Image
  • Writing
    • Andy Gavin: Author
    • About my Novels & Writing
    • All Writing Posts
    • The Darkening Dream
      • Buy the Book Online
      • Sample Chapters
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Untimed
      • Buy Untimed Online
      • Book Trailer
      • Sample Chapters
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Scrivener – Writer’s Word Processor
    • iPad for Writers
    • Naughty Dark Contest
  • Books
    • Book Review Index
    • Favorite Fantasy Novels
    • Andy Gavin: Author
    • The Darkening Dream
      • Buy the Book Online
      • Sample Chapters
      • Short Story: Harvard Divinity
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Untimed
      • About the Book
      • Buy Untimed Online
      • Book Trailer
      • Sample Chapters
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Naughty Dark Contest
  • Games
    • My Video Game Career
    • Post Archive by Series
    • All Games Posts Inline
    • Making Crash Bandicoot
    • Crash 15th Anniversary Memories
    • World of Warcraft Endgames
    • Getting a Job Designing Video Games
    • Getting a Job Programming Video Games
    • Naughty Dark Contest
  • Movies
    • Movie Review Index
  • Television
    • TV Review Index
    • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    • A Game of Thrones
  • Food
    • Food Review Index
    • Foodie Club
    • Hedonists
    • LA Sushi Index
    • Chinese Food Index
    • LA Peking Duck Guide
    • Eating Italy
    • Eating France
    • Eating Spain
    • Eating Croatia
    • Eating Vietnam
    • Eating Australia
    • Eating Israel
    • Ultimate Pizza
    • ThanksGavin
    • Margarita Mix
    • Foodie Photography
    • Burgundy Vintage Chart
  • Other
    • All Posts, Magazine Style
    • Archive of all Posts
    • Fiction
    • Technology
    • History
    • Anything Else
  • Gallery
  • Bio
  • About
    • About me
    • About my Writing
    • About my Video Games
    • Ask Me Anything
  • Contact

Archive for Bâtard-Montrachet

Montrachet Central

Apr10

Restaurant: Drago Centro [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 525 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90071. (213) 228-8998

Date: March 14, 2019

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Great high end Italian

_

This dinner is the second part of the annual White Burgundy Premox test series, hosted by Burg-meister Don Cornwell. This dinner covers 2011 Bienvenues-Bâtard, Criots-Bâtard,Bâtard-Montrachet, and Chevalier-Montrachet.

This particular dinner is at Drago Centro, which is the new home for these big dinners after the closing of Valentino. I’ve been a Drago fan (and friend) for years. Celistino Drago has even cooked at our house a bunch of times.

2011 White Burgundy is a vintage for those who prefer elegance and purity over power and concentration. It is the size of the wine that worried some white wine producers – many whites were willowy and gentle with low alcohol and modest acidity levels. This contrasts with the past several vintages – 2010, 2009 and the 2008 – where the overall frame and size of the wine was bigger. With the 2011s now either in bottle or about to be bottled, the wines have gained stature and flesh, though they will remain slim. What the best 2011 whites offer are seductive delicate flavours, purity of expression and delightful aromatics.


Located on busy Flower in DTLA.
7U1A6820
Drago!
7U1A6822
There was a private party outside and the place was packed.

7U1A6806-Pano
Fortunately, this time, we were in the vault room which is separate and quiet.
7U1A6851
Our special menu.

Flight 0: Champagne

7U1A6829
2004 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée. VM 95. The 2004 Coeur de Cuvée has gained considerable weight, richness and resonance over the last few years. Brioche, almonds, marzipan, anise and dried flowers are some of the notes that flesh out in a radiant, super-expressive Champagne built on texture and class. The 2004 is every bit as impressive as it has always been. At eleven years of age, the Coeur de Cuvée is just entering an early plateau of maturity that is likely to last for at least a handful of years. Disgorged May 2012.
7U1A6827
Mini crab cakes.
7U1A6833
Sweet breads with caviar. Not my favorite as I don’t love offal.
7U1A6847
Hamachi cones with roe and gold. A little mild in flavor. Could use a bit of spice or something.
7U1A6868
Don imported (former) Valentino Wine Director Paul Sherman to mastermind the wine service for who-knows-how-many-years-in-a-row.
7U1A6870
My friend, chef Celestino Drago checks to make sure everything is in order.
7U1A6838
Grisini.
7U1A6854
Fresh baked bread (Drago has its own bakery for the restaurant group).

Flight 1: BBM & Criots

7U1A6924
2011 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 93+. ale, bright green-yellow. Precise, high-pitched aromas of lime, white flowers and crushed stone. Then juicy and supple on the palate, with enticing sweetness to its pure, sharply delineated flavors of lime and orange. Impeccably balanced Bienvenue with nothing fat or warm about it. Really sparkles on the powerful, mounting finish.
7U1A6925
From my cellar: 2011 Etienne Sauzet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 95. Mint, lime, lychee, jasmine and white pear notes abound in the 2011 Batard-Montrachet. This is an especially tense, vibrant Batard that stands out for its energy, distinction and pure class. Super-finessed throughout, the 2011 impresses on the finish, where its crystalline brilliance dazzles. The style is very much built on precision, energy and minerality, rather than opulence. Today the 2011 is understandably a bit tight, but it should be superb in another few years. What a beautiful wine.
7U1A6926
2011 Domaine Jacques Carillon Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 95+. arillon’s 2011 Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru is total silk on the palate. Subtle, layered and exceptionally polished, the 2011 is all about texture. Exotic white truffle, mint, smoke and Chamomile notes are just starting to develop in the glass, but the 2011 has a long time to go before being ready. Riesling-inflected petrol notes add nuance on the finish. This is a seriously beautiful wine from Jacques Carillon.
7U1A6927
2011 Henri Boillot Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 92-95. Bright yellow. Vibrant nose combines smoke, honey and sexy minerality. More concentrated and sweet than the Criots but with the verve–not to mention the saline density–of Boillot’s Pucelles. Lovely creamy old-viney texture and length. The minerally finish leaves the taste buds quivering.
7U1A6928
2011 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. Light color, smells young and reductive but the palate is smooth doesn’t taste as young as it smells. Interesting wine that’s in a good spot and should remain here for at least a couple of years.

7U1A6929
2011 Hubert Lamy Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 97. There is little doubt Olivier Lamy’s 2011 Criots-Batard-Montrachet is one of the truly great wines of the vintage. Utterly vivid and constantly changing in the glass, the 2011 captivates all of the sense – both hedonistic and intellectual – with a captivating mélange of exotic white flowers, crushed rocks and pears. The bright, crystalline flavors blossom beautifully in the glass in that sweet, perfumed, ethereal style that is the signature of Criots. What an utterly moving, delicious wine this is.
7U1A6930
2011 Louis Jadot Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 94. The 2011 Bienvenues Batard-Montrachet is huge. Rich, voluptuous and layered, the 2011 flows across the palate with stunning depth and richness. With time in the glass more subtle hints of almonds, hazelnuts, baking spices and mint emerge, albeit with great reluctance. There is plenty of energy in the glass. It will be interesting to see if the 2011 acquires more polish in bottle. Regardless, there is plenty to admire in a succulent, generous Bienvenues that is likely to offer a broad window of drinkability.
7U1A6931
2011 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 92+. Pale yellow. Youthfully imploded nose hints at peach and smoky lees. Closed in the mouth as well, showing a slight bitter edge to the flavors of herbs, flowers and crushed stone. Best today on the juicy, echoing finish, which shows a subtle saline character.
7U1A6932
2011 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 94-96. Exotic white flowers, ginger, white pepper and lychee are some of the many notes that emerge from the 2011 Criots-Batard-Montrachet, a wine that dazzles from start to finish. The 2011 is pure seduction. Captivating aromatics, beautifully layered fruit and fabulous persistence are the hallmarks. Colin-Morey thought the 2011 needed a little more time in cask, and planned to bottle the wine later in the summer.
7U1A6859
Jumbo scallops crudo, potato cream, onion jello and truffles. Very light dish and attractive plating. I was glad the scallops were raw — as I prefer them that way.

Flight 2: Bâtard-Montrachet

7U1A6965
2011 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 97. The 2011 Batard-Montrachet boasts serious richness, depth and structure. A wine of pure brawn and intensity, the 2011 impresses for its exceptional balance and harmony, but it is also very reticent and nowhere near ready to show the full breadth of its personality. The finish alone is simply sensational. Readers should give the 2011 at least a few years in bottle to settle down. The Batard is imposing, sensational and regal in every way.
7U1A6966
2011 Domaine Bachelet-Ramonet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet.
7U1A6967
2011 Domaine Henri Boillot Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 95. Boillot’s 2011 Bâtard-Montrachet is striking. Pear, almond and spice notes open up in the glass, leading to bright fruit and expressive floral notes. In 2011 the Bâtard is linear, powerful and intense. This statuesque Burgundy is best left alone for at least several years.
7U1A6968
2011 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 94+. Pale bright yellow. Sexy perfume of lemon, lime, clove and white flowers. A step up in weight and power from the Bienvenue, but still with lovely lift to the generous flavors of ripe peach and spices. Wonderfully energetic, tactile wine with terrific rising length and grip, and a late mineral character that contributes finesse. But this big, rich, backward Batard will need time to express itself.
7U1A6969
2011 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers. VM 92. Pale, bright yellow. Subtle, pure nose offers pear and white flowers. Suave on entry, then juicy and sweet in the middle, with a minty lift contributing to the impression of inner-mouth perfume. Sappy, minerally, sharply delineated Chassagne with a positive iodiney character. This lively wine really coats the palate and lingers, without leavening any impression of undue weight.
7U1A6970
2011 Etienne Sauzet Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 96. Gently spiced notes open into lemon oil and subtle yellow stone fruits in the 2011 Batard-Montrachet. The style is surprisingly weightless for Batard, in fact, this is one of the more refined, introspective 2011 Batards I tasted. The long, persistent finish along is striking. There is no shortage of nuance or finesse in this exceptional wine from Sauzet.
7U1A6971
2011 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 93+. Good full medium yellow. Musky aromas of yellow peach, apricot and minerals lifted by a floral topnote. Boasts impressive volume and palate-saturating breadth but comes across as more closed than the Bienvenue in spite of its richness of texture. Finishes very long, though, with lingering notes of spices and smoke. Pernot recommends waiting three years before opening this.
7U1A6972
2011 Pierre Morey Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 94. The 2011 Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru blossoms in the glass with light, floral-infused honey. Chamomile, tangerine and hazelnut notes. Rich and voluptuous all the way through to the finish, yet never heavy, the 2011 is a model of finesse. This is another superb showing from Pierre Morey.
7U1A6874
Rigatoni Kamut, swordfish and eggplant ragu. An unusual pasta dish. The texture (al dente) on the pasta was incredible. Really these seemed closer to a picci (but not exactly). Very nice soft mildly rich flavor.

