Listen to your elders

The headliner last night was Sons of Eden Romulus, 2003, a wine that Ben was told compared favorably to D'Arenberg The Deadarm - a very bold statement. Wines of that caliber are worth planning a meal around. A big Aussie Shiraz like that would typically call for simply grilled lamb or other red meat. Although assertive shiraz's are also great with classic BBQ'd ribs - but with a pedigreed wine most experts would recommend against highly seasoned foods like ribs to avoid masking the nuances. I agree, but that's no excuse not to try it. So I made both. After decanting we polished off a bottle of Segura Viudas Reserva Heredad while letting the Romulus open up - as always it was superb, with the dryness, toast and creaminess of vintage champagne at a fraction of the cost.

The Romulus was deep, intense and peppery with a raspberry nose. The ribs - simply rubbed, smoked and very lightly sauced with COTS Baby Rays - did it no justice at all. It was enjoyable, and you could feel the weight and structure, but the sweetness and spiciness of the ribs just flattened out. With the grilled rack of lamb (rubbed with rosemary and garlic) it was a whole different wine. Incense and current flavors became apparent, and the wine was much more balanced. Even after an hour of decanting this wine was still closed and the extra time in the glass really helped. It will certainly benefit greatly from a few years of aging.

Since excess is important to me I also stuffed a chicken with herbed goat cheese and smoked it, and for this I quizzed my trusted adviser JP at the wine shop who suggested a white Chateauneuf-du-Pape or a Sauvignon Blanc because he thought the chicken would overpower a rich wine - better to go with a crisper complement. But I had a buttery chardonnay in mind, and the 2004 Sbradgia Gamble Estate caught my eye.

This is an incredible wine, with unique flavors that has Ben and I struggling to come up with a description. I'd say honey, tropical fruit and watermelon, with just a hint of oak. It had incredible structure with a syrupy consistency that fortunately belied the balanced fruitiness. Really a great wine. However, the chicken did the wine absolutely no justice. Zippo. With the chicken the wine was B-Flat; with a piece of buttered Gruyere bread it was sublime.

The bottle of 2005 Brunel Les Cailloix Chateauneuf-du-Pape JP recommended sits in the fridge - I'm certain it would have been perfect with the bird.

Moral of the story: sometimes you really should listen to your elders.