Archive for Wine – Page 26

Gusto Italiano

Dec07

Restaurant: Gusto

Location: 8432 West 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048. (323) 782-1778

Date: December 5, 2013

Cuisine: Italian (Roman)

Rating: Fabulous meal

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Our pal , Chef Vic Casanova, who used to be chef at Culina / 4 Seasons hotel opened his own Italian place. Tonight, for us Hedonists, he prepared a special “Roman” feast.


The 3rd street frontage, not far from the Beverly Center.


Our menu. I had been under the impression he was slanting more Ancient Roman, like this crazy meal at the Getty Villa, but this is more hard core Roman, as in the “modern” Italian city. Not that there is anything wrong with that, as authentic Italian food is unbelievably good (and this meal, you shall see, turned out great). It just wasn’t Ancient, which is a particular thing of mine.  Antique Roman cooking has very different ingredients (no corn, no tomato, no potato, no pasta, etc) and a bold and unusual flavor profile that is herby, sweet, and salty.


From my cellar, 2012 Collestefano Verdicchio di Matelica. IWC 94. Pale straw-green. Knockout aromas of quince, pear, white peach and white flowers are complicated by lemony minerality on the vibrant, captivating nose. Rich and broad on entry, then explosive in the middle palate, saturating the mouth with bright, lively floral and fresh citrus flavors that are intensified by penetrating acidity. Finishes extremely long and creamy-rich, expanding to coat the palate and teeth with lingering white peach and floral flavors. The bright acidity conveys an almost weightless mouthfeel to this seamless, rich, extremely concentrated wine. You can tell that owner Fabio Marchionni studied white wine in Germany. This is but one of many outstanding vintages for this wine. Let me be clear: I think it is probably Italy’s single greatest white wine buy.


1996 Prince Florent de Merode Corton-Renardes. 90 points. A little “funked.” Translucent red fading to amber brown color, nose of port wine, dark candy and apricot. Initial tast of berries (red rasberries), smooth.


Cavoletti. Shaved brussels sprouts, cabbage & kale. Pomegranate. Cherries. Apples. Goat cheese. Mustard vinaigrette.

Interesting flavor profiles. Without the cheese, it would have been fairly exotic. Either way, it was good.


1980 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Brunate. A touch funky, and very mature, but certainly drinking nicely.


From my cellar, 2007 Paolo Bea San Valentino Umbria IGT. RJ Wine 93. Very dark ruby color; appealing, black raspberry, minerally nose with a sense of pepper; tasty, minerally, roasted plum, light pepper, juniper berry, lavender palate; medium-plus finish.


Cervello Fritti. Fried artichokes. Calves brains. Lemon maionaise.

Zombie food! Fried brains. This was actually very tasty with a nice deep fried flavor and bright lemony mayo in counterpoint.


The buzz is getting on. Lots of wine and the food came quite slowly.


1987 Bruno Giacosa Barbera d’Alba. While WAY paste where it was supposed to drink (that probably would have been about 1992), this was actually pretty interesting.


From my cellar, 2006 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici. IWC 91. Bright ruby-red. Perfumed, terroir-driven aromas and flavors of blackcurrant, licorice, iron, woodsmoke and minerals. At once dense and suave, with herbal and peppery nuances complicating the wine’s aromatic flavors of red cherry, plum, tobacco and flinty minerals. Finishes with building tannins and a juicy freshness.


Polpette alla Napoletana. Meatballs al forno. Tomato sugo. Locatelli pecorino.

These were some seriously tasty meatballs. Perfectly cooked, they constrasted nicely with the cheesy whip.


1997 Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. Parker 92. The 1997 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva boasts an opaque ruby/purple color in addition to deep, full-bodied flavors, and more tannin as well as a more angular finish than the regular cuvee. Hence the lower rating. Although it does not possess the exuberance, fruit intensity, staggering aromatic fireworks and concentration of the regular bottling, it is still a great meaty, leathery Brunello that should age well for 12-15+ years. I’d be happy to drink it on any occasion.


From my cellar, 1997 Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico. RJ Wine 94. Raisins, mint and licorice in the nose; big taste in which the oak did not seem entirely integrated. The nose presents the hay notes of mature red wine, higher alcohols, chocolate, raisins, and the taste is huge with a sweet feel and then massive tannins; it has interesting mature flavors, raisiny, organic, decayed leaves turning into something cheesy in a very agreeable way. This is a very young mature wine with a lot going on!


Trippa alla Trasteverina. Brained honeycomb tripe. Spicy tomato.

Described as a tasty spongey hose.


2004 Musella Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva. Parker 93. Musella’s 2004 Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva offers terrific vibrancy and freshness in its dark fruit, herbs, tobacco, sweet spices and subtle French oak. This beautifully poised, medium-bodied Amarone possesses remarkable balance in a nearly weightless style. The refined tannins give this wine its gorgeous sense of proportion, which carries through all the way to the long, satisfying finish. This is an elegant Amarone that delivers incredible value for the money. It is not to be missed.


2010 Conte di Bregonzo Amarone della Valpolicella. 89 points. Crimson garnet appearance. Cherries, black and red currants, violets, cardamom, and dried fruit aromas. The palate exhibits a full body, crunchy texture, sappy cherry fruit, a dark chocolate mid-palate, crushed rocks on the back end, all under a dusting of coriander. Concludes with a crisp, medium finish. Ridiculously young, and very cheap for an Amarone, but in 10 years…

Asparagi Piemontese. Grilled asparagus. Black truffle fonduta. Sunny side egg.


Imagine what would have happened if she ate the brains instead!


2004 Azienda Agricola Reverdito Michele Barolo Serralunga. Young! Nice wine, but Barolo needs 15+ years.


1999 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Brunate. IWC 91. Medium red. Complex, mellow aromas of plum, cherry, marzipan and earth; ripe but not overripe. Suave, silky, full and deep, with noteworthy clarity of flavor and inner-mouth perfume. Finishes with broad, horizontal tannins. Way too young still.


Tonnarelli alla Carbonara. Fresh cracked black pepper. pancetta. egg yolk.

The pasta here was perfect, thick chewy, and very al dente. It was a very eggy Carbonara, and while extremely tasty, could have used a MUCH stronger pepper. Black pepper is one of those tricky things because some peppercorns are tasteless and some have that bright snappy bite. It’s not the amount here, but the pepper itself.