Flight 3: Chevalier-Montrachet part 1

7U1A6953
2011 Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet. VM 96. A wine of pure texture the 2011 Chevalier-Montrachet captivates all the senses. Mint, lime, white flowers and Chamomile all vow for attention in a pliant, expressive wine of the highest level. The 2011 has a level of inner richness that is simply waiting in reserve. Another few years in bottle should unlock all of that potential.
7U1A6954
2011 Louis Jadot Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. VM 97. Honey, almonds, white flowers and nectarines all take shape in Jadot’s 2011 Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles. Exotic white truffle, orange peel and spice notes appear later, adding dimensions of complexity and nuance to this pedigreed Burgundy. The flavors continue to blossom in all directions as the wine opens up in the glass. Simply put, the 2011 Demoiselles is a stunner.
7U1A6955
2011 Domaine de Montille Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Cailleret. VM 92+. Lemon, lime, crushed stone and some noble herbal high notes on the nose. Citrussy and penetrating, with a hint of youthful bitterness to the lime leaf and chalky mineral flavors. Very pure, juicy, mineral-driven wine with sneaky depth and a persistent, vibrating finish. This is 12.7% alcohol following about 0.3% of chaptalization, notes Alix de Montille.
7U1A6956
2011 Francois Carillon Chevalier-Montrachet. VM 95+. The 2011 Chevalier-Montrachet is drop-dead gorgeous. Hints of light floral honey, almonds and lemon oil are just beginning to develop, but the Chevalier-Montrachet is mostly a wine of texture and shape. Not a huge wine, the 2011 impresses for its incredible class and nuance. With air, slightly more exotic and tropical notes emerge, providing a hint of what waits for those lucky few who will be able to source this jewel of a wine.
7U1A6957
2011 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet. VM 93+. Good bright, pale yellow-straw. Perfumed aromas of peach pit and vanillin oak, lifted by spicy high notes. Rich and concentrated but light on its feet. Shows sweet stone fruit flavors and very good breadth on the front half, then turns firmer and more saline on the back end, finishing dry and brisk, with lingering notes of citrus peel and white peach. Boasts a lovely core of sweet fruit but this will need patience.
7U1A6958
2011 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet. VM 95+. Subdued but pure aromas of pineapple, crushed rock and white flowers; less fruity today than the Bienvenue or Batard. Then fat and ripe but with terrific verve to the mineral and spice flavors. With a few minutes in the glass, this highly concentrated, electric wine came across as more tightly coiled, with its energy and cut becoming more apparent. Most impressive today on the extremely long, perfumed back end, which leaves the palate vibrating under a layer of mineral dust. Winemaker Remy says he wouldn’t start drinking this wine for 12 years.
7U1A6883
Cioppino, assorted seafood, lobster broth. Fabulous seafood soup. Really a lobster bisque with various extremely fresh seafood.

Flight 4: Chevalier-Montrachet part 2

7U1A6959
2011 Domaine Marc Morey & Fils Chevalier-Montrachet.
7U1A6960
2011 Domaine Michel Niellon Chevalier-Montrachet. VM 95. Exotic white flowers, lychee, mint and lime blossom in the glass as the 2011 Chevalier-Montrachet shows off its compelling personality. Impeccably pure and layered throughout, the 2011 impresses for its exceptional balance and class. There is plenty of Chevalier richness and honey, but no excess weight or sense of heaviness at all.
7U1A6961
2011 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chevalier-Montrachet. VM 94+. Pale yellow. Slightly sullen, medicinal aromas of pineapple, menthol and crushed stone. Then taut and powerful in the mouth, with little early pliancy to the penetrating flavors of fresh pineapple and crushed rock. All in reserve today and in need of at least several years of cellaring. Classically dry on the high-pitched, echoing finish, which leaves behind piquant notes of dusty pepper, ginger, wild herbs and crushed stone. In the same bracing, mineral-driven style as Colin’s superb Meursault Perrieres and Corton-Charlemagne.
7U1A6962
2011 Domaine Ramonet Chevalier-Montrachet.
7U1A6963
2011 Vincent Dancer Chevalier-Montrachet.
7U1A6964
2011 Etienne Sauzet Chevalier-Montrachet. VM 94+. Good pale yellow. Ripe, highly perfumed nose combines pineapple, flowers, mint and humid fern. Less obviously powerful than the Batard but offers insidious intensity and a more pliant texture to its yellow fruit and mineral flavors. Tightens up considerably on the back end, finishing subtle and long, with fresh minerality and a strong chalky character.
7U1A6908
Pan roasted breast of duck, kumquat sauce. Great duck. Perfectly cooked and I loved the kumquat sauce (which was an interesting take on the orange duck thing). The forbidden rice was just there.

Appendix Flight: dessert

7U1A6933
2002 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Eiswein. VM 93. This drinks like a pure and incredibly fragrant Normandy cider laced with lemon, vanilla and fresh strawberry. Weightless in feel, effortless gliding down, yet with incredible tenacity of grip.
7U1A6936
Dark chocolate cremeux, cocoa almond, milk chocolate chantilly. The cake and its cream top was amazing. Really nice contrast of textures and strong chocolate flavors. The ice cream is gelato made by me (Celestino had it plated with the dessert):

After my advanced gelato class, trying a slightly new pistachio formulation — Pistachio Madeline Gelato — base uses my same awesome Pistachios from Bronte Sicily but also a small amount of egg yolk for extra body. I baked the Madelines from scratch and soaked them in hand made Grand Mariner syrup — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — oh my! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #NomNom #dessert #Pistachio #lemon #orange #Sicily #GrandMariner #Madeline #cookie #baking

7U1A6942
This one is also by me:

Getting whacky — Thai Peanut Coconut Lime Chili Gelato — Salty peanuts, Thai coconut cream, lime zest, and serrano chillies — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — almost too spicy! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #NomNom #dessert #chili #spicy #thai #peanut #coconut #lime #SavorySweet #Serrano
7U1A6915-Pano
Have a few glasses!

7U1A6935
The reveal sheet.
7U1A6993-Pano
And the full lineup.

Don’s notes on the wines:

  • It was interesting to “watch the race” for the top wine as I compiled the votes.  The group’s top overall wine was the Bernard Moreau Chevalier Montrachet, which won despite getting fewer first place votes than the number two finisher, the Colin-Morey Chevalier (which was my favorite wine).   Both were spectacular and easily the equal of the best 2010s (and I thought the PYCM Chevalier was clearly superior to his 2010 Chevalier.)   Finishing third was the Jadot Demoisselles, which was easily the best version of that wine we’ve had since at least the 1996.
  • The huge difference in the number of oxidized and advanced wines between night one and night two was disconcerting.  It demonstrates the risk of judging a vintage based on wines from a limited number of appellations.  We had a large percentage of premox on night two, but with almost no premox on night one, at this point the cumulative statistics are right about even with 2010.   (Hard to figure….)
  • The flight of Criots/BBM was maybe the best overall flight of those wines ever.  Carillon was again the favorite of the flight as it usually is.
  • PYCM – Solid performance again, and the Chevy was spectacular, and probably the best he’s ever made. The Criots, Bienvenues and Batard, while all very good, were not as exciting.
  • Jadot  —  Three wines out of the four included finished in the top three over the first two nights. Jadot will go back on my “buy” list for their top wines starting with 2011. DIAM will probably restore their reputation, but the Bienvenues proved that you can still make bad wine despite DIAM.
  • The ringers – the Montille Puligny Caillerets (tied for No. 5 overall) was spectacular in context and nobody identified it as an obvious ringer in a flight of Chevaliers, which is what I had hoped.  The Pillot Clos St. Marc (tied for 11th), which comes from 100 year old vines in the best part of Vergers, also seemed to compete with the Batards, although it didn’t quite have the weight of the top ones.  Maybe matching it with Bienvenues and Criots flight would have been a fairer fight.   Finding really good ringers to include is one of the fun elements of this.
  • Leflaive – amazingly, all three wines were very good to excellent and not advanced or oxidized, though the style isn’t remotely the same as it used to be.
  • Ramonet –  Obviously the least impressive showing for Ramonet since the premox disaster vintages in 1996 and 1999. I’m hoping that the Chevalier was an off bottle, but clearly that was the worst example of a Ramonet Chevy I’ve ever tasted.
  • Pernot – Both wines were again advanced. These wines seem to have notably declined since the 2007 vintage and are too often advanced.
  • Dancer – An enigma. Capable at time of producing spectacular wines (e.g. 2010 MP, the overall night one winner), yet also capable of producing horribly flawed, or in the past oxidized wines.  Two disasters in 2011.
  • Boillot –  On the second pass I concluded the Batard with the “blood orange” aroma was indeed advanced.   Pretty underwhelming showing. Really hard to justify the insane pricing for the Boillot grand crus given the consistently poor premox performance.

Overall another highly education and fun evening. The wines were incredible and it is always amazing to taste so many great White Burgs side by side.

The food was a big step up from Valentino. Much better plating and more modern, sophisticated style. It’s still a touch plain by design as Don likes to keep it understated compared to the wines (while I, myself, am a bit more forgiving in the name of flavor). Service was excellent.

There is a lot to say about this tasting. The wine service was impeccable, and this is a difficult task (pouring lots of big blind flights). Overall service is absolutely first rate. It’s a large quiet room, and the staff was highly attentive. Celistino is a great host and his menu paired spectacularly.

Don has so many wines that the flights were too large. The first was 9 wines! And several were 8. Really this dinner could use 6 flights, no bigger than 5 wines each and about 6 savory dishes. But it’s a long evening as is, so I can understand why that might be pushing it. We debated going to Killer Noodle or KTown after but we were just a little too tired and full.

A great evening.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. 2010 Montrachet at Melisse
  2. Mostly Montrachet at Melisse
  3. Melisse – 2007 Montrachet!
  4. Valentino – 2008 White Burgundy part 2
  5. Melisse – 2008 Montrachet!
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: 2011 White Burgundy, Bâtard-Montrachet, BYOG, Celestino Drago, Chevalier-Montrachet, Don Cornwell, Drago Centro, DTLA, Gelato, Paul Sherman, White Burgundy, Wine

Valentino – 2008 White Burgundy part 2

Feb26

Restaurant: Valentino Santa Monica [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Location: 3115 Pico Blvd  Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 829-4313

Date: February 25, 2016

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Fun and educational!

_

This dinner is the second part of the annual White Burgundy Premox test series, hosted by Burg-meister Don Cornwell. This dinner covers 2008 Bienvenues-Bâtard, Criots-Bâtard,Bâtard-Montrachet, and Chevalier-Montrachet. 2008 White Burgundy Dinner series Part 1 can be found here. You can also read about previous year’s 2004 Red Burgundy dinner and 2006 White Burgundy tasting.

This particular dinner is at Valentino, which has been a mainstay of the LA fine dining scene for decades. I first started coming here in about 1995 and it was a mind blowing change from the usual trattoria and red-sauce style Italians. Valentino is much closer to Michelin 2 star restaurant in Italy, although not as modernist as some of those are in recent years. If food in Italy turns you on, check out my Eating Italy segment.

And with regard to the wines. In Burgundy, in 2008, up to the middle of June, when the moon was full on the 18th., the season had been cool, wet and miserable. The flowering was late and drawn out, promising a late and uneven harvest. The next six weeks happily saw a marked inprovement: plenty of sun, not too much rain – and what there was was sporadic and localised – though it was warm rather than hot. Temperatures rarely exceeded 30°C. Then the weather deteriorated. There was more rain and less sun right through to mid-September. A bleak summer indeed! Overall there was less precipitation on the Côte de Nuits than the Côte de Beaune, and less still in the Côte Chalonnaise. Chablis seems to have enjoyed the mildest weather of all. But inevitably, the incidence of mildew, oidium and botrytis became ever more serious as the weeks progressed. At various times from the beginning of May onwards, hail damaged the vineyards of Marsannay, Volnay and Meursault, Chassagne and parts of the southern Màconnais and northern Beaujolais.

At the last minute, however, more benign conditions returned and continued well into October. The harvest kicked off in the Beaujolais, as I have said, on September 15th. A week or more later the growers began to attack the Mâconnais and to some extent the Côte de Beaune. But many in the Côte d’Or held off until Monday 29th or even, in the Côte de Nuits, into October, and were able to profit from natural sugar levels of 13° and higher. It was the latest harvest for some years, requiring 110 or more, not 100, days from flowering to fruition.


Our private room. Notice the large table with a lot of space. This is important when you have 29+ glasses a person!

  Notice the awesome array of glasses in the background. Only about half of them are visible. Few restaurants can handle this sort of thing, as they need over 400 stems of the same type and a dedicated Sommelier with sufficient experience and skill. Ours tonight handled the whole wine service with extreme professionalism and personality.


Tonight’s special menu.

Flight 0: Champagne

1998 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses. Burghound 95. A brilliant, complex and broad-ranging nose offers up floral, citrus, yeast and extremely subtle red berry hints that complement perfectly the delicious, restrained and still quite youthful flavors that are very crisp and impressively precise with a medium effervescence on the deep, palate staining and lingering finish. The ’98 isn’t quite in the league of the superb ’96 but it’s not far off either and in my view, trumps the ’97 and ’99 as well.

agavin: had a very nice mature oxidative tone which I really enjoyed.

