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Republique Latour

May30

Restaurant: Republique [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]

Location: 624 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036. (310) 362-6115

Date: July 12, 2023

Cuisine: Modern Bistro French

Rating: Nice (loud) space, tasty hip food, great service

I haven’t been back to Republique in a while, but this special Latour dinner was a great excuse!

Still doing great even years later.

We are, of course, in the private room. Way better than downstairs at this very loud but very good restaurant.

The menu.

The trio of amuses.

They came on these little trays.

BLUEFIN TUNA TOAST. kaluga caviar, smoked tomato. Nice smokey taste, almost like there was some lard in there.

TAYLOR KUMAMOTO OYSTER. champagne granité, kaluga caviar.

KALUGA CAVIAR. potato chip. This is a republique classic.

Lovely and quite fresh for its age.

Sadly lightly corked.

KANPACHI CRUDO. weiser farms melon, cherry tomato, lemon cucumber, coconut thai curry, peanuts, basil. Great. Very “Thai” with a strong coconut flavor and great textures.

The infamous bread and butter. So addictive. Knocked me right off the no carb wagon.

WILD PORCINI MUSHROOM SOUP. maine lobster, black truffle. A very nice creamy soup with big chunks of lobster.

CHARCOAL-GRILLED SANTA BARBARA PRAWNS. jus de tête, sauce vin jaune. Great char on the shrimp plus a nice bite and potent sweetness. Tons of acidity in the “shell based” sauce.

Walter visits.

DOVER SOLE À LA MEUNIÈRE. potato gnocchi, sauce matelotte. Fabulous soft fish. I do really like sole done in this classic way. The sauce had a lot of acidity too.

PORCINI TARTE FINE. eggplant, brown butter. Very crispy. The tart base, while it looks like a pizza, was a laminated buttery dough. The combo of the hazelnuts really took it up a notch too.

MEZZE MANICHE. morel mushroom, black truffle. Perfectly al dente with nice bite and a great cheesy truffle vibe.

WOLFE RANCH QUAIL. anson mills polenta, chanterelle mushrooms. The quail was extremely nice and the jus even better!

MIYAZAKI WAYGU. potato mousseline, black truffle. So rich and delicious. Almost too rich for me and that’s saying a lot!

Cheese plate. We had so much wine we needed a bit of cheese.

TIRAMISU. harry’s berries strawberry, white chocolate sabayon. The only thing tiramisu about this was the layers with cream, as it was essentially just a strawberries and cream parfait. But woah was it good. Super fresh and intense berries and a wonderful sweet creamy sabayon.

Lotsta wine!

Another incredible dinner. Even though this was more or less the “default” private room tasting menu, Republique hit it out of the park. Wines were amazing too. haha.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bordeaux, Foodie Club, latour, République

Cheval Crustacean

Oct29

Restaurant: Crustacean Beverly Hills [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Location: 468 N Bedford Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 205-8990

Date: March 15, 2023

Cuisine: Vietnamese Fusion

Rating: Awesome as always

Crustacean is one of our regular haunts and one of the few places with the stems, food, and service to handle a serious wine dinner. For this particular night some of my friends organized an epic Cheval Blanc tasting covering many of the most iconic vintages of the last 40 years.

We’ve had a couple awesome meals here in the last couple of years.
Our private area.

A magnum of 2010 Dom.

Fried potstickers.

Little dumplings that were partially steamed and pan-fried to get a bit of that crispy bottom.

Tonight’s special menu.

A flight of P2!

2000 Dom Pérignon Champagne P2. VM 96. The 2000 Dom Pérignon P2 is striking. More importantly, it is absolutely delicious right now. Baked apple tart, brioche, spice, vanillin, ripe pear and crushed rocks all flesh out. Creamy, layered and inviting, with soft, voluptuous curves, the 2000 offers a lot of sheer pleasure. Although, perhaps not quite as complex or structured as the very best P2s, the 2000 is wonderfully alluring. Interestingly, in 2000, the Blanc and P2 are not as different as they typically are. The P2 has a bit more volume and freshness than the Blanc, but both wines share a distinct toasty, slightly reductive character. (Drink between 2019-2040)

2002 Dom Pérignon Champagne P2. VM 97+. The 2002 Dom Pérignon P2 is wonderfully open in its aromatics, but a bit less giving on the palate, especially next to the regular release. Lemon confit, white flowers, mint and white pepper open up first, followed by hints of apricot, honey, chamomile and light tropical notes. Interestingly, the P2 is quite a bit less tropical than the original release. Chef de Caves Vincent Chaperon told me he thinks the original release shows more of a buttery character because of the combination of the ripeness of the vintage and the natural evolution of the wine post-disgorgement under crown seal, as opposed to the P2 which stayed much longer on its lees. It is hard to know if that is an exact explanation, but the reality is that the two 2002s are quite far apart stylistically. (Drink between 2019-2032)

2004 Dom Pérignon Champagne P2. VM 97. The 2004 Dom Pérignon P2 is precise and wonderfully refined, just like the first release. There’s a hint of reduction from extended time on the cork as well as a feeling of effusiveness that is so appealing. Readers will find a super-classic DP. Dried flowers, brioche, apricot preserves, sage, mint and chamomile are seamless in the glass. The 2004 can be enjoyed now or cellared for another decade plus. Some editions of the P2 series have been pretty austere in the early going; the 2004 is not among them. (Drink between 2022-2034)

Tuna Cigars. Instant smoke, feuille de brick, avocado silk, vidalia onion, tobiko caviar. I’ve had this before and really liked it, but tonight it tasted a bit too much of faux cigar smoke.

Zoom.

The white flight! This is necessary to pair with a lot of the food!

2017 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Bouchères. VM 93. A cool, pure and airy nose is exceptionally pretty with its various white orchard fruit, hazelnut and citrusy wisps. The lilting and ultra-refined middle weight flavors possess a lacy mouth feel before terminating in a sneaky long and well-balanced mineral-inflected finale. This isn’t especially complex at present but my sense is that more depth will almost certainly develop if it’s allowed 6 to 8 years of bottle age. In a word, lovely. (Drink starting 2024)

2017 Olivier Leflaive Montrachet. VM 94. The 2017 Montrachet Grand Cru is much more closed on the nose and demands encouragement. There is a slight menthol aroma that emerges with time; a little exotic, perhaps. The palate has good extract and fine acidity, not quite as precise as the Montrachet from Marc Colin, but there is a lovely spiciness and just the right amount of bitterness on the finish. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting in Savigny-lès-Beaune. (Drink between 2027-2050)

2013 Château de la Maltroye Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 95. This is very much like the Grandes Ruchottes in that the nose is reticent to the point of being almost dumb and even aggressive swirling reveals very little. By contrast the big-bodied and tautly muscular flavors possess superb mid-palate density along with terrific intensity that continues onto the palate coating and massively long finish. This is nothing short of brilliant and could very well be the Bâtard of the vintage. Note well however that plenty of patience will be required. (Drink starting 2023)

2018 Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers. BH 90. Here too there is just enough reduction to push the underlying fruit to the background but it’s not so heavy as to obscure the fact that it’s ripe with white fleshed fruit and just a touch of oak. The super-sleek, delicious and vibrant flavors are presently relatively compact on the agreeably dry finish that flashes a touch of warmth. The oak does reappear, and this is mildly awkward today so I would suggest allowing this at least a few years to integrate its wood and better harmonize. (Drink starting 2026)

2020 Le Petit Cheval Blanc.

Colossal Tiger Prawns. Served with An’s Famous Garlic Noodles. This is the shrimp version of the classic Crustacean crab dish. Smaller, but great. These noodles never get old with their sweet garlicky bit.

Zoom.

Big Glory Bay King Salmon. Market vegetables, Saffron Nage. Very crispy and with a great little saffron broth, but kinda tiny.

This flight rocked!

1982 Château Cheval Blanc. VM 95+. Saturated deep red, with a hint of development at the rim. Roasted nose dominated by toffee and tobacco. Wonderfully silky but without quite the exotic ripeness of the ’90. Still, this offers uncanny retention of primary fruit. Expands inexorably on the finish and goes on and on. A wonderful bottle that still improving. (The bottle in the blind flight was slightly less impressive: Good full red, with a hint of amber at the rim. Slightly medicinal aromas of red fruits, cedar and tobacco leaf; comes across as distinctly cooler than the ’90. Dense but penetrating and still a bit closed in on itself. Less sweet and generous today than the ’90, less exotic. But finishes firm and long, with a hint of dryness. I rated this bottle 93(+?).) Drink now through 2020.

1983 Château Cheval Blanc. JG 95. Along with Ausone, the ’83 Cheval Blanc has long been one of the greatest wines of this vintage and it is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. The wine has gone through periods of glorious drinking, followed by much more closed cycles over the years, but it seems now at age thirty to have finally reached the start of its plateau of maturity and I would be very surprised to see it shut down ever again in its lifetime. Today, the deep, pure and vibrant nose wafts from the glass in a youthfully complex blend of mulberries, menthol, black cherries, a touch of chocolate, tobacco leaf, lovely soil tones and a nice touch of toasty new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very elegant on the attack, with a superb core of fruit, great focus and complexity, and a very long, balanced and modestly tannic finish. The tannins today have fallen away to the point where this wine is very enjoyable to drink, and yet I still have the sense that the wine is relatively adolescent in its stage of development and more fireworks will still be unveiled if one can exercise a bit more patience. This is a great vintage of Cheval Blanc! (Drink between 2013-2050)

1985 Château Cheval Blanc. VM 95. The 1985 Cheval Blanc has always been one of the picks of the vintage for what was a fecund decade for the Saint-Émilion. This example shows similarly to previous bottles. It has a fragrant bouquet with sandalwood, clove and chestnut, maybe here even a touch of brettanomyces? It is only slight. The palate is beautifully balanced with melted tannin. The Cabernet Franc in full flight – hints of bell pepper and cedar, a surfeit of fruit. Maybe it lacks the precision of more recent vintages but how can you resist its charm. Impossible! It is a wonderful wine, but I wonder…was its heyday around the turn of the millennium? Tasted blind at Chez Brunce lunch. (Drink between 2018-2040)

1989 Château Cheval Blanc. VM 95. The 1989 Cheval Blanc is a vintage that I have not encountered since 2010. One bottle opened was rustic and fatigued, and Pierre-Olivier Clouet opened a second that was much better. It has a gorgeous bouquet of ample red fruit, morels, black truffle, cigar box and hints of brown sugar, all very well defined and charming. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin and approaching full maturity; brown spices, bay leaf and clove infuse the red berry fruit. At 30 years of age, I suspect this 1989 will not improve further, but its robustness suggests that any decline will be graceful. Tasted from an ex-cellar bottle at the château. (Drink between 2019-2045)

1990 Château Cheval Blanc. VM 98. The 1990 Cheval Blanc is a vintage that once upon a time I drank regularly, although I had not seen it since March 2016. Poured against the 1990 Lafite-Rothschild, this is the clear winner. Still youthful in color with modest bricking. The bouquet explodes from the glass with kirsch, mulberry, antique furniture and black truffle scents. With aeration it becomes more savory, the Cabernet Franc wanting to see more of the olfactory action. The palate is medium-bodied and comes equipped with a stunning velvety texture. This Saint-Émilion feels spherical, conveying a sense of controlled decadence but avoiding any ostentation. This is as good a bottle as I have encountered over the years. Brilliant. Tasted at Noble Rot’s “Xmas” dinner. (Drink between 2019-2045)

Rabbit Dumplings. Rabbit Confit “Money Pouch”, leeks, dijon caviar creme. These were great, probably the best of our three dumpling types.

Chicken Satay. Grilled over Binchotan Charcoal with House Pickles. There was a choice of chicken or beef satay. It seemed pretty small and it was because…

They realized they were supposed to serve two skewers so a second came out 5 minutes later for each person.

Filet Mignon Beef Satay. Grilled over Binchotan Charcoal with House Pickles. The pickles were rather microscopic as well.

And here is the second beef skewer.

1995 Château Cheval Blanc. VM 93+. Good full red. Profound, multidimensional nose combines redcurrant, plums, raspberry, cherry, mocha and humus: really quite singular. Wonderful sweetness and depth of flavor; lush but with a firm spine. Already offers compelling inner-mouth perfume, but I suspect this wine will soon close down. Finishes with terrific length and very suave, sweet tannins that coat the teeth.

1998 Château Cheval Blanc. JG 98+. While the money-changers in the temple promote Pavie and Angélus to the bureaucratic summits of Saint Émilion in the classification of the commune’s wines, tastings such as this one definitively show that Cheval Blanc no longer has any real rival for quality. The 1998 Cheval Blanc is an utterly brilliant wine, delivering a refined and very complex aromatic constellation of black cherries, sweet dark berries, menthol, gravelly soil tones, cigar smoke and a suave framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, precise and full-bodied, with a velvety palate impression beginning to develop, a sappy core of glorious fruit, marvelous soil signature, fine-grained, seamless tannins and a very, very long, complex and effortless finish. The ’98 Cheval Blanc is certainly a very, very enjoyable glass of wine today, but it is still climbing and I would try to leave it alone for at least a handful more years. Sheer brilliance. (Drink between 2030-2100)

2000 Château Cheval Blanc. VM 94. The 2000 Cheval Blanc is a wine that I have encountered more than a dozen times. Now at just over 20 years of age (how time flies – I remember tasting this from barrel), it has a lovely, quite beguiling bouquet of brambly red berries, iron rust, Provençal herbs and clove, powerful and somehow enveloping. The peppery palate is medium-bodied with quite firm, stocky tannins and good backbone, though coming after a vertical of recent vintages, it feels more rustic and feral. As Pierre-Olivier Clouet noted, there are fewer “pixels” in this millennial Cheval Blanc, but you can’t help falling for its charms. Ready to drink now but will age for the next 20–30 years. Tasted at Cheval Blanc. (Drink between 2021-2040)

2001 Château Cheval Blanc. VM 96. The 2001 Cheval Blanc has a slightly more expressive and less feral bouquet compared to the 2000, perhaps better defined, although I miss the menthol aspect that develops on the previous vintage. But give it an hour’s aeration and it coheres magnificently, gaining more intensity as it manifests dark berry fruit mixed with potpourri. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins, quite firm and (for this estate) quite austere and strict, though yet again, after an hour it mellows, gaining more rondeur and sensuality. Whereas initially I leaned toward the millennial Cheval Blanc, the 2001 has its nose in front by the end. Tasted at Cheval Blanc. (Drink between 2021-2040)

2005 Château Cheval Blanc. VM 100. The 2005 Cheval Blanc has been nothing less than magical on two separate occasions. A wine of breathtaking nuance and sophistication, the 2005 Cheval dazzles right out of the gate. With a few hours of aeration the aromatics blossom and the wine is explosive in every dimension. Espresso, rose petal, mint, blood orange and incense all open as the 2005 shows off its magnificence and pedigree. Bright saline underpinnings convey energy, tension and brilliance. Cheval Blanc is perhaps not as immediately seductive as some of the other top 2005s, but its all there. In spades. I would give it a few more years to unwind. (Drink between 2025-2055)

2009 Château Cheval Blanc. VM 98. The 2009 Cheval Blanc has a rambunctious nose with copious red fruit, meat juices, sage and crushed stone aromas, ineffably complex. This is so refined, constantly mutating in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, saturated tannin. There is a mixture of red and black fruit, hints of cassis, cardamom and allspice. Immense depth and grip towards the finish expresses ripe Cabernet Franc. This is an outstanding 2009 destined for long-term ageing. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting. (Drink between 2021-2060)

Mongolian Lamb. Chargrilled, market vegetables, twice-cooked potatoes. I’ve had this before too, and it’s a nice lamb chop, just a bit sweet. It’s also not exactly enormous.

Steamed Truffle Cream Dory. Steamed in Papillote, black summer truffle, leeks, romanesco, ginger, shaoxing. This John Dory dish is great, very light and moist with a strong ginger flavor.

Prime Rib Eye with XO Bechamel. Remy Martin XO Wagyu Salt Block Steak, White Cheddar, XO Emulsion. Another petite bite.

Orange Old Fashioned Sorbetto — Cold Pressed Orange Juice, Knob Creek Bourbon and Angostura Bitters! Topped with cherries — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Really tastes like an Old Fashioned –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #orange #tangerine #bourbon #KnobCreek #bitters #Angostura

Warm Beignets. Vietnamese Coffee Creme Anglaise. A single Beignets into which was injected the Creme Anglaise. It was served with:

Yar! Ghostly skeletal praline pirates are marauding — Pecan Pirate Praline Gelato — An eggy Texas Pecan base layered with my creepy skull-shaped New Orleans style Vanilla Bourbon Pecan Pralines and Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Pumpkins — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #vanilla #bourbon #pecan #praline #candy #halloween #spooky

Overall, The wines and company were incredible, and the food itself was great. It wasn’t the “largest” meal, but that’s okay given my diet, and it was most Crustacean “staple dishes”, which are awesome — but I’m a novelty junky. Still, it sure was one hell of an evening. Cheval is really an incredible wine.

And boy did the Ans treat us right, amazing service, and great wines. Every dish is always superb tasting and perfectly executed. Although their menu is perhaps not the “perfect pairing” choice for Bordeaux, Crustacean does such an incredible job, it doesn’t matter.

Discussing the food analytically. Very good, and most dishes varied from good to great. The Vietnamese influence is far more subtle, less heavy handed, then at most newer fusion places like Little Sister / LXSO or the more contemporary small plates style Khong Ten. Definitely more roughly 2000 in formal fine dining style — which I don’t mind at all. In some ways it feels like a millennium event fine dining place with Vietnamese — and to a lesser extent Thai and Chinese — notes. It’s a pretty fancy place, and priced accordingly — but particularly during these last two dinners have really knocked it out of the park.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: An Family, Bordeaux, BYOG, Champagne, Cheval Blanc, Crustacean, Gelato, Wine

Pure Lafleur

Oct05

Restaurant: The Aster

Location: 1717 Vine St, Los Angeles, CA 90028. (323) 962-1717

Date: February 25, 2023

Cuisine: Modern French

Rating: Great food, amazing wines

Sage Society always do some of the most incredible wine dinners. Tonight’s was a rare treat: Chateau Lafleur!

It was located at the Aster, a hotel and private club in Hollywood. Above is the bar.

The club’s view of the city.

Getting a short tour before the dinner, I check out the club caberet.

A sky bridge between the buildings.

Another of its 5 bars.

The lounge.

The pool courtyard — soggy night!

Finally, back to the bar, we retire into our private room.

The intimate table for this Lafleur winemaker dinner, hosted by Sage Society.

The big wines have been decanted.

More wines getting ready.

The menu for the night. The club chef is Marcel Vigneron who cooked at my house in 2015.

2005 Gonet-Médeville Cuvée Theophile Extra Brut.

Amuses.

Hamachi Sashimi. A lovely bite of yellowtail with cucumber and a rice chip. There was a nice textural interplay between the soft cool fish, the crunchy chip, and the firm cucumber. The flavor was unique for this kind of bite and reminded me a bit of sunomono, so presumably there was rice wine, sugar, and vinegar.

Squash Blossom Fritter. The texture was great, very crispy and fried. The ricotta inside was nice and soft but perhaps this could have used some counter balance (to the fry) like a romesco.

Kumiai Oyster. With foam. Marcel is famous for foam!

Sage Society president Liz Lee introduces the guests.

A rather ill-cropped and out-of-focus photo of Omri Ram, the winemaker for Lafleur.

Center left is owner of Martine’s Wines, Gregory Castells. I met him previously at this amazing Otium dinner years ago

Chef Marcel Vigneron on the left.

All Sauvignon Blanc (cuttings from the Loire) with lovely acidity.

A rich depth.

Striped Bass. Crunchy skin. Clams with “Tom Yum” foam. Very nice complement and I particularly enjoyed the clams and their tasty foam.

2019 Les Perrières de Lafleur. VM 90+. The 2019 Les Perrières de Lafleur is too oaky on the nose and this masks the terroir expression. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, graphite infused black fruit with a strict and structured finish redeemed by satisfying freshness. A bit “serious” for a Pomerol at this level, but it may surprise with bottle age. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. (Drink between 2026-2043)

2017 Guinaudeau “G” Acte 9. VM 92. The 2017 Acte 9 is fabulous. Rich, dense and expansive, Acte 9 possesses terrific textural resonance and volume. Ripe red cherry/plum fruit, mint, tobacco and a whole range of mineral inflections race out of the glass in a vibrant, racy wine loaded with personality. I won’t be surprised if the 2017 turns out even better than this note suggests. The 2017 Acte 9 emerges from a brutal year that took with it 90% of the production during the late April frost. All of the Cabernet Franc was lost, which means that Acte 9 is 100% Merlot. The 2017 is the last vintage of this wine under the Acte moniker. (Drink between 2020-2032)

Crispy Pork Belly. A big cube of pig with a delightfully crunchy skin atop a bed of cabbage and some kind of slightly tangy emulsion sauce. Great dish as I’m a cabbage fan and especially a porky cabbage fan.

2019 Château Lafleur Les Pensées. VM 94. The 2019 Pensées de Lafleur is composed and focused on the nose. An old school Pomerol in the positive sense, with truffle and ash scents emerging over time. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fine acidity, pencil lead and black pepper towards its cohesive and persistent finish. This is a class act. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. (Drink between 2026-2050)

2017 Pensées de Lafleur. VM 94. The 2017 Pensées de Lafleur is simply stunning. Tasting it today, I can only conclude that Pensées is obviously more complete and enthralling than many Grand Vins in this vintage. Explosive, deep and beautifully resonant, the Pensées shows tremendous depth and energy, not to mention so much character. What else can I say, except that I absolutely loved it. (Drink between 2022-2037)

Duck Confit. With crispy skin atop a bed of lentils. Classic French pairing and quite delicious.

2014 Château Lafleur. VM 95. The 2014 Lafleur has a tightly wound bouquet with earthy, truffle tinged black fruit, hints of dried blood and black truffle developing with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin encasing a sweet core of candied red fruit. The Merlot is very expressive here and offers more brightness than many of its Pomerol peers, which is unusual for a Pomerol so saturnine in its youth. Just beautiful. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. (Drink between 2024-2050)

2013 Château Lafleur. VM 90. The 2013 Lafleur, from the infamously maligned growing season, was picked entirely in October. It has a light and slightly monotone bouquet with mulberry and blackberry scents, a touch of briary and floral scents. The aromatics are nothing to be ashamed of. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, more Merlot than Cabernet Franc-driven, balanced if missing the complexity of most vintages from this esteemed Pomerol growth. Not bad, however it is not a long-term prospect and lacks the cerebral element that Lafleur often brings to the table. Tasted at the Christies’ Lafleur masterclass in London. (Drink between 2020-2032)

2011 Château Lafleur. VM 94. The 2011 Lafleur has an almost Left Bank-like bouquet, well-defined and poised, quite fresh with tobacco and cigar box scents emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins with a fine bead of acidity. Quite fresh and lightly spiced with white pepper and tobacco emerging towards the finish. This is a deeply impressive Pomerol in context of the growing season. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting. (Drink between 2022-2045)

Ancho Braised Short Ribs. Ancho is a smoky pepper, and while this beef had lots of flavor it didn’t really have any heat. But it was a delicious shredable bit of braised beef with a delicate bed of polenta and a nice salty reduction. The tomatoes provided just enough sweet acidity to balance the richness of the dish.

2007 Château Lafleur. VM 92. The 2007 Lafleur has a straightforward bouquet with mulberry and strawberry pastilles, touches of scorched earth and game coming through courtesy of the Cabernet Franc. I admire the definition and poise on display here. The palate is medium-bodied with quite bold tannin and satisfying ripeness considering the growing season, a mixture of red and black fruit laced with black pepper, truffle and clove, that lead towards a solid, firm finish. Though this is an off vintage, this showing suggests it will benefit from another couple of years in bottle. Tasted at the Christies’ Lafleur masterclass in London. (Drink between 2020-2038)

2006 Château Lafleur. VM 93+. Good red-ruby. Pungent aromas of kirsch, violet, black olive, menthol and mint. Rich, sweet and suave, with a slightly medicinal cast to the seriously concentrated dark fruit flavors. This vibrant wine coats the entire mouth and builds impressively on the back half, where the big, broad tannins are nicely buffered by fruit. A splendid showing today.

1986 Château Lafleur. 94 points. Probably worth more points, but a perfect aged Pomerol for the duck course. Evolved and showed best after an hour and a half. Plum, bit of funk, hints of sweet spice and red fruits. Balanced and great length. Not “old world” Lafleur but solid.