1994 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Ornellaia. Parker 89. The 1994 Ornellaia is a decidedly small-scaled, mid-weight effort with attractive, fragrant aromatics and delicate notes of tobacco and spices that add a measure of nuance to the fruit. While the 1994 lacks the complexity of the finest vintages, it nevertheless possesses lovely overall balance and harmony. The 1994 Ornellaia is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc that spent 15 months in French oak, a third of which was new.


1995 Vineyard 29 Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 89. Aged in 100% new French oak casks for 22 months before bottling, the 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon offers a dark ruby color, followed by a sweet, aggressively woody nose. The pungent wood dominated the wine’s fruit, which lowered my score. Nevertheless, once past the oaky overlay, the wine exhibits fine ripeness, copious quantities of rich, chewy fruit, medium to full body, and wood tannin in the finish. I am not sure if everything will ultimately come together, but this is a flamboyant, oaky, spicy Cabernet Sauvignon that requires 2-4 more years of cellaring; it should keep for 15-20 years.


Bucatini all’Amatriciana. Guanciale. Chili. Pecorino.

Slightly odd to have two long squiggly pastas in a row. Although, again ,the pasta itself was spot on. The sauce was pretty classic Amatriciana and had a good bit of heat. It probably could have used a bit more of a porky flavor. Certainly it was very good although being an egg fiend I preferred the Carbonara.


1996 Mario Marengo Barolo Brunate. Parker 91-93. The velvety-textured 1996 Barolo Brunate offers up a textbook bouquet of rose petals, cherry liqueur, and tobacco leaf scents. Melted tar also emerges with swirling. On the palate, there are gorgeous levels of black cherry and truffle flavors. Dense and full-bodied, with lofty but not excessive alcohol (14%), this sensational Barolo has moderate tannin underlying the layers of glycerin-imbued, rich, chewy fruit.


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.

Baby killer! This needed at least 10 more years.

Petto D’Anatra.Spiced duck breast. Wilted cavolo nero. Butternut squash caponata. cherry glassato.


2008 Gianni Brunelli le Chiuse di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino. Parker 91. The 2008 Brunello di Montalcino comes across as very, very young and in need of serious bottle age. I suspect the 2008 will always be a bit of a brute, but at the same time it is quite beautiful. Savory herbs, licorice, tobacco, incense and leather wrap around the palate as the 2008 shows off its considerable personality. The 2008 doesn’t have the immediate appeal of some other recent vintages, but I will not be surprised if it turns out to be even better than this note suggests.


2007 Sine Qua Non Pictures (Grenache). Parker 97. 2007 Pictures Grenache: A blend of 87% Grenache, 11.5% Syrah, and 1.5% Viognier, this wine has wonderful floral notes intermixed with black raspberries, black cherries, licorice, graphite and some camphor. In the mouth, more white chocolate notes appear, along with meatiness and some silky tannins. Its great purity, density and richness make me think this wine could even improve a few points and flirt with perfection. This stunning wine should drink nicely for another 10-15 years.

And what is it with these annoying new world labels where the vintage is on the back? Make me take 2 pictures, sure!


Coda alla Vaccinara. Braised oxtail. Carrot. Celery. Polenta.

This is a classic Northern Italian dish and this particular example was lovely (big portion too). Very soft and meaty, not too too fatty, and a really yummy cheesy polenta. Great stuff.


2003 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Clos du Bourg. Nice sticky.


Coconut Gelato Pie. Chocolate fonduta. Graham cracker crust. Vanilla bean whipped cream.

This cake, while certainly extremely far from ancient, was right up my alley and rather delicious. I love coconut and it had that cool semi-freddo thing going on.


Just a small corner of the chaos.

Overall, this was another great meal. As usual, we had an insane overabundance of wine, probably over 1.5 bottles per person. The food was delicious, if not exactly what I thought it would be. Almost all the dishes were lip smacking good. The pasta was perfectly al dente. The service was extremely warm and helpful, although the pacing between dishes (particularly at the beginning) was decidedly authentic Italian. Just a great time!

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Big Bottle Madness at Kali Dining
  2. Amarone at Oliverio
  3. Tony Terroni
  4. Luminous Lechon Pigout!
  5. Hedonists at La Paella
By: agavin
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ThanksGavin 2013

Dec05

It’s that time of year again, time to loosen your belt buckle and sit down for the annual ThanksGavin!


The table is set.


The libations begin with this bubbly.


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. Tasted several times with consistent results save for one bottle that, much to my complete surprise, was showing definite signs of oxidation.


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


The first of the two birds comes off the BBQ, cripsy!


1995 Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia Riserva. 95 points. The dense 1995 displays a saturated ruby color. The rich, cedary, smoky, tobacco, and tar-scented nose is classic Nebbiolo. Excellent, with a layered texture, and a rich, spicy, austere, moderately tannic finish, it is accessible enough to be drunk, but should evolve nicely for a decade.


Here is the full spread. Most of this hard work is by our tireless chefs: my mom and aunt.


A simple salad (you need something simple).


Cranberry relish (one of two cranberry sauces).


The other, a spicy chutney. This one is my favorite.


The turkey itself.


Delicious stuffing.


Gravy.


2008 Castello di Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva. Parker 90, “The 2003 Chianti Refina Riserva exhibits a similarly sweet, open nose along with plenty of vibrant, super-ripe dark fruit, outstanding length and lovely overall balance in a style that is plump and accessible without sacrificing the wine’s underlying structure. It is made from 90% Sangiovese, with the remaining 10% divided among several other varietals, and aged 24 months in French oak barrels.”


Roasted beets.


Kale with garlic.


A new entry, consisting of sweet potatoes. There was a mix of orange and purple, which resulted in this refried bean-like color!


The official 2013 plate, or you can find the last 10 years of them here.


1988 Climens. Parker 96. The 1988 reveals layer upon layer of honeyed pineapple-and orange-scented and -flavored fruit, vibrant acidity, high levels of botrytis, and a fabulously long, yet well-focused finish. It is a great wine.


My mom’s incomparable pecan pie.


And a new entry, poached pears with homemade syrup.


And homemade chocolate sauce. The texture reveals its non-commercial origins.


Pumpkin pie.


Sweet potato pie.

This was another spectacular homemade ThanksGavin dinner as usual. Particularly impressive given the bit of upset that tore through the family in the proceeding few nights, namely a nasty stomach virus. This left a few of the secondary cooks “unfit” for their duties. Still, once recovered, great fun was had by all.

