Burgers and wine

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Today I finally did something that I have wanted to do for a while: bring a nice bottle of red wine to wash down a burger. My partner at work was kind enough to contribute the wine, and the team went to Cafe Causette at the Mandarin Oriental for lunch.

The wine - a bottle of 1990 Gruaud Larose - was dropped off at the Mandarin and decanted about 2 hours prior to lunch. While there was a hint of TCA (commonly known as cork-taint) in the nose, the wine drank beautifully. It had the classic St Julien nose, with sweet grass, a bit of green peppers, red fruits and a bit of smoked meats. Surprisingly, the tannins were still pretty firm, while the acidity was a tad high for my palate. It's been some years since I last drank this wine, and I think it remains a beautiful wine.

We started with a nice little green salad before the main event. As for the hamburger, I thought it was very well done. The bun was very tasty, not too hard and not too flabby. The beef patty was juicy, but could use a tad more flavoring. It was, however, slightly charred to perfection on the outside, which imparted enough flavors to make it interesting. My mushroom and egg toppings were delicious. I think everyone enjoyed their burgers.

We had the F and B manager of the hotel at our table, and this was his first experience with his own burger! I think we will be repeating this experience from time to time in the future...