1983 Château Lafleur. VM 96. The 1983 Lafleur is the vintage that alerted me to the pedigree of this Pomerol growth back in 2004, so I have a sentimental attachment to it. A recent encounter served blind in Hong Kong confirms that the Lafleur ranks alongside the 1983 Cheval Blanc as the best Right Bank of the vintage. It is quite precocious and generous on the nose with sorbet-like red fruit tinged with peppermint and truffle oil. It has lost a little cohesion in recent years but offers more secondary scents of leather and sage. The palate has wondrous balance and poise: hints of iron infusing the supple red fruit with a complex and detailed finish. Well-stored bottles will continue giving immense pleasure. Tasted at a private dinner in Bordeaux. (Drink between 2018-2035)

Venison Wellington. Quite dense and an excellent pairing with the peerless Lafleur. Probably my least favorite savory, but excellent nonetheless.

NV Niepoort Porto 20 Year Old Tawny.

2015 Niepoort Porto Vintage.

3 Cheeses with Toasted Bread.

My thoughts.

Les vins.

This bottle was off and replaced.

Overall, an amazing dinner. It’s smaller, more intimate size, plus the great food, wine, and company, really helped elevate it to the very highest level.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bordeaux, club, Gregory Castells, Lafleur, Liz Lee, Marcel Vigneron, Martine's Wines, Omri Ram, Sage Society, Wine

Pavie at BOA

Sep16

Restaurant: BOA Steakhouse [1, 2]

Location: 9200 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (310) 278-2050

Date: February 13, 2019

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Okay food, no wine service

Certain parties like to put dinner at BOA for a number of reasons: distance (or lack-there-of), it’s half willingness to do no corkage (but NO wine service, including stems), and it’s classic steakhouse cuisine. I’m not a particular fan as it’s just meh in about all ways — except it’s pretty easy to get to.

This dinner has a Pavie theme.

Innovative Dining, always has a style-over-substance approach and medium service. On the plus side they do waive corkage, but this has some costs (more on that later) and they are huge, mobbed, and not super attentive.

We had a nice outside table, but it wasn’t a private room and was quite loud.

From my cellar: 2002 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas François. VM 96. The 2002 Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart is outrageously beautiful. The ripeness of the Chardonnay is front and center in a Champagne that delivers the goods, big-time. An infusion of apricot, orange peel, crème brûlée, chamomile, hazelnut and honey give the 2002 its racy, exotic personality. I enjoy it most with bottle age, but the 2002 is undeniably beautiful right now. The 2002 is a stunning NFB. The blend is 60% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne and 40% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, done partially in oak (20%). Dosage is 4 grams per liter. (Drink between 2020-2030)

The menu.

2019 Château Pape Clément Blanc. 93 points. The 2019 Pape-Clément Blanc has an attractive and complex nose with yellow plum, lanolin and light smoky scents, very well-defined with neatly assimilated oak. Noticeable SO2 here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine acidity, lacking a bit of mid-weight density and thereafter it just seems to lose complexity with a tinned pineapple and Golden Delicious finish. This bottle may have suffered light strike. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

Tuna Tartare. Avocado, Wasabi Oil, Furikake, Crisp Wontons. Just ok.

Hamachi Tartare. Yellowtail, yuzu ginger marinade, avocado, crisp lavosh. Better, but weird that they basically have two tuna/avocado tartares.

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. Remoulade, Fennel Frond Salad, Fried Capers. Decent.

Chilled Saffron Prawns. Cocktail Sauce, Atomic Horseradish, Lemon. Nice shrimp but I didn’t detect either Saffron or Atomic Horseradish.

Goat Cheese Baklava. Pistachios, Black Truffles, Frissee. Didn’t try because of the carbs.

Jeff Leve’s Caesar Salad, no longer made table-side and without tasbasco.

Not what it once was — definitely not legendary.

Caesar Salad — their “lengendary” recipe. A bit mustard forward.

2007 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère. VM 94. Peach, spices and minerals on the nose. Dense and creamy but quite dry in the mouth, with deep, nuanced flavors of yellow peach, apple and spices. Is this as brisk and fresh as the Perrieres? (A second sample was every bit as rich and offered a bit more inner-palate tension.)

The Classic Wedge, chopped.

The Classic Wedge. Crisp Iceberg Lettuce, Applewood Smoked Bacon. Not bad, but nor was it a truly great wedge. Definately not enough dressing and not cold enough.

1998 Château Pavie. VM 92. The 1998 Pavie was Gerard Perse’s second vintage after buying the property and it was actually matured in 200% new oak. Now at two decades, it continues to be attired with a fresh and very attractive bouquet, blackberry, mulberry, clove and bay leaf, just a touch of Italian delicatessen in the background. I like the definition here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation and a keen thread of acidity, quite classic in style with tobacco and a light seaweed influence towards the persistent finish. This is ageing supremely well and you can another 10 to 15 years of drinking pleasure here. Excellent. Tasted at the château. (Drink between 2018-2032)

1999 Château Pavie. VM 92. The 1999 Pavie shows very similarly to another ex-château bottle encountered a few months earlier. It has an attractive bouquet that has mellowed in recent years, notes of bacon fat and mint infusing the red and black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, red fruit, a touch of hung game and a tarry finish that does not convey the same level of freshness and delineation as the 1998 and 2000 do nowadays. A seductive Pavie, though less turbocharged than subsequent vintages. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the estate. (Drink between 2019-2032)

Wagyu Meatballs. Not bad, but maybe a lot of filler. Good sauce.

Rosie’s Farm Half Chicken. Had a weird grilled flavor. Didn’t love.

2000 Château Pavie. VM 96. The 2000 Pavie was tasted on two occasions. The first was from bottle at the château, where I felt it was quite sauvage and displayed more brettanomyces than I remembered. It was a peculiar showing. Then I tasted a magnum back in the UK, and this chimed more with previous bottles. Blackberry and crème de cassis feature on the nose, which is precocious and modern in style, though the new oak that once dominated this Saint-Émilion is now subsumed. The palate is full-bodied and dense, yet it does possess an alluring, silky texture. A sweet, precocious finish lingers extremely long in the mouth. (Drink between 2023-2045)

2003 Château Pavie. VM 92+. Ruby-red. Superripe nose features port-like black fruits, violet, truffle, coffee and minerals. Superconcentrated, rich and layered, conveying a powerful impression of solidity. High-pitched flavors of blackberry and violet pastille along with lower tones of mocha, coffee and smoked meat. Finishes with big but noble, palate-dusting tannins and great persistence. The wine’s aftertaste saturates every square millimeter of the mouth. Ultimately more exotic, more roasted and heavier than the young 2004; a quintessence of the 2003 harvest.

Marinated Skirt Steak Frites.

2002 Château Pavie. VM 92. Saturated ruby-red. Sexy aromas of blackcurrant, black raspberry, plum, mocha, minerals, game and nutty oak. Superripe, rich and chewy, with a higher pitch than the 2001 owing to its firm acids. Quite suave and fine-grained but youthfully backward. Finishes with building, ripe tannins that coat the teeth, and lingering notes of plum, leather and chocolate. This will need a good eight to ten years of bottle aging, and should last for two decades or more.

2003 Château Pavie. VM 92+. Ruby-red. Superripe nose features port-like black fruits, violet, truffle, coffee and minerals. Superconcentrated, rich and layered, conveying a powerful impression of solidity. High-pitched flavors of blackberry and violet pastille along with lower tones of mocha, coffee and smoked meat. Finishes with big but noble, palate-dusting tannins and great persistence. The wine’s aftertaste saturates every square millimeter of the mouth. Ultimately more exotic, more roasted and heavier than the young 2004; a quintessence of the 2003 harvest.

21 Day Dry Aged Tomahawk for Two (or 8). We ordered it medium rare, came medium. Got another which was actually rare. Bearnaise sauce on the side.

Lobster Mac N Cheese. Too many carbs. Ate a bite of lobster.

Creamed Spinach with Crispy Onion. Excellent.

Brussels Sprouts & Bacon. Had a balsamic glaze which made it a bit sweet.

2004 Château Pavie. VM 93. Bright ruby, less black than the ’04 Pavie-Decesse. Sexy aromas of black cherry, violet, minerals and oak. Very suave on entry, then superripe, fat and rich in the middle and evolving slowly. Like the Pavie-Decesse, this benefits from substantial ripe tannins and lovely flavor definition, but today this shows a bit less vibrancy than either the ’04 Pavie-Decesse or the ’05 Pavie. But this very deep wine appears to be in a closed phase.

2005 Château Pavie. VM 97. Six years have passed since I last tasted the 2005 Pavie. In that time, the wine has moved into its first plateau of maturity. Heady and explosive, the 2005 possesses tremendous richness right out of the gate. An infusion of inky dark fruit, chocolate, leather, spice, menthol and espresso greets the palate as the 2005 shows off its considerable charms. The style of the era is evident in the wine’s rich, extracted feel and strong oak inflections. My preference is to drink the 2005 now, as early signs of aromatic maturity are starting to set in. Tasted two times. (Drink between 2021-2030)

2006 Château Pavie. VM 95. Good full medium ruby. Blackberry, black cherry, licorice and minerals on the nose. Suave on entry, then cool and minerally in the middle palate, with brooding black fruit flavors. Today this comes across as less fleshy than the 2007, with the result that the tannins seem a bit tough. But there’s plenty of sweet fruit lurking and a very solid spine for aging.

Porterhouse Brooklyn with garlic and rosemary. Again ordered medium rare, again came way too cooked — but we were too lazy to send it back again.

Sauteed Mushrooms.

I love this flavor — Peppermint Bark Gelato — Base is pure peppermint milk (subbed the sugar with crushed peppermint candies) and it’s laced with house-made double-sided peppermint bark, Valrhona Dark Chocolate and Ivoire White! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — The Peppermint Bark recipe was developed by a famous pastry chef and author, the mum of a Naughty Dog Alum @nancy_baggett — this year I added the two layer thing which is awesome — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #dessertgasm #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #peppermint #bark #Valrhona #chocolate

The wine.

Food was ok. It’s not nearly — not even close to — as good as The Royce, but it’s better than more hack steakhouses like Del Friscos or terrible ones like Taylor’s. The place is gigantic and a bit of a factory. It was very crowded and the like. Service was friendly but a bit distant — and wine service non existant.

They did waive corkage. But on the minus side, and perhaps because of this, they didn’t touch the bottles (maybe a good thing), so we did everything. AND they very strictly limited us to THREE glasses each (up from two last time). They directly told the staff not to give us any more. This is mostly the fault of certain parties who just aren’t willing to pay for corkage (which covers stem cleaning/washing).

The group has learned to break up the courses which is good, but of course really there should be more of a red/white balance. It’s hard to know if the food has changed or my taste has but it seemed lamer than it was a few years ago. Not terrible or anything, but just sloppier and a bit blander. Execution is just so-so. They can’t even do salads that well.

The wines, however, were excellent!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BOA, Bordeaux, BYOG, Gelato, hedonists, Pavie, steakhouse

Manzke Birthday

Jul30

Restaurant: Manzke [1, 2, 3]

Location: 9575 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035. (424) 500-9575

Date: December 16, 2022

Cuisine: Modern American French

Rating: Really good and great fun

There is no question that Walter Manzke is one of LA’s most influential chefs of the last decade or so. His Republique is iconic and I’ve eaten dozens of meals there.

This particular (second visit) to Manzke was for Sebastian’s 2022 birthday!

Manzke is his new “tasting menu only” spot located in the former Picca space above Water’s Bicyclette. Manzke is sort of a full restaurant version of the kind of special Walter tasting menu meal I’ve been getting for years at special events in the Republique private room.

The build out is lavish, two leveled, and features a big open kitchen.

There is a full bar of course.

Sebastian and Walter.

The menu.

Sadly, I forgot to charge my camera battery and had to slum it with the iPhone — ick!

2002 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 97. Another highlight in this vertical, the 2002 Salon is also fascinating to taste after the 2004. Rich, opulent and intense, yet also very classic in the Salon house style, the 2002 possesses superb persistence and depth. The radiant vintage has softened the contours and given the wine fabulous depth to match its decidedly powerful personality. At the same time, the 2002 remains quite youthful. Next to the brighter and more finessed 2004, the 2002 offers more of a baritone-inflected expression of Chardonnay. (Drink between 2016-2036)

Potato Chips. Charred banana tzatziki, soked trout roe. I ate the dip straight without the chips. Very nice, with just a bit of a hint of banana in the otherwise sour tzatzkiki.

Potato Chips.

2008 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill. VM 95+. The 2008 Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is one of the most reticent and tightly wound wines of the vintage. To be sure, all the 2008s offer tremendous brightness and punch, but most are also a bit more approachable in the early going. The 2008 Churchill is totally closed in on itself at present. Vibrant floral, citrus and saline notes add an attractive upper register to a core of persistent Pinot-inflected fruit as the wine gradually opens up. The 2008 is a total knock-out, but I wouldn’t dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. (Drink between 2024-2038)

Tostada. Bluefin tuna, salsa fresca. Very lovely little tuna tostada, which tasted exactly like that with the strong corn notes offsetting the cool tuna.

The “salsa fresca” was actually this clear liquid which while it had about the texture of a shot of sake, did taste just like salsa fresca. Interesting!

2007 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 97. Long-time Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon has produced yet another in a string of superb Champagnes with the 2007 Cristal. Rich, powerful and enveloping, the 2007 takes hold of all the senses and never lets up. The aromatics alone are captivating, but then the wine opens on the palate, revealing layer after layer of flavor to match a multi-dimensional, kaleidoscopic personality that will leave Champagne lovers weak at the knees. The 2007 is 58% Chardonnay and 42% Pinot Noir, which is to say a bit more Chardonnay-leaning than is the norm. The 2007 is striking today, but it should also age effortlessly for several decades. It is also without question one of the very finest new releases of the year. (Drink between 2015-2037)

Nantucket Bay Scallops. Granny smith apple, ginger vierge, shiso. Lovely little bit with strong fruity and ginger notes and an awesome sweet and tangy sauce.

Santa Barbara Uni. Kaluga caviar, heirloom tomato gelee. The uni was in some kind of panna cotta beneath the caviar, but mostly it tasted like caviar and panna cotta — which was pretty delightful.

2012 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. BH 93. A more elegant and equally restrained nose is composed of floral and mineral reduction scents where top notes of white fruit and sea breeze hints are evident. The pure and sleekly muscular flavors possess a silky texture that continues onto the mineral-driven, intense, mouth coating and beautifully balanced finish. This is seriously impressive. (Drink starting 2020)

Laminated Brioche. Radolphe le meunier Normandy butter.

Incredibly soft and flakey laminated croissant-like pastry bread.

Radolphe le meunier Normandy butter. This butter is to die for!

From my cellar: 2010 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières. VM 93. There is a cool, inward minerality to the 2010 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières that is quite striking, but the wine is going to need some time to fully come together. Lemon, white flowers and flint are some the many notes that are layered into the wiry, tense finish. I very much like the sense of energy here. (Drink starting 2013)

Japanese Hamachi. Shinko pear, passionfruit nuoc cham. Extremely tangy and lovely crudo.

Sebastian and his lovely wife.

From my cellar: 2002 Gros Frère et Sœur Richebourg. VM 95. Medium red. Highly perfumed, ineffably complex aromas of strawberry, currant, bacon fat, cocoa powder, gunflint, coffee and smoked meat. Dense, sappy and wonderfully intense, with exhilarating flavors of smoked meat, spices, minerals and underbrush. Conveys a powerful impression of soil tones. Builds almost freakishly on the back end, finishing with a kick of spice and a flavor of pink peppercorn. A wonderfully suave, extremely long Richebourg that offers great early appeal but has the spine to develop in bottle for 10 or 15 years. (A Patrick Lesec Selection; importers include Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; Fine Vines LLC, Melrose Park, IL; The Wine Warehouse, Commerce, CA; Domaine Select Wine Estates, New York, NY )

Maine Lobster. Carrot, coconut Thai curry. Tasted like lobster tom yum goong more or less. Certainly rich and delicious.

The private room.

The wines.

2009 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 97. The 2009 Mouton-Rothschild has a very backward bouquet that is clearly nowhere near its drinking plateau, unfolding reluctantly with cedar and pencil box infused black fruit. Glimpses of pressed rose petal unfurl with continued aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a mixture of red and black fruit, and veins of blue. Very harmonious with a satin-like texture towards the persistent finish. Philippe Dhalluin conjured a gorgeous Mouton-Rothschild this year, but it needs another few years in the cellar. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting. (Drink between 2022-2055)

2009 Château Cheval Blanc. VM 98. The 2009 Cheval Blanc has a rambunctious nose with copious red fruit, meat juices, sage and crushed stone aromas, ineffably complex. This is so refined, constantly mutating in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, saturated tannin. There is a mixture of red and black fruit, hints of cassis, cardamom and allspice. Immense depth and grip towards the finish expresses ripe Cabernet Franc. This is an outstanding 2009 destined for long-term ageing. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting. (Drink between 2021-2060)

Norwegian Halibut. Monterey abalone, matsutake, dashi beurre blanc. This is essentially a classic french poached fish with beurre blanc, but with various Japanese twists. The fish texture was succulent and perfect, and suspended in the rich, bright butter. The Abalone was very tender and nicely offset by the pistou-like sauce.

1985 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 92. The 1985 Mouton-Rothschild came from magnum. Unfortunately, there was a little cork taint on the nose, so this tasting note actually comes from a bottle that I tasted in Bordeaux. The bouquet is open, very classic in style, perhaps blind more like the 1986 with scents of pine cones and undergrowth. It was always quite a backward and (for the vintage) quite surly on the nose. The palate is well balanced with cedar and truffle, firm tannins with gentle grip, maybe missing a bit of flair towards the finish. It is an enjoyable Mouton-Rothschild, though you might have wanted a little more panache. Tasted at the “Judgement of Clapham Junction” dinner in London. (Drink between 2021-2040)

1986 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 99. Philippe Dhalluin served the 1986 Mouton Rothschild to wrap up our vertical. The 1986 remains one of my favorite Moutons. A dark, powerful wine, the 1986 is endowed with a vertical sense of structure that is a marvel to behold. Dark stone fruit, smoke, graphite, mocha, soy and licorice are fused together in a marvelously intense, deep Mouton that promises to drink well for another few decades. Tonight, the 1986 is absolutely stunning. The blend is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Harvest started on October 2nd and wrapped up on the 16th. (Drink between 2016-2036)

1986 Château Margaux. VM 98+. The 1986 Chateau Margaux was even more emotionally moving. Still incredibly youthful, it showed incredible focus and depth, all backed up by considerable structure. As hard as it may seem to believe, on this night the 1986 appeared to still be some years away from peaking. It was striking in every way.

1986 Château Lafite Rothschild. VM 96. The 1986 Lafite-Rothschild is a great wine although over several recent encounters it is never a convincing “perfect” wine. This mirrors the bottle I tasted at the property in 2016: blackberry and graphite on the nose, gawky at first, but coalescing with time. The palate is well balanced with firm tannins, strong graphite scents unfolding with time, superb energy if not delivering quite the finesse and precision that the very best Lafite-Rothschild will bestow. This is a wine that benefits from long decanting, say five or six hours, though it never quite reaches the ethereal heights that it could have done. Tasted at the International Business & Wine First Growth Dinner at the Four Seasons. (Drink between 2020-2050)

Italian White Truffles. Acquerello carnaroli risotto, vacche rosse parmesan. Perfect rich truffle risotto.

1982 Château La Mission Haut-Brion. VM 94. The 1982 La Mission Haut-Brion is a vintage that I have tasted several times. This bottle has a gorgeous, eucalyptus-tinged bouquet of black fruit plus hints of clove and bay leaf; a light marine scent emerges with aeration. The palate has a ripe pastille-like quality, dark cherries commingling with blackberry and cranberry. A lovely saline undertow lends sapidity on the harmonious finish. This does not equal the 1982 Haut-Brion and may have reached its peak in the late 1990s, but it remains the best La Mission Haut-Brion since the 1978. Tasted at the La Mission Haut Brion dinner at Amuse Bouche in Hong Kong. (Drink between 2021-2035)

1982 Château Haut-Brion. VM 96. Good medium amber-edge red. Flamboyant aromas of smoked meat, leather, truffle and burnished oak. Intensely flavored and penetrating, with strong acids giving the flavors terrific cut and grip. I get an impression of strong cabernet tannins. Drink now through 2020. 94. My second bottle showed even more extravagantly expressive aromas of hot stones, tobacco, minerals and marzipan; a denser, silkier palate impression, with more obvious roasted Graves character; and an uncanny combination of sheer sweetness with structure and grip. I rated this wine even higher.

Liberty Farms Sonoma Duck. Satsuma mandarin, sweet potato tartlet, sauce bigarade. Perfectly cooked slice of duck breast.

2000 Château Cheval Blanc. VM 94. The 2000 Cheval Blanc is a wine that I have encountered more than a dozen times. Now at just over 20 years of age (how time flies – I remember tasting this from barrel), it has a lovely, quite beguiling bouquet of brambly red berries, iron rust, Provençal herbs and clove, powerful and somehow enveloping. The peppery palate is medium-bodied with quite firm, stocky tannins and good backbone, though coming after a vertical of recent vintages, it feels more rustic and feral. As Pierre-Olivier Clouet noted, there are fewer “pixels” in this millennial Cheval Blanc, but you can’t help falling for its charms. Ready to drink now but will age for the next 20–30 years. Tasted at Cheval Blanc. (Drink between 2021-2040)

2009 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon. VM 95. Glass-staining purple. Smoky black raspberry and cherry-cola aromas display impressive clarity and alluring spiciness. Lush, creamy red and dark berry flavors possess impressive depth, with a firm mineral spine and the smoky note repeating. A sappy, sweet, extremely long finish leaves sweet berry skin and violet pastille notes behind.

Snake River Farms Wagyu Rib Eye Cap. Butterball potatoes, swiss chard, black truffle jus.

2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne Rosé. VM 97. The 2008 Dom Pérignon Rosé is magnificent. Rich and deep in the glass, the 2008 offers up an exotic mélange of aromas and flavors. Sweet red cherry, mint, orange peel and rose petal all grace this beguiling beauty. Bright acids and a little less still red Pinot (21%) than in most recent editions yields a Rosé that is delicate and light on its feet, with less of the vinous intensity that marked vintages such as 2006. There is a classic feeling of austerity in the 2018 that is mesmerizing. (Originally published in May 2021) (Drink between 2026-2048)

Brillat Savarin Cheesecake. Citrus. Seemed more like a citrus panna cotta. I was trying to avoid the desserts but this was really spectacular and refreshing.

Hot Chocolate!

Madelines.

Mignardise.

A little birthday tart for Seb.

Take home gift.

Manzke is a great addition to LA’s anemic tasting menu scene. Overall the food was extremely good, very “butter forward” in that he cooks with a lot of butter. As I mentioned before it’s somewhat similar to custom dinners Walter has cooked at Republique. I’ll be very curious to see how often the menu changes. The space itself is lovely and they even have a nice (quiet) private room with a gorgeous large table. Plus the location is good. So I look forward to returning.

It should also be noted that service was spectacular. Walter really knows how to run a very good crew. The private room rocks as well. Really great space for a great meal.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: birthday, Bordeaux, Manzke, sebastian, spp, Walter Manzke, Wine

Sauvages Bordeaux

Jun24

Restaurant: Private Chef, David Slatkin

Location: Pasadena

Date: November 11, 2022

Cuisine: American

This particular entry in my series of Friday afternoon wine themed Sauvages lunches was set at a member’s lovely Pasadena house with a Bordeaux wine theme. Food was by frequent Sauvages chef David Slatkin.

Champagnes at the ready.

Tuna Salad on Wonton Crisps. Lots of mayo.

Pigs in a Preztel Blanket.

Korean Short Rib Mini Tacos. Sweet and salty.

Table A.

Table B. I’m not a fan of the two (guys) table setup, actually. It’s just not as fun as a single table.

The Lady’s Table.

Because of the double table thing and the confusion and too many bottles I’m not going to write up the wines, just picture them. I can’t keep this kind of two table thing straight. I think this lineup of wines were ours at Table B.

Wines on the sideboard.

Brioche French Toast with Pan Seared Foie Gras and Sweet Apple Sauce. Pretty darn sweet!

What’s left after I ate just the foie.

Cavatelli with Meat Ragu and Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossom. I have to say, putting a fried item on pasta is an interesting twist.

Stuffed Quail on Mashed Parsnip with Crispy Sweet Breads. Very nice dish. Quail was juciy and the parsnips (tasted a little) were delicious.

New York Steak with Crispy Cauliflower and Mashed Potatoes. The cauliflower was very good. The steak was medium well and a bit chewy.

Cheese Plate with pan baked buns.

