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Archive for Chardonnay

Capital Sauvages

Jul28

Restaurant: Capital Seafood Beverly Hills [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 50 N La Cienega Blvd #130, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. (310) 855-1234

Date: November 12, 2021

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Not their best meal

_

Sauvages has been on a fantastic (and “sold out”) tear since resuming in 2021. This lunch is a return to Capital Seafood in Beverly Hills with a (fake, AKA American) Chardonnay and Pinot Noir theme.

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Capital is the latest SGV place to move west, occupying the Newport Seafood Beverly Hills location that failed to work out. Not that I love even the original Newport, but Capital is fairly straight up banquet / dimsum Cantonese.

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The space looks pretty Chinese, even in Beverly Hills.
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Coves. Gotta have the coves!

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This particular lunch had the annoying 2 table and double wine format. We were set up in the bar area.

Champs to begin:

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These were (in my mind) the “real wines” before all that buttery chard came in.1A4A7809
Candied walnuts.
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Peanuts.
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Our special menu.
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The double table wine menu.
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Some various sauces.
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Smashed garlic cucumbers.
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Pickled jellyfish.
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Stuffed scallop with shrimp.
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Tony, who organized the menu, had them individually plate everything. This looks great and is a bit easier but it just doesn’t work well at Chinese restaurants. They aren’t used to it, and the time it takes them to do it means that everything is a bit cold by the time it hits the table. Plus, I’m a glutton and then I can’t take seconds :-).
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Steamed egg and lobster.
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Steamed live fish.
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Plated.
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Dum sum platter. A bun, a little rabbit dumpling (cute!) and a (single) hargow.
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So cute!

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Whole suckling pig.
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Plated. Notice how they have to stick some random vegetables on the plate so it doesn’t look empty. Fortunately, they didn’t plate the whole thing so there were fairly unlimited seconds of it available.

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French style filet mignon and String Beans. Tony just can’t resist ordering this dish. It’s tender but boring.
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Braised Tofu & Pea Leaves with Garlic.
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Fried Rice with Red Chicken Sauce and Shrimp Cream. This is the “classic” yin yang rice.
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Macau style egg tart.

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Baked Crispy Pastry with Almond milk. Cool but a bit odd.
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Fresh fruit.

Overall, Capital Seafood is quite solid SGV-style Cantonese banquet (as well as dimsum). I’d say that the food quality is about on par with middle of the road SGV Cantonese. Price is higher, but still not bad. They lean heavily on the MSG too. But today’s lunch was probably one of my least favorite meals here. The two table and individual plating thing meant that portions were small and the food was a bit cold.

Also, the whole two table thing is just not as fun as a single (even large) table. Having half the wines at one and half at the other is very chaotic.

I didn’t really like the white wine. There were a couple that were decent, but they are so heavy. I’d happily drink $20 2019 Fevre Chablis Villages over almost any of these, so I’m not even gonna bother to write them up. Some of the Pinots are pretty nice. Not like a great red burg, but at least like an enjoyable young red burg.

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For my catalog of Chinese restaurant reviews in China, click here.

Related posts:

  1. Capital Sauvages
  2. Dirty Dozen at Capital Seafood
  3. Capital Dim Sum
  4. Sauvages Roccos
  5. Sauvages AOC
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: BYOG, Capital Seafood, Chardonnay, Chinese Food, Gelato, lunch, Sauvages, Wine, wine lunch

Dirty Dozen at Water Grill

Jun10

Restaurant: Water Grill Santa Monica [1, 2, 3]

Location: 1401 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 394-5669

Date: May 8, 2019

Cuisine: American Seafood

Rating: Solid coastal seafooder

_

Tonight’s outing to Water Grill Santa Monica is for Dirty Dozen, the sub group of the Hedonists that does periodic themed blind wine dinners.

Tonight’s theme was relatively young White Burgundy (2002-2017).

The Water Grill was chosen probably because they don’t charge for corkage (Dirty Dozen is cheap about this). It is VERY nicely located (close to my house). The ocean sunset throws some awesome color on the facade.

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And they have a great private room. Huge, paneled, and very secluded.
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The menu is classic California seafooder. It’s a bit over priced, a touch “boring”, and a tad challenging to arrange into small plates. But kitchen execution is fairly solid.

Flight 0 – Champagne:

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2010 David Leclapart Champagne Premier Cru L’Artiste Blanc de Blancs Pas Dosé Trépail. 91 points. The nose started a bit difficult, I guess because of the glas. Very intensive but not very positive. One hour later typical notes of peach, baken pineapple. Good acidity structure with fine bubbles, refreshing, precise. Good wine foor food because of the power and concentration.
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NV Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Cuvée Rubis. VM 93. The NV Cuvée Rubis, a blend of 2014 and 2013, is unusually strict and severe. Those are not bad qualities at all, but this edition is especially focused and pulsing with energy. The cranberry, white flowers, grapefruit and white pepper notes are finely cut. In many years, I find the Cuvée Rubis to be airy and even a touch diffuse, but in this release, the wine is finely etched and sculpted, not to mention a huge overachiever. I loved it. The Rubis is 90% Pinot Noir (of which about 15% is still red wine) and 10% Chardonnay. Disgorged November 2016. Dosage is 9 grams per liter.
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Hot bread and butter.
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Our seafood tower accompanies the first flight. A trio of different oysters.
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Giant shrimp and crab “nuggets”. On top is some uni — way too little of this. Both the shrimp and crab were quite good for what they are. Lobster was left off for cost saving reasons. Truthfully, you do need to get a lot of it, which adds up.
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Various sauces for the raw bar.

Flight 1:

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2011 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne Quintessence. VM 93-96. Distinctly cooler on the nose than the “regular” Corton-Charlemagne: lime, crushed rock and white flowers, with a hint of the chicken broth quality shown by the classic bottling. Tighter in texture and higher-pitched in the mouth, with the crushed stone minerality currently dominating the lime and floral flavors; imploded today yet utterly vibrant. The pure, saline finish builds and builds. This should be long-lived.
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2005 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne. VM 98+. Wonderfully ripe, deep aromas of lime, minerals and crushed stone. An incredible mouthful of stones and minerals, with uncanny intensity, juiciness and lift. At this point in my marathon tasting with Boillot, my handwriting was degenerating and I was using exclamation marks rather than adjectives. Flat-out great white Burgundy. Incidentally, Boillot changed his supplier of Corton-Charlemagne as of this vintage; he now works with vines in Aloxe-Corton that face full south.
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2004 Morey-Blanc Corton-Charlemagne. VM 91+. High-toned aromas of raw pineapple and menthol. Then tightly wound and imploded in the mouth, with pure, juicy flavors of lemon peel and crushed stone. Very solidly built but not hard on the back. Not yet longer than the Genevrieres, but this one really needs to be buried in the cellar.
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A trio of crudos:

Farmed New Zealand King Salmon. fig jam, sour cream

Wild Eastern Sea Scallop. togarashi rub, Japanese mustard aioli, pickled vegetable, golden raisins

Wild Pacific Bigeye Tuna. fennel orange purée, diced oranges, fennel pollen

Flight 2:

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2009 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. VM 96. The 2009 Chablis Les Clos is inward, cool and impeccably precise. It presents a chiseled, sculpted expression of fruit, then blossoms on the mid-palate and finish as the voice of the year comes through. The 2009 is a relatively open, radiant Les Clos that should offer rewarding drinking fairly early for this cuvée. It is drop-dead gorgeous from start to finish.
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2008 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Blanc. VM 93. Healthy bright yellow. A sexy note of reduction to the highly complex aromas of white peach, pear, minerals, mint, hazelnut and toast. At once silky and vibrant; a wonderfully concentrated midweight with terrific balance and thrust and a winning combination of fresh white fruits and minerals complicated by subtle salinity from start to finish. The aftertaste delivers lovely sappy, building length and a weightless impression but no hardness. The highest in acidity of all the vintages in this tasting–and right up my alley. This is a big success for its vintage and is evolving slowly.
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2014 Joseph Drouhin Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. VM 92+. Pale, bright yellow. Tight, bright aromas of lemon-lime, grapefruit pith and crushed stone. Pliant on entry, then adamantly minerally and firm in the middle palate and dominated by its structure. But this very intense, fine-grained wine really resounds on the finish. Very closed today but has the balance and backbone to age gracefully.
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Uni Toast. Toasted brioche. a bit dry, not enough uni!

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Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Cake. Celery root remoulade

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Seafood Fritters. Crab, shrimp and Atlantic cod, with romesco sauce and pickled peppers. Tasty, but DEEP fried.

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Wild Spanish Octopus. Charcoal grilled with tomato, feta and nicoise olives. Pretty good.

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Wedge Salad. bacon and blue goat cheese. I love a wedge — all about the dressing.

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Bitter Greens. salt cured anchovies and garlic vinaigrette

 

Flight 3:

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2015 Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchottes. BH 91. This was strongly reduced, indeed to the point that it was unpleasant and difficult to like, both on the nose and on the palate. On the plus side there is good density to the caressing yet powerful medium-bodied flavors that brim with dry extract that imparts a sappy texture to the slightly warm and mildly bitter finish. I gave this an extended aeration and it helped but like the Morgeot, it’s not completely clear that this is going to grow out of what could generously be described as youthfully awkward. To be sure, there is excellent underlying material and given the excellent track record of this wine, I am inclined to offer the benefit of the doubt. But that’s not a guarantee that this will eventually transform from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan.
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2012 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 91-94. Pale yellow-green. Vibrant, precise aromas of lime leaf, thyme and mint. Then rich and pliant on the palate, with lovely texture and restrained sweetness to the flavors of ripe peach, noble herbs, smoky oak and spices. Wonderfully harmonious, classy wine with lovely floral and herbal lift to its persistent white fruit flavors.
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From my cellar: 2007 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chevalier-Montrachet. VM 94+. Bright medium yellow. Very ripe, expressive nose offers yellow peach and white flowers. Opulent, shapely and very ripe, in a distinctly sweeter style than the Batard. Gives an impression of lower acidity too, but there’s plenty of acid here. I suspect this one will shut down in bottle. Girardin, who bottled most of his crus in April and May of this year, noted that the 2007s really only started to express themselves in February, and that many of his fellow producers bottled this vintage too early.
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Wild Channel Islands Black Cod Kabayaki (Sablefish). soba noodles, green onions, spiced fish broth

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Wild Ross Sea Chilean Sea Bass. pan sautéed with herbed ricotta gnudi and brown butter

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Dover sole with lemon butter.
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Santa Barbara Spot Prawns.
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2010 Mongeard-Mugneret Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Orveaux. BH 89-92. The composition of the nose is similar to that of the Vosne villages though here it’s a bit more elegant and slightly fresher as well. There is good mid-palate fat and a touch of minerality that adds interest to the solidly precise and vibrant medium-bodied flavors that terminate in a dusty and naturally sweet finish. I like the balance and interestingly the sweetness is balanced off by just a touch of austerity.
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Prime Split-Bone Ribeye. 20 ounce

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Broccolini with Chinese sausage — sausage makes everything great!
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Crispy Polenta with Melted Fontina. Ok, but a touch bland.
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Mac and Cheese.
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French Fries.

Flight 4 – Dessert:

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1988 Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes. VM 89. Reticent aromas of almond, petrol and brown spices opened to show a honeyed richness and good botrytis character. Very rich, fat and honeyed in the mouth; showed a grapefruity freshness with aeration. Still, this expansive wine seems rather low in acidity. Finishes quite suave, and a bit less sweet than the middle palate would suggest. This was the turnaround vintage, under the management of Jean-Pierre Jausserand.
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Cheese plate. Pretty good.
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Chocolate Orange Pistachio Gelato — my classic 63% Valrhona chocolate base but with orange infused milk, and laced with house-made Bronte Pistachio Valrhona Gananche — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Just say it again: Bronte Pistachio Valrhona Ganache — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #pistachio #orange #chocolate

Reimagining an old flavor Cocoa Samoa Gelato — Coconut dairy base, new super delicious formulation, house-made caramel and Valrhona chocolate ganache, with Girl Scout Samoas — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Crazy Choco Caramel Nostalgic Goodness! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #coconut #caramel #samoas #girlscoutcookies

Moscow Mule Sorbetto — new highly technical sorbetto made with lime, cucumber, ginger beer, and Stoli Vodka — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — yeah, there is actually a lot of vodka in here — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #MoscowMule #lime #cucumber #GingerBeer #Stoli #vodka

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My minimalist notes.
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The scores for tonight.

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The DD results history.
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The wine lineup.
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Winner, winner, chicken (or fish) dinner Kirk with his bottle. Cotsen is jealous.
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The gang.

Overall, a fun evening. Food was tasty and fresh. It’s not the most exciting or novel, and some dishes are just okay. I don’t love trying to make a tasting menu out of this menu. It doesn’t really have share plates and the entrees are hard to split (we didn’t). But the restaurant did a good job by us, and the private room is awesome.

Wines were quite nice tonight by D&D standards. Whites were showing better than they usually do in this group.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. 2005 Burgundy at Water Grill
  2. Dirty Dozen Grand
  3. Dirty Dozen – Locanda Veneta
  4. Dirty Dozen Ride Again
  5. Dirty Dozen Cabernet
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: BYOG, Chardonnay, Dirty Dozen, Gelato, hedonists, Water Grill, watergrill, White Burgundy, Wine

Fake Chard at Grand Harbor

Jun25

Restaurant: Grand Harbor [1, 2]

Location: 5733 Rosemead Blvd, Temple City, CA 91780. (626) 280-2998

Date: May 20, 2018

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Solid B+ dim sum and Cantonese treats

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It has become traditional for the Dirty Dozen (our blind tasting group within a group) to do white wine lunches over dim sum — which is by far my preference given some alternatives because despite the timing problems with wine tasting and Chinese Food, I just always love good Chinese food. And so one year exact to the day after our last visit to Grand Harbor we return.

The wine theme today was New World Whites — ick.

Grand Harbor is a relatively new Hong Kong place in Temple City from Jackie Zhou.

The dining room is huge and opulent in that chintzy Chinese way. I would have thought from all the overzealous cove lighting that the space was built out in the 80s, but apparently it’s only a year or two old!

Real marble blends non-so-seemlessly with faux-alabaster. They have wine too like many of the new high end places. Mostly big young red wine like Bordeaux which totally fails to pair with Cantonese Chinese, but it’s the thought that counts.

XO sauce on the table to start, which is a nice touch.

 This time we had a private room — much better. Today was a small crew too, only 7 of us, probably because of the lame New World White theme.

From my cellar: NV Ruinart Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 92. Light yellow-gold. Smoky citrus and orchard fruits on the deeply perfumed, mineral-tinged nose. Offers broad, toasty orange and pear skin flavors with an undercurrent of dusty minerals. Picks up floral and ginger nuances with air, along with hints of iodine and tarragon. Rich yet lively blanc de blancs with powerful back-end lift and finishing grip.

agavin: my favorite wine of the day. lol. and it wasn’t even part of the official set.

Marinated cucumbers. Very good, nice crunch and a bit of heat. These were so good we ordered them again.

From my cellar: 2011 Domaine Roulot Meursault. JG 90. All of the vineyard plots for this new villages bottling hail from the former Domaine Emmanuel, with the lion’s share having been the old Clos de la Baronne bottling. This is a very deep and classy AC bottling and a welcome new addition to the Roulot lineup, wafting from the glass in a blend of apple, tangerine, nutskin, a very pretty base of soil and just a touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite classic, with a very pretty blend of soil and pure fruit, nice framing acids and very fine length and grip on the open and classy finish. This is not a particularly minerally example of Meursault, but it has all the charm and early generosity one would like to see in a villages bottling, and this will delight right from the start, but I would be inclined to give it at least a year of bottle age to allow its secondary layers of complexity to emerge.

agavin: Jen allowed me to slip in a ringer because I hate new world whites (and barely have any) and because I had the theory that even a village Roulot would blow them away. Unfortunately, the bottle was mildly corked and therefore very short on fruit. Even so it came in #4 (middle of the pack) despite being corked. Sigh.

Brian brought: 2013 Aubert Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard. VM 95+. The 2013 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard is one of the most tightly wound wines in this range. White pepper, crushed rocks, smoke, mint and lemon peel gradually open up, but only with great reluctance. Today, it is the wine’s energy and tension that stand out above all else. A vivid, mineral-drenched finish rounds things out in style.

agavin: the winning wine (Brian again taking the title). Today turned out to be an Aubert tasting.

Scallop & shrimp dumplings with dried roe. Nice dumpling with a bit of a different vibe.

Har gow. Crystal shrimp dumplings. Nice.

Chui Chow style dumplings.

Shu Mai. Shrimp and pork dumplings. Nice version of the classic.

Shanghai style XLB. solid little bags of goodness. These are the classic soup dumplings stuffed with pork and hot broth.

Yarom with the manager.

Larry brought: 2013 Aubert Chardonnay CIX Estate Vineyard. VM 96. The 2013 Chardonnay CIX Vineyard is another reticent wine, but there is plenty of depth, volume and raciness. With time in the glass, deeper, soil-inflected notes, graphite, chamomile and honey open up, adding considerable complexity and nuance. Bright, saline notes punctuate the finish. The CIX starts off slow, but then really accelerates with air.

agavin: ranked #2

Yarom brought: 2013 Aubert Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons. VM 95. The 2013 Chardonnay Larry Hyde and Sons is gorgeous. Lemon curd, white flowers, white pepper and mint lift from the glass. Effortless, gracious and lifted in the glass, the 2013 impresses for its brightness and tension, but there is plenty of the trademark Aubert richness in the glass. The Hyde finishes with notable energy and subtlety.

agavin: ranked #5-6, oddly cloudy (storage in Yarom’s guest room?)

Jen slipped in: 2016 Kirkland Signature Chardonnay Signature Series Russian River Valley. Tasted like oak.

agavin: fortunately came in dead last, keeping the balance in the universe.

Crispy fried chicken cartilage. Always a favorite and really tasty.

Beef rolls. Good versions of this dish (which isn’t generally a favorite of mine). Not as heavy as some.

Pork inside a chewy fried skin. Excellent version with a good amount of meat and not too greasy.

Tofu in tangy sauce. Nice soft fried tofu with a delicious tangy, hot, sweet sauce.

Lightly fried dumping. Can’t remember the filling but they were good.

Golden batter pork buns. Spectacular with the sweet pork inside.

Shrimp rice noodle. Known in my household as “shrimp slime.”

Green onion rice noodle. I think, I can’t remember what was inside for sure.

2016 Ovid Experiment W3.6. 92 points. Light yellow. Fresh and vibrant nose. Multiple grapes, changes every year. Rhone varietals, and nicely put together. Interesting . As it warmed up the Roussanne seemed to be the emphasis.

agavin: I liked this slightly floral white.

Ron brought: 2002 Sine Qua Non Whisperin’ E. VM 94. a blend of 50% roussanne, 31% viognier and 19% chardonnay; 14. 9% alcohol. Pale-medium gold. Roasted, oaky aromas of peaty Islay scotch and smoke, with a strong mineral component. In the mouth, this offers a fascinating combination of a firm pear skin edge and lively acids on the one hand and superripe flavors of pineapple, peach nectar and honeysuckle on the other. The flavors suggest thickness but the wine’s phenolic edge keeps it brisk. Finishes very subtle, pliant and long, with excellent lift. A captivating, suave California white wine. I’d be more enthusiastic about Northern Rhone whites if they had the fruit of this one.

agavin: I don’t normally like white Rhones but I liked these two much better than the fake Chards

One of the managers really pushed these roast pigeons on us. I was skeptical, as I came for dim sum, but these were excellent birds. Juicy, with a lot of flavor and a nice crispy skin. We had two halves each and were VERY full.

Pork chops causeway style. Never had pork chops in this style, with the crispy garlic and some chilies, but it really worked.

Crispy pan fried noodles with egg and beef and cilantro. Really good, you could cut it almost like a pancake.

Pea tendrils with garlic. Excellent green.

House special fried rice. With the Chinese sausage. Yum.

“Pineapple” buns. Basically a custard inside.

