Thread: Beef or Lamb with 89' Latour

what should i serve for dinner?? i have two bottles of 89 latour. any good ideas?

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Does Bordeaux need butter? - Matching Food and Wine

Roack O' Lamb baby

That's a tough one; the last time I opened a good 89 Bordeaux (last spring) it took longer to open up than I expected (and I decanted and ended up giving it an hour or more at which point the meal wasn't going to wait any longer). As a result it came across as very subtle and was not a good match up with the garlic and the bite of the lamb that we had going on at the time. The only thing complimenting the lamb was the leather / tobacco which just wasn't sufficient. There was also some vegative funk still present that fought the mint leaves (no mint sauce!) . I noticed this right off and suggested to the guests that they might want to put the wine to the side for a while but I was mostly ignored and I think as a result most people where underwhelmed by the experience. However, by the end of the meal (another hour + later) I still had half a glass left and it had received some good swirls :-). At that point it started to come alive and the big fruit started to show up; then you got the mint, chocolate, black berry thing and it all started to work but most people where already through desert. IOW, proceed cautiously; I think either could work, but breathing time on the older Bordeauxs can be tricky, at least for me...

I've had '89 Montrose and '89 Palmer, and neither would stand up to beef for sure - lamb, perhaps, but only if it is not heavily spiced or marinaded...it's a subtle year, when drinking nowadays - not exactly a big Bordeaux, but still enjoyable. Frankly, however, I'd let them sit another 5-10 years if you can.