Lazy Bear Reserve Pairing

I dined at Lazy Bear in SF this past week. I wasn’t initially sure whether or not I would do a wine pairing, but as soon as I saw this, I knew I couldn’t pass it up.

I am newer to wine and don’t have a lot of practice writing tasting notes, but I will do my best…

Krug 172eme – Not the first time I’ve had the opportunity to try Krug, but my first time trying this cuvée. This had a beautiful richness of fruit and a light brioche character, but enough electricity and acidity to make this dangerously refreshing and easy to drink. Perfect way to start a meal.

Chateau D’Yquem, 1990 – This was paired with the kitchen’s take on a PB&J, featuring duck liver (as serving foie is illegal in California), hence the placement so early in the meal. This was just beautiful, showing notes of honeycomb, peach, and dried apricots. It also had an incredible butterscotch-like depth and complexity that allowed it to stand up to the richness and savory qualities of the duck liver. I actually ended up saving some of this for later in the meal and got to try it alongside their passion fruit dessert, which was also a wonderful pairing.

Le Petit Cheval, Bordeaux Blanc, 2021 – This felt fairly light on the palate for a white Bordeaux, especially after the Sauternes right before. The wine showed with florals and an elegant minerality, but had just enough fruit character of mango and peaches to give it a bit of richness.

Bartolo Mascarello, Barolo, 2005 – As soon as I smelled this wine, one of the first things that came to me was the unmistakable smell of truffle. Whether this was because of the wine or because a beautiful fresh white truffle was headed to my table – I may never know. This was incredibly youthful for 20 years old and still had plenty of tannin alongside elegant cherries, florals, and licorice.

Bouchard Pere & Fils, Chambertin Grand Cru, 1994 – This was my first Chambertin, and the wine completely lived up to its vineyard’s reputation for power and structure. This had beautiful dark fruit, black cherries and plums, but also showed real tertiary character of mushroom and forest floor. This was so much fun to drink.

Spring Mountain, Cabernet Sauvignon, 1979 – This was the oldest wine I had tried to this point and it was showing just beautifully. Although almost 50 years old at this point, the fruit had not entirely faded. This had an amazing bouquet of mellow purple and black fruits alongside beautifully integrated notes of leather, tobacco, licorice, and baking spices. It’s almost impossible to pick in this lineup, but this may have been my WOTN.

Cossart Gordon, Madeira Bual, 1745-1945 – Admittedly, I have very little drinking experience with fortified wines, but really enjoyed this. This was incredibly rich and complex with notes dried figs, molasses, burnt sugar, toasted hazelnuts, and baking spices. It seemed to me as though the acidity and complexity in this wine really cut the sweetness making it very enjoyable to drink. Although there would be almost no wine from 1745 left here, the thought of drinking something that’s almost 300 years old is unbelievable to me.

This was an amazing experience and was absolutely worth the price of admission. I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention how much I enjoyed speaking with each of the somms and service team members at Lazy Bear. They were each incredibly knowledgeable and personable and made it an unforgettable evening.