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Archive for Los Angeles

Kass has Class

Aug12

Restaurant: Kass Restaurant – Wine & Bar [1, 2]

Location: 320 South La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036. (323) 413-2299

Date: June 19, 2019

Cuisine: California French

Rating: Fabulous

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Years ago I enjoyed Chef Christophe Emé’s Ortolan and have had attended private dinners he’s prepared.
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So it was exciting that he opened a new place on La Brea — supposedly a bit more casual this time (as is in vogue).
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I think the sign was completed in 2018, I believe the restaurant itself opened in 2019 :-).

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From my cellar: 2006 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon. VM 94+. The 2006 Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is powerful, intense and also classically austere in its make up. Crushed flowers, mint, red berries and cranberries are all finely sketched. The 2006 finishes with striking mineral-driven precision, and while it doesn’t have the opulence or exuberance of the 2002, it is still a very pretty and appealing Champagne. The Elisabeth Salmon is 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay, with about 8% still Pinot Noir. Dosage is 6 grams per liter.
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Erick and I, then Ron, sat outside for a bit drinking our Champagne while we waited for the full crew to assemble.
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This is the inside after dinner when we outlasted everyone. Clean and cosy.
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The kitchen was small and neat and you can see Chef Christophe Emé in the center, carefully managing every detail.
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Grilled Sardines with Eggplant Caviar. Delicious and perfectly cooked sardines. The eggplant beneath had a Lebanese sort of flavor. Delicious!
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The next dish makes an arrival.
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Egg Caviar. The classic, with scrambled eggs and Kaluga caviar.
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Close up. This was a perfect pairing with the 2002 Krug!
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Ron brought: 2012 Domaine de la Vougeraie Vougeot 1er Cru Clos Blanc de Vougeot. VM 92. Pears, white flowers and quince meld together in the 2012 Vougeot Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot. This is another rich, inviting white with lovely resonance and an inviting, soft personality beautifully suited to near-term drinking. The oak still needs to become a bit more fused with the wine, but there is a lot to look forward to.
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Tuna Sashimi. Arima Sansho Infusion. Crispy Rice. The textural play here was perfect, with the soft tuna and crunchy rice. But the flavors were amazing. There was some olive oil, giving it an Adriatic Italian vibe, and a perfect zing from the Sansho.
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From my cellar: 1993 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. 93 points. This has aged well, and I think the second time I have encountered the wine in the last four years, as Howard Cooper also brought it to another holiday dinner a couple of years ago, if I recall correctly. It may not have as much precision as the Ramonet, tasted just before, but I really like how it combines grace and “fat” at the same time. Indeed, the palate is more broad than long, but always pleasing. I am not sure how much longer anyone should hold on to this. It seems fine now and likely just on its plateau.
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Housemade Tagliatelle. Lobster Bolognese. Caviar. Another amazing dish. Petite, but the pasta was cooked perfectly and paired fabulously with the rice lobster. Very umami.
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Erick brought: 2002 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. JG 100. It is hard to believe that two and a half years have now passed since Champagne Krug unveiled its long-awaited 2002 Vintage Brut. I do not know if there have been different disgorgements of this bottling, but this one is the same as the last bottle that swept me off of my feet back in the spring of last year, having been disgorged in the autumn of 2015. The wine is a blend of forty percent pinot noir, thirty-nine percent chardonnay and twenty-one percent pinot meunier in 2002 and is already one of the legendary vintages of Krug ever produced. The bouquet is deep, pure, ripe and vibrant, wafting from the glass in a marvelous blend of pear, apple, almond, a stunningly beautiful base of soil tones, subtle spice shading, patissière, a touch of citrus blossoms and that signature Krug smokiness in the upper register. On the palate the wine rock solid, mineral-driven and shows off stellar purity, with its full-bodied format seamlessly supported by great structure and grip. The mousse is impeccable, the complexity still youthful and growing with each visit and the finish, long, refined and absolutely perfect. This will last almost forever and I suspect at age fifty-seven, I will never drink it at its absolute zenith of evolutionary perfection. But, I admit very much enjoying my occasional visits as the wine is in climbing mode to that future peak!
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Grilled Octopus. Basil mashed potatoes, red pepper coulis. A very nice and tender leg of octo.
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Seared Maine Scallop. English peas, salmon roe, beurre blanc sauce. Awesome. Totally brought together by the peas in butter and elevated with the briny bits from the roe.
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Ron brought: 1998 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 92. Good medium red. Aromas of red fruit syrup, cola, milk chocolate, humus, graphite and prune. Sweet, lush and rich, with the fruit syrup flavor showing a distinctly roasted quality. Grew fresher and juicier with a bit of aeration and held its shape nicely, but eventually the pruney element became more pronounced. With little in the way of primary fruit remaining, this doesn’t really come alive, in spite of its complexity.
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Grilled quail breast. Meaty, almost livery like. Delicious.
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Larry brought: 2001 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. VM 94+. Good bright medium ruby. Subtly complex, granitic nose melds cassis, blueberry, smoky gunflint, pepper, tar, bitter chocolate, roast coffee, leather, game and animal fur. Wonderfully juicy but currently rather folded in on itself. But this has brilliant acidity, precision and penetration on the palate. Almost painfully intense and wonderfully long and gripping on the back. Very firm and structured but not at all dry. This will need a good decade of additional cellaring.
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Braised Lamb Shank. Jus. Gnocchi. Super rich and meaty. Absolutely delicious. Needed bread. haha.
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Cheese and raison bread. The left one was barely cheese, pretty much fromage blanc. All lovely.
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Cherry tart. Perfectly in season and a fabulous cherry flavor.
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Poached Rhubarb. Strawberry sorbet. Very nice light dessert. I don’t even normally like rhubarb. Sorbet has that paco jet thing where the structure starts to melt instantly (a gelato maker’s complaint). Tasted great though.
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Tarte au Citron. Orange Granite. Crunchy, meets cold, this had amazing textures and bright orange flavors.
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Tarte aux Pommes. Vanilla Ice cream. A perfect classic Tarte Tartin. Ice cream again was delicious but instantly starting to lose structure. It’s a pacojet thing, because it wasn’t formulated perse but is just frozen and whipped.
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But this is the real thing, even if a bit ugly in this container. My home-made gelato:7U1A3383
Arancia Crema Fiorentina Zabaione — Marsala Orange Vanilla Zabaione base with Orange Variegate — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Very close to the oldest gelato flavor!! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #orange #Zabaione #CremaFiorentina

Salted Caramel Chocolate — House-made salted caramel forms the core of this base which then is layered with house-made Valrhona dark chocolate ganache and Valrhona milk chocolate chips — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — my best salted caramel yet — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #caramel #chocolate #Valrhona #ganache
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We spent at least 30 minutes talking with Chef Christophe Emé after dinner.

Overall, this was an amazing meal. Our wines were nice, and service was really spot on, but it’s the cooking that really showed everything else up. Every dish was amazing. 8 out of 8 for the savory and 4 out of 4 for the dessert. Even the cheese course was really nice. Bravo!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

Related posts:

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By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: BYOG, Champagne, Christophe Emé, French Cuisine, Gelato, Kass, Krug, La Brea, Los Angeles, Wine

Sage at Rossoblu

Dec01

Restaurant: Rossoblu

Location: 1124 San Julian St, Los Angeles, CA 90015. (213) 749-1099

Date: November 1, 2017

Cuisine: Italian (Emilia Romagna)

Rating: Very tasty modern rustic style

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Los Angeles Italian restaurants are getting more explicitly regional. Rossoblu is helmed by Chef Steve Samson (who opened at Sotto) whose family is from Bologna in Emilia Romagna — a city and region of epic food tradition (check out my own visit to the area here). This visit was organized by Liz Lee of Sage Society.

The location is in DTLA in one of those ugly market districts on the southeastern side of the city. The building looks new and certainly newly renovated with a slightly oddball but large front patio. The neighborhood is kinda sketchy.

Inside is modern and attractive with a slightly offset bar area.

And a spacious main dining room with very high ceilings.

The menu.

The kitchen is open and the hood huge — with one of those wood burning roasting ovens.

We each brought geeky central Italian wines. First the whites.

Liz brought: 2000 i Clivi Galea. 93 points. Very cold weather and herbal.

From my cellar: 2010 Paolo Bea Arboreus. 93 points. Very interesting orange wine. This is a wine that continues to exceed my already-high expectations for it. In this setting it held its own against two hearty pasta dishes—not the fare you would typically associate with Trebbiano, but then again this isn’t your typical Trebbiano. Bea’s decision a few years ago to add a touch more sulfur when bottling has increased the wine’s stability and reduced its oxidative quality somewhat, without losing any of the characteristics that make this wine what it is. Always a delight.

Kirk brought: 2010 Le Macchiole Paleo Bianco Toscana IGT. VM 88.  Light, bright yellow. Honeydew and pineapple aromas, along with floral and grapefruit nuances. Juicy, spicy and high-pitched, offering brisk flavors of citrus zest, winter melon and fresh herbs. Finishes slightly dry, with refreshing bite and good spicy persistence.

Grilled buckley bay oysters. Brown butter, sage, parmigiano reggiano, lemon breadcrumbs. Certainly I’ve never seen these in Italy but these “almost like Oyster Rockefeller” oysters were quite good.

Grilled Santa Barbara spot prawns. Breadcrumbs, parsley, Romagnola Olive Oil. These were great prawns — although again you wouldn’t see this exact dish in Italy — and the row in particular was awesome.

Swiss chard ebazzone tartlet. Stracchino, Chicory Salad. A lot like a Greek Spanakopita. Behind it is a kind of Emilia Romagna cheese (stracchino) in olive oil.

Strozzapreti. Clams, shrimp, lobster mushrooms, tomato. Essentially a Gauzetto sauce. Very nice al dente bite on the thick pasta. Really lovely for a seafood pasta actually, although somehow felt a little more Southern Italian.

Valbruna’s Eggplant. Tomato sugo, parmigiano reggiano, basil. Bright pizza flavors. Nice fresh eggplant dish.

Whole grilled orata. lemon arugula. Nice fresh fish but with a strong grilled flavor — undoubtedly down on the wood fire grill.

Liz brought: 1985 Castell’in Villa Chianti Classico Riserva. AG 93. The 1985 Chianti Classico Riserva is a gorgeous wine. It has plenty of depth and richness to match its fabulous overall balance. The warmth of the vintage is very nicely balanced here. The bouquet is starting to show early signs of development, which suggests the 1985 won’t be one of the longer-lived vintages at Castell’in Villa, but it should continue to drink well for another 5-7 years, perhaps longer.

From my cellar: 1966 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva. 89 points. A little sharp but still in amazing shape given that it’s a 51 year old Chianti!

From my cellar: 1999 Paolo Bea Sagrantino di Montefalco Secco. AG 95. The wine was absolutely majestic. Tons of fruit!

Pappardelle. Sausage ragu, broccoli, ricotta. Very nice sausage and broccoli pasta. Very al dente with a lot of rich flavor.

Maltagliati. Procini & pioppini mushrooms. Dandelion greens, sage. Particularly tasty for a vegetarian pasta. The mushrooms were almost meaty. Again extremely al dente.

Very Emilia Romagna style puffy breads.

For the Salumi board. Sotto cenere / testa, whipped dry aged beef tallow. Mortadella DOP, prosciutto di parma (30 months), served with stracchino cheese.

Nonna’s Tagliatelle al ragu Bolognese. Beef, pork, not too much tomato sauce. Very traditional Bolognese with LOTS of meat. Good stuff.

Risotto. Yellow corn, chanterelle mushrooms. Lovely almost sweet / cheesy risotto. Nice bite to the rice.

Milk braised pork shoulder. caramelized cabbage. Really nice soft flavorful pork.

Coal roasted vegetables. Carrots, beats, etc. Sea salt. Olive oil. Was getting pretty full for veggies.

The dessert menu.

Tiramisu Tradizionale. Cognescenti espresso, blackstrap rum, mascarpone. As good a tiramisu as you get in a restaurant, although not as good as my own.

Fall Date Blondie. Nutmeg cream, maple walnuts, coppa di gelato. More like a spice cake with whipped cream.

Overall, Rossoblu (named after the colors of the Bologna soccer team), adds another great entry into the new LA Italian dining scene. It’s focused on Emilia Romagna, but more like the rustic home cooking of an older Emilia Romagna as filtered through LA sensibility. My own experiences in the region show considerably less rustication. But in any case Rossoblu is very tasty. The pastas in particular were fabulous — and I’m always a pasta fiend. Too bad, like Officine, Bestia, and Factory Kitchen, it’s located ALL THE WAY Downtown — 1:45 of traffic.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

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By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Italian Cusine, Los Angeles, pasta, Rossoblu, Sage Society, Steve Samson, Wine

Valentino – 2008 White Burgundy part 2

Feb26

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

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

Date: February 25, 2016

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Fun and educational!

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

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

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

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


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

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


Tonight’s special menu.

Flight 0: Champagne

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

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

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

Burrata Caprese. On a spoon.

Ahi Tuna Tartare Crostini.

Oysters.

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

Bread. I particularly liked the cheesy sticks.

Flight 1: Bienvenue / Criots

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

agavin: our bottle was a bit corked

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

agavin: a bit darker than most.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Flight 2: Batard

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

agavin: rich, good stuff.

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

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

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

agavin: rich with a lot of acid

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

agavin: lots of acid

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

agavin: a bit weaker than most in the flight

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

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

agavin: finish like Tropical Flavored Skittles!

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

agavin: rich with a lot of acid

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

Flight 3: Chevalier part 1

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

agavin: rich and tropical

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

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

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

agavin: rich, tropical, Botrytis

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

agavin: slightly darker, with sweet tart like acid

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

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

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

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

Showing off the golden chard.

Flight 4: Chevalier part 2

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

agavin: darker and a bit advanced

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

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

agavin: also a little darker and more advanced

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

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

agavin: tropical and quite nice

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

agavin: very nice

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

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

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

Flight 5: Dessert

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

Ron brought: 1976 Schloss Eltz Eltviller Sonnenberg Gewürztraminer Auslese.

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

The bagged bottles.

And opened up.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The top five ranked wines of the evening were:

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

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

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

A few generalizations –

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

 

Other big tasting dinners from this dinner series:

2008 White Burgundy part 1

2007 White Burgundy part 1

2007 White Burgundy part 2

2007 White Burgundy part 3

2006 White Burgundy

2004 Red Burgundy

2005 White Burgundy part 1

2005 White Burgundy part 2

2005 White Burgundy part 3

Related posts:

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

Valentino – 2008 White Burgundy part 1

Feb10

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

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

Date: February 9, 2016

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Fun and educational!

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This dinner is the first part of the annual White Burgundy Premox test series, hosted by Burg-meister Don Cornwell. This dinner covers 2008 Chablis, Meursault, and Corton Charlemagne. 2005 White Burgundy Dinner series Part 1 can be found here. You can also read about previous year’s 2004 Red Burgundy dinner and 2006 White Burgundy tasting.

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

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

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

A couple of us got here early and decided to get the party rolling with a great value off the Valentino wine list: 
1969 Maison Leroy Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. 94 points. This is just ridiculously young. Even the color doesn’t indicate its age. There’s a fair amount of sulfur, which could explain its vibrancy. Gently oaked, light nuttiness with plenty of lemon with a hint of minerality. Good acidity, round and rich, very Charmes. A treat to drink.

agavin: WOTN actually, as the upcoming 2008s just don’t have the age to compete with this kind of complexity.


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


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


Tonight’s special menu.

Flight 0: Champagne

2005 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons. VM 93. The 2005 Brut Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons from Pierre Peters is beautifully open and expressive, which is quite unusual in young Chetillons. That is good news for those who want to catch a glimpse of one of Champagne’s most exciting wines. This is about as good as it gets in what turned out to be a very challenging vintage in Champagne.

Bruschetta with wild arugula and parmiggiano schegge.

Oysters.

Parmigiana crisps.

Crab cakes.

Pizza Margherita.


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

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

Flight 1: Chablis

2008 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses. BH 95. A highly complex if discreet nose of noticeably cool aromas features notes of limestone, lemon, oyster shell, iodine and dried white flowers that marry into beautifully precise flavors blessed with an abundance of dry extract on the tightly wound, seriously long and intense finish. This is flat out gorgeous and perfectly balanced with that Zen-like character this wine always seems to evidence.

agavin: lots of Chablis acidity

2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Valmur. BH 95. The reflections are the classic light gold-green hues of a fine Chablis. The barest touch of oak highlights the green fruit, menthol, saline and iodine aromas that precede the extremely stony, concentrated and driving flavors that are also blessed with ample amounts of dry extract that provides a much needed balancing element to the ripe acid backbone on the chalky and sappy finish. When Valmur is really good, it rivals Les Clos for the best grand cru in Chablis and this 2008 is really good.

agavin: slightly darker than most, a bit of oxidized advanced notes on the nose.

From my cellar: 2008 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur. BH 97. A background touch of wood frames green fruit, white flower and salt water aromas that introduce ultra pure, refined, elegant and cool flavors that possess terrific vibrancy and focused power before culminating in a driving, understated, firm and altogether serious finish. I very much like this as it’s classic Valmur and should age beautifully as the balance is perfect. Perhaps the best way to capture the spectacular potential of this wine is to call it brilliant. Don’t miss it but note that patience is required.

agavin: reductive nose, and really singing. Clearly the best of the flight.

2008 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. BH 96. A ripe, pure and airy nose of classic Chablis aromas is trimmed in the barest hint of pain grillé while complementing perfectly the rich, mineral-driven and beautifully intense palate staining and mouth coating flavors brimming with oyster shell nuances on the penetrating, delineated, focused and bone dry finish. I love the underlying sense of tension here and like the Preuses, this has so much dry extract that it will require at least a decade to fully mature. Brilliant.

agavin: much darker, with strong oxidative notes on the nose. Tasted of apple, and at the moment, fairly decent, but probably significantly advanced.

2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. BH 96. Here too the elegance of the nose is simply stunning with a layered and perfumed aromatic profile trimmed in an almost invisible touch of oak that allows it to ooze Chablis character and in particular, a fine minerality that continues onto the impressively concentrated and palate staining flavors that possess striking precision on the explosively long and bone dry finish. This is a great Les Clos that will make old bones.

agavin: my glass smelled soapy, which was distracting.

2008 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. BH 96. This too is impressively pure and cool with an airy but reserved mix of floral, spice, mineral reduction and iodine notes merging seamlessly into gorgeously intense and almost aggressively stony medium-bodied flavors that exude a subtle sense of harmony, indeed this is Zen-like on the explosive, balanced and lingering finish that positively screams Chablis. This is simply fantastic and while I have a very slight preference for the Valmur, this is certainly an inspired effort as well. If you can find it, don’t miss this either but also like the Valmur, be prepared to be patient.

agavin: very nice, with a lot of Chablis acidity and apple notes.

2008 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot. BH 95. A restrained, even discreet nose of toast, white flower, stone and quinine notes can also be found on the silky, pure and sophisticated medium-bodied flavors blessed with ample amounts of dry extract that completely buffer the firm acid spine on the detailed, minerally and lingering finish that is almost painfully intense. A classic Blanchots of both style and grace.

agavin: also a nice Chablis

2008 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. BH 94. A more elegant as well as more refined but also much more reserved nose of white flower and salt water aromas is very much in keeping with the equally refined, pure and silky middle weight flavors that possess excellent detail and precision on the textured and seductive finish that displays grand cru level persistence. This is not quite as rich as the Butteaux but it’s finer as the chiseled flavors are flat out gorgeous. In a word, stunning.

agavin: nice, probably second best in the flight — showing that Rav MDT is a serious value.

Pan seared scallops with wild mushrooms and a crustacean reduction. A lovely seafood salad with good solid hunks of lobster.

Flight 2: Meursault

This flight included all the Meursaults that were not Perrieres.

2008 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Bouchères. BH 92. A classic Meursault nose of roasted hazelnut, fresh white flower, pear and white peach aromas trimmed in a touch of citrus marries into vibrant and impressively detailed flavors that also deliver ample power and punch on the intense and lively finish. This has real personality and in contrast to many examples of the appellation, this is really quite fine. Worth considering.

agavin: lots of acid.

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Poruzots. BH 92. An extremely fresh green fruit and herbal nose cut with hints of underbrush and citrus where the latter element can also be found on the rich, powerful and serious but not rustic medium weight plus flavors that culminate in a mouth coating and impressively long finish. This is robust but actually slightly finer than it usually is.

agavin: very punchy.

