653114 Thu Sep 17 18:11:53 -0700 2009 6 34 Wine 0 5038361 The half bottle (meaning: a full bottle whose top half got consumed the day before) of 1997 Arnaud Ente Mersault 1er Cru La Goutte d'Or was calling me from the storage. In the menu: grilled tri-tip steak. My vivid recollections from the day before were crying for a YAY. The reviled commentators words, engraved in digital stone, went as follows: Allen M.:"A mineral-infused nose and the beginning of subtle honey notes are followed by good, full, rich, slightly warm and alcoholic flavors supported by better than average acidity for the vintage plus a long elegant finish. I really like the mouth feel here and this is very stylish juice, especially in the context of '97. Tasted: Mar 16, 2003 Score: 88 Drink: Now to say 2007" WSchmoozer: "What a seducer of a wine. Intense but harmonious, this delicious white Burgundy tastes like a great pastry dessert, showing lemon, cream, pear, toasted oak and caramelized apple flavors, even while maintaining a racy acidity and mineral tones. Fat and long on the finish. Best from 2003 through 2012. –PM Score: 94" Da Guru: "The 1997 Meursault Goutte d'Or can best be described as the En l'Ormeau on steroids. Earth, minerals, and white fruits bordering on sur-maturite explode from the glass. Quite powerful, this glycerin-imbued, oily, satin-textured, medium-to-full-bodied wine is crammed with sweet plums, toasted hazelnuts, and the same salty quality I noticed in the preceding offering. It should be succulent to drink from its release through at least 2005." Needless to say, the "pastry dessert" commentary is way off. But I'll definitely endorse the lots of glycerin, which is what you want for a grilled steak, I guess? Long finish. Golden radiant hue. Surmaturité? Yeah, give or take. Bottom line ( literally ): excellent match. Got other white/steak combos? Thu Sep 17 18:11:53 -0700 2009 28703 RicRios 1 5038805 Fun question. Not that I'd really want to drink these wines with steak, but they'd pair pretty well, I think. Gravner Breg Trimbach Clos Ste. Hune VT Krug Thu Sep 17 23:39:25 -0700 2009 5038361 97069 mengathon 1 5041696 A sweet reisling, in the TBA range. Sat Sep 19 06:33:43 -0700 2009 5038361 228878 Steve_K 2 5043332 I was going to mention Riesling as well, in is more robust variations; I think the grape works very nicely with beef. The amount of residual sugar would depend on the preparation -- I'd want something on the drier end of the traditional German spectrum for a simple oven-roasted beef, for example, whereas a green-pepper sauce would want more sweetness. Sun Sep 20 04:45:07 -0700 2009 5041696 177724 tmso 3 5044150 I tend to like the higher sugar ones with a simple steak - if entertaining there would obviously be a big red for the traditionalists, but it's nice to have the option of "Oh here - try this eiswein with it". I love it with a m/r bavette steak especially :) Sun Sep 20 13:31:10 -0700 2009 5043332 228878 Steve_K 1 5043439 Not that I've ever tried the combo (or expect to) but, in the Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook, Alice Waters waxes enthusiastic about Jerimiah Tower's pairing of an entrecôte of beef (served with potatoes cooked in butter and duck fat with mushrooms) and the 1955 and 1967 Château d'Yquem. Sun Sep 20 06:30:56 -0700 2009 5038361 10520 carswell 1 5045113 I like '80's Haute Brion Blanc with steak, especially with a seafood side and a crusty bread with creamy cheese. I think the older white Burgs and Bordeaux blanc's are really nice with lighter beef dishes in the summer as long as the beef is not heavily "grilled". But, for a fat, peppery steak with beautiful grill marks...give me a nice, big, red, round bordeaux! Sun Sep 20 22:04:39 -0700 2009 5038361 1110504 sedimental