TimeOut

St Emilion and Pauillac for me Happy Holidays everyone

Season's Greetings to you numerobis!

Looks like you will have a great time with the Cheval Blanc and friends!  

Are you a wine collector as well?

-MW

but their life expectancy is much shorter LOL

..... but on new years eve it will "only" be cava . I stopped giving champagne because my family is a bit alcoholic minded when it comes to champagne .... LOLOLOL the best to all the purists for 2009 filip

 

Prager Vintage Port

.... will be a very calm day for the purist-website ..... hips !!!! give us another one bartender !!!!....

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What I nice question to ask. We should follow this up with pictures of the Christmas table.

 

I am already on leave from work and had planned for some time what to open for Christmas, but your post prompted me to go fossicking in the cellar.

 

The 1980 Penfolds Grange is for Christmas Eve as we are having a Shannon Bennett (of Vue de monde) prepared 6 course meal at home. [I know that will mean something to you pplater, but perhaps not to our international Purist friends – yes I know that’s two Grange in as many weeks, but I have decided that life is getting shorter and what better way to compare the ’80 with the ’82 while it is fresh in my mind.]

 

The 1989 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay is a long shot, the last in the cellar, but I had a ’91 last year that was brilliantly complex and still had plenty of life in it.

 

Nothing better than a sparkling shiraz (essentially an Australian invention) with roast turkey and the Seppelt Show Reserve just gets better and better with age. The 1990 should do very nicely…

 

Hope you all have a brilliant time and share some wonderful wines and food over this festive season.

 

Regards

 

Andrew

Two of the fine Grange vintages within two weeks. Keeping in mind that it's a New World wine of only 55 years standing, that's not unlike knocking off a '45 Bordeaux and following with a '61 (Art - there's that Omega central tourbillon going down Andrew's gullet...). That almost re-defines 'hedonism'.

"Almost", you ask? Perhaps the only thing that is more hedonistic is the notion of having Shannon Bennett preparing a meal for you at home.  Surely even our international friends would know something of Bennett: his restaurant "Vue De Monde" (sorry French friends - it should of course be Vue Du Monde, but that's his spelling) is the only restaurant ever to take the Remy Martin/Gourmet Traveller Best Restaurant award two years running. Imagine having Thomas Keller or Charlie Trotter; Joel Robuchon or Alain Ducasse; Marco Pierre White or Gordon Ramsay  around to your place for a Christmas stint in the kitchen!!

You're not getting away that lightly Andrew - what's the story??? Indeed: what's the menu?!?

Great wines all - looks like it will be a fantastic day. All the best to you and yours.

Cheers,

pplater.

Those wines are sublime and the beer is a really interesting range. They have a very high alcohol beer called a hatlifter-not to my taste but they also make a great stout

Enjoy the dinner and lets get some pics.

Surely the famous "essence of fish soup" will be on the menu

Julian

The Grand Ridge Brewery promote themselves as Australia’s most awarded brewer. I must say that I have only recently discovered them, but I am impressed with the entire range from the lagers and pilseners to the stouts. Unfortunately not that widely available, but worth searching out.

 

No essence of fish soup on the menu tonight, but I have enjoyed that at the restaurant. The food at Vue de monde has got a little too ‘tricky’ in its construction lately, but it is still a great night out.

 

Hope you are enjoying some Australian favourites this Christmas.

 

Regards

 

Andrew

Hi pplater,

 

I chose my words carefully, although I only meant to mislead you a little. While it is a Shannon Bennett meal, Shannon will not actually be in our kitchen. It is more of a glorified Christmas hamper, which you pick up on the day. It comes with detailed instructions and requires a couple of hours of preparation at home. So I get to pretend I am an apprentice in the kitchens of Vue de monde for an evening. There are little test tubes full of various dressings and containers of Persian feta and Avruga caviar; I think you would love it.

 

On the menu is:

 

First Course

Chipolata wrapped in pancetta with rosemary and smoky babaganoush dip

Vue de monde house smoked salmon

Crystal Bay prawn cocktail

 

Main Course

Roast turkey breast (with sage and red onion stuffing) with ham croquettes and chicken jus, accompanied by kipfler potatoes, spinach and asparagus

 

Dessert

Ash Grove cheddar with charcoal crackers and onion pickle

Hot Christmas plum pudding with brandy sauce and vanilla bean ice-cream

 

Knowing you, I am sure you have something great on the menu as well.

 

Enjoy

 

Andrew

 

Ps. I should tell Art that when I purchased the Grange 20 odd years ago, it cost considerably less. Grange almost has its own index on the stock market and if I thought about the value now I might hesitate. Life is too short.

wow, if packaging is this neat, I bet taste won't be disappointing.

Enjoy it and Merry Xmas

Cheers and Merry X'mas.

You will drink all these fine bottles alone???

give me a call, my friend, and I will give you a hand!

Best.

Niclas

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Very nice Bill!

Merry Christmas!  -MW

. . . from our little get-together back in January, Bill . . .

. . . James Corona's exquisite Montagnac . . .

. . . that you so memorably described after discovering it's humble origins. Oh, and the new oven timer from Glashütte Original . . .

. . . will be put to good use, no doubt . . . Merry Christmas, Art

... for that purpose?

In all seriousness, I love the Senator Sixties range. There is a black dialed version in a rose gold case that has been on my mind since I first saw it last year and I will revisit that watch one day.

I hope that watch is a nice Christmas present for yourself, Art. The domed exhibition back is just brilliant, even when wearing it on the wrist.

I hope you have a great Christmas (it's Christmas morning here and the kids are already up and playing). Thanks for your leadership and contribution on PuristS as well as your help and advice.

Kind regards and happy Christmas,

Andrew

. . . I like to do things the old fashioned way, Andrew, and trust my two remaining brain cells to remember the starting point for an event I have to time; no chronos in the collection, and none on the horizon, either. As for the Sixties, it's a present of sorts . . . details to come on the G O forum. Thanks so much for the kind words, Andrew . . . Merry Christmas and warmest regards, Art This message has been edited by Dr No on 2008-12-24 23:22:06

What do I see on this bottle?

Something new???

Tell me all...

Yolu can trust in me, I won't say nothing.

Best.

Nicolas

. . . it's just that some need to be, shall we say, properly introduced . . . details to come, and soon, I promise. Feliz Navidad, Nicolas . . . best regards, Art

Bill, you're killin' me...

thanks to Laurence - ma cuisine à votre table - we have enjoyed some serious food & drink...

Assiette Apéritive, Crème brûlée au foie gras, Verrines aux trois couleurs, Crevettes Marinées...

 

Foie gras looks yummy.  Where was this?

-MW

and very enjoyable !

 Cheers

         Jeff