For some reason I make this flavor in October — Key Lime Pie Gelato — base is a key lime egg custard, layered with house-made Graham Cracker and covered with house-made Torched Meringue — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #KeyLime #lime #custard #meringue #GrahamCracker #cookie

Citron au Courant Sorbetto – Fresh squeezed Lemons blended with French Currants (Cassis) — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #lemon #cassis #currents #lemonade #citron

Chocolate Souffle with Whipped Cream and Berries. The cream was not sweetened (good) and the souffle had a great texture but was only mildly chocolately.

Chocolate Chip Cookies. Fresh baked and very soft.

Party gifts. This were fabulous for packaged cookies.

The table split.

My notes.

Lineup.

Debauchery.

And more.

The sane table.

Overall, this was a fun lunch, but the two (three with the ladies) format kinda bites. It’s way too confusing, too competitive, less social, and generally less fun than a bigger single table. You can’t try all the wines either. I find this true at lunch or dinner, regardless of the group. So I think Sauvages needs to be capped at about 16 and even then only when the table and wine service supports such a careful pour.

Food was some of the best we’ve had from Slatkin, if a touch on the heavy side. He paired it extremely well with the wines — which given the Bordeaux thing worked.

The setting was lovely.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Lots more wines. Probably a mess of duplicate photos.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bordeaux, BYOG, David Slatkin, Gelato, lunch, Sauvages

Back to the Borgese’s

May30

Restaurant: Dinner at the Borgese’s [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

Location: Santa Monica

Date: October 11, 2022

Cuisine: Italian influenced gourmet home cooking

Rating: Awesome

Dinner at the Borgese’s is a special house dinner in Santa Monica cooked by the stunning pro-level home chef Borgese couple. Tonight’s dinner follows hot on the heels of a Billecart dinner I did here a few weeks before. It’s so close that the Halloween decorations were even more opulent.

The Borgese’s LOVE Halloween and so their house was already decorated for the spook season in epic style!

The dynamic Borgese team consists of Rocco, his lovely wife (and the main kitchen chef), and his daughter (helping out with service).

Plus all this incredible wood fired oven set up.The wine lineup. Not too shabby.

NV Moussé Fils Champagne l’Or d’Eugène Blanc de Noirs Brut.

Tonight’s menu.

From my cellar: 2005 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. JG 95+. The 2005 Comtes de Champagne is a stunning young wine. The bouquet is deep, pure and youthfully complex, as it offers up a very classy blend of pear, delicious apple, fresh almond, incipient notes of crème patissière, chalky minerality, brioche and just a whisper of vanillin oak in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and rock solid at the core, with exquisite balance, refined mousse, crisp acids and simply superb length and grip on the seamless, youthful and oh, so promising finish. The style of the 2005 vintage gives this some early accessibility that was not evident with the more tightly-knit 2004 out of the blocks, but this wine has the structure to also age long and very, very gracefully. It has been a year since I last tasted this wine and it has started to show more precision to go along with its early generosity and is a classic in the making. My gut feeling today is that it will be superior to the 1989 version, to which I compared it to a year ago. Brilliant wine. (Drink between 2015-2045)

Ricciola Sashimi Cucchiai. Yellowtail Sashimi Spoons.

2018 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots. VM 94. The 2018 Chablis Bougros Côte de Bouguerots Grand Cru is well-defined on the nose. Quite stony and terse at first, it opens with orange rind and crushed pebble scents. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity, tight and energetic with a zesty, minerally finish. This meliorates in the glass, ending up quite nuanced and tensile. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 white tasting. (Drink between 2024-2040)

From my cellar: 2005 Mongeard-Mugneret Grands-Echezeaux. JG 96+. The 2005 Grands Echézeaux from Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret is going to be a great, great wine, but it is still a puppy and needs at least another decade in the cellar. The bouquet is young, but stunning, as it soars from the glass in a blaze of red plums, red and black cherries, a hint of blood orange, a gorgeously complex base of soil, cocoa powder, gamebirds, woodsmoke and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still quite primary , with great depth of sappy fruit at the core, seamless, ripe tannins, outstanding soil signature and a very, very long, tangy and laser-like finish. This is an utterly brilliant bottle in the making. (Drink between 2025-2100)

Cozze con Guanciale. Mussels with Pork Cheek. The sauce on this mussel dish was essentially like a all’amatriciana except that it was also saturated with mussel-juice. Pretty awesome actually, particularly the crispy little guanciale chunks.

1989 Château Latour Grand Vin. JG 95. The 1989 vintage of Château Latour was not considered a great year for this superb property, which was purported to have started a mini-slump after the release of the brilliant 1982 vintage at the estate. However, though I did not buy this wine on release (believing the critics of the time and their assessment of its relative inferiority), on the couple of occasions where I have been lucky enough to drink it again in recent times, it has been clear that this wine was underrated at the outset and really is an excellent vintage of Latour. The most recent bottle was getting close to full bloom, but not quite there yet, offering up a deep and complex bouquet of cassis, sweet dark berries, cigar ash, Latour’s classic gravelly, dark soil signature, cedary oak and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and plenty deep at the core, with firm, well-integrated tannins, excellent mineral drive, very good acids for the vintage and a very long, balanced and complex finish. This is getting close to really drinking well as it closes in on its thirtieth birthday, but it is an old school Latour and will still be an even better drink at age forty than it is today. (Drink between 2018-2085)

1990 Château Latour Grand Vin. VM 98. Tasting the 1990 Latour is like running into a long-lost friend. Still dark, deep and spectacularly flamboyant, the 1990 possesses remarkable textural richness from the very first taste. Time in the glass brings out a whole range of pencil shaving, dark fruit, chocolate, licorice and spice flavors, but more than anything else, the 1990 is a wine of pure and total voluptuousness. While I never think of wine as a competition, the 1990 is quite a bit more complex, layered and intriguing than the 1982 served alongside it at the same charity dinner. Its longevity will ultimately be determined by the quality of the cork and storage conditions, as the wine has several decades of truly exceptional drinking still to offer. In a word: magnificent! (Drink between 2019-2039)

1995 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque. VM 96. Griotte and kirsch complicated by roast coffee, smoke, mocha and a whiff of game; complex and ineffable. Lush, sweet and very intensely flavored; sappy cherry flavor complicated by a peppery quality. Seems a bit higher in acidity than Guigal’s ’95 La Mouline, and the tannins are distinctly firmer. Again, quite explosive on the aftertaste.

Pasta Fresca di Tonna. A fresh spaghetti with tuna and olives. This lent it a slightly “Spaghetti alla puttanesca” vibe, although not as pungent as that dish. Quite delicious and perfectly textured.

1996 Château Haut-Brion. JG 94. The 1996 Haut Brion is less hermetically sealed than the 1998, and is beginning to hint a bit at its secondary layers of aromatic complexity, though it still remains a very young wine. The bouquet is deep and classic, as it jumps from the glass in a mélange of black cherries, dark berries, Cuban tobacco, incipient notes of the black truffles to come, and a fine base of Graves earth. I assume that the 1996 saw the same amount of new oak as the 1998, but there is little sign of the wood at the present time. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and very intense, with a quite powerful profile for Haut Brion. The wine is rock solid at the core and very tannic, though the tannins are ripe and well-integrated into the wine. The finish is very, very long and soil-driven, and this will clearly be one of the most powerful vintages of Haut Brion to emerge since the 1959. It will be superb, but one will require plenty of patience. (Drink between 2025-2075)

1996 Château Latour Grand Vin. VM 94. The 1996 Latour is a wine that I often find overrated and did not achieve everything that might have been possible in this favourable growing season. That said, this might well be the best of around two dozen bottles I have encountered over the years. As usual, the 1996 is decidedly austere at first, standoffish, looks down its nose at you. Yet it coalesces with time and develops engaging cedar-scented black fruit tinged with pencil box and a touch of iris with time. The palate (again) is a little muted at first but it soon found its voice and evolved very fine tannin allied with a crisp line of acidity. It is not quite as demonstrative as it was even just a couple of years ago, gained some detail and perhaps it will continue to meliorate. Very fine, very fine indeed – but not a patch of say, the Château Margaux or perhaps even Léoville Las Cases. Tasted at the International Business & Wine Latour dinner at Ten Trinity. (Drink between 2018-2040)

1997 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 90-91. Very good red-ruby color. Currant, cassis, roasted nuts, gunsmoke, chocolate and a note of surmaturite Fat, sweet and expansive, but with sound underlying structure. Lowish acids and a confit note (due at least partly to passerillage, or drying of the grapes by the wind and sun) contribute to the wine almost voluptuous texture.

Quaglie Ripiene. Stuffed Quail. Stuffed with sausage (and some veggies) on a bed of polenta. We’ve had this several times before and it’s a fabulous dish.

1998 Penfolds Grange. VM 97. Very deep red-ruby. Smoky, deeply concentrated fruit bomb of a nose: blackberry, dark plum, cassis; creamy vanilla and lightly toasty coconutty oak; and ethereal background notes of white pepper, smoked meats, musky spices, tar and licorice. Profoundly concentrated but velvety-smooth and seamless; impressively muscular and thickly coated with oak, and bound by drying, astringent tannins. Without question the most concentrated Grange of all time, utterly steeped in blackberry flavors; a real show pony. It’s also the most alcoholic Grange ever made, and at a declared 14.5% does taste warm and spirity – the first Grange to do so. It also ventures to some degree into the realm of currant and prune. No doubt a brilliant wine, but only time will tell if, with its elevated alcohol and its superripe flavors, this 1998 version ranks with the very best Grange vintages.

1999 Penfolds Grange. VM 91+. Full ruby-red. Sexy aromas of raspberry, cola, root beer and coconut. Thick, dense and concentrated, with exotic, slightly candied dark fruit, caramel, toasted coconut and mineral flavors nicely shaped by firm acids. Shows strong fruit and a major dose of oak on the powerful, backward finish. This can’t quite match the 1998 for sheer depth of fruit, but it’s built to age.

2003 Penfolds Grange. VM 93. Inky purple. Seductively perfumed nose offers cassis, blueberry, cherry-cola, violet and dried fig scents, with a suave undercurrent of smoky minerals. Deep, finely etched cherry and dark berry flavors are complicated by mocha and candied licorice, becoming riper with air. Cured meat and black cardamom notes arrive with air, adding further interest. Full, fleshy and sweet on the impressively long finish, which is nicely braced by dusty tannins. This is more energetic than most wines from this vintage.

Risotto a Costine. Short Rib Risotto. Chef Jen made a 2 day short rib ragu and then it was integrated into this fresh risotto. Yum, now that’s my kind of risotto! Actually I love most good risottos but this one is particularly great.

2005 Sine Qua Non Grenache Atlantis Fe2O3~2a, b & c. VM 100. The 2005 Grenache Atlantis Fe203-2a has been absolutely thrilling both times I have tasted it within the last year. A huge, vertical wine, Atlantis graces the palate with deep, voluptuous red fruit, crushed rocks, smoke, tobacco and mint. Even with all of its intensity and explosiveness, the wine remains light on its feet, with great balance and class to burn. The inclusion of whole clusters adds gorgeous lift and perfume, especially on the finish. At nearly ten years of age, the 2005 Grenache Atlantis is in a perfect spot right now and should continue to drink well for another 5-10 years, perhaps longer. (Drink between 2014-2024)

2013 Sine Qua Non Grenache Jusqu’à l’os Eleven Confessions Vineyard. VM 96+. A darker, more potent side of Grenache comes through in the 2013 Grenache Jusqu’a’ l’Os. This powerhouse wine is nowhere near ready to drink. Swaths of tannin enshroud a core of plum, dark fruit in this muscular, brooding Grenache from Sine Qua Non. Readers will have to be patient. The 2013 is 79% Grenache, 18% Syrah and 3% Petite Sirah, all from Eleven Confessions, done with 89% whole clusters. (Drink between 2023-2033)

Braciola di Vitella Ripiena. Stuffed Veal Chop. Perfectly cooked and super juicy. The white meat was similar to a great pork chop, but milder. It was stuffed with provolone, prosciutto, and tomatoe.

With veggies.

You can see the stuffing here.

Funghi. Wood fire grilled 3 mushroom medley.

Melanzane. Grilled eggplant.

The return of the polenta, this time with the shortrib ragu on top — insanely good.

Hazelnut Hojicha Gelato – Nocciola (hazelnut) base made with Pure PGI Piedmont hazelnut paste and infused with Ceremonial Hojicha Roasted Green Tea — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #matcha #Hojicha #GreenTea #hazelnut #Piedmont

Chocolate Nutter Butter Gelato – a base made from 100% Valrhona Chocolate and South American Peanuts layered with chopped “Nutter-Butter” cookies — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #chocolate #valrhona #peanuts #PeanutButter #reeses #NutterButter #cookies

The wine lineup.

The gang.

The lovely ladies of the house.

Overall, this was another amazing dinner, and the Borgese’s just keep amping up the quality.

First of all, the Borgese hospitality was awesome, the house lovely, and the food absolutely incredible. One of the best “home cooked” meals I’ve had. Maybe ever if you restrict it to chefs cooking in their own home kitchen. Just amazing. Every dish was great. Rustic but extremely delicious style. Superb homemade pastas.

Service was handled by the youngest Borgese (teen daughter) and was better than most restaurant staff. Super friendly and you can tell they do this a lot.

Wines have crept up in “biggness” here — and I don’t mean their caliber (which is fine) but too many big reds. This food has a bit of a ramp and there were two seafood dishes and then a quail, so we could have ramped through Champs, 2 flights of whites, and then red Burgundy before getting to a few bigger wines. Not everything needs to be gigantic — or SQN (at least there were only 2).

This meal was a slew of Rocco staples, like the quail, but it also featured the unique veal chop.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: bbq, Bordeaux, BYOG, Dinner at the Borgese's, Gelato, Grange, Grill, Italian Cusine, Lala, Wine

Sauvages Bordeaux

Jun08

Restaurant: Private Chef, David Slatkin

Location: Bel Air

Date: October 15, 2021

Cuisine: American

Getting the wine going.

1808 Henriot Champagne Brut Millésimé Rosé.

Salmon from Jose. Great, but very salty.

Korean Short Rib Taco — sweet but great.

2018 Château Cos d’Estournel Blanc. VM 92. The 2018 Cos d’Estournel Blanc is showing nicely in bottle, partly because of the increased proportion of Sémillon in the blend. That lends complexity on the nose, which displays gorgeous honeysuckle and yellow plum aromas, if perhaps more oiliness than I found from bottle. The palate has tightened up a little, feeling less rounded than before, with intense orange pith, apricot and tangy marmalade toward the finish. A lovely Cos d’Estournel Blanc that I am intrigued to see age in bottle. (Drink between 2021-2032)

2019 Château Brane-Cantenac Blanc. 90 points.

Miso Potsticker — a bit salty.

Mango and burata toast.

BBQ pork belly.

2000 Château Angélus. VM 92. The 2000 Angélus (which, incidentally, was the first vintage where the bottle was embossed with the château name) is one that I have tasted many times, though not recently. Showing minor degradation at its rim, it displays a core with a healthy deep hue. The bouquet is concentrated and intense, plenty of red fruit mingling with melted tar and leather, and perhaps a little more gourmand/animally than I was expecting. The palate is medium-bodied with a slight bitterness on the entry, and delivers good weight and girth, though compared to recent vintages it is patently clear that there is not the same clarity or tension. Quite ferrous, especially with aeration. (Drink between 2021-2032)

2000 Château La Mission Haut-Brion. VM 97. The 2000 La Mission Haut-Brion is a vintage that I have not tasted for several years. At age 21, it has retained its youthful nose of vivid black cherries, wild strawberry and iodine, and shows less of the black olive tapenade element that I noticed in its youth. The palate is medium-bodied with lithe tannins that belie that backbone of this La Mission. Beautifully balanced and quite peppery, with fine salinity, it is less sauvage than many other millennial Bordeaux, leading to a succulent, sensual finish. This is only just beginning to show what it is capable of. 13.4% alcohol. Tasted at the château with Jean-Philippe Delmas. (Drink between 2022-2050)

2000 Château Magrez Fombrauge. VM 88-90. Saturated ruby. Musky aromas of black raspberry, violet, game and burning tobacco. Intensely flavored, firmly structured and tightly wound, but seems a bit dried by the extraction. Seems rather tough today and not showing its personality. But undeniably concentrated. Finishes with somewhat gritty tannins.

Fish with cous cous and lobster.

1989 Château La Conseillante. VM 97. The 1989 La Conseillante is one of the top performers in Pomerol and arguably now one of the best values. This bottle confirms that exuberance and joie-de-vivre on the nose, displaying the telltale crushed violets in bloom, with precious but controlled red and black fruit underneath. The palate is sumptuous from the start, presenting cashmere tannin and perhaps a little more glycerine in this bottle. The bravura finish leaves you grinning from ear to ear. Stunning, and it will remain on its plateau for many years. Tasted at the 1989 Bordeaux dinner at Hatched in London. (Drink between 2019-2040)

1989 Château Montrose. VM 98. The 1989 Montrose is a magnificent wine and this represents one of the best bottles I have encountered – one that was purchased on release and not moved from Berry Brothers’ cellar since. I have encountered perfect bottles of the 1989, and this flirts with that magic figure. It is blessed with a captivating bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, sous-bois and black truffle, the veins of blue fruit just toned down a little compared to previous bottles. The palate is supremely well balanced with those filigreed tannins that in some ways are atypical of Montrose. It delivers silky-smooth texture and an intense finish that glides across the senses. I cannot give a perfect score on this occasion, but without question, this is one of the great Montrose releases. Tasted at the 1989 Bordeaux dinner at Hatched in London. (Drink between 2019-2050)

1989 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron. VM 95. The 1989 Pichon-Baron repeats its performance from the vertical tasting in May 2018. It storms from the glass, bearing copious blackberry, cedar and perhaps a little more mint than I noticed on the previous bottle. There is so much youthful zeal to this harmonious, refined Pauillac that you would barely guess it is 30 years old. Long and tender with a graphite-infused finish, this bottle might be even better than the ex-château example. Tasted at the 1989 Bordeaux dinner at Hatched in London. (Drink between 2019-2038)

Duck confit with egg.

1996 Château Lafite Rothschild. VM 97+. The 1996 Lafite-Rothschild is consistent with the bottle shown at the Hong Kong vertical. It has an intense bouquet with blackberry, cedar and a pencil box of graphite. The adjective I use whilst writing this note is that the aromas are “cool”. Perhaps given its provenance, this is one of the most backward bottles of 1996 that I have tasted. There are those fine but rigid tannins that lend this Lafite such beguiling symmetry, copious cedar and graphite with vein of brine and oyster shell. I love the precision of this wine and the sappiness on the finish. At the moment, maybe more impressive than enjoyable, so if you can, cellar it for another 5 to 8 years. Tasted at the Lafite-Rothschild 150th anniversary dinner at the estate. (Drink between 2025-2055)

From my cellar: 1996 Château Haut-Brion. JG 94. The 1996 Haut Brion is less hermetically sealed than the 1998, and is beginning to hint a bit at its secondary layers of aromatic complexity, though it still remains a very young wine. The bouquet is deep and classic, as it jumps from the glass in a mélange of black cherries, dark berries, Cuban tobacco, incipient notes of the black truffles to come, and a fine base of Graves earth. I assume that the 1996 saw the same amount of new oak as the 1998, but there is little sign of the wood at the present time. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and very intense, with a quite powerful profile for Haut Brion. The wine is rock solid at the core and very tannic, though the tannins are ripe and well-integrated into the wine. The finish is very, very long and soil-driven, and this will clearly be one of the most powerful vintages of Haut Brion to emerge since the 1959. It will be superb, but one will require plenty of patience. (Drink between 2025-2075)

1986 Château Léoville Las Cases. VM 97+. Saturated dark ruby. Cassis, shoe polish, camphor and rose petal on the nose; this reminded me of a great vintage of Latour. Dense and extremely concentrated; explosive yet totally backward. There nothing playful about this infant claret. Finishes with extraordinary, slow-building persistence. Very serious juice; one of the great Bordeaux of the 1980s. Drink 2010 through 2035.

Lamb ravioli with truffle. Yum!

1990 Château Montrose. VM 95. Full ruby-red. Wild, exotic aromas of crystallized redcurrant, leather, tobacco and minerals; distinctly exotic, even overripe. Then lush, sweet and opulent, with an atypically velvety texture for Montrose. But extremely young and structured, finishing with powerful tannins and great grip and length. Almost California-like in style; in Bordeaux, they’d refer to the fruit expression of this wine as “original,” which is not necessarily high praise. Drink 2008 through 2030.

1990 Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse). VM 91. Deep ruby to the rim. Extravagant aromas of black fruits, violets, and toffee. Voluptuous and sweet; this has outstanding concentration but with so much baby fat there’s little delineation on the palate. Finishes with a kick of alcohol and substantial ripe tannins. Very dense, but while a flight of other top right-bank wines were sending off fireworks in the glass, this chunky wine sat like a lump of coal.

1982 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 98. The 1982 Mouton-Rothschild continues to be the extravagant Pauillac that it has always been. This has an irresistible, exotic bouquet of precocious kirsch, hoisin, graphite and blueberry scents that gain intensity in the glass. The palate is a little headier than previous bottles, sensual and almost glossy, presenting a glycerin-rich smorgasbord of dark cherries, black currant, crème de menthe and mint that almost knocks you off your feet. Fabulous. Tasted from an ex-château jeroboam at the Palace of Versailles charity dinner. (Drink between 2019-2040)

Beef.

1995 Grande Maison Monbazillac Cuvée Madame.

1998 Alois Kracher Grande Cuvée TBA #10 Nouvelle Vague. 95 points. The fat and soft fruit of chardonnay are here perfectly allied with the freshness and spice of welschriesling. Caramel and pungent botrytis augment aromas of honey and tropical fruits. In the mouth, this is the most dynamic of any of Kracher’s ’98s, with insistent fruit acid and firm expression of wood allaying its formidable thickness. Flavors of quince and apple jelly, with musky notes from the welschriesling and a chardonnay-typical caramelization of tropical fruits. Mandarin orange and brown spices join the fruit parade in a formidable finish. 2 stars.

Persimon Souflee.

Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Coconut Cream Pie Gelato — Coconut dairy custard base, house-made GF Graham Crackers, and house-made Coconut Caramel — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #coconut #caramel #grahamCrackers #cookies

Apricot Amaro Passionfruit Mango Sorbetto – I like blending compatible fruits together — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #amaro #apricot #passionfruit #mango

Epic cheese plate.

No comment.

Overall, a great lunch with really good food and amazing wines — all of which were drinking in great form. I don’t buy too much Bordeaux anymore, but they are really great when you give them a few years.

After the dinner proper a couple of us hung out on the lovely terrace and sipped our vast array of wines (and munched on the cheese plate).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bordeaux, BYOG, Gelato, Jeff Leve, lunch, Sauvages, Wine

Heroic Bordeaux

Aug06

Restaurant: Heroic Deli and Wine Bar [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 516 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 490-0202

Date: April 28, 2021

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: 1982 is still going strong

My friend Jeffrey, owner of Heroic Italian, was trying to set up this 1982 Bordeaux dinner before the pandemic, but it ended up getting “postponed” for over a year!

We situated ourselves in their upstairs private room — where all three light bulbs again function.

a “measly” rose to start things out: 1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé. 94 points. Another example of this era, the 1996 Dom Pérignon Rosé offers plenty of energy and tension, both signatures of the vintage. At the same time, though, the fruit never fills out, which tilts the balance to acidity and austerity. Frankly, I liked the 1996 more when it was younger. Today, the fruit has either begun to drop out or is simply less expressive. I look forward to checking in on the 1996 soon to see if this may have been a less than perfect example. Disgorged 2004. (Drink between 2015-2022)

Amuses.

Pig and Caviar Blini.

And a less porky version.

2015 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux. VM 93. Pale yellow. Subtly complex aromas of quinine, lemon, mint and crushed stone; even more minerally than the Monteé de Tonnerre. Offers the most inner-mouth tension by far to this point, showing a sharply chiseled quality to its grapefruit and mineral flavors. (“This site does great in warm years,” noted Raveneau, as the portion of the vineyard at the rather flat top of the lieu-dit faces slightly northeast.) Fined-grained, dry and classic, but with the richness of the vintage.

Frittata with Toum. The frittata was nice, but the toum (garlic paste) really took it up about 10 notches.

Grilled Roman artichokes with confit tomatoes. Really spectacular actual Roman artichokes pair very nicely with the sweet and tangy tomatoes.

