Christie Kiley on September 8, 2014 0 Comments I cannot believe it. It has only been a week since my three week trip through Europe, from Belgium to France to Spain and back. Our first night in Bordeaux, after a long day of driving, we went to settle into our B&B right in downtown Bordeaux, clean up and dress up, and headed off to a local wine bar with 32 wines on tap at all times, including some Grand Crus. The amazing tasting and perusal of French wines and the charcuterie was great, but it was not enough and we were still hungry. We headed back to the plaza close to the B&B and pulled up a table outside for some entertaining people/slash clumsy waiter watching. My senses were almost over-worked from the wine bar. My intentions of sitting down for dinner were to stop ‘working’, but I can’t help myself sometimes, my nose sort of has its own mind. Really, you should see the size of the thing and you would understand. So, while my date was enticing his appetite just a bit more to restart his palate with some a sip on some good vodka, we had a look at the menu; for him, the Rognons de Veau (Veal Kidney) and for me, the Duck Confit. Once our plates were chosen, of course if it always my duty to choose from the wine menu. So what to go with a veal kidney, with a nice salad with Dijon dressing, some caramelized and roasted rocket onions and duck confit? It was a bit of a gamble, but I chose the Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2008, Saint Julien, 2nd Cru Classe. It was definitely going to pair well with the kidney, but I was not so sure about the duck confit, even though I had a feeling the duck fat would balance out what might be a bold wine. So off our order went, down some glass went on the restaurants patio in the plaza, off went a serving glass to go back to the bar that was too warm to have what should be chilled vodka… Seriously, entertaining. I already mentioned we were in the perfect spot for some people watching and clumsy wait service. It was a good thing the food was good! But seriously, any of you who have waited tables before, we all have those nights, sometimes days, when the darn patio is like a magnet for glass. I hope these guys were not docked their pay that night for the broken glasses. The wine arrived, as did a chilled glass for the vodka. After a tasting of eight wines at the previous wine bar over two to three hours and some copious amounts of charcuterie, one does need to restart their appetite, and good vodka does the trick. Try it. The North Americans do not place enough emphasis on this part. You will enjoy your food and wine that much more. Really. The wine at first pour, first smell? Good choice! The aromas were earthy, savory, rounded; light cigar, cocoa, wild mushroom, suede, just perfectly mature cherries, plum. The taste? The 2008 vintage was a good choice from the menu compared to more youthful vintages. Six years of aging has done it some good, though it could easily age a bit more, but for that night, it worked. Just enough presence on your palate with soft plum, light on the cherry with finishing notes of bitter chocolate and perfume of lingering licorice, leather and the cigar on the nose. The tannins were in balance, still room for potential roundness, but soft and supple. Our plates arrived and the wine went well with both of the dishes. Of course, I traded a bite of the medium-rare kidney for a bit of my duck confit. It is all in the name of professional research. The earthy notes were subdued with the veal kidney, accentuating the fruit and enhancing the perfume of red fruits and hidden spices of peppercorn, clove and other warm spices. With the duck confit, the fat of the duck softened the tannins just right, rounding out the wine and bringing forth some fresh acidity and red berry notes. So good choice of wine, I must say. I will bring the wine if you make the duck confit! More Wine Reviews: Luc Belaire Rare Rosé Atamisque Assemblage 2008 Columbia Valley 2010 Red Blend “Graves” Cape Bleue Rosé 2012 from Jean-Luc Colombo