At a kind of going-away dinner with dear friends, the ravishing Connie Renz and the distinguished Hans Warner, we enjoyed superb food, as good as the best in this area of fine restaurants on Friday Sept. 23. And for the occasion opened the last of my 2000 Du Tertre, from the Marguax area of Bordeaux. Quintessentially Margaux: a lavender/violet perfume, lovely dark purple color with just a bit of lightening at the rim after 11 years. Du Tertre also showed a chocolate & cocoa dust aroma, wonderful fruit-acid balance with soft tannins and a mellow oak adding some vanilla to go with blackberry taste. Tannins faded nicely into the background. Alcohol just right to carry a long finish. 2000 was a hyped vintage that was then eclipsed by even more hyped 2005. I've found it somewhat uneven at the levels I could afford to buy, but Du Tertre was just terrific, a textbook example of how 10 years or so of age creates a miracle in the bottle for good bordeaux. Wish I'd bought 3 cases back then.
From the winelist we chose an Auteur chardonnay from Durrell VIneyard grapes (Sonoma County) 2009. it offered a wonderful amalgam of tropical fruit, butterscotch, & caramel, with good acid and some citrus too; this new winery is absolutely up there with top California chard producers. I recommend it for those who like the buttery/oaky chardonnay in moderation with plenty of other aromas and tastes. The wine went beautifully with the fish-related dishes in our feast.
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