1982 Haut-Brion. RP 95. Though having tasted the Haut-Brion 1982 on numerous occasions, it is still a divine Pessac-Léognan to cherish. Here at The Glasshouse restaurant, it has that lovely warm gravel on a summer’s day bouquet, brown autumn leaves, bay leaf and here= a slightly more conspicuous note of black olive than I have noticed in the past. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, again a little more diffuse than its fellow 1982 First Growths, but with just as much charm. If anything, it feels a little tighter and more backward than previous examples, perhaps suggesting that bottles of excellent provenance will last many years. It is a wonderful 1982 First Growth, not a pinnacle of the vintage, but disarmingly and utterly charming.

1982 Lafite Rothschild. RP 75-100. The 1982 Lafite possesses a dark, dense ruby/purple color with only a subtle lightening at the rim. Spectacular aromatics offer jammy cherry and black fruits intertwined with lead pencil, mineral, and smoky wood scents. Powerful for a Lafite, this wine unfolds to reveal extraordinary richness, purity, and overall symmetry in addition to stunning flavor depth and persistence. The finish lasts for nearly a minute. Plenty of tannin remains, and the wine displays a vibrancy and youthfulness that belie its 18 years of age. The modern day equivalent of Lafite-Rothschild’s immortal 1959, the 1982 will enjoy another 30-70 years of life! An amazing achievement! Anticipated maturity: 2007-2070.

Morel mushrooms and Polenta.

And then slices of black truffles.

From my cellar: 1982 Latour. RP 100. 1982 was a great vintage—relatively warm and prolific, producing wines of richness and depth. The 1982 Latour has a medium garnet-brick color and then pow!—it belts out powerful notes of star anise, dried roses, sandalwood and new leather with a core of kirsch, blackberry tart, dried mulberries and blackcurrant pastilles. Full-bodied, rich and spicy with bags of fruit and tons of savory fireworks, it finishes with epic persistence.

agavin: my wine of the night

1982 Château Margaux. RP 97-98. Consistently scoring between 98-100, the superb 1982 Margaux may be slightly bigger, bolder, and more masculine than vintages produced over the last 15-20 years. Its dark plum/purple color is followed by notes of melted tar intermixed with sweet cassis and floral underpinnings. Very full-bodied and dense for a Chateau Margaux, with a slight rusticity to the tannins, it boasts blockbuster power, richness, and impressive aromatics. It appears set for another 30-40 years of life.

agavin: sadly a bit flawed

Mushroom, foie gras and black truffle pasta. A light — but delicious — pasta.

1982 Ausone. RP 90-93. A pleasant surprise when I think of what proprietor Alain Vauthier has done over the last decade, the outstanding 1982 Ausone exhibits plenty of licorice, fruitcake, mineral, kirsch, and black fruit characteristics. Medium-bodied and elegant with a touch of austerity at the finish, it should be consumed over the next 10 years.

1982 L’Evangile. RP 98. A blockbuster, dark plum/garnet-colored wine, the 1982 L’Evangile reveals a decadent, extravagantly rich nose of caramelized fruit, plum, licorice, smoked meats, and toffee. This opulent, full-bodied Pomerol caresses the palate with layers and layers of glycerin and fruit. The tannin is barely noticeable in this massive, rich, gorgeous effort. The complexity of the nose alone is worth a special admission price. It is close to full maturity, and is capable of lasting another 20-25 years.

Cioppino. Delicious rich tomato and garlic broth with various fresh seafood.

Garlic bread.

And then more toum, which when smeared on the bread and soaked in the sauce was incredible. Perhaps some might consider it a bit much for wine, but I enjoyed.

Toum and another tangy herby sauce.

1982 Mouton Rothschild. RP 100. Medium brick in color, the nose of the 1982 Mouton Rothschild is a little closed and sluggish to begin, offering earthy, cigar box, iron ore, star anise and dusty soil notes with a fruit core of kirsch, dried mulberries, blackcurrant pastilles, figs and prunes emerging after a few minutes. The palate remains a blockbuster—full-bodied, rich, opulently accented and unquestionably hedonic, possessing a mid-palate that is jam-packed with notions of red and black fruit preserves. The satiny texture/ripeness of tannins is simply incredible! It delivers a very long licorice-laced finish.

1982 Trotanoy. RP 96. Tasted at the Trotanoy dinner at Sketch in London. This bottle of 1982 Trotanoy repeats the performance of the one served at Zachys 1982 dinner in Hong Kong. It has a wonderful Merlot-scented bouquet that is floral and exuberant, though intriguingly it develops more Cabernet Franc/meaty aromas with continued aeration. It becomes rounded and sensual with roasted chestnuts emerging with time. The palate has a sweet entry, as one would expect for this vintage. It is plush, smooth and rounded in the mouth with dark plum and mulberry notes, a saline tincture and that chestnut motif continuing right to the youthful finish. After 30 years, this still has many years ahead. Tasted September 2012.

Meat feast platter (caveman mode). A pile of various meats, sausages, and a few veggies.

Showing the bone who’s boss.

Heroic Deli carries my own line of world class artistinal gelato.

Double Mint Oreo — Base made with Fresh Spring Mint infused milk and then laced with Crushed Mint Oreo Thins and Chopped Valrhona 70% Chocolate! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — lovely strong mint flavor and color is all natural — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #dessertgasm #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #mint #valrhona #chocolate #oreo

Cioccolato Fondente Ruby Stracciatella Gelato — My most advanced super-dark chocolate formulation, squeezing the most chocolate humanly possible into a dairy gelato with a blend of 70% Cocoa Valrhona and 100% Callebaut Cocoa Mass — Then I melted Callebaut Ruby Chocolate stripes throughout — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #chocolate #valrhona #Callebaut #Ruby

An awesome dinner indeed. Most of the wines showed great, particularly the Latour, alas the Margaux was flawed. Still, when in good condition the 1982 Bordeaux are drinking impeccably.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more Foodie Club dining, click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: 1982, Bordeaux, Foodie Club, Gelato, Heroic Italian

Sauvages AOC

Apr27

Restaurant: A. O. C.

Location: 8700 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048. (310) 859-9859

Date: March 13, 2020

Cuisine: New American Wine Bar

Rating: Great lunch

Sauvages lunch is always a great time and I hopped on the opportunity to return to A.O.C. (it’s been years) with the group. One of our regulars, Albert, is an investor, and set up this awesome event. Plus it had a Bordeaux theme which always makes for a great Friday.

The interior is clubby. It used to be (at the old location) far more “Spanish”.

After opening critically acclaimed Lucques in 1998, the duo of 3 time James Beard Award winning chef Suzanne Goin (Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America 2017, Outstanding Chef 2016, Best Chefs in America – California 2006, Best Cookbook – Cooking from a Professional Point of View 2006) and James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Restaurateur of the Year 2018 Caroline Styne embarked on A.O.C., the area’s pioneering wine bar that first paired an indulgent list of wine by the glass with a menu of market-driven small plates.

From my cellar: 2007 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut. VM 97. The 2007 Comtes de Champagne Rosé is a total knock-out. Racy and exuberant in the glass, the 2007 wraps around the palate with stunning textural depth and resonance. The 15% still Pinot adds structure and persistence to a creamy, inviting Rosé Champagne that will leave readers weak at the knees. Hints of rose petal, dried cherry, cinnamon and dried flowers meld into the sublime finish. This is about as good as it gets. Wow!

We sat on the covered patio. It was quiet because of corona virus :-(.

Here is are huge table and the gang.

Our custom menu for today.

2012 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. BH 93. A more elegant and equally restrained nose is composed of floral and mineral reduction scents where top notes of white fruit and sea breeze hints are evident. The pure and sleekly muscular flavors possess a silky texture that continues onto the mineral-driven, intense, mouth coating and beautifully balanced finish. This is seriously impressive. (Drink starting 2020)

2008 Moreau-Naudet & Fils Chablis Grand Cru Valmur. BH 94. A discreet touch of wood does not interfere with the transparency of the notably ripe mix of citrus, stone and iodine aromas that are followed by wonderfully rich, dense, powerful and gorgeously well-detailed flavors that ooze a fine minerality and there is plenty of Chablis character to be found on the racy and tension-filled finish that seems to go on and on. This is brilliant effort that will require up to a decade to reach its full maturity but should be approachable, and enjoyable, after 5 to 6 years of cellar time. (Drink starting 2015)

2017 Kirkland Signature Chablis 1er Cru. 91 points. Medium body, good acid, good fruit, drank easily, drank with shrimp with Chinese veggies, will drink again, good value.

Hamachi, leek vinaigrette, dijon, fingerlings & camino vinegar. Really nice dish. The vegetables had tons of flavor and these was a great textural interplay between the soft fish and their crunch.

1982 Ducru-Beaucaillou. RP 96. At a charity dinner in Charleston, SC, the 1982 Ducru Beaucaillou from my cellar was the only corked bottle out of twenty-two. A subsequent tasting revealed one of the all-time great Ducrus, probably matched or eclipsed by several recent vintages (i.e., 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2008). The 1982 is still 5-8 years away from full maturity, but it exhibits a dense ruby/plum/garnet color to the rim as well as a sweet perfume of forest floor, spice box, cedar, and copious quantities of black fruits. Medium to full-bodied and beautifully pure with sweet tannins, this wine has aged more slowly than I initially expected. It is the finest Ducru Beaucaillou produced after the 1961 and before the 2003. With respect to the 1990, I do not own any of this wine, but it was the last of a series of vintages between 1986 and 1990 that were affected by the TCA-like contamination in the estate’s chai, which was completely destroyed and then rebuilt, eliminating the source of these smells. Not every bottle is affected by this, but I do not have any source for this vintage. Release price: ($140.00/case)

1982 Cos d’Estournel. RP 95-96. This 1982 is still displaying a beautiful deep ruby/purple hue as well as a stunning set of aromatics consisting of blue and black fruits, loamy earth, flowers, licorice, and spice box. The wine is medium to full-bodied with sweet tannins, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and a silky finish. It appears to have hit full maturity, but it can easily be held in a cold cellar for another 10+ years. Release price: ($115.00/case)

agavin: haha, look at that release price! $10 a bottle!

Liberty duck confit, savoy cabbage, honey & armagnac prunes. Another great dish. As good as the duck was (and it was great) the cabbage was almost better! It must have had some kind of fat (duck fat?) on it.

1986 Gruaud Larose. RP 96. Still tasting as if it were only 7-8 years of age, the dense, garnet/purple-colored 1986 Gruaud-Larose is evolving at a glacier pace. The wine still has mammoth structure, tremendous reserves of fruit and concentration, and a finish that lasts close to a minute. The wine is massive, very impressively constituted, with still some mouth-searing tannin to shed. Decanting of one to two hours in advance seems to soften it a bit, but this is a wine that seems to be almost immortal in terms of its longevity. It is a great Medoc classic, and certainly one of the most magnificent Gruaud-Larose ever made. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2035. Last tasted, 10/02.

1986 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. RP 95. Now at 30 years of age, there is a gulf between the two Pichons in this vintage that no longer exists. The 1986 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has long been one of the best wines from the estate alongside the 1982 (even if the first bottle was a little oxidized). The second bottle was representative. It has a classic pencil-lead, cedar-infused nose that rockets from the glass, a subtle floral note developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple red berry fruit, a pinch of white pepper and cedar, structured compared to coeval vintages and perhaps further along its drinking plateau than previous examples. Certainly à point, I would be reaching for bottles of this now if you cannot locate those 1982s, or alternatively seek out the superlative 1996. This still remains a fine, rather regal Pichon-Lalande. Tasted July 2016.

1986 Lafite Rothschild. RP 98. Tasted at the château, the 1986 Lafite-Rothschild continues to offer an exquisite bouquet at 30 years of age. This is beautifully defined, still full of energy, with copious blackberry, clove, leather and graphite aromas that seem to gain momentum in the glass. The palate is extremely well balanced with a crystalline quality, filigree tannin, perfectly pitched acidity, a quintessential Lafite-Rothschild with a sense of energy and focus undiminished by time. This finish displays immense purity and refinement, one of the most mineral-driven Lafites that I have encountered, whilst the aftertaste seems to linger for over one minute. It must rank as one of the finest wines from the estate. Tasted July 2016.

lamb skewers, kale, radicchio, chickpeas, charmoula, golden raisins & almonds. Also great, and I don’t even love kale.

1995 Mouton Rothschild. RP 95. Bottled in June, 1997, this profound Mouton is more accessible than the more muscular 1996. A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 19% Merlot, it reveals an opaque purple color, and reluctant aromas of cassis, truffles, coffee, licorice, and spice. In the mouth, the wine is “great stuff,” with superb density, a full-bodied personality, rich mid-palate, and a layered, profound finish that lasts for 40+ seconds. There is outstanding purity and high tannin, but my instincts suggest this wine is lower in acidity and slightly fleshier than the brawnier, bigger 1996. Both are great efforts from Mouton-Rothschild. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2030.

1996 Montrose. RP 96. Tasted at the vertical in London, I have instead used the tasting note from a bottle opened at the property when I visited just a couple of weeks later. The 1996 Montrose is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot picked between 23 September and 6 October. It was served alongside the 1986 Montrose, however, this is a far better wine and reconfirms Robert Parker’s remarks at his own vertical at the property in 2014. For me, it is that loamy character that defines the nose—freshly tilled, damp soil that tinctures the black fruit —that takes you straight to this particular château. This is classic through and through and very well defined. The palate is wonderful with very fine delineation, pitch-perfect acidity, touches of graphite infusing the red and black fruit that dovetails into a very pretty, floral finish. This is clearly one of the great wines of the 1996 vintage and I would be stocking up as much as I could, because it will give 30-40 years of pleasure. Tasted July 2016.

From my cellar: 2000 Pichon-Longueville Baron. RP 97. The 2000 Château Pichon Baron is just getting better and better and better. Perhaps the magnum format played its part, but nevertheless…just…wow. This is a millennial Left Bank with the keys to the top drawer. It has an incredibly precise, mineral-driven bouquet with intense black fruit infused with cedar and graphite scents. It just reeks of Pauillac in an almost uncompromising, yet compelling manner. The palate is structured, stylish and effortless, extraordinarily pure and unerringly youthful. This is a Pichon Baron saying, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” You could broach this now if you wanted, but the clever people will wisely bunker this for another decade and gloat from 2025 onward. Tasted January 2016.

Braised beef cheek, scallion soubise, salsa verde & feta. Again the veggies were standout. But not your boring braised beef — really full of flavor.

2001 Léoville Barton. RP 92. Consistent from bottle (I tasted it three times), this is an outstanding offering, although not quite at the prodigious level of the 2000. Civilized and approachable for a young Leoville-Barton, it exhibits a saturated plum/purple color along with classic Bordelais aromas of damp earth, creme de cassis, smoke, vanillin, and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied and rich, with high but well-integrated tannin, and a long, 40+ second finish, it should turn out to be a brilliant effort, and one of the stars of the Medoc. However, patience is essential. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020.

agavin: ok, this one cheated on the rules a bit.

2003 Cos d’Estournel. RP 93-98. Two terrific efforts from this vintage, the 2003 Cos d’Estournel (70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc) remains one of the superstars of the vintage. It offers an opaque ruby/purple hue as well as notes of incense, camphor, licorice, creme de cassis and graphite. Full-bodied, opulent, incredibly fresh and well-delineated, it can be consumed now and over the next decade. Kudos to the team at Cos d’Estournel.
2005 Cos d’Estournel. RP 98. The 2005 Cos d’Estournel is blended of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet colored, it is still a little closed and youthfully shy. With coaxing, the nose is just beginning to offer glimpses at vivacious kirsch, red roses, violets, licorice and mocha scents over a crème de cassis, blackberry pie and chocolate-covered cherry core with wafts of chargrill, mossy bark and truffles. Full-bodied, concentrated and wonderfully complex in the mouth, the palate is just beginning to reveal the true potential of this wine, with tightly wound layers of perfumed black fruits and earthy notions bound by a rock-solid frame of firm, grainy tannins and finishing with epic persistence. This still needs 5-6 years, but I love how this beauty is shaping up!!

Bread for the cheese. They said grilled ciabatta — but this just looks sliced.

3 cheese. Walnuts, dried black mission figs and grilled ciabatta.

This might be the most complex gelato I’ve made — Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte Gelato — base is Valrhona white chocolate, vanilla, with a dash of Kirsch. Then it’s layered with house-made chocolate cake soaked in Kirsch/Cherry syrup, Kirsch soaked Fabbri Amareno Cherries, house-made 70% Valrhona Chocolate Ganache, and topped with Valrhona shavings — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #WhiteChocolate #chocolate #ChocolateCake #cherry #BlackForestCake

Caramel Toffee Mandorla Dolce Gelato — base made with Sicilian Noto Romano Almond and house-made caramel instead of sugar, then layered with toffee/almond chunks — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #almond #sicily #RomanoAlmond #toffee #caramel

The wine lineup.

My wine notes (not very much to them).

Overall, this was another fantastic lunch. Sauvages lunch are always great, particularly when at interesting places (A.O.C. qualifies) and with good wine themes. Bordeaux was perfect. No crappy new worlds :-). Every wine was nice. Obviously some were better than others but we had no flawed bottles and people really brought great stuff. Service was first rate and the food was terrific. Really surprisingly great. Different than I remember it from 15 or so years ago at the old location, but great.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: AOC, Beverly Hills, Bordeaux, BYOG, Gelato, lunch, Sauvages, Wine

Dirty Dozen Prime

Apr06

Restaurant: Lawry’s The Prime Rib

Location: 100 La Cienega Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. (310) 652-2827

Date: February 20, 2020

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Surprisingly excellent — great service too

The blind tasting sub group of the hedonists, the Dirty Dozen, moves around. Tonight’s theme was Bordeaux 2000 and older and we chose:

Lawry’s The Prime Rib. Look at this “they don’t make ’em like they used to” dining room. I hadn’t been to Lawry’s in at least 20+ years. I think it might even have been at their previous location.

The menu.

NV Delamotte Champagne Brut. VM 92. Light yellow. Mineral-tinged peach, melon and pear aromas display excellent clarity, picking up a subtle floral quality with aeration. Supple and seamless on the palate, offering vivid honeydew and pit fruit flavors accented by a vibrant lemon zest quality. Finishes very long, silky and precise, with an echo of juicy melon and strong mineral lift.

2017 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Garenne. BH 90. A more elegant and slightly fresher nose exhibits notes of citrus, quinine and green fruit nuances. The tighter and better focused flavors exude a subtle minerality that adds the impression of lift to the sappy and dry finish that offers reasonable but not special depth. Once again, this could be drunk young with pleasure.

2017 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé. VM 93. Pale peach skin color. Intensely perfumed, mineral- and spice-accented aromas of fresh red berries and citrus fruits are complemented by building peach and floral qualities. Silky, focused and dry, offering concentrated yet lithe pit fruit, strawberry and blood orange flavors that show outstanding clarity and tension. Expands steadily on a very long, focused finish that leaves a sexy floral note behind.

Bread.

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail. Classic cocktail sauce.

2000 Château Péby Faugères. VM 90-91. Impressive saturated ruby. Roasted black cherry, dark chocolate, mocha and espresso on the nose. Lush and silky on the palate, with intense, nicely delineated dark berry and torrefaction flavors. Impressively concentrated and rich. Dense, vinous and solidly structured wine, with plenty of extract to support the firm tannins. Finishes with excellent length.
1998 Pavie Decesse. Parker 96. The 1998 Pavie Decesse is medium to deep garnet-brick in color and explodes with fabulous plum pudding, prunes, blackberry preserves and blueberry pie notes with hints of smoked meats, garrigue, dusty soil, cast iron pan and star anise with dried roses and cinnamon stick wafts. Full-bodied, concentrated and packed with rich exotic spice and black fruit preserves layers, it has loads of mineral and meat sparks and a very, very long, layered finish. Incredible! For cellaring potential, I give it 20+ more years.

2015 La Conseillante. Parker 96+. Composed of 81% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc and aged for 18 months in 70% new and 30% one-year-old French oak, the medium garnet-purple colored 2015 La Conseillante opens with reticent, earthy notes of dusty soil, garrigue, forest floor and iron ore with a core of warm plums, cassis, cigar boxes, star anise and dark chocolate plus a hint of violets. Medium to full-bodied with decadent fruit and a gorgeous plushness to the texture, the palate features impeccable poise and compelling depth, finishing on a lingering mineral note.

agavin: “someone” (not me :-)) “cheated” the rules as this clearly is younger than 2000

Cheesy Onion Fondue. Gruyere, Sherry Wine, Sourdough Toast. This was some delicious cheesy goo with just enough onion to add a bit of texture. I couldn’t stop myself from eating it.

Crab Cakes. Arugula Salad, Lemon. Not bad.

From my cellar: 1989 Troplong Mondot. Parker 95-96. A very youthful wine that probably will never hit the heights of the 1990 (but how many wines do?), this dense ruby/purple-colored wine has a very pure nose of roasted espresso, black cherry jam, blackberry, mineral, and even a hint of blueberry. Some smoke and high-quality toasty new oak are there, but now that seems to be fading into the background. Quite full-bodied, powerful, and concentrated, yet at the same time elegant, this wine still seems very young and unevolved. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025. Last tasted, 11/02.

agavin: slightly weird bottle, and placed with the salad, so it didn’t test well

1990 La Conseillante. Parker 94-98. This deep ruby/garnet-hued 1990 reveals considerable amber at the edge as well as a knock-out bouquet of cedar, kirsch, licorice, roasted herbs, and spice box. An exuberant, atypically flamboyant effort, it possesses supple texture, medium to full body, sweet fruit, plenty of glycerin, and attractive melted tannin. This wine has been delicious since birth, but additional nuances continue to develop in the bottle. Drink it over the next decade.

Caesar salad with anchovies. An decent but not great caesar.

House Wedge. Nueske’s Bacon, Point Reyes Blue, Cherry Tomatoes, Scallions, Baby Iceberg, Egg, Blue Cheese, and Vintage Dressings. Very nice wedge actually as there was lots of good chunky bacon (lardons).

Lawry’s Famous Spinning Bowl Salad. Spinach, Romaine, Iceberg, Shoestring Beets, Croutons, Egg, Vintage Dressing, Prepared Table-side. The dressing is a sort of sherry vinaigrette.

The “spinning” part is just how they apply the dressing.

Prep for the lobster bisque.

Lobster Bisque. Lobster Meat, Chives.

1985 Ducru-Beaucaillou. Parker 92. A wine of extraordinary charm and elegance, the dark garnet-colored 1985 Ducru-Beaucaillou has a floral, cedary nose intermixed with red and black currants as well as flowers. The wine is fully mature and soft, with beautiful concentration and purity. It is not a blockbuster, and certainly not nearly as powerful and massive as the 1986, but it is certainly much more seductive. This wine should continue to drink well for at least another 10-15 years. Anticipated maturity: Now-2012. Last tasted, 5/02.

1994 Léoville Las Cases. Parker 92-94. Michel Delon, a great man, is the consummate proprietor, meticulously administering this vast estate spread out along the St.-Julien/Pauillac border, separated from Latour’s finest vineyard by a mere ten feet. The 1993-95 vintages from Delon are brilliant wines. Leoville-Las-Cases remains one of the irrefutable reference points for high class Bordeaux. One of the more massive Medocs of the vintage, this opaque purple-colored wine exhibits fabulous richness and volume in the mouth. Layers of pure black-cherry and cassis fruit are intermixed with stony, mineral-like scents, as well as high quality toasty oak. Medium to full-bodied, with a sweet, rich entry, this wine possesses plenty of tannin, yet fabulous extract and length. Leoville-Las-Cases is one of the half-dozen great wines of the Medoc in 1994. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2025. This lion never falls asleep on the job!

1999 Léoville Las Cases. Parker 90-92. The 1999 Leoville Las Cases possesses a dense purple color as well as classic aromas of vanilla, black cherries, and currants mixed with subtle toasty oak. The wine is medium-bodied with sweet tannin, yet it remains young, backward, and unevolved (unusual for a 1999). Its extraordinary purity and overall harmony give it a character all its own. This excellent Las Cases will be at its finest between 2006-2022.

Prime Porterhouse. 32oz.

Iron Skillet Mushrooms. Seasonal Mushrooms, Garlic, Fresh Herbs.

Truffled Mac & Cheese. Very “light” as it was heavier on the mac than the cheese. But tasty.

1989 Pichon-Longueville Baron. Parker 96. Both the 1989 and 1990 vintages exhibit opaque, dense purple colors that suggest massive wines of considerable extraction and richness. The dense, full-bodied 1989 is brilliantly made with huge, smoky, chocolatey, cassis aromas intermingled with scents of toasty oak. Well-layered, with a sweet inner-core of fruit, this awesomely endowed, backward, tannic, prodigious 1989 needs another 5-6 years of cellaring; it should last for three decades or more. It is unquestionably a great Pichon-Longueville-Baron.

