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The Christmas wine We drank my birthday bottle of wine with our Christmas dinner. It was a Bordeaux, a 2003 Margaux from Chateau Giscours in France, in the Haut Medoc. D travels for her work, and found herself in California during September, where she found a wine shop and splurged for my birthday. Margaux is one of the “Grand Cru Classification” wines from 1855. While America was preparing for civil war, France was creating a wine classification system (predating Wine Spectator and Robert Parker by over 120 years.) However, unlike other rankings this one bestowed a title not on individual wines, or particular styles, but on the Chateau or house that produced it. So my Margaux was made by a Chateau that had a good reputation in 1855. It is one of thirteen “third growths” (there are five “growths,” first through fifth, with a total of 61 houses receiving this distinction.) Recently we tasted Bordeaux and Cabernet Sauvignon blends from other regions with our friends. We particularly enjoyed a French Pomerol and a St. Emillion, a Napa Cabernet, and an Australian Cabernet Sauvignon. All these wines were excellent, and all follow some variant of the original Bordeaux style. They are made either from Cabernet Sauvignon, or are blended with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and sometimes other grapes of the region. This Margaux was much better than any of the others we tasted. The French like to talk about “terroir” and the ability of a wine to describe a place. They want the wine to taste a bit like the earth it came from, how much sun it got, its elevation and so forth in the same way that the Slow Food movement tries to capture local flavors rather than everything tasting exactly the same. Wine that expresses its terroir captures the taste buds and diverts them for a moment or longer. I didn't tell anyone what I would serve, and I got it out of the cellar a few hours before dinner and decanted it. I like to decant wine anyway, so this wasn't unusual. Decanting allows the wine to open up and become a bit softer. I pour the entire bottle into the decanter and let it sit and warm up to room temperature. We started dinner with a Champagne toast while enjoying a smoked salmon salad. Dinner was a spiral cut honey glazed ham, mashed potatoes, and brussels sprouts. K had set the table and had done a beautiful job. It was elegant. I poured the wine, we raised our glasses and toasted the holiday. This birthday Margaux was wonderful. “Wow” said D (who is not shy about saying that she only really likes Italian wines.) “Yum” said both A and K. I cheated, having had a sip of the wine as I decanted it, so I knew what to expect. It commanded attention, in a refined manner. I tasted fruit - raspberries and cherries – and a bit of leather. The flavors evolved in my mouth, and I could still taste the wine after several minutes. My personal standard for balancing food and wine is to have a small taste of wine and eat a bite of the food. After I am finished chewing and swallowing, I wait for residual tastes. If either the food or the wine is still present, it is not balanced. This Bordeaux balanced the ham very well, and together they were tremendous. I did some wine research on the web and found that this wine was rated by Parker at 91 points. He also thought it was drinkable now or would also be fine with cellaring for another 10 years. I have some wines that I am saving and this was one of them. But I am not a big collector, and drinking an enjoyable bottle of wine with my family on Christmas was a perfectly fine excuse to open this one. Another wine we had recently was a special surprise. I was doing some Christmas shopping and found a new wine store. I found a bottle of “Ochetti” 2004, Nebbiolo D'Alba from Renato Ratti for $18. Both D and I love Nebbiolo, and Barolo and Barbaresco really define our favorite wine list. These Nebbiolo based wines have body, character, terroir and flavors that we love. This Ochetti was particularly good, especially since other good wines in this style can easily cost twice as much. What about comparing the Ochetti with the Margaux? Keeping in mind that Nebbiolo wines are the wines we prefer above almost all others, the Margaux was noticeably better. It was not as tannic as the Ochetti, and was better balanced. Both wines were well made, and both are great with food, but the Margaux probably cost three times as much. Was the Margaux the best wine ever? Has D changed her opinion about wines that are not Italian? Maybe not the best ever, but certainly one of the best. Any good wine that matches the food, and enjoyed with a significant holiday feast while surrounded by family is bound to be “one of the best.” D still gravitates towards northern Italian red wines, and glances suspiciously at French wines. But she would certainly drink another Margaux, gladly.
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