A Wine & Food Lover's Post Race Dinner

Several weeks ago, as the Long Beach Marathon and Half Marathon loomed ever near, my running partner and friend Linda asked, "Why don't you and Johan come over for dinner after the race?" I accepted the invitation for us, and we were in for a real treat!

Linda's hubby Bennett is a fellow The Wine Country wine specialist. He is also a fantastic cook and a half marathoner!

Before dinner, we traded stories about our race experience over a bottle of rose Champagne. Later, some awesome wines:

1982 Mouton Rothschilds

A legendary wine from the vintage that made Robert Parker Jr. famous. This wine has great acidity and backbone, some smoky flavors, along with still fresh red and black fruits. Words don't do it justice - this is a special wine that I believe has a market price tag of between $750 and $1200 a bottle. An honor to enjoy with friends on this historic day (historic as it was a personal record for at least a couple of us!)

1978 Stag's Leap Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Probably wrong for me to say, but this wine impressed me more than the Mouton! First off, it was older, a full 30 years old. I'm not sure I have anything that is 30 years old! That attests to the patience that goes into cellaring a wine. Delayed gratification is an understatement here!

A wine like this one explains to me why California's Napa Valley is famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon. This was a gorgeous aged beauty, with plenty of fruit, a bit softer in acidity compared to the Bordeaux, but fuller in mouthfeel, and with all the grace of a Bordeaux. A fantastic and delicious wine, and I can't believe it is 30 years old!!

My thanks go out to Linda and Bennett. Thank you for making our evening a great one. Yay food and wine!