The Omaha
Event Report:
53rd High Noon Stag
IWFS Chicago Festival A French Wine Experience
September 6-9, 2023 Part 5 of 5 Old Spirits
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Event Report: 53rd High Noon Stag
Written by Tom Murnan, Photos by Tom Murnan & Ron Policky
Our 53rd High Noon Stag was another rounding success! Event producer Mike Wilke started the night before, double decanting all the 5 tasting wines. That means he removed any sediment, rinsed out the bottles, swirled the wine around a bit in the decanter, and poured it right back into the bottle and replaced the cork. He was done about 6:30 pm. The wines were ready to show all their charms by the time we started tasting them at about 1:00 pm Saturday. This wouldn’t have happened without extended, but controlled breathing. So I continue to preach the gospel of double decanting, or the Parker method. After a show of hands, guests liked the Inglenook Rubicon Napa Valley Rutherford 2008 (en magnum) the best, with the 2012 coming in second. Mike has a friend who works at Inglenook who sourced the wines and provided the two magnums.
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Flemings always does a great job for us, and since we start at noon, can place us in the spacious main dining room. The signature huge onion rings and Chicken Satay, each with their own sauces, served as out appetizers. The Caesar Salad was a great match for the Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay 2020. The earthy French Onion Soup with a bit of crusty melted cheese married, in my opinion, the best with the Bethel Heights Aeolian Pinot Noir 2016, but was also a very good match to the Domaine Des Bosquets Gigondas 2015 from the Rhône Valley. My Prime Bone-in Ribeye was absolutely delicious. Both wines did the steak proud. The Chappellet Signature Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 and the Château La Dominique St. Emilion 2010 were both spot on. French marketing is deceptive as they mark any bottle that follows the St. Emilion appellation rules as “Grand Cru.” But only a the best wines have GRAND CRU CLASSÉ on the label. Unlike the Medoc, St. Emilion re-assesses the classification every 10 years, which results in much controversy and even lawsuits. [In 2006, St Emilion had 63 of their best properties broken down as follows: Premier Grand Cru Classé A (two), and B (15), and 46 Grand Cru Classés with La Dominique being one of the 46]. I would say the La Dominique was the more elegant of the pair. We finished with assorted desserts with Château Rieussec Sauternes 2010 and Remy Martin Cognac XO.
Many thanks to Mike Wilke for putting on this event and going the extra mile to make sure our tasting wines were ready to go. Thanks as well to Chef Rafael Ponce, General Mgr.& Partner Sara Wallace and her wait staff for great food and service.
Cheers!
Tom Murnan
Earl Strom, NBA referee: “Officiating is the only occupation in the world where the highest accolade is silence.” Best of
MARCH 2024
1973-1974
the Cockle Bur compiled & edited by Harry B. Otis, 3rd President
IWFS Chicago Festival A French Wine Experience
September 6-9, 2023 Part 5 of 5: Summary
Written by Tom Murnan, Photos by Tom Murnan
I expanded our series by one to summarize what our host, Stuart Leaf, had to say about tasting mature wines. Many in the Omaha Branch think that if a Cabernet Sauvignon does not assault your palate with excruciatingly high tannins, fresh, jammy fruit and high acidity, then it is over the hill. There is a reason you age wine, and that is to ameliorate all these sensations I just listed. With old wines, the tannins have resolved and are no longer aggressive. Hopefully the wine had enough fruit to survive the aging process, but it is now more complex, or as Leaf stated, has “The Wisdom of Age with Rights.” Except for the quote, these are all my words. Now on to what Stuart has to say.
Hazards to old wines. You must regularly monitor and organize your older wines. You need to be careful about oxidation (hazelnut and dried fruit flavors). With too much oxygen, you get cardboard flavors. Monitor acidity. With too much acidity you get nail polish flavors. Poorly made wines made in unsanitary conditions can give you barnyard tastes. If it smells like a wet dog, it probably has contracted Brett [Brettanomyces, a yeast fungus]. Evaporation. A bit is OK, but if you have too much ullage, it leads to oxidation and corked flavors. Oxidation also affects your fruit flavors where you lose vibrancy. Light Strikes, or bottles not stored in a dark place, can give a wet cardboard or skunky nose and taste.
When do you want to open? 1. Consult the oracles: Broadbent’s The Great Vintage Wine Book, vintage charts, etc. 2. Go on a recon mission. 3. Ask Alexa, use technology like Cellar Tracker. 4. Buy age-worthy wines, which are probably going to be expensive (i.e., not grocery store wines). Rely on the experts with your purchases. 5. Buy for the special occasion, like an upcoming birthday or anniversary. 6. You need a proper cellar to age wines gracefully, but you must know which wines can age. Buy more than one so you can taste see how they are aging. 7. Go with your gut/instincts. If you see a leaky cork in your cellar, probably it is time to drink that bottle. 8. Remember, these bottles are works of art.
Stuart Leaf is working on writing a book on tasting and caring for old wines. It will have much more detail than we can provide in our Gazette. Look for it in a few years.