2008 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. BH 92. As one would reasonably expect, this is much more elegant with an ultra pure nose of apricot, peach, lemon and toasted nuts that slides seamlessly into supple and very seductively textured medium-bodied flavors brimming with dry extract that really coats the mouth on the almost painfully intense finish. This is exceptionally well-balanced and will age though the extract is such that it will be enjoyable young.

agavin: one of the best wines of the flight

2008 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. BH 90-92. A slightly more elegant nose features ripe white peach, pear and lemon aromas that introduce the rich, full-bodied, intense and mouth coating flavors that, not surprisingly, possess more depth as well as more underlying material, all wrapped in an impressively long finish. This is very Charmes as it’s generous but classy.

agavin: at first seemed like a hint of premox, but a very rich wine

2008 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. BH 93. A discreet but not invisible touch of oak frames the ripe orchard fruit aromas, particularly peach and apricot, as well as pretty floral notes. The fresh, intense and notably sweet flavors possess excellent intensity and vibrancy before culminating in a generous and mouth coating finish that displays real verve. I really like the sense of underlying tension and the abundant amount of dry extract confers an almost chewy quality on the gorgeously long finish. In a word, terrific.

agavin: slightly darker, possibly advanced

2008 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. BH 93. An impressively pure if somewhat reserved high-toned nose features wonderfully stylish aromas of white flower, hazelnut, wet stone and ripe lemon-lime nuances where the minerality also adds punch and lift to the mineral-infused, racy and punchy medium-bodied flavors that possess real finishing verve and seriously impressive persistence. The old vine sap is very much in evidence as it confers a seductive texture onto the mid-palate yet does not compromise the precise and chiseled quality of the backend. In a word, marvelous.

agavin: some people thought this might be off

Pan seared scallops with wild mushrooms and a crustacean reduction.

Flight 3: Meursault Perrieres

2008 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. VM 92+. Classic aromas of lemon, lime, minerals, hazelnut and grilled almond; smells rich in dry extract. Then dense and superconcentrated, with terrific inner-mouth energy to the flavors of peach, orange blossom, lemon and crushed stone. Time-capsule Meursault, finishing with superb length. This too should age very well.

agavin: nice, very focused and linear

2008 Hospices de Beaune Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières Cuvée Baudot Pierre Yves Colin Morey. 96 points. WOW….there’s that pycm lime! SO friggin good…..piercing lime acidity, crushed slate, chalky limestone….the age has creamed it up well…actually quite rich…dried honey, florals galore…chiseled and drinking perfect! A true pleasure.

agavin: very reductive and lovely. We all swore this was the Coche. It tasted so like Coche. I guess we were wrong. Best wine of the flight.

2008 Comtesse Bernard de Cherisey Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru La Genelotte. 89 points. Showing just a hint of the wax and lanolin I associate with age (and I do not like). Showing more gunflint and power. The many fruit tones are lessened. Very complex. Very well made. We shall see where it ages too but I do enjoy it. But is it better young or old?

agavin: rich and strong with some soy sauce notes

2008 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 93. This is the most elegant wine to this point with a strikingly perfumed nose of spiced pear, wet stone and rose petals that gives way to minerally and focused middle weight flavors that are crystalline in their purity, all wrapped in a seriously deep and long finish. Like several wines in the range, a classic example of the appellation.

agavin: solid and tasty

2008 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 91-93. Here the nose offers yet another step up in refinement with an almost delicate nose of acacia blossom, citrus and wet stone that leads to linear and precise flavors of crystalline purity, all wrapped in a long, dry, serious and explosive finish that displays a penetrating minerality. A classic Perrières.

agavin: flat nose, but good taste

2008 Domaine François Mikulski Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 91-93. A striking nose of exceptionally fresh and layered aromas of fennel, green apple and spiced pear complement the round, intense and gorgeously detailed flavors that possess outstanding depth and length on the finish that is like rolling small pebbles around in your mouth. As with a few other wines in the Mikulski range, there is a saline character on the almost painfully intense finish that reminds me vaguely of Chablis.

agavin: cork flake nose? a touch darker? apple on the pallete

2008 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 92. There is still a trace of mild reduction that only marginally detracts from the appeal of the otherwise pretty aromas of acacia blossom, spiced pear and wet stone aromas. The delicious, gorgeously elegant and pure flavors possess a silky palate impression on the concentrated, explosive and stunningly long finish that seems to be composed of liquid rock. This classy example doesn’t quite have the precision of the Charmes though the length is certainly most impressive. We’ll see how this develops but for now, I would rank this just below the Charmes in terms of overall quality.

agavin: very solid

Seafood Risotto. Always a favorite. A very nice risotto, although not cheesy. Last year we had two portions, we could have used that this time!

Flight 4: Corton Charlemagne

2008 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne. VH 92-94. An upper register and highly complex nose of green apples, white pear and citrus notes introduces almost painfully intense, pure and impressively powerful big-bodied and overtly muscular flavors that possess an almost aggressive minerality on the palate staining, tension-filled and driving finish. This is really a striking wine that is built to age as there is an abundance of dry extract. Gorgeous.

agavin: nice, with green apple. Quite good for the flight.

2008 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne. VH 95. There is a hint of exoticism to the citrus, pear and white peach suffused nose that is presently trimmed in a noticeable, if very slight, touch of sulfur. The rich and extremely fresh middle weight plus flavors possess an impressive amount of dry extract as well as ample mineral influence on the austere and ultra-pure finish that seems to go on and on. This powerful and impeccably well balanced but presently closed effort should live for many years though it will probably come to its peak 10 to 12 years from now. In a word, fabulous.

agavin: pretty big

From my cellar: 2008 Joseph Drouhin Corton-Charlemagne. BH 91-94. Discreet if not invisible wood highlights a ripe white flower and green fruit nose nuanced by spice and wet stone hints where the latter elements are also reflected by the intensely soil-driven flavors brimming with both salinity and minerality on the explosive and strikingly long, palate staining and overtly austere finish. This is a sublimely classic Corton-Charlemagne that offers formidable cellar potential.

agavin: Vanilla, big, a well liked Corton

2008 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. BH 96. This is a classic example of Corton-Charlemagne with its impressively layered floral, green fruit, lime and stone-infused nose that precedes citrusy, precise and powerful mineral-driven flavors that possess real muscle on the almost painfully intense and steely finish that delivers striking length. While it’s not quite as great as the Montrachet, it easily holds its own. A wine to own but note that only the patient will ever see it at its best as this is likely to evolve glacially.

agavin: rich

2008 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. BH 94. A highly complex nose of pain grillé, cool green fruit laced with floral and anise hints leads to rich, powerful, naturally sweet and impressively intense full-bodied flavors that possess an overt muscularity as well as buckets of dry extract that really coats the mouth on the long and distinctly dry finish.

agavin: slightly darker with maybe some advanced notes

2008 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley. BH 91-94. Almost invisible wood allows the lightly spiced and earthy red berry fruit aromas that are admirably pure to merge into relatively supple yet well-detailed broad-shouldered flavors that culminate in a lingering and solidly firm finish. This is unusually approachable but I expect that it will tighten up considerably after it is bottled. If so, this will definitely be a wine for the patient.

agavin: solid

2008 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne. BH 96. Hints of oak toast add nuance to the green apple, lime and classic dried white flower aromas that precede the well-muscled, firm and impressively broad-shouldered flavors that are clean, dry and ultra intense with real drive on the penetrating and intensely mineral-suffused finish that delivers stunning length. This beautifully chiseled effort does not deliver quite the same length as the Montrachet but it’s perhaps even more complex. In sum, part of why I like this so much is its sense of completeness.

agavin: a bit weird. caramel notes?

2008 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Corton-Charlemagne. VH 93-95. A reticent nose of lightly spiced green apple, white peach and white rose petal aromas leads to exceptional pure, detailed, tautly muscular and stony medium weight plus flavors that possess superb intensity and huge length on the mouth coating cuts-like-a-knife finish. This is presently an understated yet powerful wine possessing huge amounts of dry extract and stunning verve. A serious effort that will undoubtedly be long-lived though arrive at its apogee before its 10th birthday.

agavin: nice and fruity, probably my favorite of the flight

Pan roasted Napa quail rapped in pancetta. The bacon added a lot of salty goodness. The meat had a nice gaminess too, although was perhaps a touch over cooked.

A side of ravioli in butter sage sauce. A simple classic prep, and great as always.

Flight  5: Dessert

2004 Turley Roussanne LPR Alban Estate Vineyard. VM 93. Deep orange-gold. Apricot liqueur, golden raisin, maple syrup, vanilla, honey and clove on the nose. Thick, fat and supersweet, with the wine’s ten grams per liter of acidity lost in its sugar. An extremely glyceral wine that winemaker Jordan says is lower in sugar and acidity than the 2005 (which came from grapes harvested two months earlier!), and less “electric.” Notes of honey and nuts on the extremely long and sweet back end.

agavin: very sweet and fruity, with a pink almost cloudy tone. Tasty, but not amazing or anything.

Pear tart tartin with gelato.

Above is the revealed flight list.

And the full array of revealed bottles.

The crew is getting young as a new generation of Chardonnay fiends gets in on the action.

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

Wine service was impeccable.

There wasn’t quite enough food and the flights were too large. Really this dinner could use 6 flights, no bigger than 5 wines each and about 6 savory dishes. This was more a planning/budget issue than anything under the restaurant’s control. I wanted to go for awesome porky ramen after, but Tsjuita was closing so we couldn’t quite get mobilized.

2008 as a vintage was quite good. We had no corked bottles and 3-4 advanced bottles. No totally premoxed bottles like with 2005. The vintage character is broad and ripe, with a good amount of acid, but not the unrelenting sourness of 2007. Chablis remains tight. The richer wines, particularly Meursault Perrieres and Corton Charlie were very impressive. Some really nice wines there. The Chablis were good, but very Chablis with that acidic linearity. The MPs were the roundest, but I always like MP.

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

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

Speaking of Don, his compiled results and comments from this dinner are as follows. The top five ranked wines of the evening were:

1. 2008 Colin-Morey Meursault Genevrieres Hospice de Beaune, which got nine of fourteen possible first place votes and a pretty astounding 55 total points.
2. 2008 Drouhin Corton Charlemagne
3. 2008 Raveneau Chablis Blanchots
4. 2008 Raveneau Valmur
5. 2008 Henri Boillot Corton Charlemagne

The Ringer for the evening – De Cherisey Meursault Blagny Genelottes (located above Meursault Perrieres) fit right in with the Meursault Perrieres flight as expected and did quite well finishing tied for 7th overall.

Of 29 wines, we had 0 corked, 0 oxidized but 5 advanced (17.2%). The latter group included only one surprise (Dauvissat Clos) and four of the usual suspects. The pleasant surprises were that Bonneau du Martray was not on the POX list and neither were any of the Henri Boillot wines.

It was a great performance by the Chablis overall – the best vintage of Chablis we’ve had since 2002 and infinitely superior to the disappointing 2007s.

A couple of generalizations – the colors on the wines were all in the gold range, mostly between light and medium gold – generally deeper-colored than the 2007s at the same point. All of the wines showed good acidity. So far, the vintage seems very successful though we ran into a couple of wines where there seemed to have been an underlying rot problem that wasn’t dealt with well.

Other big tasting dinners from this dinner series:

2007 White Burgundy part 1

2007 White Burgundy part 2

2007 White Burgundy part 3

2006 White Burgundy

2004 Red Burgundy

2005 White Burgundy part 1

2005 White Burgundy part 2

2005 White Burgundy part 3

Related posts:

  1. Valentino – 2007 White Burgundy part 1
  2. Valentino – 2006 White Burgundy
  3. Valentino – 2007 White Burgundy part 2
  4. Valentino – 2004 Red Burgundy
  5. Valentino – 2005 White Burg part 2!
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: 2008 White Burgundy, Chablis, Corton-Charlemagne, Italian cuisine, Los Angeles, Meursault, Valentino, Wine

California Dreaming

Dec11

Restaurant: Private Club

Location: Somewhere in California

Date: December 9, 2015

Cuisine: American

Rating: Awesome

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After the Foodie Club met for our epic Truffle Dinner, we hit on the idea of a dinner exploring old California wines. We’re not talking the last 20 years of high alcohol monster wines, but the classic post war California. So this drink covers 1954 to 1998!

And what better location than a true California institution, left nameless, a private bastion of the old California.

They don’t make them like they used to!

And we had a custom menu and this awesome private room.

With plenty of space to work out our wine situation. Check out that ice bucket in the back!

1988 Schramsberg Vineyards Blanc de Noirs Late Disgorged (magnum). 93 points. A beautiful etched 3L bottle, which we opened at R&D’s caroling party. Beautiful golden robe with a persistent mousse. Notes of roasted notes, caramel apple, fresh pear and hazelnuts. Fine bead with flavors of cherry, hazelnut, sautéed apple and pear with a subtle hint of honey and vanilla cream on the finish. Lovely. This actually needed some time in the glass to open and express itself.

And a detail on the label.

2014 Wente Bros Vineyards Pinot Chardonnay. 85 points. None of us know what a “pinot chardonnay” actually was. Presumably, and by taste, there was plenty or all Chardonnay. This 60 year old white was pretty much gone, but it did have a sherry-like quality that was kinda interesting with the foie.

1970 Inglenook White Pinot. 89 points. We aren’t sure what was in this either, but plenty of Chard. It was pretty good too and surprisingly drinkable for a 45 year old Chard. I’ve had 15 year old Cal Chards in worse shape!

From my cellar: 1990 Fabien Coche-Bouillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières. 93 points. Unmistakable and typical white burgundy notes of mineral, stone fruit, and saline. Very light in color and what appeared to be a new cork in the bottle. I would guess that these might have been topped off with the latest vintage prior to being released. This definitely showed remarkable freshness for a wine of 25 years of age. In a word, delicious.

agavin: I didn’t have any old Cal Chard, so I brought some old Chard. But positively young compared to the previous two. Nutty and nice white Burg.

Foie Gras with mango. Port ginger sauce. Really nice seared foie, with a very good sweet sauce and lovely mushy mango pairing. Worked well with these old chards.

1975 ZD Wines Pinot Noir. 91 points. Very young and fresh!

1982 Calera Pinot Noir Reed Vineyard. 86 points. Slightly musty, but in pretty good shape and quite enjoyable.

1969 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon. Our bottle was cloudy and undrinkable.

1974 Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage Selection North Coast. 88 points. Lovely midpalate lift and silky smooth texture. Palate is tertiary. David says full of dill and American oak, can tell it’s not French. Racines.

Scottish salmon. White beans, fume rouge. Another great sauce. This chef is awesome with the sausome.

1976 Burgess Petite Sirah Harvest of the Napa Valley. 91 points. Bright and young!

1974 Freemark Abbey Petite Sirah York Creek. 90 points. 41 years old and still has a tannic punch to it! Brambly, tobacco aromas, reminiscent of rasberries and blackberries. On the palate gently stewed blackberries, red fruits, mineral and a bit of a tannic kicker. This magnificent wine screamed for red meat accompaniment; alas, I had truffled eggs.

1974 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Family Vineyard. 96 points. Still quite dark in the glass with minimal bricking at the margin. Big and almost brooding, dense mixed black fruit; full mid palate; medium acidity almost keeps up with the fruit; some tannins on the finish; might have guessed that this was a 10 year old petite syrah.

agavin: everyone agreed with was WOTN, a real stunner

1989 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard. 93 points. Highly perfumed bouquet of ripe fruit, flowers, and terroir. Indeed, the sexiest bouquet of the eight wines. Generous mouthfeel, considerable substance, quality finish. In a great place, and though it has several years of life left there is no reason to wait.

Smoked quail and porcini mushroom risotto. Another awesome sauce.

1983 Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon. 93 points. This was the first vintage with the Dick Grace label, 3.5 years in Limousin Oak barrels, typical Grace nose, rich fruit and terrific bottle bouquet plus hints of more wood than the older wines, concentrated medium fruit plus lots of mouth coating tannins in the mouth, finish is long but average flavors when compared to the other wines tonight.
 1984 Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon. 92 points. Drinking very well for an older Cailfornia. I was under the impression Napa Cabs won’t age so well. This wine has changed my perception. Good levels of fruit, soft mellow tannins and a nose so aromatic of dried rasins. Great wine.
 1984 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 90. This wine has consistently been a crowd pleaser, with its impressive dark color, rich, jammy, cedary, licorice, chocolatey, cassis, and olive-like aromas and flavors, and full-bodied, unctuously-textured style. It is a big, chewy, flashy, oaky style of Cabernet. Although fully mature, there are no signs of decline.
 1987 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Estate. Parker 98. Chateau Montelena has made so many sensational Cabernets that it seems almost impossible to believe that their 1987 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate could be even more profound than any of the exceptional wines made previously at this property. The black/purple color, the extraordinary bouquet of rich cassis, violets, and licorice, the massive extraction of flavors, sensational depth, super ripeness, and a length that must last over a minute, suggest to me that this is easily the most concentrated and potentially longest-lived Cabernet Sauvignon that Chateau Montelena has ever made. The extract level is incredible, yet the balance is there. Anticipated maturity: 1997-2025.

Roast duck. Red wine and figs. Great duck. Great sauce. Perfect pairing.

1994 Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 88. Mount Veeder’s 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon is a sleeper. The wine displays loads of creamy, vanilla, pain grille notes in the nose, to go along with ripe black currants intermixed with truffles and licorice. The tannin is sweet, the wine gives a nice tactile impression on the palate (medium to full-bodied and chewy), and the finish includes gobs of pure black cherry and black currant fruit. This is a delicious, up-front 1994 Cabernet that can be drunk now as well as over the next 10-12 years.

1993 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon Estate. Parker 94-96. Of all the extraordinary wines emanating from California in recent years, one of the most remarkable achievements must be the two cuvees of Cabernet Sauvignon made by Naoka and Gustav Dalla Valle, with the capable assistance of consulting winemaker, Heidi Barrett. Dalla Valle’s Cabernet Sauvignon is a pure, unbridled expression of this varietal at its most powerful and concentrated. The proprietary red wine, named after the owners’ daughter, Maya, is usually a blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc (the greatest Cabernet Franc I have tasted in the New World). These are wines of immense stature and richness. It seems nearly impossible that one could pack so much intensity and flavor into a wine without either the wine or the tannin coming across as heavy-handed. Since 1990, all of the Maya offerings have possessed extremely well-integrated tannin and acidity.
 1993 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Franc Bosché Vineyard. 92 points. Very ready to drink now…window is closing. Very smooth and mildly velvet (velour?) mouth feel. Dark purple to almost brownish color with very little clear spectrum at the edges. Plum with a little hit of apricot and vanilla.
 From my cellar: 1998 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard. 91 points. Brown-red. Roses, eucalyptus, flowers on the nose. Very powerful, yet in perfect balance. Tannins and acidity for the long haul. Nice fruit, lots of savory, complexity. This is a deep wine, and I wish I hadn’t just a sip in the tasting room. A wine to be studied and savored.

agavin: Oldest Cal wine in my cellar. lol.

Wagyu hanger steak. Truffle lingonberrie sauce. Truly great hanger steak. Super tender and meaty, fabulous sauce.

1987 Heitz Cellar Chardonnay. Fairly oxidized, but still drinkable.
 1978 Joseph Phelps Johannisberg Riesling Selected Late Harvest. 92 points.  It was sweet on the pallete like thin caramel syrup, a dark burnt golden hue in color. Smelled sugary & fresh & delicious. TBA brown in color.

Charles Krug Moscato di Caneli. Not even in cellar tracker. Medium sweet and old. Pleasant.

Selection of domestic cheeses. All three were very nice.

Petit fours. A few random bits of sweet.

All and all a stunning evening. The venue was great. The service was great. Food really exceeded expectations. This kitchen handles an enormous volume, yet these dishes were all really nice, and many fabulous. They aren’t the most modern looking, but they tasted really great and were fabulously paired with the wines.

Speaking of, some very impressive juice considering the age. That Chards and pinots from 40+ years were even drinkable is amazing. But many were very good. And a few of the cabs were just fabulous. I don’t really think these newer high alcohol style California wines being produced today will last like this. These cabs were made to taste like Bordeaux, and to last like Bordeaux. For the most part, they seem to. Now that isn’t to say that every wine in this tasting was young, fresh, and blemish free. These are old wines, and one accepts some fickleness. But they preformed well. More then well, great.

Overall awesome.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or check out more crazy Foodie Club dinners.

Related posts:

  1. Joe’s Restaurant – California Classic
  2. Memorial Day Pig
  3. Dreaming Along
  4. Fraiche – Ultimo Wine Dinner
  5. Food as Art: Ludobites 7.0
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: California, California Cabernet, California Club, DTLA, Foodie Club, Los Angeles, Wine

Valentino – 2007 White Burgundy part 1

Feb06

Restaurant: Valentino Santa Monica [1, 2, 3, 4]

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

Date: February 3, 2015

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Fabulous!

