Random thoughts on the world of wine, presented in no particular order.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Last meal

An interesting question was posed to me the other day at work.  Suppose that you know that, at a given date, you're going to go to sleep and simply not wake up; you'll be asleep and slowly slip off this mortal coil.  You know the date of your own death... so what would you have for your last meal?  Include foods and wines to pair with them.  And, presume that price is not an object, nor is availability of any specific wines, so if you want a 1961 Petrus, fine.

For me, the choice centers around the main course (yes, it would be a multi-course affair).  There would be beef of some flavor, with a baked potato and good bleu cheese dressing (oddly, I love dressing on potatoes), probably a side of fresh sweet corn and some green beans.  But what about the appetizer...  the dessert...

So I've agonized a bit.  And come up with the following.
  1. Appetizer: four or five escargot, served de-shelled in butter on a bed of garlic toast.  A glass of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet, from a recent good vintage (2004 or 2005).  I've never had DRC, and I'd like to try it, and I love escargot.
  2. Cold cut plate: Jamón Iberico de Bellota, some nice Prosciutto, perhaps some thin-sliced roast beef.  This would also be paired with a Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, probably Echézeaux (I've always liked wines from that appellation), although really, any DRC red would show well with this I think.
  3. Fish plate: Some light salt cod, some scallops, perhaps even some shrimp and/or lobster (claws only, please).  Some Champagne Salon 1995 to accompany it would go nicely.
  4. Main course: A friend once told me about a roast of beef that he had that involved taking the roast, stuffing it with butter (whole sticks!) and roasted garlic cloves, wrapping it in bacon, and cooking it low and slow for hours.  I'll have a slice of that, made from Black Angus or Wagyu beef.  With a side dish to hold some baked potato, green beans, and corn.  And bleu cheese dressing for the potato, please.  The pairing here would be with a nice, rich, acidic Cabernet-based Bordeaux, ideally something from St. Julien, either Léoville-Barton or Clos du Marquis (yes, I'll happily take a second wine -- Clos du Marquis is the second label of Léoville Les Cases, and it's damn fine in it's own right).  Ideally, it would be a matured 2005, but failing that, a 1982 would do nicely.
  5. Cheese plate: Assorted soft cheeses and table water crackers.  Perhaps a nice, buttery California chard to go with this -- probably something Phil Titus has his hand in, be it Sonoma-Loeb, Chappelet, or his Titus label, whatever the current release is.
  6. Chocolate plate: Assorted dark chocolates, with raspberries and cherries.  I'll have a bit of Brachetto d'Acqui with this.
  7. Dessert: A single slice of raspberry cheesecake, served with  a glass of Dow's 1977 port.
  8. Spirits: After dinner, a snifter of Rémy Martin XO (because, really, after all the other wine, Louis XIII would be wasted!), and a good cigar. 
I could die after that meal, and be happy.

Then, the secondary question -- if you had to have just one wine from all the ones you've tried as your last bottle on Earth, what would it be?

For me, right now, that honor would go to Glaetzer Amon-Ra 2006.  It's rich, deep, luxuriant wine, and I could happily die after polishing off some more.  But I'm curious to see how my 2005 Bordeaux's age out -- they may take that place.

So, I leave it to you...  What would you have for your last meal?  How about for the last bottle of wine you ever try?

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