For more ThanksGavin meals, click here.

My aunt hard at work in the kitchen!

Related posts:

  1. ThanksGavin 2012
  2. ThanksGavin 2011 – The Main Event
  3. Bibou – ThanksGavin 2011 Prequel
  4. ThanksGavin 2011 – The Third Wave
  5. ThanksGavin in Review
By: agavin
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Fond of Philadelphia

Dec03

Restaurant: Fond

Location: 1537 South 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147. 215.551.5000

Date: November 28, 2013

Cuisine: American

Rating: Tasty modern American

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Every year we Gavins descend on Philadelphia for several days of epic gluttony. This traditional week of feasting kicks off with the traditional Wednesday night dinner at some Philadelphia restaurant.


This year, we hit up Fond, an ingredient focused New American in Philadelphia’s little Italy.


The seasonal menu.


A prosecco to begin.


An amuse of mushroom cappuccino. Cream is always good.


1994 Robert Ampeau & Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. 91 points. A nice mature white Burgundy.


Black point oysters. Half dozen with mignonette.


Chicken liver mousse. pickled red onions and grilled sourdough.


Grilled duck hearts. Fennel salad and tahini yoghurt.

Mushroom Risotto. truffle, maitake, hazelnuts.


With fresh shaved black truffle.

Mixed Green Salad. seasonal accompaniments.


2008 Ferrando Carema White Label (Etichetta Bianca). Parker 92. The 2008 Carema Etichetta Bianca wafts from the glass with sweet dried cherries, tobacco, sweet herbs and crushed flowers. A mid-weight, delicate wine, the 2008 is quite typical of these hillside vineyards. In 2008 the acidity is a bit on the high side, which readers should keep in mind when considering food pairings. This is a gorgeous wine from Ferrando. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2023.


Angel-hair pasta with tomato sauce.


Mushroom Risotto. truffle, maitake, hazelnuts.


Seared tuna. potatoes.

Organic Salmon. sauerkraut latka, Belgian endive, whole grain mustard.

Pork Belly. Okinawan sweet potatoes, escarole, Dijon jus.


Duck confit. polenta, brussel sprouts, bacon, and jus.

Beef Skirt Steak. royal trumpet mushrooms, farro, sauce Bordelaise.


The dessert menu.


Warm brown butter apple tart. Ginger ice cream, lemon curd.


Malted milk chocolate ice cream. Peanut crumble, chocolate crumble, peanut butter genache.


Some anise flavored meringues as petite fours.

Overall, a lovely meal, wish a lot of flavor and a great way to start off the 2013 ThanksGavin!

For more Philly dining reviews click here.

And check out the epic ThanksGavin events here.

Related posts:

  1. Thanksgiving – The Prequel
  2. Bibou – ThanksGavin 2011 Prequel
  3. Saturday is for Salt
  4. Food as Art: Sam’s by the Beach
  5. Piccolo – A little Italian
By: agavin
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2009 Bordeaux Doesn’t Blow

Nov29

Location: Hollywood Hills

Date: November 24, 2013

Cuisine: Molecular American

Rating: Amazing night!

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

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


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


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


The view on this crystal clear November day was stunning.


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


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


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

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

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


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


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

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


Look at those coals!


And her view.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


And persimmons, frozen for texture.


Squabs.


And venison loin. Look at that color.


Moving upstairs we return to our epic 100 point Bordeaux.


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


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


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


Truffled egg. Like at Melisse. Good stuff.


Inside you can see the scrambled egg bits.


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


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


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

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


And the lovely squabs.


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


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


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


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

My wine of the night. Really pretty awesome.


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


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


bottles

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


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


Breath fire (or smoke).


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

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


Now the chefs whip up some nitro frozen ice cream.


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


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


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


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

Someone makes off with the best of the bottles 🙂

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

For more LA dining reviews click here.


Related posts:

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  3. Luminous Lechon Pigout!
  4. Fraiche – Ultimo Wine Dinner
  5. Big Bottle Madness at Kali Dining
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
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BOA Birthday Blitz

Nov22

Restaurant: Boa Santa Monica

Location: 101 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 899-4466

Date: November 20, 2013

Cuisine: Steak

Rating: Awesome night. Crab was amazing!

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I’m not normally a huge fan of  Innovative Dining Group, as they tend far toward style over substance with their trendy collection of sushi and steak joints. However, BOA, their high end steak house, made a convenient and excellent location for Hedonist mainstay Ron’s 70th birthday bash.


Ron is a Hedonist OG and besides being a nice guy has a hell of a cellar filled with great wines.


19-20 or twenty of us showed up for his bday bash and BOA put us in the private “room” (more an alcove). This is about a quarter of it. Besides being loud (like everywhere else in BOA) it was a great little venue.


With a modernist twist.




The menu is typical high end steak fare, but as you’ll see, the execution is top notch.


We brought so many wines that I just organized these into flights, this being the champagne starter. We had a LOT of wine and there were so many it was impossible to try all the good ones — not because they ran out, just because there were too many.

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


A tasty roll, presented by hand model Sarah.


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

I’m not sure how I feel about this wine I brought. I’ve owned it (well cellared) since release and it’s a Parker 99-100 wine, but while it had a really interesting nose there was a certain density and massiveness, plus a bit of funk and an “older” taste (but not like white Burg) .


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


2002 Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. Burghound 91. while it is impressively scaled and an excellent white wine, I am somewhat under whelmed if the important criterion is to produce wines typical of Chablis. In short, excellent white, average Chablis.


2009 Domaine Michel Niellon Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 94. Here mild reduction doesn’t materially diminish the appeal of the more elegant if ever-so-slightly less complex aromas that feature notes of stone, lemon zest, acacia blossom and spiced pear. There is superb intensity and simply gorgeous detail to the mineral-driven and impeccably well-balanced flavors and explosive finale. Still, as good as this is and it is indeed exceptional, the superior complexity of the Bâtard gives it the barest of edges in 2009.