1A0A84652018I also brought a pair of Sweet Milk Gelati (that I made). Mexican Cinnamon Chocolate Gelato with optional house-made chili caramel (not shown).
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and Pure Sicilian Sweet Almond Gelato with Scorza di Limone (candied lemon peel).

My bad notes.

The score card.

The lineup.

Overall, Grand Harbor had very solid dim sum, at the level just below Elite where a lot of good but not perfect places stand. I’d certainly happy to chow down on it again. They did seem to use a lot of MSG because I was HAMMERED by it about 45 minutes later. Non dim sum dishes were excellent and they have a VAST menu of them. Worth coming for an evening banquet.

This second meal we didn’t have nearly as many people and so didn’t get to try as many dishes unfortunately. What we had was very good but the previous time was epic.

Service here was fabulous. This time we had the private room and they really took care of us. They kept trying to bring us more stuff, all of which was delicious.

The smaller group was a lot of fun. More relaxed, less craziness, and it was a very enjoyable lunch. I wasn’t a big fan of the wines. Shame my Roulot was corked — as I preferred the Ruinart Champagne to all the official whites!

Overall, a super fun afternoon!

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Grand times at Grand Harbor
  2. Sea Harbor Dim Sum
  3. World Seafood is Elite
  4. Grand Grenache
  5. Lunasia Dim Sum
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Brunch, BYOG, Chardonnay, Dim sum, dimsum, Dirty Dozen, Grand Harbor, hedonists, SGV, Wine. gelato

Babykiller Birthday

May06

Like many of us, my friend Matthew likes to celebrate his birthday with Burgundy. In this case, a free-for-all house party with lots of it. NOTE: this group doesn’t have real name, but I call them the Babykillers because they’re mostly younger than me, and because of a tendency to open great wines young (like 2010 DRC!). But hey, after who knows how long in the decanter those young DRCs were pretty awesome.

The birthday boy.

It should be noted that this dinner, like many Babykiller birthdays before it, has an unusual format. Food is casual, and all the when is just popped and self serve with small pours. There are 1.5-2 bottles per person, so there is no huge rush. Even the 1990 Dujac took 2 hours to be finished.

1988 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. 95 points. howed beautifully, but not as well as the last bottle. The wine is light golden honey coloured, with fine mousse and effervescence that’s still alive, although fading. Notes of toasted brioche, hazelnuts and dried fruit on the nose. On the palate the wine is smooth, rich and long, with good, muted fruit and great balance and decent effervescence. Drinking at its peak now.

1999 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 95. The 1999 Salon, tasted from magnum, is the first wine in which fresh, primary fruit flavors are replaced by more mature notes. Lemon oil, light honey and chamomile flesh out in a radiant, expressive Champagne loaded with class. Here it is the wine’s texture and breadth that impress above all else. The 1999 is a fabulous transition to the older wines in this tasting, as it is both youthful and complex.

From my cellar: 1995 Pierre Morey Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. 93 points. Quite refined nose and palate with subtle nose of flowers, green fruit and brioche. Fresh and not even slightly premoxed.

1996 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Caillerets. Burghound 91. Exquisite nose of hazelnut and ripe melon with flavors that are not particularly dense but very fine, tight and beautifully detailed with plenty of minerality and outstanding acid/fruit balance. Even though this is young vine fruit, it shows excellent intensity on the long finish.

1999 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Auxey-Duresses Les Clous. 94 points. This seems to be a mix between the roundness of a Meursault (buttery flavor, texture on the palate) and the minerality of a Puligny (fresh, citrusy scents, length on palate). This one is a knockout, that clearly rivals the grands crus, let it be Chevalier/Batard and the likes. But for a fraction of the price. A knock-out effort by Mme Bize!

2002 Bouchard Aîné et Fils Montrachet. 95 points. A real stunner. We decanted and it had a knockout power.

2004 Domaine Amiot Guy et Fils Montrachet Le Montrachet. 93 points. The aromas are softer and lighter than the ’05, with some slight green notes. Soft palate entry, with a creamy, chunky texture, without quite the complexity of the ’05. Still very rich, offering nice lemon notes coupled with some good minerality. Nice blossoming finish, which really opens up beautifully, and surprisingly considering the palate. Lovely puckering notes linger, but they are particularly graceful. Nice tartness. Really wonderful on the finish.

Lucky to be having more Amiot Monty!


Various cheeses. I always forget how great a pairing cheese and White Burgundy is.

Antipasta.

Caprese.

Panna.

Arugula salad.


2001 Bernard Dugat-Py Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Petite Chapelle. Burghound 92. Riper red fruit nose and with excellent finesse and purity of expression as the intense, understated, precise and detailed flavors display outstanding length. I very much like this as it’s harmonious, subtle and dazzlingly pretty.

2010 Finca Allende Rioja Martires. 91 points. Holy oak, vanilla, alcohol batman. Served blind. Thought it was high octane california chardonnay. Yowsers. No me gusta.

From my cellar: 1997 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Romanée St. Vivant. 94 points. Drinking great. Very RSV, round and expressive. Hedonistic.

1997 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts. VM 93. Deep red-ruby. Precise, floral aromas of red fruits, flowers and minerals; less superripe and perhaps more vineyard-specific than the Boudots. High-pitched, fine and light on its feet. Really impressively delineated and lively. Fruity but with firm underlying backbone. Firmly tannic, pure aftertaste.

1990 Domaine Dujac Echezeaux. Burghound 91. A beautiful and fully mature nose of dark berry fruit, spice and earth with just the initial hints of sous bois leads to round, rich, powerful and still moderately structured medium full flavors underpinned by still firm but softening tannins and excellent length. This is still quite well balanced and displays none of the “fruit/tannin” separation that so many ’90s do today and as such, the ’90 Ech should drink well over the next 20+ years.

agavin 96: a knock out and clear WOTN.

1986 Michel Bonnefond Ruchottes-Chambertin. 88 points. Short.

2006 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant. VM 95. The 2006 Romanée-St. Vivant is backed up by firm veins of mouthwatering salinity and acidity. The characteristic Romanée-St. Vivant perfumed bouquet is very much in evidence, while there is a sense of energy and pure drive that distinguishes it from the Échézeaux. The RSV can be drunk today, but knowing how these wines age, patience will be rewarded as 2006 still isn’t showing all of its cards.

2010 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux. Burghound 94. Exuberant and ripe spicy purple fruit also exhibits distinct floral and warm earth nuances that go on to suffuse the rich and finely detailed medium-bodied flavors that possess excellent underlying tension before terminating in a focused, intense and gorgeously long finish. This is pure silk and lace but the really impressive aspect of this wine is just how much depth it has. A sublime knockout, particularly by the usual standards of this wine.

2006 Domaine Denis Bachelet Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes. Burghound 94. Despite being harvested first, this is clearly the ripest wine in the range where the wonderfully dense fruit is highlighted by a background touch of wood that continues onto the refined, pure and concentrated flavors that are supported by dense but fine tannins and flat out terrific length. This is a lovely wine in every respect and while not exactly understated, everything does seem to be in perfect proportion.

agavin: tighter than a witches tit!

Spaghetti with seafood.

Spaghetti al carbonara.

Baked ziti. I haven’t seen that in a while!


My plate.


195x R. López de Heredia Rioja Viña Tondonia. Can’t read the year, but it was good. Very dirty, in that good Rioja way.


1960 Fonseca Porto Vintage. 91 points.


Beard Papa cream puffs, both chocolate and vanilla.

Cookies.

More cookies.


The damage.

Overall another night of great fun and fabulous wines.

Related posts:

  1. BOA Birthday Blitz
  2. Birthday Party, Hedonist Style
  3. Il Grano Birthday
  4. Pistola with a Bang
  5. Sauvage Republique
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Babykillers, Burgundy, Chardonnay, Italian cuisine, Matthew G, Pinot noir, Wine

Tai Sui – Froggy Goats

Mar27

Restaurant: Tai Sui [1, 2]

Location: 3219 North San Gabriel Boulevard, Rosemead, CA. (626) 307-0203

Date: March 22, 2015

Cuisine: Cambodian

Rating: Awesome meats!

_

We Hedonists are never ones to shy away from the exotic, and Tai Sui, a Cambodian hole in the wall in the San Gabriel Valley surely fits the bill.


NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Brut Tradition Grand Cru. Burgound 91. The last time this cuvée was reviewed (disgorgement in 2006) it was noticeably toastier and a bit less elegant than this version, if a bit more complex. The hallmark toastiness of the Egly house style is certainly present though as I note, to a lesser extent. The pinot fruit is evident on both the nose and the palate with good effervescence to the attractively intense, crisp and vibrant flavors that possess fine finishing punch on the moderately dry finish. This could be enjoyed now though I would personally opt to hold it for 2 to 3 years first.


The decor is oh so sophisticated, but the food is fabulous.


From my cellar: 2004 Morey-Blanc Meursault 1er Cru Bouchères. Burgound 92. This is a good deal riper with exotic aromas of mango, melon and dried apricots that lead to textured, dense and mouth coating full-bodied flavors that are beautifully complex and despite the weight, the marked acidity keeps everything focused and well-balanced. An impressive showing for a wine that I often find to be a bit top-heavy.

agavin: lots of reduction, and still a good bit of vanilla oak. Nice acidity though and a quite nice 1re.


Spring rolls. Not sure what was in these, but they were yummy.


2012 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles. Burghound 93. A ripe but airy and beautifully well-layered nose features notes of honeysuckle, citrus, apricot and soft spice nuances. The palate feel of the medium-bodied flavors is also highly seductive and opulent as the abundant dry extract confers an almost oily texture to the powerful finish. This could easily be an overly heavy wine yet the bright citrus-infused acidity saves the balance and I would make the same observation here in that this is far from a classic Pucelles yet it manages to work all the same. Note that this should drink well almost immediately.

agavin: bright, acidic, and drinking very nicely for such a young big White Burg


You wrap them with noodles, herbs, and some fish sauce. It’s all about the sauce.


2012 Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet. Burgound 89. Here too there is enough reduction to push what appears to be ripe fruit to the background. The pure and well-detailed middle weight flavors possess a highly seductive mouth feel along with lovely balance and excellent persistence for a villages level wine. The class of a fine Puligny is very much in evidence and this is worth your attention.


Spring rolls. The less fried variety. Not quiet as tasty.


2012 Peter Michael Chardonnay Ma Belle-Fille. VM 93. Green-tinged yellow. Vibrant aromas of lime, anise, chalky minerals and honeysuckle show impressive clarity and a hint of iodine. Firm, tightly focused and dry, offering mineral-driven citrus and orchard fruit flavors and complicating ginger and quinine nuances. Finishes racy and pure, with strong, clinging mineral and citrus zest flavors.

agavin: all oak and malo with no acid


Fried frog. This light tempura-style batter was the perfect complement to a little amphibian fun. Piping hot and full of moist flavor.


2012 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett. VM 87. Nectarine, pine nuts and lemon oil on the nose. Delicate tropical fruit flavors are brightened by a salty twang. Refreshing acidity gives a feminine character to the finish. Nicely balanced.

agavin: solid easy drinking Riesling


Shrimp salad with pig ear. This dish was absolutely fabulous. Not only was there the nice textural play of soft and crunchy, but the bright citrus, sour, fish saucy flavor was amazing. And then as added zest there was a bit of shaved pig ear thrown in. Seriously, what more could you ask for?


From my cellar: 1990 Robert Ampeau & Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots. 92 points. An earthy medium-to-heavy weight Burgundy, with tastes packed with tar, tobacco, forest floor, mushroom and dark cherry. The fruitiness has mostly disappeared, and is replaced by a solid backbone redolent of the grape’s mother soil. Worth drinking to experience the capabilities of a well-aged burgundy. Shipped directly from Domaine Ampeau’s cellars.

agavin: a little bretty at first, then blew off and opened up to be very nice, if not fully resolved.


French style venison. Deer cooked in a sort of black pepper, wine, soy reduction. Lots of flavor. perhaps a touch chewy.


1999 Haut Bailly. Parker 88. This wine is light to medium-bodied, with sweet currant and smoke-infused flavors and some oak in the background, but plenty of red fruits, vanilla, and dried herbs. This is a soft, well-balanced wine to drink now and over the next 12-15 years.


Fried smelts. Super salty but full of umami flavor.


1995 Henschke Shiraz Hill of Grace. Parker 91. Deep garnet-brick in color, the 1995 Hill of Grace has a slightly leathered, dried fruit nose that is a little tired though highlighted by notes of sandalwood, tree bark and earth, hints of leather and meat. There’s a touch of barnyard on the palate and it is a bit past its peak, fading slightly with crisp acid and firm, chewy tannins through a long finish.

agavin: This was the best of the strong reds, particularly with the food.


Clams in spicy sauce. The sauce was amazing over rice.


2005 Saxum Syrah Broken Stones. Parker 94+. The 2005 Broken Stones, a blend of 74% Syrah, 24% Grenache, and the rest Mourvedre, is a beauty. Notes of licorice, forest floor, pepper, spice box, and loads of black and red fruits jump from the glass as well as saturate the palate. This full-bodied, opulent wine has crisp acidity, some heady alcohol, and loads of flavor, depth, and richness. It is a savory wine to drink now and over the next 7-10 years.


2008 Saxum Syrah Broken Stones. Parker 94. The 2008 Broken Stones (79% Syrah, 13% Grenache, and the rest Mourvedre) has a bluish purple color to the rim, with the classic nose of camphor, charcoal, black currant, and blackberry with hints of licorice and smoke. This intense wine displays great fruit, some structure, and a beautifully seamless texture. It is more evolved and open than the 2007 was at the same time, and just slightly less profound. It should drink nicely for at least a decade.


Mixed fried rice. This awesome rice was totally made by the bits of sweet/savory Chinese sausage.


2012 L’Aventure Optimus. 93 points. Absolutely stunning. Drank with dry aged rib eyes and seared foie gras. Dark, rich fruit. Sweet oak, hints of pepper and smoke on the nose to go with the dark fruit. Even better on day 2 poured back into bottle and gassed overnight. Such a great deal on a unique blend.


2007 Brown Estate Zinfandel Westside. 88 points. Spicy, berry nose. Jammy, full and long on the palate.


Goat stew. The gamey goat meat was super tender, and the wontons lent some nice texture, but the real winner hear was the broth which was out of this world. Very South East Asian, like a Pho broth.


Vegetable. This was intended to be briefly cooked in the soup and was very savory that way. It’s some kind of chrysanthemum. The staff only described it as “vegetable.”


2010 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard. Tanzer 95. Good deep red. Raspberry, bacon fat and black olive on the nose. Silky, fleshy and sweet, with a peppery topnote to the sweet raspberry and beef jerky flavors. Finishes classically dry and extremely long, with noble, fine-grained tannins. This very concentrated and utterly captivating syrah called to mind a Cote-Rotie from the legendary Marius Gentaz.


Garlic fried squab. Small but tasty little game birds.


2005 K Vintners Charles Smith Old Bones Syrah. Parker 99. The 2005 Syrah Old Bones is a blend of The Heart and The Skull but aged in 500-liter barrels. It is more complex, opulent, and totally hedonistic. It will be at its best from 2017 to 2035.


Roast quail with rice. This bird was even better. Like Thai BBQ chicken, but more gamey.


1999 Sunstone Syrah. Parker 88. I would have guessed the 1999 Syrah was from Australia. While it sports an unjustifiable price, it is a delicious, New World Syrah with tons of oaky vanilla scents intermixed with pepper, licorice, and blackberry/cassis fruit. Medium to full-bodied and plush, with low acidity, it will drink well for 6-7 years.


2003 Mitolo Shiraz Savitar. Parker 94-7. The 2003 Shiraz Savitar is a prodigious offering. Made from 30- to 50-year-old Shiraz vines in the Willunga district of McLaren Vale, it was aged 18 months in 100% new French barrels and small foudres. This elegant Shiraz boasts an opaque purple color along with sumptuous blueberry, blackberry, and cassis notes intermixed with touches of white flowers, licorice, camphor, and graphite. A compellingly textured, rich, super-endowed red, it combines power with finesse.


Fried pork chop and egg. Seems simple, but this breakfast-like combo of fried pork chop and egg was absolutely amazing together. Super tender.


1994 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rotenberg Vendange Tardive. Parker 98. The 1994 Tokay-Pinot Gris Rotenberg V.T. is a medium dark golden-colored wine, with high levels of botrytis and alcohol, awesome richness and thickness, and a chewy, unctuous palate that finishes with slight to moderate sweetness. It needs 4-5 years of cellaring, but it should keep for 25-30.

agavin: one of my favorites of the night, as I love a good sticky. Plus it went well with the curry.


Goat curry. A nice yellow curry with tender goat meat. Great again over rice.


But served with French Bread!


Overall, a total deal ($42 or similar all in) and some really tasty meats. Yeah, some folks were too quail to really enjoy all the slightly odd meats, but this place packs a lot of flavor.

Wine wise, it was a bit of a mixed bag. We had a whole bunch of decent Chards, then my one Pinot, and then way too many muscle wines which didn’t really complement well. Still, we made the “best” of it and had a roaring good time with a lot of drunken antics (see below).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

The famous Kaz Oyama Titty Twister!

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

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By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Cambodian Cuisine, Chardonnay, deer, frog, goat, hedonists, Tai Sui

Pistola with a Bang

Jan19

Restaurant: Pistola [1, 2]

Location: 8022 W 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048. 323.951.9800

Date: January 14, 2015

Cuisine: Italian Steakhouse

Rating: Tasty good

_

Tonight’s dinner is themed around 1990s grand cru Burgundy, both colors. Why exactly we took this to an Italian Steakhouse is anyone’s guess, but that didn’t matter — we had a blast.



1998 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Les Clos Saint-Hilaire. AG 95. Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is a 100% Pinot Noir Champagne made from a small, one hectare plot located on the property in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. The wine is fermented in oak and bottled with no dosage. In only its third release, Le Clos Saint-Hilaire has already established itself as one of the region’s most fascinating wines. Anticipated maturity The 1998 Brut Le Clos Saint-Hilaire emerges from the glass with an exotic array of intensely perfumed, candied fruit. The wine possesses gorgeous textural richness in a deep, layered expression of Pinot Noir. The mousse remains refined and very elegant all the way through to the deeply satisfying, resonating finish.


The menu. We actually had the chef bring up appetizers, pasta, and dessert, with everyone ordering their entrees.


From my cellar: 1992 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 90. As would be expected from a relatively soft vintage at 18 years of age, this is fully mature with sous bois and truffle notes to the dried apple and rose petal nose. There is good richness but also lovely detail and minerality to the moderately concentrated finish that offer excellent depth and length. I would be drinking this sooner than later because even though it is in no danger of falling apart, it’s clearly time to be drinking up over the next decade.

agavin: doing great for 22+ year old chardonnay


1999 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 92. As de la Morinière suggests, this is a good deal more powerful than the 2000 version but it is not quite as bright or quite as focused. That said, this is a very impressive effort with big, almost massive aromas of earth, ripe green fruits such as apples and pears leading to equally big, powerful flavors that offer great mouthfeel, all of which is underpinned by plenty of minerality and more than adequate buffering acidity. This is extremely long already but this should continue to improve for 7 to 10 years and hold for much longer than that.

agavin: rounder and actually “older” tasting than the 92, but drinking great.


1997 Domaine Marius Delarche Corton-Charlemagne Reserve. 90 points. Really singing and massive.


1969 Louis Jadot Corton-Pougets Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. 92 points. Mature Burgundy nose, forrest floor, mushrooms, damp earth. Fresh palate of dark fruits, great minerality, iron with nice acidity. Became sweeter after an hour and kept going. Great bottle.


Meatballs. On a bed of ricotta. Awesome. These were similar to the similarly awesome ones at Gusto.


Insalata Mista.


Steak tartar. Good meat, but didn’t have enough bite for me. Needed more pepper? It had some truffle oil in it.


Crab Crocchetti. Dungeness Crab Cake, scallion pesto.


1996 Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot. IWC 92+. Deep, bright red-ruby. Complex, wild aromas of raw crushed blueberry, violet, raw meat and iron. Intense, primal flavors of crunchy berries and powdered stone. Integrated acidity gives the fruit an urgent quality. Quite powerfully structured for aging. Very long and bright on the back end, with tannins nicely supported by extract.