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This dinner is the first part of the annual White Burgundy Premox test series, hosted by Burg-meister Don Cornwell. This dinner covers 2007 Chablis, Meursault, and Corton Charlemagne. 2005 White Burgundy Dinner series Part 1 can be found here. You can also read about last year’s 2004 Red Burgundy dinner and 2006 White Burgundy tasting.

2007 was a vintage was cool and acidic, but with promise in reds.

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


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


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

Tonight’s special menu.

Flight 0: Champagne

1996 Henriot Champagne Cuvée des Enchanteleurs Brut. IWC 94. Vivid yellow-gold. Kaleidoscopic aromas of citrus fruits, poached pear, mango, lees and licorice, with slow-building florality. Supple, palate-coating orchard and exotic fruit flavors are complicated by notes of herbs and buttered toast, with a smoky quality in the background. Seems younger than it did last year, showing excellent finishing clarity and persistent smoke and spice character. This really won’t let go of the palate, which is fine by me.

agavin: We had two 750ml bottles of this and I only tasted the first. It was a bit oxidized and short, and leaned heavily on the acidity. Supposedly the second bottle was better.


Fresh oysters.


Diamonds of Mushroom Polenta. I’m not a polenta fan.


Arancinette of Seafood. These are very pleasant fried rice balls with a hint of seafood.


Taleggio Flatbread and Black Truffles. This was very nice and cheesy with a bit of an almost blue cheese flavor.


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

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

Flight 1: Chablis


2007 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot. Burghound 94. It seems that each succeeding wine is more aromatically elegant than the prior wine and again, the nose here is incredibly pure, layered, airy, indeed almost lacy with perfumed notes of dried white roses, salt water, oyster shell and iodine that complement to perfection the classy, refined and textured flavors brimming with both minerality and dry extract that buffers the firm acid spine on the strikingly long finish. This is not as powerful as the Montée de Tonnerre but it’s finer, in fact to the point that the Raveneau Blanchots is a wine of finesse, indeed even delicacy in 2007. In a word, wonderful.

agavin: my favorite of the flight. a little reduced at first, blew off. Then nice nose. lots of minerals and tons of acid on the finish with some real zingy weight.


2007 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. Burghound 95. An equally elegant but ever-so-slightly more complex nose that is also ripe, pure and airy complements perfectly the rich, supple and beautifully intense palate staining and mouth coating broad-shouldered flavors brimming with intensity and oyster shell nuances on the penetrating, delineated, austere and gorgeously precise finish. The underlying sense of tension here is palpable and this too has so much dry extract that it will require the better part of a decade to fully mature. A classic Les Clos.

agavin: nose a little less at first, but still nice. Long acid on the finish, a little hotter than the Blanchots.


2007 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. Burghound 93. This offers a step up in aromatic elegance with acacia blossom, quinine, citrus peel and sea shore aromas that are framed by a gentle touch of wood, which is also reflected by the intense, powerful and quite serious big-bodied flavors that ooze dry extract that confers a silky and sappy mouth feel to the seductive and long finish. Still, this will require at least 6 to 8 years to really be at its best and it should live for years after that.

agavin: white flower on the nose? palette reserved at first. short finish of sour apple.


2007 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Valmur. Burghound 94. An extremely deft dash of wood is barely noticeable and merges seamlessly with highly complex if discreet aromas of limestone, lemon, oyster shell, sea breeze and white flowers. This is a big, powerful and incredibly precise wine with magnificent flavor authority and seemingly endless reserves of sappy extract. Tightly wound and still very youthful but the extract buffers the intense acidity and completely coats and stains the palate on the hugely long and intense finish. A knockout Valmur.

agavin: our only corked bottle. disgusting unfortunately.


2007 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur. Burghound 94. Here the nose is every bit as elegant if not more so but it’s distinctly cooler and somehow more distant yet the strong Chablis character is immediately evident as the nose is a classic combination of green fruit, warm stone, iodine and distilled extract of sea water and this intense saline quality continues onto the equally cool, brilliantly defined and stunningly well balanced flavors that are crystalline in their purity on the driving finish. This does a slow but steady build in intensity from the mid-palate on back and the length is flat out amazing.

agavin:  sulfur and porta potty on the nose at first. reduction on the palette, but not unpleasant with a soft acid finish. Opened up and some of that reduction blew off later.


From my cellar: 2007 Dauvissat-Camus Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. RJ wine 93. Light medium lemon yellow color; nutty, ripe lemon, light lanolin, tart apple nose; tasty, complex, very tart apple, mineral, almond, light hazelnut palate with medium acidity; could use 3 years yet; medium-plus finish 93+ points.

agavin: darker in color than most of the  flight. reserved minerality and apple juice on the nose. acidic apple on the palette.


2007 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses. Burghound 94. Initially this is still restrained but after only 10 minutes or so it becomes quite expressive with a nose that is airy, ripe, elegant and strikingly pure as it combines plenty of Chablis character that includes sea breeze, citrus and green fruit aromas that precede the delineated and equally pure flavors of stunning depth and intensity, all wrapped in a hugely long finish. Like the nose, the minerality seems subdued at first yet arrives in a real rush on the finale. A genuinely great wine that is a study in harmony and grace as well as one that should age effortlessly for many years. I have advanced the suggested drinking window by one year as this can already be drunk with pleasure even though it is still on the way up. In a word, stunning.

agavin: darker color then most in the flight. white flowers or stone fruits on the nose. rich on the palette with a somewhat heavy long finish.


2007 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. Burghound 96. I had a chance to retaste this side by side with its 2008 counterpart and the ’07 matches the brilliant quality albeit in a different style due to the vintage characteristics. As such, I am raising my rating slightly. An aggregator is how I would describe this nose as the range of aromas and subtle nuances is genuinely amazing with a purity of expression that is nothing short of riveting with the classic assertive mineral reduction character that suffuses the character of this wine from the incredibly detailed nose to the wonderfully long, palate staining finish. The big, rich, powerful, detail and superbly focused flavors are supported by a very firm acid backbone that confers a bone dry quality to the finish that I could still taste hours later. In brief, at the moment this is more extract of Kimmeridgian stone than wine but it’s breathtakingly good. Don’t miss it.

agavin: very bright color. reduction and rubber on the nose. palette was reduced but pleasant, with a soft acid finish.


From my cellar: 2007 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses. Burghound 95. This is every bit as elegant as the Valmur with nuanced, highly layered, discreet and very pure aromas of understated green fruit and almost pungent tidal pool aromas that are followed by rounded, focused and incredibly complex flavors displaying notes of warm stone and oyster shell. The texture and mouth feel of this are positively seductive as the finish is a liaison of richness and delicacy with that silky yet explosive finish that all the great examples of Preuses seem to possess. A wine of crystalline purity that is pure silk and class. A don’t miss Fèvre ’07.

agavin: completely closed on the nose at first, opened after some time to white flowers and spearmint. Nice green apple taste. Long balanced soft acid apple finish.


Crudo di pesce with salmon, ahi tuna, yellow tail with citrus and colatura. This was a lovely salad with very nice fish and a great sweet and citrus quality to it.

Flight 2: Meursault

This flight included all the Meursaults that were not Perrieres.


2007 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières. Burghound 93. By contrast with the expressiveness of the Goutte d’Or, this is much more reserved and with a different aromatic profile more given to seductive and slightly exotic spices, citrus blossom and orange peel that leads to classy, rich, full and naturally sweet palate coating flavors as the dry extract is every bit as impressive. Like all of the Lafon ’07s, it is the impeccable balance that really sets these wines apart and the Genevrières is a wine of perfect harmony, particularly on the linear and explosive finish.

agavin: detergent on the nose to start. sweet taste with a hint of banana. rice nice finish.


2007 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Poruzots. Burghound 90-92. A mildly rustic green fruit and roasted nut nose slides into big, rich, powerful and robust full-bodied flavors that possess impressive size and volume before culminating in a tautly muscled, mouth coating and palate staining finish. This is no model of elegance but there is no doubting the intensity and flavor authority.

agavin: nose closed at first. Rich palette with searing (good) finish.


2007 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. Burghound 92. This too is extremely fresh, bright and pure with superb elegance on the restrained nose of acacia blossom, hazelnut and brioche that merges seamlessly into detailed, textured and silky medium-bodied flavors that are not as dense as those of the Poruzots or as refined as those of the Bouchères yet there is more depth and length. In short, overall this is a more complete wine of lovely harmony.

agavin: weird nose at first. Reduction and green apple on the palette. Weird odd finish too.


2007 Coche-Dury Meursault. IWC 92. Bright, pale yellow. Tangy aromas of orange, peach and spices. Broad and lively, with intense fruit lifted by a near-perfect sugar/acid balance. Finishes with excellent cut. This is awfully good for a wine from seven-year-old vines.

agavin: tons of stone fruit on the nose. Rich, reduced taste with strong notes of sour peach. Long soft acid finish. My favorite of the flight.


2007 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. Burghound 92. A beautifully fresh, perfumed and intensely floral nose also speaks of citrus and hazelnut nuances that give way to delicious, round and intense medium-bodied flavors that possess excellent detail on the impressively long and impeccably well-balanced finish. However the aspect that really sets this apart from most villages-level wine is the excellent complexity. Overall, this seductively textured effort is still on the way up and I would be inclined to give it another 3 to 4 years of cellar time first.

agavin: fruit and acid on the nose. A rich balanced palette and a long finish.


2007 Hospices de Beaune Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières Cuvée Baudot Jean-Marc Roulot. 91 points. Very pretty but reserved nose. Nice acidity framing a bit of sweet oak. Light and pretty. Quite good.

agavin: more reserved on the nose but with a rich middle.


Pan Seared Scallops with Sweet Pea Sauce and Couscous. The scallop itself was nice but I found the couscous and pea sauce to be fairly flavorless.

Flight 3: Meursault Perrieres


2007 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 93. A bit of unintegrated SO2 does not impede the expressiveness of the ultra elegant citrus-infused nose of mostly floral notes that merges into spicy, pure and strikingly detailed flavors that possess excellent size and weight plus plenty of dry extract on the punchy, long and serious finish that seems to be constructed of liquid rock. Like the Genevrières, this is an explosive yet fine wine that exhibits a discreet, but unmistakable, sense of class and grace.

agavin: one of my favorites of the flight. reserved on the nose at first. Lots of stone fruits on the palette and a great long finish. Really a zingy wine once opened.


2007 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. Burghound 94. This is more expressive and a bit riper with ultra pure aromas of peach, apricot, pear and spiced white peach leading to ripe, concentrated and superbly precise flavors that display plenty of mid-palate fat and ample minerality that this part of Charmes always seems to impart to the wines and overall, this is a stunningly harmonious wine of finesse.

agavin: nothing on the nose at first and perhaps a bit advanced on the palette


2007 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 95. Despite several years of bottle age, this remains backward, tight and not revealing much aromatically beyond wonderfully pure white flower, pear and spice aromas. The rich, full and strikingly powerful flavors possess superb depth of dry extract and huge length on the detailed, focused, beautifully balanced and penetrating finish that seems to be extracted directly from liquid rock. This very classy effort is a potentially great Perrières as everything necessary is here and this should age extremely well. The word Zen comes to mind.

agavin: reduction and peach on the nose. Peach flavor with a medium finish.


2007 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 94. A very subtle trace of wood frames a green fruit and high-toned spiced floral nose that is still tight and reserved but ultra pure with detailed, stony and gorgeously vibrant middle weight flavors that possess a pungent limestone character and this finishes with a palate staining finale of stunning length. Like the best examples of Roulot’s Perrières, the ’07 is a wine of impeccable balance and perfect harmony of expression.

agavin: voted the wine of the night by most people. Tons of stone fruits on a crazy good nose. A bit of reduction on the palette at first, but tons of weight too and a crazy good finish.


2007 Domaine Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 94. As it almost always is, this is the class of the Matrot cellar with discreet wood framing a reserved but ultra elegant, airy and exceptionally pure white flower and pungent limestone nose that marries seamlessly into fine, precise and intensely stony flavors that finish bone dry and with a vaguely saline quality on the cuts-like-a-knife finale. This is built to age and should provide at least 6 to 8 years of upside development. Highly recommended.

agavin: apple cider, apple cider, apple cider. Smelled and tasted like alcoholic dry Martinellis. Probably a bit advanced. Some sherry notes too after a while.


2007 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 94. A less expressive but even more complex nose features acacia blossom, pear and citrus aromas nuanced by an almost pungent minerality that continues onto the pure, detailed and almost painfully intense flavors that possess serious delineation on the notably ripe and sappy finish. I was knocked out by this textbook Perrières. Highly recommended.

agavin: reduction and stone fruits.


2007 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 94. Mild reduction initially reduces the expressiveness of the otherwise fresh and impressively complex lemon, stone and acacia blossom-infused nose that leads to equally complex and beautifully delineated middle weight flavors that ooze a fine minerality before culminating in an overtly austere but explosive, linear and compact finish of superb length. While this could of course be drunk now, for my taste it is still much too young. However, if you’re going to try one out of curiosity, I would strongly advise decanting it for at least 30 minutes first as the flavors take their timing opening up. Tasted twice recently with one bottle being a bit more forward than the one described above.

agavin: we all guessed it was the coche MP because there was so much of that characteristic reduction. Potty on the nose at first, but blew off. Reduction on the palette too. Only beginning to shake off 2 hours later. But nice nonetheless.


Maine Lobster Risotto. Always a favorite. A very nice risotto, although not cheesy. Last year we had two portions, we could have used that this time!

Flight 4: Corton Charlemagne


2007 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 96. A cool, airy, complex and gorgeously elegant nose is more restrained than these Puligny-based grands crus while offering up notes of green apple, pain grillé, stone and very subtle spice notes that merge into rich, full and impressively powerful flavors that possess perhaps the best dry extract levels of any wine in the range as they really stain the palate on the intense, long and bone dry finish that seems to have no end. There isn’t quite as much overall depth here as in the Montrachet but otherwise, this succeeds in going to toe to toe, which is not small feat given how good the prior wine is.

agavin: kinda lot with a long searing finish


2007 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 94. A barely perceptible touch of SO2 does not overtly mar the airy, ultra fresh and impressively refined nose of white flower, citrus, green apple and wet stone and it is this pungent minerality that is really on display with the intense, detailed and tight big-bodied and well-muscled flavors that positively brim with a distinct salinity that is more in keeping with a classic Chablis than a classic Corton-Charlemagne. Still, this is a brilliant effort by any measure and the finish is like a vinous bomb. In sum, this is a dramatic but balanced wine that should age well for many years to come.

agavin: very reduced on the nose with some weight and a long finish


2007 Faiveley Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 91-94. Subtle wood sets off more elegant aromas of green apple, floral and wet stone notes that are also reflected by the rich, intense and impressively powerful big-bodied flavors that seem extracted from liquid rock, all wrapped in a palate staining and driving finish. Another aspect worth noting is that this is often a distinctly oaky Corton-Charlemagne but in 2007, thanks to the policy of reducing the wood influence, the oak influence is much more moderate if not invisible.

agavin: reduced at first, with some malo and real weight in the middle, then lingered


2007 Louis 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.

agavin: perhaps a little advanced, but drinking nicely now. hot with strong apple qualities.


2007 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 96. Seemingly like all of Boillot’s wines in this vintage, a strikingly pure nose of green apple, white flower and spice aromas complements perfectly the delicious, intense and stony flavors that are among the ripest in the range yet remain wonderfully vibrant and gorgeously detailed on the taut, transparent and bone dry finish that bathes the palate in dry extract. This is beautifully balanced and among the best wines of the vintage from Corton. In a word, brilliant.

agavin: also probably advanced. sherry and apples. Apple brandy? hot on the finish.


2007 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 93. A wonderfully elegant, pure and high-toned nose that is quite floral with a pronounced citrus influence to the green apple and wet stone notes that border on a mineral-reduction character, which continues onto the detailed and equally pure flavors that possess a cuts-like-a-knife linearity on the bone dry and palate staining finish. This is like sucking on pebbles and while the flavors are distinctly austere at present, the balance is impeccable and this should make for a first-rate vintage for this wine in time. Note however that patience will be required.

agavin: very pale color. Long acidic finish.


2007 Simon Bize Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 91-94. A deft touch of wood sets off an even more restrained and more elegant nose that is ultra pure and though reserved, aromas of green fruit and white flower nuanced by hints of spice and orange peel can be found. And the purity and transparency of the nose continues onto the muscular and big-bodied flavors that offer up minerality to burn on the very firm and gorgeously long finish. This is a block of stone and it will require the better part of a decade’s worth of patience for the full potential of this beauty to fully express itself. In a word, brilliant.

agavin: Tropical nose, maybe some advanced notes? tropical fruits on the palette. An oddball in the flight as this was so tropical.


2007 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 92-95. A highly complex lemon and orange peel, white flower and green apple nose introduces substantially bigger and richer if less refined broad-shouldered flavors that are quite dense and I like the mouth feel before the flavors slide away into a notably dry, intense, extended and punchy finish. This is a big wine with plenty of extract that really stains the palate.

agavin: great wine. Rich, powerful, long. Extremely Corton Charlie. One you keep coming back to. my (and many others’) favorite of the flight.


Pan Roasted Napa Quail with Pancetta and Sage. The Quail itself was tasty, as was the jus. The asparagus didn’t go with white burgundy and the dish was a bit of work to eat because of the bones.

Flight  5: Dessert


1971 Chateau d’Yquem. Parker 97. Served from an ex-chateau bottle. I have always stood by the 1971 Chateau d’Yquem as being one of the most seriously underrated vintages of that decade. I feel completely vindicated in this view as I batted away the 1967 Yquem when tasted at the chateau and entranced its audience. This great Yquem was born during 10 days from October 6, when warm and humid conditions caused an outbreak of botrytis. It was a small crop of just 228 barrels. Slightly deeper in color than the 1982 Yquem tasted alongside, it is blessed with a truly spellbinding nose that has such energy and frisson that you don’t know where to look. You can detect Mirabelle, ripe Satsumas, citrus peel and beeswax. The palate is vibrant, animated and simply electrifies the mouth upon entry. The 1971 has immense concentration, while the almost Tokaji Aszu-like finish is beautifully poised. This is simply an outstanding Yquem that shows absolutely no sign of reaching the end of its drinking plateau.

agavin: awesome! Really all you could expect in a fully mature D’Yquem. Like apricot nectar.


Seasonal Fruit Tart with Gelato. This was a pleasant traditional dessert.


Above is the flight list.


And the full array of revealed bottles.


That’s more or less one person’s glasses!

There is a lot to say about this tasting. First of all, Valentino did a good job as usual. The wine service was impeccable, and this is a difficult task (pouring lots of big blind flights). Overall service is absolutely first rate. It’s a large quiet room, and the staff was highly attentive. The food was solid, although not as good as last year. The decor and food are a tad dated now, very very 90s — and not even as good as I remember back in the 90s.

2007 as a vintage was quite good. We had one corked bottle and 3-4 advanced bottles. No totally premoxed bottles like with 2005. The vintage character is very acidic, with a high frequency of green apple. Chablis remains tight. The richer wines, particularly Meursault Perrieres were very impressive. Some really nice wines there.

The top six wines of the night by group ranking/voting were:

1. Roulot MP
2. Bouchard MP
3. Ringer No. 1 — Coche-Dury Meursault AOC [Chaumes de Perrieres]
4. Colin-Morey MP
5. Coche-Dury Meursault Rougeots
6 (tie). Coche-Dury MP
6 (tie) Faiveley Corton Ch

Don’s reviews of each wine can be found here.

Other big tasting dinners from this dinner series:

2006 White Burgundy

2004 Red Burgundy

2005 White Burgundy part 1

2005 White Burgundy part 2

2005 White Burgundy part 3

Flight  6: Second Dinner

After the main event, a bunch of us were still hungry and so we bought a bottle of Red Burgundy from the Valentino wine list and ubered over to Ramen-ya down the street.



1993 Marc Rougeot-Dupin Richebourg. 90 points agavin. This wine was incredibly reasonable on the Valentino wine list and so we bought a bottle “to go.” Very strange Richebourg, all meaty and funky with a gamey bloody quality. I liked it though, and it was getting better over an hour in the glass. Well worth the price of admission.


Pork potstickers. Yum!


Fried chicken cartilage. That triangle-shaped bit in the chicken breast — fried!


Spicy beef tendon. Tasty!


Miso soup.


Shoyu-Ramen soy sauce soup ramen with roast pork, bean sprouts & bamboo shoots and wontons.


Fried rice.


A shoyu broth.


Fried chicken egg rice.


Kimchee fried rice.


Seafood fried rice.

This all certainly qualified for “late night fatty carbs”!!

