This should probably be titled “Joel Robuchon mashed potatoes and kick-ass sirloin steak” but the wine was a revelation for me. At nearly 10 years of age, this is absolutely fantastic and, I should add, is probably 3-5 years away from its peak. Loads of fruit with touches of secondary flavors, this is quite complex and has enough structure to keep improving.
The sirloins were cooked with a new recipe (season both sides of the steaks with coarse sea salt, heat an oven-proof pan as hot as it’ll get, add some grapeseed oil [high smoke point], sear on each side for 1-2 minutes, then throw the whole thing in a 450 degree oven for approximately 6 minutes, or until the temperature is 125 [for medium rare], then let stand 5 minutes before serving) which worked great, especially considering the meat was only “okay” in terms of quality. We also made the amazing Joel Robuchon mashed potatoes, and a beet salad recipe courtesy of Steve Williams. Totally great dinner and wonderful combination with the wine.
Mary and I had the 2001 Spottswoode lastnight and ll i could think of was, “this wine is so young.” The fruit and tannin were very balanced, but were both very strong tasting. we drank it over an hour or so and it really did not open up that much. i would say another 3-5 years of cellaring easily.
They definitely make wines to age–some of the best “old” wines I’ve had have been Spottswoode.