As a note, we did two flights of 3 reds each more or less blind.


1998 Domaine Robert Jayer-Gilles Nuits St. Georges Les Hauts Poirets. IWC 89. Bright ruby-red. Fresh aromas of violet and nuts. Rich, sweet and silky, but also vibrant and shapely. Finishes with sweet tannins and very good length.


1990 Burguet Gilles Gevrey-Chambertin.

agavin: great for old village wine.


Squid Ink Agnolotti. Awesome stuff with a nice sweetness.


Buccatini alla Carbonara. Guanciale, onion, black pepper, egg yolk & pecorino.


Mixed up it’s great stuff.


Buccatini All’Amatriciana. Like a red suace pasta with more flavor.


1995 Domaine Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares. IWC 93. Black raspberry, violet and herbs on the nose. Thick, brooding and very intensely flavored; has a mellow flavor of woodsmoke. Large-scaled and multilayered. Finishes with ripe, chewy tannins. A terrific example of the ’95 vintage at its best.


1993 Daniel Bocquenet Echezeaux. Burghound 88. Very elegant, spicy rich fruit framed robust, intense but edgy flavors that are a bit lean on the moderately long finish. It’s not clear whether this will regain its balance or not with a few years of bottle age but there is no doubting the lovely complexity and solid flavor authority.

agavin: whatever meadows says, our bottle was filled with great wine. Lots of power and elegance.


1995 Louis Latour Corton-Clos de la Vigne au Saint.

agavin: a nice wine but not in the league of its immediate predecessors.


Dry-aged Delmonico steak.


Herb butter.


Rib-eye.

Colorado lamb chops.


Veal Chop Alla Parmigiana. Wow, I’m not a big straight steak fan so this really saved the course for me.


Crispy Tuscan Fries. Not sure what is Tuscan here.


Funghi Misti.


Caramelized Romanesco. With a bit of heat and a little vinegary tang, very nice.


Creamy Polenta. Mild.


Various ice creams.


And sorbets.


Vanilla ice cream, because you can never have too much of that.


Cannoli. My fave.


Tortino (aka Chocolate cake).


The chef brought us out something he was working on.


Grilled bread, prosciutto, foie gras, and uni. Wow, you wouldn’t think all that would work together, but it so does.


Overall, Pistola was really solid. We all thought some of the apps and the pastas were a bit better than the meats and sides (although I enjoyed my chop), but it was a very tasty meal. They treated us like kings too. Our waitress really put up with a lot of wine guy “hassle” and did a good job managing the flights.

Room is very pretty but a little loud with a bar feel (some love that, some don’t). If I were them, my biggest suggestion foodwise would just be to add some more decadent sides like a “gorgonzola gnocchi” and the like. Not really Italian, but then again, I’ve never actually seen a steakhouse in Italy. Not that Italians, particularly Tuscans don’t love steak, but the steakhouse format is an American thing — which is fine.

But this was overall a fabulous evening for a number of reasons. We had eight people all at a round table, which while cramped is great for conversation, and a great mix of guys. Plus we had a nice Burgundy focused theme.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

 

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By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Burgundy, Champagne, Chardonnay, Foodie Club, Pinot noir, Pistola, Steak, Will C, Wine

Valentines at the Peninsula

Feb17

Restaurant: The Belvedere

Location: 9882 South Santa Monica Blvd. Beverly Hills, Ca, 90212. 310-551-2888

Date: February 14, 2014

Cuisine: California French

Rating: Good food, turbo service

_

Every year, my wife and I try somewhere different for Valentines. Not only is this one of the best grossing nights of the year, but it’s also one of the least diner friendly. Restaurants tend toward overpriced fixed menus and aggressively tight seatings. This year, we went for the fancy dining room in the Peninsula, the Belvedere.


The menu for tonight.


And the vegetarian variant (of which my wife took everything but the hot pot — she had the fish instead).


From my cellar: 1995 Robert Ampeau & Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. 92 points. This is medium gold. Nose is very ripe fruit and honey, but not boytritis. Sweet and satiny and weighty, acid is failing. Finishes with baked apples and pastry.

Lovely mature Chardonnay.


I apologize for the lousy cellphone photos. I forgot to bring a better camera. A nice bread basket. Those crunchy parmesan things were highly addictive.


Beet Tartare. Variations of Beet Textures. Jewel Lettuces. Wild Flowers. The mix of textures was interesting and included freeze dried or flash frozen bits and other modernist touches. The flavors were a little mild, but it was certainly a pleasant dish.


Lobster and Shrimp Ravioli. Uni Butter. Petrossian Caviar. I’m a lover of this kind of seafood ravioli and the center didn’t disappoint. It also paired nicely with the uni. The broth was light. Perhaps a richer sauce might have had a little more umph, but I enjoyed it.


t

Loup de Mer. Lemongrass-Kaffir Lime Vapor.


Mild and pleasant with those Thai coconut soup flavors.


Petite Grass-Fed Beef Filet Mignon. Perigord Truffle Potato Mousseline. Glazed Leeks. Beef and potatoes — but fancier!


Eggplant Bayaldi. Perigord Truffle Potato Mousseline. Glazed Leeks.


Caramelia Milk Chocolate Coeur a la Creme. Chilled Blood Orange Consommé. Citrus Segments. I liked this dessert. The heart itself was moist and sweet. The chocolate crunch thing under it was delicious, and the citrus consommé was refreshing.

This was a tasty meal and I enjoyed the light modernist touches. My biggest gripe was the turbo speed at which they served the dinner. They managed to get us out of there in 1:15 minutes total! Wow. The food came nearly immediately and the pace never let up. That being said, service was attentive and they filled the wine glasses frequently, but the meal was so fast we couldn’t finish the bottle.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

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By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chardonnay, Filet Mignon, The Belvedere, The Peninsula, Truffle, valentines day

Old School Cool

Feb03

Restaurant: The Dal Rae

Location: 9023 E Washington Blvd, Pico Rivera, CA 90660. (562) 949-2444

Date: February 1, 2014

Cuisine: American

Rating: Excellent and extremely old school

_

With the success of our High End Burgundy and High End Bordeaux themed dinners, we Hedonists are experimenting with more ideas. Tonight all the wines are requried to be 99 and 100 point (in some major publication). The setting is The Dal Rae, which is a massively old school mid century classic out in the middle of outer Mongolia (Pico Rivera). I’d never been to Pico Rivera, probably never even heard of it. I still barely know where it is after going — just somewhere in the inland empire.


The place is like a blast out of the 50s. Sinatra could have (or probably did) hang here.


Our big private table.


The menu. Probably hasn’t changed much in 50 years! There are a few nods to the late 20th century, like “Ahi Sashimi on toast.”


2002 Vilmart et Cie Coeur de Cuvee. Parker 94. The 2002 Brut Coeur de Cuvee is absolutely stunning. This young, towering Champagne bursts from the glass with layers of mineral-infused fruit, showing fabulous intensity and purity from start to finish. Hints of tropical, opulent fruit are very nicely tempered by the wine’s underlying structure. Think Montrachet with bubbles. The Coeur de Cuvee is made from 50 year old vines in Les Blanches Voies Hautes. The blend is 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir. Dosage is 8 grams per liter.

Nice champagne.


Pickles on the table. The cucumber has a nice lightly pickled quality.


Bread.


From my cellar: 1996 Chapoutier Ermitage Cuvee de l’Oree. Parker 99-100. It is no secret that I adore Chapoutier’s luxury cuvee of white Hermitage called Cuvee L’Oree. Made from 90-year old vines and microscopic yields of 10-12 hectoliters per hectare, this wine flirts with perfection. It is a compelling white Hermitage. Made from 100% Marsanne, it is as rich and multidimensional as the fullest, most massive Montrachet money can buy. It is unctuously textured, yet extraordinarily and beautifully balanced. I suspect it will drink well early in life, and then shut down for a few years. It should last for 4-5 decades. The 1996 possesses some of the most amazing glycerin levels I have ever seen in a dry white wine. In short, this wine must be tasted to be believed.

This is the second time I’ve failed to be impressed with this wine. I’ve had the bottles since release too. Maybe it’s just was Marsanne tastes like, and it was a perfectly nice wine (if a little on the oxidized side), but 100 points? The 1993 Pierre Morey Batard-Montrachet I had the night before totally blew it out of the water.

Crab Cakes (2) . . . Chili, Cilantro Cream Sauce. Lots of good lump blue crab in here, and as such, a surprisingly good crab cake (and I grew up partially in the Maryland Eastern shore).


2008 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard. Parker 100. Utterly perfect, the 2008 Chardonnay Marcassin Estate is a dead-ringer for the 2007, but slightly richer and longer, as hard as that may be to believe. This extraordinary effort is unquestionably the “Chardonnay of the Vintage.” In fact, it may be the “Chardonnay of the Decade.” Brioche, nectarine, citrus and orange blossom notes intermixed with a liqueur of rocks, great acid, phenomenal concentration and staggering length result in a sublime Chardonnay that should drink well for 15+ years.

Parker clearly knows nothing about great Chardonnay. This was a pleasant wine, and good for an American one, and it was intensely floral. But it was also totally lacking any backbone and acidic structure.

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail (5) . . .  Our Own Spicy Cocktail Sauce. Classic and strait-forward.


2008 Native9 Pinot Noir Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard. Parker 91. This is a nicely layered, full-bodied, and textured Pinot Noir, with a dark plum color and a sweet nose of white chocolate, black cherries, pomegranate, fresh mushrooms, and earth. Complex, deep, and layered, this is an impressive Pinot Noir to drink over the next 3-4 years.

This was a bonus bottle. Parker knows even less about Pinot, because this tasted like oak with a bitter unpleasant finish. Ick. Give me a half decent village from Burgundy.

Fried Rock Shrimp . . . Hot Sweet and Sour Sauce. Sort of like what you’d get if Panda Express did popcorn shrimp — but quite tasty nonetheless (although not even slightly spicy).

Teriyaki Tidbits (4) . . . Filet Mignon with Ortega Chile and Monterey Jack Cheese. A little odd and not my thing.


From my cellar: 1986 Leoville-Las Cases. Parker 100. The late Michel Delon always thought that this was the greatest vintage he had produced. We often tasted it side by side with the 1982, because I always preferred the latter vintage. Of course, the two vintages are quite different in style, with the 1986 a monument to classicism, with great tannin, extraordinary delineation, and a huge, full-bodied nose of sweet, ripe cassis fruit intermixed with vanilla, melon, fruitcake, and a multitude of spices. The wine has always been phenomenally concentrated, yet wonderfully fresh and vigorous. The wine still seems young, yet it is hard to believe it is not close to full maturity. It is a great example of Leoville Las Cases, and another compelling reason to take a serious look at the top Cabernet Sauvignon-based Medocs of 1986.

Slick, smooth and mature, this was my second favorite red of the night, but still, I was disappointed. It was an excellent Bordeaux, but it didn’t sing or really have any magic going. The 1982 Lafite I opened in December was vastly better, as the 1985 Margaux I split with one of my best friends over Thanksgiving. The cheapy glass glass didn’t help. I should have put it in one of my Riedels.

Escargots Bourguignonne (6) . . . A French Classic, garlic butter, herbs.


2006 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Vino da Tavola. Parker 97. The 2006 Flaccianello della Pieve is monumental, as it has been since the very beginning. Smoke, black cherries, plums, incense, licorice and tar are some of the many notes that burst from the glass in this powerful wine. The 2006 has fruit and structure to burn. It is going to be an absolutely fabulous wine to follow over the coming years, but patience is key. A huge, explosive finish rounds things out in style.

This gets a 99 from Wine Spectator, so it sneaks in (barely). Still, it was probably my favorite red (along with the 86 Leoville) as it had some character and depth.

Oysters Rockefeller . . . Chopped Bacon, Spinach, Pernod, Parmesanand Hollandaise Sauce. Can we say heavy?


Even more old school, lots of lemon wedges.


A few of the wines.


Garlic bred. Could have used a little more garlic punch.


2001 Abreu Cabernet Sauvignon Madrona Ranch. Parker 97-100. While I am not surprised that the 2001 Thorevilos turned out to be perfect, the 2001 Madrona Ranch was more of an eye-opener in that it has become even more extraordinary than I predicted eight years ago. A prodigious wine, with complex notes of subtle barbecue smoke intermixed with blueberry pie, black currant liqueur, acacia flowers, lead pencil shavings, and sweet foresty floor notes, this wine builds incrementally with layer upon layer of fruit, glycerin and concentration. The finish goes well past a minute, and the wine is full-bodied and deep, with wonderfully sweet tannin. It is still an adolescent in terms of its total evolution, but it is irresistible simply because of the flawless nature of the wine and incredible perfume and flavor intensity. Simply amazing! Both of these wines are adolescents, and probably won’t peak for another 5-8 years and keep for 30-40.

I can’t really comment on this assault of new world red individually. Most of them don’t stand out in my memory. All were fairly pleasant (other than 1 that was corked) but they just don’t do it for me.

Hearts of Romaine . . . With Avocado, Maui Onion, Candied Walnuts, Grated Bleu Cheese, Vinaigrette. This one is missing the avocado (I missed the better photo).


2009 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard. Parker 96. Also incredibly concentrated, with burly structure and a mountain of tannin, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard (99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Merlot) delivers a seriously intense array of blackberry and kirsch-styled fruit, licorice, charcoal and spice box on both the nose and palate. Aged for 22 months in 100% new French oak and a big, broad shouldered, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, it possesses a rocking mid-palate and fabulous length on the finish. Really showing the power of its Red Mountain terroir, it needs 4-5 years of bottle age to become civilized and will have decades of evolution.

Mixed Greens or Wedge of Iceberg . . . Choice of Dressing: 1,000 Island, Ranch, French, House, Bleu Cheese, Marinara, or Old Fashioned Grated Bleu Cheese.

I didn’t try this, but I’ve seen better wedges. Actually, I think CPK has a better wedge. Certainly Bouchon does.


2001 Verite La Muse. Parker 100. 2001 was the first truly great vintage for Jess Jackson and Pierre Seillan, and that is evidenced by the utterly perfect 2001 La Muse, a blend of 87% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Malbec. Over three-fourths of it came from the Alexander Mountain estate of Jess Jackson, and the rest from Chalk Hill, Knights Valley, and a tiny bit from Bennett Valley. This dense purple-colored effort exhibits notes of licorice, creme de cassis, plum sauce, violets and truffles. Full-bodied with magnificent density, overall equilibrium, stunning purity, sweet but abundant tannin and a fabulous finish, this profound wine remains a baby at age ten. Give it another 5-6 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 35-40+ years. It is very French in style even though one could argue that this level of concentration can only be achieved by a handful of wines from Pomerol and St.-Emilion.

Well, this was bigger, that was for sure.


2008 Verite Le Desir. Parker 100. The fruit for this blend of 61% Cabernet Franc, 31% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec came from Chalk Hill (58%) and Alexander Valley (42%). Pierre Seillan believes the Chalk Hill fruit provides a truffle-like character and the Alexander Valley gives minerality, structure, tannin and intensity. The 2008 will be fascinating to taste next to the 2007 over the next 30+ years. Sweet mulberry, blueberry and blackberry fruit intermixed with notions of black truffles, damp earth and forest floor emerge from this beauty of stunning intensity, purity and texture. The alcohol is 14.4% and the relatively elevated pH is 3.76.

Monster!

Baby Mixed Greens with Fried Goat Cheese . . . Raspberry Vinaigrette.

Like the salad grandmother made, or one of those bags at the supermarket.

Dal Rae Caesar Salad . . . Prepared Table Side, A Classic.


Before tossing.


During.


And the actual Cesar. This was a good Cesar, way butter than most of the bland ones, but it wasn’t up to the standards of Boa’s.


Fixings for baked potatoes. Fat!


2010 Dominus Proprietary Red Wine. Parker 100. Composed of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot, the stunning, full-bodied 2010 Dominus boasts an exceptional perfume of hoisin sauce, licorice, underbrush, forest floor, plums, black currants and jammy cherries intertwined with hints of cedar, baking spices and oak. Full-bodied and voluptuously textured, the 2010 is on a slightly faster evolutionary track than the 2009 (somewhat of an anomaly for these two vintages). This exquisite as well as prodigious 2010 can be drunk young, but it should age effortlessly for 20-25 years. Bravo!

Like a young Bordeaux. A VERY VERY young Bordeaux. Still, pretty good.

Dal Rae Famous Pepper Steak. Large Filet Mignon (14 oz).

I had one of these (along with my lobster tail). It was tasty, although the peppers had enough umph to pretty much drown out the meat and did wake me up at 2 in the morning.

Dal Rae Famous Pepper Steak. Prime New York (16 oz) .


2002 Torbreck Run Rig. Parker 99. The 2002 Run Rig (97% Shiraz and 3% Viognier aged in 100% new French oak) represents the essence of old vine Barossa fruit. Extraordinarily opulent and rich, but playing it closer to the vest than the 2001, it gets my nod as one of the most remarkable wines made in either the Southern or Northern Hemisphere. An inky/purple color is accompanied by a sumptuous bouquet of apricots, honeysuckle, black raspberries, blackberries, licorice, and a hint of roasted meats. The wood has been soaked up by the wine’s extraordinary concentration. Fashioned from four sectors of Barossa (Maranaga, Koonunga Hill, Moppa, and Greenock), it spent 30 months in primarily new oak, and was bottled without fining or filtration. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020+.


Duck à l’ Orange being prepared tableside.


Flaming sauce! (one of several tonight)

Duck à l’ Orange . . . Crisp Half Duck, Orange Liquor Flamed, Rice Pilaf.


2005 Alban Vineyards Syrah Lorraine Vineyard. Parker 100. An absolutely monumental wine is the 2005 Syrah Lorraine Vineyard. The finest Syrah John Alban has yet produced, its inky/ruby/purple hue is accompanied by gorgeously sweet aromas of flowers, blueberries, black raspberries, blackberries, and subtle hints of smoky oak, bacon fat, and licorice. In the mouth, the wine is seamlessly constructed with fabulous fruit, brilliant concentration, and virtually perfect balance. Moreover, the finish lingers on the palate for over 60 seconds. It should drink beautifully for 15 or more years.

Prime Dry Aged Tomahawk Ribeye (38oz)… Onion Staws. An amazing steak for those who are hungry.

This picture doesn’t even do justice to this massive steak. It was fully 20-24″ long from the end of the meat to the other end of the bone!


2001 Marquis Philips Shiraz Integrity. Parker 97-99. Deep garnet-brick in color, the 2001 Integrity reveals evolved aromas of black fruit, dried mulberries, prunes, sandalwood, leather and tobacco with some nuances of oolong tea and anise. Ripe, rich and seductive, it has a lively acid line, medium levels of fine tannins and a long finish with layers of kirsch and cherry syrup flavors lingering.

One of the two was also mildly corked, but I can’t remember which.

Double Cut Lamb Chops . . . Herb Crusted with Thyme, Burgundy Garlic Sauce
The Finest Large Eye Colorado Chops.


2002 Marquis Philips Shiraz Integrity. Parker 94-99. Deep garnet-brick colored, the 2002 Integrity is a 100% Shiraz that displays evolved leather and tobacco notes intermingled with some meaty and gamey aromas and nuances of coffee, olives and underbrush. Full bodied, it has a coffee flavors in the mouth, medium levels of velvety tannins, and a medium-high acid backbone. It finishes long with notes of eucalyptus showing through. It is drinking now.

Large Veal Chop . . . Bone in With Morel Mushroom Sauce.

Have a few calories?

Filet Mignon. Large Cut (14 oz) .


2007 Hundred Acre Vineyard Ark. Parker 100. A perfect wine, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Ark Vineyard (1,300 – 1,400 cases) from Howell Mountain is one of the great efforts from this high elevation terroir. It offers notes of burning embers, black raspberries, blueberries and flowers, a full-bodied opulence, wonderful intensity, but the wine is not weighty or overripe. Fleshy and voluptuous with terrific floral notes, it should drink well for 15-20 years.