Prosciutto And Grana Padano “Schegge”. Basically ham wrapped Parmesan!

Burrata Caprese. On a spoon.

Ahi Tuna Tartare Crostini.

Oysters.

Bruschetta With Wild Arugula. The cheese and greens took this up another level.

Bread. I particularly liked the cheesy sticks.

Flight 1: Bienvenue / Criots

A word about tonight’s format. Every bottle was served blind, except we were aware of what flight it was and what was in the flight, just not of which wine was which. The reveal was held until the end of the entire evening so that we could vote on favorite wines without bias.

Personally, I’d prefer a reveal halfway through each flight for a number of reasons. True, this would compromise the voting a bit, but that’s not super important to me. I’d prefer to be able to taste the wines both not knowing which was which and knowing, so that I can continue to build up my subjective memory for each house style. I also find it very difficult to remember back across multiple flights for “best” comparisons. I took notes and marked my favorites of each flight and compared those.

agavin: Also, some general comments on this flight and the vintage. 2008 is really round and ripe. The wines are darker in the glass than average and have Botrytis and tropical notes. Some of them still have a lot of acid too.

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine Ramonet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 94. Soft if not invisible wood sets off strikingly pretty and solidly complex honeysuckle, white peach and spiced pear aromas that give way to intense, delicious and equally complex middle weight flavors that possess ample concentration and outstanding balance and length on the palate staining finish. This is really classy juice and quite stylish as well.

agavin: One of my two favorites of the flight — well, it is Ramonet.

2008 Louis Carillon Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 95. A discreet touch of pain grillé frames an equally expressive and every bit as pure nose of honeysuckle and lemon-lime aromas that combine seamlessly with rich, round and quite generous middle weight plus flavors that possess even better depth and stunning length. This is the complete package with a textured and palate staining finish as the level of dry extract here is most impressive. A stunner of a Bienvenues that should reward at least a decade of cellar time.

agavin: a little darker and more advanced, although drinking nicely

2008 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 91-94. Peach, ginger, honey and medicinal herbs on the nose, plus a more exotic suggestion of lichee. Dry and penetrating on the palate, but with a distinctly tactile quality to the flavors of pineapple and flowers. Today this comes across as more austere than the Corton-Charlemagne, which is probably not a bad thing for a 2008.

agavin: our bottle was a bit corked

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 91-4. A subtle touch of pain grillé highlights citrus notes that, like the Pucelles, exhibit hints of honeysuckle and fennel nuances that complement perfectly the textured, rich and sweet medium plus weight flavors that are quite supple yet remain detailed, energetic and strikingly long on the explosive finish. This is a relatively powerful Bienvenues. In a word, terrific.

agavin: a bit darker than most.

2008 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 94. Here too the nose speaks of honeysuckle, citrus and lightly spiced pear aromas that serve as an elegant introduction to the pure, cool and understated middle weight flavors that possess outstanding depth of material and stunning length. This is a hugely long and quite serious yet impeccably well-balanced Bienvenues.

agavin: My second favorite of the flight. It was darker, but it was drinking very nicely with a rich honeysuckle quality typical of BBM.

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 94. This possesses arguably the ripest nose of the range with its mildly exotic aromas of white flower, spiced pear, apricot and mango that combine with rich, full, powerful and overtly well-muscled flavors that offer impressive volume and power on the textured, indeed even opulent finish that is amply concentrated and seriously long. Overall, this is no more elegant than the La Romanée but there is another dimension of depth and length present. A terrific Criots.

agavin: Lots of Botrytis and a touch darker. Perhaps a little advanced.

2008 Henri Boillot Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 94. As one would reasonably expect given Criots’ natural tendency to high ripeness levels, the nose is notably riper than that of the Caillerets with ample amounts of highly complex yellow orchard fruit where a hint of exoticism comes into play. The equally ripe, rich, powerful and sappy full-bodied flavors display impressive size, weight and volume yet the finish remains focused and even reasonably well detailed with so much extract that there is the impression of chewiness. As is usually the case, this is not as refined as the rest of the grands crus but this is imposing.

2008 Hubert Lamy Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 92. The most complex nose in the range with an elegant array of citrus, floral and pear aromas that are less ripe than usual. The rich and precise medium weight flavors are delicious and pure with good if not great volume though there is fine balance and excellent length. This is really very stylish and sophisticated.

Dover Sole Involtini With Wild Mushroom Sauce. The mushrooms were really good, but sole is never that exciting and so this wasn’t a show stopper. It did pair well with the wines and didn’t conflict.

Flight 2: Batard

2008 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 96. Here the nose is notably tighter and more reserved with aromas of citrus blossom and zest, spice, smoke, fennel and hints of acacia that introduce big, muscular and wonderfully complex broad-scaled flavors that culminate in a long, focused and explosive finish of breathtaking length and intensity. This should reward at least a decade in the cellar and drink well for a similar period thereafter. This too is terrific and very Bâtard and like the Combettes, the ’08 version is one of the very best young examples from Leflaive that I have ever seen.

agavin: rich, good stuff.

2008 Ramey Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard. VM 95. Bright gold. Energetic aromas of green apple, jasmine, minerals and lemon zest. Dry and nervy, with brisk acidity and a saline nuance giving energy and lift to its citrus and orchard fruit flavors. Vibrant and impressively pure chardonnay, finishing spicy, long and dry, with an intriguing floral quality.

agavin: A 2008 California ringer. Not bad for a Cal Chard. Burgundian. Tropical too, with a bit more oak than most white Burgs.

2008 Etienne Sauzet Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 95. A more open and expressive nose speaks of white flower, white peach and spiced pear before sliding gracefully into delicious, mouth coating and serious big-bodied flavors brimming with dry extract and power on the driving finish. Despite the substantial size and weight, the flavors and finish retain a fine sense of cut while avoiding any sense of heaviness or loss of focus. This is a knockout.

agavin: rich with a lot of acid

2008 Henri Boillot Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 95. A less expressive but more complex nose speaks of notably ripe but not exotic aromas of lightly spiced and toasted green, yellow and citrus fruit that complements to perfection the reserved, intense, round and very powerful big-bodied flavors that display obvious concentration and muscle on the dry but attractively textured and detailed finish. This is a knock-out effort and worth a special effort to find and cellar as it’s going to require at least a decade to reach its apogee.

agavin: lots of acid

2008 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 94. A restrained but stylish nose of pain grillé, citrus blossom and apple combines with understated, pure and refined medium full-bodied flavors that culminate in a stunningly intense finish that displays a good deal more minerality than is typical for Bâtard. This is still very primary yet oozes class and refinement but even so it will clearly require a few years in bottle before it’s really ready for prime time. In particular, I really like the overall sense of balance and harmony and this should eventually be quite special.

agavin: a bit weaker than most in the flight

2008 J.M. Boillot Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 93. Very rich aromas of pineapple, nut oil and smoky oak; the most exotic of these 2008s and the highest in alcohol at 13.5%. Rich, powerful and generous, combining strong acidity and an impression of sweetness and viscosity of fruit. Very smooth, silky wine with a long finish that throws off hints of very ripe stone fruits, nut oils and brown spices.

2008 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 95. An almost completely inexpressive but relatively high-toned nose of lemon rind, acacia blossom, ripe peach and apricot gives way to almost painfully intense full-bodied and overtly muscular flavors that offer exceptional richness on the magnificently long, mouth coating and palate staining finish that is wrapped around a very firm core of ripe acidity. Chez Pernot, I typically prefer the Bienvenues but as good as it is, and it is very good, in 2008 I give the nod to the Bâtard, if only by a nose, no pun intended.

agavin: finish like Tropical Flavored Skittles!

2008 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 92-94. A strikingly complex if somewhat less elegant nose offers a considerable breadth of aromas that include ripe peach, spiced pear and white floral hints that serve as a flourishing introduction to the equally ripe, rich, muscular and mouth coating big-bodied flavors that are quite serious and hugely long. Just as the nose is more complex than that of the Bienvenues, so is the finish as there is just another dimension of underlying material present.

agavin: rich with a lot of acid

Pan Seared Scallops “In Porchetta” Wrapped In Pancetta, White Wine Sauce. While tasty, the bacon was so potent that this really distracted from the wines and threw off the palate.

Flight 3: Chevalier part 1

2008 Etienne Sauzet Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 96. A notably more elegant, cooler and more reserved nose of white flower, green apple and ample minerality complements to perfection the silky-textured, pure and stylish medium weight plus flavors that possess excellent volume but also wonderful detail and punch while culminating in an intensely mineral finish of superb intensity while remaining a study in purity and refinement. This is one of those ‘wow’ wines that amazes through transparency and delicacy rather than brute force. Still, don’t be fooled by the finesse as the intensity is such that a deep breath is required after sampling this.

agavin: rich and tropical

2008 Domaine Jacques Prieur Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 92-95. An ultra elegant nose features notes of citrus, pear and rose petal that precede the racy, gorgeously intense and seriously pure mineral-driven flavors that are textured, naturally sweet and mouth coating on the energetic and penetrating finish that delivers spectacular length. A wine of sheer class.

agavin: slightly darker. lots of acid and tropical ripe notes

2008 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte. Burghound 96. There really isn’t much to modify since my last review was only a few months ago, except to say that if anything, my score might be one point too conservative as this is going to be a great, great Chevalier. The original note from Issue 39 was: Discreet wood sets off a slightly riper but otherwise similar nose to the “straight” Chevalier, which leads to bigger, richer and fuller well-muscled and impressively scaled flavors that culminate in a powerful and beautifully textured finish of simply stunning length. Despite the weight and obvious heft, there is absolutely no sense of heaviness as the underlying minerality imparts a real sense of lift. In a word, terrific.

agavin: rich, tropical, Botrytis

2008 Domaine Michel Niellon Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 95. This hasn’t changed much since my 2010 review as it remains strikingly complex with an ripe, pure and airy nose that speaks elegantly of white flower, spice and subtle pear aromas\nthat complement perfectly the rich and mouth coating flavors that are built on a base of fine minerality, all wrapped in a sappy and explosive finish that oozes dry extract. This is really a stunning effort that is perhaps a bit more forward than I originally envisioned and thus I have shorted my estimated initial drinking window slightly. Seriously beautiful juice.

agavin: slightly darker, with sweet tart like acid

2008 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 91-94. A reserved and quite discreet nose reflects notes of ripe green fruit, white peach and rose petal are trimmed in visible wood spice while complementing well the rich, full and intense flavors that are built on a base of firm minerality which contributes to the textured mouth feel on the beautifully balanced and powerful finish. While there is no question that this is a classy, stylish and delicious effort, the flavors seems quite forward for a young Chevalier though again, it’s possible that this is a side effect of being prepared for bottling. Note that my drinking window assumes that it will tighten up once in bottle.

agavin: very reductive, with an almost potty like nose at first

Risotto With Prawns And Maine Lobster. The seafood risotto’s here are really quite excellent and this one was no exception, particularly with its big chunks of lobster.

We even got seconds in the form of a prawn only variant.

Showing off the golden chard.

Flight 4: Chevalier part 2

A ringer: 2008 Bouard-Bonnefoy Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru en Remilly.

agavin: darker and a bit advanced

2008 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru en Remilly. Burghound 92. A background note of sulfur does not detract unduly from the citrus, anise and rose petal suffused nose. The nicely rich, round and detailed medium-bodied flavors are utterly delicious and display an intense minerality on the elegant, refined and stylish finish. Lovely juice.

