Dinner at stefanJr's

[stefan]

Last night friends of stefanJr’s and Irena’s came for dinner. They have recently become hooked on wine but are still in the exploring phase. We started with Gosset Brut Excellence. It is a nice aperitif that is grapier than the Gosset Grande Reserve that we have drunk a lot. We drank 2009 Fontaine-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet La Boudriotte with boiled shrimp and a salmon spread. This smoky Burg was a good choice to go with the food and to introduce people to quality white Burgundy. I am glad that PC actually delivered this purchase. With the main course of sous vide prime rib we recalibrated with a taste of the 2009 Malecasse that we had started on in the afternoon after our Champagne breakfast. It is still oaky but is otherwise a good example of a quality Cru Bourgeois from an excellent vintage. The big boys, 1983 Leoville Las Cases and 2003 Pichon-Lalande, came next. stefanJr was surprised at the youthfulness of the LLC, which is a fine wine with resolved tannins but lots of fruit. It is thinner than I expected but has a lasting finish. The P-L is of course fuller and noticeably younger but fine for drinking now with roast beef. Its bouquet of fresh dark fruits was more pronounced than the mature nose of the LLC. Everyone liked both wines and preferences were mixed. I had a decided preference for the Comtesse. Our interlude before dessert was 2005 Paul Goerg Brut, a 1er Cru grower’s Champagne that we have been drinking for less than a year. I think it has a high percentage of Chardonnay and it would have gone well with the shrimp. With dessert stefanJr pulled out a recent purchase, 2001 Guiraud. What is there not to like about a Sauternes that is made of petrified honey? It is better for drinking now than the 2003 Rieussec that we had drunk a couple of days before.

Good food, good wine, good friends, and, especially, family, make life good.

[JimHow]

Oh yeah, baby doll, good stuff.

[Tom In DC]

Thanks for the notes, stefan. I haven't had the nerve to try sous vide with a prime rib roast. Any info on how long and at what temp?

[stefan]

I think it is 4-6 hrs at 135F, depending on the size. Lucie and stefanJr Googled "sous vide rib roast" to find out how to do it. It was great. stefanJr seared it on the grill after the cooking. The entire roast except for the crust was medium rare. Definitely the right way to do prime rib.

[Tom In DC]

Thanks. Truly, sous vide is an awesome way to prepare any meat, and perfect for a dinner party.