This was truly an unforgettable birthday night and meal hosted and prepared by Eric and Teri White at their home. It was truly a meal that would put any four-star SF restaurant to shame. In attendance were the Whites, Mr. and Mrs. (to be) Winebrat, Theresa, Miss Amy and Pedro, a great group of folks who took the conversation "where no man/woman has gone before."

As to the Whites, we are very, very thankful to have such great friends; very, very lucky that they are such great chefs; and very, very blessed that they put up with my continual attempts at assisting them in "enhancing" and "decreasing" their wine inventory.

Below is the fabulous lineup and my impressions of the of unabashed culinary debauchery:

Assortment of fresh seasonal fruit
1996 Dom Perignon Brut Champagne
Refreshing beginning to a wonderful meal! Very tiny, tiny bubbles and Chernobyl size strawbs.

Seared Foie Gras with Balsamic reduction, sautéed peaches, & Apple-Cranberry Chutney
1982 Rieussec Sauternes
The Foie Gras was exquisitely prepared in a very high grade tasty balsamic reduction that was an Eric White original creation. It was perfectly paired with the '82 Rieussec, which was perhaps my WOTN.


Fresh pan fried California Abalone
2000 Kistler Durell Vineyard Chardonnay
The abalone was divine, tenderized, lightly breaded, and sauteed to perfection. There were some abalone virgins at the table who were quickly transformed into self-proclaimed "abalone-HO's," (pardon my French...)


Prime Rib of Beef
Gratin of Yukon Gold Potatoes, Neiman ranch Bacon, and Arugula
Grilled Asparagus with Basil Oil
Sautéed Mushrooms
1982 Duhart-Milon-Rothschild Paulliac
1995 Lewelling Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
1997 Lewelling Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
1998 Pahlmeyer Red Wine
1995 BV George de Latour Cabernet Sauvignon
1994 Harlan Cabernet Sauvignon
1994 Shafer Hillside Select
1999 Ritchie Creek Pinot Noir
The prime rib was some of the biggest and flavorful meats I've had in awhile, and I'll be the first in line to say, that I'm way into BEEF! This was a great pairing with several of the cabs that we had, but perhaps went best with the '94 Shafer, which was showing very very well with a little bit of airtime. Thank you Winebrat and Ms. Winebrat-to-be for sharing the Shafer. The potatoes were to die for and I was assured that they were "fat free."

Selection of Artisanal Cheeses
2001 Marquis Philips Integrity Shiraz
As to the cheese course, it was absolutely heavenly, procured from the famous Cheese Board Collective, a merkintile that hails from none other than the Berkeley Gourmet ghetto. Fabulous cheeses, each and every one. An incredible pairing with the awesome over the top shiraz and the spicy pinot.

Chocolate Caramel Hazelnut Damnation
NV R L Buller & Son “Calliope” Rare Muscat
And last, but not least, the dessert that was really a huge dark chocolate truffle, sandwiched between thick chocalate cheesecake, chewy, moist double fudge cake, and homemade crushed hazelnut pralines and caramel. This dessert required three days of preparation, several pounds of some of the best chocolate that I've ever tasted and lots and lots of love (the most important ingredient of all.)

The Whites, once again, outdid themselves. Lots of food, lots of wine, and I don't recall having laughed so hard in a long, long time. Can we do this again next Friday night?

Sounds truly great. Happy birthday

eric,

can i plan on having you host my 30th b'day bash?

Wow, great dinner and wines. Nice write-up. I'd say I was drooling, but I am stuffed to the gills with Philly Cheesesteaks -- did a taste-test of Genos, Pat's and Jim's today with some friends.

Sounds excellent, LF. Where was our invite ?

Happy b-day!!!

Doc

awesomelicious!! Happy Birthday LF and fellow Taurus!

Doc:

You know you guys have a standing invitation down here. You're welcomed to come anytime!

Lafon

What an awesome dinner.

Thanks for the nice write up Lafon . Believe me, the pleasure was ours. I really enjoy putting on big meals like this - particularly when everything clicks and it comes together as well as it did on Friday.

This was my first attempt at cooking Foie Gras, and while I pieced together this preparation from various sources myself, I want to give credit to Joneswineno1 who's advice inThis Post was the most helpful of all. Thanks JW1!