1986 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Parker 94-96. Now at 30 years of age, there is a gulf between the two Pichons in this vintage that no longer exists. The 1986 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has long been one of the best wines from the estate alongside the 1982 (even if the first bottle was a little oxidized). The second bottle was representative. It has a classic pencil-lead, cedar-infused nose that rockets from the glass, a subtle floral note developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple red berry fruit, a pinch of white pepper and cedar, structured compared to coeval vintages and perhaps further along its drinking plateau than previous examples. Certainly à point, I would be reaching for bottles of this now if you cannot locate those 1982s, or alternatively seek out the superlative 1996. This still remains a fine, rather regal Pichon-Lalande. Tasted July 2016.

1970 Latour. Parker 89-98. One of the top two or three wines of the vintage (Petrus and Trotanoy are noteworthy rivals), this young, magnificent Latour is still 5-10 years away from full maturity. The opaque garnet color is followed by a huge, emerging nose of black fruits, truffles, walnuts, and subtle tobacco/Graves-like scents. Full-bodied, fabulously concentrated and intense, with a sweet inner-core of fruit (a rarity in most 1970 Medocs), and high but well-integrated tannin, this enormously endowed, massive Latour should hit its prime by the end of the century and last for 2-3 decades thereafter. This is will be the longest-lived and potentially most classic wine of the vintage. Cream always comes to the top.

The Lawry’s Prime Ribeye. 22oz bone in. Really great steak and way better than the porterhouse — not because that wasn’t a nice porterhouse but the ribeye is a tastier cut.

Brussels Sprouts. Brown butter, garlic, almonds. Quite good. They should have thrown some of those lardons in for good measure too!

The toppings for the baked potato.

Lawry’s Classic Baked Potato. Nueske’s Bacon, butter, chives, sour cream. I don’t like baked potatoes but this was damn good — all the sour cream, chives, and lardon factor.

1985 Palmer. Parker 90. Tasted at the Château Palmer vertical in London, the 1985 Château Palmer was clearly a favourite amongst the participants in the tasting, although here I actually concur with Robert Parker – it’s a pleasant Margaux, but not the most complex wine of the vintage. You get the feeling that it doesn’t fire on all cylinders. It has an appealing bacon fact and savory bouquet – a little smudged, but full of charm. The palate is fleshy on the entry, perhaps here with a touch of brettanomyces, the acidity nicely judged with expressive Merlot defining the finish. It does not “take off” as the greatest 1985s are wont to do, yet you would contentedly polish off a bottle, seduced by its easy-going nature. Tasted May 2015.

2000 La Mission Haut-Brion. Parker 100! One of the wines of the vintage, the 2000 has barely budged in its evolution since it was bottled and released in 2002. After ten years in bottle, it still reveals a dense opaque purple color along with a potentially sensational bouquet of blueberries, black currants, graphite, asphalt and background oak. Extremely powerful, full-bodied and superbly concentrated with good acidity and high but round tannins, this massive La Mission-Haut-Brion should take its place among this estate’s most hallowed vintages when it hits full maturity in another one to two decades. I was surprised by just how youthful this wine tasted at age 12. If tasted blind, I would have guessed it to be around 4 to 5 years old. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050.

This deco style cart has apparently been in use for over 80 years! Wow!

Toppings for the Prime Rib — namely horseradish and Yorkshire Pudding.

Prime Rib inside the cart.

Close up.

Cutting the rib.

Plating the rib.

Beef Bowl Double Cut Prime Rib. Celebratory Rose Bowl Cut. I’m not sure I “get” prime rib. This was a nice hunk of meat, but the slow cooking method leaves it moist but not very flavorful.

Regular Horseradish and Lawry’s Whipped Cream Horseradish.

Yorkshire Pudding. Basically a brioche like thing. I can’t say this did anything for me.

Cauliflower Gratin. Gruyere, Herb Brioche, Crumbs. This was pretty good.

They keep the mashed potatoes in the cart.

Buttery Mashed Potatoes with Gravy.

Cart Side: Creamed Corn.

Cart Side: Creamed Spinach. Served with bacon.

The dessert menu.

1998 Raymond-Lafon. Parker 93. Medium gold colored, the 1998 Raymond-Lafon has a very pretty, lifted citrus nose of candied orange peel, lime cordial and preserved kumquat plus wafts of lanolin and fungi. Rich, full-on decadent and seductive in the mouth, it has plenty of allspice and honeyed characters coming through on the long finish.

Snickerdoodle Snickerdoodle Gelato — An eggy cinnamon vanilla custard base with my house-made Snickerdoodle Cookie bits mixed in — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #snickerdoodle #cookie #cinnamon #vanilla

Warm Chocolate Fantasy Cake. Served with Fosselman’s Vanilla Ice Cream. The cake itself was too dry and there wasn’t enough icing.

Coconut Banana Cream Pie. Good except for the banana (which I hate).

Creme Brûlée. Served with fresh fruit. The custard was a bit soft.

The lineup.

Various scores.

The gang — plus a photobomb by Ron Jermey (who just happened to be eating at Lawry’s at the same time).

Overall, this was one of the best Dirty Dozen’s in a long while — if not the best Dirty Dozen Red. I was pleasantly surprised by Lawry’s. Nice atmosphere, and while we should have been in the private room (someone, not going to name any names, didn’t want to commit to the minimum), the service was impeccable. Our server was pretty incredible. This is a big group (14) and a complex 5-6 course order and she got it down absolutely perfectly. She checked on everything too. Really really professional. The food was generally great too. Not perfect, but most things were very good. I’m not sure I “get” Prime Rib, but I have the feeling it’s a great PR they serve here. Wines showed pretty well (except mine and one other) but it was a very fun night.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Beverly Hills, blind tasting, Bordeaux, Dirty Dozen, Gelato, GYOG, hedonists, Lawry's, Meat, Prime Rib, Steak

Sauvages Bordeaux

Sep12

Restaurant: Private Chef, David Slatkin

Location: Bel Air

Date: July 27, 2019

Cuisine: American

This particular entry in my series of Friday afternoon wine themed Sauvages lunches was set at…

Member Jeff’s lovely backyard and features food by private chef David Slatkin.

We dined at this lovely table — it would be romantic except this is about a dozen old winos :-).

Even Hercules, the dog, knows how to have a good time.

NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé. VM 92. We started with a demi-bouteille of Billecart-Salmon Rosé: a safe option, but it does the job, even though I would say that a full bottle is better.

Ceviche “tacos.” Food notes are a little sketchy because I don’t have a menu and am writing this up weeks later.

Beet and goat cheese skewers. “Classic,” but still delicious.

From my cellar: 2004 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 96. I am thrilled with the way the 2004 Comtes de Champagne continues to evolve in bottle. A few years ago, the 2004 was quite focused and linear, in the style of the vintage, but more recently, the wine has begun to fill out beautifully. The 2004 remains bright, with a full range of citrus, white flower and mineral nuances that dance on the palate. A brisk, saline-infused finish rounds things out beautifully in a Comtes that impresses for its crystalline purity. I expect the 2004 will always remain a bit cool next to the more opulent 2002, but it is still drop-dead gorgeous.

Oyster shooters.

Beef tartar on polenta.

2015 Château Cos d’Estournel Blanc. VM 91. Jeff gives it 92 points. A bright, juicy, fresh blast yellow citrus with a hint of lime. Quite vibrant and fruity. Drink now, or age it for a few more years.

2004 Y de Yquem. 93 points, Jeff says: Bright, peppy, energetic blast of grapefruit, lemon and honeysuckle with loads of fresh, yellow citrus with just a hint of honey in the finish. This is drinking in its sweet spot today.

Sea bass with basil, beans, and bacon. Bacon makes everything better.

1986 Château Lafite Rothschild. VM 96. The 1986 Lafite-Rothschild is a great wine although over several recent encounters it is never a convincing “perfect” wine. This mirrors the bottle I tasted at the property in 2016: blackberry and graphite on the nose, gawky at first, but coalescing with time. The palate is well balanced with firm tannins, strong graphite scents unfolding with time, superb energy if not delivering quite the finesse and precision that the very best Lafite-Rothschild will bestow. This is a wine that benefits from long decanting, say five or six hours, though it never quite reaches the ethereal heights that it could have done. Tasted at the International Business & Wine First Growth Dinner at the Four Seasons.

1982 Château Lynch-Bages. VM 92. Dark red with a hint of garnet. A floral element lifts the very ripe aromas of kirsch and spicecake. Smooth, juicy, balanced and clean, with flavors of raspberry jam, graphite and tar exhibiting very good sweetness. Lively, balanced acidity confers precision and cut to this easygoing midweight. Finishes linear and long, with plenty of charm.

1982 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. 96 points. Deep red-ruby color. Liqueur-like aromas of currant, cedar, lead pencil, truffle and smoked meat. Magically sweet and silky in the mouth, with superb depth of flavor and a complete absence of rough edges. A huge wine with utterly compelling sweetness and great terroir character. Powerful if somewhat unrestrained. Finishes ripely tannic, long and sweet. Many tasters still rank this among their two or three favorites of the vintage. Drink now to 2015.

Gnocchi with lobster and morels. Probably my favorite savory dish, but I do like pasta and mushrooms — particularly morels.

2000 Château Léoville Poyferré. VM 90. Good full medium ruby. Subdued, slightly roasted nose combines cassis, cherry and chocolate mint. Chocolatey-sweet but less deep and expressive than the ’02 and ’01. Offers good currant and cherry flavors but seems a bit dry-edged and medicinal for a 2000, without quite the harmony of components of the subsequent vintages here.

1989 Château Lynch-Bages. VM 96. The 1989 Lynch Bages is a wine that in multiple tastings has never really put a foot wrong and as it approaches 30 years, one wonders just how long this Pauillac is going to give so much drinking pleasure. Those enticing blackberry and cedar scents remain in situ, maybe less pencil lead here compared to previous bottles. Yet, you have to stand back to admire the intensity and sheer brio of these aromatics. The palate is still unbelievably fresh, this the most youthful example that I have encountered with pure black fruit laced with cedar, just a hint of chestnut towards the symmetrical finish. When I first tasted the 1989 I remarked that it is equal to a First Growth, a sentiment that I have no hesitation in repeating. Jean-Michel Cazes would not make a better wine until the following year. Tasted at a private dinner in Bordeaux.

From my cellar: 1990 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron. VM 96. The 1990 Pichon-Baron is a sensational wine that must have had the First Growth rattled when it was released. At 28 years old, it is still reveling in its precocious growing season. The multidimensional bouquet features blackberry, graphite, cedar and mint flanked by iodine and warm gravel on a summer day. Wow! The palate is medium-bodied, delivering a mixture of red and black fruit, a fine mineral undercurrent and a long, precise finish: blackberry, cedar and graphite remain in the mouth for a good 60 seconds. Still a fabulous Pauillac after all these years. Tasted at the Pichon-Baron vertical at the château.

Jeff gives it 98 points: This is a super wine. In fact, I am not sure there is a better example for the money in the market today for a great Pauillac with bottle age. This has everything you need in a mature Left Bank wine. It is rich, powerful, concentrated and multi-layered. But the wine is not showy, it’s restrained. The aromatic profile is text-book with its tobacco leaf, smoke, cassis, blackberry, wet earth and herbal notes. The texture is masculine and refined, with a finish that doesn’t quit. An hour at most is all this needs in the decanter.

Meat, two ways.

1996 Château Latour Grand Vin. VM 94. The 1996 Latour is a wine that I often find overrated and did not achieve everything that might have been possible in this favourable growing season. That said, this might well be the best of around two dozen bottles I have encountered over the years. As usual, the 1996 is decidedly austere at first, standoffish, looks down its nose at you. Yet it coalesces with time and develops engaging cedar-scented black fruit tinged with pencil box and a touch of iris with time. The palate (again) is a little muted at first but it soon found its voice and evolved very fine tannin allied with a crisp line of acidity. It is not quite as demonstrative as it was even just a couple of years ago, gained some detail and perhaps it will continue to meliorate. Very fine, very fine indeed – but not a patch of say, the Château Margaux or perhaps even Léoville Las Cases. Tasted at the International Business & Wine Latour dinner at Ten Trinity.

Jeff gives it 99 points: A stunning wine in every sense of the word. Full-bodied, deep, concentrated, regal and long, the wine is packed with ripe, juicy, sweet, fresh dark red fruits, tobacco, earth and spice. Concentrated, balanced and complex, this is still youthful. The finish really hangs in there. You can enjoy it now with 2 hours of air. Or give it another 5-10-15 years in the cellar for more development.

1996 Château Margaux. VM 96+. Bright full ruby. Pure, perfumed aromas of cassis and violet. Dense and tactile in the mouth; a huge, chewy wine with major extract but also considerable refinement. Almost painfully backward today, and a bit less perfumed than it was in the year or so after the bottling, but the huge tannins show no hardness. Another great expression of cabernet sauvignon from the ’96 vintage. Drink 2015 through 2040.

1998 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 92. The 1998 Mouton Rothschild is another wine that I had not tasted for several years. It is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Compared directly with the 1988, there is clearly some improvement for the bouquet is fresher with greater complexity – blackberry, cedar, a spring of fresh mint and a little juniper berry for good measure. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin. Like many Pauillac 1998s, this feels quite structured and masculine, but at least there is adequate fruit tucked in just behind. It segues into a rather ferrous last third, fresh and precise with a sustained finish. Although it lags behind more recent vintages under Dhalluin, it appears to be at its peak after 20 years and should remain there for another decade. Tasted at the château.

Jeff gives it 95 points: The wine starts off with an array of layers in the perfume. Full-bodied and concentrated, with layers of fruit. But the finish is a bit clipped. The wine is very good, but the brief finish is a bit disappointing. Time will add complexities, but the finish is probably not going to get any better.

Beef with chanterelles, green beans, and mashed Peruvian purple potato.

1996 La Mondotte. VM 91. Black ruby. Slightly high-toned aromas of raspberry, minerals and toffee. Extroverted, sweet and powerful in the mouth, with superb density for the vintage. Finishes with huge but well-distributed tannins. This is 100% merlot, while the ’97 and ’98 include 20%-25% cabernet franc; von Neipperg says he picked the cab franc too early in ’96 and found it too rustic to include in the blend.

Jeff gives it 94 points: Mature, richly textured, ripe, sweet, lush and fresh, there is no reason to hold this any longer. While not at the level of subsequent vintages, the wine is quite nice, especially for the vintage.

2000 Château Pavie Decesse. VM 93. Bright, deep ruby. Explosive aroma of roasted black cherry. Dense, highly concentrated and deep, with penetrating, palate-saturating flavors of blackberry and black cherry framed by firm underlying minerality. A wine of great force; despite its major ripeness, there’s also a cool, medicinal aspect that’s utterly refreshing. Finishes with big, broad tannins and outstanding length.

Cheese plate.

My cryptic notes on the main wines.

1986 Château de Fargues. 93 points. Sublime; shows why 86 is such a fantastic year for Sauternes – a perfect balance of body, acid, and sweetness. Has it all.

Soufflé with peaches and whipped cream.

House-made chocolate chip cookies.

Gelati by moi:

Italian Lemon Cookie Meringue Pie — Limoncello Zabaione base with lemon cookie flavor mixed with Italian Lemon Creme Cookies and Sicilian Candied Lemon and topped with house-made toasted Meringue — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato) — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #lemon #LemonCookie #cookie #Sicily #Sorento #Limoncello #Meringue #LemonMeringuePie

Radical new flavor: Gianduja Extra Virgin Olive Oil — a tricky high fat EVOO base made with 2014 Giuseppe Quintarelli Olive Oil and layered with house-made Piedmontese Hazelnut and Valrhona Chocolate Ganache — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato) — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #evoo #OiliveOil #Quintarelli #SavorySweet #ganache #valrhona #chocolate #hazelnut

Some bonus wine:

1995 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 95. Jeff gives it 94 points: There is a bit more strictness and severity to the wine that is becoming more apparent over the years. The wine has power, loads of tannin, and the fruit is ripe, but the increasing austerity that is an issue with many 1995 Bordeaux wines is something to take note of.

Even more bonus wine:

1998 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle. VM 92. Red-ruby. Expressive nose combines currant, roast coffee, chicory, underbrush and smoke. Suave yet penetrating in the mouth, with complex flavors of redcurrant, iron, minerals, smoke and tobacco. Finishes with dusty tannins and excellent length, though there still some acidity to be absorbed. This is showing well now, though its slightly more advanced aromatics suggest it will not be as long-lived as the ’99.

Overall, a great lunch with really good food and amazing wines — all of which were drinking in great form. I don’t buy too much Bordeaux anymore, but they are really great when you give them a few years.

After the dinner proper a couple of us retired up the stairs to a lovely terrace on top of the yard and sipped our “bonus wines” (the 95 Mouton and Hermitage).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bel Air, Bordeaux, BYOG, David Slatkin, Gelato, Sauvages, Wine

Double Eagle is Pretty Standard

May13

Restaurant: Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse

Location: 10250 Santa Monica Blvd Suite 1700, Los Angeles, CA 90067. (323) 784-0473

Date: April 15, 2019

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Middling

Some of our core gang members decided to try out the new Del Frisco’s Double Eagle.

It’s a monster of a steakhouse in Century City — 15,000 square feet of restaurant — and represents Del Frisco’s attempt to go more upscale. Their regular place is like this.

It’s all those levels on the right.

The build out is very extensive/expensive — in a kind of corporate fake way.

From my cellar: 2004 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 96. I am thrilled with the way the 2004 Comtes de Champagne continues to evolve in bottle. A few years ago, the 2004 was quite focused and linear, in the style of the vintage, but more recently, the wine has begun to fill out beautifully. The 2004 remains bright, with a full range of citrus, white flower and mineral nuances that dance on the palate. A brisk, saline-infused finish rounds things out beautifully in a Comtes that impresses for its crystalline purity. I expect the 2004 will always remain a bit cool next to the more opulent 2002, but it is still drop-dead gorgeous.

Bread.

Menu.

2014 La Chablisienne Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses. BH 94. Moderate wood frames the green fruit, floral, citrus and mineral reduction scents. The highly energetic and beautifully well-detailed middle weight flavors possess excellent minerality on the balanced, saline and Zen-like finale. This is quite simply terrific.

Stone Crab Claws with mustard. This was amazingly, I think, two portions. They were fairly flat and bland. And certainly small.

Chilled Shrimp “tasting”. Traditional Cocktail Sauce, Remoulade & Garlic Marinade. Nothing to write home about. And $4.33 a shrimp.

Shanghai-style Fried Calamari. Sweet Chili Glaze, Bean Sprouts, Cherry Peppers, Crushed Peanuts & Scallions. About as Shanghai as Shanghai McNuggets — but this was actually the first tasty dish as fried squid with sweet chili sauce is hard to get wrong.

1976 Château La Mission Haut-Brion. Another aged winner, this had a huge spicy aroma with hints of leather, cedar and cigar box complimenting the black currant fruit in the taste; it held up and finished as it started; a mild bit of sweetness came in late; enjoyable mature Bordeaux.

Thick-Cut Nueske’s Bacon au Poivre. Bourbon Molasses Glaze. Now this was tasty. Fatty, of course. And Sweet, and not really innovative or anything — but tasty.

Erick brought: 1985 Domaine de Chevalier. JG 93. It has been several years since I last saw a bottle of the 1985 DDC, but when last tasted in 2007, it was showing outstanding potential. The deep, pure and beautifully refined nose wafts from the glass in a blend of red plums, cherries, tobacco leaf, black truffles, cocoa powder, beautifully complex soil tones and a deft touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and velvety on the attack, with a fine core of sappy fruit, modest tannins, sound acids and outstanding length and grip on the really intense finish. This is a beautiful vintage of DDC that was just entering its plateau of peak maturity in 2006 and should continue to drink well for many decades to come.

Classic Caesar. Crisp Romaine Leaves, Shaved Parmesan, Croutons & Caesar Dressing. Anchovies.

Blue Cheese Lettuce Wedge. Iceberg, Cherry Tomatoes, Crisp Bacon & Danish Blue Cheese Dressing. Okay enough wedge.

Kirk brought: 1990 Château Trotanoy. VM 91. Bright red with an amber rim. Gamey aromas of black cherry, fig, leather, ink and spices; conveys an impression of rusticity. Fresh and lively on entry, then earthy and supple in the middle, with ripe acidity framing the black fruit and licorice pastille flavors. At once densely packed and lively, with a very long finish featuring substantial but smooth tannins and a trace of bitterness. This delicious, silky, open-knit Trotanoy is currently drinking well.

A dry aged cut. Maybe ?

Lobster Macaroni & Cheese. Certainly good. Not the best I’ve ever had. But I’ll give it some props.

Sautéed wild mushrooms & pearl onions.

1996 Château La Mission Haut-Brion. VM 91. Full ruby-red. Very reticent aromas of plum, black cherry, leather, dark chocolate and flowers; faint suggestion of surmaturite. Fat with sweet fruit; lush and voluminous for the vintage. Finishes with big but very even tannins that spread out on the palate.

From my cellar: 1996 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. VM 97+. What a treat it is to taste these two Pichon Lalandes straight from the chateau’s cellar. The 1996 Pichon Lalande is stratospheric from the very first taste. The deep, layered bouquet alone is deeply transfixing. Smoke, mocha, dark spices, lavender, crème de cassis, a host of dark-fleshed fruits and a touch of warm, resonant sweetness from the French oak draw me in. All of those sensations follow through to the palate, where the wine is massive, intense and totally enveloping. Time has softened the tannins to the point the 1996 is ready to drink, but there is enough sheer concentration here to support another 20-30 years of exceptional drinking. I am not sure I possess the vocabulary to describe just how captivating the 1996 is, but I do know this: If I had an opportunity to pick up a few well-stored bottles I would take it in a nanosecond. Readers holding the 1996 should be thrilled. The 1996 Pichon Lalande is a magnificent wine with plenty of upside. In word: fabulous.

Larry brought: 1996 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron. VM 94. The 1996 Pichon-Baron now has a superior bouquet to the 1995. There is much better definition here, and the scents of blackberry, graphite, smoke and a touch of gravel are all very harmonious and focused – quintessential Pauillac. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and very fresh in the mouth. Hints of blood orange suffuse vivid black fruit tinged with a core of mineralité toward the finish. This is a seriously fine Pichon-Baron that seems to be pulling away from the 1995. Easily the peak of the nineties. Superb. Tasted at the Pichon-Baron vertical at the château.

Fancy salt tasting.

This premium steak came out to be cut table-side. The “Double Eagle” 45 day dry-aged double bone prime ribeye.

Let the carving begin.

Chop chop.

Slice slice.

Plate plate.

Thick-cut onion rings. Nice staking method.

Creamed corn. Blistered shishito peppers. This was pretty delicious.

I brought some gelato as usual, as I had a motherlode from my 6 batch set the other day.

Testing out a new Italian nut source — Salty Pistachio Gelato – using my new egg yolk based nut formulation with the new Sicilian Pistachio to produce a pistachio base with a slight saltiness — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #salty #pistachio #sicily #nuts

Testing out a new Italian nut source — Caramel Nocciola Gelato – using my new egg yolk based nut formulation with the new Piedmontese hazelnut to produce a hazelnut base, then adding in house-made caramel and chopped up hazelnuts — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #hazelnut #Nocciola #caramel #nuts

Traditional Cassata di Siciliana Gelato — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Sicilian Christmas cake as a gelato, with a ricotta almond base mixed with candied fruit and dark Valrhona chocolate chunks — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Cassata #Valrhona #CandiedFruit #fruit #chocolate #ricotta #almond #RicottaCheese #cheese #CassataSiciliana

Testing out a new Italian nut source — Salty Pistachio Gelato – using my new egg yolk based nut formulation with the new Almond to produce the base, then weaving in Italian apricot variegate — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #nuts #almond #apricot

Very Cherry Gelato – a super intense amarena cherry gelato topped with candied amarena cherries — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #amarena #cherry

Overall, while we had a fun time this particular night, there were some issues.

First of all, the menu is a bit boring. It’s just slightly up scaled Del Friscos. There is no unique signature to anything. The food execution reflected that. It wasn’t bad. Many dishes were certainly tasty. I liked the meats themselves. The sides. Appetizers were pretty uninspired.

They have a big wine-list. Fairly impressive. But I don’t see who will be ordering the expensive stuff. It just doesn’t feel exclusive or really upscale enough for a serious baller work steakhouse dinner.

