Dinner with Jürgen Steinke: an example of what wine is all about
May 9, 2010
With all this discussion about Bordeaux 2009, rating barrel samples and exciting people enough to purchase wines not yet in bottle, whose prices sometimes seem to know no bounds, it was a pleasant relief to travel near Freiburg, Germany for a dinner with fellow wine lover and blogger Jürgen Steinke and his lovely wife Susi (photo).
We enjoyed a fabulous wine dinner which began with a bottle of Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve, perfect for a sunny evening outside on their veranda. We then enjoyed in-season white asparagus with chive and a slice of roast salmon, served with one of the most enjoyable Grüner Veltiner I have ever sipped: Bernhard Ott Grüner Veltliner Fass 4 from the fine 2007 vintage. Jürgen, who has tasted with the celebrated Grand Jury Européen, explained to me that the wine is the introductory cuvée of this producer. What I liked about this wine was its more subtle nature; it was less immediately salty and lime like. Not very sweet, either, but soft on the palate with a good crispiness, showing off flavors of white fruits and even apple, but then of course you do get the margarita aspect so common – to me at least – of Grüner Veltliner.
Next came a wine that I have enjoyed on several occasions since first tasting it back in 2004: Figeac St Emilion Grand Cru Classé 1982. Hardly a modern style, this wine was a tad metallic and even bloody on the nose, but it grew more complex and pleasing as it sat in glass. We had opened it about one hour before drinking, in a carafe. It developed notes of perfumed dried fruit and chocolate and later ashes. I did get some roasted red pepper, which I quite appreciate with Figeac! The wine nicely enveloped the palate, showing off substance and good body, and the finish lingered quite a while. It did not taste, how can I put it, ‘old’; rather, it feels like a wine that is firmly on its plateau and has some years ahead.
The wine went perfectly with Jürgen’s slow cooked Osso Bucco, very tender meat with tasty vegetables set atop freshly made mashed potato puree nicely flavored with leek.
We then enjoyed the wine I brought to dinner, a very robust and just somewhat rustic – a bit of brett, you see – Gruaud Larose St Julien 2nd Growth 1996. The tannins were not really tamed, even though I had poured the wine in a carafe that morning and let it sit there for three hours before pouring back in bottle. With punch and concentration, it certainly stood up to the cheese plate, which included fine Burgundian époisse. Jürgen told me that cold storage is essential for wines like this one, because the brett flavor will get even more pronounced. Darn, because I only have a passive cellar…
Later, we opened a just delicious and smooth Louis Jadot Beaune-Greves 1990. At 20 years old, the wine was very fluid and easy to drink, with good red fruit flavor. Not very concentrated, but who cares? It was refreshing and fine with continued eating.
Finally, Susi had prepared a delectable rhubarb tart. It was so delicious and fresh, I had to hold myself from taking another piece, but not from taking a couple of glasses of the next wine: a spätlese from great German Nahe producer Dönnhoff, from the 2003 vintage. Jürgen explained to me that the northern wine regions like Nahe were not so affected by the excessive heat of the vintage. Tasting is believing: the wine was luscious and fresh at the same time.
All in all a great evening. Jürgen and Susi treated me and Edith like kings; we stayed overnight and then had a great breakfast. Of course we talked about wine, latest tasting trends and what is it about wine tasting that matters and the merits of blind tasting and such, but what proved best was just having a good time and not thinking too much about what we enjoyed: great food wine and company!