Birthday dinner, Saturday 11th July

It's always great when your birthday falls on a Saturday. However, mine did not get off to the best start when the party people at McCann Erickson, whose office is just next to my block of flats, suddenly decided to make use of the powerful speakers which had been installed on their balcony for their outdoor cinema season, at 12.20 in the morning. My neighbours and I were treated to 20 minutes of this at top volume, which under different circumstances I might have quite enjoyed.

Fortunately the day improved and in the evening G came round for dinner at mine. After a bracing pre-prandial negroni, we cracked on with my birthday present from him: this bottle of Chateau Montrose 1990.

There is a story here, which I've told before, but will tell again as the context is important. When we were staying at the Crown in Southwold on my 22nd birthday, G spotted the 1970 Montrose on the bin end list and it went down in history as the "Montrose Moment" i.e. the moment I really began to understand what fine wine is all about. On discovering that a friend had some stocks of the 1990 vintage, G thought he'd attempt to recreate the experience 20 years on. The only difference being that 1990 is renowned as a great vintage and this was a very expensive bottle of wine, even at a prix d'ami.

Promising level...

Glossy!

We decanted it just before we drank it, and all was well. It was a wonderful, glossy dark colour. I don't drink much claret, and when I do it's usually Latour, cue sound of tumbrils rolling up outside the door but this was very different. It was very smooth, succulent and had a richness to it that came as a welcome surprise. We found ourselves using words such as "voluptuous" and "hedonistic", and noted that it didn't seem very blackcurranty, but the fruit was more like mirabelle plums. It was drinking perfectly at the age of 25 and went down very easily - once I'd made my notes, we didn't feel the need to sit there thinking about it too hard, it was sensual rather than intellectual, and therefore in some ways rather like a Burgundy! G will report back to his friend that it's good to go, no point in hanging around.

Massive piece of rosbif

We had it alongside a mighty fine piece of roasted sirloin on the bone which I'd got from the Ginger Pig earlier in the day, and some roast potatoes, naturally.

Ultimate cheeseboard

And to finish, we had some cheese. For once, I braved La Fromagerie with its notorious Door of Shoulder-Dislocation, as I hadn't been there in ages. I have to admit I was impressed with the range on offer. The Ami du Chambertin was particularly excellent and lasted us till Thursday, and I'm very likely to be going back for more soon.

We polished off the vieux marc from Lyon, and that was that. Another year down. Enormous thanks to G for such a generous and thoughtful birthday present. Now, about 2035...