2008 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 97. Like the Bâtard, here the nose is quite restrained but exceptionally elegant and pure with white flower, green apple, pear and wet stone where the latter element continues onto the rich, full and highly energetic flavors that tighten up considerably on the detailed, minerally and bone dry finish that displays distinct citrus mineral nuances. This is long, tight and linear with huge amounts of dry extract that renders the very firm acid spine almost invisible at present though the finish is clearly shaped by it. This magnificent Chevalier should be a genuine stunner in 12 to 15 years.

agavin: also a little darker and more advanced

2008 Domaine Ramonet Chevalier-Montrachet. 97 points. a really great wine. Reductive, rich, with a super long finish.

2008 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 92-94. Not surprisingly, this is the most elegant wine in the range with a spicy nose of citrus peel, acacia blossom and plenty of wet stone nuances that merge seamlessly into rich, vibrant, fresh and beautifully detailed middle weight plus flavors brimming with an intense minerality on the firm and hugely long finish that is almost painfully intense. In sum, this is a wine of harmony and supreme grace.

agavin: tropical and quite nice

2008 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 94. This is also wonderfully elegant with high-toned, pure and airy aromas of white flower, light toast, spiced pear and a hint of green apple that gives way to supple yet detailed mineral-suffused middle weight flavors that are perhaps even more refined than those of the Perrières, all wrapped in a balanced, stylish and lingering finish. As good as this is, and it is very good, it’s not necessarily leagues better than its junior partner, just different though it will most likely require a few more years to reach its apogee.

agavin: very nice

2008 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 93-96. This offers up the most elegant nose in the entire range with its stone, lemon, chalk and citrus characters that complement the ultra precise and intense flavors of crystalline purity and the same penetrating minerality as the Perrières displayed, indeed this seems constructed on a base of stone that is like rolling rocks around in your mouth. The finish is very much in keeping with the rest of the wine as it’s explosive, bone dry and palate staining. A classy, balanced and harmonious effort that brims with energy. In a word, outstanding.

agavin: strong reductive bandaid qualities, super long finish, very nice.

Grilled Veal Chop With Sage And Parmigiano Fonduta Served With Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, Haricots Verts, Carrots. A hefty slab of veal and a nice sauce.

Flight 5: Dessert

 Walker brought this old bonus: 1984 Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. 86 points. Very mature, although certainly not totally over the hill. Very strong “nutty” tone.

Ron brought: 1976 Schloss Eltz Eltviller Sonnenberg Gewürztraminer Auslese.

Sicilian Cannoli With Pistachio And Prickley Pear Sorbet. I love cannoli and while this didn’t have the candied fruit tone, the honey pistachio mix was awesome.

The bagged bottles.

And opened up.

There is a lot to say about this tasting. First of all, Valentino did a good job as usual. The wine service was impeccable, and this is a difficult task (pouring lots of big blind flights). Overall service is absolutely first rate. It’s a large quiet room, and the staff was highly attentive. The food was solid, although not as bright or modern as some places. The decor and food are a tad dated now, very very 90s — and not even as good as I remember back in the 90s. But memory is a funny thing. All the dishes tonight were tasty. Pairing with the Burgundy was spot on (thanks to Don and Ron who worked hard on this aspect).

There wasn’t quite enough food and the flights were too large, although maybe not as bad as at the Chablis dinner. Really this dinner could use 6 flights, no bigger than 5 wines each and about 6 savory dishes. This was more a planning/budget issue than anything under the restaurant’s control. I wanted to go for awesome porky ramen after, but we were just a little too tired and full.

2008 as a white vintage is subjective. It’s very very ripe. These are golden wines with a ton of ripe fruit, a touch of advancement, and a lot of Botrytis. Sometimes they are almost honeyed. We had just one corked bottle and no out and out premoxed bottles, but several were “advanced” although in my mind drinking pretty well right now, as I like creme brûlée in my white Burgs. The real question is how will they age. Hard to say. Most at the table thought not well. But these wines do have a lot of acid. They remind me quite a bit of the 2000 vintage, which I have been enjoying in recent years — so who knows?

As usual, these bigger grand crus are rounded and richer than the Chablis etc we had last time, so they seem riper and even more tropical.

In terms of dinner mechanics, I also think we should vote on each wine in the flight and then reveal that flight. Keeping them blind until the end seriously reduces the learning aspect of the evening, as you can’t really remember or effectively revisit. Plus, my “voting” is pretty random, consisting of picking my favorites from each flight anyway. I just don’t have it in me to go back and retaste 30 wines or to compare Chablis and Corton Charlie against each other. Just my opinion.

Thanks to Don C again as always for organizing a super fun and education event! It’s an enormous amount of organization and we all really appreciate it.

Speaking of Don, his compiled results and comments are below:

The top five ranked wines of the evening were:

  1. 2008 Ramonet Chevalier Montrachet, which edged the Colin-Morey Chevalier by just one point (48 vs. 47)
  2. 2008 Colin-Morey Chevalier Montrachet
  3. TIE 2008 Bouchard Chevalier Montrachet
  4. TIE 2008 Ramonet Bienvenues Batard Montrachet
  5. 2008 Jean-Marc Pillot Chevalier Montrachet

The Ringers for the evening – 2008 Ramey “Hyde” Chardonnay, 2008 Bouard-Bonnefoy Chassagne-Montrachet “En Remilly” and 2008 Colin-Deleger Chassagne Montrachet “En Remilly” did not fare as well as the ringer on the first night. The group consensus was that two of them were advanced and four more of us thought all three ringers were advanced.

Of 28 wines, we had 1 bottle which was corked, 1 bottle which was oxidized (Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet — not in agavin’s opinion), 3 bottles which were advanced by group consensus. We had two other bottles for which the group consensus was that the wines were clearly off from technical perspective. In this tasting, 25% of the bottles were either premoxed to some degree or had obvious winemaking defects.

A few generalizations –

  • once again, many of the wines showed obvious botrytis. The professional reviewers did no one any favors in failing to report the overwhelming incidence of botrytis-affected wines in the 2008 vintage. A few of the wines had so much botrytis they were almost undrinkable (to Don — agavin likes botrytis, as this is a highly personal palate thing).
  • The Puligny/Chassagne grand crus all exhibited a greater degree of ripeness than did any of the wines on the first night. The wines had more buttery textures and flavors on the mid-palate and the acidity on the palate seemed softer, although I think was likely just the impression left by the greater level of ripeness and viscosity.
  • Except for many of the Chevalier Montrachets, the colors again tended to be much deeper gold in color than the 2007s at the same stage.
  • The Batard flight was easily the least impressive since the 2005 vintage and quite possibly the least impressive flight of Batard I’ve ever tasted in the premox series (agavin didn’t mind it as much because he likes botrytis). Thankfully, the first flight of Bienvenues and Criots was very good and the last flight of Chevaliers (aside from the three oxidized or advanced bottles) was pretty exceptional.

 

Other big tasting dinners from this dinner series:

2008 White Burgundy part 1

2007 White Burgundy part 1

2007 White Burgundy part 2

2007 White Burgundy part 3

2006 White Burgundy

2004 Red Burgundy

2005 White Burgundy part 1

2005 White Burgundy part 2

2005 White Burgundy part 3

Related posts:

  1. Valentino – 2008 White Burgundy part 1
  2. Valentino – 2006 White Burgundy
  3. Valentino – 2007 White Burgundy part 2
  4. Valentino – 2007 White Burgundy part 1
  5. Valentino – 2004 Red Burgundy
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: 2008 White Burgundy, Bâtard-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Italian cuisine, Los Angeles, Valentino, Wine

Burgundy at Providence

Apr10

Restaurant: Providence [1, 2]

Location: 5955 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038. (323) 460-4170

Date: April 9, 2014

Cuisine: Cal French

Rating: Awesome food

_

After the joyous chaos that was the last Hedonist epic Burgundy Dinner at Jiraffe, our fearless leader Yarom was under some pressure to reign things into a more manageable format with food more in keeping with the stellar wines (Jiraffe has very good food, but we just ordered 2 courses ala cart for 25+ wines!). So that lead us to Providence, which along with Melisse is one of LA’s best upscale restaurants.


This time we have a custom pre-arranged menu and a private room, plus only 12 people. All good things, as when you get more than 12 people it is hard to pour a single bottle of wine around (plus more than 12-14 wines is a little out of control).


And, we had our own full time Somm. We sure kept him busy as he was working furiously and non-stop from the moment we arrived until the end. Dealing with 12-14 wines, 150+ glasses, and all the associated management and pouring is a lot of work!


1978 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. 97 RJ Wine.  Light medium apricot gold color; beeswax, tart lemon, baked citrus, honey nose; tasty, gorgeous, medium bodied, rich, tart lemon, tart kumquat, mineral, tart apricot palate with great balance; long finish.

agavin: I found the wine to have an oxidized (mature) character. I was skeptical at first, but it REALLY grew on me. A great (very) mature Champagne. I wouldn’t hold though!


Our first amuse was a bit of “dark and stormy” jelly. Basically the rum cocktail in new form.


Scallop “taco.” This spicy leaf (nasturtium, a bit like shiso) contained a mixture of scallop and some grain. It was scrumptious. As Yarom puts it: “a 10!”.


Creme fresh with salmon crisps. The crisps are actually salmon skin. The Ikurka (salmon eggs) were incredibly fresh too.


Bacon pea soup. This little cappuccino was incredibly delicious. Super creamy it tasted strongly of bacon. Yummy little peas were in the bottom.


2005 Louis Latour Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 92. Compared to the opulence of the typical Criots, this is discreet to the point of being subtle but the aromatic breadth here is really quite impressive and is set of by a deft touch of wood and hints of anise and clove that can also be found on the rich, full and powerful flavors that possess plenty of mid-palate fat and dry extract yet the finish is clean, pure and well balanced. Often wines this big and ripe come across as heavy but this one isn’t.

agavin: Our bottle was badly premoxed. Tasted like dry sherry.


2005 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 91. An exotic, indeed even tropical fruit nose is trimmed in ample wood toast that introduces rich, full, forward and sweet flavors that possess excellent depth and density yet perhaps not quite the elegance and precision that I’m used to seeing with this wine. To be sure, it could just be an early stage and that this will tighten up with time in bottle but it’s unusually accessible at present. The benefit of the doubt is offered as the track record is too good not to do so.

agavin: What a difference. This had that strong reductive quality that I love in good white Burgundies. A young wine, but a nice long finish too.


Wild fluke (rhode island). Egg yolk emulsified with dashi, black truffle, crispy rice, cucumber.

Delicious. Lots of different ingredients, but when you got them all together it really sang with strong unami notes.


Fancy salt and butter. There was also an amazing bacon bread (not pictured).


2003 Louis Latour Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 92. This too is quite aromatically expressive and while this is no model of finesse either, both the aromatic and flavor profiles possess stunning complexity and in contrast to most big, sappy and muscular white, this manages to retain an unusually fine sense of balance and delivers a palate staining finish. It’s dramatic but there’s substance behind the size and weight.

agavin: Sorry Louis, 1 for 3. This bottle was also badly Premoxed.


2005 Morey-Blanc Montrachet. 93 ponts agavin. Much, much better than the Latour below this was too young, and a bit coiled tight, but a tasty wine with a long acid finish and a good bit of reduction.


2005 Louis Latour Montrachet. Burghound 94. Aromatically this resembles the Corton-Charlemagne with its backward, cool and reserved nose that offers a bit of everything including spice, brioche, brown butter, acacia blossom, pear, peach and even a hint of the exotic that introduces full-bodied, serious, textured, powerful and sleekly muscled flavors that are both classy and stylish, all wrapped in a hugely long finish. A dramatic and impressive Monty that will require ample patience as it’s not open for business today.

agavin: This bottle was in solid shape, and tasty enough, but truth be told, both the Ramonet Batard and the Morey Blanc were better wines.


Santa Barbara spot prawn. Spring greens, prawn jus, fennel. Yum. The prawn was perfectly cooked and the reddish (tomato, garlic?) sauce delicious. The salad factor was nice too.


1993 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes. Burghound 87. Despite this wine’s vaunted reputation, I have frankly never understood what all the excitement is about. It displays muted, earthy, somewhat dull fruit followed by medium weight, slightly woody flavors (though not new wood) underpinned by supple tannins and barely average length. To be sure, there is nothing wrong with the wine, it just fails to scale the heights achieved by many of the great Ponsot Clos de la Roche vintages of the past.

agavin: I agree with Meadows. This was an enjoyable (and probably slightly past prime) wine, but it was a bit a-kilter, a hair cloudy, with a little bitterness on the finish.