No cheating here. This was the best of the big new worlds. Pretty massive though.

Filet Mignon Petite Cut (10 oz) .

Chilean Seabass Alla Ben . . . Mild White Fish, Our Signature Preparation.


Drawn butter.


A lobster tail added a little seafoody goodness.


Tomatoes.


Garlic mashers. Not bad, but I wish I’d ordered some mac & cheese.


Creamed Corn au gratin.


Sauteed Spinach with Olive Oil and Garlic.


Sautéed Wild Mushrooms.


Yarom with Loren, the owner.


2001 Chateau d’Yquem. Parker 100. There are 10,000 cases of this perfect sweet white Bordeaux. The 2001 Yquem reveals a hint of green in its light gold color. While somewhat reticent aromatically, with airing, it offers up honeyed tropical fruit, orange marmalade, pineapple, sweet creme brulee, and buttered nut-like scents. In the mouth, it is full-bodied with gorgeously refreshing acidity as well as massive concentration and unctuosity. Everything is uplifted and given laser-like focus by refreshing acidity. This large-scaled, youthful Yquem appears set to take its place among the most legendary vintages of the past, and will age effortlessly for 75+ years. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2100+.

Pretty fabulous, even if not in it’s most expressive period. Seriously balanced and nuanced.


More tableside, desserts, including banana flambe.


Look at all that butter.


And sugar.


And it even flames!


Poured over vanilla ice cream.


A nice young Maderia.

Grand Marnier Supreme . . . Chocolate ice cream, raspberry sherbet hand whipped with Grand Marnier. A bit too much Grand Marnier flavor for me.

Overall, this was a fun night. The service at The Dal Rae was pretty over the top. With all the table side stuff and everything. At times we had a veritable army delivering, sometimes 6-8 people. There were about 5 waitresses and although they were clearly not experienced with our level of wine, they tried really hard, doing a pretty good job rounding up glasses and pouring around — even if a lot of the glasses were cheap heavy ones that don’t do 100 pointers any service (they only had limited good ones). Everyone was super friendly and it’s a tough task managing a big table like this, so I’d give them 10/10 for service.

The food is great for what it is, American classic, and it’s fun to see all that old tableside and flaming stuff. It’s not so much my taste (and I should have ordered seafood but I wanted to try the pepper steak because it’s “their thing”). Really, I like my cuisine far more modern (like this!). Still, food like this is almost a lost art and a different “genre”: call it 50s-60s high American done right.

I was a little disappointed in our wines. It’s just a preference thing, but 99-100 points or not, these New World wines just don’t do it for me. I’d take a decent 91-93 Burghound premier cru any day over most of these giant extracted reds. And to hold them up as wine perfection and compare them to the likes of the 1995 Rousseau Clos de Beze I had a couple of weeks ago? It just ain’t even close — but like art, architecture, music, sports teams, or even pretty girls, there are a lot of tastes out there! A modification that might work in the future would be “99 or 100 points, 1999 or older” or better yet, “99 or 100 points, from Europe” (or even better “1999 or older AND from Europe!” 🙂

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Yarom with his 86oz tomahawk! Good thing this isn’t the Great Outdoors

Related posts:

  1. Hedonists at STK again!
  2. Wine on the Beach
  3. Hedonists at Jitlada
  4. Memorial Day Pig
  5. Luminous Lechon Pigout!
By: agavin
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Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chapoutier, Chardonnay, Crab cake, hedonists, Marcassin, Pico Rivera, Pico Rivera California, Pinot noir, Steak, The Dal Rae, Wine

Totoraku Double Meat Madness

Oct25

Restaurant: Totoraku [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 10610 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

Date: October 22 & 23, 2013

Cuisine: Japanese Yakiniku

Rating: Best beef in town!

_

About twice a year my Hedonist group takes over Totoraku. It serves a very refined version of Japanese Yakiniku, which is Beef BBQ originally from Korea but filtered through Japanese sensibility.

Last spring, we took the whole restaurant with 28 people, but the evening was total chaos (albeit fun chaos), and this time we decided to split it into two nights. The first night (which I attended) was 13 people, oriented toward the heavy hitters wine wise, and the second night was about 18-19 with some non drinkers. Still, there were some pretty incredible wines that night too.

Everyone brings a wine vetted by the group and the standard is very high at this event, basically close to 100 points, high pedigree, age, or some combination thereof. As you’ll see, we really tore it up and in terms of scale and wine this was the most epic Hedonist event yet.

The outside is basically a shell. The “Teriyaki House” has nothing to do with the food within, and the phone number is incorrect. The place is like a beef speakeasy!


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.


1987 Joseph Swan Vineyards Chardonnay Estate Bottled. A bit oxidized. Drinkable, more or less.


1970 Charles Krug Winery (Peter Mondavi Family) Zinfandel. Surprisingly fresh.


The appetizer plate.


Jellyfish!


Uni risotto balls.


Shrimp with endive and caviar. Little okra’s to the left front of them.


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


Salmon wrapped in daikon, stuffed with avocado and other vegetables.


Octopus and tomatoes. And in the front, black sesame tofu.


In the front, mushrooms. In the orange thing, tomato salad.


A very soft gelatinous thing that probably had some crab in it.


1983 Joseph Phelps Insignia. 94 points. Transparent ruby. Bit of Madeira on an otherwise rich and complex nose. Focused with gorgeous acidity, fruit and length. Another marvelous mature insignia!


Beef carpaccio with special salt, flowers, and some onion family derivative. Very yummy. This is eaten raw.


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Two kinds of beef sashimi, eaten nearly raw. On the left beef tataki (rib eye) and on the right (in the cup) beef throat sashimi. Also on the plate is a bit of Korean style hot sauce (the red stuff), some intensely strong garlic (yum) and micro julienned ginger.

The throat was very chewy, more about texture. The rib eye soft and more flavorful. All went well with the garlic and ginger — I particularly liked the garlic.


From my cellar: 1991 Chapoutier Ermitage le Pavillon. Parker 100. This is a Le Pavilion of mythical proportions. Produced from extremely old vines, some dating from the mid-nineteenth century, with yields averaging under 15 hectoliters per hectare, this is the richest, most concentrated and profound wine made in Hermitage. The 1991 Ermitage Le Pavilion follows the pattern of the 1989 and 1990-it is another perfect wine. The saturated black/purple color is followed by a compelling bouquet of spices, roasted meats, and black and red fruits. Enormously concentrated yet with brilliant focus and delineation to its awesomely endowed personality, this extraordinary wine should age effortlessly for three plus decades. Very powerful and full, yet displaying silky tannin, this is a seamless beauty! Anticipated maturity: 2001-2035.


A raw beef dish. Marinated raw beef is seen here with ginger, raw egg, cucumber, daikon, pine nuts, and something orange. Apparently, this is a Korean dish called Yukhoe. Actually, I’ve had it at Korean places, but in any case it’s delicious.


The elements are mixed together and then eaten. It’s hard to describe why it’s so good, but it is, with a very complex flavor and texture interplay.


1994 Penfolds Grange. Parker 91. This is the first vintage where Grange went to a bottle with laser-etched identification numbers to preclude the possibility of fraudulent bottles. The wine, a blend of 89% Shiraz and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, shows some toasty oak mixed with notes of root vegetables, damp earth, blackberry liqueur, prune, and licorice. The wine is dense, full-bodied, not terribly complex in the mouth, but layered and rich. I would not be surprised to see the rating on this wine improve as this youthful Grange continues to evolve.


Beef tongue with salt. After cooking, you dip it in lemon juice.


1993 Guigal Cote Rotie la Landonne. Parker 88. The great glories of this house are its Cote Roties, of which there are now five separate offerings. The 1993s, which have just come on the marketplace, are from a troublesome vintage for everyone in Cote Rotie, rivaling 1984 in difficulty. Nevertheless, the single-vineyard wines have turned out well. As for the single vineyard wines, they are all excellent in 1993, but more herbaceous and clearly marked by the green pepper smells of slightly underripe Syrah. The most tannic of the three famous single vineyards is the 1993 Cote Rotie La Landonne. It is amazingly powerful and rich for the vintage, and reveals more fruit and intensity than it did prior to bottling. It exhibits a saturated ruby color, and copious amounts of pepper, tar, olives, licorice, and black cherry fruit in the nose. It remains the most muscular and structured of the three wines, and has managed to avoid the hollowness and vegetal character that plague so many 1993 northern Rhones. This Cote Rotie should age gracefully for a decade or more.


Filet Mignon with bell peppers, onions, and sisho pepper.


Filet on the grill.


1996 Guigal Cote Rotie la Landonne. Parker 93-96. The 1996 Cote Rotie La Landonne is a wine with tremendous intensity and tannin, as well as a pronounced roasted herb, smoked meat, and Asian spice-scented nose with tell-tale black fruits, melted tar, and truffle notions in the background. Rich, powerful, and massive, this effort will require 3-4 years of cellaring, and will last for two decades.


The “salad.” Cucumbers, carrots, daikon. They are served with this spicy sweet miso dip. The vegetables do help to move along the fat and protein heavy meat.


2002 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Parker 94. One of the best wines of the vintage, this is a classic Pauillac that is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot. Dense ruby/purple in color with a glorious nose of melted licorice, lavender, barbecue smoke, black currants, and graphite, the wine is tannic, classically structured with an opaque ruby/purple color, beautiful definition, and a 1996-ish personality. This deep, full-bodied, elegant yet powerful 2002 should age handsomely for over two decades. Some patience will be required since this vintage exhibits more muscle and virility than normal.


Momotaro tomatoes with a vinaigrette. These are supposedly incredibly good tomatoes, as a hater, I didn’t try them. I think Oyama-san gets them from some special place in Orange Country.


2004 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto. Parker 96. Giacosa’s 2004 Barolo Falletto is so compelling it will be hard not to drink it in its youth. This gorgeous Barolo reveals a deeply structured frame layered with sweet dark fruit, mint, spice and pine. At once delicate and powerful, it is a beautifully finessed wine that is sure to provide much pleasure. A recent bottle of the 1982 is a testament to the virtues of this great site as interpreted by Bruno Giacosa.


My first time having this dish. Marinated duck.


The duck grilling. This was a lovely addition to the collection of meats.


1992 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 91. Over the next year readers should be on the lookout for some of the 1,000 case production of Don Bryant’s Cabernet Sauvignon from an old vineyard on Pritchard Hill near the Chappellet Vineyard. Bryant’s 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon offers an impressive black/purple color, rusty tannin, immense concentration, full body, and enormous richness in the finish.


Outside rib eye with special salt and garlic.


The outside rib eye on the grill.


1999 Greenock Creek Shiraz Roennfeldt Road. Parker 98. There are 236 cases of the 1999 Shiraz Roennfeldt Road (also from 65-year-old vines). Although it pushes ripeness to the limit, it does not reveal any raisiny/pruny characteristics. It offers wonderful freshness, good acidity, superb intensity, and copious quantities of blackberry, cassis, crushed rock, floral, and spicy new oak notes. Massive and concentrated with perfect equilibrium, it can be drunk now and over the next 25 years. Kudos to one of the world’s finest wine producers!


Inside rib eye.


The inside rib eye on the grill.


2002 Marquis Philips Shiraz Integrity. Parker 94-99. Deep garnet-brick colored, the 2002 Integrity is a 100% Shiraz that displays evolved leather and tobacco notes intermingled with some meaty and gamey aromas and nuances of coffee, olives and underbrush. Full bodied, it has a coffee flavors in the mouth, medium levels of velvety tannins, and a medium-high acid backbone. It finishes long with notes of eucalyptus showing through. It is drinking now.


“Special” beef. I think it was a form of sirloin. It was certainly good, very salted.


And it on the grill.


2009 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Few And Far Between. Parker 94. The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Few and Far Between Vineyard has developed beautifully since I last tasted it from barrel. Mocha, espresso, exotic spices and orange peel all come together in this inviting, multi-dimensional Cabernet Sauvignon. Totally alive in the glass, the wine is constantly changing, and reveals different sides of its personality with each taste. Hints of sweet red berries and cloves add complexity on the long, polished finish.


You have to special order the lamb, which like all of Kaz’s meats, is pretty wonderful.


Grilling up the chops.


One hell of a chop.


2009 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon RBS To Kalon Vineyard. Parker 96. The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard comes across as dark, plush and inviting, but with greater inner focus and minerality than some of the other wines here. Graphite, smoke, tar and licorice are some of the notes that wrap around the intense, juicy finish. I especially admire the way the RBS grows in the glass as it turns more explosive over time, yet never loses its more refined shades of expression. The RBS is 100% clone 337 from the B1 and B2 blocks. According to winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, it is the addition of fruit from B2 (new this year) that gives the 2009 much of its personality.


Skirt steak.


And as a final course, the rarely seen but much enjoyed slightly spicy Korean style egg drop soup.


From my cellar: 1990 Chateau d’Yquem. Parker 99. An extraordinary effort, Yquem’s 1990 is a rich and fabulously superb, sweet wine. This wine also possesses lots of elegance and finesse. The wine’s medium gold color is accompanied by an exceptionally sweet nose of honeyed tropical fruits, peaches, coconut, and apricots. High quality, subtle toasty oak is well-integrated. The wine is massive on the palate, with layers of intensely ripe botrytis-tinged, exceptionally sweet fruit. Surprisingly well-integrated acidity, and a seamless, full-bodied power and richness have created a wine of remarkable harmony and purity. Certainly it is one of the richest Yquems I have ever tasted, with 50-100 years of potential longevity. An awesome Yquem!


Toto serves homemade ice creams and sorbets as dessert.

So chaotic was this giant night that they brought out all five flavors on each  plate and just placed them about the tables. I like the ice creams better than the sorbets here. The white chocolate was fantastic. Still, it’s all great.

Chef/Owner Kaz Oyama on the right. Both parties are partaking of my D’Yquem.

And this place IS all about the beef, which is arguably some of the best I’ve ever had. Certainly the best yakiniku/Korean BBQ I’ve ever had. There is a perfect tenderness to every cut that’s fairly transcendant. I’m not even that much of a steak fan — but I’d take this stuff any time over even a spectacular cut from Mastros or Cut. The food here does not vary much from visit to visit. There is no menu. The quality however is utterly consistant. So while it isn’t an everyday sort of dining experience, perhaps once every 6-9 months, I love to return for my fix.

This was a spectacular evening — really, truly, deeply epic. It was about 5 hours of mind boggling wines and crazy beef.

The Wines of Night 2

The next day a further 18 or so Hedonists returned for the exact same meal, but as they brought their own wines (ours being liver food at that point), I light them here too. I didn’t catch 100% of the wines. Missing are the 96 Sassicia, 01 Gaja , 97 Solaia and probably more.



1986 Ducru Beaucaillou. Parker 90-92. At 16 years of age, this wine continues to taste more like a 5 to7-year-old Bordeaux. The color is a handsome dark ruby with just a bit of pink at the edge. The wine exhibits sweet red and black currant fruit intermixed with wet stones, spice, and flowers. Medium-bodied and still moderately tannic, but very concentrated, this firmly structured, slightly austere wine has tremendous upside to it. By the way, this was the first vintage where I began to notice on some bottles the wet cement/damp cardboard aromas that were far more increasingly evident in the subsequent vintages, 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1990. Interestingly, the last five times I have tasted the 1986 Ducru-Beaucaillou, they were totally pristine bottles.


1990 Figeac. Parker 91-94. One of Bordeaux’s most schizophrenic properties, as disappointing as Figeac’s 1989 has turned out, the 1990 is fabulous. This property has not made a wine as rich as the 1990 since 1982. In contrast to the 1989, the 1990 is a great Figeac, potentially a richer, more complete and complex wine than the 1982. The 1990 exhibits a saturated dark purple color (somewhat atypical for Figeac), and a gorgeous nose of olives, fruitcake, jammy black fruits, minerals, and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, with gobs of glycerin-imbued, sweet, jammy fruit, this wine is nicely buttressed by moderate tannin and adequate acidity. Fleshy and rich, as well as elegant and complex, it is approachable because of the wine’s sweet fruit, but it promises even more pleasure with 2-4 more years of bottle age; it will last for 20 years. I predict the 1990 Figeac will have one of the most exotic and compelling aromatic profiles of the 1990s. It is a terrific wine!


1982 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Parker 100. One of the monumental wines of the last century is the 1982 Pichon Lalande. Since bottling, it has flirted with perfection, and was a sprinter out of the gate, which gave rise to questions about how quickly it would begin its decline. However, at age 27, it retains all its glossy, rich, flamboyant cassis fruit, chocolaty, berry jam-like notes, and plenty of earthy, foresty flavors. This is a full-bodied, extravagantly rich Pichon Lalande seemingly devoid of acidity and tannin, but the wine is incredibly well-balanced and pure. It is an amazing effort!


1985 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Parker 90-91. Fully mature, this wine shows some pink at the edge, a sweet nose of herb-tinged cherries and black currants intermixed with dusty notes and new oak. The wine is medium-bodied, elegant, very flattering, and perfumed. It does not have the weight, depth, or dimensions of the top vintages, but is quite seductive.


1982 Certan de May. Parker 92-98. A murky, dense, opaque garnet color is followed by spectacular aromatics of roasted herbs, smoked meats, cedar, prunes, black cherries, and black currants. Rich, powerful, and full-bodied, with a thick, unctuous texture, considerable fat and glycerin, and dazzling concentration, Certan de May has not produced a wine of such intensity, thickness, and aging potential since their 1949, 1948, 1947, and 1945.


1961 Château Brane-Cantenac. RJ Wine 93. This looks fully mature. Initially there are some sandalwood notes on the nose, then some high tones. The palate is open, and nice and clean with some acidity lending a freshness, but nowhere near that of the Giscours. It’s a tiny bit dried out, but there is still some good black fruit in there on the palate. Returning to this later, it was becoming very secondary and faded on both the nose and the palate.


2000 Du Tertre. Parker 91. A dense purple color is followed by layers of concentrated blackberry fruit intertwined with damp earth, mushroom, and sweet, toasty barrique smells. With ripe tannin, medium to full body, a layered texture, and a concentrated, impressively endowed finish, this is the finest Du Tertre since their 1979. This is a property on the move … up!


1995 Chateau Rayas Fonsalette Cotes du Rhone. Parker 90. The 1995 Chateau Fonsalette Cotes du Rhone is a twenty-year wine that requires 4-5 years of cellaring. It exhibits a black/purple color, good acidity and tannin, a closed, dense, moderately tannic personality, exceptional richness, and a powerful, full-bodied finish. Yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare were slightly higher than the 15-20 achieved in 1996. This is a wine for those who cannot find or afford to purchase Rayas.


Grace family Cabernet Sauvignon (can’t read the vintage).


1996 Chapoutier Ermitage l’Ermite. Parker 99-100. One of the candidates for France’s wine of the vintage is unquestionably Chapoutier’s 1996 Hermitage l’Ermite. In October, 1997 I reported that this was a virtually perfect wine made from a small parcel of vines, believed to be over 100 years old, located close to the tiny white chapel owned by the Jaboulets on the highest part of the Hermitage Hill. Yields were a minuscule 9 hectoliters per hectare. Now that this wine is in bottle, it is unbelievable! Unfortunately, only 30 cases were exported to the United States. The wine boasts a saturated black/purple color, as well as a phenomenal nose of rose petals, violets, blackberries, cassis, and pain grille. In the mouth, it is phenomenally rich, with a viscous texture, and a multidimensional, layered finish that lasts for over a minute. Its purity, perfect equilibrium, and unbelievable volume and richness are the stuff of legends.


2010 Saxum Terry Hoage Vineyard. Parker 94+. Here in its first vintage, the 2010 Terry Hoage Vineyard bursts onto the palate with rich, dark fruit. The weight power and richness of Syrah comes through beautifully in the layered, sumptuous wine. Flowers, licorice, mint, tobacco and grilled herbs wrap around the finish. The 2010 boasts serious density and fabulous overall balance. It is terrific first effort. The blend is 46% Syrah, 33% Grenache and 21% Mourvedre.


1989 Marcel Deiss Riesling Bergheim.


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.