Related posts:

  1. Valentino – 2006 White Burgundy
  2. Valentino – 2004 Red Burgundy
  3. Valentino – 2005 White Burg part 2!
  4. Burgundy at Bouchon – Faiveley
  5. Burgundy at Bouchon – Jadot
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: 2007 White Burgundy, Chablis, Corton-Charlemagne, Italian cuisine, Los Angeles, Meursault, Valentino, Wine

Ruen Pair Rules

Dec15

Restaurant: Ruen Pair

Location: 5257 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90027. (323) 466-0153

Date: December 9, 2014

Cuisine: Thai

Rating: Solid Thai, not super spicy

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It’s been awhile since I’ve had authentic Thai, so it was with some relish that I headed out with my Hedonist group to this Thai town eatery.


The minimall is packed with Thai restaurants, massage places, and the like.


Inside.


NV Tissot (Bénédicte et Stéphane / André et Mireille) Crémant du Jura Extra Brut. 92 points. Really liked this sparkler! Very well balanced with only a slight dosage. The blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is apparent in the “traditional” Champagne like blend that is not always the approach in the Jura. A good amount of complexity ending in a long finish of pineapple and yeast. Great QPR too.


Pork jerky. Fairly tender flavorful strips of pork.


Beef jerky. The beef version was WAY chewy. My jaw still hurts (JK). Go for the white meat.


2007 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchottes. IWC 93. Pale yellow. Ineffable aromas of lime, crushed stone, violet, iris and spicecake. Bright, penetrating and precise, with superb energy and purity to the high-pitched citrus, mineral and spice flavors. At once dense and racy, and in need of aging. Persistent and palate-staining on the finish. (The Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets showed lovely sweetness and generosity of texture.


Sausage. Some yummy pig in a casing and fried with Thai side elements. I would have liked to see a little more flavor from the sausage itself.


2004 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese. IWC 92. Mesmerizing aromas of papaya, sweet herbs and spearmint. Intense but discreet cherry fruit rises from the mid-palate, accompanied by brilliant acidity. The riveting finish is animated and spicy. One of the finest spatleses of the vintage in Germany.


Stuffed shrimp. These crabcake-like babies contained a dense shrimp paste/filling. I liked them a lot. I’m a fan of these seafood McNugget type dishes.


2008 Dönnhoff Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube Riesling Spätlese. IWC 90. Pale golden yellow. Floral aromas lift apricot and quince on the nose. The complex tropical fruit flavors are accented by a hint of licorice and a shot of slate. The subtle balance of sweetness and acidity belies this wine’s richness. Offers nice length and potential.


Thai Duck Curry. Always a winner, with a nice rich curry and a certain sweetness. There could have been more duck though.


From my cellar: 2004 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese. 92 points. COLOR-nice golden; NOSE-burnt BMX tires meets peaches, apricots & pears; spritzy; TASTE-beautiful bluestone; gorgeous dried Apricots; viscous & oily; gorgeous peach juice; very polished; great, great wine; very delicate; nice floral aspects; subtle cactus juice & on the finish; a concoction of Cantaloupe & dandelion dancing on the back-end; very complex; great balance of acidity & fruit; great structure; absolute elegance at it’s finest.


Pad Thai. The usual, but good as usual.


2006 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel. JG 95. Faint spritz on opening, clear rich botrytis, lovely texture, so full and rich, but balances with a spike of acid on the finish, good now but will blossom in time.

agavin: my favorite with the food. rich, amber, and sweet!


A different Pad Thai.

2012 Robert Mondavi Winery Pinot Noir. IWC 87. Bright palish red. Slightly diffuse aromas of strawberry, raspberry, underbrush and smoky oak, perked up by mint and floral nuances. A bit juicier and more delineated in the mouth than the nose suggests but shows only moderate intensity and depth. Finishes slightly tart, with dusty tannins.


Egg Salad. Not sure where the salad is, but this odd dish was delicious. Basically, it’s fried eggs with chilis on top. But the vinegary hot tang of the chilies is fabulous with the soft centered eggs.


From my cellar: 2003 Louis Latour Corton-Clos de la Vigne au Saint. Burghound 91. A huge step up in elegance, complexity and purity with extremely pretty spicy red pinot fruit aromas that introduce supple, sweet and opulent flavors that remain precise and beautifully well balanced. An altogether lovely wine that combines power and elegance with first class cellar potential.


Chicken soup (Tom yum gai). The typical thai soup. This one was fairly dense and heading toward a curry, but it still had that lovely sour / lemongrass / coconut thing going.


2012 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 40th Anniversary. 89 points. Large-scaled and rich on the nose with toasty brioche, blackberry, currant and milk chocolate. On the palate, velvety textures ushered in dark fruits, spice, coco, licorice and cherry liquor. The finish was long with saturating black fruits and a linger hint of hard candy.


Pork larb. Nice  tang to it, not too hot.


Beef Panaang curry. Your typical bamboo shoot red curry with beef. Certainly a pleasant dish, particularly with rice. This is on the thin mild end of the Panaang spectrum. I really like mine more intense.


2005 Kay Brothers Shiraz Hillside Amery Vineyards. 89 points. Inky dark, with hints of smoke and cedar on the nose. Black currants and blackberries are prominent on the palate, but the secondary characteristics are still caught in a tannic grip.


Fried catfish. Catfish slices that have been deep fried crispy and are served in this vinegary sauce. The sauce did a great job complementing the fry. Besides the need to avoid bones, this was a delicious dish.


2008 Carlisle Syrah James Berry Vineyard. IWC 93. Opaque violet. Stunning bouquet displays dark berry liqueur, incense, dried violet and smoked meat. Tight on entry, then expansive and sweet in the middle, with noteworthy pliancy and sweetness to the dark fruit, violet pastille, apricot, mineral and spice flavors. Lots going on here-and highly expressive today, even if the firm, dusty tannins call for patience.


Spicy clams. They weren’t actually spicy, but the sauce was rich and delicious.


Morning Glory shoots. In a mild Thai brown sauce. Colon sweeper!


Thai BBQ chicken. Solid.


Shrimp salad. This also had a nice vinegar tang.


Pineapple rice. Good stuff, with that sweetness. A tad mushy.


1986 Château Raymond-Lafon. Parker 92. It is hard to believe this wine will eclipse the great 1983, but the differences in the two wines are negligible. I do not believe the 1986 makes quite the impact on the palate that the huge, massive 1983 does, but there is a great deal of botrytis, and a profound, penetrating fragrance of sauteed pineapple, vanillin, toast, and honeyed peaches. In the mouth, the wine is more streamlined than the 1983, but lusciously rich and full bodied, with very good acidity and a creamy, intense finish. It will be interesting to compare the 1983 and 1986 as they evolve. My guess is that the 1986 will age faster.

agavin: sadly our bottle wasn’t well stored and this had an off-putting bitter finish.


Papaya salad with shrimp. Nice and hot, with a good crunch.


Papaya salad with blue crab. This was a standout. The salad was the same, but the blue crab is raw, like the Korean crab at Soban. You suck out the toothpaste-like meat. Yum!


Dr. David obviously ate too much raw crab.


Across the parking lot was this Thai dessert place.  No way can I translate the name.

A grid of goodies.


Weird crepe taco things.


Taro, corn, rice balls!


Banana sticky rice.


Grilled coconut milk. Yeah, apparently you can BBQ a liquid.


Yarom got this milky sweet concoction filled with “Thai fruits” including jackfruit.


I went for mango and coconut ice cream.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Hedonists Noodle over Hoy-Ka
  2. Hedonists at Jitlada
  3. Yanbian Nights
  4. Quick Eats: Chan Dara
  5. Feasting Lunasia
By: agavin
Comments (4)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: curry, Dessert, hedonists, Hollywood Boulevard, larb, Los Angeles, No, raw crab, Ruen Pair, Thai cuisine

Ramen is all the Rage

Oct21

Restaurant: Daikokuya Santa Monica

Location: 2208 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064. (310) 575-4999

Date: October 13, 2014

Cuisine: Japanese Ramen

Rating: First rate noodles

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In LA (and possibly elsewhere), ramen has just exploded. It’s gone from this obscure specialty and grad student food to multiple streets with multiple ramen joints each with hour long lines!


Sawtelle is the undisputed Asian lunch spot on the Westside and Daikokuya, despite being “below Olympic,” slumming with the likes of Starbucks and Panda Express, always has a long line.


Inside it’s Tokyo kitch, but cute for sure. The menu is simple, with just 3 main ramen types (normal, spicy miso, and dipping noodle) and a bunch of bowls.


The table has the usual accents: pickled ginger, garlic, ground pepper.


Cabbage salad. This will set you back $1. Tasty enough, but needed more dressing.


Gyoza. The classic pork and cabbage dumpling, pan fried. Seriously fried in this case. Plenty of green onion. These were good. Quite good.

Daikoku Ramen. The classic pork broth Hakataka ramen. Fatty pork. Bamboo shoots. Bean sprouts. Green onion.


You can see all the usual ingredients. Egg. I added garlic and pickled red ginger. A nicely done classic ramen. Not quite as flavorful as the spicy miso below, but with good salty yum.


Spicy miso ramen. This variant on the straight up classic has all the works inside, the green onion, the bork belly cuts, the sprouts, the special egg, etc. The sauce is like miso soup with a bit of kick. It’s not super spicy, but just about right. The heat, salt, and spice add up and do clear the sinuses.


The noodles are thin and nicely al dente. I jazzed it up with ginger and garlic. A lot of garlic.


The broth is pretty delicious. Rich, but not mega rich like Tsujita (more on that later). I really wanted to keep drinking after I picked out all the bits, but I knew that if I did, the salt (and perhaps garlic) factor would really hit me later. As it was I developed a fairly serious case of heartburn (not unexpected, but worth it).

Overall, this was some solid and traditional ramen. Very good. I need to try the regular one and the dipping noodles. I doubt the latter is as good as at Tsujita, it would be hard to remember, but the regular and miso ramen are different beasts, not neccesarily better or worse, just a bit different.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Tsujita LA – Artisan Noodles
  2. From Noodles to Fish
  3. Takao Top Omakase
  4. Hawaiian Noodle Bar
  5. XLB – Soup Dumplings!
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Daikokuya, Japanese cuisine, Los Angeles, ramen, Sawtelle Blvd

Yanbian Nights

Oct17

Restaurant: Yanbian Restaurant [1, 2]

Location: 4251 W 3rd St. Los Angeles, CA 90004. (213) 383-5959

Date: October 15, 2014

Cuisine: Yanbian Chinese

Rating: Great food, incredible deal!

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Yanbian is an autonomous prefecture in the borderlands between China and Korea. But like any place, it has its own regional cuisine, and LA, being rich in Asian culture has at least one restaurant specializing in the area. My Hedonist group has been going here 1-2 times a year forever, but this is my second visit.


This Koreatown hole-in-the-wall might not look like much, but the food is excellent and they did a great job handling our oversized party.


2007 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos Häuserer. 91 points. Nice dry riesling.


No restaurant with Korean influences would be without the Kimchee!


And this other spicy vegetable (left) and crunchy celery (right). Pretty tasty for celery.


Close up of the spicy stuff.


This mild crunchy marinated vegetable.


2012 Dönnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese. IWC 89. A subtle honeysuckle aroma blends with hyacinth and lime on the nose. Polished peachy fruit and a refined minerality drift across the palate. Delicate and eminently drinkable.

agavin: I thought this went very well with a lot of the spicy food.


Spicy chicken feet. Ick.


Walnut shrimp. With their light fluffy fry and a nice hint of mustard in the sauce these were some great walnut shrimp.


From my cellar: 1996 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques. IWC 91-94. Very saturated red-ruby. Bright, sweet black raspberry and cassis nose. Very sweet and intensely flavored, but bracing acidity gives the wine great dynamism and cut. Really explosive in the mouth. Very long, vibrant finish. Grand cru quality.


Sweet and sour pork. Sticky sweet and very fried this looks hideous but tastes great.


Potstickers. These are typical Chinese dumplings.


The tasty spicy sauce for the dumplings.


Shoestring potatoes. Like fried shaved potato. Kinda delicious.


2012 Stonegate.


Pork  hock. Tender porky goodness.


Mountain potatoes and eggplant. Hot and savory.


It’s autumn, so fried pumpkin is in order. This wads pretty scrumptious with this heavy but fluffy fry.


2006 Kendall-Jackson Cabernet Sauvignon Highland Estates Trace Ridge. 92 points. Fabulous nose.. Solid finish.. Great wine.


Duck. Heavy but oh so tasty.


Mushrooms. Yummy.


Greens and tofu. Colon sweeper, but with a nice earthy flavor.


2011 Double Diamond (Schrader) Cabernet Sauvignon Bomber X. 90 points. Big & bold, lots of fruit and a little tannin. This wine could wait awhile.


Cumin lamb. Spicy and tasty.


Spicy fried chicken. This is one of those dry Hunan/Szechuan style dishes. Hot and delicious.


Potato “pizza”. A kind of giant latke with a spicy sauce.


Cabbage and pork. This had a fermented vinegar flavor.


2006 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard. IWC 94+. Glass-staining purple. Blackberry, boysenberry and licorice pastille on the nose, with mounting spice and floral notes and a strong wallop of cracked pepper. Deeply pitched black and blue fruit flavors expand with air and pick up strong spicecake and candied flower notes, along with velvety tannins. More backward than the Lorraine today, and showing a darker profile. The finish completely stains the palate and lingers with intense floral and spicy persistence. This is still a baby.


Spicy pork. See those peppers? They are real Szechuan peppers and they left the mouth and face numb!


And the sauce was great for soaking this “purple rice.” What makes it purple, I’m not sure. Some kind of bean?


Glass noodles. There is pork and celery in here. These were delicious.


Egg with tomatoes. Slightly sweet, a kind of Chinese omelet.


2001 Pride Mountain Vineyards Petite Sirah. 85 points. Our bottle seemed corked.


Purple fried rice. Anyone want a wafer thin mint?

Overall, Yanbian was great fun, great food, and all of the above was $30 a person! Including tax and a 35% tip! Wow! It’s really really good, and we had so many dishes I was full for the next 12 hours. People carted home some of this stuff.

More crazy Hedonist adventures or
LA dining reviews click here.

 

Related posts:

  1. Where in the world is Yanbian?
  2. Hedonists go to Beijing
  3. Newport Special Seafood
  4. Hedonists at Shanghailander
  5. Hedonists Noodle over Hoy-Ka
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: China, hedonists, Korea, Koreatown, Los Angeles, Yanbian, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture

Steak in the Blind

Oct03

Restaurant: Taylor’s Steakhouse

Location: 3361 West 8th St., Los Angeles, CA 90005. (213) 382-8449

Date: October 1, 2014

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Old School

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About a month ago my Hedonist group started up a new concept, a sort of club within a club of high end blind tasting diners. The deal is everyone brings a bottle (and backups) blind. We eat drink and try to guess at what they are. The group is know as the “Dirty Dozen” (for being 12). Oh, and we have an official Dirty Dozen T-shirt which is required attire.


Tonight is actually the second “meeting”, but I couldn’t make the first. Both time’s it’s been at Taylor’s Steakhouse, oddly located in Korea Town. Except when Taylor’s was founded in 1955, there was no K-Town!


Everything about this place is like a time warp.


Look at the interior. Notice the red leather booths. The fancy glass. The woodwork.


The leather padded bar.


From my cellar: 2007 Lur-Saluces “Y”. Parker 94. The 2007 Ygrec has a light, fragrant nose with apple-blossom, pink grapefruit, citrus lemon and just a touch of cold granite. Good definition. The palate is bright and lively, a lot of energy packed into this Ygrec, with citrus lemon, green apple, a touch of lemongrass, very harmonious and smooth towards the finish that display superb persistency, a hint of fiery lemongrass lingering in the mouth.

agavin: for those that don’t know, this is the secret dry wine of Chateau d’Yquem, world’s most renowned maker of sweet wine.


Our table and old school thrones are located in the private room.

A note about the wines before jumping in. We organized them randomly into four flights of three, all served blind. We discussed each flight and opened them at the end of the flight before moving onto the next. This worked pretty well. It eliminated the free-for-all madness and shortened the time between tasting and finding out, so you could connect the taste with the information. This is important, because it’s hard at the end of the evening to remember back to the first wines. I had labeled the bottles with people’s names so we could tell them apart. Next time, we should use numbers or letters to eliminate the “Andy likes French” type biases. But some label is needed. We also might try out having one person (maybe even a “guest”) look at the wines and organize them into coherent flights.


From my cellar: 1986 Gruaud Larose. Parker 96-97. the dense, garnet/purple-colored 1986 Gruaud-Larose is evolving at a glacier pace. The wine still has mammoth structure, tremendous reserves of fruit and concentration, and a finish that lasts close to a minute. The wine is massive, very impressively constituted, with still some mouth-searing tannin to shed. Decanting of one to two hours in advance seems to soften it a bit, but this is a wine that seems to be almost immortal in terms of its longevity. It is a great Medoc classic, and certainly one of the most magnificent Gruaud-Larose ever made.


Avi brought: 2002 D R Stephens Cabernet Sauvignon Moose Valley Vineyard. Parker 90. A sleeper of the vintage, this 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Moose Valley Vineyard appears to have reached full maturity. It offers an attractive, jammy nose of red and black currants, damp earth, roasted espresso, cedar and spice box. Medium to full-bodied, lush and seductive with low acidity, ripe tannin and a fleshy, round, opulent mouthfeel, it will offer plenty of pleasure for 6-7 more years.


Kirk brought: 1999 Miani Friuli Merlot. AG 97. The 1999 Merlot marries power to elegance in a style that foreshadows the wines of recent years. This is simply an awesome bottle of wine, that’s all there is to it. Everything is right there in the glass; inner perfume, ripeness and complexity all come together in a profound Merlot of the highest level. This three-dimensional Merlot should continue to drink beautifully for at least another decade, perhaps longer. The 1999 is the first wine that shows a more enlightened approach to vinification, and it is marvelous juice.

agavin: really a pretty profound “new Italian.”


Chilled Jumbo Prawns. Pretty typical. The shrimp were okay. They tasted a little frozen and the cocktail sauce was weak.


The Molly dinner salad. Wedge of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, blue cheese. I was pleasantly surprised by this salad. It was DROWNING in blue cheese dressing, which actually, I like. It would have been even better with bacon though.


Casear salad. House-made caesar dressing. I didn’t try it, but visually it looks like a decent caesar.

Onion rings. Classic, and fabulous.


House-made potato chips. Nice and crunchy, although maybe could have used more salt.


Stewart brought: 1982 Château Smith Haut Lafitte. Classic bordeaux nose with tons of earth in the beginning. After some decanting as the earth notes die down nice soft dark fruits emerge and provide balance. Medium body with firm acidity and mellowed tannins. Definitely has more years left. Deep purple with only light bricking. Overall very nice and enjoyable.


Yarom brought: 1984 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard. Parker 92. With coaxing, a surprisingly tight bouquet offers up damp, woodsy aromas intermixed with scents of mint and ripe cassis. Full-bodied, firm, and admirably concentrated, with a wonderful layered palate, this impressively-endowed wine requires another 4-5 years of cellaring. The wine may be going through a closed stage of development as this bottle was less impressive than past tastings.


Arnie brought: 2002 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 91-94. It is obvious Paul Hobbs prefers the influence of Taransaud cooperage on his Bordeaux varietals because they tend to give the wines a chocolatey character, and that is seen in the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa (3,120 cases), a Cabernet Sauvignon with terrific concentration, remarkable opulence, and layers of cassis- and licorice-infused tobacco leaf notes that just cascade over the palate with an unctuous texture. The wealth of fruit and concentration hides some relatively serious tannin in this large-scaled wine.


Culotte. The most tender cut of top sirloin. Only two per steer. Pretty darn good straight up steak. Thick and tender like a filet. One huge block of meat too, with no gristle. The baked potato was very good too. I mean, it’s still a classic baked potato, but it was a good one.


Prime rib with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. I heard it was great.


With baked potato.


Bone in something and spinach.


Spencer steak. Black and blue. A well-marbled cut, marinated and seasoned. With mashed potatoes and peppercorn sauce. Black and blue means raw in the center and burn on the outside.


Bone in rib-eye. That green sprig, that’s Taylor’s for salad.


John brought: 1998 La Mission Haut Brion. Parker 98. A candidate for the wine of the vintage from this somewhat forgotten year, consumers should be seeking out wines from the Right Bank and Graves as 1998 was a great vintage in those appellations. La Mission’s 1998 exhibits a healthy, opaque blue/purple color with no lightening at the edge. Thirty minutes of aeration brings forth a sensational bouquet of chocolate, cedar, truffles, graphite, blackberries, cassis and incense. La Mission’s so-called scorched earth/charcoal/hot rocks characteristic has not yet appeared. Full-bodied with superb purity, a multilayered texture, sweet tannin, good acidity and a fabulously long finish, this great, young La Mission-Haut-Brion’s finest days are yet to come.


