We finally go to the destination of the evening to actually celebrate my seventy-second birthday. It was a day early, but I was accommodating my Bride who had planned a girls-outing, with my blessing. Her one cousin was accompanying us, as she was spending the night, so that they could leave early the next day. We were at The Earle in Ann Arbor, Michigan and seated in the French Room surrounded by dusty dead soldiers of classic wines that had been imbibed over the years.
Her cousin was not sure how the dinner would proceed, so we started noshing, first with Roasted Garlic, then we split the Panzanella salad of cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, basil capers and anchovies with Tuscan-style hard bread. Her cousin had the Stuffed Chicken Breasts stuffed with Pesto, seared and roasted, finished in a sauce of white wine, tomato, shallots and basil, served or orzo. My Bride had the Veal Scallopini, lightly breaded and sautéed with garlic, mushrooms, prosciutto and sage; deglazed with Marsala and lemon, finished with butter and served with orzo and asparagus. As for me, I was a true creature of habit and had the Coquilles St. Jacques al crème de Xeres, but now listed as Sea Scallops sautéed with mushrooms and garlic, pan sauced with Sherry and cream with a Ruby wild-rice blend.
It was rather easy to select a wine for the table, though I have to tell you, that the wine list is a huge looseleaf binder with pages printed on both sides. I thought that a bottle of Cave des Vignerons de Buxy Montagny Buissonnier Blanc Cote Chalonnaise 2022 sounded interesting for the three dinner entrée choices. The Cave des Vignerons was founded in 1931, a federation of winegrowers to make fine wines and to promote the region. Today, it is a group of 120 wine growers, with 42 employees, and sell seven million bottles of wine each year. On June 2, 2015, the Cave des Vignerons de Buxy and the Caves Bailly-Lapierre joined forces to create “La compagnie de Burgondie” to increase their position in the Greater Burgundy region. The soils of Montagny are homogenous and enjoy an eastern exposure of calcareous clay which is ideal for Chardonnay grapes. The Chardonnay grapes are from the Premier Cru Buissonnier, and the grapes are destemmed and aged entirely on fine lees in Stainless-Steel vats to preserver freshness and minerality. This light golden colored wine offered notes of Fuji apples, pears, peaches and citrus, followed by white florals, honey, almonds and hazelnuts. On the palate this medium-to-full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of tree fruit and spices, blending with crisp acidity ending with a medium-to-long count finish of a creamy texture of tropical fruits, nuts, spices and an enjoyable mineral terroir.
While the ladies were enjoying some deserts and coffee, the birthday boy enjoyed a glass of C. da Silva Presidential Vintage Porto 1997. In 1933, Clemente da Silva, recently arrived from Brazil to make premium wines. The following year he registered the Dalva brand (a contraction of “da Silva”). He ended up through marriage to the company Correa Ribeiro e Filhos, founded in 1862, and owned by his wife’s family. The wine is a classic blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Sousao and some odd lost varieties in the lore books. The fruit is manually harvested and destemmed. Maceration lasts for forty-eight hours to maximize the qualities derived from the skin. The wine is fermented in temperature-controlled vats and then halted by the addition of wine brandy, and then aged for two years, prior to bottling. A deep red-amber colored wine that offered notes of red fruit compote, followed by cigar box cedar, smokiness and chocolate. On the palate, this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of black cherry and blueberry, brown sugar, caramel and chocolate blending with velvety tannins and ending with a long-count finish of fruit, spices and terroir.