1997 Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche. Burghound 91. A very ripe but not roasted nose of spicy red pinot fruit trimmed in subtle earth and underbrush notes leads to elegant and moderately powerful flavors that deliver much better than average delineation than is typically found in this vintage. This is not an espeically big or dense wine yet there is a lovely inner force and though the flavors have not quite arrived at their peak, neither are they too far off. I would hold for another 2 to 3 years and drink this over the ensuing 5 to 8.

agavin: A much nicer CDLR. This was young even, ripe, with still a bit of oak on it. Long singing fruit finish.


Risotto. Wild mushrooms, parmesan. This was a very mild risotto, and went very well with the wine. I actually thought it was the weakest dish, but it was still great, the food was just really on point tonight and it could have used  a cheesier quality.


Live the fun!


1988 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares. Burghound 87. Quite elegant and pure pinot aromas that don’t offer a great deal of complexity and the flavors are supple, rounded and while there is no astringency, there isn’t a great deal of Bonnes Mares character either. There is good balance and acceptable length but it is surprisingly light and forward for both the vintage and the appellation. Drinking well now.

agavin: Despite Meadow’s reserved rating, this was a really tasty wine. Lots of fruit and while it had powerful tannins, it didn’t have that coiled austere quality that so many 88s have.


1994 Domaine Leroy Clos Vougeot. RJ Wine 92. Slightly lighter medium red color with pale edges; focused, cherry nose; light medium bodied tart red fruit with sap; medium finish.

agavin: We loved this wine. It had that Leroy thing. Long, long finish, and lots of complexity. Pale strawberries. Really nice.


Wild Alaskan Halibut (Sitka). Turnip, jalapeno, puffed rice. A mild dish, but wonderfully cooked and the buttery sauce really made it delicious.


From my cellar: 1983 Domaine Clair-Daü Bonnes Mares. John Kapon 94. The 1983 Clair Dau Bonnes Mares was excellent, and another solid 1983, which I have been enjoying here and there over the past couple years. Black licorice dominated initially, opening up into nutty, Burgundian fruit. The flavors were also licorice, and the wine was fleshy and tasty with a nice finish, in a good spot and a good showing for this oft forgotten vintage in Burgundy.

agavin: I’m biased, as it was my wine and older (which I like), but this was clearly WOTN for me. I’m glad too because I have 4 more bottles. It really sung. Long, long berry finish.


2003 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg. Burghound 93. This too is very aromatically reserved with only glimpses of spicy and exotic perfume that speak of very ripe, even slightly surmature crushed berries, plum and spice because even though the nose is reticent, the intensity of the fruit is magnificent. The flavors are opulent and sumptuously proportioned with massive amounts of sap and dry extract that completely stains and coats the palate before exploding on the hugely long finish. Yes, this is a big, indeed enormous wine but one that never loses its sense of balance and the velvety backend largely buffers the very firm tannins. There is not necessarily great complexity yet but this is the one wine in the range that could easily surprise to the upside as the raw material here is exceptional and while the style is clearly particular relative to what it normally delivers, it has that “wow’ factor.


Bonus bottle from Larry: 1999 Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. Burghound 93. Big, spicy and intense aromas are presently framed by more oak than this wine usually displays young yet there is such impressive density of both fruit and flavors that it should absorb it over the next couple of years. That niggle noted, this is very classy juice with terrific complexity, breed and excellent length. As such, while this should drink relatively early for a Clos de Bèze, the balance and overall harmony are such that I suspect this will live for a long time.

agavin: Meadows was pretty on here.


Liberty Farms duck (sonoma county). Zuckerman farms colossal asparagus, almond, morels. Wow, this was a great dish. Some of the best duck I’ve had (other than really good Peking duck) in a long time. Paired fabulously too.


Bonus bottle from Yarom: 1970 Château Bellevue Sauternes. 90 points. Very nice, very mature dessert juice.


Chocolate Marquise. Chocolate sorbet, candied nibs, creme chantilly. Seriously tasty. Chocolate, icing, and the powdery stuff added a nice bit of crunch.


Passion fruit jellies and peanut butter and jelly (strawberry?) macarons. They tasted like awesome PB&J.

Overall, a first rate evening. On of our best fancy Hedonist events yet as it was intimate and under control. The company and conversation were great.

The wines varied a bit from solid to spectacular. The way to really hit it in Burgundy is to go: great vintage, great producer, great vineyard, but because of the sky high cost, most of these wines hit on only 1 or 2 of these axises. Still, some of them were really lovely wines. Next time we should try Burghound score of 94+ and 1999 or older (for red).

The food was pretty awesome. I was skeptical before coming, as we didn’t have a ton of courses (last time I was here I had 12-16), but it ended up being enough food and really really delicious. The kitchen totally nailed it. Every dish was delicious. They also really took care of us. The private room was great, the Somm was great, table service was great. Rock on Providence!

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!


Related posts:

  1. JiRaffe Burgundy Blowout!
  2. Valentino – 2004 Red Burgundy
  3. Burgundy at Bouchon – Faiveley
  4. Valentino – 2006 White Burgundy
  5. Burgundy at Bouchon – Jadot
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Allen Meadows, Bâtard-Montrachet, Bonnes Mares, Burgundy, Burgundy wine, hedonists, Montrachet, Providence, Richebourg, Wine

Valentino – 2006 White Burgundy

Mar08

Restaurant: Valentino Santa Monica [1, 2, 3]

Location: 3115 Pico Blvd  Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 829-4313

Date: March 6, 2014

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Fabulous!

_

Last year I went to an epic three night 2005 White Burgundy Dinner series (Part 1 can be found here), hosted by Burg-meister Don Cornwell. This year, he’s mixing it up a bit and we did a 2004 Red Burgundy dinner and tonight’s 2006 White Burgundy tasting.

2006 was a vintage that initially was a bit heavy and overly tropical, but let’s see how it turns out tonight.

This particular dinner is at Valentino, which has been a mainstay of the LA fine dining scene for decades. I first started coming here in about 1995 and it was a mind blowing change from the usual trattoria and red-sauce style Italians. Valentino is much closer to Michelin 2 star restaurant in Italy, although not as modernist as some of those are in recent years. If food in Italy turns you on, check out my Eating Italy segment.


Our private room. Notice the large table with a lot of space. This is important when you have 29 glasses a person!


Notice the awesome array of glasses in the background. Only about a third of them are visible. Few restaurants can handle this sort of thing, as they need over 400 stems of the same type and a dedicated Sommelier with sufficient experience and skill. Ours tonight was Julian Zaragoza, wine director, who has been at Valentino for around twenty years! He handled the whole wine service himself with extreme professionalism and personality.

Usually these dinners are done single blind, but tonight every glass was individually labeled with the wine name.


Tonight’s special menu.

Flight 0: Champagne


2000 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Coeur de Cuvée. Burghound 94. A moderately yeasty yet elegant nose that is fresh, complex and carries touches of both pain grillé and citrus blossom while leading to intense, pure and gorgeously deep flavors that possess first class breadth and genuinely excellent length. While still on the way up, after 30 to 45 minutes it began to display notably deeper and broader flavors that are at once powerful yet refined. A terrific effort that is absolutely worth your attention.

agavin: A lovely young champagne with a nice freshness to it.


Arancinette of Seafood. Basically a fried seafood risotto ball. Delicious!


Diamonds of Mushroom Polenta.


Oysters with Lemon Gelato. The bright and cool lemon flavors braced the briny oysters perfectly.

Flight 1: Batard Montrachet


The first flight includes two mystery wines.


From my cellar: 2006 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 92. A light touch of unabsorbed SO2 does not really diminish the considerable attractiveness of the wonderfully dense and layered aromas featuring mostly white flower and spiced pear notes that are also picked up by the big, rich and tautly muscled flavors that are naturally sweet and strikingly intense on the mouth coating and gorgeously persistent finish. This is a relatively understated Bâtard and while it’s certainly not retiring, it will likely require a few years of bottle age before fully blossoming.

agavin: Lovely, with a little petrol (minerality or SO2?) and a nice long acid finish.


2006 Henri Boillot Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 96. This too is relatively restrained with a pretty but reluctant white flower and spice box nose that slides gracefully into fresh, super intense and tautly muscled full-bodied flavors brimming with dry extract that confers a distinctly textured quality onto the powerful and chewy finish. This is a big Bâtard yet for all its size and weight, everything is harnessed and focused as the length just goes on and on with no sense of top heaviness. One of the more impressive examples of Bâtard that I have ever seen because it rarely ascends to territory normally reserved for the likes of Montrachet and Chevalier or the occasional Charlemagne.

agavin: One of my favorites. More advanced than the others but drinking fabulously. Honey and brulee and lots of acid.


Mystery Wine #1: 2006 J. Rochioli Chardonnay Rachael’s Vineyard. IWC 92+. Bright, greenish gold. Smoky, mineral-dominated aromas of Meyer lemon, tangerine zest, anise and talc. Juicy citrus flavors are impressively vibrant, with subtle power and slow-building herbal character. Sharply focused and fresh if a bit withdrawn on the palate right now. Finishes with excellent sappy cling and an echo of licorice. This one will need some time but the material is clearly outstanding.

agavin: I knew this was a new world. Lots of white flowers, honeysuckle, and a richer more malo style.


Mystery wine #2: 2006 Ramey Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard. IWC 93. Yellow-gold. Powerful aromas of orange peel, pear, truffle and floral honey, with slow-building minerality adding verve. Deep, spicy, impressively pure orchard fruit and citrus flavors pick up a bitter quinine quality on the back end. Brighter and more vivacious than the Hudson today, with excellent finishing clarity and mineral snap.

agavin: Not as much to my taste as the first myster. There might have been a bit of cork or taint.


2006 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 94. As beautifully as the Bienvenues showed, I was surprised that the Bâtard could actually one-up its stable mate in terms of aromatic complexity and elegance but it certainly does, at least at this early stage. The expressive nose offers up notes of white flower, citrus, pain grillé, spice hints and notes of green fruit that continue onto the bold, rich, intense and impressively detailed medium-full flavors that possess real drive, focus and finishing power. This is much more classic in terms of the traditional Ramonet style than what we saw in 2004 and 2005.

agavin: Another fabulous wine. Tight but with a long vanilla finish.


2006 Etienne Sauzet Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 95.  In contrast to the expressiveness of the Bienvenues, this is aromatically quite closed and tight with only glimpses of orchard fruit, citrus and floral notes discernable though the big-bodied and obviously well-muscled flavors are rich, pure and balanced if perhaps not quite as concentrated but somewhat curious, are even finer, which is not the usual result when these two wines are compared. The explosive finish is almost painfully intense and every bit as long as that of the Bienvenues. A qualitative choice though the character and personality of the two is notably different.

agavin: Honey with a nice finish, if slightly hot.


Swordfish Carpaccio with blue stone crab, pantelleria’s capers and Sicilian blood orange. A very nice seafood carpaccio with an elegant pairing of flavors.

Flight 2: Corton Charlemagne


The last wine on the far right was a mystery wine and served blind.


2006 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 94. The ’06 is more obviously riper than the ’07 with a complex, ripe and elegant mix of green apple, spice and minerality that complements perfectly the round, rich, detailed and stony flavors that possess ample mid-palate fat and superb depth of material, all wrapped in a gorgeously long and drenching finish. A study in harmony and grace that should also age well for years.

agavin: A bit of reduction, lean at first, then opening to a hot acid finish.


2006 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 96. A reserved, indeed even reluctant nose of fresh and stony green fruit and citrus aromas that offer real depth leads to precise, minerally and exceptionally powerful full-bodied flavors that possess huge amounts of dry extract on the hugely long finish. This is still sorting itself out but the quality of the raw materials is impeccable and it possesses impressive potential, which will require at least a decade to realize. One of the finest examples from this appellation in the 2006 vintage.

agavin: More mineral, also with a huge finish.