Vin Santo Del Chianti. Silvio Nardi.

The madness!

More crazy Hedonist adventures or

LA dining reviews click here.

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By: agavin
Comments (4)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: beef, Chardonnay, Charles Krug Winery, Château Haut-Brion, Dessert, duck, hedonists, Ice cream, Japanese cuisine, Kaz Oyama, lamb, Los Angeles, Totoraku, Wine, Zinfandel

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 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.


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.

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By: agavin
Comments (4)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Bordeaux, Chablis, Chardonnay, Chateau Margaux, cotsen, Eric Cotsen, hedonists, Malibu, Petrus, Wine

Burgundy at Bouchon – Jadot

Mar13

Restaurant: Bouchon Beverly Hills [1, 2, 3]

Location: 235 NORTH CANON DRIVE | BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90210 | 310.271.9910

Date: March 4, 2013

Cuisine: French Bistro

Rating: Good, but expensive

_

Through my recent Burgundy aficionado dinners I was hooked up with a series of winemaker dinners that Wally’s Wine and Spirits throws. These seem to be at Bouchon and feature great wines from a particular winemaker as well as an intimate opportunity to meet the winemaker himself.

This particular dinner features Jadot, which is a solid traditionalist B+ Burgundy house that I buy very frequently as they offer a wide range of wines from all over Burgundy (150 in total) and very good value. In general, their reds are better than their whites.

With regard to Bouchon. In the last three-four years there’s been a bit of a French Food revival in Southern California, but the emphasis has been on Bistro fare. Of course this is consistent with the post-recession trend toward less formal restaurants anyway. Bouchon is the small-chain spawn for Thomas Keller, the highly acclaimed chef of The French Laundry.


The Beverly Hills space is very pretty. Check out the bar (both raw and booze). Lobsters oversee the diners.


The elegant dining room has a very spacious, even Parisian feel.


For the special wine dinner tonight we have the private room.


And a special (i.e. limited) menu.

Amuses


The non-vintage Brut Reserve offers orange, sweet spice, and yeast aromas. Light to medium-bodied and delicate, this refined wine has floral flavors intermingled with touches of citrus.


Little puff pastries filled with Gruyère cheese.


Country pate with corchicons.


Salmon pate.


Goat cheese and beet tartlet.

 

Flight 1: Whites


The only non-Jadot wine of the evening. The 2007 Mugnier Nuits St. Georges “Clos de la Maréchale” 1er. Burghound 89, “An expressive nose of green apple, white flower and lemon zest aromas trimmed in a deft touch of wood merges into rich, clean and beautifully detailed middle weight flavors that possess a fine sense of underlying tension and punch on the layered and very dry finish that lingers nicely. Lovely and balanced.”


1999 Jadot Meursault Les Genevrieres. Burghound 91, “This just oozes minerality and spice from an expressive, forward nose offering fresh herbs and citrus that continues on to the rich, nicely powerful and generous medium weight flavors and long, intense and detailed finish. While this remains entirely primary, it is sufficiently forward to suggest that it will not need much more time to approach peak drinkability.”


The 1990 Jadot Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres.


2007 Jadot Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 94, “A strikingly complex nose that possess excellent breadth to the ripe, pure and airy aromas of white flower, spice, green apple and subtle pear aromas that complement to perfection the big-bodied, rich and mouth coating flavors built on a base of fine minerality, all wrapped in a sappy and mouth coating finish that oozes dry extract. This is really a lovely effort with a chiseled and driving finale of superb persistence though note that while patience will be required, there is sufficient mid-palate sap that the finishing austerity is not forbidding. A “wow” wine.”


And the same wine, but 1997 Jadot Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 90, “Very expressive, broad and rich aromas of minerals and green apples followed by rich, full, medium weight flavors and excellent acidity in the context of the vintage. This is brighter and more vibrant than most ’97s and though the flavors are quite forward, this should age gracefully for some years to come.”

Truth is, this was younger, fresher, and better than the 2007. Probably the magnum helped.


2002 Jadot Batard-Montrachet. Burghound 93, “This is a huge wine with full-on, expressive aromas of white flowers and fresh citrus extract followed by huge, oily, almost viscous broad and deep flavors that display extremely impressive and fine acid/fruit balance and length that is hard to believe. This is a powerful, precise, almost painfully intense Bâtard that is altogether imposing in its sheer size and power yet it never lapses into heaviness. A genuinely great effort.”

The have good bread here.

Frisée aux Lardons et Oeuf Poché. Frisée lettuce, lardons, poached Jidori egg with bacon vinaigrette & toasted brioche.

Confit de Canard. Duck leg confit, French green lentils, a matignon of root vegetables & red wine vinegar duck jus.

Very tasty. All that duck fat had saturated into the lentils and made them delicious.

 

Flight 2: Reds


1990 Jadot Corton-Pougets. Burghound 92, “A ripe and now mostly secondary nose of earth, spice, leather and hints of animale lead to rich yet elegant flavors underpinned by still noticeable but not hard tannins and a mineral-infused finish that offers admirable length and depth. This is aging beautifully and while ripe, the balance is such that the wine should continue to hold at this level for years though I don’t forsee much if any additional improvement from here. In short, a very successful ’90.”


2000 Jadot Corton-Pougets. Burgound 88-91, “Stylistically closer to the Grèves with even better richness and power though it is not quite as complex and does not deliver the same level of finesse. Somewhat animale in character though not at all rustic. Very fine and quite long and not quite as structured as the other two Corton grands crus.”


2005 Jadot Clos Vougeot. Burghound 92-94, “A reserved and notably ripe earth-infused nose of red and dark berry fruit that possess a subtlesauvage character leads to Cistercian caliber youthfully austere flavors that are big, structured, well muscled and powerful and while not raw, it’s clear that this will need time to settle down and find their center. This is not an elegant wine but the potential is considerable and I especially like the bold character. A wine that will last 3 to 4 decades.”

This was from my cellar, but unfortunately it was way too young. It should be great wine in 10+ years :-).


ad hoc Fried Chicken. Wedge salad with roasted cauliflower & biscuits with gravy.

The best fried chicken I’ve had in years. Really really good! Not exactly light though.


The “light” salad that comes with the chicken.

Steak Frites. Herb roasted, caramelized shallots, maître d’hôtel butter or sauce Béarnaise served with French fries.

 

Flight 3: Reds


1989 Jadot Vosne-Romanee Les Suchots. Very nice, but I couldn’t find any reviews.


And the wine of the evening: the 1990 Jadot Chambertin Clos de Beze.

Parker 96, “It will be interesting to follow the evolution of the 1990 Bonnes Mares, Chambertin-Clos de Beze, and Chambertin. All are magnificent examples of not only the heights red burgundy can achieve, but also of the thrilling quality of the 1990 vintage. The Chambertin-Clos de Beze gets my nod as the wine in the Jadot portfolio that should hit the highest peak in quality and pleasure. It needs at least 5-7 years in the cellar, and has the potential to last for 25 or more years. The color is a saturated dark ruby/purple, and the closed nose offers sweet, jammy aromas framed by noticeable smoky new oak. The magnificent richness, highly structured and delineated style, as well as the explosively rich finish, all make for a show-stopping impression.”

Burghound 91, “From a bottle in the big Chambertin and Clos de Bèze tasting: Somewhat stewed, roasted fruit nose cut with very ripe earth and pungent, very ripe plum/prune notes. The flavors are big, very structured and intense but without sufficient mid-palate sap to completely buffer than and thus this finishes with an edgy, dry, slightly astringent quality. Perfectly good but not better and I found this wine a bit perplexing because the 1990 Clos St. Jacques is a really beautiful effort. 88/2005-12 Note: from a bottle tasted in October of ’04 – While the aromatics are certainly quite ripe, indeed even slightly roasted, this bottle delivered much more youthful, balanced, intense and savory flavors that displayed only a touch of the finishing astringency of the above example. While not destined to be a genuinely great wine, it’s certainly a fine effort.”

Really drinking great tonight (me says).


Selection de Fromages Artisanaux. Selection of artisanal cheeses with honeycomb, candied nuts, cranberry currant campagne & walnut bread.

The bread part.

A very fun evening. I was surprised how good the food was. Not modern or innovative per se (haha) but really very tasty. And there were some great wines plus the interesting opportunity to meet the winemaker and hear his perspective. He was very nice and extremely gracious.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

The tallest and Gaulist gentleman is the new Jadot winemaker!

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By: agavin
Comments (7)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Bistro, Bouchon, Burgundy, Chardonnay, Cheese, French Laundry, Jadot, Pinot noir, Southern California, Thomas Keller, Wally's Wine & Spirits, winemaker dinner

Ethiopian BBQ Ribs?

Mar06

Restaurant: Awash

Location: 5990 1/2 W Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035. (323) 939-3233

Date: February 26, 2013

Cuisine: Ethiopian

Rating: Amazing ribs

_

My Hedonism group does a wide range of dinners — from high end blow outs like STK or Saddle Peak to more casual ethnic joints. Tonight we tackle Awash, a very authentic Ethiopian restaurant off the “strip” (i.e. a few blocks away from Little Ethiopia proper).


Typical interior. One thing that can be counted on for these dinners is that we dominate the restaurant. We have the largest and loudest table (14-15 people this time) and are the only ones opening and drinking a ridiculous amount of wine. Here, as is often the case with more casual places, we even bring our own stems.


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.


Here is an example of the surprising unpredictability of wine. This Chardonnay is a Parker 88, “There are close to 14,000 cases of the 1998 Chardonnay Los Carneros. Made in an elegant, medium-bodied style with the emphasis on honeyed citrus, leesy complexity, and a touch of pear and tangerine-like flavors, it is a refreshing, pure, fruit-driven Chardonnay with a subtle dosage of oak.”  Parker said it will last through 2003. But we had it in 2013 and well… it was actually pretty great, extremely balanced and tasting like a 15 year-old Grand Cru white Burgundy. Go figure. Your milage may vary, it was presumably very well cellared.


This is a vegetarian plate. As is typical of Ethiopian there are various mushy stews that you eat with the spongy bread (that’s below the dishes). I have no idea what any of these in particular are other than the salad and the giant Jalepeno peppers. Many of them were really good.

The first of a pair of awesome Chateauneuf du Papes.

Parker 97, “I believe the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape is the finest wine ever made at Charvin. Their wines never achieve a lot of color, but this is one of the most saturated ones they have produced. The blend from the 45- to 50-year-old vines is 85% Grenache and the rest equal parts Syrah, Mourvedre, and Vaccarese, all aged in cement tanks prior to being bottled unfiltered. A terrific nose of kirsch, lavender, licorice, forest floor, and spice box soars from the glass of this full-bodied effort. With fabulous density, a multidimensional mouthfeel, and a 45+-second finish this brilliant, elegant, feminine-styled wine is loaded with concentration and intensity. Like many 2007 Chateauneuf du Papes, the extraordinary fruit level makes it hard to resist.”


From my cellar, Parker 96, “The heady 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Centenaire is more evolved than either the 2001 or 1998. Extremely full-bodied, with low acidity, and a knock-out bouquet of blackberry and cherry jam intermixed with licorice, pepper, and dried Provencal herbs, this sexy, voluptuous, enormously concentrated 2000 possesses a huge, silky, seamless finish.”


This is what we came for, this “brontosaurus” sized ribs. To get an idea of the scale, see the picture below (that’s a small one). These are great BBQ ribs, very tender and almost under cooked.


Who says girls don’t like meat?


Burghound 88, “An extremely ripe panoply of menthol, cola, briar, pepper and red/blue fruit aromas precede liqueur-like, opulent and extremely rich flavors that possess excellent concentration and a textured finish where plenty of creamy oak is in evidence. Again, this isn’t for me though it should be noted that the 4-Barrel is a stylish if completely fruit-driven effort that lovers of big, ultra ripe pinots will certainly find interesting.”


Some chicken with veggies in garlic sauce.


And a beef “stew/curry”. This was good stuff, eaten again with the spongy bread. It had a bit of kick.


This is a slightly sweet Alsatian white.


And some rice.


And a serious “farmer’s cheese.” Bland and milky, much like a queso blanco.


A tasty enough Tempranillo from Spain.


Some raw beef and spices. Not so different from the appetizer at Esso. Very tasty.


A roughly 92 point Barbaresco. Young and tanic, but nice enough.


Now this is a peculiar one. Somehow, there is an Ethiopian/Italian connection and they serve Spaghetti! This was actually quite good, simple, but nicely garlicky.


And for dessert, from my cellar, the good old. About 92 points, “Definitely superior to the Himmelreich Kabinett. Again, a touch of sulfur on the nose – herbal, not as sweet or ripe as the GH. Spicy with some sweet lime. Similar on the palate – really excellent drive with lime, brown spice, nice acid – somewhat lively with good balance. Delicious. Lots of minerals and spice on the finish.”


Then we grabbed some oddball pastries from the Indian bakery next door, including those giant brown Gulab Jamun balls. These are deep fried cheese balls soaked in syrup and also a character in the Naughty Dog game, Way of the Warrior.


And, because perhaps these are Ethiopian jews, and it’s Purim, hamantash.

This wasn’t the most gourmet meal we’ve ever done, but it was plenty tasty and we had a lot of great wine (as usual). The price was definitely right too, $25 all inclusive! Next time I go back, I want to get more meat stews like that vegetarian plate, but not as vegetarian (although those were good too).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Awash, Barbecue, Chardonnay, Ethiopia, Ethiopian, Grenache, gulab jamun, hedonists

Valentino – 2005 White Burg part 2!

Feb22

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

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

Date: February 20, 2013

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Fabulous!

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And so we arrive at Part 2 of the epic three night 2005 White Burgundy Dinner series (Part 1 can be found here). This series of dinners, hosted by Burg-meister Don Cornwell, explores in great detail the best wines of a particular vintage, in this case 2005.

Tonight features the hyphenated Montrachet wines of Bienvenues Batard-Montrachet, Criots Batard-Montrachet, Batard-Montrachet, and Chevalier-Montrachet .

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


Our private room. Notice the large table with a lot of space. This is important when you have nearly 30 glasses a person!


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


Tonight’s special menu.

Amuses


A magnum of 1985 Alain Robert Les Mesnil Reserve! “This is a quintessentially elegant, 100% Chardonnay, delicately-styled Champagne that is all finesse and charm. Its savory, ripe apple, white peach, wheat thin-like aromas and flavors are exceptionally delicate. Dry but fresh, this is a brilliant example of why French Champagne has no competition.”

Ron brought this and it was really drinking VERY nicely.


Fried parmesan crisps, a Valentino classic.


Panelle. A kind of chickpea crisp coated in olive oil and garlic.


Skewered grilled shrimp with olive oil and seasoning. These were fabulous and tasted a bit like a light Chinese shrimp stirfry (in a good way).


Crudo of tuna with pineapple. Absolutely delicious combo.

A little about Montrachet

All of the wines tonight are Grand Crus and they come from the orange vineyards in the center of Montrachet. Like most Burgundy regions, the best vineyards are those middle high on the slope with good drainage and exotic limestone soil. There are a fairly vast array of Premier Cru vineyards as well, but all the Grand Cru’s are together in a tiny little area.

In case you’re a Burgundy noob, all these white wines are made from the Chardonnay grape.

The reviews below come from a variety of publications, but were collected by Don Cornwell (and repurposed by moi).

The tastings were in four flights, each single blind. A few of the wines were oxidized or advanced (somewhat oxidized). This is a peril of White Burgundy. Top white Burg should last for decades, but sometimes the chemistry goes a little wrong and it ages in a few years, getting a kind of amber color and a sherry-like taste.

21puligny-montrachet

Flight 1: Bienvenues and Criots Batard Montrachet

Mikulski Meursault Genevrieres

Stephen Tanzer: not reviewed

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: A subtly spicy and wonderfully seductive nose features notes of citrus, pear and green fruit that precede the racy, gorgeously intense and seriously pure flavors that are textured, sweet and mouth coating on the energetic and penetrating finish. This is one of those ‘wow’ wines that really grabs your attention with its effortless grace. This bears more than a passing resemblance to the ’06 version except this is more concentrated and slightly more powerful. Either way, it’s most impressive as well. 93

This doesn’t really belong in the flight, but a wine dropped out and Don included it since the bottle we had at night 1 was terribly oxidized. This bottle was much better, but still slightly funky.

Leflaive Bienvenues Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Reticent but pure aromas of peach and white flowers. Juicy, intense and precise, with a tight core of stone fruit and floral flavors and terrific stony cut for this cuvee In a distinctly delicate style for the year; impressively intense but not at all aggressive. This extremely suave wine will need extended cellaring. 94

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: (from 45+ year old vines which are the oldest vines of the domaine) Aromatically this is quite similar to the Pucelles with its lovely blend of honeysuckle and exotic fruit hints save for a bit more depth that is found here followed by rich, pure, energetic and almost painfully intense flavors that explode on the wonderfully long and punchy finish that is pure class. Along with the superb 2004, this is the best example of Leflaive BBM since 1985. 94

Pernot Bienvenues Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Good pale color. Subdued but pure aromas of spring flowers, vanilla and white truffle. Brisk, penetrating and quite dry, with its mineral component currently dominating its underlying peachy fruit. A distinctly low-fat style of wine, closed today but built for aging. Finishes very long, with lovely orange blossom lift. I would not be at all surprised if this merited a higher score five or six years down the road. 92(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A background hint of toast that is already beginning to integrate and will be close to invisible shortly frames a similar nose of honeysuckle and fresh, cool and classy aromas of borderline exotic fruit and orange blossom that marries into the rich, full and sweet flavors supported by wonderful depth of material and an explosive, exceptionally long finish. Terrific. 94

Probably my favorite wine of the flight.

Ramonet Bienvenues Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Very pale yellow. Sexy aromas of crushed stone, ginger and iodine. Densely packed and spicy, with terrific energy and grip. This started out almost painful but gained in breadth and pliancy with air, with a spicy note emerging. In fact, this became downright accessible in my glass. 92

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A fantastic nose of spice, wood toast, brioche, white flower, honeysuckle and citrus hints lead to rich, full, big and sappy flavors that really coat the mouth on the broad and palate staining finish. This is a big Bienvenues and while perhaps not as graceful as the 2000 or 2002, this is certainly stylish and deep. Like many of the wines in the range, it is also relatively forward by the usual standards of this wine yet it will certainly reward mid-term cellaring. 93

H. Boillot Criots Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, July/Aug 2006: Pure but subdued aromas of peach, apricot, honey and clove. Hints at a silky texture but this is very unforthcoming and tight today, conveying a tactile saline quality and an impression of brooding power. Distinctly dry and uncompromising. But builds impressively on the back end. 91-93

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: This is distinctly riper with a complex and quite concentrated mélange of orchard and exotic fruit aromas that precede dense and textured full-bodied flavors that are almost creamy in the mouth yet there is absolutely no sense of heaviness or lack of detail on the delicious, intense and powerful finish that is the longest of any wine to this point. 94

Hubert Lamy Criots Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer: not reviewed

Allen Meadows: not reviewed

Citrus And Wild Fennel Marinated Salmon With Osetra Caviar And Chives Sour Cream.


Most of flight 1 (one glass is out of frame).

Flight 2: Batard Montrachet

H Boillot Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, July/Aug 2006:
and spices. Then wonderfully flavorful and gripping in the mouth, with a sweet orange marmalade flavor framed by lively acidity. At once superripe and precise, and fresh and very long on the aftertaste. This was picked at the beginning of the harvest, with potential alcohol of 13.8%. Boasts superb intensity and density of material. 92-95

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database, April 16, 2011: An intensely floral and still exceptionally fresh nose is nuanced with hints of spice and citrus where the latter can also be found on the textured and borderline massive flavors that display absolutely no sense of heaviness on the exceptionally rich finish that drenches and stains the palate. This is a big wine yet there is a firm acid backbone that keeps everything in ideal balance and overall, it’s an extremely impressive effort. While the abundant dry extract enables this, like many ’05s, to drink

with pleasure now, in magnum format I personally would allow for at least another 4 to 5 years of bottle age. 95

Colin-Morey Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer: not reviewed

Allen Meadows: not reviewed

Leflaive Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: fruits, flowers and honey. Fatter, thicker and sweeter than the more elegant Bienvenues but less precise today. A classic round, rich, full and highly concentrated 2005 with strong extract and plenty of alcohol. This big boy will need a solid decade of cellaring to burn off some of its baby fat and achieve its adult shape. 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database, tasted July 29, 2011: This really hasn’t changed all that much from my intial review in 2008 with its highly complex mélange of very fresh orchard fruit and acacia blossom aromas that introduce broad-shouldered and concentrated flavors of serious power and weight that are carrying ample levels of dry extract that really coat the palate on the explosive and hugely long finish. While there is so much extract that it could be approached now with 30 minutes plus of aeration, I would be inclined to allow it at least another two years of cellar time first. 96

My favorite of the flight.

