Bordeaux: A Tour d’Appellation

By Dan Rhodes

Shady Canyon Golf Club in Irvine (http://www.shadycanyongolfclub.com) was the recent locale for a spectacular Bordeaux dinner jointly organized and hosted by Raphael Tuch, Clubhouse Manager, Dominique Briaire, Head Chef and yours truly, Dan Rhodes, Consignment Director and Wine Specialist here at Spectrum.

Chef Dominique Briaire put together for attendees what can only be described as a culinary tour de force. The wines were paired perfectly and the evening unfolded as if scripted for a classic Jean Renoir film.

The theme was to pair wines from each of the major Bordeaux communes with an appropriate food course so as to recognize and highlight the differences that each of these renowned wine regions bring to bear. We started with a 1953 Cheval Blanc (St. Emilion) and a 1990 l’Evangile (Pomerol) for the exquisite first course of Filet of John Dory. The fish was sautéed to perfection and paired perfectly with the softer Merlot fruit that the wines brought to bear.

The Cheval Blanc was superb! 1953, undoubtedly the greatest vintage of the 1950s, brought all of its glory to bear. The wine was vibrant, still youthful with extraordinary color of dark plum and brick red. Port-like and exceedingly flavorful, its beguiling complexity and vivacity was a joy for all to behold. It was a tough act to follow but the l’Evangile more than held its own and whispered promises of future greatness.

Our second course consisted of roasted squab accompanied by a triumvirate of greatness which included Margaux 1978 (Margaux), Beychevelle 1989 (St. Julien) and d’Armailhac 1999 (Pauillac). The cognac grape sauce composed by Chef Briaire for this dish was especially noteworthy and magnificently uplifting in enabling all of the wines to spread their wings to show off their breed and colorful fruit complexity. The 1978 Margaux, the first produced under the leadership of the Mentzelopoulos family, was a classic. Old school in every way, we now know the wine was a harbinger of the great things to come under the dedicated leadership of Corinne Mentzelopoulos. The 1989 Château Beychevelle has always been one of my favorite Bordeaux wines and it did not disappoint. Lastly, from the underrated 1999 vintage, came d’Armailhac which, for many guests, was the top wine of the flight.

The pièce de resistance was the beef tenderloin bordelaise which was the centerpiece of the third wine flight which consisted of the fuller-bodied Lafon Rochet 1995 (St. Estephe) and the Domaine de Chevalier 1998 (Péssac-Leognan). Chef Briaire matched the wines to the dish perfectly. The earthier aspects of St. Estephe and Pessac-Léognan played well against the beef which was offset nicely with lyonnaise potatoes and sautéed spinach. Both wines soared in conjunction with the dish and spoke to the distinctive terroir of their respective regions.

We finished the evening with small aperitif of Suduiraut 1998 (Sauternes) which complemented well the fresh fruit Pavlova of peaches and apricot coulis.

All in all, a splendid time was had by all. Once again, our heartfelt thanks to Raphael Tuch and his very professional staff who provided us with impeccable wine service and attention throughout the evening.