1994 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Heimbourg Vendange Tardive. Parker 96. The 1994 Gewurztraminer Heimbourg V. T. exhibits a light to medium gold color, an exotic, honeyed cherry, lychee nut, rose-scented nose, thick, rich, moderately sweet flavors, fabulous purity, and a finish that lasts for nearly a minute. The wine is still unformed, but it can be expected to last for 20+ years, becoming increasingly dry in taste as it evolves. This wine bordered on perfection – it is that pure, rich, concentrated, ageworthy, and impeccably well-balanced. The grapes are harvested at strikingly high sugar levels, and would qualify as an off-dry, medium sweet wine. It is best served with foie gras, or at the end of a meal by itself. This wine is made in extremely limited quantities (under 100 cases).


Goat Cheese Baklava. Pistachios, black truffles, frisee.


Charred tuna Tartare.


Table-side Classic Caesar.


They mix it up the old school way.


I have to say, this might have been the best caesar I’ve ever had. It looks typical enough but it had a real peppery bite.


Baby greens, tomatoes, seasonal fruit, mustard vinaigrette.


BLT. Applewood smoked bacon, crisp lettuce, tomato, avocado, creamy bacon dressing.


The wedge. Crisp iceberg, vine ripened tomatoes, shaft blue cheese dressing.


Baby beet & watercress. Goat cheese foam, frisee, toasted caraway, pistachios.

This suffered a little from too much beet, too little other.


1998 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Bonnes Mares. Burghound 94. Massively dense in every respect with astonishing concentration of deeply pitched and still 100% primary fruit that complements the compelling, robust and powerful flavors that feature notes of cassis, blueberries, black cherries, minerals and earth, all wrapped in a mouth coating and fantastically long finish. The tannins are massive as well but the fruit is so dense I do not worry at all about the prospects for extended evolution in the cellar. A complete and utterly classic Bonnes Mares.


1998 Louis Jadot Bonnes Mares. Burghound 88. Quite deeply colored and this is presently almost opaque with very earthy, gamey fruit aromas and extremely dense, beautifully complex, texturally elegant flavors and while this is very long, the finish is rather dusty with a somewhat astringent quality to the tannins. Very good rather than exceptional quality.

I actually thought this was drinking a bit better (more hedonistically) than the Roumier!


1996 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Ruchottes-Chambertin Michel Bonnefond. More Roumier!


Out comes our special order giant crab. We had THREE of these puppies!


Close up!


This is just one of three ways they prepped the crab. I didn’t get pics of the other two but the body was cooked and tossed with some herbs. The lower part of the legs were flayed open for the picking and on separate plates. But this part was crazy good. It was trivial to just pop out giant fresh nuggets of crab from those leg segments.

It was AMAZING! And I’ve had A LOT of crab. I spent most of my summers in Oxford MD, home of fresh blue crabs.


Some sauces. There was also drawn and melted butter (not pictured). All we were missing was one of those super potent yellow mustards (Chinese style).


Jumbo Sea Scallops.


1989 Palmer. Parker 96. Deep garnet-brick. Dark chocolate covered cherries, espresso, cinnamon, rose petals, tree bark and loam. Medium to full body with layers of concentrated fruit and spice flavours supported by crisp acidity and a medium+ level of fine tannins. Very long finish.


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


1996 Montrose. Parker 91. The 1996 Montrose reveals outstanding potential. It boasts a saturated dark ruby/purple color, and aromas of new oak, jammy black currants, smoke, minerals, and new saddle leather. This multi-layered wine is rich and medium to full-bodied, with sweet tannin, a nicely-textured, concentrated mid-palate, and an impressively long finish.


1998 Penfolds Grange. Parker 96-99. A wine that flirts with perfection, and should rival the 1986 as one of the legendary Granges produced, the 1998 has one of the highest alcohol contents (nearly 15%) as well as one of the highest percentages of Shiraz in the blend (97%). Its stunning purple color is accompanied by exceptionally sweet aromas of blackberry liqueur intermixed with barbecue spices, an endearing, smoky earthiness, pepper, roasted meats, and coffee. Huge, massive, unctuously textured, and extraordinarily youthful, this impressive wine is a candidate for perfection. It should continue to evolve over the next three decades.



1990 Penfolds Bin 920. Parker 93. Deep garnet colored, the nose here is slightly closed to begin and needs a few moments to open, revealing earthy / evolved notes of dried mulberries, figs, tobacco leaf, dried Mediterranean herbs, dusty earth and a hint of aniseed. Medium to full bodied, it is very rich in the mouth with a firm level of grainy tannins, very crisp acid and a good long finish.


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


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.


New Zealand Lamb T-Bones with cabernet sauce (sort of Bordelaise, but not as good). The lamb was very tasty, but the bones in the middle were hard to see and made sawing the meat out tricky.


New York Strip (I think).


Some steak with a rub.


And another steak.


Bine-in Kansas City Filet Mignon.


I’m guessing this was the veal with a rub (blackened?).


And a steak with a rub cut open.


Just a little wine on the table (and remember, this is about 1/4 of the room!).


2008 Caldwell in a giant signed magnum!


2008 Screaming Eagle Second Flight. Parker 92. The 2008 Second Flight emerges from the glass with black cherries, plums, mocha, espresso and chocolate. This is an especially round, rich vintage for Second Flight. All the elements are in the right place, but overall, 2008 does not appear to be one of the estate’s very finest years. Of course, that is in relative terms. The 2008 is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Merlot.


2006 Hundred Acre Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 96-100. Finally in the bottle, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon  is the only wine from that vintage I tasted. Most of these wines spend 38-40 months in barrel and as a result seem to be remarkably elegant and complex without showing any new oak. This cuvee is a selection from Kayli Morgan that has been aged longer. Notes of spice box, white chocolate, espresso and sweet black cherries and black currants tumble from the glass of this full-bodied, round, generously endowed wine that has no hard edges.


2009 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 94-100. The 2009 wraps around the palate with layers of dark fruit. Seamless, rich and inviting, the 2009 is pure opulence and richness. Bittersweet chocolate, mocha, plums and spice box are some of the many notes that flow through to the rich, enveloping finish. A round, layered wine, the 2009 stands out for its depth and total plushness.


2001 Clarendon Hills Astralis (Shiraz). Parker 99. The 2001 Syrah Astralis Vineyard may be just as compelling as the 2002. Tighter because of being in the bottle, it is an extraordinary effort that offers the essence of graphite, blackberry liqueur, espresso, and acacia flowers, all combining into an olfactory smorgasbord for the senses. Sensationally concentrated, with sweet tannin, but neither weighty nor over the top as might be expected for a wine of such extreme richness, it is an extraordinarily well-delineated Syrah that should hit its prime in 10-12 years, and last for 30-40. Hail Caesar … I mean Roman!