Le Moine Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: tasted from tank; very late malolactic fermentation) Reticent steely aromas of crushed stone, clove and honey. Offers a sweet impression on entry, then an explosively spicy, tangy, honeyed character and a texture just this side of viscous. A highly concentrated, powerful wine with a tactile, dusty texture giving it an almost solid impression. Finishes virile and very long, with a note of marzipan. More soil than primary fruit showing today. Saouma noted that most of his 2005s finished with between 2.5 and 3 grams of residual sugar. “Acid levels were high in 2005, and it was necessary to wait until the acids went down before harvesting,” he explained. “Today the richness of the ’05s is hiding their very strong acidity. People talk about the greatness of the 2005 reds, but we had the same conditions for the whites.” 93-95

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: This is completely backward and revealing almost nothing aromatically except a bit of wood and the barest hints of floral aromas. The rich, full and impressively scaled flavors though are very rich and concentrated with a beguiling mouth feel that is thick and opulent but not heavy and there is actually solid detail here on the massive finish. This is frankly a tough wine to read because it is so primary but everything appears to be in place to allow this to really blossom once in bottle. 93-95

This bottle was very oxidized and tasted like butterscotch and sherry.

Pernot Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Deep, brooding aromas of peach, menthol and vanilla. Large-scaled, rich and very ripe but classically dry, with complex, soil- inflected flavors of pineapple, minerals, white flowers and wet stone. The very long finish gives a palate-staining impression of extract. Both of these 2005 grand crus are superb. 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database, tasted July 29, 2012: The relatively generous wood that this displayed just after the bottling has largely been integrated though there remains a trace of toast on the otherwise attractively fresh, complex and expressive nose where the fruit is ripe but not excessively so. There is excellent richness, size, weight and mid-palate concentration to the solidly powerful big-bodied flavors that possess plenty of mouth coating sap, all wrapped in an utterly delicious, balanced and lingering finish. This satisfying effort has just arrived on the front end of its peak drinkability though it should hold here for another decade or so. Lovely juice. 93

Ramonet Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Deep, brooding aromas of peach, menthol and vanilla. Large-scaled, rich and very ripe but classically dry, with complex, soil- inflected flavors of pineapple, minerals, white flowers and wet stone. The very long finish gives a palate-staining impression of extract. Both of these 2005 grand crus are superb. 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: An exotic, indeed even tropical fruit nose is trimmed in ample wood toast that introduces rich, full, forward and sweet flavors that possess excellent depth and density yet perhaps not quite the elegance and precision that I’m used to seeing with this wine. To be sure, it could just be an early stage and that this will tighten up with time in bottle but it’s unusually accessible at present. The benefit of the doubt is offered as the track record is too good not to do so. 91

I brought this bottle. It had something unusual going on, not advanced at all, but exotic fruits and coconuts.

Sauzet Batard Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Very ripe, sweet nose combines citrus scents, marzipan and crushed stone. Suave, sweet and utterly mouthfilling, with an essence-of-orange fruit flavor complicated by a note of almond. This has compelling volume and density but the ripe acidity gives it shape and precision. More fruits than flowers today. Still a bit youthfully tight on the very long, almost painful finish. Offers great potential. I got the impression that this was Boudot’s favorite wine of the vintage. 95

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: The barest touch of bottling-induced reduction cannot hide the otherwise bright and expressive floral, peach and honeysuckle aromas set off against distinct lemon rind nuances give way to vibrant, pure and almost racy big-boned flavors that are unusually refined and blessed with buckets of dry extract on the stunningly long finish. Like the Chevalier, this is not a completely typical Bâtard but it’s a wonderfully seductive effort that should age beautifully. I feel compelled to note that fans of “power Bâtard’ may be underwhelmed but those who pine for a bit more elegance in theirs will be thrilled. 94


Pan Seared Scallops With Mushrooms And Mustard Dressing.


wines

Flight 3: Chevalier Montrachet

For whatever reason, this was the weakest flight. There were several bottles that were advanced to different degrees.

Boillot Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Nose dominated by wet stone. Penetrating, precise flavor of pure crushed and liquefied stone. Wonderfully rich, tactile wine, but today its sheer vibrating minerally high notes almost mask its texture. Still, this wine comes across as suppler than the Pucelles. This should be fascinating to follow over the next decade or two. 96(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: As is usually the case though in 2005 it seems even more striking, the Chevalier has the sleekly taut muscularity of a world class gymnast contrasted against the massive bulk of a world class weight lifter in the Bâtard. The airy, pure, refined and elegant nose of white flower, anise and clove aromas introduces rich, full and solidly powerful flavors that are even more tightly focused and delineated on the texture, intense and explosive finish that is positively crystalline in its transparency. This is one of those ‘wow’ wines and highly recommended. 96

A bit advanced.

Bouchard Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Multidimensional aromas of lemon, lime, powdered stone and white flowers. Dense, silky and fat with fruit. There’s incredible depth, volume and extract to the pineapple, stone and floral flavors but a complete absence of rough edges and no sense of excess weight. The compellingly sweet finishing flavors of lime and flowers are unflagging. A big boy but still an infant-and a great wine in the making. 97(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A superbly elegant, stylish and high- toned orange blossom and spice-suffused nose nuanced by hints of wet stone and lime merges into slightly toasty and flavors that are built on a base of firm minerality and culminate in a rich, powerful and hugely long finish. This is always a very fine Chevalier but in ’05 it’s even better than usual and worth a look. 94

Don Cornwell, tasted on July 23, 2009 as the introductory wine (in 375ml) to a tasting of 2006 grand crus: Light yellow color; white flowers and citrus aromas; bright, very minerally wine which also has a lot of glycerine for a Chevalier—this only got better with air. 95

Very advanced, and by my taste, not so enjoyable.

Philippe Colin Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Good pale yellow. Musky aromas of lemon, crushed stones, menthol and white flowers. Concentrated and pure but quite closed, with a dominant flavor of liquid stone. But this very full, thick wine boasts terrific energy and grip without coming off as hard. Mounts impressively on the back end, staining the palate with spices and powdered stone. These 2005s are all wonderfully clean. (Incidentally, Colin did not show me the 2004 Chevalier-Montrachet last year but he did open it for me on my most recent visit. It showed superb finesse and penetrating minerality and rated a solid 94.) 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: More obvious wood frames refined, elegant and ripe floral, green fruit and spice hints that continue onto the rich, full and delicious flavors that are really quite forward and possess less underlying tension than normal though there is plenty of finishing punch and vibrancy. This is a powerful Chevalier as there is ample dry extract and the class is obvious. In sum, this is a very fine rather than great example and one that will be ready sooner than usual. 92

Strong advanced notes of butterscotch.

Colin-Deleger Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Pure but reticent nose hints at white flowers and minerals. Suave and youthful, with a lovely light touch to its flavors of lemon, lime, spring flowers and crushed stone. This backward wine shows more acid spine than Colin’s 2005 premier crus and will merit an even higher score if it blossoms with bottle aging. 92(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A restrained, pure and gorgeously airy and sophisticated nose of mostly white flower and acacia blossom notes merges into racy and intensely mineral medium-bodied flavors brimming with energy and punch on the textured, sweet and driving finish. This is relatively quite pretty and like the Demoiselles, perhaps a bit more accessible than usual but that’s no defect. 93

Warm (alcoholic) on the finish.

Colin-Morey Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer: not reviewed:

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database, December 3, 2011: An elegant and now maturing nose evidences white flower, spice and beautifully complex aromas that merge seamlessly into strikingly beautiful and textured medium weight plus flavors trimmed in discreet wood on the intensely mineral finish that seems to go on and on. This is a really classy effort that glides like silk across the palate yet has the intensity and focus of a fine Chevalier. While this will certainly continue to age for years to come, it is already completely approachable and thus there is no reasonable to hold back any longer. 94

Nice one of my favorites of the flight.

Deux Montilles Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, July/Aug 2006: Reticent aromas of apple, allspice and nutmeg. Sweet and lush but bright and firm in the mouth, with compelling intensity and purity of flavor. The fruit tones of apple and pear are enlivened by spices and minerals. This conveys an impression of terrific intensity and dimension without any excess weight, which is the hallmark of the best examples from this great cru. Wonderfully sweet and long on the back. My style of Burgundy. 92-95

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A superbly elegant nose offers up the classic white flower and subtle spice notes as well as obvious mineral notes that continue onto the refined, detailed and explosive flavors that ooze class and style on the hugely long finish. This is one of those ‘wow’ wines that almost takes your breath away. Impressive in every sense and it should age beautifully as the balance and harmony here are flawless. 93-96

One of my favorites of the flight. Tasted like lime-aid!


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


The table is getting crowded!

Flight 4: Chevalier Montrachet

Girardin Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Highly complex aromas of apple, spices and wet stone. Opulent yet dry, with very ripe but backward flavors of wet stone, spices and earth. This is more austere than the Bienvenue despite its sheer size. Opens out impressively on the back half, showing outstanding volume. But this will need time. 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: (from 50+ year old vines in Chassagne) A background touch of wood influence that is more toast than spice or vanilla highlights wonderfully fresh, elegant and high-toned white flower and exotic fruit aromas and this exotic aspect continues onto the succulent, round and full-bodied flavors that culminate in a punchy, intense and driving finish that is quite dry and contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the mid-palate. This is a classic Bâtard and is robust and seriously intense if not exactly a model of finesse but this is a nit and nothing more. 93

Perhaps a little advanced.

Jadot Chevalier Montrachet Demoiselles

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Reticent but complex nose opens slowly to reveal dried fruits, fresh almond, hazelnut, clove and minerals. Suave on entry, then ripe but vibrant in the middle palate, combining brisk lemony citricity, more showy pineapple and a powerful element of pure liquid stone. Finishes wonderfully aromatic, subtle and long, with superb energy to the mineral and hazelnut flavors. Classic soil-inflected Chevalier, among the stars of the vintage and built for long life. 95(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database, April 10, 2010: This hasn’t budged much from my initial review in early 2007 as there is still discreet wood framing a reserved yet ultra elegant white flower and intensely mineral nose that merges seamlessly into fine, precise and vividly stony flavors that culminate in a clean, crisp and bone dry finish that displays spectacular length. This has all of the superb intensity of a young Demoiselles and is clearly built to age and as such should provide at least 9 to 10 years of upside development. One thing that has become more apparent with a few years of bottle age is how concentrated this is as the amount of dry extract present is genuinely impressive and 2005 is in my view the most powerful vintage of this wine in some time. Note that I have also added two years to the expected maturity estimate as this is evolving quite slowly. 96

Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Bright, pale yellow. Knockout nose combines citrus and stone fruits, flint, acacia flower and a leesy nuance. Extraordinarily dense and tactile on the palate, with uncanny clarity and energy to the flavors of white peach, lemon, wet stone and flint. A great stony expression, with great thrust and persistence and an almost weightless impression. The palate-saturating finishing flavor of dusty stone is almost painful. I love this style. This was bottled just ten days ago and will almost certainly shut down in the bottle for a long time. 95(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: The most elegant wine in the entire range (which is really saying something in this case) with an ultra pure if highly reserved nose of rose petal, anise, white peach and pear plus subtle hints of stone and smoke that dissolve seamlessly into unusually big and rich flavors that possess real size, weight and muscle, indeed this is almost Bâtard-like in its sheer volume, all wrapped in a deeply concentrated and wonderfully stony finish that is both impressively explosive and strikingly long. While it’s a much bigger and denser version, the flavors positively vibrate in the mouth and it is this sense of barely restrained energy that reminds me a lot of the 1996 at the same stage of development. An exceptionally promising Chevy that is presently like a block of stone so plenty of patience will be required. 97

Don Cornwell, from a tasting of Leflaive and Niellon on July 27, 2010: Light yellow gold color; some modest white flowers and citrus aromas; on the palate, very light sweet citrus and tropical fruit—much more diffuse than one would expect from Leflaive Chevy and one senses the “hole in the middle” some people refer to on the 2005 whites from Puligny and Batard; soft lemon-lime finish with okay acidity; for the first two and a half hours I wasn’t very impressed, but after about two and half hours of air it showed some real elegance and appeal mainly in the finish. By the end of the evening I preferred the 2005 to the 2004. (No votes) 92|94?

Niellon Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Musky nose hints at menthol, smoke and peppery spices. Fresh and mineral-driven; not particularly big or concentrated but with good richness and complexity to the flavors of pepper, minerals and white flowers. Finishes firm and classically dry. Niellon seemed to be puzzled by the wine’s peppery, spicy note, which he says he also found in the 2004 Chaumees. He has a theory that the source of this element is a new shrub that has appeared in recent years in the woods above the village. 91

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A very deft touch of wood frames the understated and backward nose of white flower and pear aromas that lead to mineral-infused and stunningly intense and precise medium full flavors that culminate in a hugely long yet focused and explosive finish. As one would expect, this scintillates with minerality and this liquid stone quality defines the character of this wine from start to finish. In a word, harmonious. Note that patience will be required. 94

Don Cornwell, tasted on March 24, 2009 at a Rouget tasting: Medium yellow gold color; some strong oak notes dominate the nose with a little green apple underneath; on the palate, light, sweet fruit, some elegance; but no minerality at all and not much apparent acidity; seems to have no resemblance to Chevalier Montrachet. Instead seems like a decent premier cru Chassagne. Everyone had the same view of this and was hugely disappointed 91

Jean-Marc Pillot Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Complex aromas of pear, white flowers, menthol, quinine and crushed stone; this could only be Chevalier-Montrachet. Big and rich but not particularly fruity and not at all exotic; this one too is on the starting block today. Hints of white flowers and menthol in the middle palate. Finishes chewy, rich, dry and very long. 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A very ripe and densely fruited nose that is subtly exotic is trimmed in a discreet bit of pain grillé and introduces rich, powerful and wonderfully precise flavors that, like the Caillerets, are built on a firm base of minerality and the driving intensity of the finish both coats and stains the palate with seemingly endless reserves of dry extract. This too is a very impressive effort as it delivers the most length of any wine in the range. 92-94

Ramonet Chevalier Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, July/Aug 2006: Captivating aromas of wet stone, nutmeg and ginger. Broad, lush and fine; not at all heavy but a distinctly solid and horizontal style of Chevalier. A flavor of wet stone lingers nicely on the broad back end. Impressive wine, but I never would have picked the vineyard. 90-93

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database, April 10, 2010: This continues to show somewhat oddly because while it now appears to be much more backward than it did when I originally tasted it for review in 2007, there still isn’t the elegance or refinement that I’m used to seeing chez Ramonet with this wine. Ripe and airy white flower and citrus blossom aromas offer excellent complexity if less elegance than I’m used to seeing are followed by still tight full- bodied flavors that possess impressive volume and concentration, all wrapped in a nicely long finish that displays less depth than promised by the nose. One change that is evident though is that if this is going to come together, it will take longer than I initially imagined and thus I have extended my initial drinking window by several years. 93

My favorite of the flight, very balanced.


Veal Scallopine With Lemon And Capers. A classic, but extremely well done!


My full glass collection – just mine!

Dessert


Parker 99, “An extraordinary effort, Yquem’s 1990 is a rich and fabulously superb, sweet wine. This wine also possesses lots of elegance and finesse. The wine’s medium gold color is accompanied by an exceptionally sweet nose of honeyed tropical fruits, peaches, coconut, and apricots. High quality, subtle toasty oak is well-integrated. The wine is massive on the palate, with layers of intensely ripe botrytis-tinged, exceptionally sweet fruit. Surprisingly well-integrated acidity, and a seamless, full-bodied power and richness have created a wine of remarkable harmony and purity. Certainly it is one of the richest Yquems I have ever tasted, with 50-100 years of potential longevity.”


Apple Strudel With Vanilla Gelato.

This was another spectacular evening. The food was wonderful, relatively simple as it was designed to pair with the subtle whites, but executed perfectly. And again, it was interesting and a bit surprising to taste all of these wines in such proximity. 2005 also seems to be a rather peculiar vintage where a number of the vineyards aren’t expressing the utmost typical character. Chablis (dinner 1) was odd and muted, and a number of the normally showy Chevaliers were off or not as showy. The best flight tonight was the Batard flight, IMHO. Still, in the big picture, this is all relative, as there were so many spectacular Chardonnays here.

Part 1 (Chablis, Meursault, and Corton-Charlemagne) at Spago can be found here.

Next week we continue at Melisse for Montrachet proper!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for Foodie Club extravaganzas.



Related posts:

  1. Spago – 2005 White Burg part 1!
  2. ThanksGavin 2011 – The Main Event
By: agavin
Comments (5)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: 2005 White Burgundy, Chardonnay, Italian cuisine, Piero Selvaggio, Valentino, Valentino Santa Monica, White Burgundy, Wine

Spago – 2005 White Burg part 1!

Feb08

Restaurant: Spago

Location: 176 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 385-0880

Date: February 5, 2013

Cuisine: American

Rating: Mind Blowing

_

Faithful readers know that I love Burgundy. There is no wine area in the world, red or white, that is so focused. More, or less, this glacial valley in Eastern France only grows two grapes: red Pinot Noir and white Chardonnay. It does so in a minimalist manner that emphasizes the exact geographic and micro-climate conditions of small named parcels of land – and people here have been doing exactly this for well over a 1,000 years.

In the last year I’ve been trying to up my Burgundy game. I’m taking a Burgundy Master (Sommelier) class and really trying to become much more knowledgable about this challenging area. Most casual wine drinkers probably don’t realize how complex it is. You could invest decades of full time study in this one region and still not know all there is to know.

Which brings me to tonight, where I was lucky enough to attend the first of three dinners that explore the white wines of Burgundy in a manner so focused its worthy of the . I’m mostly a pinot guy (red) but this series focuses only on white 2005s (all Chardonnay) and this particular dinner on Chablis, Meursault, and Corton-Charlemagne. All of the wines here were provided by the participants and were in impeccable condition.

While tasting 30 Chardonnay’s from just three regions all together is a bit of a buttery blitzkrieg, there is no better way to get a sense of the specific flavor profiles of the different vineyards. By sampling across several great 2005 Chablis, you can get a real grasp on what IS Chablis and hence what is Corton-Charlemagne.


Tonight’s venue is the (new) original Spago in Beverly Hills.


And we were set up in a private room, which given the nature of this exacting tasting was essential.


Tonight’s wines and the menu. The four large flights are each paired with a course. The food was great, although personally, I would have matched perhaps three small courses to each flight, but I’ve become ridiculously spoiled and find anything less than 8-10 courses anemic :-). World’s smallest violin, I know.


This dinner was ALOT of work for the Sommelier. We tasted each flight blind, knowing the wines (5-8) in the flight but not which was which (they had numbers). The Somm had to organize a legion of glasses, label them, and pour and serve!

The whole blind/not-blind thing is a bit of a debate. I can understand why it’s very useful to try the wines stripped of their identity so as not to be colored, but at my stage in my own personal learning curve, I get more out of knowing what I’m tasting as I taste it. I’m still trying to build mental flavor profiles for specific vineyards and associate them analytically with descriptors and various qualities. I had printed out individual tasting sheets for each wine, but I had made the mistake of labeling them by the wine. Next dinner I’ll just put numbers on them and fill in the wine later.


The amuse section was accompanied by the 1996 Egry-Ouriet Brut Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes. A very nice dry  champagne that’s reached that stately level of maturity.


Steak Tartar. On a toast, with black truffle. I love good steak tartar!


