BHVineyard, not normally a fan of Chardonnay, remarked on how much he liked the richness of the wine. It dwarfed the Grand Cru Chablis that followed. I should have reversed the order.

btw, bhv and his wife are SUPER cool people! i had totally forgotten(ok, killed those brain cells ) that we had met them in chicago at otis' CDP party.

They are also wonderful hosts. When we visited them in Oregon, they went out of their way to spend a lot of time with us and help us go to the right wineries. BHV even made appointments for us.

By the way, can you believe they're doing it again tonight?

I can testify that BHVineyard and his wife did in fact attend the Md. Offline #3 last night (Sunday) one night after the Board-O adventure. We heard all about Board-O's wonderful cooking, the wines and the cheeses. Tom and Deb are real troopers.
For further comments, check the thread on the Md. Offline.

Sorry for the slow response on this event / thread. It is a result of: A) A busy travel and business schedule; B) The need to regenerate enought brain cells to be able to write this note.

First, many, many, thanks to the Board-Os for opening their home to this group, and to kindly and generously organizing and preparing the food, wine, and lodging. It was a real treat! Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Board-O!

To the T-birds: It was great to see you again. Welcome to the East Coast (offered as a former resident); I hope the move treats you well! As for our brief meeting at Otis' party in Chicago... it was brief and there were more than a few people to track. Also, there were far more business types there that look like me than there were hard rock musicians; thus, I had the edge on ease of remembering you. Mrs. BHV and I are looking forward to the release of the "I love cheese!" album Hope we get to see both the T-birds again soon, we very much enjoyed spending time with both of you!

We were also joined by "R" and "F" "Orm"-- Le Cadeau enthusiasts, wine enthusiasts, and occassional Parker board posters. Very nice folks, and also recently returned to LI, NY from MSP. Since Mr. Orm works on Sunday in a public venue, my sympathies go out to him-- that must have been a very long day!

Despite being his own harshest critic, Board-O demonstrated that he is not only a passionate wine collector and very prolific poster, but he is also a talented chef! All courses were positively delicious, and beautifully prepared-- especially considering that he had lots of wine-drinking diversions to distract him from his role as "head chef"! A very nice, and greatly appreciated meal!

As is always the case, the wines were great!

As noted, I think the Beringer Chard overpowered the Chablis that followed, but both were really great wines, just a minor sequencing issue. I normally don't like Cal-Chard, but this was a nice and rich wine-- near the top... but not over. More apricot and less wood than is often the case with Cal Chard. Yum.

The WOTN for me was the '82 La Chapelle Hermitage. Not only for its great flavors, texture, nose, etc., but also for the magnitude of its impact-- it is not often that four people get to share a magnum at midnight after consuming two Champagnes, two chardonnays and four pinot noirs (the women were shifting into designated driver mode by this time) . But despite its volume, the La Chapelle reaffirmed for me why I have always found this wine to be compelling. I love "terrior"... and it has lots of it!

The 1978 Griotte-Chambertin (Joseph Drouhin) was rare and exciting. Like all older wines, especially ones that have been personally cellared for years, this rightfully was an "emotional wine" for Board-O. Old wines become a part of us; they not only express flavors, but they evoke memories. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to drink this wine. It was earthy, tasty, and unique-- as only a nearly 30-year old Burgundy can be. But it was also beginning to show its age; still very enjoyable, but I believe a few years past its prime. A fun and appreciated experience.

Finally, I would like to congratulate myself for making an atypically intelligent decision: When t-bird and Board-O came up with the brilliant idea of opening a Martinelli Zin at 1:00 a.m., I was able to convince them that this was a bad idea! Had I lost this debate, my journey to Maryland would have been on the endangered specie list! (That said, if LaTour67 had been with us, I'm quite certain the wine would have been opened...).

Thanks again for the experience, kind hospitality, and the sharing of great wines and food!

We just got back from Florida. Thank Goodness you had the smarts and persuasiveness to dissuade us from popping the Jackass. I look forward to our next visit. The reason I selected that magnum of 1982 La Chapelle is that we had a 750 of it with you and the others at Tina's 2 1/2 years ago and I remebered you loved it. We had a another magnum of it a about a year ago at a Florida offline and that bottle didn't show as well.

quote:

Cheese:

Berger de Rocastin, Morbier, d'Affinois, Raclette, St. Andre, Boucheron, Tomme Verte, and Baked Triple Creme Brie with Assorted Breads, Black Globe Grapes, and Assorted Oil Cured Olives

Board-O,

Thanks for posting the cheese selection. Based on this and TBird's avid endorsement, I looked for these locally and was able to find two: the d'Affinois and Saint Andre. We had them, along with several others at a small wine tasting last night. Both were fantastic. The Saint Andre was the hit of the night.

quote:

Originally posted by Sharkey:

quote:

Cheese:

Berger de Rocastin, Morbier, d'Affinois, Raclette, St. Andre, Boucheron, Tomme Verte, and Baked Triple Creme Brie with Assorted Breads, Black Globe Grapes, and Assorted Oil Cured Olives

Board-O,

Thanks for posting the cheese selection. Based on this and TBird's avid endorsement, I looked for these locally and was able to find two: the d'Affinois and Saint Andre. We had them, along with several others at a small wine tasting last night. Both were fantastic. The Saint Andre was the hit of the night.

sharkey, my wife is still on a mission to match exactly all of these wonderful cheeses boardo graciously served us that evening!

Based on the two that I have tried, I am definately looking forward to finding the others and the opportunity to taste them!