2010 Château d’Abzac. This was for testing the Coravin.


Now the sides: Lobster twice baked potato!


Truffled cheese fries. These were pretty amazing and VERY creamy.


Sautéed seasonal mushrooms.


Apple hazelnut brussel sprouts.


Crab & Black truffle gnocchi. Amazing!


Mac-N-Cheese. Good too. Nice and creamy.


Creamed spinach.


Chipotle lime corn.


Truffle Parmesan Cauliflower.


My plate, loaded. This nearly did me in — although it was awesome. As Larry said, I hit my wall. About halfway through the plate I just had to pause for a while.


An awesome time was had by all.


2004 Tokaj Hétszőlő Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos.


1992 Fonseca Vintage Port. Parker 97. Fonseca has scored in both the 1991 and 1992 vintages. The 1992 is a majestic young port that should ultimately rival, perhaps even surpass this house’s most recent great efforts (1985, 1977, 1970, 1963). This colossal vintage port reveals a nearly opaque black/purple color, and an explosive nose of jammy black fruits, licorice, chocolate, and spices. Extremely full-bodied and unctuously-textured, this multi-layered, enormously-endowed port reveals a finish that lasts for over a minute. It is a magnificent port that will age well for 30-40 years.


Butter cake (and ice cream).


Chocolate something cake.


Cookies and ice cream (yummy).


Cheese cake.

These were some solid desserts, but I still think Mastros has the most uber desserts, all those giant well down classics. However, usually by the time one gets here, the tank is pretty damn full!


More drunken smiles.


Ron brought out this ancient brandy for his official birthday moment. Good stuff — and it’ll put hair on your chest.


They gave him his cake with an impressive sparkler!


Michael Carpenter, one of our members and a wine dealer, was trying out this cool recent gadget. I bought one myself a couple weeks ago and it’s awesome. The Coravin is essentially a hollow needle that punches through a cork, allowing argon to be injected and wine to be sucked out. The cork then resealed and you have stolen some wine from the bottle without opening it!


Savoring.


Our lovely and helpful server!

Overall, this was a knock out evening. We had a great crowd and incredible wine. The restaurant really took care of us and I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. Everything was extremely tasty, from the caesar, to the incredible crab.

Afterward, we broke up into two separate after-parties. Us Westsiders went next door to the Ye Olde King’s Head pub and cracked open one of my bottles.

From my cellar, 1970 Gros Frère et Sœur Vosne-Romanée. 92 points. It was still very much alive and drinking quite beautifully. A veritable chameleon in the glass, the aromas kept changing every time I brought the glass to my nose. First sour cherries, then papaya, then raspberries, then red clay, then lemon rind, then caramel — it was intoxicating. The palate, on the other hand, was a bit simple and one-dimensional, but I thought the nose more than made up for it. A lovely wine!

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Yarom with the manager (I think, I was too drunk to find out)

Related posts:

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By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , , , , ,

Raw Crab Guts are Yummy

Nov15

Restaurant: Soban

Location: 4001 W Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019. (323) 936-9106

Date: November 13, 2013

Cuisine: Korean

Rating: The crab is amazing

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A new wine and food friend of mine who happens to be Korean wanted to introduce me to Soban and the wonderful world of Korean raw crab. This popular k-town joint looks much like many others.





The English menu. There is a separate Korean one with no pictures.


2011 Inama Soave Classico Vigneti di Foscarino. Parker 92. Creamy and rich, this is so beautifully expressive and profound. There’s nothing obvious about this remarkable wine. Its aromatic evolution spans from crushed mineral and pencil shaving to lemon curd, vanilla custard and sun-kissed apricot. This is a Soave Classico dressed in its Sunday best. It sees six months of oak, of which 20% is new. Those two-fold veins of acidity and minerality will help it age.

We had to sneak these in tea cups, as alcohol isn’t allowed at Soban.


Like all Korean restaurants they  lay out a spread of sides.


Fresh kimchee.


Marinated garlic.


Eggplant.


Wonderful soft egg custard, much like a savory version of Tamago.


Broccoli.


Seaweed.


Some other kind of green.


Fried tofu with a slightly spicy sesame sauce.


Marinated sprouts.


Another green.


And a final green.


The usual white rice, which I normally wouldn’t picture, but it will become important later.


This is the crab. It’s a Korean species specially flown in, then marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, sugar, garlic and ginger for several days. Soban is apparently the only LA place that uses real Korean crab.


The meat is clear and gelatinous, and you suck it right not, almost like squeezing toothpaste from a tube. It has a wonderful subtle briny flavor with more than a hint of ginger. Really quite nice, if a little slimly by the average American textural sensibility.


Then, one can mix some rice in with the row and “crab brain” (guts). This is a wonderful treat. My host actually gave the idea to Yama-san at Yamakase (you can see it here). I happen to love crab guts. Not everyone does, but they have a delightful briny savory quality that blends perfectly with the starchy rice.


Grilled cod. This is a simple fish, but cooked to perfection and complete with a large delicately cooked roe. Yum! In some ways it was like the Korean version of your simple Mediterranean sea bass.


This is a fermented and soy paste stew. It smells rather… fermented (like Nato), but has a complex and interesting taste with more than a little heat.


You can see the Jalepenos.


Spicy mackerel, tofu, and mixed vegetables. This dish had a bit of heat, not overwhelming, but that red Korean kimchee style heat. The mackerel was very flavorful, and not particularly fishy.


Octopus in spicy sauce. The sauce is similar to the mackerel, but they use a Korean species of fresh octopus that is very tender. It was quite nice.

Overall, this was a great little meal, with the crab (and the crab guts on rice) being the real highlight. That’s a very unusual dish and well worth trying if you have the guts! (haha)

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

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  5. Quick Eats: Tofu Ya
By: agavin
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Mercado Madness

Nov08

Restaurant: Mercado

Location: Los Angeles, California 90048. 323.944.0947

Date: November 5, 2013

Cuisine: Mexican

Rating: Solid modern Mexican.

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The Hedonist gang loves to try out new places, plus it was David’s birthday! Mercado is a recent entry into the crowded LA Mexican arena from co-owner Jesse Gomez and chef Jose Acevedo.