2006 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 94. A mildly exotic nose offers up notes of spiced apple, mango, wet stone and rose petal that precedes the impressively concentrated big-bodied flavors that possess very solid acid support on the ever-so-mildly toasty and hugely long finish. Compared to the most classically styled vintages this is not really my cup of white burgundy yet from a sheer quality standpoint this is irreproachable. Moreover there is so much dry extract present that this should have no trouble eventually integrating the residual wood. If I was going to choose a vintage among the more recent examples, this is the one that I would choose even though it will continue to age and improve.

agavin: A stunner, and one of my favorites. Lots of reduction (which I like) and a soft floating finish.


2006 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 93. A green fruit nose also has detectable sulfur but again, I’m confident that it will be absorbed given how recent the mise was. The big-bodied flavors are full, intense and minerally that I particularly admire the outstanding precision on the linear, punchy and seriously powerful finish. This is blessed with ample dry extract and I particularly like the balance here.

agavin: A group favorite. Just drinking fabulously.


2006 Domaine de Montille Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 92-95. Very discreet oak notes highlight the airy green apple and spiced peach aromas that are wonderfully refined and pure before preceding impressively rich, full and powerful flavors that also possess ample amounts of dry extract that confer an almost chewy texture onto the palate staining finish that seems to go on and on. This does a slow but inexorable build from the mid-palate on back to the explosive and almost painfully intense finale. Terrific potential here and there is so much minerality that it’s like rolling liquid rocks around in your mouth.

agavin: Chalky with a bit of tropical skittles. I really liked this a lot as well but others disagreed.


Mystery wine #3: 2006 Ceritas Chardonnay Porter-Bass Vineyard. IWC 92. Light, bright gold. Vibrant, floral-accented citrus and quince aromas are complemented by baking spices and flowers, with a gentle undertone of minerals. The minerality gains power with air and carries onto the palate, adding vibrancy to the gently chewy orchard fruit and anise flavors. The strikingly pure and persistent finish repeats the spiciness and leaves fresh pear and apple notes behind. More open-knit than the 2005 today: I’d opt for drinking this first.

agavin: Funny, with some kind of odd funk and a bit of flowers. Not to my taste.


Speck Wrapped Monkfish with Pappa al Pomodoro and Rock Shrimp Sauce. Good stuff, as this had oodles of favorites (for me). I love shrimp sauce, shrimp, speck AND monkfish.

Flight 3: Meursault


Not one but two Coche’s!


2006 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 92. This sports a mildly curious nose of soft reduction, exotic yellow orchard fruit, wood and a hint of a soap-like scent (no, not from the glass). There is outstanding richness and density to the opulent and overtly powerful flavors that possess an oily texture that strongly resembles that of the ’06 Genevrières. The amount of dry extract is most impressive and it imparts a textured, indeed almost chewy character to the explosively long finish. The acidity is quite marked so despite the outsized weight and concentration there is absolutely no trace of heaviness. This isn’t really my style but other than the slightly curious quality of the nose, this is an excellent wine all the same and one that is still very much on the way up.

agavin: Reduced and closed at first, opened up after a bit.


2006 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. IWC 93+. Very closed nose hints at wet stone. Rich and ripe in the mouth, with palate-saturating flavors of crushed stone and orange. As lush and sweet as this is, it avoids crossing over to exotic. Very deep and very young: should age very well for a 2006.

agavin: Many people thought this was weird or partially oxidized. I happened to like it a lot. Perhaps I’m biased as a Coche fan. Lots of acid on the finish.


2006 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 93. An even more elegant nose that is ultra high-toned and every bit as pure though here the aromatic profile is more floral and citrusy while introducing gorgeously precise and cuts-like-a-knife flavors that culminates in a long, austere, dry and serious finish. The dryness is exacerbated by a noticeable touch of gas and I would suggest decanting this for 20 minutes or so first but this should one day be a very special wine.

agavin: Reduced. Slight odd notes with a big finish.


2006 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 93. There is a hint of the exotic to the otherwise elegant acacia blossom, citrus peel and softly spiced pear aromas that complement perfectly the pure, detailed, intense and gorgeously delineated medium full flavors that seem almost delicate and then the finish explodes and continues seemingly without end. In the context of the ’06 vintage, this is attractively dry and while not quite fully mature, it’s not far off. While I would advise holding this for another 2 to 3 years there certainly would be no harm in opening a bottle now, especially if you own several and are curious.

agavin: Very nice. Tons of butterscotch. More oxidized, but drinking great.


2006 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. Burghound 92. This is at once ripe yet cool and reserved with a seductive mix of orchard fruit and brioche aromas that are strikingly elegant and refined before introducing equally elegant and pure middle weight flavors blessed with ample dry extract that confers a textured and full-bodied palate impression to the explosive and palate staining finish. As one would expect, this is finer than the Bouchères though perhaps not quite as deep. A choice.

agavin: petrol (reduction?). Rich, nice with a long finish.


2006 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 93. A high-toned, pure, cool and ultra refined nose of green apple, wet stone and white flower aromas complements to perfection the racy, detailed and chiseled middle weight flavors that seem to be fashioned directly from liquid stone, all wrapped in a punchy, balanced and hugely long finish. This is truly Zen-like in its understated harmony of expression and perfect balance.

agavin: This may have had a little cork. It tasted more malo.


Sardinian Malloreddus with sea urchin. A lovely uni pasta. Just simple al dente “grubs” and uni. There might  have also been some safron here.

Flight 4: Chablis


The lineup.


2006 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. Burghound 93. A reticent if wonderfully broad, airy and pure nose of primarily subtly spiced dried peach and white flowers nuanced by oyster shell and that seashore character that classic Chablis has, introduces rich, powerful and palate staining flavors that possess superb vibrancy on the linear, focused and pure finish. Somewhat surprisingly, this is perhaps not quite as stylish as the Preuses but it’s every bit as powerful and long. And like the Preuses, this did indeed surprise to the upside.

agavin: Tropical with a long finish.


2006 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. Burghound 95. An airy, expressive and ultra refined and pure nose trimmed in very subtle wood notes offer up aromas of white flower, quinine, saline, minerals and seashore nuances that give way to rich and robust, indeed huge flavors that are perhaps a bit less refined than those of the Valmur or Preuses but there is another dimension here of depth that more than compensates. A great wine with a long future that should develop slowly yet because of all the mid-palate fat, be enjoyable young.

agavin: A little heavier and more cloying, but very good.


2006 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. Burghound 95. A white flower, exotically ripe yellow peach and pear suffused nose also reveals wafts of quinine and sea breeze that transition into powerful, full and exceptionally rich flavors that are almost chewy they’re so textured and the finish really soaks the palate with dry extract. This is a big and muscular example yet it’s also elegant and refined as it carries its size effortlessly. One of the wines of the ’06 vintage and as great as it is, I don’t find that extra dimension that I usually do relative to the Valmur. Still, you won’t find two better ’06 Chablis anywhere.

agavin: Flower and exotics, but a LONG finish.


2006 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. Burghound 93. A gentle touch of wood highlights airy yet slightly riper high-toned and admirably pure aromas of white flower, pear and quinine that gives way to supple, sweet, mouth coating and impressively concentrated flavors that exude a marvelous intensity on the long, powerful and driving finish supported by a solid acid spine. Definitely worth a look if you can find it but unlike most ’06s, be prepared to have at least some patience as this is unusually firm for the vintage.

agavin: A bit of Sulfur.


2006 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur. Burghound 95. This is aromatically fresher, finer and more elegant with a slightly austere and reserved nose of green fruit and oyster shell where the latter component also characterizes the delicious, serious and almost aggressively mineral flavors that culminate in a penetrating and explosive finish. A striking and austere wine with really beautiful acid/fruit/dry extract balance and huge length that doesn’t seem to end. One of the most serious ’06s of the vintage that is simply flat out great.

agavin: Muted at first, then opening up to a long finish.


The infamous (from last year) Lobster and Shrimp Risotto.Valentino has always made a great risotto and this was no exception, particularly being one of my favorite types of risotto. It was so good we had two portions!

Flight 6: Chevalier-Montrachet


The blitzkrieg of Chardonnay is drawing to a close.


2006 Henri Boillot Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 97. The most elegant wine in the entire range (which is really saying something in this case) with an ultra pure, even crystalline nose of white rose, anise, white peach, citrus and spiced pear plus subtle hints of stone that dissolve seamlessly into superbly well focused flavors that possess simply unbelievable precision on the harmonious, linear and palate staining finish that goes on and on seemingly without end. A wine of grand class and for me, the most refined wine of the entire tasting and one that is so intense that I had to ask Boillot to stop pouring for a few minutes to recover from the intensity. A genuinely great Chevalier that is more than worthy of the name.

agavin: Darker color, more oxidized with vanilla and a long finish. Quite nice right now.


From my cellar: 2006 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 96. Prost was, justifiably, extremely proud of this wine and observed that it may be the best “straight” Chevalier that he’s ever made. Not surprisingly, this is a good deal more elegant than the Bâtard with gorgeously pure floral and white fruit, stone and subtle spice aromas that seamlessly merge into the almost painfully intense and vibrant flavors that, like the Perrières, possess crystalline purity and huge length. This is a knockout Chevy and if you can find it, don’t miss it.

agavin: Vanilla and a buttery rich malo finish.


2006 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 93-95. A discreet touch of wood frames extremely primary aromas that are both reticent and backward though the gorgeously detailed, classy and refined medium plus weight flavors carry borderline painfully intense punch on the palate staining and hugely long finish. This seems to be extracted directly from liquid rock and this has that ‘wow’ factor in spades.

agavin: Butter and vanilla.


2006 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 94. This is notably more elegant, refined and complex with only a trace of exoticism to the mostly white flower and peach aromas that are followed by textured, pure, detailed and delineated flavors that are quite reserved and cool at present while culminating in a focused, crystalline, dry and driving finish. This does a slow build from the mid-palate before exploding onto the knockout finish. A Zen wine. Note that while I am giving a suggested initial drinking window of 2013, this will be capable of aging for years.

agavin: Darker and more oxidized. The most oxidized of the Burgs. Pretty hot after a while too.


2006 Domaine Ramonet Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 93. As one might reasonably expect, this is more aromatically reserved than either the Bienvenues or the Bâtard with discreet nose of tropical fruit, citrus and floral hints that are followed by focused and mineral suffused flavors that possess excellent detail and fine if not truly extraordinary length. I quite like the balance and sense of harmony here though there is perhaps a touch less overall depth and breadth than I’m used to seeing. Still, this is lovely, classy and refined.

agavin: My favorite of the Chevies. Very hot and long.


Roasted Veal au jus with petite vegetables. Very petite 🙂 A nice bit of spiced veal.

Flight  7: Dessert


2001 Chateau de Fargues. Parker 94-96. Still in barrel, this Chateau d’Yquem look-alike exhibits powerful creme brulee characteristics along with some volatile acidity, huge, full-bodied, unctuously textured flavors, ample intensity as well as purity, and caramelized tropical fruits. This brawny heavyweight requires 5-6 years of bottle age, and should evolve for three decades.

Psych. We didn’t open this, instead moving up to…


1998 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Eiswein. IWC: Harvested November 22. Smells as though chili peppers and vanilla icing have been layered over the honey and red jam of the gold capsule Auslese. This exhibits such an enveloping vanilla cream character it easy to forget the acidity. Superbly concentrated if at present a tad less spectacularly expressive than the two Auslesen.

agavin: An awesome dessert wine.


Berry Macedonia with 70 year old Balsamico and fior di latte. A very interesting take on the berries and cream as the sauce (a fruit reduction) had quite a bit of the Balsamico in it, lending it a crisp acidity — which happened to pair excellently with the Donnhoff.

This was a LOT OF CHARDONNAY!

There is a lot to say about this tasting. First of all, Valentino did a great job as usual. The wine service was impeccable, and this is a difficult task (pouring lots of big blind flights). The food was good, better even than last week’s red tasting, and by the end I was plenty full (no need to run for ramen again). It maybe could have been a little faster.

