Although the arrival of spring prompts us to crave crisp white wines, we’ve been getting questions about buying, cellaring and serving older reds.
My boyfriend, a novice wine connoisseur and collector, turns 30 in April. I would love to purchase a wine for him that was bottled in 1978, but I have no idea where to begin. The only “must” in this selection is that it be red.
When you’re interested in buying wine from a particular year, consult a vintage chart to see which regions you might investigate. For example, the one compiled by D.C.’s MacArthur Beverages (www.bassins.com/resources/vin_chart.html) indicates that in 1978, Burgundy had a stellar year: a rating of 90 out of 100. Unfortunately, Burgundy prices have risen prohibitively.
Of the 1978 vintage, Meltzer wrote, “California and Bordeaux enjoyed a good harvest, and their bottlings are more accessible.” Among the former, he singled out Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon ($84) and Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon ($64); his tips for the latter ranged from Chateau Lafite Rothschild ($259) and Louis Latour ($198) on the higher end of the price range to Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste ($54) and Chateau Canon-La-Gaffeliere ($50) on the lower end. Those are all auction prices; retail prices may be higher.
To find available wines from 1978, go to Winesearcher.com and search by vintage date. If you’re looking for wines at auction, go to Winebid.com. And, once you find that 1978, please enjoy it soon. Nothing lasts forever!
At a D.C. area charity auction, I picked up a six-liter bottle (a Methuselah, I believe) of 2000 Chateau Landat Haut-Medoc, and I have no idea what to do with it. What advice can you provide on storage and consumption (i.e., is it best now or will it continue to get better with age)? And when it’s time to drink it, besides having lots of friends over, what food would best complement this wine?
We weren’t familiar with this particular wine, so for input we turned to Peter Meltzer, author of “Keys to the Cellar: Strategies and Secrets of Wine Collecting” (Wiley, $30), which tied for the 2006 Georges Duboeuf Wine Book of the Year Award.
Meltzer wrote in an e-mail: “It is a relatively inexpensive (under $20 for a 750 ml bottle) cru bourgeois that has a limited shelf life. It should hold up for another couple of years, but why wait? If you have a wine cellar, lay the bottle on its side to keep the cork moist and to retard oxidation. If you don’t have a wine cellar, that’s all the more reason to consume it in the very near future.”
Given the size of your mega-bottle (called a Methuselah elsewhere, it’s known as an Imperiale in the Bordeaux region and is the equivalent of eight regular-size bottles), you should be able to drink your fill with roasted beef or lamb and still have enough left for lingering over a cheese course starring brie or Camembert.
As happy as we are to answer questions about old reds, spring is when we can’t get enough of fresh, crisp white wines, whose bright acidity makes them ideal pairing partners for all kinds of lighter dishes. Two of our recent discoveries feature zingy grapefruit notes marking their aromas and flavors.
Karen’s first sip of the 2006 Hall Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($20) revealed this racy white wine to be a celebration of citrus: Grapefruit, lemon and lime flavors were accented by notable minerality and a dry finish. When we tasted it alongside chicken with spring vegetables in a lemon and white wine sauce, both food and wine sang. The same happened when we paired it with scallops, and we imagine it would be great with most any kind of shellfish.
Andrew’s pick comes from a winemaker whose golf putts he’d focused on more than his wines: the NV Greg Norman Estates Australian Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir ($15). This refreshing apples-meet-grapefruit bubbly also paired beautifully with the same chicken and vegetable dish. A well-made wine, it has impressive staying power: We re-tasted it five days after opening (the half-full bottle had been sealed with a champagne stopper, then refrigerated) and were surprised to find its lively flavor and bubbles intact.
Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page are award-winning authors of “What to Drink With What You Eat.”
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