The Mercado space on the crowded 3rd street drag is modern and that is also reflected in the fresh take on traditional dishes.


Fitting decor for being so close to the day of the dead! People really hauled out the wines, as we had twenty bottles crowded onto that table!


2004 Billecart-Salmon Champagne.


2006 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Ten. Burghound 86. This is also extremely ripe with the same notes of menthol along with touches of cherry cough syrup, red berries, chocolate and coffee notes that continue onto the mouth coating, serious and structured finish that is again not particularly well integrated into the body of the wine. Here though the finish is not harsh so much as just awkward.


Guacamole – hass avocado, serrano, cilantro, red onion, chile de arbol salsa, spicy pepitas, fresh chips. These were some of the best nachos and guac I’ve had.


2007 Frédéric Magnien Fixin Crais de Chene. Burghound 86-89.  A subtle touch of wood sets off earthy and reasonably complex aromas of red and blue fruit as well as lovely violet nuances that merge into rich, round and supple flavors that possess an attractive textured on the delicious, long and nicely sappy finish that carries less rusticity than one might otherwise expect.


From my cellar, 1978 Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. Parker 93. One of the wines of the night (IMHO). The 1978 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial spent 18 years in barrel and 10 years in bottle prior to release. It still has a deep cherry red color along with an aromatic array of underbrush, brier, tobacco, incense, and blackberry. It has slightly sweeter fruit and livelier acidity than the 1994. This lengthy effort is at its peak now.


Carnitas nachos. Chips, pork chunks, marinated carrots, chili con queso, guacamole. Quite tasty, as I’m partial to both chili con queso and carnitas.


1994 Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. Parker 94. The 1994 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial reveals no age in its appearance. Deep purple-colored, it sports nicely developed, complex aromas with elements of Asian spices, balsamic, lavender, mineral, and blackberry. Elegant, intense, and concentrated, it is balanced by vibrant acidity.


1989 Marques de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay. Parker 92. This traditionally run Bodegas estate bottles all of its wines. The 1989 Castillo y Gay Grand Reserva Especial, which represents 25% of the estate’s production, and is produced only in top vintages, is the flagship wine of Marques de Murrieta. The deep ruby/purple-colored 1989 offers up smoky, sweet, jammy black cherry fruit aromas intertwined with scents of minerals, tobacco, and vanillin. Medium-bodied and ripe, with outstanding levels of fruit, glycerin, and extract, low acidity, and ripe tannin, this hedonistic, luscious Rioja can be drunk now and over the next 15+ years.

Mexican Kale Salad – kale, arugula, candied pumpkin seeds, pears, dried strawberries, cotija-pesto croutons,
agave-lime vinaigrette. Many complained that the vinegar clashed with our heavy reds.


1970 Bodegas El Coto Rioja Coto de Imaz. 89 points.


1970 Berberana Rioja Reserva Carta de Oro. Vanilla and cherry at first on the nose give an impression of cream soda. Resolved, cherry and brown sugar palate with adequate acidity and something savory and creamy. Perfectly enjoyable.


Lobster taco – with slaw. This was tasty, but the shell was a hair soggy and some felt the lobster a little fishy.


1986 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Gran Reserva. 87 points. Still very pleasurable, but it has obviously seen better days. The nose smelt like something quite a bit older, with wafts of balsamic vinegar, suggestions of dried leaves and undergrowth, and only after that more classic matured Tempranillo notes of cooked plums and cigarette smoke. Thankfully, the palate was not quite as tired as the nose would suggest. The dried leaves and balsamic notes were there in some measure, but these were more background notes that the main act, with the wine showing nice little notes of sour plums, a touch of meat and some smoked tea leaves as it moved into a very soft, mellow finish draped with velvety tannins.


1987 Bodegas Rioja Santiago Rioja gran condal. 88 points.


Alambres de Camarõn – Mexican sweet shrimp skewers, cilantro pesto, chayote with calabacitas.


1998 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904. IWC 93. Bright red with an amber rim. Pungent, expansive scents of dried red fruits, potpourri, vanilla and pipe tobacco, with a spicy overtone. The silky palate offers penetrating redcurrant and bitter cherry flavors sweetened by notes of vanilla and mocha. Finishes smooth and long, with very soft tannins and lingering floral notes. Ready to drink but there’s very good depth here, suggesting (along with this wine’s track record) that it will reward further patience. I also had the chance to re-try the outstanding 2001 Vina Ardanza, which is aging at a snail’s pace and really needs more time for the oak to fully integrate with its fruit. Right now the vanilla character is dominating but there’s obviously excellent material underneath it.


2002 Dominio de Atauta Ribera del Duero. IWC 89. Bright ruby-red. Black raspberry, violet pastille and a whiff of tar on the nose. Texture currently stunted by sulfur but the flavors of blackberry and violet pastille offer lovely purity-not to mention impressive ripeness and intensity for the year. Finishes with tongue-dusting tannins.


Carnitas – Chef Jose’s slow-cooked natural pork, guacamole, chile de arbol salsa, cauliflower with escabeche


1970 Château Mouton Rothschild. Parker 93. I have had a remarkable number of opportunities to taste this wine. One of the most frustratingly irregular wines I have ever encountered, the 1970 Mouton can range from pure nectar, to a wine that is angular, austere, and frightfully hard and tannic. This bottle (one of the Reserve du Chateau bottlings that was mistakenly released by the estate and labeled with the letters R.C., rather than a number) was impossible to assess when decanted, given its hard, tough, impenetrable style. Nearly eight hours later, the wine had opened magnificently to reveal a classic bouquet of sweet cassis, tobacco, minerals, and exotic spice aromas. Opulent, full-bodied, thick, and juicy, the extraordinary evolution of this particular bottle would make a persuasive argument for long-term decanting. After being perplexed throughout much of this wine’s evolution, I was reassured by this bottle. No doubt Mouton’s high Cabernet Sauvignon content causes this wine to go through a tight, hard, ungenerous stage.


1985 Haut Bailly. Parker 86. There is not a great deal of depth to this Haut Bailly. Nevertheless, it offers charm, finesse, and a sweet black berry/curranty fruitiness. Some of the new oak and smokiness that were present when the wine was young has dissipated to reveal a slight herbaceousness behind the new oak. The wine is medium-bodied, with soft tannin, and some flesh on the attack that quickly narrows out to a lighter style, supple yet unexciting wine.