Trish brought: 2004 Angelo Gaja Sperss. Parker 96. Gaja’s 2004 Langhe Sperss is an infant. Still incredibly primary, it exudes the essence of Serralunga black fruits, smoke and tar. The new oak is still very evident here and the wine seems to be at an awkward phase of its development. Still, it offers stunning concentration as well as length, with soft, caressing tannins that frame the fruit all the way to the long finish. This wine is in need of serious bottle age and may very well merit a higher score once it emerges from its temporary period of dormancy.


Larry brought: 1983 La Mission Haut Brion. Parker 90. This was the first vintage made under the administration of Jean Delmas. The most notable and dramatic change made at La Mission-Haut-Brion since 1983 became a more refined, polished, sophisticated style without the pure mass of older vintages, but also without the excesses of tannin and volatile acidity that sometimes plagued ancient vintages. The 1983, a very good vintage in the southern Medoc and Graves, is a relatively lightweight La Mission (particularly compared to the 1982) that is fully mature. Complex notes of smoked herbs, cigar tobacco, black currants, sweet cherries, damp earth and spice box jump from the glass of this dark garnet-colored wine. Medium-bodied with silky tannins, well-integrated, low acidity and abundant perfume, this fully mature 1983 should be consumed over the next decade.

agavin: this was voted wine of night (although close with the CNDP below)


The sides are equally old school. Fresh grilled Texas sweet onions.


Mushroom bordelaise. It was okay. Nothing like Cut’s amazing version though.


Sauteed fresh mushrooms.


Robin brought: 2003 La Mondotte. Parker 96. A killer wine (I’m so sorry I didn’t buy any), the 2003 La Mondotte is clearly one of the superstars of the vintage. An intriguing perfume of licorice, Asian soy, black currant jam, ripe cherries and subtle toast emerges from this extravagantly rich, voluptuously textured, opulent, full-bodied St.-Emilion. Just coming in to full maturity, it is pure, rich and full. Drink it over the next decade or more.


Dave brought: 2007 Robert Foley Vineyards Claret. Parker 98. The extraordinary 2007 Claret, which is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine, displays inky notes of lead pencil shavings, pen ink, creme de cassis, blackberry, incense, and licorice. The wine is super-pure and super-rich, an extraordinarily full-bodied powerhouse of a Cabernet Sauvignon that should evolve for 15 or more years. Its sweetness of tannin and headiness already make it accessible.


Adam brought: 1998 Les Cailloux (Lucien et Andre Brunel) Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Centenaire. Parker 97-100. The 1998 Cuvee Centenaire is an awesome Chateauneuf du Pape. Made from extremely old vines, this is the essence of both Chateauneuf du Pape and the Grenache grape. The wine boasts a deep ruby/purple color as well as an extraordinary bouquet of melted, jammy black cherry, raspberry, and currant fruit mixed with pepper and spice box. In the mouth, it is rich, full-bodied, and unctuously-textured, with extraordinary purity, and laser-like definition for a wine of such massive concentration and depth. The finish lasts for nearly a minute. This spectacular, youthful, amazingly accessible offering is a tour de force in winemaking, and a tribute to just how great Chateauneuf du Pape can be.

agavin: a really great wine, and more or less tied in my mind for WOTN.


Red velvet cake. Cream cheese icing.


Key lime pie. Actually a fabulous piece of key lime pie. As Yarom put it, “a 10!”


Chocolate cake.


Creme brule. Very nice custard.


Cheesecake. Also very straight up and very good.

Overall, this was an incredibly fun night with some really good wines. Our room and the blind format worked out great.

As to Taylor’s and the food? I was pleasantly surprised, although not blown away. The atmosphere is fun in a retro way. The service is friendly but nothing on par with a more modern higher end steakhouse. The food is really old school. The salads were pretty good and the steaks themselves actually quite fabulous. But I’m not a huge steak fan and the extras just aren’t nearly as yummy as at a place like Mastros or even Boa or STK. Because for me, it’s not all about the meat (in fact, at a place like Mastros I drown the meat Oscar style in creamed seafood), I’m not as jazzed. The desserts were first rate though. But I like those new-style over-the-top sides like “king crab truffle gnocchi”, “Gorgonzola mac & cheese” and “lobster mashers.”

Oh, but it is about 50-60% of the price. Our per person tab, including tax and tip, was $85! Mastros could be twice that.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

The back of our required club T-shirt

 

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food
Tagged as: blind tasting, Caesar salad, Dirty Dozen, hedonists, Koreatown, Los Angeles, Steak, steakhouse, Strip steak, Wine

Factory Kitchen – Fabulous

Aug18

Restaurant: Factory Kitchen [1, 2]

Location: 1300 Factory Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90013. (213) 996-6000

Date: August 12, 2014

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Wow! Best Italian in LA?

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My friend Liz organized this amazing dinner. Chef Angelo Auriana was the lead chef at Valentino from the mid 80s until 2003, and particularly in the 90s there really was no better Italian in LA. After a stint up in Northern California he is back with a new more casual place Downtown. Liz, as usual, really worked to fine tune the food and wine together for this amazing meal.


1995 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. IWC 95. Light yellow. Rich and powerful, with leesy pear and white truffle aromas accented by gentle notes of white pepper and cinnamon. Extremely powerful Krug, with rich orchard fruit flavors, a velvety texture and warm, rich, inviting notes of brioche and creme brulee Finishes with intense pear and peach flavors and lingering notes of smoke, iodine and toffee. One of the most concentrated Champagnes I tried this year.

agavin: very fresh


focaccina calda di recco al formaggio. funghi, crescenza, foraged mushrooms, ligurian olive oil, parsley and, added specially for us, tons of black truffle!

agavin: some serious “pizza” goodness!


1983 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. JK 93. (Cristal) which was very fresh and delicate, light on its feet with a lot of seltzer, citrus peel, minerals and a pungent kick. Fresh, very smooth, elegant, but not what I remember when I had it recently out of magnum, the 1983 Cristal was lighter out of bottle but still had some extra acidity.

agavin: pretty oxidized


Seared albacore, with a bit of pepper and olive oil.


1989 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut Collection. 96 points. One of those wines you taste and think, “Man, I am so lucky.” Intriguing apricot-honey color. Smells waxy and honeyed, with orange marmalade, clover honey, dried flowers, bruised apples. The palate loaded with gobs of apricot, brandied pear and blood orange. Crisp acid keeps it lean and balanced, and the aged notes of mixed nuts, rose tea, truffle oil and dried mushrooms. Throughout, this wine maintains an oceanic aura, with seashells and mineral water. So complex, this wine’s finish is obscenely long. One of the most intellectually stimulating Champagnes I’ve ever had.

agavin: one of the best champagnes I’ve had. Tastes like a great white burg.


Chickpea fries with fried vegetables.

agavin: soft, light, delicious fry.


pancotto. duck egg, red potato vellutata, sautéed greens, semolina bread crostone, speck.

agavin: when you get all the elements together really a fabulous breakfasty bite.


2010 Domaine Patrick Baudouin Anjou Les Saulaies. 90 points. Gazoline, honey, woodboard. Mouth very straight, linear, mineral, with big bitterness. Light new oak at the end. Discret aromas of limetree, and verveina.

agavin: by itself, this is an odd wine. Good, but strong and unusual for a white. But Liz carefully paired it with the pesto below and together they were amazing!


mandilli di seta. handkerchief pasta, ligurian almond basil pesto.

agavin: I can not say enough good things about this pasta. The texture was amazing. It’s soft and all folded over. The pesto is hyperblended to a very fine texture as well, and it tastes so Ligurian. Here you can see some “genuine” examples, and this one tonight was as good as any I’ve ever had in Liguria (I’ve spent about a week there). The chef can’t get the right pine-nuts so he uses blanched almonds instead. It works.


2010 Chêne Bleu Aliot. 90 points. 65% roussanne 30% Grenache blanc and 5% marsanne. Fresh white peach, honey, spicy and limestone. Distinctive cool climate impression. Very nice wine that will well complement seafood dishes.

agavin: served blind, I guessed it was a young roussanne. Also punchy by themselves, but Liz has a method to her madness.


She really wanted some Botarga. It’s not usually on the menu, but the chef dug up some genuine Sardinian tuna roe and made:


Botarga pasta. First of all, the texture on these big pasta rolls was incredible, with a nice bite. Then it had that pure fishy botarga flavor, but without anything off putting. Then, somehow the wine worked it all out into a special kind of magic.


1995 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes. Burghound 91. An almost syrah-like nose that stops just short of being overripe with dense and intense black fruit plus an odd herbaceous burnt orange peel aroma. The flavors are remarkably supple yet offer good density and richness with finishing tannins that are both firm and prominent. This is quite long and overall, the wine is bold and impressive but not my particular style as it lacks a bit of nuance and grace and the tannins are almost rustic.

agavin: young. This got better and better in the glass, but could have used hours!


1993 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Romanée St. Vivant. Burghound 93. Sweet, elegant, pure and extremely sexy, spicy black fruit aromas that are now displaying relatively strong secondary development as well as a background hint of oak introduce round, delicious, textured, intense and deep flavors underpinned by silky tannins and outstanding length. This is a somewhat atypical ’93 as it’s really quite forward and not at all backward. For my taste, this could be drunk now with pleasure and there is little if any additional upside to be had. Simply beautiful juice. Consistent notes save for one bottle that seemed to lack the same purity of the prior bottles, particularly on the nose.

agavin: drinking amazing right now. Huge Vosne-Romanee nose, lots of RSV spice.


casonzei – veal, pork, sausage filled pasta, cured pork, butter, pancetta.

agavin: This also is a stunningly authentic pasta. It normally comes with a butter and sage sauce, but Liz (correctly) thought the sage wouldn’t work with the Burgundy and switched it out for sweat pancetta. There is a wonderful rice quality to the handmade pasta and the butter / parm sauce. You get pasta like this in the North, near Mantua and Verona. Sweet and buttery at the same time. Wonderful.


1990 Domaine Bartet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques. Burhound 91. Somewhat surprisingly, even in the smaller format bottle this remains relatively fresh and while there are obvious secondary aromas present, there is no sous bois to the complex and earthy nose. The delineated, ripe and still solidly intense flavors deliver plenty of richness and a lovely mineral quality on the long and sappy backend. In sum, this is beautiful juice that is drinking perfectly now.

agavin: This is really Bruno Clair’s wine. Delicious.


1993 Louis Jadot Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. Burghound 92. In stark contrast to the Chambertin, this is wonderfully expressive and complex with abundant earth and spice notes followed by big, structured, still sappy if slightly austere flavors that offer excellent density and plenty of character. Impressively scaled and finishes with striking length. A clear step up from the Chambertin.

agavin: I love Jadot Beze, and 1993 is a great year, but this was drinking a little oddly tonight. Still enjoyable though.


1964 Thorin Chambolle-Musigny. 93 points. It’s just straight up amazing that a 50 year old village wine is drinking at all, but this beauty also offered a lot of fruit and just a lovely old burg experience.


quaglia – pan roasted California semi boneless quail, polenta, guanciale, witch finger grape.

agavin: Probably the best quail I can remember. Cooked a little medium rare with a lovely reduction.


1961 Franco Fiorina Barolo. 92 points. Tea color with rose petal aromas. Subtle overall flavors with faint red fruit and lots of earth. Very classic with moderate intensity.

agavin: nothing over the hill about this!


costata di bovino – prime beef rib chop, roasted bone marrow, onion~nebbiolo sauce.

agavin: certainly works with barolo!


Our chef, Angelo Auriana, who spent half the diner chatting with us.


From my cellar: 1989 Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Granbussia. Parker 97. Conterno’s 1989 Barolo Riserva Granbussia is darker in color and fresher than the 1990. Sweet mentholated, balsamic aromatics meld gracefully into an expressive, layered core of dark fruit. The 1989 is a big, expansive Granbussia that takes time to reveal its qualities in full, but it is a remarkable wine for the integrity of its fruit, the finesse of its tannins and its sumptuous overall balance. It remains a benchmark wine for Conterno and the appellation. Curiously, two bottles I tasted at the estate were more forward than several I have had in the US recently. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2024.

agavin: a staggeringly rich Barolo, if sill young. Deep grapey qualities and all that Barolo tar and roses.


Beef. I don’t remember which cut exactly, but just straight up and delicious.


1990 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume. 93 points. While the palate of the baumard was fantstic with its nectarine/orange driven notes, there was that telltale Loire desert quality to the nose, that stemmy/wooly nature you get in Huet as well. I think this lends it unique character and an ability to pair with a wider array of foods/cheeses, but some find it offputting. The wine though, drinks phenomenal and will only continue to get better.


cannoli – ricotta filling, pistachios, orange marmalade.

agavin: Liz claims this is the best cannoli she’s had. I’ll go so far to say it’s the best I’ve had in LA. And it was REALLY good with perfect crunch, soft ricotta, citrus. But it didn’t have that cinnamon / nutmeg bit I love, or the candied citrus quality you’ll often find in Sicily. Still, very very good. These ones from the Philadelphia Italian market are also fabulous if you can’t make it to Sicily.


2001 Müller-Catoir Gimmeldinger Schlössel Rieslaner Beerenauslese. IWC 92. Apricot and persimmon, sage and mint in the nose. On the palate this has a very smoky cast, with forceful pungency and some of the same icy heat as the corresponding Auslese. Plum paste, citrus marmalade and almond paste. Scheurebe-like mintiness and smoky, salty residues cling to the fruit in the finish.

agavin: I really loved this sticky


crostata – black mission figs, almond cream, mascarpone mousse, honey amaretto.

agavin: This was amazing, and it’s not even my kind of dessert. The sugary / flakey quality of the tart was perfect — and the cream!

All in all, an absolutely amazing meal. Every dish was amazing, and this is hands down the best, most authentically Italian, pasta I’ve had in LA — and I’m a pasta fiend. Many of the pasta dishes were better than the standard in Italy and as good as some of the best I’ve had there. And I’ve had a lot. Our wines were phenomenal too, and the pairings perfect as Liz is a nut about this. Really, it shows how both can elevate each other if properly orchestrated.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Angelo Auriana, Champagne, Champagne Krug, Factory Kitchen, Los Angeles, Sage Society

Amazing Akbar

Aug15

Restaurant: Akbar [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 3115 W Washington Blvd, Marina del Rey, CA 90292. (310) 574-0666

Date: August 11, 2014

Cuisine: Indian

Rating: Bold and balanced flavors

ANY CHARACTER HERE

It’s time for my Hedonist group to return to LA’s best Indian restaurant, Akbar (Marina Del Rey branch). Too many Indian places focus on low cost buffets of very over cooked food, but Akbar cooks everything to order — even baking their own Naan when you place the order. They are more focused on the cuisine of the Punjab (Northern India), with very good curries and kormas. You can get anything from extremely mild to blow the top of your head off. Once I had the “pepper lamb” on 5 (max heat) and my scalp sweat for hours.

Because my beloved Santa Monica branch has closed 🙁 we went to the original Marina Del Rey location. The food is just as good, but it’s a tad further (for me).


Chef Avi commands the kitchen.

The Menu can be found here, although the chef designed our feast directly.


2007 Bellavista Franciacorta Gran Cuvée Brut Rosé. 89 points. A light fruity champagne style wine from North Italy.


The chutney’s and pickles. The green one is mint, the yellow-ish coconut, the one with corn spicy-pickled vegetables (yum! and oh, so gut burning) and the back corner a tangy one.


2008 Williams Selyem Blanc de Noir Drake Estate Vineyard. 91 points. Clear with white tiny bubbles. Tight lime and flowers on the nose. Secondary tangerine and yeast. Lite body and hyper-focused on the palate. Devine, bright citrus fruit. Superb yeast integration…soft textures without the cloying baked notes. Loads of floral action on the back. Super structured. Long finish.


Chicken Kati Roll. Roti stuffed with highly spiced diced chicken, onions, and tomatoes. I love this dish, which contains a contrast between the tangy spiced meat and the sweet mango sauce.


Vina Somoza Godello Neno Godello Sobre Lias. Very interesting spanish white.


2012 Wolfgang Puck Chardonnay Master Lot Reserve. Didn’t try. I’m a white Burg whore.


Buffalo seekh kabab. Tender and lean.


2012 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Trocken. Nice dry riesling.


2006 Dönnhoff Schloßböckelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Felsentürmchen Spätlese. 92 points. Lovely mineral, tart grapefruit, petrol nose; tasty, ripe lime, green fruit, mineral palate; medium finish.


Shrimp Pakora. Like coconut shrimp — but not quite.


2004 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Ferrington Vineyard. Burghound 89. Noticeable but not dominant wood frames ripe cherry and black raspberry aromas that introduce sweet, round and slightly sweet flavors that finish with moderate acid bite. I suspect that this will come around and harmonize with a year or so in bottle and as such, my score offers the benefit of the doubt.

agavin: too much oak!


Tandoori grilled fresh Banzino. Inside, the fish was “stuffed” with some curry. Lots of flavor and very moist!


2008 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir Pierre Léon. Burghound 91. A perfumed and spicy nose of black cherry and plum marries seamlessly into rich, focused and attractively supple flavors that possess both good detail and solid mid-palate concentration, all wrapped in a firm and built to age finish. This balanced effort still displays a bit of wood on the finish but the concentration is such that it should eventually absorb all of the oak. Also worth considering as this is lovely.


“Good old” Chicken Tikka. Tender morsels of chicken.


From my cellar: 1998 M. Chapoutier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Barbe Rac. Parker 94-6. Chapoutier’s 1998 Barbe Rac is close to full maturity. It exhibits an abundance of Provencal herbs intermixed with new saddle leather, kirsch, framboise, and spice box. The intoxicatingly heady, complex aromatics are followed by a full-bodied, lush, succulent style of wine with a relatively high alcohol/glycerin content and loads of fruit. This wine is drinking terrifically well after going through an awkward stage about two to three years ago.


1998 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape. Parker 92-95. That may explain the open-knit, complex notes of tree bark, black cherries, licorice, seaweed, pepper, and floral notes in the 1998 Beaucastel. The wine is medium to full-bodied, has nice, sweet tannins, and is surprisingly open and approachable. This wine has reached the beginning of its plateau of maturity, where it should last for at least a decade or more.


Lamb on the grill.


Tandoori Lamb Chops. Really flavorful.


Mango Chutney.


Some of the curries in pre-heated form.

And a bunch of them being worked up.


1996 Smith-Haut-Lafitte. Parker 90. The 1996 Smith-Haut-Lafitte is the quintessentially elegant Bordeaux. With a dark ruby/purple color, it displays a beautiful presentation of blackberry and cassis fruit nicely dosed with subtle new oak. On the attack, the wine is sweet and pure, with striking symmetry, and a compellingly balanced mid-palate and finish. Although not as big as some blockbusters from this vintage, it is extremely complex (both aromatically and flavor-wise), and impressive for its restraint, subtlety, and impeccable balance.

agavin: too structured right now


Chana Masala. Chick peas.


1995 Sociando-Mallet. Parker 90. This accessible, yet tannic example of Sociando-Mallet possesses a deep ruby/purple color, and excellent aromatics consisting of jammy black cherries, blackberries, and cassis, as well as subtle notes of minerals, earth, and new oak. This is a deep, long, muscular, tannic wine that is structurally similar to the 1996. Patience will be required from purchasers of this high class wine.

agavin: since I’m used to drinking the likes of 89 Lynch and 85 Margaux, this third rate Bordeauxs are just so-so to my palette.


Saag Paneer. Farm cheese with spinach.


2003 Turley Wine Cellars Petite Syrah Estate. Parker 91-93. The 2003 Petite Syrah Turley Estate (200 cases; 14.2% alcohol) is a soft, civilized Petite Syrah, a varietal known for producing massive, backward, almost brutally concentrated and tannic wines that need at least a decade to become drinkable. This 2003 is a surprisingly elegant, opulent example with wonderful concentration in addition to atypical accessibility.

agavin: pretty decent actually


Prepping the giant venison kofta with curry.


Venison kofta curry. Tamarind, tomato, onion flavored. Really delicious.


2000 Joseph Phelps Insignia Proprietary Red Wine. Parker 90. The 2000 is a mid-weight, elegant effort with lots of black currant, violet, earth and forest floor characteristics. Medium-bodied with excellent ripeness and sweet tannins, it is one of the more successful wines I have tasted from this vintage. The wine is close to full maturity and should keep for another 10-12 years.


Chicken Tikka Masala. The best I’ve ever had. Deliciously rich and flavorful.


