Last night I threw a belated birthday dinner in celebration of my 46th. It was a chance to see friends and to crack open some pretty wonderful wines. I love to collect magnums of wine and they take a crowd to justify opening. 8 people are the perfect number to enjoy the wine out of a magnum.

The Menu:

Aperitivo Iron Horse Russian Cuvee 1996

Primi-
--Grilled Australian head on prawns (never frozen)
--Sautéed North Carolina fresh shrimp with locally grown corn, tomato and red onion salad dressed with basil, soy sauce, sesame oil and lime juice.
--Tuna Carpaccio with scarlet runner beans, lime juice, parmigiano and Ciacci Piccolomoni olio (I know you are not supposed to put parm on fish but every rule is made to be broken).
--Steamed mussels with loads of garlic and herbs
--roasted red peppers
--insalata Caprese with locally grown tomatoes
--sautéed swordfish with a Sicilian inspired sauce of almonds, lime juice, olives, capers on linguine
--strozapretti with pesto

Wine Mayacamas 1987 Chardonnay en Magnum (still lively and feisty, spicy and yet very rich. Excellent with the huge array of strong flavors)

Secondo

Grilled Rack of Icelandic baby lamb
Slow roasted purple potatoes

Wine Mayacamas 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon en Magnum (Coming from a poor vintage in California, this wine was the star of the vintage. It is now fairly mature, with a suppleness that only 30 years can bring to California Mountain grown cabernet. Spicy, mushroomy, rich, supple and still quite fruit dominated, this was a perfect foil for the sweet and tender baby lamb.)

Cheese

10 year old bito
3 year old pecorino from Lambardi farms in Lazio
2 year old caciocavallo from Sicilia
San Mauricio (ash coated, aged, artisan goat cheese log of Spain)
Pata di Capra (medium aged rustic loaf)
Aged Majorerro (gouda like aged goats milk cheese from Majorca)
Irish Blue Cashel from Neal's Yard (Soft and creamy like butter with blue flavor)
Point Reyes Blue from California
Old Chatham Sheepherding Company Nancy (a camembert like tome made from Sheep's milk in Hudson Valley New York)

Wines: Diamond Creek 1975 Volcanic Hill (Dense, rich, still youthful, spicy, well but not over oaked, deep cab. Stunning wine. Not as mature or complex as the Mayacamas but it shows the extra depth and richness that only a superb vintage can yield).

Ridge Zinfandel Essence Lytton Springs Estate- a super sweet zinfandel with 13.2% alcohol and 11% residual sugar from a picture perfect zinfandel vintage. This wine combines the sweet lushness of Recioto with zinfandels spice and bramble fruit elements. Stunning. This is Ridge's 8th essence made in 40 years of winemaking. In 2001 they actually have 2 essences, this one and another coming out later from the York Creek vineyard)

Wine Notes
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Dean's Wine, Opera and Food Blog
"To seek revenge may lead to hell ...
But everyone does it if never as well as Sweeney, as Sweeney Todd" -Stephen Sondheim

MMMM.... what a delicious way to spend any day, especially one's birthday! The foods and wine seem very nicely balanced indeed, Dean.

Many happy returns of the day!

Ann

Happy Happy Birthday!

I'm coming to Dean's place for a belated 40th -- especially with all the wonderful cheese.

Tanti Auguri a te!!!

Cooking in Florence
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