Spago falafel. With creme fraiche.


1996 Bollinger Grande Annee.


Buttery pastry filled with bacon. Very yummy.


Puck’s Jewish Pizza. Creme fraiche, chives, dill, red onion and nova lox. This is always SO good. I make it myself at home too, pretty successfully.

Flight 1: Chablis

2005 Domaine Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Les Preuses

(from a 1 ha parcel planted in 1970)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2007: Good pale yellow. Knockout nose combines peche de vigne and gingery spices, plus the same violety high note I found in the 2006. Rich, broad and tactile, with terrific energy and intensity to the slightly exotic flavors of orange, lemon peel, flowers and licorice. As silky as this is, it conveys an outstanding lightness of touch. Best today on the explosive, rocky, palate-staining finish, which offers a real whiplash of iodine, warm stone and citrus peel flavors. This vineyard was the least affected by botrytis in 2005, according to Dauvissat; the wine is the lowest in alcohol, but still a full 13.5%. 94(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 28, Oct. 1, 2007: Here the restrained nose is bright, elegant and classy, offering an unmistakable step up in distinction and refinement with very subtle background notes of botrytis that can also be found on the textured, supple and pure medium full flavors that are sweet, complex and utterly palate drenching on the hugely long and intense finish. Indeed, this is so intense that I had to stall for time to allow my palate to recover before moving on to the Les Clos. Trust me, this is a “wow” wine. 94

2005 Domaine Raveneau Chablis Les Clos

(from a .54 ha parcel dead center in the vineyard)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2007: Pale yellow. Ineffable nose combines fresh pineapple, grapefruit, crushed stone and menthol. Pure, taut, extremely backward wine that’s like sucking on a mouthful of rocks today. Like a richer and even more austere version of the Montee de Tonnerre. With no obvious sweetness showing today, this is revealing more than it’s showing. Finishes very long and very dry, with a purity of mineral expression that’s rare for this vintage. Less likable today than the Valmur but even denser. This will require at least a decade of cellaring. 95(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 28, Oct. 1, 2007: An incredibly pure but also incredibly backward ultra high-toned ripe floral and white pear and peach nose nuanced by subtle spice and brioche notes complements perfectly the round, intense, delineated and stony flavors that are like drinking liquefied rock, all wrapped in a textured, palate staining, austere and almost painfully intense and chewy finish. This is a bit more reserved at present than the Valmur, which is interesting because normally it’s the other way around. Either way, this has flat out great potential. 95

This wine was unusual in the Chablis flight for being SO intensely mineral with a hint of sulfur. Now, Chablis is a very mineral wine, but this was the oddball of the group.

2005 Domaine Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Les Clos

(from a 1.7 ha parcel of 47 year old vines)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2007: Bright, pale yellow. Classic, soil- inflected aromas of citrus fruits, clove, wet stone and iodine. Suave on entry, then quite high- pitched in the middle, with superb purity to the flavors of grapefruit, lemon and minerals. At once fine-grained and taut, with captivating floral lift. Like the Preuses, this is most impressive today on the highly complex, uncommonly long finish, which throws off notes of sexy brown spices, juniper and white pepper, along with an intriguing saline quality. 95

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database, tasted Nov 17. 2011: This terrific effort only seems to be getting better and better with each passing year with its spicy white flower aromas that introduce sophisticated, pure and gorgeously intense flavors that explode on the strikingly long and chewy finish. The depth here is just terrific and the hallmark minerality is present in spades. And, as is always the casee with this wine, the driving and penetrating finish just lasts and lasts and this is without question truly a stunner of a wine. I have upgraded my rating slightly as this is still on the way up but is drinking so well right now that it would not be complete infanticide to drink a bottle now. 95

2005 Domaine William Fevre Chablis Les Preuses

(from two parcels of vines that total 2.55 ha, or 22% of the entire appellation)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2007: Good pale color with green highlights. Elegant nose hints at gunflinty silex, with pineapple emerging with aeration. Very rich and suave; in a rounder, fatter style than the Cote Bouguerots but with a bit less clarity and lift. Shows a more exotic peach quality in the middle palate. Finishes subtle, smooth and long. 92

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 28, Oct. 1, 2007: This is the second year running where the Preuses really distinguishes itself with an incredibly complex nose of brioche, spice, green fruit, shell fish, algae and sea breeze notes that merge into wonderfully elegant yet generous, full, forward and strikingly classy flavors that are dense, balanced and unbelievably persistent plus they display more minerality than usual. The acid spine is firm and ripe but not aggressive and should easily see this through at least a decade of cellar time. I normally have a real weakness for the Valmur at this address but the Preuses is really something in 2005. A “wow” wine. 94

2005 Domaine Raveneau Chablis Montee de Tonnerre

(from a huge parcel of 2.5 ha though this figure includes the surface area in Chapelot which is bottled separately)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2007: Bright, pale yellow. Pure but reticent aromas of citrus peel, hazelnut, clove and minerals; even more strict today than the Butteaux. Powerful but almost painfully closed, dominated today by citric and mineral cut and a flavor of wet stone. A very rich but austere wine that’s presently hard to taste. Finishes broad, layered and quite dry, with a ripe, honeyed quality. This will almost certainly be for drinking after the ’06. 92+

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 28, Oct. 1, 2007: This is a mild step up in overall class and elegance with a gorgeously perfumed white flower fruit nose introducing linear, precise, intense and powerful medium full flavors that remain splendidly focused on the stunningly long finish that drenches the palate in dry extract. This is a striking 1er and one to buy as it easily delivers grand cru quality. 94

This was our only Premier Cru of the flight but was one of my favorite wines. It was a bit more expressive than many of the Grand Crus and had a wonderful complexity.

2005 Domaine William Fevre Chablis Les Clos

(from 4 separate parcels totaling 4.11 ha, 3 of which are all at the top of the slope)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2007: Pale green color. Pure but subdued aromas of lemon-lime and crushed stone. Intensely flavored and youthfully tight, offering sharply delineated citrus fruit, white peach and crushed stone elements. In a cooler style for the vintage, with just the slightest exotic hint to show that it’s from a very warm year. The very long, rising finish displays uncommon precision for the vintage. But the young 2006 appears to be even longer and more minerally. 94(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 28, Oct. 1, 2007: In contrast to the relative expressiveness of most of this group, the Les Clos is backward, reserved and very tight, revealing only glimpses of white flower, oyster shell and an airy marine influence that can also be found on the intense, pure and astonishingly precise flavors that possess another dimension relative to all of the other ’05s with the exception of the Preuses. Class in a glass as they say and while presently tighter than a drum with an exceptionally dry finish, this has the material and balance to age for years. 94

2005 Domaine Raveneau Chablis Valmur

(from a .75 ha parcel)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2007: Pale yellow. Brisk, pure aromas of citrus skin, powdered stone, quinine and iodine. Juicy and citric on entry, then supple and rich in the middle, but with superb energy giving shape and grip to the lemon-lime, citrus, stone and floral flavors. Conveys an impression of sucrosite but also comes across as wonderfully fresh and taut. Pure, palate-dusting, rising finish boasts terrific lift and aromatic perfume. Valmur is favored in hot years, notes Raveneau. “The vines here run north-south, which enables them to resist the mid-day sun and retain freshness.” 95

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 28, Oct. 1, 2007: This is more expressive than usual, featuring a hint of wood spice and the usual gorgeously elegant cool green fruit, oyster shell and saline notes that introduce unusually big and powerful flavors that are naturally sweet, intense and like the majority of these ’05s, possesses buckets of dry extract. The finish just oozes with minerality and the intensity is almost painful as it really stains the palate. I noted last year that there was marvelous quality here and there was so much material that it could be even better than my range suggested. Well, I agree with my initial prediction as the Valmur is indeed better in bottle than it was from cask and a flat out magnificent wine. 95


The glass farm after round 1.

“Chirashi Sushi”. Blue Fin Tuna, Hamachi, Salmon Pearls, Sea Urchin. Very yummy, and unusual to get something so faithfully Japanese in a non-Japanese restaurant.


Various bread.

Flight 2: Meursault

Colin-Morey Meursault Genevrieres

Stephen Tanzer: not reviewed

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A completely different nose is present here with seductive, spicy and slightly exotic fruit aromas marry into intense, delineated and explosive medium plus weight flavors, all wrapped in a vibrant and terrifically long finish that is picture-perfect Meursault in character. There is also a touch of wood on the backend but it’s subtle and will be absorbed in time. 92

Mikulski Meursault Genevrieres

Stephen Tanzer: not reviewed

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: A subtly spicy and wonderfully seductive nose features notes of citrus, pear and green fruit that precede the racy, gorgeously intense and seriously pure flavors that are textured, sweet and mouth coating on the energetic and penetrating finish. This is one of those ‘wow’ wines that really grabs your attention with its effortless grace. This bears more than a passing resemblance to the ’06 version except this is more concentrated and slightly more powerful. Either way, it’s most impressive as well. 93

Henri Boillot Meursault Charmes

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Cool aromas of citrus fruits and stone. Dense, concentrated and sappy, with sweet citrus and mineral flavors firmed by surprisingly sound acidity. A classic Charmes with terrific inner-mouth energy. Finishes long and brisk, with excellent cut. 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: An extremely subtle touch of pain grillé works well with the ripe peach, apricot, floral and lemon rind aromas that introduce rich, pure and generous flavors that coat the mouth with sappy extract and there is a lovely minerality that surfaces on the highly complex and impressively long finish. This combines most of the power of the Poruzots with most of the elegance of the Les Cras to create a more complete effort. Note that there was a bit of CO2 on the finish and I would suggest decanting this for 20 minutes first. In a word, gorgeous. 93

Lafon Meursault Charmes

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Aromas of peach and vanilla. Rich, fat and classically dry, with compelling purity to the lemon, crushed stone and mineral flavors. Perfectly integrated acidity extends the palate-staining, layered finish. With a blend of 15-, 45- and 75-year-old vines in his 1.7-hectares holding in Charmes, Lafon has the flexibility each year to make one of Burgundy’s top Meursault bottlings. 93-95

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: Here the reserved and tight nose is less spicy but no less complex with high-toned aromas of white peach and pear nuanced by subtle notes of hazelnut and orange blossom that give way to rich, full and mouth coating flavors that evidence a silky mouth feel and culminate in a focused, linear and intensely mineral finish that offers both class and finesse. This really expands on the borderline tannic and almost painfully intense finish and it seems like an even bigger wine than it is. As good an example of Lafon Charmes as I have seen in a while. 94

2005 Roulot Meursault Charmes

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Reticent, pure aromas of lemon and crushed stone, with a hint of vanillin oak; a more exotic mango note emerged with aeration. Rich, dense and young but with a distinct sweetness in the middle palate, in part a function of the wine’s vanillin oak component. This is fat and sweet but doesn’t quite come alive today. Roulot finds this a bit anonymous, “in the warm style of 2005.” 91

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A moderately exotic nose of honeysuckle, mango and apricot trimmed in discreet brioche notes leads to delicious, round and sweet flavors that are generous and nicely harmonious if not as intense and persistent as the best in the range. Still, this is really quite lovely as it has already found its center. 91

Domaine Henri Boillot Meursault Genevrieres

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Aromas of soft citrus fruits, pear and crushed stone. Wonderfully dense and sweet but with great precision and juicy cut to the fruit and mineral flavors. Finishes impressively long and pure, with superb cut. An outstanding Genevrieres in the making. 94

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: The first wine to display any real wood influence, which in this case manifests itself with touches of pain grillé and vanilla that highlight the naturally spicy and equally seductive aromas where the spiciness continues onto the round, rich, concentrated and impressively powerful flavors blessed with huge dry extract levels that lend an almost chewy quality to the hugely long finish. This is not quite as elegant or racy as the Pucelles but it’s close. 93


The glasses keep coming!

“Uova da Raviolo”. Ricotta Cream, Parmesan, Black Truffle. This was yum, yum, yum as it’s filled with poached egg (complete with runny yolk). A great buttery rich dish that paired brilliantly with the Burgs.

Flight 3: Meursault Perrieres

Matrot Meursault Perrieres

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Good pale color. Classic aromas of pineapple, citrus fruits and wet stone; this reminded me of a Riesling Schlossberg. Wonderfully dense and intense, with terrific cut and acidity giving sharp definition to the mineral and citrus flavors. Thick but uncompromisingly dry wine that finishes with great verve and a stony whiplash of flavor. This needs a decade of bottle aging. 92+

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A superbly elegant nose of green apple, spiced dried rose petal and orange and lemon citrus nuances merge into almost aggressively mineral suffused medium-bodied flavors that are classic Perrières in character, all wrapped in very tight, linear and gorgeously detailed finish. This is a seriously impressive effort but one that will need plenty of cellar time. Terrific. 94

Colin-Morey Meursault Perrieres

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Classy aromas of superripe peach and crushed stone. Rich, broad and full, offering most of the Perrieres food groups: peach, apricot, oatmeal, minerals, hazelnut, vanilla. Finishes extremely broad and long, with the wine’s very ripe apricotty fruit not yet in harmony with its powerful minerality. A great wine in the making but this will need five or six years of cellaring. 94(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A very deft touch of wood frames ripe and strikingly elegant white flower aromas that are somewhat higher-toned and airier than those of the Genevrières while introducing rich and full yet finely detailed medium-bodied flavors that also positively exude an almost pungent minerality on the gorgeously persistent finish. This is built on a base of minerality and it lends a completely different textural impact to the wine, particularly on the finale. 93

Le Moine Meursault Perrieres

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: (sugar fermentation finished, malo almost complete) Nose dominated by crushed stone and lemon; precise and vineyard-typical for 2005. Dense and fat with fruit, showing the sweetness of the vintage in spades. Very promising but can’t quite match the 2004 for precision or length. 90-92

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A stunning nose of subtly spiced white flower and green apple is trimmed in background hints of pain grillé that merge into sophisticated, pure and strikingly textured medium-bodied flavors oozing with both minerality and dry extract that really coats and stains the palate on the wonderfully precise and moderately strict finish. This will require a few years to really unfold and blossom but the material to do so is here. 92-94

2005 Roulot Meursault Perrieres

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Vibrant aromas of orange, minerals and crushed stone. Juicy, sexy, taut wine with terrific energy to its flavors of orange and stone. This has the clarity and breed that the Charmes is not showing today. Wonderfully minerally and long on the aftertaste. Almost deceptively accessible today, this is built for extended cellaring. 94

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: A strikingly pure nose of white flower and spice aromas complements perfectly the delicious, intense and stony flavors that are wonderfully vibrant and gorgeously detailed on the transparent and equally pure finish that explodes with more minerality. This is beautifully balanced and understated with a Zen-like sense of calm. I very much like this and it’s very Perrières in character. In a word, brilliant. 94

Don Cornwell, from a dinner with Jean Marc Roulot on Feb 21, 2012: Medium yellow color; quite forward floral and pear aromas; this was bigger and clearly richer than the 2000. It had more body and more alcohol – but it lacked the minerality and grip of the 2000. This was a wine of greater weight and higher alcohol – a thicker style of MP. 93

Lafon Meursault Perrieres

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Explosively ripe fruit aromas of apricot and pineapple currently dominate underlying minerality on the nose. Silky, rich and powerful, with the pineapple and peach flavors framed by harmonious ripe acidity. A wine with superb stuffing and back-end breadth, finishing with palate-saturating mineral and dusty stone flavors. This boasts impressive aging potential, but the Charmes is at least as impressive in the context of the year. Just 10 barrels of this wine were produced, compared to 18 in 2004. 94(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: Once again the Perrières is the class of these 1ers with its cool and reserved nose of white flower and green apple that complements to perfection the textured, pure and stylish flavors that possess excellent volume but also wonderful detail and punch and the intensely mineral finish that is refined, pure and long with plenty of underlying tension. A ‘wow’ wine. 95

Flight 4: Corton-Charlemagne

Black Bass. Crispy Scale, Littleneck Clams, Herb Coulis, Garlic Purée. The sauce was wow tasty.

Jadot Corton Charlemagne

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: A strikingly complex nose of green apple fruit, pear and a distinct floral note complements perfectly the hugely powerful flavors brimming with dry extract and built on a base of solid minerality. This is a borderline massive wine that is textured, concentrated and sleekly muscled yet it remains precise, pure and balanced with positively huge length. A very impressive wine that could actually surprise to the upside as the underlying material here is as good as any 2005 Corton-Charlemagne. 95

Bouchard Corton Charlemagne

(3.65 ha of east-facing vineyards in Ladoix-Serrigny-climats; vine age presently unknown)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Pungent stone fruits, cold steel, marzipan and charred oak on the nose. Large-scaled, tactile and quite powerful, with captivating, utterly pure flavors of pineapple, wet stone and minerals. Wonderfully sweet and smooth on the back end, with a lovely light touch, but the dusty, tactile aftertaste is stony and uncompromising. I’d forget about this extremely backward wine for a good decade. 95(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: An expressive and highly interesting nose of cool and fresh green apple surrounded by freshly baked brioche aromas leads to big, rich and sleekly muscled flavors that are quite ripe yet there is a very firm acid backbone that maintains outstanding focus on the almost painfully intense mineral-infused finish. This is a ‘wow’ wine that cedes nothing to the Montrachet in terms of power and weight. 95

Don Cornwell, notes from a tasting on January 24, 2008: Very light yellow gold; pear, citrus and some S02 (though a bit less than the second wine); bright, sweet pear/green apple flavors with the best acidity of the flight; this demonstrates some power, some minerality, and some elegance and minerality in the finish. Some of the guys thought this was Chevalier. My clear favorite of the first flight. 94+

Girardin Corton Quintessence

(from 0.30 ha of 70+ year-old vineyards located in En Charlemagne and Le Charlemagne, with southwest exposures)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Smoky aromas of flinty silex and chicken broth; in an awkward stage. Then sweeter than the basic Corton-Charlemagne bottling, at once more opulent and more closed. Can’t match the ’06 for grip or class but this boasts superb richness and smoky depth. Today I find this less pristine and less vibrant than the regular bottling, but it’s also extremely unevolved, and longer and more powerful on the back end. 93(+?)

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: Here the wood is a background nuance if not invisible, highlighting spicy, pure and wonderfully expressive green fruit aromas that are really quite classy while merging into rich, round and stylish medium full flavors brimming with huge amounts of dry extract and an explosive, driving and persistent finish where the wood resurfaces. This is a serious effort but one that is generous and beautifully balanced, which will permit it to age well. 92-95

Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne

(9.5 ha contiguous plot of southwest-facing vineyards planted from 1950 to 1994 with an average age of 47 years; 4.52 ha is located in En Charlemagne and just under 5.0 ha in Le Charlemagne.)

Stephen Tanzer: not reviewed

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 31, July 1, 2008: A ripe and classic nose of distinctly discreet and reserved green fruit and floral aromas that are airy, pure and lightly spiced merge into intense, precise and penetrating medium full flavors blessed with terrific acid/fruit balance and huge length. This is really a lovely wine that is presently a tightly coiled spring and in need of extended bottle aging to really put on display the superb potential here. An understated stunner of a wine as well as ultra refined and one of the best examples of this appellation in 2005. 95

Le Moine Corton Charlemagne

(Negociant wine; produced from two plots in En Charlemagne with a western exposure; the larger plot is 40 year old vines and the smaller one is 18 year old vines)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: (Bottled in March of ’07) Very fresh aromas of cold steel and menthol; distinctly medicinal in the context of the year. Then wonderfully full but with superb energy, combining flavors of lemon, lime, ginger and crushed rock. The minerality here is almost painful. A compellingly taut wine with great palate-staining length and cut. 95

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: As one would reasonably expect, this is much more elegant and refined with moderate wood highlighting the fresh and stony green fruit aromas that offer real depth and leads to precise, minerally and exceptionally powerful flavors that positively drench the palate in dry extract on the hugely long finish. This is still sorting itself out but the quality of the raw materials is impeccable and it possesses impressive potential. 92-94

Boillot Corton Charlemagne

(beginning with 2005, the Boillot Corton was sourced from a different vineyard located in Aloxe-Corton [I believe it is Le Corton] which has a “full south facing” exposure)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2007: Wonderfully ripe, deep aromas of lime, minerals and crushed stone. An incredible mouthful of stones and minerals, with uncanny intensity, juiciness and lift. At this point in my marathon tasting with Boillot, my handwriting was degenerating and I was using exclamation marks rather than adjectives. Flat-out great white Burgundy. Incidentally, Boillot changed his supplier of Corton-Charlemagne as of this vintage; he now works with vines in Aloxe-Corton that face full south. 98(+?)?