A lot of people really liked this wine.


Carne Asada – prime marinated skirt steak, guacamole, cebollines, grilled corn.


2001 Chateau des Tours Vacqueyras. Parker 88. The beautiful, elegant, seductive 2001 Vacqueyras is a serious effort. Its medium ruby color is followed by distinctive kirsch liqueur notes intermixed with freshly ground pepper, licorice, and strawberries.


2007 Caves Saint-Pierre Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Fiacre du Pape. 90 points. Ripe, crushed red berry juice with savory, earthy notes of mushroom and truffle influence. Aromas of blackberry juice, brambly wild berry, oak vanillin, grilled herbs and warm berry tart. Nice texture. A bit tart on the entry with big acid. Richly flavored and hedonistic in style with lush red and black fruit, fresh herbs, a stony minerality and some earthy and dried leaf notes. Suggestions of violet and lavender oil also. Hints of espresso. I could do with a tad less acid, so perhaps added time in the bottle will relax/integrate that.

Pollo en Salsa de Chipotle – Free-range half chicken, chipotle wild mushroom sauce, queso fresco
mashed potatoes.


2001 Domaine de la Solitude Chateauneuf du Pape la Reserve Secrete. Parker 96. Absolutely prodigious, and unquestionably one of the vintage’s most illustrious wines, is the modern-styled 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reserve Secrete. A blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, aged 75% in small oak casks and 25% in tank, an awesome nose of creme de cassis, graphite, kirsch, licorice, and vanilla soars from the glass of this saturated ruby/purple-colored wine. With extravagant richness, a sumptuous texture, and tremendous opulence as well as purity, this stunning, modern-styled Chateauneuf du Pape retains the soul and typicity of Provence as well as Chateauneuf du Pape. One of the vintage’s greatest wines, it is a brilliant achievement.


2005 Penfolds Shiraz Magill Estate. Parker 92. The 2005 Magill Estate Shiraz was barrel-fermented and spent 14 months in French and American oak. It delivers a super-expressive nose of smoked meat, game pencil lead, pepper, blueberry, and blackberry leading to an elegant Shiraz with superb depth and grip. This lengthy effort will provide pleasure through 2020.


Farmers’ Market Enchiladas – Chef Jose’s hand-picked vegetables, yellow mole, queso fresco, nopalitos.


1992 Gaja Langhe Sito Moresco. Still lots of tanic structure.


2010 Tobin James Syrah James Gang Reserve. 2010 Syrah? Eeek gads.


Tacos Carnitas!


Flan. This was a great flan. Ignore the sauce, which might have been Bailieys or something, but the flan was very creamy, a real custard.

Overall, another fabulous night. The food was good, although perhaps a hair uneven, but the wines and company were amazing as always. Service was absolutely first rate. They really took care of us — although next time they need to bring the entrees out one at a time. With wine dinners, multiple courses at once can be overwhelming.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Yarom with owner Jesse Gomez

Related posts:

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  2. Totoraku Double Meat Madness
  3. Hedonists at La Paella
  4. Pig Ear is Here – Taberna Arros y Vi
  5. More Hedonism at La Paella
By: agavin
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Totoraku Double Meat Madness

Oct25

Restaurant: Totoraku [1, 2, 3, 4]

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

Date: October 22 & 23, 2013

Cuisine: Japanese Yakiniku

Rating: Best beef in town!

_

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

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

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

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


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


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


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


The appetizer plate.


Jellyfish!


Uni risotto balls.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


Filet on the grill.


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


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


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


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


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


My first time having this dish. Marinated duck.


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


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


Outside rib eye with special salt and garlic.


The outside rib eye on the grill.


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


Inside rib eye.


The inside rib eye on the grill.


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


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


And it on the grill.


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


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


Grilling up the chops.


One hell of a chop.


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


Skirt steak.


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


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


Toto serves homemade ice creams and sorbets as dessert.

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

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

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

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

The Wines of Night 2

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



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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


1989 Marcel Deiss Riesling Bergheim.


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


Vin Santo Del Chianti. Silvio Nardi.

The madness!

More crazy Hedonist adventures or

LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

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  2. Epic Hedonism at Totoraku
  3. Totoraku – Secret Beef!
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  5. Hedonists at STK again!
By: agavin
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Luminous Lechon Pigout!

Oct23

Restaurant: Eva’s Lechon

Location: 4252 W. 3rd st. Los Angeles CA 90020. 213-383-3179

Date: October 19, 2013

Cuisine: Filipino

Rating: Total Pig Out!

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Months in the works, it’s finally time for the highly anticipated Hedonist whole suckling pig out!


Elisabeth and Jake were very generous to host us at their lovely 20s Hacienda.


This setting definitely does NOT suck.


Wayne went crazy tonight and brought some really fabulous wines, like this top top champagne.

1996 Salon. Parker 97+. The 1996 Salon is yet another wine that is maturing splendidly. Once focused to the point of being painfully austere and angular, today the 1996 Salon has begun to soften and fill out. My latest bottles have been rich, generous and totally compelling in every way.


What is wine without a little cheese. Next to the nuts is a washed rind.


2004 Marcassin Chardonnay Three Sisters Vineyard. IWC 93+. Slightly deeper yellow than the Zio Tony. Pure, subdued nose hints at lemon, ginger, spring flowers and flinty minerality. Then almost shockingly fat, broad and rich in the mouth, with elevated alcohol contributing to the impression of plumpness. Dry yet luscious, with a honeyed flavor. Finishes with considerable breadth and power, and more obvious structure than the Zio Tony. But this one really calls for a year or two of additional aging.


And a blu cheese.

2006 Moraga Vineyard Proprietary White. Parker 92. The 2006 Proprietary White offers beautiful notes of honeyed lemon blossoms, melons, figs, and flinty undertones. Well-integrated acidity, wood, and alcohol has rendered one of the finest California Sauvignon Blancs money can buy. It should continue to drink well for several more years. This is one of the most distinctive little treasures in California. A tiny, 9.5-acre vineyard (5 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Sauvignon Blanc) is planted on some of California’s most expensive real estate, the sloping hillsides composed of limestone and sandstone in Bel Air.


And a creamy (almost like butter) cheese that I think was Brillat-Savarin. I can’t be sure, but the style is right and I loved it, which makes it likely.


And a slightly moldy (on purpose) brie.