2002 D’Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz. Parker 93. After re-tasting the 2002 The Dead Arm Shiraz, I believe my initial rating is correct. It still plays it close to the vest, exhibiting loads of cassis, asphalt, smoke, and barbecue spice-like aromas along with full-bodied flavors. While well-made and impressive, it remains backward and restrained, and does not appear to be up to the quality of either the 2003 or the great 2001.

agavin: not bad with the spice


Coco lamb. This is one of my favorite lamb curries. It’s very rich and usually quite hot.


2007 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain. Parker 97. The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is unlike any wine I have ever tasted from Dunn. Layer after layer of flavor saturates the palate in this opulent, full-throttle Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2007 possesses dazzling textural richness, depth and sheer intensity. Purists may prefer more structured vintages, but for a producer known for such slow maturing wines, the 2007 is a huge pleasure to taste today. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2037.

agavin: pretty good, despite being crazy young. Actually more than pretty good.


Dal aka lentils. Beware the consequences!


2006 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Russian River Valley. Burghound 87. A high-toned raspberry and cranberry fruit nose that also displays subtle spice and menthol hints introduces round, supple and easy to like flavors up until the finish that is overtly warm if attractively sappy. Be sure to keep this cool because the warmth really comes up if the temperature rises even slightly.


Mushroom Pillau.


1998 Chateau Saint Jean Cinq Cepages Proprietary Red Wine. Parker 89-91. Made in a light style, the medium-bodied 1998 Cinq Cepages (75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 6% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit-Verdot) exhibits a sweet nose of toast, earth, cedar, licorice, black cherries, and chocolate. There is excellent concentration, but because of the vintage conditions, this wine does not possess much volume, breadth of flavor, or intensity. Drink it during its first 10-12 years of life.


Freshly made naan.


1993 Yalumba Sémillon Botrytis Family Reserve. Pretty good sticky.


Galub Jamun. Fried cheese balls in syrup. When I was younger I thought these were basically donut balls, as that’s what they taste like. It’s also worth mentioning that we named a character in Way of the Warrior after this dessert.


2003 La Tour Blanche. Parker 92-96. Ex-chateau bottle tasted blind in Sauternes. The La Tour Blanche ‘03 offers yellow flowers, melted candle wax and honey on the nose with Muscat-like aromas developing in the glass. The palate is well-balanced on the entry with lemon curd and honey notes, though it needs just a little more acidity to give it tension and freshness. The finish is quite linear, springs no surprises, and just drifts a little when you seek more tautness and race. Still, this is a pleasurable, if not profound La Tour Blanche.

agavin: loved it


Rice pudding. I love rice pudding, but I like a particular consistency (relatively thick). For whatever reason, tonight’s rice pudding was more to my taste than the Santa Monica locations. Quite nice and refreshing in fact.


The chaos!

Akbar has long been my favorite LA Indian, and this meal was probably my best yet there. The balance of items was great — and very plentiful — and the flavors incredibly bright and spot on. The brothers Kapoor (below) are also wonderful hosts. All in all an exceedingly fun evening.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. All Things Akbar
  2. Ultimate Akbar
  3. Akbar – Curry not so Hurry
  4. Big Bottle Madness at Kali Dining
  5. Chili Crab Craze – Starry Kitchen
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Akbar, hedonists, Indian cuisine, Kapoor, Los Angeles, Marina del Rey, Marina del Rey California, Naan

Chili Crab Craze – Starry Kitchen

Aug04

Restaurant: Starry Kitchen

Location: 943 N Broadway, Los Angeles, Ca, 90012. 213-814-1123

Date: July 31, 2014

Cuisine: Singaporean

Rating: Great fun

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Tonight the Hedonists take over Starry Kitchen, a strange sort of vaguely Singaporean / Pan Asian pop up that has gained notoriety in recent years. This was one of these zoo style events with 25 people, a giant table, and around 30+ wines! I don’t think I even photographed them all as it was too chaotic. I have tried to organize them into coherent flights below, but it was anything but at the actual event. Just a free for all. However, there was so much wine that it wasn’t a problem getting any particular bottle. Most took a while to run out. Plus this sort of cuisine goes best (really only) with whites, particularly slightly sweet ones (like Riesling). But this never stops the fans of giant reds — they drink them regardless. Cava. 2002 Delamotte Champagne Blanc de Blancs Millésimé. Burghound 91. A relatively high-toned nose of green apple, baker’s yeast, floral and citrus peel hints precedes the distinctly effervescent, even slightly foamy flavors that possess good depth on the bone dry finish. This is clearly still on its way up as the focused finish is still compact and while this is certainly refreshing and there is enough depth present to make for an interesting drink, it will be better in due course. In sum, there is good development potential and will especially please those who prefer very dry vintage Champagne. 1998 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Millésimé. IWC 91. Light gold color. Intensely smoky on the nose, with rich nutty and floral aromas of molasses cookie and gingerbread along with a wild fresh herb quality and a whiff of blood orange. The spicy character repeats on the palate, which shows ripe citrus, mineral and apple flavors. Finishes complex and long, with excellent concentration and impressive focus. Tofu balls with puffed rice and sriracha aioli. Interesting outer crunch with inner softness. I’ve no idea what the green is about. 2011 Arkenstone Sauvignon Blanc. 93 points web. 1998 E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane. IWC 92. Spicy aromas of peach syrup, citrus skin and menthol. Rich, sweet and lush, with superb depth of flavor and extract. Seems both livelier and more structured than the normale, not to mention longer on the back end. Lots of gras here. agavin: grapefruit peel! 2006 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese. 96 points. Peach and pineapple with grapefruit and slate. Plenty of ripeness as opposite to outright sweetness on the palate and it retains a feeling of being light on its feet. There is also a sweet and sour element going on which I liked. At a stage in between youth and having development but still enjoyable now. 2003 Joh. Jos. Prüm Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese. 92 points. There was definitely spritz present, and lots of it. The nose was not giving much. My husband smelled petroleum right away. I thought the nose was strange, but agreed with him that it was petroleum. Then, very slight aromas of honey, peaches, baked dough, and floral came through underneath. On the palate, the wine was rather sweet with taste of honey & fruits. Rather one dimensional, lacks in complexity. Medium finish. This wine is made to pair with food IMHO. I find it more pleasurable to drink this wine with food than without because of the sweetness, and it especially pairs great with spicy dishes. 2002 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese. IWC 90. Smoke and brown spice notes on the nose, mingled with strawberry jam. Delicate and airy in the mouth, yet superbly rich in spice and inner-mouth florality. Salty, spicy and not particularly sweet in its long, wafting finish. 1996 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain. 91 points. Golden color. Exotic fruit aromas. Velvety texture. Fullbodied and big. Some residual sugar. A lovely, balanced and well drinking wine. Shrimp and pork chili oil wonton. Shredded potatoes. Spicy, and clearly a variant of the schezuan “numb taste wonton.” Not nearly as hot though. 2010 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. Burghound 93. A wonderfully elegant and highly expressive nose consists of white flower, oyster shell and iodine aromas that are very much in keeping with the powerful yet refined broad-scaled flavors that possess both excellent volume and concentration, all wrapped in an explosive and gorgeously long finish. The combination of punch and civility is most beguiling. 2002 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. Burghound 93. It’s interesting but this is much more feminine and rounder in style than the Le Charlemagne with its distinctly masculine character. This is not as powerful but it’s more elegant with precise, delineated and pure flavors that also enjoy ample amounts of dry extract and awe-inspiring length. agavin: A little premoxed, but drinking nicely. 2012 Gilbert Picq Chablis 1er Cru Vosgros. Burghound 90-92. A beautifully well-layered nose features notes of mineral reduction, green fruit and ocean breeze nuances. There is impressive scale to the concentrated and powerful medium weight flavors that are both intense saline and mineral-inflected on the mouth coating and lingering finish. As is usually the case this is less refined than the Vaucoupin but there’s better underlying material. agavin: drinking really flat right now 2009 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon. Burghound 91. This is notably riper than the Blagny and the nose plays right on the edge of a certain exoticism as the mostly yellow orchard fruit aromas hint at the presence of mango and papaya. The very rich, round and mouth coating flavors exude plenty of dry extract that buffers the moderately firm acid spine on the lightly mineral-driven and persistent finish. Overall this is really quite pretty and about the only nit is the presence of the barest hint of finishing bitterness that my score assumes will dissipate with a few years of bottle age. agavin: drinking great. Some reduction (which I like). Chinese mustard greens with pancetta. As good as greens get — because bacon makes everything better. 2000 Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Centenaire. 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. Drink this irresistible effort now and over the next 12-15 years. 2008 François Villard St. Joseph Reflet. 90 points. Fantastic nose. Big pepper with lots of violets and herbs. Lovely balanced even palate. Perfect finishing tannin. Lengthy. Just a terrific wine all around. Pork belly fried rice. Really, how could you go wrong with this? From my cellar: 1993 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Echezeaux. Burghound 91. Black spicy fruit trimmed by a deft touch of oak leads to substantially scaled, rich, intense flavors of impressive depth and the elegant breed of a fine Echézeaux is obvious, especially on the exceptionally long finish. I very much like this as it’s both beautifully balanced and offers solid concentration and cellar potential. agavin: tasted much better than the nose. Maybe a tiny bit of brett, but drinking well. 2002 Kistler Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. 89 points. Drinking decently. Muted cherry and strawberry, slight bricking. 2011 La Bastide Blanche Bandol. 85 points. Dark red color. Tobacco, dirt, black cherry, meat on nose. On palate, full body but nice acidity provides balance. Cherry, sour cherry, garrigue on palate. Medium+ finish. Malaysian chicken curry. A very nice medium hot curry. Chicken fell right off the bone. And it went great on top of the fried rice. 2007 Domaine Grand Veneur Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes. Parker 98+. The newest special cuvee (introduced in 2006) is the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes (50% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre, and 10% Syrah). Made from 50- to 100+-year-old vines and aged 18 months in small oak barrels, it is potentially one of the longest lived wines of the vintage. This exquisite, dense purple-colored effort reveals intense but restrained notes of cassis, kirsch, lavender, licorice, and graphite. A wine of great intensity as well as remarkable finesse and elegance, is a full-bodied Chateauneuf that will require plenty of patience. Give it 3-4 years of bottle age, and drink it over the following 25-30. 2009 Bibi Graetz Testamatta. Parker 90. The 2009 Testamatta possesses remarkable depth and power along with tons of textural elegance. There is plenty of Sangiovese character in the dusty red cherries, flowers, licorice and tobacco. The wine’s color and forward bouquet suggest it is on a relatively fast path of evolution. Saffron fish wraps. In there is a interesting mixture of pickles, saffron coated fish, onions, and white rice noodles. Here is the wrap stuff. And the final product. 2010 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Vino da Tavola. Parker 97+. Now to a superstar of Italian enology: The 2010 Flaccianello della Pieve will take your breath away. This is a seriously beautiful Sangiovese-based wine with the kind of intensity and aromatic purity you only experience every 1,000 wines or so. There’s a lot to say here. First, the wine’s beautiful appearance shows dark garnet colors with highlights of ruby and purple gemstone. The bouquet delivers a steady and seductive evolution with dark cherry, chocolate, spice, tobacco and sweet almond all seamlessly balanced one against the other. Its texture and inner fabric is rich, velvety and firm. There’s a brilliant spot of acidity that hits you at the back of the mouth and helps the wine from feeling too heavy or dense. In fact, outstanding elegance is what ultimately sets it apart. The temptation to drink it now is huge, but those still young tannins definitely need a few more years to unwind. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035. Rice, egg, ground hamburger. Mixed up, it actually has a burger like vibe because of the meat and the pickles. But very tasty. 2006 Gemstone Proprietary Red Wine. Parker 93. The superb 2006 Gemstone Proprietary Red  (an 890-case blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot) is from the cooler Oakville / Yountville sector of Napa. It exhibits a dense ruby/purple color as well as a beautiful bouquet of subtle new oak interwoven with black currants, smoke, licorice, and a hint of spring flowers. The wine is full-bodied, with excellent density, admirable balance, and fine purity, a hallmark of this estate. It should drink nicely for two decades. Pork belly clay pot. 2002 Pax Syrah Lauterbach Hill. IWC 92. Saturated ruby. Cooler, high-pitched aromas of black raspberry, blackberry, cassis and mint. Juicy and lively; less lush than the Vine Hill bottling as the wine is more dominated by its firm tannic spine (this was vinified with a high percentage of whole clusters.) Densely packed but tightly wound, with lively notes of licorice and minerals. Whereas most of the Pax 2002s offer considerable immediate appeal, this wine really needs two or three years of cellaring. Garlic noodles. And we really do mean GARLIC. There could not have been more garlic flavor. 2008 Cayuse Grenache God Only Knows Armada Vineyard. Parker 94. Baron’s 2008 Grenache Armada Vineyard God Only Knows displays delectable scents and luscious palate presence of lightly-cooked strawberry and plum laced with nut oils and shadowed by plum and herb distillates. Seamlessly polished, almost velvety and glycerol-rich as well as sweetly ripe, this, nonetheless, projects a torrent of primary fruit juiciness along with levity and energy. Saliva-inducing salinity along with piquant fruit pit, and iodine accents add riveting counterpoint to a finish of prodigious length that manages to simultaneously sooth and stimulate. I would expect this to reward attention for at least another decade. 1993 Opus One Proprietary Red Wine. parker 93. Deep garnet-brick colour. Fragrant aromas of dried cranberries, prunes, cinnamon and cumin giving way to subtler earthy notes of leather and tar. A lot of discernable fruit remains on the palate framed by crisp acidity and a medium level of grainy tannins. Very long, layered finish. Drink now to 2018. Tasted April 2009. And the main event: Chili crab. The crab is drowned in the chili sauce, which has much of the meat. Those balls are fried bread puffs. They each weigh about 1/3 of a pound (not kidding). Heavy stuff but perfect for dipping. I haven’t had Chili Crab too many times, but this was very close to what I had in Singapore. The crab itself was much smaller here (there we had these huge Sri Lankan crabs). Also amazing on the fried rice (not the most attractive, but tastes great). 2009 Rieussec. Parker 97. The team at Chateau Rieussec have conjured a stellar wine in 2009. There is a little reduction at first that fortunately blows away, revealing thickly layered scents of honey, Danish pastry and quince that appear to gain vigor with every passing sip. The palate is stunning: very viscous in the mouth with tangy grapefruit, honey and white peach. It is still primal, but the acidity is perfectly judged and there is a life-affirming sense of precision and tension towards the finish. Exceptional. Drink now-2045. Churros. A bit oily, and again, mysteriously green. Another awesome evening. Good food, if a little eclectic, and a zoo of enjoyable (if not entirely food friendly) wines. But just great company and hence a whole lot of fun.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Picking at the crab

Rarrrr!

Related posts:

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By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Champagne, Chili Crab, crab, hedonists, Los Angeles, Riesling, Spätlese, Starry Kitchen, Wine

Eight Legs at Il Grano

Jul04

Restaurant: Il Grano [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

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

Date: June 16, 2014

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Modern Italian to die for

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After my stellar birthday meal at Il Grano, and with the closing of Drago, Il Grano has become one of my favorite westside Italians. You can tell by the number of reviews (up to 8!) I also frequently bring out of town guests here, like tonight.


The sleek interior space.

We didn’t order off the menu but instead asked Chef Sal Marino to make us a 9 course tasting menu. He through in a couple of bonuses!


From my cellar: 1990 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 93. A truly wonderful nose of simply knockout complexity features notes of yeast and baked bread along with now fully mature aromas of a variety of floral notes and spice hints that gives way to mineral-suffused, round, intense and detailed medium full flavors that also offer outstanding depth on the sappy and mouth coating finish. This is drinking perfectly now and I wouldn’t hesitate to open one anytime as there is no further upside to be had. A beautiful effort of real style and grace.


Spoons of Tuna Tartar  as an amuse.


Crudo. Chef Sal Marino is famous for his crudo. From left to right: big eye tuna/toro, yellowtail, snapper, Hokkaido scallop with cherry, and octopus.


Arugula and porcini salad. With parmesan.


Arugula, endive, and salmon salad.


Burrata and grilled peach. A lovely summer combination.


Pizza Del Re. white truffle crema, fontina, shaved white truffle. Yum!


Beef tartar with olive oil and caper. I love beef tartar. This one was good, but perhaps a bit too much of the caper.


From my cellar: 1995 Elia Pasquero Barbaresco Sori Paitin. Parker 90. A terrific 1995, this complex, fully mature, multidimensional Barbaresco is a beautiful wine. The color is deep ruby with some lightening at the edge. The knock-out nose consists of cherry liqueur intertwined with aromas of tobacco, wood fire, dried herbs, and roasted meat. Deep and lush, with no hard edges, a plump, succulent texture, medium to full body, and layers of glycerin and sweet, jammy fruit, this hedonistic, seductive Barbaresco.


There were two large parties tonight, one of Japanese gentlemen diving through a 21 course tasting menu. One was this giant stewed octopus done Southern Italian style. This big boy was cooked for a long time.


Here the chef is snipping off bits.


Octopus. My slice of tentacle. It was chewy, but fully of great flavor.


Lobster risotto. I love a good risotto and this definitely qualified!


Cheese  ravioli. Not your everyday version, but a lovely homemade variant.


Spaghetti funghi. Mousserons, chanterelle mushrooms, mushroom stock. A very smokey flavor.


Spaghetti Octopoda. The octopus juice and bits were used to make a delicious briny pasta.


Wild salmon with pea puree, kale, and asparagus. Very soft and delicate.


Halibut crusted with squid ink with farmer’s market cauliflower.


Anatra. duck breast, caramelized maui onions, greens, pomegranate reduction, candied fig.


Apricot crumble. Warm, soft, and very apricot. Delicious.

If you like higher end Italian cooking (and who doesn’t?) you should absolutely rush over here. Make sure you get a tasting menu. I don’t think appetizer and entree selected off the regular menu would do the place the justice it deserves. I’m sure the dishes would be great, but this cuisine is about more than just two notes. I’m not sure why Il Grano isn’t always mobbed, as folks flock to overpriced mid-quality trattorias. I guess people are just clueless.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or experience my gluttonous month-long journey through Northern Italy.

Sal treats his tomatoes like family

The wine list is top notch, with a real depth in Burgundy

Related posts:

  1. Il Grano part 2
  2. Tomato Night at Il Grano
  3. Il Grano – Only 19 courses?
  4. Il Grano Birthday
  5. Il Grano – Buon Anno
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Barbaresco, Burgundy, Burrata, Crudo, Il Grano, italian, Italian cuisine, Los Angeles, Sal Marino, Truffle

Third Republique

Jul01

Restaurant: Republique [1, 2, 3]

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

Date: May 13, 2014

Cuisine: Modern Bistro French

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

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Republique is certainly one of LA’s most anticipated recent openings. Taking over the gorgeous old Campanile space, this replacement is helmed by Walter Manzke and Margarita Manzke (of Church & State and Milo & Olive). As you’ll see, while the core cuisine marries Brasserie with neo-tapas, this is a place that draws intensely on the current (2013-14) trends. LA Zeitgeist for sure.

On this particular night, I  was invited again by Liz Lee of The Sage Society. She’s a friend of mine, wine dealer, and overall awesome foodie. She sure organizes an amazing evening. This one was mostly top flight Burgundy, and 13-14 bottles for 7 people! (Good thing I never drive to wine dinners)


The building is an interesting fusion of pre-war factory…


The main interior is nearly church-like. It’s been all opened up and looks great, but it’s big, tall, and covered in hard surfaces. That means loud!


The bar is packed and setup with all those fancy little fixings that are the hallmark of the fancy mixologist style of expensive yummy weak drink making. Being a wine guy, I don’t much care.


Along with the hard (read loud) surfaces, open kitchen, mixologist and the like, our obligatory aged wood communal tables are graced with this paper menu.


As we sit we are offered some yummy bread sticks (a.k.a. grissini). The bakery here is clearly first rate, although there was nowhere to really put them and half of mine ended up tumbling to the floor.


Our Sommelier for evening, Taylor Parsons. Unlike my mostly more chaotic Hedonist Dinners, he opened and poured the wine properly in flights, and even ordered up food to match.


NV Pierre Gerbais Champagne L’Originale. 90 points. Pinot Blanc, single vineyard planted 1904. Lovely purity, floral note of camomile, some mineral notes, freshly cut fennel and dill Strong mineral notes and back bone, floral, fennel, clay, pear, yellow plums with long finish.


Mixed oysters on the half-shell.


Asparagus and pepper tempura.

Warm Baguette with Normandy Butter. A completely first rate piece of bread. Utterly classic and unadorned. The taste reminds one of France.


w

Chips & Dip. Scottish king salmon tartare, cucumber, mint, yogurt, crispy pork rinds.


