We had just enjoyed a great summer weekend out at Dave and Heathers place on Coon Lake. We miss the daytime temperatures in the low 80s and the evenings and right around 60 with cool, comfortable overnights. Since we headed to the lake Friday afternoon, we decided to go home after breakfast on Sunday.
There were many chores that needed to be done, including laundry and mowing the yard. We arrived home about noon and got busy but before we started our chores Chris wanted to know what I was craving for dinner. Since we hadn’t eaten all that healthy at the lake I was feeling like having some Cod. After the decision was made I was off to the yard.
As I was mowing my mind started wandering and thinking about what bottle of wine we wanted to enjoy with dinner. We had many herbs out on the front porch and was thinking she was sure to include some within a side dish.
I recalled that we still had a 1987 bottle of Mitch’s Poet in the cooler. We had enjoyed the 1986 (our anniversary year) last spring and also at Thanksgiving, 2011 which was excellent. 1987 was going to be the bottle we would have tonight.
It was late afternoon and all of the chores were completed and Chris was preparing dinner. She was in the mood for Mango salsa that would top of the Cod and she was hungry for Brussels sprouts. I am not a fan of the sprouts so I had to figure out what my side dish was going to be and opted for good old Green Beans.
Once the Mango salsa was done, Chris had a pan of onions sauteing and it was time for her to sear the Cod. I removed the bottle from the cooler as the fish would only take a few minutes. While Chris was cooking it, I decided to pull the cork and pour us a glass for dinner.
Doing a quick check with my Vino Temp, I could see the bottle warmed up a few degrees. Not a big deal for us as we do not prefer our reds too cool. As I pulled the foil I noticed a little wine had seeped through the cork. It was a little concerning but I did not pull the panic button.
Since I knew that this bottle was 25 years old, I had to be really careful. I grabbed by corkscrew and the “Ah So” just in case the cork was really weak. As I inserted the corkscrew I could see there was a little life yet and inserted it all the way. The screw was cutting through cork like a knife in soft butter. I wanted to make sure it protruded all the way into the cork. Once it was all the way in, I slowly pulled the cork. Voila! It came out intact! It was close though as you could see the end was cracking.
It was an amazing happy feeling knowing there would be no cork floating in the bottle or in our glasses. I was now ready to pour us each a glass. Just as I was pouring Chris started plating our meal. I knew I only had a few minutes so I grabbed a tasting sheet and proceeded to take some quick notes. I could see she was not happy that I was not ready since the fresh fish dinner was! I just needed a few more minutes and then I was ready to eat.
Here are my tasting notes:
Sight
The Poet was looking a little pale. No surprise there since it was 25 years old. The color hue of the Poet was “Bricky” and you could see the meniscus was clear. Even though the wine was older, it was very clear and there was very little sediment.
Smell
The aroma intensity was moderate and you could tell it was old to middle-aged. I do love the smell of old wines! To the nose it was earthy and I could smell ripe red fruit.
Taste
It was time and not a moment too soon. The table was ready and Chris was placing on our plates. As we took our initial tastes of the wine it was excellent! The Poet was still medium bodied and it was a little tart initially. The tannins were weak and soft and could be felt in the front and moved towards the middle of our palate and tongue. The finish was medium. Some of the flavors we could taste were Red Cherry, Light Oak, Anise and maybe a little Red Liquorice?
We were very happy. And, the Poet paired excellently with the Mango Salsa and Cod.
We both rated the 1987 Poet Four Glasses. As dinner ended and we watched a little TV with the Poet in our glass and just kept humming… I honestly think after two hours it tasted even better. I’m glad I have many vintages yet to drink and maybe share with my friends. 😉
Cheers!
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