They had a TON of staff, and service was okay, but not amazing. Lots of people running around or not doing anything. Wine service was very NICE, but not actually that great. The Somm, while extremely friendly and personable, and extremely accommodating, didn’t anticipate the needs of moving through 8 bottles of wine with 6 people. You have to get it IN THE GLASS for a flight BEFORE the food arrives. If you are opening bottles, fetching stems, etc after or when the food arrives, the wine will all pile up at the end. We had to keep prompting him about this, and we had nearly half of it left at dessert. It takes real anticipation to get the wine shoved through one of these multi-course dinners.

The rent has to be crazy. Now, I’m sure Westfield (the mall owners) gave them huge TIs for the build out. But I can’t possible see this place full any percentage of the time. It’s not a bad steakhouse at all, but it’s not really inspired either. And there are a lot of steakhouses in Los Angeles. So why would you come to this one unless you were just at the mall? And then it makes one hell of an expensive mall dinner.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (3)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bordeaux, BYOG, Century City, Del Frisco's, Double Eagle, Gelato, hedonists, onion rings, Steak, steakhouse, Wine

Still Cuts It

Mar01

Restaurant: Wolfgang Puck’s Cut [1, 2]

Location: 9500 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, California 90212. P: 310-276-8500

Date: February 1, 2019

Cuisine: Steak House

Rating: Top quality

It’s been since 2012 that the Foodie Club has been to Cut and so this year for Erick’s birthday we decided to hit it up again.

Cut is located inside the Beverly Wilshire Hotel (think Pretty Woman) and is Wolfgang Puck’s take on redefining the American Steak House. In this, it succeeds very well. While it adheres to the Steak House basics: slabs of beef served plain on the plate, Cut upgrades things in a number of ways. But we’ll get to this in good time.

Fancy cars in the causeway.

They don’t build ’em like they used to!

We were early and had this view for half an hour while waiting to sit.

The dining room looks light in this photograph but it wasn’t! And they didn’t allow flash, so the photography was challenging to say the least. I had to shoot mostly wide open at 1.8 and so depth of field is tiny.

The current menu.

Erick brought as bonus: 2012 Georges Laval Champagne Les Hautes Chevres. VM 94. Laval’s 2012 Brut Nature Les Hautes-Chèvres, 100% Pinot Meunier, is a dense, powerful wine. The old-vine gravitas of this site, planted between 1930 and 1971, comes through loud and clear in the wine’s ample frame. Dense, powerful and broad on the palate, the 2012 is all class. Dried pear, hazelnut, smoke and dried herbs add tons of complexity. The finish is substantial and intense in all of its dimensions.

Cheesy puffs as an amuse.

Smoked Burrata Cheese. Oro Blanco, Cara Cara Oranges, Tangerines, Charred Fennel. Everyone has a burrata salad but this was a good one — what you can see if it in focus. Colorful, and the combination of greens, cheese, and citrus was nice.

Sea Urchin. Horseradish custard, dungeness crab, bergamont vinegar, avocado. This was more crab than uni by a long shot but was delicious.

And sadly you really can’t see much at this depth of field.

Bread sticks and pretzel bread. I love good pretzel bread.

Wine service started off a touch slow, but was very good, and they have us our own sidecar table and multiple decanters.

Speaking of the wine, Seb convinced us beforehand to coordinate a 4 bottle mini vertical of Château Léoville Las Cases. He, Erick, and I brought them and I swapped an extra one with Erick’s friend Sijie Xiang — who brought me an excellent non-LLC bottle of Bordeaux in exchange.

From my cellar: 1985 Château Léoville Las Cases. VM 96. The 1985 Léoville Las-Cases is quite simply one of the finest Saint-Julien wines of the decade and over a dozen encounters have reaffirmed this as the most pleasurable Las-Cases ever made. This is a stupendous bottle, perhaps the best that I have ever encountered. It has a brilliantly defined bouquet that soars from the glass: red berry fruit, crushed stone, pressed flower, a hint of blood orange and woodland aromas. You could nose this all day. The palate is medium-bodied with the depth and structure one expects from this Second Growth. But what the 1985 has in spades, a virtue not always found at this address, is charm. Silky smooth in texture, the pure red fruit seduces the sense with a shimmering sense of energy on the finish. It is drinking now after three decades and based on this showing could give another three before it declines.

agavin: awesome bottle and WOTN

From my cellar (for Sijie Xiang): 1989 Château Léoville Las Cases. JK 93. A gorgeous, perfectly mature LB Bordeaux. Concentrated with mature, complex fruit and loaded with secondary and tertiary notes of aged cedar, dried tobacco leafs and bell pepper. Elegant with a leanness that doesn’t compromise forward, fleshy fruit. Can hold but really no reason to hold — drink now and enjoy a great, mature Bordeaux.

agavin: very good too, and smooth, but not as powerful or complex as the 1985.

Bluefin Tuna Toro. Smoked Soy Sauce, pickled daikon radish, apple sorrel. We didn’t get much each, but what we did was a lovely sashimi-like bite.

Prime Sirloin Steak Tartare. Herb aioli, grilled sourdough, shallots, dijon mustard. We mixed it all up, including the quail egg. Delicious tartar — really good. Right balance of tangy, meat, pepper etc.

Erick brought: 1995 Château Léoville Las Cases. VM 94+. Deep ruby-red. Deep, lively aromas of red- and blackcurrants, licorice, tobacco and grilled nuts. Great sweetness and silky texture in the mouth currently overshadows the wine strong supporting acidity and tight core of spice and minerals. The toothcoating tannins don’t cover as much of the mouth as those of the ’96 do, but this wine offers uncanny length.

Seb brought (decanted way in advance): 2005 Château Léoville Las Cases. VM 98. A wine for the ages, the 2005 Léoville Las Cases is slow to come out of the gate, but its beauty and pedigree are evident. The 2005 Las Cases is one of the only wines in this tasting that still needs time in bottle, something that won’t come as a surprise to fans of this St. Julien estate. The 2005 offers plenty of the typical Las Cases power, but it is also remarkably nuanced and translucent for a wine of its sheer size. When all is said and done, it is in my top three or four wines of the night.

agavin: the powerhouse monster of the night. Amazing wine and good thing Seb decanted it early that day.

A duo of Snake River Farms Filet Mignon and Nebraska Dry Aged 36 Day Petite Cut New York.

On the side there was some Cavatappi Pasta “Mac & Cheese” with Quebec cheddar. We also ordered Soft Polenta with Parmigiano Reggiano but it was gone faster than I could photo it (given the low light and the fact that I was using a tripod).

A set of sauces including Red Wine Bordelaise, House Made Steak Sauce, and a couple others. I like extra flavor so I’m a sauce guy.

Cauliflower, vadouvan, coconut, curry leaves. Nice interesting veggie.

Celery Root, salsify, carrots, wildflower honey.

Wild Field Mushrooms, shishito peppers, mirin, yuzu. Loves this version of the sautéed mushrooms. The shishitos were great.

The dessert menu.

Baked Alaska. Tangerine Sherbet, Vanilla Gelato, Buttermilk White Chocolate Cake, Candied Kumquats.

They light it on fire in the traditional manner.

Wow this was a great dessert, one of the best baked alaska versions I’ve tasted. Nice hot and cold and texture variance going on.

Orange Honey Nougat Glace. Passion Fruit Granita, lemon yuzu curd, winter citrus. Another dessert winner as it had all those tart flavors.

And for Erick’s birthday: BCP. Caramelized banana, tahitian vanilla custard, puff pastry, banana sorbet, salted caramel sauce. I assume BCP stands for Banana Custard Pastry. It was enough in control banana-wise that I could try it.

The full wine lineup.

Overall, Cut is very very good, if a little expensive. It does succeed in taking the Steak House format and shaking it up a bit, elevating the ingredients and presentation, etc. Partly by offering unusual cuts of beef, partly by having newer more modern appetizers and sides. Execution is very good. Service is very good. It isn’t as over the top as Mastro’s. Not that Cut is lightest meal ever, but I definitely felt less “bombed” than at some other steakhouses, which was nice. Maybe they use less butter. Cut is probably the best Steakhouse in LA, maybe tied with Alexanders on a good night.

More Foodie Club extravaganzas here.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Beverly Hills, Bordeaux, Château Léoville Las Cases, Cut, Dessert, Foodie Club, Leoville Las Cases, Steak, steakhouse, Uni, Wagyū, Wine, Wolfgang Puck

Goodbye Valentino

Jan28

Restaurant: Valentino Santa Monica [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]

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

Date: December 14, 2018

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: My last meal here!

It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of the venerable and classic Valentino in Santa Monica. It’s been around for nearly 40 years and was at one time (in the 90s) the best Italian Restaurant in LA, if not the country, being one of the first American Italian places to offer extremely Italian, highly refined, ingredient focused food. Now it’s been a bit long in the tooth for some time now, and the cheffing not what it once was, but I’ve been there for so many wine dinners it’s like a second home.

So for our final Sauvages lunch of the year — oddly Bordeaux themed rather than Italian — we celebrate the legacy of the grand dame of LA Italian Fine dining.

Starting with some Champagnes.

There were so many wines this afternoon that I’m feeling too lazy to write them all up.

Now the passed appetizers:

Crocchette of polenta stuffed with egg and cheese?

Crostini with burrata.

Shrimp wrapped in bacon.

Arancini cheese balls.

Pizza Bianca.

Decorated for the holidays.

Or special menu today.

Whole Calamari Stuffed with Lobster and Braised in Light Tomato Broth and Oregano. I didn’t love this dish. A touch fishy.

I Tortini Gemelli di Melanzana e Fungi. Twin flans of eggplant and wild mushroom. These I liked because I’m partial to the soft baked texture of flans.

Spaghetti al Cipollotto with pancetta, mild onions, cherry tomatoes, parmesan & buffalo blue. Nice pasta. I always love some good pancetta with my pasta.
Duet of Stuffed Rabbit and Quail. Very meaty.

I forgot to take the picture of their dessert which was Budino alla Vaniglia e Croccante and Italian Praline-Caramel Pudding. My gelato (below) was plated next to it and was better, of course :-).

Excellent dessert wine.

The holiday flavors continue — Traditional Cassata di Siciliana Gelato — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Sicilian Christmas cake as a gelato, with a ricotta almond base mixed with candied fruit and dark Valrhona chocolate chunks — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #Cassata #Valrhona #CandiedFruit #fruit #chocolate #ricotta #almond #RicottaCheese #cheese CassataSiciliana

The holiday flavors continue — Eggnog Gelato — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — pure traditional eggnog made as a gelato with a real rum/sugar/egg zabaglione core — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #eggnog #rum #nutmeg #cinnamon #egg #zabaglione

Macchiato.

The filled room.

The afternoon served as a sort of parting function for owner, host and restaurant luminary Piero Selvaggio — and somewhat by coincidence Wolfgang Puck was there and joined in.

Everyone cheers Stuart on as he toasts his friend Piero.

The whole lineup of Bordeaux.

There was a ladies table at this event. Kinda a bit funny with its own wines, and they ordered off the menu rather than having or set lunch.

Piero and Wolfgang taste and drink.

Service was great as always, as Valentino really takes care of us — we are, after all friends of the owner, some for many many years. Sommlier/wine director Paul was in the house and handled all the wines to perfection.

The food itself was fairly typical of recent Valentino set menus with some nice dishes and a few more ho-hum ones. Piero is such a fine host that I really wish he had kept both the food and decor a bit more up to date. Spago has actually done a much better job of this and is still quite busy (and expensive).

To see more Sauvages lunches, click here.

Below is the long parade of Bordeaux. There were some seriously excellent wines in the bunch including the 1990 Margaux and 1982 Haut Brion!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bordeaux, BYOG, Dessert, Gelato, lunch, Piero Selvaggio, Santa Monica, Sauvages, Valentino, Wine

Mayhem at Mastro’s

Dec24

Restaurant: Mastro’s [1, 2, 3]

Location: 246 North Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, Ca 90210. 310-888-8782

Date: December 20, 2015

Cuisine: Steak House

Rating: My favorite LA Steak joint

My friend Sebastian picked Mastros for his birthday dinner — no complaints here — so we all hauled out the wines and headed across town.

For good times were to be had!

Sebastian brought: 1992 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. VM 91. Very fine aromas of quinine, lemon, lime, minerals and gingery; lightly musky suggestion of yeast autolysis. Very intensely flavored and solidly structured but already quite accessible and open to inspection. Slightly aggressive finish shows excellent persistence. Doesn’t offer the complexity or grip of the best D.P. vintages, but this is ripe and delicious wine.

A seafood tower for seven. The quality of the seafood here is impeccable and the only thing we had to complain about was that there wasn’t enough! Really for five we would have expected the two or three story version Still there were amazing shrimp, claws, king crab (didn’t taste frozen), and oysters.

One of the things that really makes the Mastro’s seafood tower are the sauces. We have cocktail, a spicy mustard, and the Atomic Horseradish. They use this particular magic brand (you can buy it here). The stuff is — pardon my French — fucking awesomely potent. I’ve taken to buying it myself for home. No other horseradish is this punishing. It has a nice flavor too. I particularly like it mixed in with the cocktail sauce. It can have you literally pounding the table in pain — ahem pleasure.

We broke out the appetizers into two separate courses, the seafood tower and salads/hot apps (below).

From my cellar: 2002 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet. VM 94. Extremely unevolved aromas of pineapple, spiced apple and grapefruit skin. Thick, rich flavors of grapefruit, apple and minerals; showing a slightly flat, oxidized, resiny character today, as well as a leesy component. A very substantial wine, but presently awkward. My range is just a rough estimate of the wine’s potential quality. “The 2002 whites will need longer on their lees, even if they are transferred from barriques to vats,” says Prost. “They’ll be bottled on the late side, even if the reds get an early bottling.”

From my cellar: 2000 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest. VM 93+. Pale green-tinged straw. Reticent but ripe and highly nuanced nose combines peach, nectarine, lime, lemon skin, nuts and an intriguing, soil-inflected vegetal/smoky quality. Very dry, taut and reserved yet already rich and mouthfilling, with the ripe fruit notes perfectly supported by a flavor of liquid stone. A wine of great energy, finishing with explosive length and powerful minerality. Grand cru size and cut.

Classic escargot. Buttery garlic goodness.

Seared ahi tuna.

Bone marrow and toast — have a bit of fat!

Mastros chopped salad.

Caesar salad. Not a bad caesar. I’d still like it even punchier.

From my cellar: 1993 Dominique Laurent Grands-Echezeaux. 94 points. Still some oak. Strong Vosne spice. Really nice pinot. Chevy and I thought it was WOTN.

Fries and Burgundy! An extra bonus intermezzo course.

Then a Bordeaux flight:

1982 Montrose. Parker 88-92. The 1982 is nowhere near the quality of some of the Montroses made afterwards (1989, 1990, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008), but it has aged better than expected having developed more complexity and richness than barrel samples suggested. Sweet kirsch, black currant, crushed rock, and floral notes are followed by a full-bodied, opulent, fleshy wine displaying no hard edges. It still possesses beautifully pure fruit as well as good body, but it should be consumed over the next 5-8 years.

agavin: I thought a very lovely mature Bord.

2003 Pavie. Parker 96-99. At its release, the 2003 Pavie was somewhat controversial in wine tasting circles, but eleven years later it is obviously a great classic. Its deep purple color is accompanied by notes of vanillin, lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, plums, black currants and kirsch. Full-bodied, youthful and rich with terrific purity and texture as well as a striking opulence, its 40+-second finish, stunning purity and wonderful perfume suggest it can be drunk now or cellared for 15-20 years.

2000 Lynch Bages. Parker 97. Beginning to open magnificently, the still dense purple-colored 2000 reveals a blossoming bouquet of blackberries, cassis, graphite and pen ink. Full-bodied with velvety tannins that have resolved themselves beautifully over the last eleven years, this wine is still an adolescent, but it exhibits admirable purity, texture, mouthfeel and power combined with elegance. One of the all-time great examples of Lynch Bages, the 2000 is just beginning to drink well yet promises to last for another 20-25+ years.

We decided to order the mains “family style” by getting a couple steaks, sliced, and putting them in the middle. We brought them into two groups so we could arrange two flights of wines. This is the first grouping, which also included all the sides.

Salmon steak with olive tapenade.

Lamb chops.

Porterhouse.

Mushrooms.

Brussels sprouts.

Creamed corn. I love this stuff.

And even better, the evil “king crab truffle gnocchi.” Yes that’s right. Cream, cheese, truffles, crab, potato. What could be better?

This is “Gorgonzola mac & cheese!” Oh so light, oh so yummy.

Dave brought: 2007 Domaine du Clos du Caillou Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve le Clos du Caillou. Parker 100! Just another perfect wine (ho hum), the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve Le Clos du Caillou is an incredible effort that matches the 2010 in terms of quality, yet has a larger-than-life, richer and more over- the-top style. Loaded to the gills with sweet black cherry, cassis, licorice, lavender, roasted meats and creamy licorice, it hits the palate with a massive, full-bodied profile that carries awesome fruit, building, sweet tannin, incredible depth and blockbuster length. Spectacular in every way, enjoy it anytime over the coming two decades.

agavin: pure purple Grenache.

Sebastian brought: 2012 Sine Qua Non Grenache Stein. Parker 97. Starting with the Grenache release, the 2012 Grenache Stein is a blend of 76% Grenache, 16% Syrah and 8% Mourvedre, aged in 14% new French oak (15% was in concrete), that comes mostly from the estate’s Eleven Confessions Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills, but also includes grapes from the Cumulus, Third Twin (Syrah) and Bien Nacido vineyards. Checking in at 15.7% alcohol, it’s no lightweight, yet it has considerable elegance in its sweet blackcurrants, white pepper, licorice, baking spices and hints of violet-like aromas and flavors. Possessing the hallmark purity of the estate, it’s full-bodied, concentrated, rich and textured, with sweet tannin barely noticeable on the finish. I don’t think it’s one of the greatest Grenaches from the estate, yet it’s still an incredible effort that will benefit from short-term cellaring and have 15-20 years or more of overall longevity.

agavin: even more teeth-staining purple!

Bone in filet.

Bone in ribeye.

Sebastian brought: 1995 Chateau d’Yquem. Parker 95. Served from an ex-chateau bottle. The 1995 Chateau d’Yquem is moving into its secondary aroma phase. A deep golden color, it has a dense and almost Barsac-like bouquet with tangerine, apricot, acacia and melted candle wax. It displays good intensity, unfolding beautifully in the glass. The palate has a strident opening, with a slight bitter edge that lends this Yquem great tension. One can discern layers of marmalade infused with honey fruit, with a powerful, spicy finish that lingers long in the mouth. This is drinking perfectly now, but will surely age with style over many years. Tasted March 2014.

Chocolate sin cake. A lot like a soufflé.

Creme brûlée.

This is “Mastro’s signature warm butter cake ala mode.” Basically a pound cake with an extra four sticks of butter or something. It’s really sweet and really good. Goes well with the magic whipped cream (see below).

Extra vanilla ice cream.

Real whipped cream. Love it.
Mastro’s, while a zoo, and expensive, is a spectacular steak house experience. You can really feel your heart palpitating as you roll out of here!

Overall, a perfect steakhouse birthday!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: beef, birthday, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Dessert, Mastros, Steak

First Growths First

Dec18

Restaurant: STK [1, 2, 3]

Location: 755 North La Cienega. Los Angeles, CA 90069. 310.659.3900

Date: December 16, 2013

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Gluttonous fun!

This year the Hedonists have been doing more high end themed dinners. So earlier in the fall we celebrated top end Burgundy, and now we are doing so with Bordeaux. Technically, this was a First Grown Bordeaux dinner. We also included La Mission, Lafleur, and Petrus (no one brought one, sadly). A pair of top California Cabernet’s snuck in too.

The space is chic and modern. Above is the La Cienega entrance.

NV Krug Grande Cuvee. Parker 91-95. The NV Brut Grande Cuvee emerges from the glass with freshly cut flowers, almonds, pastry and spices. This is a relatively floral, bright Grande Cuvee with fewer of the oxidative qualities that are typical of the house style. According to Krug’s ID Code, this bottle is based on the 2004 vintage, which explains the wine’s tense, taut personality. Another year or two on the cork will only help the wine gain expressiveness and depth. Today, the Grande Cuvee is quite reticent and not showing the full breadth of its personality.

These look like Glazed Pop’ems, but they’re savory. And that sauce is pretty much a under-spiced chimichurri.

1994 Laville-Haut-Brion Blanc. Parker 94. This tightly knit, medium-bodied wine exhibits an intense, sweet nose of toast, minerals, honey and spices. There is ripe fruit and intensity on the palate, but the overall impression is one of a backward, undeveloped wine.

“BLUE ICEBERG.” smoked bacon – blue cheese – pickled tomato.

Ron was generous to bring this treat, the rare “dry” wine from Chateau D’Yquem. This powerful and perfumed wine is by far my favorite white Bordeaux.

1978 Lur-Saluces “Y”. 97 points. Lush fruit aromas with big accompanying spice. Powerful aromas and flavors throughout. Moderate length. Worked very well with a seared scallop served over a slightly sweet puree. Showed young for a wine almost 35 years old.

“ORGANIC ARUGULA. grilled peaches, macrona almonds, manchego cheese.”

“HEARTS OF ROMAINE.” garlic crouton – parmesan lemon dressing.

1988 Mouton-Rothschild. Parker 89. The 1988 has an aroma of exotic spices, minerals, blackcurrants, and oak. In the mouth, it is a much firmer, tougher, more obviously tannic wine than the 1989. It is a beautifully made 1988 that will last 20-30 years, but the astringency of the tannins is slightly troubling. Patience will be a necessity for purchasers of this wine.

“TUNA TARTARE. soy emulsion – avocado – taro chips.”

1981 Chateau Margaux. Parker 91. In weight and texture, the 1981 Margaux is closest in style to the 1979. It is an outstanding wine, even in the company of the monumental wines of 1982, 1983, and 1986, although it does not have the power and weight of these vintages. It is still very dark ruby/purple-colored. The aromatics suggest ripe cassis fruit, spicy vanillin oakiness, and violets. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, concentrated, tannic, and extremely long. It is just beginning to open and evolve.

“BEEF TARTAR. black truffle – sliced radish – soy caramel.”

From my cellar: 1995 Chateau Margaux. Parker 95-96. Medium garnet colour going brick at the rim. The nose is beginning to showing signs of evolution with aromas of leather, game, warm cassis, dried plums and cloves. Medium to high acidity, medium body and medium to firm, fine tannins support earthy, blackcurrant-preserve fruit. Long finish.

“JUMBO LUMP CRAB. green melon, avocado, mache greens, kaffir limes.”

1990 Haut Brion. Parker 98. In terms of the brilliant complexity and nobility of the aromatics, scorched earth, black currants, plums, charcoal, cedar, and spices, the 1990 offers an aromatic explosion that is unparalleled. It is always fascinating to taste this wine next to the 1989, which is a monumental effort, but much more backward and denser, without the aromatic complexity of the 1990. The 1990 put on weight after bottling, and is currently rich, full-bodied, opulent, even flamboyant by Haut Brion’s standards. It is an incredible expression of a noble terroir in a top vintage. While it has been fully mature for a number of years, it does not reveal any bricking at the edge, and I suspect it will stay at this level for another 10-15 years … but why wait? It is irresistible now.

Personally, I thought this bottle was too funky. It had a strong bacterial contamination that gave it unpleasant bitter notes.

“Shrimp cocktail.” Classic.

1994 Haut Brion. Parker 92. This is one of the surprise sleeper wines of the vintage which has more successes than many people suspect in spite of all the rain. The tremendous drainage enjoyed by the Haut Brion vineyard worked in its favor during this wet September harvest. The color is deep plum/ruby with a bit of lightening at the edge. Notes of compost, truffle, earth, spice box, dried herbs, and licorice compete with sweet black cherry and currant fruit. The wine is medium-bodied, with a relatively plump, chewy feel to it. It is certainly one of the top half dozen or so wines of the vintage. The tannins are still there, but the wine seems far more accessible than the two bigger wines that Haut Brion produced in 1995 and 1996.

“BROILED MAINE LOBSTER. lobster butter, tarragon, baked lemon.”