For vegetarians there were potato crisps.


And the tastier chicarones.



2009 Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve. 88 points. No formal note. This had a reasonably complex, smoky peach nose, with a hint of orange rind, was full bodied and plump on the palate, reasonably attractive stone fruit with creamy notes and low acidity. Paired fabulously with the pasta below.


English pea Agnolotti. Fresh blanched peas. Really a great pasta.


1996 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur. Burghound 91. Moderate but still very fresh secondary notes that reflect nuances of bee’s wax and the first hints of sous bois lead to intense, vibrant and mineral-driven flavors infused with ample citrus, all wrapped by a firm, edgy and pure finish. While this has plenty of legs left, it has arrived at its peak though as noted, it should be capable of holding for another two decades. From another bottle affected by a touch of premature oxidation – The color is a more advanced gold than I expected and certainly more so than the bottle of ’96 Blanchots tasted a few days earlier. The nose reveals a trace of oxidation and while it’s by no means enough to kill the enjoyment of the wine, it does detract as well as give one pause as to how this will evolve over the next few years. The flavors are classic Valmur with its incredibly precise and mineral-laden, moderately austere flavors and laser-like focus. As is the case with so many ’96s, the nose is out in front of the structure and while I certainly liked this wine, it’s not clear that this is going to reward further cellaring.


Live Santa Barbara Spot Prawns. Romanesco cauliflower, brown butter, lemon capers, almonds.


1990 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 93. This is one of those whites from the ’90 vintage that is trapped in a time capsule as it remains unusually youthful for a 20 year old wine even if no longer young as the nose displays the first hints of sous bois along with dried flower and citrus aromas. The delicious and highly mineral-infused middle weight flavors are racy, intense and beautifully delineated before culminating in a lingering and pure finish. This is in extraordinary condition if well-stored and should continue to drink well for years to come. In a word, impressive.


Hamachi Crudo. Pineapple, fresno chili, cilantro.


From my cellar: 1996 Maison Leroy Meursault 1er Cru. Burghound 92. This is still very fresh with only the initial hints of development to the airy white flower and hazelnut aromas that give way to rich, pure and gorgeously precise flavors that culminate in a mineral-infused and impressively linear finish that lasts in the mouth for several minutes. A stunner of wine that is still improving.

agavin: I was disappointed, nothing too obvious wrong with it, just too closed and reserved.


From my cellar: 1996 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Montrachet. Burghound 96. Classic white burg aromas of immense breadwith and depth with white flower notes, minerals and knockout complexity. This is a big, rich yet delineated wine that has near perfect balance. In short, this is flat out superb with an intensity, complexity, depth and stony minerality that is something special to behold. The length lasts for minutes and for my taste, this has finally arrived at its full maturity though there is certainly no rush to drink up as it should maintain this level for years. Consistent notes.

agavin: sadly, and I cry as I write this, the wine was heavily premoxed (oxidized) and not really drinkable. The finish had promise. 🙁


Fresh white Asparagus and black truffle butter sauce. Just in season and fabulous.


From my cellar: 1990 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 93. A truly wonderful nose of simply knockout complexity features notes of yeast and baked bread along with now fully mature aromas of a variety of floral notes and spice hints that gives way to mineral-suffused round intense and detailed medium full flavors that also offer outstanding depth on the sappy and mouth coating finish. This is drinking perfectly now. A beautiful effort of real style and grace.

agavin: a third fail for me tonight. This bottle was pretty oxidized. I’ve opened around 20 of this wine (all from the same source) and about 2/3 of them are fabulous, but a few are kinda oxidized.


Black Stripped bass with a butter sauce and vegetable puree. Perfectly crispy.


1993 Domaine Leroy Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Narbantons. 93 points. Mme Bize-Leroy makes the best wines in the world. At least this was my hypotheses when we drank this wine. Domaine Leroy is superior to DRC and her wines are as a consequent also more expensive. When she dies, the prises will soar and eventually exede Henri Jayer’s. This Sauvigny is perfectly mature now, with smooth concentrated red fruits. My guess was an Echezeaux from the 90ies. More or less everything she does is of Grand Cru quality.


1996 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes. Burghound 90. The nose on the ’96 Clos des Ruchottes is stunningly elegant with really dazzling purity of fruit and leads to relatively supple though barely medium weight flavors underpinned by moderate structure and healthy acidity. As it usually is, this is quite earthy and I suspect it will come around over the mid-term as the tannins are completely ripe and integrated. I would give this 3 or 4 more years of cellar time and then probably drink up whether or not the tannins are fully resolved as the lack of full phenolic maturity suggests that the acidity may come to dominate the finish.

agavin: great, but retained a surprising amount of oak/spice.


Mary’s Organic Rotisserie Chicken. Red russian kale, roasted fingerling potatoes. The rotating spit was right in front of me and all night I watched a procession of these tasting fowl orbiting. Just classic roast chicken en jus but absolutely perfectly cooked. All good.


1988 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts. Burghound 92. Still quite reserved on the nose but the flavor profile is dense, rich and wonderfully complex with terrific length. As with the Boudots, the buffering extract is more than sufficient to envelope the substantial tannins though there is a touch of finishing astringency.

agavin: a lovely mature burg.


Liberty Duck Breast. Cherries and Brussels sprouts.


1970 Louis Latour Romanée St. Vivant Les Quatre Journaux. agavin 94. Stellar wine. All that I love in old Burgs. Lots of fruit, acidity and long berry finish.


A selection of cheeses. Always good with so much wine.


Pistachio and Strawberry ice cream. Refreshing.

Overall, Republique is a first rate place. It updates the classic French fare in a way that is contemporary without being ultra modern. And the whole everything here is so painfully (and I don’t mean in a bad way) contemporary. It just couldn’t be more “in” with the current dining trends. Not that I actually have a problem with that — in fact, my only problems with the restaurant was the volume (almost too loud for conversation) and a seeming total lack of large square or circular tables (I eat out in large groups and hate long skinny tables for more than 6). Most importantly, not only are these fresh takes on the classics, but the cooking is really on point. Even only being three months old this kitchen is executing very well.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

 

Related posts:

  1. Republique of Jadot
  2. Vive la République
  3. Burgundy at Providence
  4. Valentino – 2004 Red Burgundy
  5. Melisse Madness
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Brasserie, Foodie Club, Los Angeles, République, Sage Society, Walter Manzke

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!

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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.

Related posts:

  1. Totoraku – Hedonists Beef Up
  2. Epic Hedonism at Totoraku
  3. Totoraku – Secret Beef!
  4. Big Bottle Madness at Kali Dining
  5. Hedonists at STK again!
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

Lazy Hed-Ox-ism

Jul31

Restaurant: Lazy Ox Canteen

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

Date: July 30, 2013

Cuisine: American

Rating: Fab Fun

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



There is even outside dining, a downtown rarity.


But the interior is all gastro pub.

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

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

Pigs ear chicharrones. escabeche, tomatillo salsa, harissa.

Holy piggy, I’m eating a pig ear!


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

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

Like Rosh Hashanah.

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

Caramelized cauliflower chili flake, lime, pine nuts.

Very similar to the Gjelina dish, but still great.


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

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


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


Green salad.

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

Really in excellent shape as well, considering.


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


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

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

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


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

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


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

Porcini risotto asparagus, parmigiano reggiano.


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

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


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

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


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

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


Kongsgaard & Hatton Merlot Arietta Hudson Vineyard.

Lamb rack curry couscous, morel gravy, kale lollipops.

Really nice lamb.


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

Brussel sprout garlic, chili, lime, crispy bacon.

This too is like Gjelina.


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

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

Very light and refreshing.


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

Rice pudding caramel, cookie crumb.

I love rice pudding.


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

Butterscotch pudding caramel, vanilla cookie crumb.

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

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

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

Plus, the company as usual was awesome!

More crazy Hedonist adventures or

LA dining reviews click here.

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

Related posts:

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

Burghounds at Melisse

Apr05

Restaurant: Melisse [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: 1104 Wilshire Blvd.Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 395-0881

Date: March 21, 2013

Cuisine: California French

Rating: Awesome in all ways

 

Melisse is a real standout in LA for many reasons. It’s almost the last of the European style haut cuisine restaurants and it maintains an ever evolving cuisine at the highest level. Food, presentation, and service here are all top notch. Tonight, I returned (for what must be the 20th time) with a bunch of Burgundy loving friends. Melisse provided the food and we provided the wines. Joining us were two reps from London wine merchant Justerini & Brooks and they brought along a number of excellent bottles.


We settled on the “10” a good sized tasting menu, but not quite as crazy as the carte blanche (my usual favorite).


The first amuse is a Melisse staple. Grapes two ways. Out of the spoon are half grapes coated in goat cheese and pistachio. On the spoon sphereized grapes dusted with pistachio. The first has a nice contrast of the sharp cheese and the fruit, the second is an explosion of grapeness.


And the bread arrives. I went for a piece of bacon, and a  basil brioche.


Domaine Bachelet-Monnot Puligny-Montrachet “Les Refèrts” 1er 1er Cru White.

Burghound 88. Very mild reduction that didn’t blow off even after 24 hours does not completely hide the otherwise fresh and pretty citrus and floral aromas that give way to precise, racy and intense middle weight flavors that possess a very firm, indeed one could safely call this assertive, acid framework on the dry, persistent and solidly complex finish. Like the Folatières, some will find this to be overly austere as the finish is bone dry.

IWC 91+. Bright yellow. Exotic aromas of apricot and grilled nuts. Quite powerful and concentrated, with sweet fruit countered by strong acidity. In a rather muscular style for this cuvee Alexandre told me these vines were picked very slowly and that the 13.4% natural alcohol was high for 2008. The yield here, he says, was just 30 hectoliters per hectare.


Kumanto Oyster, avocado. I don’t remember all the details of this amuse, but it was lovely.


No trip to Melisse would be complete without the classic, “Egg Caviar, Lemon Creme Fraiche, American Osetra Caviar.” It’s a classic for a reason. The Creme Fraiche is so good, and there is raw egg yolk at the bottom. Amazing combo, particularly with the little toast stick.


The aftermath.


2009 Pierre Boisson Meursault

Almond, caramel, Nice long finish. True and excellent meursault.


Poisson Cru. Crysanthemum, Pistachio, Breakfast Radish and Black Mustard.

Very much fusing Japanese influences with the french, this was a nice sashimi meets pesto dish.


Sweet Pea Soup. English Peas and Whipped Porcini.


With the soup itself poured in. A typical lovely vegetable creme soup Melisse style.


1999 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Meursault Les Chaumes des Perrières

Nice mature white burg with plenty of fruit and firm, racy acidity. A very enjoyable wine, and paired excellently (as suggested by master Sommelier Brian Kalliel) with:


White Asparagus Cocotte. Morel Mushrooms, Savagnin Sauce.

It’s white asparagus season, and these were done up to perfection with my favorite mushroom and a nice oxidized butter reduction. All sauce was mopped up afterward.


1978 Robert Ampeau & Fils Blagny 1er Cru La Pièce-sous-le-Bois

From my cellar. Dark red with a brown hue. Scents of prunes and raisins with strong cherry scents underneath. Medium bodied with nice intensity and mouth feel. Interesting, but delicious, taste of brown sugar with a nice consistent aftertaste.

This was slightly cloudy, not bitter at all, but not quite as good as the 1978 Ampeau Volnay I opened a couple weeks before.


Truffle Pasta. Fresh Tagliatelle, Perigord Truffle.


Have a little truffle. Always too small a portion (of the pasta)!


Domaine Henri Jayer Echézeaux Grand Cru Red

Burghound 93. Knock out aromas of kirsch, blackberry extract and ripe earth lead to big, robust, quite structured, deep and sappy flavors of incredible depth and complexity and as grand as those characteristics are, it is the simply mindbending length that really sets this apart from the average Jayer Ech. A wine that should last for 25 years if well stored.

The 1990 Henri Jayer Echezeaux had a lot going on in its nose. It was heavy and thick, beefy, brothy and foresty, with that citrus pitch and spice. It was like a forest sledgehammer, so thick and sweet, displaying that purple signature style. The palate was rich with endless acidity that was still somehow reined in. The palate was so rich, so saucy, so concentrated, so spectacular. It also had that cedary, foresty edge to its flavors. If the 1991 was a girlfriend, the 1990 was a bodyguard.

1990 Louis Jadot Musigny

Parker 93. The Musigny (75 cases produced) is a textbook example of this vineyard. The color is deep ruby. The nose consists primarily of sweet black-cherries and new oak. In the mouth, there is a soft, velvety texture, medium to full body, low acidity, and gentle tannins in the long finish.

My favorite wine of the night.


Dry Aged Sonoma Duck. Forono Beets, Mustard, Orange Scented Duck Jus.

This duck was aged for 28 days (I think) and had a wonderful “aged” complexity.


1988 Domaine Maume Charmes-Chambertin

From my cellar. John Gilman 91 points.

This was drinking nicely, but wasn’t quite as bright and balanced as the other three grand cru reds. If I’d had it without such stellar competition, I’d have thought better of it :-).


Windrose Farms Lamb. Violet Artichoke, Young Garlic, Camelina Seeds.

Aged for 5-6 weeks! Delightfully gamey.


1988 Emmanuel Rouget Echezeaux

Burghound 94. Intense and penetrating nose of spices and high-toned pinot fruit with remarkably youthful, rich flavors that completely buffer the still substantial tannins. The extract is sweet and seamless and renders the tannins almost invisible. This is extremely impressive Echézeaux.

Another knockout.


Fourme d’Ambert. Pear Tart, Wild Watercress, Peppered Honey.

I’m always good with blue.


1995 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Auslese

Wine Spectator 89. One of the sweeter auslese of ’95, its melon, peach and botrytis flavors are wrapped around a core of racy acidity. Concentrated and long. Drink now through 2000. 350 cases made.

Golden color, honeyed fruits with a touch of petrol. great body that expands on the finish. Loads of honey and mango.


Molten Chocolate Tart, peppermint Sorbet.

Not your average “molten chocolate cake”!


Sangria. Moro Blood Orange, Pineapple and Mugwort.

Light and refreshing.

Macarons, cookies, and canelles.


Orange slices and pate de fruits.


The full lineup.

Melisse has two Michelin stars, and it deserves every ounce of them. The service is amazing too. The setting is not as fully formal as some French three-stars, or the service quite so orchestrated (that level is more amusement than actually pleasant), and there are no zany carts for teas and sugars, but the food and creativity demonstrate Melisse’s deserved position as one of America’s top kitchens. I ‘ve gone several times a year for a decade and it keeps getting better and better!

For another Melisse meal, click here.

Or for other Foodie Club meals, click here.


Small table, lots of glasses!

Related posts:

  1. More Michelin at Melisse
  2. Melisse – How much would a Woodcock…
  3. Mostly Montrachet at Melisse
  4. Food as Art: Melisse
  5. Peace in the Middle East? – Mezze
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Allen Meadows, Burgundy, Chef Josiah Citrin, Justerini & Brooks, Los Angeles, Melisse, Michelin, Puligny-Montrachet

Mostly Montrachet at Melisse

Mar01

Restaurant: Melisse [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: 1104 Wilshire Blvd.Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 395-0881

Date: Feburary 27, 2013

Cuisine: California French

Rating:?

_

And so we arrive at Part 3 of the epic three night 2005 White Burgundy Dinner series (Part 1 can be found here and part 2 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 “Mostly Montrachet” that is, the wines of the great “Le Montrachet” Grand Cru, often considered the best white wine in the world.

This particular dinner is at Melisse, one of LA’s few 2 star Michelin restaurants and also one of my favorites (you can find links to three epic Carte Blanche meals at Melisse in the brackets at the top of the post). Let’s just say that Melisse generally has every area of fine dining covered: great food, great wine service, great everything service, etc.


Our testing  was setup in the elegant private room just to the right of the entrance.


Tonight’s special menu.


Less glasses tonight than on the previous occasions, as we have fewer wines and fewer drinkers.

Amuses

1988 Alain Robert Les Mesnil Reserve Tete de Cuvee Champagne. This rare vintage Champagne from magnum was wonderful and very fresh for it’s age (25 years!).


Blue Fin Tuna (Toro), Chrysanthemum, Pistaschio and Mlack Mustard. This dish borrows stylistically from LA’s Japanese influences. In many ways it’s very similar to the “Toro Tartar with caviar” at Matsuhisa/Takao.


Liberty Duck breast on shrimp toast? A pork rind? Tasty.


A spoonful of Lobster Bolognese. This is one of my favorite dishes at Melisse and I could have eaten a whole portion.


A Melisse staple. Grapes two ways. Out of the spoon are half grapes coated in goat cheese and pistachio. On the spoon sphereized grapes dusted with pistachio. The first has a nice contrast of the sharp cheese and the fruit, the second is an explosion of grapeness.


The official amuse, which was a bit of Santa Barbara Prawn (ebi) with avocado in a citrus sauce.

Flight 1: Montrachet

2005 Bouchard Père et Fils Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer: Pale color. Steely wet stone, pear, apple and nutmeg on the nose, with floral and spice nuances adding complexity. Large-scaled, dense and oily, with deep pineapple and nut flavors framed by penetrating acidity. Finishes with outstanding palate-saturating length. Not quite as impressive as the Chevalier-Montrachet but this is built for slow development in bottle. 94+

Allen Meadows, Burghound: An incredibly fresh¡ pure and elegant nose of acacia blossom and distinctly ripe orchard fruit displays added nuance from the gorgeously exotic spice notes that seem to change every few minutes. The palate impression is breathtaking as the classy¡ pure and finely detailed big-bodied flavors possess both seriously impressive power and wonderful refinment that continues onto the multi-dimensional¡ dense¡ long and palate staining finish that delivers simply dazzzling length. This is very much of a baby¡ particularly in magnum format¡ and will need plenty of time to really open up so be prepared to wait. One other aspect bears mentioning and this is how vibrant this is. Many ’05 whites are a bit heavy yet this is impeccably well-balanced with all the freshness¡ verve and acid support that one could wish for. In short¡ this is stunning. 97

This was one of only two wines in this flight that wasn’t advanced in some way. Arguably it was the best.

2005 Marc Colin et Fils Montrachet

Allen Meadows, Burghound: Here there is absolutely no issue with the integration of the wood because it is at best a background presence on the equally reserved but fresh and bright aromas that are strikingly complex and broad. The full-bodied flavors are deep, dense and massive with an exceptionally powerful drive on the gorgeously long finish. This could actually surprise to the upside as everything is here, including great material, perfect balance and superb harmony and it’s built for the long haul. 94

The Marc Colin was also still youthful and in the top two of the flight.

2005 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer: Pale yellow-straw color. Sexy nose melds fresh pineapple, stone and musky quinine. Large-scaled and showy, with superb fruit intensity and a sweet, tangy quality to the flavors of lemon, lime, pineapple and quinine. A huge and superripe wine with superb building length. This has the balance for extended aging and may well shut down in the bottle. Philippe wanted to harvest these vines early but his father Joseph wanted to wait-“like he did in ’59,” said Philippe. In the end, the last batches of fruit came in with potential alcohol of 15% but no rot. 95

Allen Meadows, Burghound: A gorgeously fresh and highly complex yet still rather primary white flower and notably ripe orchard fruit nose introduces broad-shouldered and powerful though refined flavors that retain excellent cut and terrific detail on the perfectly well-balanced and strongly lingering finish. There is so much dry extract present that this has a chewy texture on the vibrant¡ driving and explosive finale. It’s abundantly clear that this is very much on the way up and this is a while that will require another 4 to 6 years to arrive at its peak. The other aspect that I very much admire about the ’05 Monty is how light on its feet it is because some ’05 whites can be a bit ponderous¡ this is really quite graceful. 95

We tried this both from 750ml AND from magnum. The 750ml was significantly advanced, and the magnum less so, but still not stunning.

2005 Louis Jadot Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer:  Pungent, very ripe aromas of spiced apple, marzipan, honey and hazelnut. Large-scaled, round and impressively rich, but with slightly disjointed flavors of superripe fruits, nuts and fresh herbs. Very full but not heavy. This seemed to harmonize a bit with aeration and should be superb with extended bottle aging, but I wouldn’t broach a bottle now (if you do, pour it into a carafe). From the Chassagne side and thus a bit less vibrant, especially in the 2005 vintage. 92+

Allen Meadows, Burghound: Moderate oak frames more reserved white flower and acacia blossom aromas that introduce round, rich and sumptuous full-bodied flavors that possess a suave mouth feel because there is dry extract here to burn and this extract confers an almost thick but not heavy palate impression on the imposingly persistent finish. Like the Bâtard, this is presently almost painfully intense and should age well. 95

Our bottle was oxidized and bordering on unpleasant.

