Xmas Day dinner, 2024

[stefan]

The stefan Fan Club unanimously voted to recommend that I make at least one post this year on a family holiday dinner. I thank the club president and sole member, DD, for this vote of confidence. Here is what we drank at dinner on December 25, 2024. The adult participants were the usual suspects plus one: stefanJr and his better half, Irena; daughter T and her husband, Judd; my wife, Lucie; and Irena's mom, IrenaSr, who joined us for the first time at Xmas.

Before dinner we sipped on

1996 de Venoge Louis XV Brut. stefanJr starts with, "The finish lasts forever". Judd chimes in, "good acidity, poached pear flavor". "The previous bottle of this was more oxidized", stefanJr continues, remembering the one we drank at Thanksgiving. This bottle is better, but probably five years past its prime. "A little oxidized," Irena agrees, "and it needs nuts because of the acidity". Indeed it does; in fact, I went for the pistachios after my first sip. "Not oxidized; just old, says Lucie, "I am not used to Champagne being creamy". "Fuller on the tongue than is usual for Champagne", observes stefanJr. Disagreeing with her husband, T says, "I don't taste pears; rather, apricot in a tart". Lucie and T both say they don't like this old sparkler, while stefanJr likes it a lot. I 88. sJr 92. L 85. J 89. Isr 90. s 90. T 86.

With T's delicious celeriac soup we drank

2020 Boisson Les Grands Charrons 1er Cru Meursault. "This wine smells like sea breeze," says stefanJr, and Judd adds, "salty sea breeze". "The Meursault would be perfect with this soup with scallops floating in it," continues stefanJr. "I want a giant whole fish with this," says Irene. T complains, "I don't like the smell; auto row, but I love the taste". Huh? This is a typically smoky bouquet Meursault. "Long, long finish," moans Lucie. s 92. sJr 92. I 92. Isr 92. T 91. J 93. L 94.

For dinner we ate prime rib from RR ranch, green beans, and mashed potatoes prepared by grandson Rye.

1982 La Lagune. When I opened the bottle and smelled a few hours before dinner I thought it might be one of great bottles of the Nameless Wine. However, while the nose is great and the entry is promising, the finish is shorter than first growths have. Judd thought the wine horrible until he realized that the problem was his glass (my fault for not checking when I pulled it from a cabinet), but after changing glasses he exclaims, "this wine is fxxxing amazing!" "Roast beef brings out the berries," says stefanJr, who adds that he thinks the beef/wine match is better than I think it is. T 92. sJr 92. I 92. s 92. L 89. J 91. Isr 91.

The La Lagune did not provide competition for the Pauillacs.

1983 Latour. "I would drink this by itself; lovely and balanced; does not even need steak," says Judd. Wife T swoons, "if you lived in Utopia, this would be the wine; it tastes perfect to me." Referring back to Judd's comment, stefanJr says, "maybe the beef is affecting your perception." He continues, "The taste goes on forever. In back breathing there is some cigar, but blackberries predominate." Judd and I point out the fennel and tobacco in the Latour. T 97. sJr 98. J 98. s 96. L 97. I 97. Isr 94.

1990 Mouton. "Outstanding nose," Judd and Irene say simultaneously. Yes, I smell for a couple of minutes without taking a sip. There are too many attributes to describe: eucalyptus, cranberries, blueberries... The taste is consistent with the bouquet. This is not as powerful as the Latour, but it has plenty of stuffing for the rib roast. Tobacco is strong. While very different from 1982 Mouton, it is almost as good as the 1982. It is my wine of the night. T 93. J 94. sJr 95. L 95. s 97. Isr 92. I 92.

1990 Yquem. Up against Lucie's amazing apple tart, the Yquem loses. But with pistachios, the Yquem shows its class, with tons of minerals infused with apricots and citrus. s 95.

Happy Holidays to all BWEers, past, present, and future, from the stefan clan!

[Comte Flaneur]

Heart emoji

Peace and goodwill to all men and women

(Belated) Happy Christmas BWE

[DavidG]

Wonderful post Stefan. I’d been missing them. Great to see your whole family enjoying some great bottles and each other’s company.

Also a treat to see you posting Ian. Merry Christmas and Happy NewYear to you and all BWEs.

[Claudius2]

Stefan
Great lineup for Christmas.
Best I could do was a NV Champagne - in Cambodia now - which seemed a bit out of condition after a flight from Singapore and the insane bus ride from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh.

Went on a walking tour on Christmas Day and the locals at The Central market were so kind, offering us fried spiders, crickets, grasshoppers and giant forest beetles. I of course passed as they would not go with the Champagne….

Cheers
Mark

[stefan]

I tried fried grasshoppers once, Mark. They taste as bad as one would guess. Good pass!

[s*d*r]

Thanks for wonderful evocative notes, stefan.

[Nicklasss]

Nice notes stefan.you and Lucie miss me.

Merry Christmas to you and all BWEers.

[barsacpinci]

Sounds like a wonderful meal!

[Claudius2]

I tried fried grasshoppers once, Mark. They taste as bad as one would guess. Good pass!

Well, I passed.
I did a walking tour with a bunch of westerners and only one was game enough to chomp down on a cricket. The guide told us that spiders don’t really have any taste - they were charred so that whatever taste they initially had has all gone.

Unfortunately the habit of eating insects, rodents, any type of bird or even earthworms came about during the Khmer Rouge era (75 to 79) and continued due to endless invasions, civil wars and the like after the Vietnamese overthrow of the Khmer Rouge.

Strangely I was shocked at how many Rolls Royces, Maybachs, Bentleys and the like I saw. I hardly recognised the place after 12 yrs - in fact I liked it better then. The boy racers have Camaros, Hellcats and the like. A basic worker in Phnom Penh would need to work for about a thousand years to buy a RR (assuming no other spending). I left with this uneasy feeling.

Cheers
Mark

[dstgolf]

Loved the Christmas review and missing the joy of wine without a sip in over 2 months now. I love wine but it doesn't love me. We'll see in the coming months how it will affect me physically. What a drag.

Miss everyone and belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

[DavidG]

I’m sorry Danny is it gout? How’s Larry doing? Best to both of you for the New Year.

[dstgolf]

David,

I've been dealing with chronic insomnia and this irregular heart beat both made worse with drinking so I've laid off and things are a little better.

Larry had a quadruple bypass in September and recovered very well. He's enjoying his new lease on life wintering at his condo in Naples Fla.

[DavidG]

I know you mentioned Larry’s bypass. Glad he’s doing well.
Arrhythmias can be very frustrating…

[stefan]

Sorry for your health issues, Danny. I hope you get them under control.

I've had chronic insomnia and an irregular heart beat for years, but it never occurred to me that not drinking might help. I am not as bothered by them as you, so I probably won't try going off wine. I don't feel anything from my premature heart beat. I know I have it only by taking my pulse. The main effect is that I have no idea what my systolic pressure really is. I take one amlodipine daily but might need none or really need three. However, the probability that my heart will stop before some cancer eats me is nil. The surgeon general says that cancer likes wine, but I like it more.

[Nicklasss]

Hi Danny.

Sorry to read that your condition is a bit better, but still problematic.

My best health wishes to Larry, Danielle and you in 2025.

Even if you don't drink wine, i’ll contact you ahead if i make it to Ottawa in 2025.