1996 Haut Brion. Parker 92-96. As I indicated last year, Haut-Brion utilized only 60% of its production in the 1996 final blend (50% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc). While it is undoubtedly true that the appellations of Pessac-Leognan and Graves were less successful in 1996 than the Medoc, the wines produced under the administration of Jean Delmas (i.e., Haut-Brion, La Mission-Haut-Brion, and La Tour-Haut-Brion) are brilliant in the 1996 vintage, continuing a trend that has made Haut-Brion one of the most consistent first-growths in Bordeaux (consider the superlative performances in such difficult vintages as 1993, 1992, and 1987). The 1996 Haut-Brion has put on weight, and was even sweeter and more fragrant in November than it was earlier in the year. The wine exhibits a dark ruby color with purple nuances. Haut-Brion’s signature is most frequently its glorious perfume of tobacco, black fruits, smoke, and dried herbs, combined with sweet, supple fruit, all crammed into a concentrated wine that never has the weight or tannic power of a Medoc, or the thick unctuosity of a top right bank wine. As I have frequently written, the one significant change to my palate over the last twenty years has been the fact that while I have always admired Haut-Brion, now I am addicted to its perfume and complexity. It is never the biggest of the first-growths, but it is usually among the most compelling wines of this elite group, with the most profound set of aromatics of any of its peers. That being said, the 1996 should turn out to be an exquisite wine, perhaps slightly more structured and backward than the superb 1995, but very rich, with gobs of smoky, cherry, tobacco-tinged fruit, medium body, exceptional purity and equilibrium, and a long, moderately tannic finish. The tannins taste extremely sweet.

24oz Porterhouse.

Skirt steak.

1990 La Mission Haut Brion. Parker 99. Reminiscing over the 1989 and 1990 vintages, which I have followed from birth, there always seemed to be a dramatic difference in quality. Not that the 1990 was not a top wine, but in its infancy, I never thought it would come close to being as riveting and magnetic as its older sibling, the 1989. However, it has proven to be nearly as prodigious. One of the hottest years in Bordeaux, 1990, a vintage of enormous yields, even dwarfing yields in 1985 and 1982, produced a fabulously open-knit, seemingly fast track La Mission that, at age 22, shows no signs of fading or losing its grip. The color is slightly more mature and evolved than the 1989’s, exhibiting a lighter rim and a less dark blue/ruby/purple hue. Classic La Mission-Haut-Brion aromatics of camphor, licorice, scorched earth, hot bricks, barbecue, cassis, blueberry and kirsch are well displayed. Broad, expansive, velvety-textured and opulent with high glycerin and perhaps slightly higher alcohol (I don’t have the statistics to verify that), the 1990 is as delicious and open-knit as the 1989, with less density and possibly less potential longevity. Most 1990s have been quick to reach full maturity, and as brilliant as they can be, they need to be monitored carefully by owners. Currently in late adolescence, but close to full maturity, the 1990 should hold in a cold cellar for another 15-20 years. However, it is a fabulous wine to inspect, taste and consume, so why wait?

This bottle was a hair funky too, but blew off and became rather elegant.

Bone in rib eye.

From my cellar: 1982 Lafite-Rothschild. Parker 100. The 1982 Lafite possesses a dark, dense ruby/purple color with only a subtle lightening at the rim. Spectacular aromatics offer jammy cherry and black fruits intertwined with lead pencil, mineral, and smoky wood scents. Powerful for a Lafite, this wine unfolds to reveal extraordinary richness, purity, and overall symmetry in addition to stunning flavor depth and persistence. The finish lasts for nearly a minute. Plenty of tannin remains, and the wine displays a vibrancy and youthfulness that belie its 18 years of age. The modern day equivalent of Lafite-Rothschild’s immortal 1959, the 1982 will enjoy another 30-70 years of life! An amazing achievement!

Certainly WOTN. Pretty much unanimous. I was very pleased because it always sucks to open a pricey bottle one has had for a while and find it not up to snuff.

Bone in filet.

Some steak with crab on it.

2001 Lafleur. Parker 92-96. This Merlot-dominated 2001 has added considerable weight since last year. It is opaque purple in color, with an extraordinary bouquet of kirsch liqueur intermixed with hints of cola and underbrush. Full-bodied, sweet, and explosive on the palate, with great density and chewiness, it exhibits surprisingly low acidity as well as more precociousness than most top vintages of Lafleur. It is increasingly obvious that this is a sensational effort.

Very young Merlot, but impeccably balanced.

Another steak.

And another (bone in). I’m not an expert at spotting steaks.

1989 Latour. Parker 90. Neither the 1989 or 1990 wines has budged in quality or development since I first tasted them in cask. I am still disappointed by the 1989, wondering how this chateau produced an elegant, medium-weight wine that seems atypically restrained for Latour. The deep ruby color is followed by a wine with surprisingly high acidity and hard tannin, but not the depth, richness, and power expected from this great estate. This closed wine is admittedly in need of 5-6 years of cellaring, but what is so alarming is its lack of weight, ripeness, and intensity, particularly when compared to the 1990. I suspect there is more than what has been revealed in recent tastings, but this looks to be an excellent as opposed to outstanding wine. In the context of the vintage, it is a disappointment.

I loved this wine, even if Parker didn’t. I happen to be a Latour fan.

Bone in filet with with crab oscar style (i.e. with bernaise sauce!).

Mac & Cheese.

2001 Latour. Parker 95. Deep garnet colored, the nose is open and expressive even at this youthful stage, giving notes of black berry and black cherry compote, potpourri and anise with hints of sandalwood and cloves. The palate is drinking beautifully now (though with loads more to give), offering a high level of ripe, velvety tannins, enlivening acid and just enough fruit concentration, finishing long.

Asparagus.

Mixed mushrooms.

1983 Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon. RJ Wine 93. Great nose lengthy finish and soft tannins. It has aged wonderfully. Cork wa in incredible shape.. amazing. Very little sediment.

Jeff Leve thought differently: Most of the fruit had moved to the big ranch in the sky. Some tart red cherries were all that was left.

Broccolini.

Creamed spinach.

2000 Grace Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 90. The 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon (260 cases) offers plenty of up-front sweet black currant fruit mixed with toasty new oak and mineral characteristics. It is medium-bodied, plump, and accessible, revealing good fruit in its subtle, restrained personality.

“Sweet corn pudding.” We took to calling this stuff “corn porn” it was so good. We ordered 5 of them too!

“creamy yukon potatoes.”

“Parmesan truffle fries.”

My plate, a heart attack in the making.

Yarom carousing with our lovely servers, Rachel and Brenda. Our service was great. They were incredibly friendly and helpful and the restaurant was quiet allowing them to focus on our labor intensive table. We used ALL the cabernet glasses! STK doesn’t have a Sommelier (which is kind of mind boggling) but Rachel was a great sport and a fast learner and she managed well with the opening and glasses, even if Yarom and I had to decant and do the pouring. I played Somm and poured many of the wines, but it’s a job. Unfortunately, things do go much better that way because you need someone to make consistent small pours so that the bottle gets all the way around 15-16 people. Self pouring, if one or two over pour, the people at the end get screwed.

1976 Rieussec. Parker 90. This is one of the most controversial vintages of Rieussec. Very dark gold in color, some observers have said it is oxidized and is falling apart. Despite the dark color, the remarkable taste seems to suggest that this wine has a way to go. The huge nose of toasted almonds, caramel, chocolate, and brown sugar does exhibit a trace of volatile acidity, so technocrats are likely to be turned off. Incredibly rich and full bodied, with a honeyed, luscious texture and extremely intense flavors, this exotic, hugely proportioned wine (15% alcohol) can only be served as a dessert. The yield at Rieussec in 1976 was 2.5 hectoliters per hectare, which is approximately one third of a glass of wine per vine. This is a bold, rather overblown style of Sauternes, but I love it.

1976 De Suduiraut. Parker 92. For me, the 1976 is the greatest Suduiraut of the seventies, and the only wine other than the 1989 that resembles the magnificent 1959 this property produced. Medium to dark amber/gold, this full-bodied, massive wine has a very intense bouquet of vanillin oak, ripe pineapples, and melted caramel. Very deep and viscous, this is a decadently opulent Suduiraut with enormous presence in the mouth.

Donuts. cinnamon anglaise, butterscotch, marshmallow. These were FABULOUS donuts. Really sweet and yummy.

Ice STK. Mini ice cream cone sampler. Chocolate, strawberry, and some other chocolate.

An apple dish of some sort.

“CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE. warm baked cookie – vanilla ice cream.” Also pretty spectacular.

The peanut butter, chocolate, banana thingy. Inside the chocolate disc was a bunch of peanut butter cream. It was awesome.

Donut on a fork.

About a third of our glasses!

The overall evening was spectacular. The place treated us really well with swift and friendly service you hardly noticed. Plus, there was the excellent company and all our amazing wines! The wines tonight were really fabulous, particularly in the second half. Some of the Bordeaux’s from the lesser vintages (88, 94 etc) were a little sour or awkward, and at least one 90 was funked (corked), but the ones that were on, like the 82 Lafite, 95 Margaux, 85 Mouton, and 89 Latour were fabulous. The 2000 Grace and 2001 Lafleur were also amazing, but very young. For me, the 82 Lafite stood out above all, it was mature, complex, and balanced on all notes.

As a steakhouse, I find STK much like Mastro’s but about 5% worse on average — although there are some different starters and sides, many of which are excellent. It’s also quite a bit cheaper than Mastro’s, and lets us skip the corkage, which is huge! We were out of here for $120 a person, including tax and tip, which is pretty amazing for such an enormous feast at a high end steakhouse.

For more crazy Foodie Club meals, click.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (3)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: beef, Bordeaux, First Growth, hedonists, Krug, Krug Grande Cuvee, La Mission, Meat, Steak, STK, Wine

2009 Bordeaux Doesn’t Blow

Nov29

Location: Hollywood Hills

Date: November 24, 2013

Cuisine: Molecular American

Rating: Amazing night!

My friend Stewart had this idea to host a dinner featuring the wealth of 99 and 100 point 2009 Bordeaux. I have to admit, their youth made me skeptical, but he assured me they were drinking great — plus, my vocation as a priest of Dionysus wouldn’t allow me to pass up on 15-20 100 point wines!

To sweeten the pot, he promised a first rate molecular dinner from celebrity chef, Marcel Vigneron (great name!) and co-chef Haru Kishi. Marcel was the original Executive Sous Chef at The Bazaar too, and also cooked at Joel Robuchon. Haru was at Chaya Brasserie. Those pedigrees most certainly do not suck.

Stewart really knows how to organize a wine dinner — and I should know given how many I attend. This event was expertly planned from start to finish. One of the attendees generously donated her lovely Hollywood Hills home (off a narrow hill street) as the venue.

Stewart rented Riedel stems, and even more importantly, took on the services of two fantastic Sommeliers. All of us split the cost plus brought 2-3 bottles of the good stuff.

The view on this crystal clear November day was stunning.

In the foreground is Max Coane, one of our two awesome somms. I can’t tell you how much more relaxed having these two professionals made the event. Most of my zany (and awesome) wine dinners are free-for-alls. That can be okay up to about twelve people, but even so, I end up doing (really half-assing) the job of somm myself: opening the bottles, doing pours, etc. It becomes hard to get all the wines and you really have to worry about it (if you’re anal like me). These guys were pro (and super nice and enthusiastic as well).

1993 Moet Chandon Dom Perignon. Parker 93. Medium lemon-straw colour. Moderately intense nose of lemon curd, kaffir lime leaf, plenty of hot buttered toast and vague hints of chalk and crushed stone. The bubbles are calming a little in the mouth and the very crisp acidity is taking centre stage, yet this wine is drinking beautifully now, providing plenty of yeast and citrus flavour with a generous sprinkling of minerality. Long finish.

1990 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame. Parker 95. I highly recommend the Veuve Clicquot 1990 La Grande Dame. It is exquisitely rich and accessible, yet bursting with potential.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z2WwE3plcE&feature=youtu.be]

To make this bottle even more exciting, it was opened with a sword!

2002 Philipponnat Clos des Goisses. Parker 96. The flagship 2002 Brut Clos des Goisses is simply stunning in this vintage. Seamless, ripe and beguiling, the 2002 is pure harmony in the glass. Dried pears, apricots, flowers, red berries and spices are some of the many notes that inform this towering, aristocratic wine. At once vertical yet endowed with serious length, the 2002 stands out for its breathtaking balance and overall sense of harmony. Layers of fruit built to the huge, creamy finish. This is a great showing from Philipponnat.

We retired downstairs to the garden for appetizers. These included fresh pizzas whipped up by Marcel here. Yum. These reminded me of my Ultimate Pizza. And he got his dough balls from Terroni.

Our host, Rachel, had an amazing (and gorgeous) wood fired pizza oven. Awesome!

Look at those coals!

And her view.

2009 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 96. Here too there are residual sulfur notes that are only background nuances to the otherwise very fresh and dense green fruit and stone aromas that introduce intensely mineral-driven, firm, rich and enveloping flavors that display a taut muscularity on the strikingly powerful, focused and bone dry finish that is really quite explosive. Like the Montrachet, this should reward at least a decade of long-term cellaring. A brilliant example of the appellation.

From my cellar, 1993 Faiveley Latricières-Chambertin. 93 points. this wine shows sweet cherries, sharp minerals, and forest floor on the powerful nose. Initially the palate is a bit shy, but with time it gains concentration and volume until it explodes with deep red and black fruits. This is medium bodied and elegant but the fruit is intense, the acids are lively, and there is a strong spice note on the finish. There are still some hard edges and this is probably 5 years from its peak, but it’s wonderful now. Paired beautifully with grilled chickens.

1995 Lagrange. Parker 90. The 1995 Lagrange is similar to the 1996, but the fruit is sweeter, the acidity lower, and the wine less marked by Cabernet Sauvignon. The color is a deep ruby/purple. The wine boasts a roasted herb, charcoal, black currant, mineral, and new oak-scented nose. Medium to full-bodied and ripe, with copious quantities of jammy black cherry and cassis flavors presented in a medium-bodied, low acid, moderately tannic style, this well-endowed, purely made wine requires cellaring.

Oyster spherification, finger lime and wasabi. These first two apps were the weak point of an otherwise stellar meal — not that they were bad, but they just didn’t reach the heights of the rest. The oysters were too warm, and probably could have used a nice Sancerre :-).

Bay scallop cones, ponzu, yuzu kosho, masago. I love raw scallops but these had a slightly odd oil or pine tang. Marcel thought it might be the yuzu, but maybe the oil in the cones.

White truffle pizza, buffalo mozzarella, squash blossom, bacon & shallots. Now these pizzas were AWESOME. I love a good pizza, and this certainly was it. Nice chewy dough. Perfect!

In this serious I’m going to show off some of our ingredients, in this case fresh truffles both white and black!

And persimmons, frozen for texture.

Squabs.

And venison loin. Look at that color.

Moving upstairs we return to our epic 100 point Bordeaux.

From my cellar, 2009 Pape Clement Blanc. Parker 100. The 2009 Pape Clement Blanc is an absolutely remarkable wine, which is not a surprise given what this historic estate has done in both white and red over the last 20 years. Their white wine, an intriguing blend of 40% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Semillon, 16% Sauvignon Gris and the rest Muscadelle, comes from 7.5 acres of pure gravelly soil. An exquisite nose of honeysuckle, tropical fruit, pineapple, green apples, and orange and apricot marmalade soar from the glass. Great acidity, a full-bodied mouthfeel and a texture more akin to great grand cru white Burgundy put this wine in a class by itself. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were others who also think this is pure perfection in white Bordeaux. I tasted this wine four separate times and gave it a perfect score three of the four times. It is one of most exquisite dry white I have ever tasted from anywhere – period. Certainly the founder of Pape Clement, Bertrand de Goth, would be happy with his decision to plant a vineyard here in 1305. Pure genius!

2009 Smith-Haut-Lafitte Blanc. Parker 98. Smith-Haut-Lafitte hit a home run with their red Pessac-Leognan and came very close to perfection with their dry white Graves. Possibly the best dry white the estate has produced since the proprietors, the Cathiards, acquired the property in 1990, this wine exhibits a sensational fragrance of buttered citrus, honeyed melons and a touch of grapefruit, lemon zest and orange rind. It also displays grapefruit on the attack and mid-palate as well as real opulence, terrific acidity and length. Drink it over the next 15-20 years. Astonishing!

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.

Truffled egg. Like at Melisse. Good stuff.

Inside you can see the scrambled egg bits.

From my cellar, 2009 Clinet. Parker 100. Clinet has been on a hot streak lately and the 2009 appears to be the greatest wine ever made at the estate, surpassing even the late Jean-Michel Arcaute’s monumental 1989. A blend of 85% Merlot and tiny amounts of Cabernet Franc (12%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (3%), this big Pomerol boasts an opaque, moonless night inky/blue/purple color in addition to a gorgeous perfume of blueberry pie, incense, truffles, black raspberries, licorice and wood smoke. Viscous and multi-dimensional with silky, sweet tannin, massive fruit concentration and full-bodied power, there are nearly 4,000 cases of this thick, juicy, perfect Clinet.

2009 Smith-Haut-Lafitte. Parker 100. The finest wine ever made by proprietors Daniel and Florence Cathiard, the 2009 Smith-Haut-Lafitte exhibits an opaque blue/purple color in addition to a glorious nose of acacia flowers, licorice, charcoal, blueberries, black raspberries, lead pencil shavings and incense. This massive, extraordinarily rich, unctuously textured wine may be the most concentrated effort produced to date, although the 2000, 2005 and 2010 are nearly as prodigious. A gorgeous expression of Pessac-Leognan with sweet tannin, emerging charm and delicacy, and considerable power, depth, richness and authority, it should age effortlessly for 30-40+ years. Bravo!

2009 La Fleur Petrus. Parker 96-98+. Even with considerable youthful characteristics, this stunning, open-knit 2009 is quite approachable. This fabled terroir sandwiched between Petrus and Lafleur (hence the name) generally produces one of the more elegantly-styled Pomerols, but in 2009 it offers an extra dimension of flavor intensity as well as more texture and concentration. It reveals a super-seductive perfume of mocha, loamy soil, herbs, black cherries and black currants, truffles and licorice, full body and velvety tannins. The overall impression is one of intensity, power, glycerin and richness as well as undeniable elegance and laser-like focus.

Despite its (slightly) inferior rating, this wine stood out at the current moment.

Langoustine ravioli, kale, foie gras veloute, black burgundy truffle. Wow, this was great. The filling was solid dense langoustine and really tasted like it. The sauce was a decadent langoustine bisque made from the bodies and saturated with foie gras. Plus the truffle. Only the kale was healthy.

2009 Montrose. Parker 100. A colossal effort, the 2009 Montrose represents a hypothetical blend of the monumental duo of 1989 and 1990 combined with the phenomenal 2003. With 13.7% alcohol (an all-time high at Montrose), it is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and the rest tiny quantities of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Some structure and minerality can be detected in the background, but the overall impression is one of massive blackberry, black currant and mulberry fruit intermixed with forest floor, damp earth, crushed rocks and a hint of spring flowers. Full-bodied with sweet but abundant tannin, Jean-Bernard Delmas believes this is the greatest wine he has made during his short tenure at Montrose since retiring from Haut-Brion. This wine will undoubtedly shut down for a decade, then unleash its power, glory and potential perfection.

2009 Pavie. Parker 100. Bottled the week before I arrived, the 2009 Pavie appears to have barely budged since I tasted it two years ago. Many experts consider this phenomenal terroir to be nearly as great as that of Ausone. Made from a classic blend of 60-70% Merlot, 20-25% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, this inky/blue/purple-colored blockbuster reveals wonderful notes of blackberries, crushed rocks, roasted meats, spring flowers, cedar, blueberries, graphite and a hint of vanillin. With extravagant fruit and high extract as well as a hint of minerality, this structured, massively intense effort is typical of all the luxurious, perfect or nearly perfect Pavies produced under the Perse regime (which began in 1998). While built for 40-50 years of cellaring, the softness of the vintage and its flamboyant style is slightly less apparent in the 2009 Pavie than in some of the other Perse wines.

2009 Leoville-Poyferre. Parker 100. One of the more flamboyant and sumptuous wines of the vintage, this inky/purple-colored St.-Julien reveals thrilling levels of opulence, richness and aromatic pleasures. A soaring bouquet of creme de cassis, charcoal, graphite and spring flowers is followed by a super-concentrated wine with silky tannins, stunning amounts of glycerin, a voluptuous, multilayered mouthfeel and nearly 14% natural alcohol. Displaying fabulous definition for such a big, plump, massive, concentrated effort, I suspect the tannin levels are high even though they are largely concealed by lavish amounts of fruit, glycerin and extract.

White truffle risotto, Japanese rice, Parmigiano reggiano. Another great dish. The Japanese rice had a nice texture, but I’d give this 8/10 on my risotto scale as it needed slightly more cheesy creamy punch to hit the highest highs (I’ve had a lot of great risotto). Still great though.

2009 De Suduiraut. Parker 98. The 2009 is one of the greatest wines ever produced from the estate. It has a riveting bouquet of quince, honey, pear and a touch of clarified butter that is beautifully defined, offering scents of yellow flowers with continued aeration. It is a little heavier and more intense than its peers at this stage. The palate is beautifully balanced with perfectly judged acidity and immense purity. The finish offers crisp honey, quince and clementine notes laden with botrytis that is counterpoised by wonderful acidity. It possesses an unerring sense of completeness and composure that is irresistible. Bravo!

An intermezzo of pears. Looks simple, but paired with the Suduiraut, fabulous.

Most of the gang. Our hostess is in the front right.

2009 Pontet-Canet. Parker 100. An amazing wine in every sense, this classic, full-bodied Pauillac is the quintessential Pontet Canet from proprietor Alfred Tesseron, who continues to reduce yields and farms his vineyards biodynamically – a rarity in Bordeaux. Black as a moonless night, the 2009 Pontet Canet offers up notes of incense, graphite, smoke, licorice, creme de cassis and blackberries. A wine of irrefutable purity, laser-like precision, colossal weight and richness, and sensational freshness, this is a tour de force in winemaking that is capable of lasting 50 or more years. The tannins are elevated, but they are sweet and beautifully integrated as are the acidity, wood and alcohol (which must be in excess of 14%). This vineyard, which is situated on the high plateau of Pauillac adjacent to Mouton Rothschild, appears to have done everything perfectly in 2009. This cuvee should shut down in the cellar and re-open in a decade or more.

2009 Chateau Margaux. Parker 99-100. A brilliant offering from the Mentzelopoulos family, once again their gifted manager, Paul Pontallier, has produced an uncommonly concentrated, powerful 2009 Chateau Margaux made from 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Merlot with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. As with most Medocs, the alcohol here is actually lower (a modest 13.3%) than most of its siblings-. Abundant blueberry, cassis and acacia flower as well as hints of charcoal and forest floor aromas that are almost Burgundian in their complexity are followed by a wine displaying sweet, well-integrated tannins as well as a certain ethereal lightness despite the wine’s overall size. Rich, round, generous and unusually approachable for such a young Margaux, this 2009 should drink well for 30-35+ years.

2009 Cheval Blanc. Parker 99-100. It will be fascinating to follow the evolution of the 2009 Cheval Blanc versus the 2010 as well as the awesome 2005, 2000, 1998 and 1990. This famous estate’s vineyard is situated at the juncture of Pomerol and the sandy, gravelly soils of St.-Emilion, facing the two noble estates of l’Evangile and La Conseillante. A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2009 Cheval Blanc tips the scales at just under 14% natural alcohol. Its dense blue/purple color is accompanied by an extraordinary nose of incense, raspberries, cassis, sweet forest floor and a subtle hint of menthol. Opulent and full-bodied with low acidity but no sense of heaviness, this dense, unctuously textured, super-smooth, velvety, pure, profound Cheval Blanc is impossible to resist despite its youthfulness.

Chef pan fries up some foie gras, and manages to produce enough smoke to set off the smoke alarm :-).

And the lovely squabs.

Roasted squab, lollipop leg, faux truffle, real truffle, celery root puree, squid ink dyed baby artichoke hearts, persimmon, parsnip chips, jus. This was a 10/10 game fowl dish. Everything was amazing, from the lovely bird meat, to the truffles, to the awesome jus (I love a good jus) to the delicate puree. Really delightful.

2009 Mouton-Rothschild. Parker 99+. The 2009 Mouton Rothschild has a striking label from Anish Kapoor. The wine is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot that begs comparison as a young wine with what the 1982 tasted like in 1985 or, I suspect, what the 1959 may have tasted like in 1962. Representing 50% of their production, the wine has an inky purple color to the rim and not terribly high alcohol for a 2009 (13.2%), but that is reflected by the high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a remarkable nose of lead pencil shavings, violets, creme de cassis and subtle barrique smells. It is stunningly opulent, fat, and super-concentrated, but the luxurious fruit tends to conceal some rather formidable tannins in the finish. This is an amazing wine that will be slightly more drinkable at an earlier age than I thought from barrel, but capable of lasting 50 or more years. Kudos to the Baroness Philippine de Rothschild and the entire Mouton team, lead by Monsieur Dalhuin.

