Jen's Birthday

Chateau St. Michelle
2002 Indian Wells Merlot
$14.99

Sandeman’s Oloroso Cream Sherry
$10.99

1996 Fleur du Champagne
Perrier Jouet
Epernay, France
$89.00

Sevruga, Malossol
Lafayette Caviar
Orinda, CA
42.00/1 oz

This review covers parts one and two of Jen’s three-day birthday celebration. We had dinner at my parent’s house on Saturday, our private celebration took place on Sunday, and the last part of the celebration will take place in a few weeks when Jen’s family comes to visit us.

My parents wanted us to come over an hour before dinner for drinks. We didn’t really want any Andre’s Cold Duck or some type of Raspberry flavored “wine,” so we tried to find something that all of us could drink. My parents love Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry (which I have to admit that both Jen and I do like), so we tried to find a slightly higher grade cream sherry. We went to Beltramo’s and found a Sandeman’s Oloroso sweetened with our favorite, Pedro Ximenez grapes. We arrived at my parent’s and Jen was showered with “Happy Birthday” balloons and several presents from our wedding registry. While she was opening her presents, I opened the Sandeman’s and tasted it. The sweet and tangy flavors provided an interesting contrast but I was afraid that my parents wouldn’t like the tanginess (which is absent from regular cream sherries) . We all ended up enjoying it, and the entire bottle was gone long before dinner.

For dinner, Jen and I had the Indian Wells Merlot. We aren’t fans of Merlot (although we wouldn’t turn down a Petrus), because we find most of them rather bland. However, we are huge fans of Chateau St. Michelle so we took a chance on this one. We were not disappointed. It lacked complexity, but it did have a very concentrated blueberry flavor that was delicious.

Our private celebration the next evening included Champagne and caviar. Jen is the Champagne and caviar person in our relationship. I had never had caviar, and even Dom Perignon didn’t have my palate doing cartwheels. The caviar was interesting. I just had a little and found it salty and creamy. It’s hard to believe that it is considered a delicacy. I’ll stick with Port and dark chocolate.

By the way, my birthday present to Jen was a hardcover edition of Robert Parker’s book on Bordeaux.

Here are Jen’s notes from the evening:

The bubbly presented an intense bouquet of sweet floral and fruity scents, with just a touch of toast. On the palate, the wine was nicely balanced between a toasty/yeasty style and a lighter, fruitier style. There was definite minerality, mingled with a bit of leesy, creamy richness. On top of this, however, was a refreshing raspberry flavor that made a lovely counterpoint. I could definitely see the Pinot influence here, with a hint of licorice before the long, elegant finish.

The caviar was a great accompaniment, with its minerally, creamy, rich texture and taste. It was nearly buttery, which accented the bass notes of the champagne. In the circumstances, it is a relief to know that we can get good domestic caviar.