Our group has done a couple of “BYO” themed events in the past and recently we decided it was time to dig back into the cellar and bring out some buried treasures. We met at Ohio Valley Wine & Beer in their Blue Room and opened 38 bottles representing some of the best from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Piemonte, Napa Valley, Russian River, Willamette Valley and more. Champagne is always a great place to start and we enjoyed two Perrier-Jouët bottlings and a Mumm DVX to kick off the celebration. There were a few admirable whites on hand, but as usual with oenophiles, reds were in preponderance. Penner-Ash Pas de Nom Pinot Noir was a recent acquisition from our trip to Oregon, while Carr and Testarossa represented Pinot Noirs from California. These were well matched by a 1994 Chateau de Pommard. Napa was the source for entries from Justin, Von Strasser, Lail, and Raymond. Rombauer was represented with two special bottles; a Diamond Mountain Cabernet and their rare Le Mileu de Chai.
Six Bordeaux producers made a strong showing, with the oldest wine of the event being a 1967 Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou from Saint Julien, brought by founding member Dame Marj Valvano. Italy was prevalent as well with Sandrone, La Spinetta, Corino, and Ornellaia holding forth. A 1989 Bousquet de Papes was favored by a few but, with so many standouts, choosing a paramount wine was not an easy decision.
Chef Michael Forgus created a buffet with many flavor profiles to match the variety of wines. Pan seared scallops, tarragon chicken, and filet en croute were supported by sides of baby vegetables, raclette au gratin potatoes, and acorn squash with amaretto and Mexican piloncillo sugar. Our celebration of the cellar harvest with rare and exceptional wines, an extensive culinary repast, and camaraderie of Mondiale associates was a night to be remembered and hopefully repeated again in the future!
J.T. Mayer, Chargé de Presse Provincial Midwest