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: Here the nose is completely different with pungent and almost aggressively intense green apple aromas infused with an underlying sense of wet stone that is in keeping with the character of the pure, chiseled and fantastically intense full-bodied and muscular flavors that possess serious punch and verve on the equally explosive and very fresh finish. This also has that ‘wow’ sensation because of the beautiful sense of tension that is like a tightly coiled spring. Terrific. 95

Montille Corton Charlemagne

(1.04 ha of south-facing vineyards located in Pougets; these were old Corton (rouge) vines grafted over to chardonnay beginning with 2004 vintage)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2006: Perfumed aromas of apple and nutmeg. Large-scaled, tactile and wonderfully ripe, with rich apple and peach flavors. Very sweet and broad for young Corton-Charlemagne, combining impressive volume and lovely finesse of texture. This was acidified, but one would never know it. Finishes rich, sweet and very long, without the austerity so often shown by this grand cru. There’s just a single barrel of this juice from the family’s new half-hectare holding on 25-year-old roots. (This is actually a south- facing parcel in Corton Pougets that was grafted over to chardonnay two years ago.) 90-93

Allen Meadows, Burghound, Issue No. 27, July 1, 2007: While the entire parcel eligible to be declared as Corton-Charlemagne measures 1.05 ha, it was originally planted to pinot noir and was grafted over to chardonnay in 2004. As a result, the net production was only about 15% of what it will eventually be in 2010 and the vines produced a total of one barrel. An expressive nose of discreetly toasty oak, green apple and spicy pear aromas gives way to rich, full and impressively intense big-bodied flavors that possess excellent volume and a fresh, vibrant and pure finish that just goes on and on. If 2005 is indeed representative of what we can expect going forward, room will need to be made among the very best producers of this appellation to welcome a new member as this is extremely impressive. 93-95

Colin-Morey Corton Charlemagne

(Negociant wine; half comes from 25 year-old vines En Charlemagne vines with a southwest exposure and half comes from 45 year-old vines in Le Charlemagne with a south/southwest exposure; both parcels are usually picked the same day and vinified together)

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 2006: First cuvee, from Aloxe (fermentation finished): Aromas of apple, spices and liquid stone, with the metallic aspect often shown by young examples from this grand cru. Then wonderfully concentrated and precise, with uncanny sucrosite for a dry wine (this has just 1.3 grams of r.s.). Rock-solid yet supple and ripe, with captivating ginger apple flavor. Finishes with outstanding persistence. A great sample. Second cuvee, from Pernand: Ginger, apple and crushed stone on the nose; just a hint of malic acidity remaining. Then thoroughly ripe and sappy, with a dominant crushed stone character suggesting cool soil. Offers the combination of density, strong acidity and length that normally points to a very long evolution in bottle. These two lots, both from purchased grapes, will be assembled into a single wine, which is likely to be extraordinary. 93-97

Allen Meadows, Burghound Database. Tasted Dec 4. 2011: There are still noticeable toast elements coupled with overtly ripe and complex green fruit, white apple and pear aromas that merge into big, textured and notably big-boned flavors that feel almost opulent as the texture and mid-palate fat render the acidity almost invisible. This is a big and very rich wine that is impressive through its sheer size and weight and as such will most please those who enjoy power white burgundy as it’s here in spades. For my taste, this has arrived at its apogee and while it will certainly continue to hold for many years to come, I don’t foresee any additional upside development. 93

Don Cornwell, notes from a tasting on January 24, 2008: Light yellow-green color; brilliant citrus and green apple aromas; bright citrus and pear flavors yet fatter than virtually all 2004’s I’ve had; some minerality in the back half of the mid-palate; long fruit and effect finish. 92+


By round four the glass explosion was nearly overwhelming! This is even AFTER some had been cleared.

Trio of Veal Loin, Cheek, Tongue, Oven Roasted Maitake Mushrooms, Apple-Celery-Vanilla Purée, Confit Lemon. Very tasty reduction.

2001 Chateau de Fargues

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

Passion, Pineapple, Mango. Rum Baba Boules. Passion Fruit Frozen Kumo. Oven Roasted Pineapples. Paired brilliantly too.


All the wines in  a line. Wow!

This was a stunning dinner. The food was really spot on and Wolfgang himself popped in to say hi. He really gets around as I’ve seen him a large percentage of the time when I eat at ANY of his places. There was plenty of food too, although my food snob preferences would have been for more dishes, but each one was extremely well executed, some memorable even (like the Ravioli).

What can you say about the wines? Those of you who only know Chardonnay through its pathetic internationalized and manipulated variants are really missing something. White Burgundy, which I find many (less serious) wine drinkers aren’t really aware of, is in a rarefied class by itself and this was a hyper focused peak into a slice of the best of the best. Now, I still prefer great red Burgundy — nothing really matches the brilliance of an awesome Bonnes-Mares, Richebourg or the like — but it was great to really delve into a comparison of the different vineyards. One of my take aways was invest in more Meursault Perrieres because it’s a really sexy wine, and not quite as pricey as some of the grand crus.

I eagerly await night 2, which will focus on the “hyphenated” Montrachet’s like (Batard-Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet) and will be hosted at Valentinos. I’ve learned some things about how to taste at these events and will be better prepared to do it a different way. I would like to reach the point where I can write up a competent professional report myself, but I still have a way to go with whites (and to a lesser extent with reds).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for Foodie Club extravaganzas.

Related posts:

  1. Hedonists climb the Peak
  2. Never Boaring – Il Grano
  3. Hedonists at Dahab
  4. Hedonism at Esso
By: agavin
Comments (4)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: 2005 White Burgundy, Allen Meadows, Burgundy, Chablis wine, Chardonnay, Corton-Charlemagne, Foodie Club, Meursault, Spago, Stephen Tanzer, White Burgundy

Never Boaring – Il Grano

Jan25

Restaurant: Il Grano [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: 11359 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. 310.477.7886

Date: January 23, 2013

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Not boaring in the least!

_

As any frequent reader knows, I feast all the time with my Hedonist buddies, and recently, our fearless leader Yarom hunted down his own boar. Yeah, that’s right, here’s the bloody proof.


On the left above is Yarom posing with his boar. On the right is a friend of his, who shot a monster of a male boar. Yarom went for a nice juicy sow because, well, they taste much better. The fellow on the right is probably tough and gamey as hell. And that is the point of this post after all, to talk about food. Namely, the epic feast the above boar turned into. Yarom had her butchered and gave different parts of the meat to different restauranteurs. A big chunk went to Il Grano’s Sal Marino to turn into a spectacular Italian meal.

As usual we Hedonists brought some stellar wines to go along with it.


Ron, the master of bubbly and white brought this. Parker 94+, “The 2002 Brut Coeur de Cuvee is absolutely stunning. This young, towering Champagne bursts from the glass with layers of mineral-infused fruit, showing fabulous intensity and purity from start to finish. Hints of tropical, opulent fruit are very nicely tempered by the wine’s underlying structure. Think Montrachet with bubbles. The Coeur de Cuvee is made from 50 year old vines in Les Blanches Voies Hautes. The blend is 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. Disgorged May 2010.”

Really one of the best champagnes I’ve had in some time.


Our boaring menu for the night.


We sat in the private room at a nice round table. This is the same spot where I hosted my birthday sixth months ago.


Burghound 93-95, “It seemed relatively supple and forward, indeed more or less ready to drink. To be sure, there was no obvious secondary nuances in evidence and still good freshness to the rich, intense and vibrant flavors brimming with minerality on the impressively long finish. Impeccably stored bottles might need another few years to arrive at their peak but absent this bottle being an aberration, I don’t think that opening one today would be infanticide.”


Parker 95, “The 2008 Echezeaux is flat-out great. It is a deep, dark wine graced with exquisite balance, lovely inner perfume and a layered, eternal finish. Here the slightly higher percentage of new oak (70%) gives the wine an additional measure of volume.”

Burghound 92, “A ripe, spicy and relatively elegant aromatic profile presents a fruit array that is primarily red-fruit based. The rich and full-bodied flavors possess ample volume and the tannins are really quite fine but dense and as such, the persistent and solidly well-balanced finish is firm and mildly austere. This will not be an early drinker.”

This was a great wine and just didn’t taste 5 years old, more like 15!


House made mini boar meatballs. These had a wonderful simple flavor: meat, with just a few spices.


From my cellar, Parker 96, “The fabulous 1998 Barolo Falletto del Serralunga reveals intensity and volume. A dark plum color is accompanied by a classic Nebbiolo perfume of rose water, melted tar, truffles, and cherry jam. As the wine sits in the glass, aromas of spice box and cigar smoke also emerge. Full-bodied, dense, and powerfully tannic, yet extremely harmonious.”


House made boar sausage, mozzarella & rapini pizza. Like the ultimate sausage pizza!


Parker 94, “The 2004 Barolo La Serra reveals a generous personality in its dark red fruit with notable depth and richness that carries through to the persistent, sweet finish. With air, floral notes develop to round out this particularly multi-dimensional, full-bodied and beautiful La Serra. 2004 is a great vintage for this wine, which can sometimes be austere.”


Then Sal gets funky, straying from the Italian beat. Boar empanadas! Really yummy.


Parker 96, “Two great back to back vintages are the 1990 and 1989. The more developed 1990 boasts an incredible perfume of hickory wood, coffee, smoked meat, Asian spices, black cherries, and blackberries. Lush, opulent, and full-bodied, it is a fully mature, profound Beaucastel.”

… except, it was corked. Bummer, but it happens.


And boar tacos.


With homemade guacamole and salsa (not pictured).


Parker 99, “Marcassin Estate continues to grow, although still ever so tiny, with just over 20 acres of tightly spaced vineyards on the Sonoma Coast. They also supplement their estate bottlings with purchased fruit from vineyards owned by the Martinelli family which they help manage, the Three Sisters Vineyard for Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir from the Blue Slide Vineyard. Their dominant Chardonnay clones continue to be based on the old Wente clones taken from the Hudson and Hyde Vineyards, and the Mt.Eden clone. The Pinot Noir material is dominated by California heritage clones. Little changes under the firm’s leadership of Helen Turley and her husband John Wetlaufer (now married 42 years), and as someone raised in Maryland, I am proud to say they were schooled at the renowned St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland. They have always been committed to the highest quality of wines possible. It is akin to being tutored by a great master to sit down and taste through their series of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. They added a few wrinkles this time by throwing into the tasting a 2005 Domaine Leflaive Batard-Montrachet, which was completely obliterated by their own Chardonnays, and with the Pinot Noirs, a highly rated grand cru red Burgundy from the 2005 vintage that didn’t fare particularly well either. Their point was that not only are their wines superior (and I would certainly agree with these comparisons), but also that some of the most famous names in Burgundy have more sizzle and snobbery behind them than actual quality. The Pinot Noirs are very complex and need lots of aeration/decanting to strut their stuff. They continue to remind me of grand crus from Morey St.-Denis, especially wines such as Ponsot’s Clos de la Roche because of the following. NOTE: Prices noted are from the winery’s mailing list. These wines sell for 2 to 3 times more in the secondary market.”

I don’t know what Parker is smoking, but this sure shows he doesn’t know Pinot Noir. This was over oaked and my least favorite wine of the night. Not that it was bad, but I just don’t like the new world style of Pinot.

To the right, and much more to my liking, Parker 91, “The 1996 Barbaresco exhibits a dense ruby color as well as a forward nose of cherry liqueur, earth, truffle, mineral, and spicy scents. Rich, full-bodied, and seductive, with its moderate tannin largely concealed by the wine’s wealth of fruit and extract, this gorgeously pure offering gets my nod as the finest Barbaresco produced by Gaja since 1990.”


Then the best “sausage and peppers” I’ve ever had. The meat had this succulent game spiciness.


Parker 99, “The 250-case cuvee of 100% Merlot, the 1999 Redigaffi has an astonishing 36 grams per liter of dry extract, which exceeds most top Pomerols in a great vintage! Unfined and unfiltered, it is as close to perfection as a wine can get. The color is a deep saturated blue/purple. The powerful, pure nose offers smoke, licorice, black cherry, and blackberries. It boasts awesome concentration, a fabulously dense, viscous mid-section, and a finish that lasts for nearly a minute. This is riveting juice.”


Polenta with boar ragu. This was pretty stunning too with a wonderful soft texture.


Parker 90, “In 2003, we will finally see several releases, including his 1997 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Marie Beurrier. Although this is an outstanding effort from a difficult vintage, Bonneau is used to producing wines that are far better out of bottle than from barrel. This 1997 has gotten better with each year of aging, and from bottle, it is an outstanding example of Chateauneuf du Pape. A heady concoction of kirsch liqueur, licorice, pepper, and ripe black cherry fruit is offered in a rich, full-bodied, surprisingly intense style. The acid is low, the fruit ripe, and the wine plump and juicy. Typical of many Bonneau efforts, it offers notes of smoke, beef blood, earth, figs, and prunes.”

Again Parker misses, as this was a wonderful wine.


And the classic: Pappardelle al Cinghiale. Sal makes this normally and it’s fabulous, but this one might have been extra good.


Parker 95, “If it were not for the prodigious 1996, everyone would be concentrating on getting their hands on a few bottles of the fabulous 1995 Leoville-Las-Cases, which is one of the vintage’s great success stories. The wine boasts an opaque ruby/purple color, and exceptionally pure, beautifully knit aromas of black fruits, minerals, vanillin, and spice. On the attack, it is staggeringly rich, yet displays more noticeable tannin than its younger sibling. Exceptionally ripe cassis fruit, the judicious use of toasty new oak, and a thrilling mineral character intertwined with the high quality of fruit routinely obtained by Las Cases, make this a compelling effort. There is probably nearly as much tannin as in the 1996, but it is not as perfectly sweet as in the 1996. The finish is incredibly long in this classic. Only 35% of the harvest was of sufficient quality for the 1995 Leoville-Las-Cases.”


Boar chops, peal barley, and pea tendrils. Wild boar isn’t the tenderest pork chop you ever tasted, but it does have a great flavor.


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


Then the leg. This reminds me of Jose Andres’ “secreto” which you can see here.


Parker 95, “L’Evangile’s sublime 2005, a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, is the first wine made in their brand new cuverie. Sadly, there are fewer than 3,500 cases of this deep purple-colored offering. A gorgeous nose of meat juices, black raspberries, chocolate, espresso, and notions of truffle oil as well as smoke is followed by a full-bodied Pomerol displaying sweet tannin, a flawless texture, and stunning complexity. While surprisingly showy and forward for a l’Evangile, it will undoubtedly shut down over the next year or so.”


A slice of the leg. Really gamey and tender.


Then some bones for gnawing.


Chef/Owner Sal surveys the carnage.


This wonderful medium old maderira “served” for dessert.


And for dessert itself, this orange tart which was a lovely finish to all the meat.


Check out what we did to the table!

This was another knock down great evening and it was fun to see Sal cook in a different style. He really rose to the occasion and treated the boar right.

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


Yarom pigs out on some knuckles.


The impressive spread for the evening.

Related posts:

  1. Il Grano Birthday
  2. Il Grano part 2
  3. Il Grano – Only 19 courses?
  4. Tomato Night at Il Grano
  5. ThanksGavin 2011 – The Main Event
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: boar, Chardonnay, Dessert, Foodie Club, hedonists, Il Grano, Nebbiolo, Pinot noir, Sal Marino, Santa Monica California, Wild boar, Wine tasting descriptors

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.

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

Related posts:

  1. Food as Art: Saddle Peak Lodge
  2. Memorial Day Pig
  3. ThanksGavin 2011 – The Third Wave
  4. Thanksgiving Proper
  5. Fraiche – Ultimo Wine Dinner
By: agavin
Comments (9)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Bison, Bordeaux, Calabasas California, Chardonnay, Christopher Kufek, Corton-Charlemagne, Elk, game, Hedonism, hedonists, Saddle Peak Lodge, Wine

ThanksGavin 2011 – The Main Event

Nov25

Every year my mom and her sister cook up an incredible feast for the family. And every year, incredibly, the food gets slightly better.


We open with the real Chardonnay from my cellars (hauled 3000 miles): “The Domaine Fevre 2006 Chablis (there is a separate cuvee from purchased fruit which I did not taste) displays an uncanny combination of creaminess of texture with firm underlying suggestions of chalk and stone. Mouthwatering honeydew melon and lime run with the mineral suggestions right through to a long luscious back end of exceptional quality for generic Chablis.”


Then back it up with a red burg, cousin to last nights. Parker 93. “Super-ripe aromas of cookie dough, spices, and black cherry syrup can be found in the nose of the medium-bodied 2002 Nuits-St.-Georges Les Pruliers. Its fabulously satiny texture, concentration, and purity are immensely impressive. This medium-bodied wine coats the palate with innumerable black fruits, minerals, and spices. Projected maturity: 2008-2018.”


My mom in the kitchen, hard at work on the turkey.


her cohort and sister, also at work.


Turkey and stuffing.


The appetizer spread. Various breads and crackers (mostly picked over).


Caponata.


bean salad.


Guacamole. I didn’t make it, so it isn’t incredibly spicy. Sometime I’ll have to do a post on mine.


A decent chianti clasico. Parker 90. We had two fabulous meals right in this town in Chianti. “The 2007 Chianti Classico is a pretty red laced with dark cherries, dried flowers and spices. The perfumed bouquet melds seamlessly into a caressing, attractive mid-palate that turns delicate on the finish. The Chianti Classico is 95% Sangioveto and 5% Canaiolo. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2014.”


The main spread.


Bread from a great Philly bakery.


Two types of cranberry, this one is more a jam, with a bit of spicy kick.


And a cranberry relish.


Salad (dessing in the background).


Nuts, separated out for the allergic.

Marinated carrots, sort of Moroccan style.


Brussel sprouts. Don’t knock the veggie until you’ve tasted these.


Roasted beets. Yummy — and pink pee.


Butternut squash puree.


The turkey. We BBQ the big fellows on the charcoal grill.


Stuffing.


Gravy.


A total blockbuster. Parker 96. “The top effort, the 2007 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Rasteau Fleur de Confiance, is awesome. An inky/blue/black color is followed by a stunning bouquet of scorched earth, incense, blackberry jam, coffee, and spice. This full-bodied, massive, stacked and packed Rasteau is destined for two decades of life. Its sweet tannin and textured mouthfeel are compelling. Give it 2-4 years of cellaring and consume it over the following 20 years.”


This year’s plate.


And what little I left of it.


After dinner we move onto this incredibly grapey wine. Parker 01. “The 2007 Shiraz Angel’s Share reveals a Cote-Rotie-like nose with its scents of mineral, meat, game and bacon. On the palate there is plenty of sweet, spicy blueberry fruit, silky tannin, and incipient complexity. Give it 1-2 years of additional cellaring and drink it from 2010 to 2017.”


Me, after more than a little wine and food.

This rare cream sherry was opened to go with dessert.


And for dessert, homemade (like everything else) plum tart.


And pecan pie!


And my grandmother’s special brownies.


Plus Haagen daas vanilla to wash it down with.


This was another spectacular homemade ThanksGavin dinner as usual. It was arguably even better than ever before.

For more ThanksGavin meals, click here.

Related posts:

  1. Bibou – ThanksGavin 2011 Prequel
  2. Thanksgiving Proper
  3. ThanksGavin in Review
  4. Eating Tuscany – Villa Dinner
  5. ThanksGavin 2010 Reprise
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Caponata, Chardonnay, Chianti, Chianti Classico, Dessert, Family, Pecan pie, stuffing, ThanksGavin, thanksgiving, Thanksgiving dinner, turkey, Wine, Wine tasting descriptors
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