2005 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer: Aromas of iodine, clove, apple and minerals. Superrich, fat and sweet but a bit youthfully subdued, even musclebound today (this was moved from barrel ten days before my visit), with the fruit in the deep background. But this rock-solid wine boasts terrific acidity and palate-staining persistence. There’s virtually no sign of new oak today, and yet this wine is very difficult to taste. Lafon told me this was the first time he ever picked his Montrachet later than DRC. 94-96

Allen Meadows, Burghound: Here the incredibly fresh and vibrant yet discreet nose reveals even more aromatic breadth that is brimming with spice, toast, honeysuckle and acacia blossom, all of which introduces broad-shouldered yet tangy full-bodied, notably ripe and utterly classy and sophisticated flavors of striking depth and length. What is perhaps most impressive though is that such a big wine retains such solid delineation that continues on to a palate staining, wonderfully intense finish. In short, this is just flat out brilliant. 94-97

Somewhat advanced.


True Day Boat Scallops. Camelina Seeds, Celeriac and Meyer Lemon.


The bread. I’m particularly partial to the green bail bread and the bacon bread (far right).

Flight 2: Montrachet

2005 Henri Boillot Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer: Captivating floral nose of clove, iodine and linden tea. Wonderfully sweet, seamless and full, showing outstanding density without undue weight. This has the texture of a red wine. An extremely young Montrachet with great intensity of flavor and inner-mouth floral lift. This will require, and repay, a decade or more of cellaring. Finishes with compelling sweetness. 96+

Allen Meadows, Burghound: This is almost as elegant as the Chevalier with a perfumed and wonderfully classy nose that is airy and pure, featuring a beautiful mix of floral and ripe orchard fruit aromas nuanced with hints of spice, honeysuckle and citrus that can also be found on the almost painfully intense, textured and focused full-bodied flavors that are a mix of the size and weight of the Bâtard and the delineation of the Chevalier, all wrapped in an explosive finish that spreads out on the palate like the proverbial peacock’s tail. A choice but what a wonderful choice! 96

Perhaps a little advanced, but one of the better wines of the flight.

2005 Domaine Ramonet Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer: Pale color. Compelling nose melds peach, nectarine, iodine, nutmeg and spicy, charry oak. Tactile and vibrant in the mouth, with superb intensity and density to its flavors of citrus fruit, apple and crushed stone. The finishing flavors of dusty stone and citrus peel saturate the palate. This is more backward than the Batard today but its inherent flavor intensity is more obvious. 94+

Allen Meadows, Burghound: This is a massive wine of immense proportions but it’s also a very generously oaked wine that has ample toast, vanilla and wood spice yet as much oak as there is here, it can’t hide the elegance and purity of the ripe orchard fruit that has exactly the same character on the highly toasted but wonderfully deep full-bodied flavors underpinned by ripe citrus infused acidity and huge length. I have seen quite a number of vintages of this wine in its youth and this one seems to be all over the place, at once given to excess and blurriness on the mid-palate to tight, firm and focused on the finish. It is also, like the Chevalier, at distinct odds with what I am used to seeing with this wine and while my appreciation of its style is neither here nor there in terms of quality, I can’t say that I like the style here. However, it is a most impressive wine and while I don’t believe that it will go down as one of the all time great vintages of one of the most storied wines in Burgundy, it is indisputably a huge wine of immense proportions and for fans of size, weight and power that have the entry scratch (or can find a bottle), I would put this on your short list of the ’05 vintage. By contrast, if you’re a fan of what’s been done with this wine in the past, you may be less enamored. 93

The only really good wine in the flight, but still a little funky, with some bitterness in the finish.

2005 Etienne Sauzet Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer: Pale color. Steely wet stone, pear, apple and nutmeg on the nose, with floral and spice nuances adding complexity. Large-scaled, dense and oily, with deep pineapple and nut flavors framed by penetrating acidity. Finishes with outstanding palate-saturating length. Not quite as impressive as the Chevalier-Montrachet but this is built for slow development in bottle. 94+

Allen Meadows, Burghound: An incredibly fresh¡ pure and elegant nose of acacia blossom and distinctly ripe orchard fruit displays added nuance from the gorgeously exotic spice notes that seem to change every few minutes. The palate impression is breathtaking as the classy¡ pure and finely detailed big-bodied flavors possess both seriously impressive power and wonderful refinment that continues onto the multi-dimensional¡ dense¡ long and palate staining finish that delivers simply dazzzling length. This is very much of a baby¡ particularly in magnum format¡ and will need plenty of time to really open up so be prepared to wait. One other aspect bears mentioning and this is how vibrant this is. Many ’05 whites are a bit heavy yet this is impeccably well-balanced with all the freshness¡ verve and acid support that one could wish for. In short¡ this is stunning. 97

Fairly maloactic, but one of the better wines of the flight.

2005 Lucien Le Moine Montrachet

Stephen Tanzer: Deep aromas of menthol, rocks, white truffle and iodine. Superrich and mouthfilling; as tactile as a solid, and like a red wine in texture. This begins quite linear, then expands impressively on the back half, and finishes with superb building length, texture and grip. Uncompromisingly dry Montrachet with a near-perfect balance between its strong material and fresh acidity. 95+

Allen Meadows, Burghound: In contrast to the expressive noses of the 3 priorgrands crus, this is positively discreet and almost reticent by comparison and only vigorous swirling would coax the broad-scaled nose to reveal itself, offering up notes of anise, peach, pear, citrus, orange blossom and honey that also merges seamlessly into textured, sweet, powerful and robust full-bodied flavors that possess a seductive mouth feel yet excellent precision and cut as well. This is a big wine and not overly refined but the sheer depth of material is almost hard to believe and as such, this will eventually transform into something very, very special. Patience required however. 96

Strong advanced notes of sherry and somewhat thin.

2005 Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Montrachet

Allen Meadows, Burghound: As one would expect, and has always been the case in my experience chez Fontaine, this is the class of the cellar with its gorgeously complex nose, indeed by far and away the most complex wine in the range. The aromas are ripe, pure and elegant, indeed one can simply smell this and be knocked out which then dissolves into textured and classy flavors that possess excellent mid-palate fat and buckets of dry extract on the opulent, refined, mouth coating and palate staining finish that is decidedly austere but not aggressively so. In short, this is a baby and will require plenty of patience from those fortunate enough to acquire a few bottles. 94

Advanced and acidic.


Dover Sole Filet. Potato Gnocchi, King Oyster Mushrooms, Wild Spinach.

This dish was on the boring side, despite the truffle.


Have a few glasses!

Flight 3: Coche-Dury

This extra flight isn’t Montrachet, but instead three wines by top producer Coche-Dury. These were made in a very traditional manner and do not exhibit the oxidation problems endemic of many of the other wines in the vintage. All three were excellent.

2005 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières

Stephen Tanzer: Tight, stony nose is youthfully subdued but vibrant. Distinctly less showy and fat today than the Genevrieres but already displays superb energy and thrust, with sharply delineated flavors of lemon, lime and minerals. All cut today and in need of extended bottle aging. As backward as this is, its deep sweetness suggests that it will be more than outstanding. 94+

Allen Meadows, Burghound: A wonderfully expressive and broad nose of ripe, pure and elegant pear, white peach, floral notes and liquid rock. The intense and broad-shouldered flavors are not only quite concentrated but seriously powerful with buckets of mouth coating dry extract yet the palate impression is cool and refined with no trace of heaviness on the massively long finish. The really astonishing thing about this wine is just the sheer amount of extract it brings to the party yet there is more than enough acidity to keep everything in perfect balance. Along with the ’90 Coche Perrières when it was in its prime, this is the best young example that I have ever tried. To be sure, it is still very much in its infancy but I am confident that this will be reference standard juice in due time as it is already genuinely remarkable. 97

Really a rather wonderful Chardonnay at this point.

2005 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières

Stephen Tanzer: Wonderfully aromatic nose of tangy soft citrus fruits and crushed stone. Dense, silky and sweet, with perfectly integrated acidity framing the rich, broad fruit flavors. A wonderfully complete Meursault whose powerful, explosive fruit builds inexorably on the back end. This must be the best bottling to date from these vines, now 60 years of age. 94

Allen Meadows, Burghound: A relatively closed but clearly quite ripe nose is composed of floral, white peach, pear and a hint of the exotic plus a discreet application of wood toast. The concentrated, powerful and broad-scaled flavors possess an abundance of mouth coating extract with excellent energy, particularly in the context of the vintage, all wrapped in a powerful and hugely long finish. This is a big Genevrières that carries its weight well, but note that despite the impressive richness, this is a long way from being ready. 94

A strong sense of sweetness, almost a touch Riesling like.

2005 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne

Stephen Tanzer: Steely aromas of citrus peel, apple blossom, wet stone and nutmeg; an essence of this grand cru. Wonderfully sweet and rich, gaining breadth and texture as it mounts on the back half. As dense as this is, it’s all about energy and verve today. A monumental, utterly complete Corton-Charlemagne that combines extraordinary subtlety and complexity with intense, palate-staining minerality. As long as anything I’ve tasted from this vintage. 98+

Lots of citrus and mineral. Fabulous.

Overall, this flight was BY FAR the best of the night.


Roasted Jidori Chicken. Baby Broccoli, Braised Yuba, Vadouvan Spice. There was also a reduction sauce poured over top, but I forgot to photo it.

This was probably the best chicken dish I’ve ever had. The skin was delightfully crispy and the meat absolutely perfectly cooked and juicy.


The whole array of bottles.


Standing is Brian Kalliel, Melisse’s Sommelier. He’s quite the master, and did an impeccable job with this complicated tasting.


Moi.

Dessert


2005 Turley Roussanne Alban Vineyards Late Picked Reserve. Stephen Tanzer says, “Orange-amber color with an unfiltered appearance. High-toned dried apricot, caramel and floral aromas offer an exhilarating penetrating character. Extremely thick and sweet but with pungent racy acidity giving lift to the saline dried apricot and peach flavors (the actual acidity level, which Jordan told me was around 17 grams per liter, is virtually off the charts). An incredibly concentrated wine with a chewy, tactile, extremely long finish that’s hard to scrape off the palate. This x-treme wine, from grapes harvested at 55o Brix, took 20 months to finish its alcoholic fermentation.”

This wine was cloudy and tasted much older than 8 years. It was rather wonderful, but very unusual with a honied apricot thing combined with some kind of exotic herb vibe. Elderberry? Hard to pinpoint.


Tarte Tatin!


Apple Tarte Tatin. Ricotta Ice Cream, Black Sage Syrup.


With the syrup added. The herbal note in the syrup went perfectly with some of the peculiar (but good) herbal tones in the wine.

Overall, 2005 is a problematic vintage with regard to aging. And it’s the best wines that suffer the most. The Montrachets just plain aren’t worth the money right now, and very few of them are likely to be getting better. Many are already past their prime or headed toward steep decline. Perhaps things were too ripe for these top vineyards. Perhaps it has something to do with vinification.

You could pretty much spot the problem wines in the glass as their color was several tones darker (toward the amber). 2005 Grand Crus should still be straw/green yellow.

That all being said, it was a fabulous night and we had a great time. It’s always interesting to get such a concentrated look at winemaking and it really broadens one’s ability to distinguish nuance in the specialized area of Burgundy tasting. Plus, the company and food were great! There are a lot of really sensitive palettes in the room and it’s great to collate and integrate the various opinions.

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

Part 2 (Batard-Montrachet, Criots Batard-Montrachet, Batard-Montrachet, and Chevalier-Montrachet) here.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for Foodie Club extravaganzas.

Related posts:

  1. Valentino – 2005 White Burg part 2!
  2. More Michelin at Melisse
  3. Melisse – How much would a Woodcock…
  4. Food as Art: Melisse
  5. Spago – 2005 White Burg part 1!
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Champagne, Cru, Grape, Le Montrachet, Los Angeles, Melisse, Montrachet, Wine, Wine color

Hedonists at STK again!

Feb27

Restaurant: STK [1, 2, 3]

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

Date: February 25, 2013

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Gluttonous fun!

_

It’s been six months since we Hedonists last hit STK and so it was time for a return. Being a steakhouse, STK is a great place to pull out all those beefy reds!

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

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

Arnaud Margaine’s NV Brut Premier Cru is gorgeous. White flowers, crushed rocks and green pears literally jump from the glass in this beautifully delineated, energetic Champagne. Vivid, crystalline and beautifully layered, the Premier Cru impresses for its balance and exceptional overall harmony. This is a great effort in its peer group. The Premier Cru is 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, 50% vintage 2009 and the remainder reserve wines back to 2002. I would give the Premier Cru another 6-12 months to be fully expressive post-disgorgement.

“DIVER SCALLOPS.” coriander crust – young coconut – textures of corn.

Burghound 94, “2005 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru White. 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.”

“Seafood tower, medium.” While this was good, it wasn’t exactly towering.

Parker 93, “1996 Domaine Tollot-Beaut et Fils Corton Bressandes. This estate’s Corton-Bressandes is a wine I search out in vintages with good ripeness. It is never huge, muscular, or a blockbuster but can often be sultry, seductive, detailed, and simply lovely. A recently tasted 1990, while at least three years from maturity, was fabulous. The 1996 displays sweet red cherry and Asian spice aromatics as well as a gorgeously refined character filled with candied and delineated cherries. This elegant, sexy, and feminine offering is medium-to-full-bodied, silky-textured, and possesses a long and refreshing finish.”

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

Parker 86, “The 1997 VINHA BARROSA VINHA VELHA is a single vineyard wine (hence, says the winery, the “vinha velha” rather than plural for old vines, “vinhas velhas”) maturing, showing a little oxidation, and seems a bit older than it is. That said, and despite some astringency still on the finish, there are some things to like here, as the fruit has opened up. There is a distinctive touch of mint on the finish. The wine’s structure is outliving its fruit, so this seems to me to be a good time to drink it, although it has both the tannin and acidity to hold a good, long while. Drink now-2017.”

From the getgo, this wine had a barnyard funk, which at the beginning was actually pleasant, if rustic. As it sat in the glass the barn intensified in a very horse manure direction until it overwhelmed. Just smelling it made me smile — and called to mind visions of sweaty horses packed into the stables.

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

 

92-94 points, “13.1% ALC, 96% Cabernet, 4% Merlot, 1% Cab Franc – Again this was much like the 1975 and 1979 on the nose with the pungent, sweaty, locker room nose. I knew again that this was the same producer and close in age. This had some notes of sweet fruit on the nose like boysenberry with good viscosity and good balance. The tannins were seamless but the finish brief keeping this my #2 of the night.”

There was a bit of funk, but it was still a very pleasant wine.

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

Parker 95, “When I think back to the top California Cabernet Sauvignon wineries twenty-two years ago (1973), it is shocking to see how many of the finest wineries in 1973 have fallen behind today’s leading Cabernet producers. For example, Beaulieu, Heitz, Inglenook, Mayacamas, and Freemark Abby were undisputed leaders in the early seventies, but in 1995, they have been surpassed by thirty or forty other producers. I can think of only three wineries that were making fabulous Cabernet Sauvignons in 1973 that have continued to produce great wines, with no qualitative slumps through 1995 – Caymus Vineyard, Ridge, and Chateau Montelena. Because Chateau Montelena is “old” by California standards, it is easy to overlook the extraordinary wines produced by Jim Barrett and his son, Bo. Remarkably, there is not a bad vintage of Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon to be found. While hitting the peaks in top years, this winery makes fine Cabernets in vintages where other producers flounder. A recent example of this is the 1989 Estate Cabernet, a superb wine that continues to languish on the shelves of retailers. For that reason, an invitation to a vertical tasting of Chateau Montelena’s estate Cabernet is one of the most exciting tickets in town.”

For a 20 year old Cab, this was very youthful!

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

Parker 93, “1999 Barolo Brunate/Le Coste—Medium red. As is usually the case, the Brunate/Le Coste takes things up a notch. It presents a deeply mentholated, balsamic nose along with layers of dark fruit, licorice and tar flavors that develop in the glass in a potent style that captures the essence of the vintage. The Brunate/Le Coste is the richer and bigger of the two Barolos here, yet it also shows more elegance in its finer tannins. Still reasonably priced, Rinaldi’s Brunate/Le Coste remains the best traditional Barolo most people have never tasted.”

“Shrimp cocktail.” Classic.

Fresh green tomatoes.

Some oysters on the halfshell.

Just a bit of the chaos.

Probably around 90 points, a pleasant mature shiraz.

Probably a porterhouse or ribeye.

“Bone-in porterhouse.” Have a little beef!

From my cellar, Parker 95, “The great glories of this house are its Cote Roties, of which there are now five separate offerings. The single-vineyard 1994s were singing loudly when I saw them in July. All of them scored significantly higher than they did during the two previous years, which is not unusual as Guigal’s upbringing (elevage) of the wines results in better examples in the bottle than in cask. All three wines flirt with a perfect score. At this tasting, they reminded me of Guigal’s 1982s – opulent, sumptuously-textured, forward, rich, precocious, flattering wines that will drink well throughout their lives. The 1994 Cote Rotie La Mouline possesses extraordinary intensity. A dark ruby/purple color is followed by a penetrating nose of sweet black raspberry fruit intertwined with aromas of coconut and apricots. Jammy black fruits continue on the palate of this full-bodied, silky-textured, sumptuously-styled wine that is glorious to drink – even from barrel. It is an amazing La Mouline that offers all the elegance, suppleness, and sexiness this cru merits. It should drink well upon its release in 1998, and last for 15 more years. Guigal is one of the cellars where the wines always taste better after they are bottled than they do from cask, although as the scores in this segment indicate, some profound wines can be found in the 1994, 1995, and 1996 vintages Chez Guigal.”

A regular filet.

Parker 96, “More European in style than some of its siblings, the 2008 exhibits good acidity, more noticeable tannin (but it is extremely young), and plenty of crushed rock, espresso roast and licorice characteristics intermixed with a volcanic minerality. Full-bodied, ripe and opulent, with a closed, formidable personality.”

This was a pretty fabulous, albeit young, Cab.

A different looking filet.

“Bone-in porterhouse.” Have a little beef!

Parker 98, “From a single 9-acre parcel, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon True Vineyard exhibits extraordinary aromas of acacia flowers and violets along with an irrefutable minerality, an abundance of blueberry and blackberry fruit, outstanding texture, full-bodied richness, great depth, and ripe tannin. This Cabernet will benefit from 4-6 years of cellaring, and should evolve for 40 years.”

Powerful and delicious!

“Bone-in filet with lobster and bordelaise.” Certainly a great steak, and bordelaise makes EVERYTHING better.

“Bone-in filet” naked.

“New York strip with salt.”

Parker 93+, “A hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon (800 cases), this is still an outstanding wine, with classic graphite, creme de cassis, blueberry and floral notes all well-presented in the perfumed aromatics of this full-bodied, rich, concentrated wine. It has some noticeable tannins to be resolved and is not as seamless and flawless as the monumental 2007”

I thought this was better than a 93.

Just some of our sides!

“Creamed spinach.”

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

Mushrooms and brussel sprouts.

Some stellar mac & cheese.

“Parmesan truffle fries.”

This is my own personal stem collection!  I don’t like to be rushed. The more I do these wine diners the more I take things into my own hands, like:

1. Bringing my own stems (I didn’t need to here, but I often do).

2. Stealing stems off other tables or from behind the bar. Tonight I looted stems from half the tables in the room. 🙂

3. Opening my own bottles (I travel with several openers). In the bar, I asked for stems and then just opened a bottle and poured.

4. Pouring – of course!

Some very old Sauternes. This was very interesting stuff. A bit flawed perhaps, but entirely, totally, and extremely enjoyable. Like honey wine.

“Sticky bread pudding.” The sauce on this was to die for.

“Banana chocolate torte.”

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

The overall evening was spectacular. The place treated us really well with swift and friendly service you hardly noticed. Plus, there was the excellent company and all our amazing wines! As a steakhouse, I find it much like Mastro’s but about 5% worse on average — although there are some different starters and sides, many of which are excellent. It’s also quite a bit cheaper than Mastro’s, and lets us skip the corkage, which is huge! We were out of here for $110 a person, including tax and tip, which is pretty amazing for such an enormous feast at a high end steakhouse.

Our previous STK outing.

For more crazy Foodie Club meals, click.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Hedonists at STK
  2. Hedonists Boil Up Some Crab
  3. Hedonists at Dahab
  4. Hedonists Cook the Goose
  5. Hedonists climb the Peak
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Champagne, Corton-Charlemagne, Dessert, hedonists, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Pinot noir, Premier Cru, Seafood, Steak, Steak House, steak tartare, STK, Wine, Wine tasting descriptors
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