2009 Lafite-Rothschild. Parker 99+. The main reason the 2009 Lafite Rothschild did not receive a perfect score is because the wine has closed down slightly, but it is unquestionably another profound Lafite, their greatest wine since the amazing 2003. Among the most powerful Lafites ever made (it came in at 13.59% alcohol), the final blend was 82.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot. The selection was incredibly severe with only 45% of the crop being utilized. A tight, but potentially gorgeous nose of graphite, black currants, licorice and camphor is followed by a full-bodied wine revealing the classic elegance, purity and delineated style of Lafite. It is phenomenally concentrated with softer tannins than the 2005, the 2003’s voluptuous, broad, juicy personality, and low acidity. There are several vintages that I thought were a replay of their colossal 1959, most notably 1982 and 2003, but 2009 is also one to keep an eye on. It is still extremely youthful and seems slightly more backward than I would have guessed based on the barrel tastings, but it needs 10-15 years of bottle age, and should last for 50+.

2009 Latour. Parker 100. A blend of 91.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.7% Merlot with just under 14% natural alcohol, the 2009 Latour is basically a clone of the super 2003, only more structured and potentially more massive and long lived. An elixir of momentous proportions, it boasts a dense purple color as well as an extraordinarily flamboyant bouquet of black fruits, graphite, crushed rocks, subtle oak and a notion of wet steel. It hits the palate with a thundering concoction of thick, juicy blue and black fruits, lead pencil shavings and a chalky minerality. Full-bodied, but very fresh with a finish that lasts over a minute, this is one of the most remarkable young wines I have ever tasted. Will it last one-hundred years? No doubt about it. Can it be drunk in a decade? For sure.

My wine of the night. Really pretty awesome.

Venison loin, acorn squash puree, carrots & turnips, chanterelles, truffle noodle. Another 10/10. The meat was some of the best deer I’ve had and the jus was out of this world.

I just have to show off that rare goodness. Some really delightful red meat here, and perfect with all that Bordeaux.

bottles

Nitro dragon’s breath popcorn. Always fun. They do this at Saam.

Popcorn that is basically liquid nitro frozen, then you crunch and…

Breath fire (or smoke).

Another bottle of the 2009 De Suduiraut it was just that good.

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

Now the chefs whip up some nitro frozen ice cream.

In this case, coconut lemon grass ice cream! It tasted like Tom Kha Gai ice cream!

And what’s up with this kiwi? It looks like a little tush!

Paleo banana bread, coconut lavender nitro ice cream, market kiwi. A lovely and refreshing dessert, which paired delightfully with the dessert wine.

Above are the two somms on the left, and me on the right in the shiny red shirt.

Someone makes off with the best of the bottles 🙂

Overall, this was an impeccable event. Not only were the wines and food incredible, but the atmosphere, company, and overall congeniality (helped by having talented sommeliers) really made it a delightful evening.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (3)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bordeaux, Champagne, Dessert, Dionysus, Hollywood Hills, Marcel Vigneron, Pizza, venison, Wine

Wine on the Beach

Jul25

This week I was lucky enough to be invited to a absolutely fabulous wine dinner hosted by Eric Cotsen at his lovely Malibu pad. A number of us Hedonists attended. Eric has these diners regularly and they feature an awesome setting, great company, wonderful food, and amazing wines provided by both him and the guests. All the wines are served blind (more or less).

You can see the ocean is rather close! Like under the house.

The chefs whip up our feast.

Eric has these crazy high tech nitrogen dispensers that preserve (and aerate) the wines. He even has sets of glasses with etched number and letter combos so you can pair to the wines.

2005 Mayacamas Vineyards Chardonnay. Mineral driven, with a touch of oxidation on the palate. Finishes with a huge bright Chablis like burst of acidity, and then a slightly odd finish. I liked it for its uniqueness, and that bracing acidity. I would have guessed it was a Chablis.

2008 Aubert Chardonnay Reuling Vineyard. IWC 93. Pale, green-tinged yellow. Reticent but pure aromas of crushed stone, flowers and herbal tea. Broad, classically dry and powerful, with primary fruit flavors currently overshadowed by soil-driven minerality. This is chewy-verging-on-thick and seems the least expressive of this set of chardonnays today. Tasted blind, I would have sworn this was a Batard-Montrachet (albeit a slightly hot one).

1988 Chateau Margaux. Parker 89. In a somewhat chunky, full-bodied, rather muscular style, with a dark, almost opaque garnet color and a big, smoky, earthy nose, with hints of compost, melted asphalt, black fruits, mushrooms, and new oak, this wine lacks the elegance one expects from Chateau Margaux, but does have plenty of tough-textured tannin and an almost rustic, corpulent style to it. The wine is mouth-staining as well as mouth-filling, but in a relatively chunky style.

1988 Petrus. Parker 91-94. This wine has become increasingly herbaceous with the tannins pushing through the fruit and becoming more aggressive. The wine started off life impressively deep ruby/purple but is now showing some amber at the edge. It is a medium-bodied, rather elegant style of Petrus with a distinctive cedary, almost celery component intermixed with a hint of caramel and sweet mulberry and black cherry fruit. It has aged far less evenly than I would have thought and is probably best drunk over the next 8-10 years.

1988 Lafite-Rothschild. Parker 94. Broodingly backward and in need of considerable bottle age, the 1988 is a classic expression of Lafite. This deeply-colored wine exhibits the tell-tale Lafite bouquet of cedar, subtle herbs, dried pit fruits, minerals, and cassis. Extremely concentrated, with brilliantly focused flavors and huge tannins, this backward, yet impressively endowed Lafite-Rothschild may well turn out to be the wine of the vintage!

1988 Latour. Parker 91. The best showing yet for a wine from this under-rated vintage, the dark garnet-colored 1988 Latour reveals slight amber at the edge. A bouquet of melted tar, plums, black currants, cedar, and underbrush is followed by a sweet entry, with medium to full body, excellent ripeness, and mature tannin. It is a classic, elegant Latour with more meaty, vegetable-like flavors than are found in a riper year, such as 1989 and 1990. The 1988 has just begun to enter its plateau of maturity, where it should remain for 25 years.

1988 Haut Brion. Parker 92. A more firmly structured Haut-Brion, built somewhat along the lines of the 1996, this dark garnet-colored wine is showing notes of licorice, underbrush, compost, truffles, dried herbs, creosote, and sweet black cherries and currants. Medium-bodied, rich, but still structured, this wine unfolds incrementally on the palate, showing superb density and a lot of complex Graves elements. It is just beginning to hit its plateau of full maturity.

A nice cheese plate with a variety of fermented dairy and some excellent truffle honey.

Slightly spicy salmon in little sesame crisps with flying fish roe. Very nice.

Fig on toast with cheese and a bit of mint.

Lamb chops and a dijon sauce. I saw the labradors eyeing these!

A pizza-like quesadilla (or vice versa).

Avocado with a bit of Jalepeno.

Salmon on pizza-like bread with creme-fraiche and capers. Good, although not as good as my version :-).

After a bit we all moved outside to this lovely table with a firepit. The waves were crashing UNDER us!

2002 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Cote de Bouguerots. Burghound 94. The subtle hint of wood spice this displayed in its youth has now been completely absorbed which gives full rein to the wonderfully complex nose of minerals, white flowers and a hint of crushed oyster shells that introduces muscular, powerful, deep and broad flavors that are blessed with superb length and terrific vibrancy. Those that may doubt that Bougros merits its grand cru status need only experience this wine to be persuaded. A great effort that is drinking well already though for my taste, it needs another 2 to 4 years in the cellar first. I have tasted this wine many times with consistent notes.

1993 Masson Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Vergelesses. I couldn’t find anything on this wine, and I’m not even sure I tasted it. That’s the trade off with tasting blind, as I would have for sure.

2008 Domaine Joseph Roty Charmes-Chambertin. Burghound 93. A pungent mix of wood spice, earth, red berry fruit, game, smoke and an interesting menthol note highlights the moderately animale character of the rich, full, refined and pure broad-shouldered flavors underpinned by ripe and very firm tannins that culminate in a moderately austere and still very backward finish. This will require moderate cellar time to be at its best, which at this early stage I would estimate at 12 to 15 years.

2005 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard. Parker 97. The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard comes from the fifth leaf of this estate vineyard and in this vintage contains 4.5% Merlot. The wine was aged for 22 months in 100% new French oak. Opaque purple-colored, its distinctive aromatics leap from the glass. Toasty oak, scorched earth, a hint of truffle, black cherry, black raspberry, and blackberry liqueur aromas are quite mesmerizing. On the palate, this sizable effort is firm, full-bodied, and structured, demanding 6-8 years of cellaring. It falls a bit short of the flagship Cabernet Sauvignon in terms of complexity but bear in mind that this is still a very young vineyard.

From my cellar, 1999 Fougeray de Beauclair Bonnes Mares. Burghound 91. Saturated deep ruby color, whiff of new oak to go with the explosive black raspberry fruit and almost liqueur-like flavors with lots of sweet pinot sap, buried tannins and excellent length. It is very ripe and powerful yet not over the top and remains beautifully elegant.

I was disappointed at how this was drinking now. I think it needs a bit more time to open up and gain more secondary notes. There was still a good amount of oak on it, and I like all my oak gone in a burg.

1997 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Fay Vineyard. Parker 87. As long time readers know, I have not been overwhelmed by the winemaking direction taken at Stag’s Leap. That said, this 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Fay Vineyard exhibits a dark ruby/purple color in addition to an attractive nose of minerals, Asian spices, black currants, and earth. The wine is medium to full-bodied, with good acidity, ripe tannin, and a slightly compressed finish. This elegant, but unexciting effort should drink well for 10-12 years.

2000 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon Estate. Parker 87-89. The only 2000 I tasted was the Cabernet Sauvignon Estate. It reveals the vintage’s charm, sweet tannin, and lovely ripe fruit, but those characteristics are slightly negated by the fact that it does not have the depth, persistence, layers, or concentration of a great Napa vintage.

Tomato, basil, burrata or mozzarella, and a fried eggplant thingy.

2000 La Mission Haut Brion. Parker 100! One of the wines of the vintage, the 2000 has barely budged in its evolution since it was bottled and released in 2002. After ten years in bottle, it still reveals a dense opaque purple color along with a potentially sensational bouquet of blueberries, black currants, graphite, asphalt and background oak. Extremely powerful, full-bodied and superbly concentrated with good acidity and high but round tannins, this massive La Mission-Haut-Brion should take its place among this estate’s most hallowed vintages when it hits full maturity in another one to two decades. I was surprised by just how youthful this wine tasted at age 12. If tasted blind, I would have guessed it to be around 4 to 5 years old.

2003 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Parker 95. The brilliant, opulent, fleshy 2003 Pichon Lalande (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot) possesses a high pH of 3.8 as well as 13% alcohol. Reminiscent of the 1982 Pichon Lalande (which never shut down and continues to go from strength to strength), the dense plum/purple-colored 2003 offers gorgeous aromas of blackberries, plum liqueur, sweet cherries, smoke, and melted licorice. Fleshy, full-bodied, and intense, displaying a seamless integration of wood, acidity, tannin, and alcohol, this beauty can be drunk now or cellared for 20 years or more.

2003 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Da Capo. Parker 100! For the fourth time, the Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo has been produced, and for the fourth time, it has received a perfect score although I might back off the 2000’s perfect score based on the fact that it seems to be more of an upper-ninety point wine than pure perfection these days. The 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo has distanced itself ever so slightly from the 2003 Cuvee Reservee. Before bottling and immediately after bottling, these two wines’ differences were not as evident. At present the Capo reveals that extra level of flavor, power, complexity and richness. It is a big wine (16.1% alcohol – less than in the 1998, but more than in the 2000 and 2007) boasting a dark plum/garnet color as well as a stunning bouquet of aged beef intermixed with pepper, herbes de Provence, and steak au poivre. This unctuously textured, full-bodied Chateauneuf possesses enormous body, huge flavors and sweet, velvety tannins. Still youthful, it has not yet begun to close down, and I’m not sure it ever will given this unusual vintage. It is a modern day classic that should continue to provide provocative as well as compelling drinking for 20-30+ years.

2006 Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon Obsidian. 95 points. This was young and full throttle, still showing a harsh oak treatment on the palate and finish that covered the quite ripe red fruit. Long vanilla cream finish. While the fruit was big enough with the heavy oak, seemed disjointed and overdone in this lineup. Revisit in 5yrs unless you aren’t shy of oak.

From my cellar, 2004 Cantine del Castello Boca Piemonte Conti. I brought this because it’s sneaky, and this was a blind tasting. The 2004 isn’t drinking nearly as well right now as the 2003. It has a lot more structure and needs several years to mellow out.

Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva. I couldn’t see what year this was, but it was classic mid aged barolo and full of stiff tannins.

Filet in “special” marinate and sauce with a bit of salad and wasabi mashed potatoes. The sauce was great, close to one of those Kentucky style bourbon type steak sauces.

2001 De Suduiraut. Parker 98. A prodigious effort, possibly the finest Suduiraut since 1959, the medium gold-colored 2001 offers notes of creme brulee, caramelized citrus, Grand Marnier, honeysuckle, and other exotic fruits as well as a pleasant touch of oak. With terrific acidity, a voluptuous/unctuous palate, and sweet, powerful flavors buttressed by crisp acidity, it is a phenomenal Sauternes.

1988 Coutet Cuvee Madame. Parker 99. Tiny quantities are made of Coutet’s Cuvee Madame, a spectacularly rich Barsac that, along with Yquem, is the quintessential example of what heights a great sweet wine can achieve. The 1988, 1989 and 1990 vintages are nearly perfect wines. The 1990 is the richest and most powerful, but the 1988’s extraordinary perfume is other-worldly. All three wines offer a profound bouquet of smoky, toasty new oak combined with honeyed peaches and apricots, as well as coconuts and a touch of creme brulee. With extraordinarily rich, full-bodied, marvelously extracted personalities, as well as wonderful underlying acidity, these are spectacular wines.
As a postscript, many readers may not realize that Coutet’s Cuvee Madame is only released in great vintages. It is produced from the oldest vines and most botrysized grapes.

My favorite of the deserts wines by far. Really fabulous.

Tokaji Aszu Disznoko. Also nice, with that crisp acidity mixed in with the sweet.

Chocolate soufflé. It maybe had a bit of coffee in it and it certainly didn’t suck.

A kind of sticky toffee pudding type cake. Rather lovely.

This was just a great great evening. A wonderful setting with fun company — and the wines! There were some real bruisers here. Although I’m still not a massive fan of the blind and unordered format. I think the wines themselves are best enjoyed 2-4 at a time in pretty strict sequence. You can’t appreciate a great Chardonnay after tasting an 88 Petrus. That part isn’t about the quality, but subtle wines can’t be appreciated side to side with massive ones.

Still, not complaining, as many of the bruisers were really first rate wines. Hehe. The food was great too and I miss the sound of the waves crashing. Several of my old places were on the beach, but now I’m up higher. More view. Less surf.

More crazy Hedonist adventures or

LA dining reviews click here.

I miss my own puppy. But this guy had great ears.

By: agavin
Comments (4)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bordeaux, Chablis, Chardonnay, Chateau Margaux, cotsen, Eric Cotsen, hedonists, Malibu, Petrus, Wine

Hedonism at Saddle Peak Lodge

Jul16

Restaurant: Saddle Peak Lodge [1, 2, 3]

Location: 419 Cold Canyon Rd, Calabasas, CA 91302 (818) 222-3888

Date: July 12, 2012

Cuisine: Modern American

Rating: Great ambiance and terrific game oriented food.

Recently I joined an online club dedicated to hedonistic food and wine dinners. Officially the group is called Yarom & Hedonists and this event at Saddle Peak Lodge was the first I went too — and boy am I glad I did — as it was one incredible evening of debauchery. Each person brings a bottle, and the host okays them in advance. I used this successful formula myself for a series of high powered wine parties in the late 90s. The bar for this event is very high, including numerous 100 point wines, cult cabernets, old Bordeauxs, Grand Cru Burgundies and the like.

Saddle Peak Ranch used to be a game lodge back in the early part of the 20th century. The rich and famous used to come up and hunt Malibu’s finest, such as this poor fellow. Now the deer are just served up on the menu.

The gamey interior has a lot of charm.

Just some of the incredible wines.

I forgot to photo the entree page of the menu, but it’s all online anyway.

The first round begins.

The group eats here regularly and the service was first rate, treating us like royalty.

First off, but unphotographed, was a Billecarte Salmon Rose-NV and then a lovely 2004 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne. White Burgundy is so much better than all that mere Chardonnay.

The first red was this venerable Bordeaux. Parker 87. “The fully mature 1970 is a fine example of Lascombes–darkly colored, ripe, full bodied, richly fruity, and fleshy, but it has the concentration of fruit and structure to hold for 4-6 more years. It is a spicy, fragrant, and altogether satisfying mouthful of amply endowed wine.”

A vegetable and cream “cappuccino” as the first amuse.

Then this smoked salmon, caviar, and creme fraiche on a blini.

In the foreground is the wine I brought, the 1982 Certan de May. Parker 98! “Consistently one of the most remarkable wines of this great vintage, the 1982 Certan de May has tightened up. It gets my nod as the most backward wine among the 1982 Pomerols, as it is even more tannic than Petrus. The impressive saturated dark purple/garnet color suggests super flavor extraction. The nose offers scents of Asian spices, cedar, black fruits, truffles, and new oak. It is full-bodied and massive, with exceptional concentration to accompany the boatload of tannins. The wine’s thick viscosity and huge, unctuous texture are mouthfilling. It remains broodingly backward and little evolved since its early days in the barrel. Even half-bottles are youthful.
The 1982 Certan de May should easily turn out to be one of the great wines of the vintage. It will come close to perfection. Do not drink it until the end of this century; it will keep easily through the first two decades of the next millennium.”

We were outside and strangely enough for July in Southern California, it began to rain! Several of us resorted to putting our bread plates over our wines to prevent dilution.

“Rabbit roulade wrapped in bacon with huckleberry, shimeji mushroom stuffing, sautéed Fuji apples, and sage.”

Grand Cru Burgundy, always a favorite of mine. “Displaying a medium-to-dark ruby color and a lovely nose of spicy red berries, cracked black pepper, Asian spices, and distinctive notes of cedar, this is a medium-to-full-bodied, velvety-textured, and complex wine. Its enthralling flavor profile offers layers of rich black pepper-laced blueberries and blackberries that are intensely spiced with cinnamon, juniper berries, and hints of eucalyptus.”

“Peeky toe crab salad. Cucumber, watermelon, tomatoes, on a bed of arugala.”

This was probably my favorite red of the evening, and is one of the signature wines of the Northern Rhone Valley. Although not as good as the 1988 I had a couple of weeks ago, it still rocked. “The 1996 Cote Rotie La Mouline possesses the highest percentage of Viognier (17-18%) Guigal has ever included in this offering. The deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by a superb bouquet of spice box, cedar, leather, honeysuckle, and jammy black fruits. It is remarkably tender and soft for a vintage that produced high acid wines. Medium-bodied, elegant, and complex, it is one of the more forward and evolved La Moulines.”

“Fried soft shell crab with cheddar jalapeno biscuit, gribiche, rock shrimp, frisée, and lobster Americana sauce.”

One evening, two pomerols! Parker 96+ “The finest Trotanoy since the 1961, this structured, formidably-endowed, deep ruby/purple-colored, full-bodied, super-rich wine exhibits notes of toffee, truffles, and abundant blackberry, cherry, and currant fruit. It cuts a large swath across the palate, and possesses copious but sweet tannin as well as a chewy, muscular mid-palate and finish. This is a compelling effort from one of the great vineyards of Pomerol.”

“Pan seared squab breast basted in thyme and garlic with chanterelles, artichoke puree, pea greens and truffle bird sauce.”

“Caesar salad.”

After the appetizers, we not only moved inside to escape the rain, but pulled out the big muscled Cabernets.

“The dark ruby/purple-colored 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa is brilliant. Small quantities (7% of each) of Cabernet Franc and Merlot have been added to the blend, giving the wine more aromatic breadth and flavor dimension. Dense and rich, with high extraction, sweet fruit, full body, outstanding purity, and mineral/spicy aromas.”

And then its big brother. Parker 100! “One of the world’s greatest wines year in and year out is Shafer’s Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select. The 2002 was a candidate for perfection the first time I tasted it. The estate keeps this cuvee 32 months in 100% new French oak, so I had a number of chances to see it from barrel. Moreover, I purchased the wine for my own cellar and have had it at least a half dozen times since bottling, and it just gets more profound with each sip. This wine is beyond belief for how it balances its extraordinary richness, purity of personality, and the elegance and finesse of the Stags Leap District with massive cassis fruit, spring flowers, toasty oak and earth. The wine is fabulously concentrated, multidimensional and built like a skyscraper, yet nothing is out of place. The wood, alcohol, acidity and tannin are all in perfect balance. This offering is a tribute to the greatness of Napa Valley, which was recognized by men and women hundreds of years ago, and to the modern day genius of the Shafer family. This 2002 has 50 years of life ahead of it – but why wait!”

But my favorite of the trio was the Thorevilos, also Parker 100 points! “The classic 2002 Thorevilos, which comes from the white tufa volcanic ash soils of this site, exhibits notes of barbecue smoke, bouquet garni, incense, Christmas fruitcake and gobs of blue and black fruits. It is voluptuously textured and full-bodied, with sweet tannin as well as a flawless integration of acidity, tannin, wood and alcohol. Both of these wines are tour de force performances from David Abreu and Brad Grimes. They appear set for 25 to perhaps 50 or more years of cellaring. If you can find them – buy them!

Northern California’s superstar viticulturist, David Abreu, makes between 400 and 600+ cases of a number of wines from various vineyards he owns throughout the valley. Since the mid-1990’s, the Abreu wines have ranked in the top half dozen or so of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines. To his original Madrona Ranch holdings in St. Helena, Abreu has added an adjacent vineyard called Capella. He also co-owns with Ric Forman the Thorevilos Vineyard situated behind the Meadowood Resort. There are 500 cases of the 2002 Madrona Ranch. While the blend is never specified, it is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon blended with a large percentage of Cabernet Franc, a varietal that both David Abreu and his winemaker/manager Brad Grimes adore. They achieve a level of aromatic intensity and complexity in their wines that few in the world can match. If you have access to these world class wines, don’t hesitate to purchase them if you can afford them – they are that special.”

“Trio of game: elk tenderloin, game hen, and bison short rib.” All excellent with wines of this power.

The elk tenderloin with a sweet onion puree.

The game hen with a cous-cous.

The buffalo shortrib and mashed potatoes.

This 1996 Barolo in magnum had barely begun to open up. This is about the right age to start drinking Barolo — in a normal bottle. This was a fine wine, but the tannins were out in force.

“Grilled Texas Nilgai antelope with brown butter cauliflower, red wine poached pear and truffled cauliflower puree.”

Another fine cab. Parker 96. “Joseph Phelps’ flagship wine is their fabulous Insignia, a wine with a tremendous track record back to the debut vintage of 1974. It is produced in significant quantities (18,000-20,000 cases) for a wine of such quality.

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.”

“Wild Pacific King Salmon crusted in pistachio with basil oil, glazed salsify, lemongrass foam, roasted pearl onions, Pernod braised baby fennel and poisson velouté.”

“Grilled Kurobuta pork porterhouse with rosemary gnocchi, grilled radicchio, poached apples and pomegranate sauce.”

Getting my drunk on.

“Rack of New Zealand lamb with Swiss chard, Nueske bacon, golden raisins, piquillo pepper and pommes aligot.”

“Truffle parmesan fries.”

This 1937 rose muscat was unusual, sweet, and very very good.

It comes from the town of Massandra in the Crimea which was an ancient Greek settlement. The Tzar had a palace here and for centuries they made special wine for the royal family. Raisin in a glass, this particular vintage must have been served up to Stalin!

“Pierre Robert – triple crème brie France, pasteurized cow’s milk Saba, blackberry. Brigante – semi-soft Italy, pasteurized sheep’s milk Honey foam & pickled green apple. St. Agur – blue cheese France, pasteurized cow’s milk Poached pear & hazelnut crumble.”

1994 was one of the greatest port vintages of recent memory and this Warre’s is just coming into it’s own. A very fine port indeed, and perfect with the cheese and desserts to follow.

“Farmer’s market peach beignets with bourbon caramel sauce.”

“Banana and huckleberry bread pudding served with peanut butter ice cream.”

“Chocolate molten whiskey cake with Guinness ice cream and Bailey’s whipped cream.”

On the left one of our hosts, on the right the young and talented Christopher Kufek, Saddle Peak’s executive chef.

This hedonism dinner certainly lived up to the word. I hung out for a good hour at the end chatting with the chef and drinking water to balance out my humors. But it was a tremendous time. The food was great, the wine amazing, and the company excellent. My liver and heart aren’t necessarily in agreement, but my brain hopes to be back at the next event.

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