I was expecting more of a mixed bag. Last year we had tons of oxidized or corked wines. And even the red tasting had a bunch of duds. But the 2006 whites were in fine shape. Nothing was seriously corked (1-2 had minor taint) and nothing was heavily oxidized (a few were either reduced or showed a little oxidation). Nearly everything was drinking great. This wasn’t just a LOT OF CHARDONNAY it was a LOT OF GREAT CHARDONNAY!

I think I’ll be picking up some more 2006s!

Other big tasting dinners from this group:

2004 Red Burgundy

2005 White Burgundy part 1

2005 White Burgundy part 2

2005 White Burgundy part 3

Related posts:

  1. Valentino – 2004 Red Burgundy
  2. Valentino – 2005 White Burg part 2!
  3. Burgundy at Bouchon – Jadot
  4. Burgundy at Bouchon – Faiveley
  5. JiRaffe Burgundy Blowout!
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: 2006 White Burgundy, Allen Meadows, Bâtard-Montrachet, Italian cuisine, Italy, Julian Zaragoza, Michelin, Santa Monica California, Valentino, White Burgundy

Lazy Hed-Ox-ism

Jul31

Restaurant: Lazy Ox Canteen

Location: 241 South San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, California 90012. 213-626-5299

Date: July 30, 2013

Cuisine: American

Rating: Fab Fun

_

Lazy Ox Canteen is a regular spot on the Hedonist rotation. This downtown eatery is very much in the LA Zeiltgeist, offering up drinks, hard surfaces, paper menus, and really tasty ingredient driven flavor forward food.



There is even outside dining, a downtown rarity.


But the interior is all gastro pub.

As usual with Hedonist events, we all bring lots and lots of great wine (corkage free!).

1985 Bouchard Père et Fils Bâtard-Montrachet. In great shape, honeysuckle and creme brûlée.

Pigs ear chicharrones. escabeche, tomatillo salsa, harissa.

Holy piggy, I’m eating a pig ear!


2008 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre. Burgound 90. As it almost always is, this is aromatically more refined with admirably pure and wonderfully fresh hazelnut and peach aromas laced with discreet exotic fruit and citrus hints adding pretty top notes. There is good volume to the precise and energetic middle weight flavors that possess a bit more underlying material and fine length on the bone dry finish. I particularly like the complexity and overall sense of harmony.

Chicken liver pate violet mustard, grilled bread, pickled vegetables.

Like Rosh Hashanah.

2001 Gros Frère et Sœur Clos Vougeot Musigni. Burghound 88. Less expressive than the Grand Echézeaux with the classic young Clos de Vougeot austerity and flavors that are powerful but not as big or weighty as the GE. There is lovely length, good precision and this finishes with a dusty, earthy, beautifully complex quality. In short, this is delicious and well made.

Caramelized cauliflower chili flake, lime, pine nuts.

Very similar to the Gjelina dish, but still great.


1999 Louis Jadot Echezeaux. 95 points. Wine had a beautiful, intense aroma of bark, tar and musty dark fruits. On the palatte, lots of dark fruits–blackberries, black cherries and cassis. Lots of forest floor hints, and great minerality. If I had one complaint, albeit a very minor one, this wine lacked ever-so-slightly in elegance–I guess there’s the difference between this one and a Grand Echezeaux. The wine was medium to full bodied, showing wonderfully with still a bit of soft tannins on exhibit. I think this wine is in a great spot right now. As I always say, there’s no better wine than a fine burgundy–this and the Echezeau are prime examples. An extremely enjoyable wine!

Momotaro tomato kale lollipops, cilantro basil paste, balsamic, pinenut.


1969 Gevrey-Chambertin Cave Bouvier. Not in bad shape at all for 44 year old pinot noir. Still some fruit, and not particularly oxidized. Tasted like strawberry jam!


Green salad.

1961 Beychevelle. Parker 89. An excellent, but not outstanding effort for the vintage, the 1961 Beychevelle exhibits a healthy, dark ruby/plum-like color, attractive, cedary, ripe fruit, a round, generous, expansive palate, and a lush finish.

Really in excellent shape as well, considering.


Can of sardines aged galician sardines, herb salad, butter.


1970 Haut Brion. Parker 85. Although surprisingly light-bodied, consistently pleasant and enjoyable, this is an undistinguished effort. The 1970 Haut-Brion has always come across as angular, and lacking the exceptional perfume and complexity this estate can achieve. In this tasting, the wine displayed vegetal, tobacco scents, good spice, some fruit, and a medium ruby color with significant amber. The tannin and acidity were too high for the amount of fruit, glycerin, and extract.

Our bottle was a bit oxidized. It tasted porty with strong cassis tones.

Pescatore handmade basil pasta, manila clam, pei. mussle.


1978 Château Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape. 95 points. Medium garnet colour, very bright and clear. Mature nose of medium intensity, with dried fruit, wet cedar wood and earthy forest floor, incense and sweet spice. Palate is medium bodied, elegant and velvety with dried plummy fruit, notes of chocolate, some floral nuances and sweet spice. Finish is medium with just a hint of tannins. Acidity is medium and mouthfell is velvety. Complete mature and complex wine, lovely.

Pan fried mackerel horseradish salsa, marinated tomato, potato salad.


1994 Chapoutier Ermitage le Pavillon. Parker 96. The 1994 Le Pavilion is a blockbuster, phenomenally concentrated wine. Le Pavilion is generally among the top three or four wines of France in every vintage! The 1994’s opaque purple color, and wonderfully sweet, pure nose of cassis and other black fruits intertwined with minerals, are followed by a wine of profound richness, great complexity, and full body. It is almost the essence of blackberries and cassis. There is huge tannin in this monster Hermitage, that somehow manages to keep its balance and elegance. Made from a parcel of vines (which I have walked through), some of which predate the phylloxera epidemic, the 1994 Ermitage Le Pavilion should be purchased only by those who are willing to invest 10-12 years of cellaring. It will not reach full maturity before the end of the first decade of the next century, after which it will last for 30 + years.

Porcini risotto asparagus, parmigiano reggiano.


2006 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis. Parker 97. The 2006 Barolo Cannubi Boschis is seductive, round and sweet in its ripe dark fruit. The wine continues to gain weight in the glass, showing a level of density that nearly manages to cover the tannins. Floral notes add lift on the finish. This is a powerful, linear Cannubi Boschis with tons of energy and muscle, but it will require quite a bit of patience. Sandrone harvests his three parcels in Cannubi Boschis separately. Vinification takes place in stainless steel. The wines undergo malolactic fermentation and are aged in 500-liter barrels (roughly 20% new) for a year. Once the final blend is assembled, the wine goes back into oak for another year prior to being bottled in the spring. Sandrone is one of the earliest producers to bottle, which he does to preserve as much freshness as possible.

Way too young though. Big Barolos are best after at least 15 years in the bottle.


Southern style whole fried chicken • biscuits + honey, collard greens, coleslaw.

This was some great fried chicken. Not as good as the ad hoc, but still great.


2007 Petrolo Galatrona IGT. Parker 95+. Petrolo’s 2007 Galatrona (Merlot) is another of the successes of the vintage. It is a dark, seamless Galatrona packed with dark fruit, cassis, minerals and French oak. Despite the wine’s opulence and richness, the fruit retains considerable clarity as well as nuance. Today the French oak is a touch pronounced, but in a few years this dense, plush Merlot from impeccably-farmed hillside vineyards should be firing on all cylinders.

Lazy ox burger bravo farms white cheddar, whole grain mustard, kennebec frittes.


Kongsgaard & Hatton Merlot Arietta Hudson Vineyard.

Lamb rack curry couscous, morel gravy, kale lollipops.

Really nice lamb.


2001 Jean-Michel Gerin Côte-Rôtie La Landonne. Parker 89-92. Made from 100% Syrah, the 2001 Cote Rotie La Landonne exhibits a saturated blue/purple color in addition to pure notes of liquified minerals intermixed with creosote, blackberries, and blueberries. Dense, ripe, peppery, and rich, this is an impressive effort for the vintage, but patience is warranted.

Brussel sprout garlic, chili, lime, crispy bacon.

This too is like Gjelina.


1996 Lynch Bages. Parker 93. The 1996 exhibits a dark plum/ruby/purple color that is just beginning to lighten at the edge, surprisingly velvety tannins and a classic Pauillac bouquet of lead pencil shavings, cedarwood, black currants, sweet cherries and spice box. This medium to full-bodied, elegant, savory, broad wine is still five years away from full maturity. It should continue to drink well for another 10-15 years.

Panna cotta vanilla panna cotta, strawberry jam, mint leaf.

Very light and refreshing.


1997 Joseph Phelps Insignia Proprietary Red Wine. Parker 96. The prodigious 1997 Insignia (83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and 3% Petit-Verdot) lives up to its pre-bottling promise. Tasted on three separate occasions, every bottle has hit the bull’s eye. The color is a saturated thick-looking blue/purple. The nose offers up explosive aromas of jammy black fruits, licorice, Asian spices, vanillin, and cedar. Full-bodied as well as exceptionally pure and impressively endowed, this blockbuster yet surprisingly elegant wine cuts a brilliant swath across the palate. A seamless effort with beautifully integrated acidity, sweet tannin, and alcohol, it is still an infant, but can be drunk with considerable pleasure.

Rice pudding caramel, cookie crumb.

I love rice pudding.


2004 Lucien Le Moine Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 91-94. Mild reduction and pain grillé set off green apple, pear and white peach aromas that merge into rich, concentrated and very powerful full-bodied flavors that possess superb levels of dry extract and a strikingly long and driving finish that really stains the palate. This too finishes bone dry and will require extended cellar time to see its apogee.

Butterscotch pudding caramel, vanilla cookie crumb.

And I can’t say which I like better, rice pudding or butterscotch? It’s so hard to decide.

House made donut chocolate custard, caramelized apple. Who can knock a great donut?

All in all, this was another blockbuster Hedonist night. The food was awesome, tasty, and extremely wine friendly. They brought out the dishes mostly one at a time (which us photographers and drinkers love) and the wine was really to my taste tonight because there were a lot of Burgs, older stuff, and great Rhones. Yum. Good thing for the milk thistle (hangover cure).

Plus, the company as usual was awesome!

More crazy Hedonist adventures or

LA dining reviews click here.

Not all Hedonists are big middle aged guys working on their guts!

Related posts:

  1. Totoraku – Hedonists Beef Up
  2. Hedonists at STK
  3. Hedonists at STK again!
  4. Wine on the Beach
  5. Never Boaring – Il Grano
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Bâtard-Montrachet, Bouchard Père et Fils, Clos de Vougeot, Échezeaux, Grands Échezeaux, hedonists, lamb, Lazy Ox, Lazy Ox Canteen, Los Angeles, Maison Louis Jadot, Meursault, Wine

Yamakase – Burghound Bday

Jun17

Restaurant: Yamakase [1, 2]

Location: You wish you knew!

Date: June 11, 2013

Cuisine: Japanese

Rating: Even better than last time!

_

For my birthday I like to do a big wine and food blow-out with the Foodie Club. 2010 was in Spain at Calima, 2011 in Italy at Arnolfo, and 2012 was at Il Grano (spectacular) and this year, after an epic first meal at Japanese newcomer Yamakase, I decided to take over the entire restaurant: all 11 seats!


This is the kitchen. Well it’s also half the room.


And the other half. Actually, this doesn’t really show the seats itself (narrow lens) but it ain’t big.

And what would an Andy Gavin birthday be without great wines? I don’t know, because it never happens. All of the wines tonight came from my cellar except for the 1999 Grivot (which Erick brought). All except the dessert wine are Burgundies — because I love Burgundy! We begin with a couple of old white Burgs. These are Chardonnay, but not just any Chard. White Burg is the ancestral home of the grape, the only place that does it real justice, and the more or less the only place where it ages well.

1985 Bouchard Père et Fils Bâtard-Montrachet. In great shape, honeysuckle and creme brûlée.


Yamakase is the brainchild of chef Kiyoshiro Yamamoto and video game executive Stan Liu. Here Yama-san carves up some pig leg.