As to the wines of the evening, what a great lineup! Thanks to Winebrat and future Mrs. Winebrat for bringing the awesome 1994 Shafer Hillside Select Cab, which was showing just beautifully and was my runner up WOTN, as well as the 1994 Harlan, which, while delicious, never really opened up to show it's full potential.

The 1996 Dom Perignon was everything I’ve read about it – I cannot imagine how a Champagne could be any better, just an amazing wine. The 1982 Rieussec came from my father’s cellar (underground, passive, cool-climate) where it had been stored since release. I had some concern after reading reviews of this wine, but wow was I pleasantly surprised! This was a delightful, complex, rich wine that was perfectly married to the Foie Gras.

Now I know Lafon is being nice by not commenting on the 2000 Kistler Durell Chardonnay (Lafon is decidedly NOT a Chardonnay-head, particularly minerally examples such as this). However, I found this to be everything you expect from Kistler, beautifully balanced, deep and intense, outstanding.

The 1982 Duhart-Milon was also from my Father’s cellar, and was decanted for only about 45 minutes before I poured it back in the bottle and corked it. Beautiful dark color with moderate bricking, this wine was an excellent example of mature Bordeaux, soft and lush, elegant, and refined. The 1995 & 1997 Lewelling Cabs were both wonderful, but the 1997 really shined, showing that wonderful cassis perfume that I love in Napa Cabs. The 1998 Pahlmeyer was really showing well, with power, structure, and depth – this is one outstanding 1998!

Thanks to Lafon for bringing the 1995 BV GdL & the 1999 Ritchie Creek Pinot. The GdL had more wintergreen than I’ve seen in a wine in a long time, and was delicious – drink up! The Ritchie Pinot was just as I remember it, spicy and delightful. I’ve already mentioned the 1994 Shafer Hillside & 1994 Harlan, both a very special treat with the Shafer showing really wonderfully. I only wish we had been able to keep our hands off the Harlan to allow it to open up.

Finally, the aussies: 2001 Integrity and the Buller “Calliope” Rare Muscat. The Integrity was decanted in an open decanted at 8am and served at 9pm, and showed absolutely no sign of slowing down, and was my WOTN. Amazing juice. Davidn is right about the Calliope, if I were wearing socks they would have rolled up AND down several times.

All in all the wines were outstanding, and the food was pretty good too if I do say so myself, but as always it’s the company that makes these things special, and this was a very special night indeed!

Sounds most excellent...but what kind ofcoffee did you have?

I like the foie gras, from Sonoma?

Where did you get the Foie?

The Foie was Sonoma Duck, Grade A fromPolarica

In SF? Did they send it to you or did you pick it up? Did you try ordering it direct from the "factory"?

right, in SF - I just drove out and picked it up, no advance ordering. These guys rock!

We had a blast!! The only thing I was disapointed in was the Harlan. I have yet to have a great experience with the 94 or 97. I was hoping that the Shafer and Harlan would have each shown better. I should have taken decanters to the hotel and decanted them that morning before my seminars. We had a great time and Pedro is a friggin crack up. See you all again soon I hope, but it is not every year that Lafon turns 50.

Pedro IS a comedian!

Quote:

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See you all again soon I hope, but it is not every year that Lafon turns 50

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I thought Lafon was just turing 25. I was sure that it was just a couple of years ago that Lafon's 21st birthday was celebrated. Looks most excellent for a 50 year old if that is the case.

I almost forgot about the most amazing dessert ever made by any human. That cake? was in-friggin-credible.

What a great sounding birthday dinner, cudos to all who prepared that meal and supplied the wines. Happy Birthday Lafon.

Thanks, Seek.

As to the cake, Miss Amy made me offer to bring hamburgers over to the Whites the very next day so we could reclaim a piece of cake to take home. It's so rich that Miss Amy can only eat a half a piece a day!

I liked the Shafer, and actually had some the following night and believe it showed better the next night.

Yes, Pedro is a dear friend and he is still wondering what DavidN did in New Orleans to receive such a necklace of ornate beads! Thank you WB and Ms. WB (to be) for ushering Pedro home.