011 d'Yquem from half bottle. All were splendid, as was the company. Life is good!

[SF Ed]

Nice! How was the 1998 Angelus. I drank all of mine years ago as I have found I like those ripe St. Emilions on the young side, but I'll bet its still great.

SF Ed

[JimHow]

We loved it, Ed, it seems to be in a long plateau of maturity, a lot of right bank complexity. I’ve got one half bottle left, will drink sometime in the next decade. The Krug was magnificent, we sipped on it slowly over the late afternoon, an incredible bouquet, wonderful balance. The 2011 d’Yquem is a favorite, we had that at the estate in 2015 when it was just being released and was clear as water, now it has put on some weight and color, I found it elegant and seductive, Chris found it big and rich. Chris left me with a 1998 VCC for my cellar, I sent him on his way with a bottle of the 168th Krug, he needs more Krug in his cellar. The Winona Chief has just left for his passage back to his home destination, a warrior completing his pilgrimage to the Mecca of Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts.

[JoelD]

Sounds like a lovely evening. Which wine paired best with the whoopie pies?

What generous gifts to each other too. Both are awesome wines.

[JimHow]

I was so busy Joel I didn't have time to get to Labadie's on Friday and they are closed on Saturdays, so I had none of the legendary Maine chocolate dessert to offer. However, I prepared some sliced peaches with cream that, omg, with the peach notes of the d'Yquem, were sublime, it was a peach explosion of flavors. Organic blueberries with whipped cream as well, mmmm. Chris was all lobstered out by the time he got to Chateau How so we had grilled tenderloin steaks with grilled vegetables and French fries. Mmmmmm.

[Winona Chief]

All of the wines showed very, very well. It was a great evening.

I think I should emphasize that sharing a bottle of outstanding Champagne over 2 and a half hours is the ideal way to get full appreciation of the Champagne. This was a classic Krug Grande Cuvée, a great wine, not just bubbles.

The 1998 Angelus has reached a point on its maturity curve that it provides a very high level of enjoyment - no need to wait if you want to give it a try. Probably should provide 5 to 10 years of peak or near peak drinking!

What can I say, 2011 Yquem is fabulous. I don’t think I disagree with anything Jim said, it is elegant and seductive and is also rich and flavorful - covers all the bases.

Many thanks to Jim for pulling this together on short notice.

Chris Bublitz

[Nicklasss]

Grest time! I remember the 2011 Yquem, that we had in 2015 at the Château : great stuff!

[Winona Chief]

Couple more thoughts.

The Angelus was from a 375 so it may be a bit further along its maturity curve than 750s. The Angelus was a fine, rich, outstanding wine not over-the-top, modern spoofy thing.

The peaches and blueberries with whipped cream were fabulous with the Yquem.

Chris Bublitz

[JimHow]

Finished off the d'Yquem last night with a couple of dinner guests, it was stunning with blueberry/raspberry and whipped cream dessert.
It was the first experience with d'Yquem for my guests, they were wowed!

[JoelD]

That sounds like an amazing pairing. I'm going to have to try something similar in the future.

Chris, you're definitely right about needing to sit with a great champagne for hours with friends. They definitely get lost in our big groups. And are often either too cold or too warm without enough proper air.

[JCNorthway]

Sounds like a wonderful get together. I'm pleased to hear the reactions to the 1998 Angelus as I am saving a mag for my 24 year old nephew for a special occasion. The d'Yquem sounds fabulous - wish I had some to anticipate.

[Chateau Vin]

Awesome stuff to hear about BWE gatherings... whether, Maine, West coast, London, montreal or anywhere else...Long live BWE...