Jamón Ibérico with Caviar. I’ve had a close cousin of this dish several times at various Jose Andres restaurants. This was nice thick cuts of the ham in Spanish style. On the right is a bit of cucumber and uni (sea urchin) from Hokkaido.


Fresh sea scallop in a sweetened soy dashi with seaweed.


A fish version of the same dish.


“Spoons” are a Yama signature. These feature soft tofu with uni in the back and in the front as “caprese” with tomato and olive oil. This east/west combo is surprisingly delicious.


1989 Hospices de Beaune Meursault 1er Cru Charmes Cuvée Bahèzre de Lanlay. 94 points. Darkening toward amber. Opulent nose, butterscotch, mango, and wheat coming and going. Very rich with a penetrating intensity and a finish of near grand cru length. Probably at peak.


Halibut sashimi with 500 million year old Himalayan sea salt. The back bits are cut in the “thicker” style with a bit of a sweet sauce.


Super rare young yellowtail with a mixture of crab guts (kani miso). The gut sauce was amazing!


Without the guts.


2001 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 90-92. The aromas are riper than the 2000 version though with a similar mix of green apple, melon and muscat notes followed by extremely fresh and wonderfully pure chardonnay fruit suffused through and through by an intense stoniness followed by relatively big and still quite tight middle weight, taut, muscular flavors of considerable tension and breed. This is a stunning effort for the vintage and may ultimately equal the excellent 2000.


This hairy crab from Hokkaido was still alive when we arrived.


Not so much half an hour later.


Served up steamed, simple, but delicious.


Bonito tuna sashimi with olive oil and sauce.


1996 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaumonts. 90 points. The nose is this gorgeous baking spice with fresh strawberries and white pepper. The moment you pour it into the glass it just explodes. The nose just kept going for hours as it got more and more expressive as the depth of the fruit built. On the palate you get that soft texture with concentrated dense red fruit and this wonderful minerality that persists throughout the finish. The broad structure makes me think the wine will fill out even more over time.


Another fish in a mayo / roe sauce.


Red snapper with yuzu and lemon.


1999 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts. Burghound 90. This is a very powerful wine if not necessarily an elegant one with plenty of Vosne spice and rugged, structured, dense and punchy flavors that display solid length. The tannins are ripe and this will clearly take its time coming together but it’s a powerful and serious blessed with excellent underlying material.


Rare seasonal sea eel. Because of the bones yama-san cuts them in a special way with his sword of a knife.


They are boiled simply.


Then served with three different sauces: eel sauce, honey, and a plum sauce. Really delicate and delicious.


Atlantic salmon (some special northern Salmon) served with olive oil, another sauce, and salt and pepper.


1999 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques. Burghound 91-93. Roasted ripe fruit that has a mix of red and black fruits, especially black cherry with wonderfully spicy, complex flavors that are both rich and dense. This is very ripe but the acidity is more pronounced which does a better job of balancing off the richness. Clos St. Jacques is almost always the finest Gevrey 1er chez Jadot and 99 is no exception. Grand cruquality and because of the richness, this will be approachable young but drink well for a long time.


Another round of spoons. In the back, kushi oyster with blue crab salad and quail egg. In the front, oyster with uni and quail egg.


Yama lays out the ramekins to make his signature seafood custards.


Chawanmushi, a egg custard. This one was very hot (it usually is) and included 7 kinds of seafood. Various crab, fish, lobster, uni. It was delicious, rich, and very unami.


1996 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Charmes Chambertin. Parker 92. This medium-to-dark ruby-colored wine has a fine nose of deeply ripe blackberry and cassis. On the palate, this well-concentrated, thick, complex, and harmonious wine is replete with loads of black cherries and spices. It has extremely ripe and supple tannins in its long finish.


This is a giant slab of amazing Spanish blue-fin tuna.


Watching him cut and partition it into “tuna” and “toro” sections was really interesting. Everything that doesn’t make the “cut” is tossed.


Blue fin in soy sauce with pine-nuts. Incredible, like the best Poki you ever tasted.


Another spoon, with toro, quail egg, wasabi, and some sauce. Delicious!


Boiled monk fish liver.


Served up with chives and a ponzu. Almost certainly the best akimono I ever had.


A “toast” of frozen toro, blue crab, egg, and brioche. Very interesting flavor/texture/temperature combo.


1999 Louis Jadot Echezeaux. 95 points. Wine had a beautiful, intense aroma of bark, tar and musty dark fruits. On the palatte, lots of dark fruits–blackberries, black cherries and cassis. Lots of forest floor hints, and great minerality. If I had one complaint, albeit a very minor one, this wine lacked ever-so-slightly in elegance–I guess there’s the difference between this one and a Grand Echezeaux. The wine was medium to full bodied, showing wonderfully with still a bit of soft tannins on exhibit. I think this wine is in a great spot right now. As I always say, there’s no better wine than a fine burgundy–this and the Echezeau are prime examples. An extremely enjoyable wine!


A bit of genuine Japanese wagyu beef. No fat here.


Salted and peppered.


The chef makes a simple sauce of dashi, mushrooms, maui onions, flour, and a few other things for the beef.


This variant is salmon instead.


A fantastic simple piece of blue-fin tuna (Maguro).


Young yellowtail.


Mackerel?


Amazing salmon with salt.


And the best for last: toro! Melts in your mouth.


2002 Château Climens. Parker 93-94. I suspect most readers will find it hard to get excited about the 2002 vintage for the sweet wines of Barsac and Sauternes after what appears to be a prodigious 2001. However, 2002 is a very fine year for this region, possibly superior to any of the vintages between 2000 and 1991. The wines possess plenty of botrytis, but neither the impressive definition nor supreme elegance of the 2001s. This is a sweet, full-bodied, fat, concentrated, intense effort that was showing well.


A “rice course” with rice, toro, wasabi, and uni (from San Diego). Lots of uni!


A dessert sorbet. Baby Japanese peach (in season) with yuzu and mint. Very light and refreshing.

This was one of my best meals in a long time — really quite excellent — and regular readers know I have more than my share of great meals. We had fantastic wines, stunning and innovative food, and a really great format. The restaurant is only 11 seats. This made for a really fun time (and I even staved off the hangover with a milk-thistle, B6, and a lot of water).

Click here for more LA sushi reviews,
Or for Foodie Club extravaganzas.

A Burghound Birthday!

The one and only (and very attentive) server

Related posts:

  1. Yamakase – Crab Guts are Yummy!
  2. Sasabune – Dueling Omakases
  3. Food as Art: Sasabune
  4. Go Go Go Sushi!
  5. Sushi Sushi Sushi
By: agavin
Comments (5)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Bâtard-Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne, Foodie Club, Jamón Ibérico, Japanese cuisine, Kiyoshiro Yamamoto, Meursault, Stan Liu, Sushi, The Hump, Uni, Wine, Yamakase
Watch the Trailer or

Buy it Online!

Buy it Online!

96 of 100 tickets!

Find Andy at:

Follow Me on Pinterest

Subscribe by email:

More posts on:



Complete Archives

Categories

  • Contests (7)
  • Fiction (404)
    • Books (113)
    • Movies (77)
    • Television (123)
    • Writing (115)
      • Darkening Dream (62)
      • Untimed (37)
  • Food (1,481)
  • Games (100)
  • History (13)
  • Technology (21)
  • Uncategorized (16)

Recent Posts

  • OOToro Double
  • Robo Eats – Anarbagh
  • Fred loves N/Naka
  • Major Major Major
  • Far East – Beijing Tasty House
  • Home Sweet Spicy Home
  • Quick Eats – Bafang
  • Quick Eats – Peking Restaurant
  • Quick Eats – MK BBQ
  • Wolfing it Down

Favorite Posts

  • I, Author
  • My Novels
  • The Darkening Dream
  • Sample Chapters
  • Untimed
  • Making Crash Bandicoot
  • My Gaming Career
  • Getting a job designing video games
  • Getting a job programming video games
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  • A Game of Thrones
  • 27 Courses of Truffles
  • Ultimate Pizza
  • Eating Italy
  • LA Sushi
  • Foodie Club

Recent Comments

Archives

  • March 2023 (9)
  • February 2023 (11)
  • January 2023 (14)
  • December 2022 (11)
  • November 2022 (13)
  • October 2022 (14)
  • September 2022 (14)
  • August 2022 (12)
  • July 2022 (9)
  • June 2022 (6)
  • May 2022 (8)
  • April 2022 (5)
  • March 2022 (4)
  • February 2022 (2)
  • January 2022 (8)
  • December 2021 (6)
  • November 2021 (6)
  • October 2021 (8)
  • September 2021 (4)
  • August 2021 (5)
  • July 2021 (2)
  • June 2021 (3)
  • January 2021 (1)
  • December 2020 (1)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • August 2020 (1)
  • April 2020 (11)
  • March 2020 (15)
  • February 2020 (13)
  • January 2020 (14)
  • December 2019 (13)
  • November 2019 (12)
  • October 2019 (14)
  • September 2019 (14)
  • August 2019 (13)
  • July 2019 (13)
  • June 2019 (14)
  • May 2019 (13)
  • April 2019 (10)
  • March 2019 (10)
  • February 2019 (11)
  • January 2019 (13)
  • December 2018 (14)
  • November 2018 (11)
  • October 2018 (15)
  • September 2018 (15)
  • August 2018 (15)
  • July 2018 (11)
  • June 2018 (14)
  • May 2018 (13)
  • April 2018 (13)
  • March 2018 (17)
  • February 2018 (12)
  • January 2018 (15)
  • December 2017 (15)
  • November 2017 (13)
  • October 2017 (16)
  • September 2017 (16)
  • August 2017 (16)
  • July 2017 (11)
  • June 2017 (13)
  • May 2017 (6)
  • March 2017 (3)
  • February 2017 (4)
  • January 2017 (7)
  • December 2016 (14)
  • November 2016 (11)
  • October 2016 (11)
  • September 2016 (12)
  • August 2016 (15)
  • July 2016 (13)
  • June 2016 (13)
  • May 2016 (13)
  • April 2016 (12)
  • March 2016 (13)
  • February 2016 (12)
  • January 2016 (13)
  • December 2015 (14)
  • November 2015 (14)
  • October 2015 (13)
  • September 2015 (13)
  • August 2015 (18)
  • July 2015 (16)
  • June 2015 (13)
  • May 2015 (13)
  • April 2015 (14)
  • March 2015 (15)
  • February 2015 (13)
  • January 2015 (13)
  • December 2014 (14)
  • November 2014 (13)
  • October 2014 (13)
  • September 2014 (12)
  • August 2014 (15)
  • July 2014 (13)
  • June 2014 (13)
  • May 2014 (14)
  • April 2014 (14)
  • March 2014 (10)
  • February 2014 (11)
  • January 2014 (13)
  • December 2013 (14)
  • November 2013 (13)
  • October 2013 (14)
  • September 2013 (12)
  • August 2013 (14)
  • July 2013 (10)
  • June 2013 (14)
  • May 2013 (14)
  • April 2013 (14)
  • March 2013 (15)
  • February 2013 (14)
  • January 2013 (13)
  • December 2012 (14)
  • November 2012 (16)
  • October 2012 (13)
  • September 2012 (14)
  • August 2012 (16)
  • July 2012 (12)
  • June 2012 (16)
  • May 2012 (21)
  • April 2012 (18)
  • March 2012 (20)
  • February 2012 (23)
  • January 2012 (31)
  • December 2011 (35)
  • November 2011 (33)
  • October 2011 (32)
  • September 2011 (29)
  • August 2011 (35)
  • July 2011 (33)
  • June 2011 (25)
  • May 2011 (31)
  • April 2011 (30)
  • March 2011 (34)
  • February 2011 (31)
  • January 2011 (33)
  • December 2010 (33)
  • November 2010 (39)
  • October 2010 (26)
All Things Andy Gavin
Copyright © 2023 All Rights Reserved
Programmed by Andy Gavin