From my cellar, 1970 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Alberdi Crianza. It was a little shaken up by the journey here, including having been rolled down a bumpy street in my wine bag, so the sediment had mixed into the wine, but the flavor was there. Almost Burgundian, with a crisp acidity and a lot of “red berry” fruit.


1995 R. López de Heredia Rioja Viña Bosconia Coscha. 92 points. Dark red. A kaleidoscopic bouquet evokes candied red fruits, incense, pipe tobacco and potpourri, with hints of woodsmoke, leather and Asian spices gaining strength in the glass. Silky and sweet, with intense raspberry liqueur and bitter cherry flavors that take a darker turn with air. Tangy acidity adds lift and focus to a strikingly long, sappy finish. This wine belies its age with its vivacity.Dark red. A kaleidoscopic bouquet evokes candied red fruits, incense, pipe tobacco and potpourri, with hints of woodsmoke, leather and Asian spices gaining strength in the glass. Silky and sweet, with intense raspberry liqueur and bitter cherry flavors that take a darker turn with air. Tangy acidity adds lift and focus to a strikingly long, sappy finish. This wine belies its age with its vivacity.


1998 Clos du Marquis. Parker 90. A superb effort, the 1998 exhibits abundant quantities of black currant and cherry fruit subtley dosed with toasty oak. A medium to full-bodied, nicely-textured, pure effort, with a moderately tannic finish.


Wayne goes all out again, 1995 Guigal Cote Rotie la Turque. Parker 98-100. The 1995 Cote Rotie La Turque (about 7% Viognier in the blend) possesses a dense ruby/purple color, and roasted herb, olive, and Asian spice characteristics. It exhibits exceptional concentration and is velvety and concentrated. The fabulous 1995 La Turque is a virtually perfect wine with flamboyance, harmony, and remarkable opulence and length. It should drink well when released, and last for two decades.

Psych. We didn’t open it, too good for BBQ!


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

More psych, also saved for another day.


1996 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain. Parker 96. The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain possesses a black/blue/purple color, and a texture of unctuosity and thickness. Greatness is suggested by a wonderfully sweet mid-section, gorgeous purity, and this humongous wine’s overall symmetry. It also possesses sumptuous layers of concentration, remarkably sweet tannin, low acidity, and a 40+ second finish.

This one we drank!


2006 Lillian Syrah. Parker 94. The second release from Maggie Harrison, previously an apprentice at Sine Qua Non, the 2006 Syrah from Lillian is even better than the excellent 2005. Totally sourced from the White Hawk Vineyard, and aged in 65% new oak for 23 months, there are 508 cases of this beautiful Syrah. Notes of creme de cassis, blackberries, spice, incense, flowers, ground pepper, licorice, and subtle smoke are followed by a full-bodied, layered, multidimensional, big (15.6% alcohol) Syrah. Beautifully balanced, elegant, and pure, it should age gracefully for a decade or more.


1995 Vineyard 29 Cabernet Sauvignon Grace Family Vineyard. 93 points. Superripe, sappy nose combines blackcurrant, chocolate and brown spices. Sweet, supple and chewy on the palate; already displays expressive inner-mouth aromatics. A fairly big wine, finishing with excellent length and thoroughly buffered tannins. Faint notes of roast coffee and game on the aftertaste.


2005 Marquis Philips Shiraz 9. IWC 87+. Saturated ruby. Powerful, room-filling aromas of dark berry compote, vanilla, chocolate, cola and espresso aromas show a head-spinning quality (this says 16.5% alcohol on the label). Fat, soft and oily, with sweet cassis, plum and blackberry flavors sweetened by mocha and vanilla. Doesn’t seem especially tannic but maybe they’re lurking underneath the wine’s confectionary quality. An unctuous, jammy example of shiraz that could use more energy, but this style has its fans. (The other ’05 releases I tasted from this producer were all solidly made but on the jammy side.)


2008 Cayuse Syrah Bionic Frog. IWC 96. Bright dark red. Multidimensional nose delivers black raspberry, brown sugar, smoky cardamom and black olive. Superconcentrated, sappy and rich, showing a rare blend of power and delicacy. No single element dominates this outstanding syrah; flavors of red and black fruits, pepper and spices wash over the palate in a wave. Finishes with very fine tannins and great persistence.


2005 Cascina Tiole Barolo. Nice, if a little young.


2002 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon Estate. Parker 95+. The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is an amazingly rich, full-throttle effort boasting notes of blackberries, creme de cassis, acacia flowers, graphite and wood smoke. This massive effort tastes more like a mountain-styled Cabernet Sauvignon than one from the Oakville valley floor. It should be forgotten for another 5-6 years and drunk over the following quarter of a century.


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2005 Château Cap de Mourlin. 90 points. Eye: deep dark purple. Nose: berries, smoke, lots of fruit, spice. Palate: round, fruity, some structure hidden, slight sweetness, medium finish.


Most of the food came tonight from Eva’s, a traditional Filipino BBQ place that many say has the best pig in the city.


And here is the poor guy.


I’m not sure I’d look so cheerful if 25 Hedonists were about to carve into my back and chow down!


Pancit Bihon. Thin rice noodles with soy sauce, lemon, and cabbage. Very tasty, and our only starch (we badly needed rice).


Pinakbet. Chicken, green beans, and squash in a fermented fish sauce (probably some coconut milk in there too).


Pork and chicken adobo. Meat cooked in a mix of vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic.


Dinuguan. Blood stew with pork or beef (traditionally pork). The blood is pig blood and there are some peppers and potato in there. Despite the frightening appearance and scary concept it was quite tasty.


Arroz Caldo. Sticky rice porriage with chicken, garlic, and ginger. Surprisingly tasty with a congee like texture.


Lumpiang Shanghai. Or Shanghai eggroll. Little fried rolls stuffed with meat (probably pork and shrimp).


Kare-kare. A peanut curry with cabbage, green beans, and some kind of meat, maybe oxtail. Traditionally, it’s oxtail, brisket, and tripe. The meat was very dense and chewy.


The feeding frenzy.


Looks like Thanksgiving, but unfortunately, since there was no rice, all the stews blended. It still tasted good, but probably was a little chaotic.


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


Some lovely fresh fruit tart.


A nice cake.

We’ve enjoyed this Santorini Vin Santo before. It’s good, but after the D’Yquem…


Biko-biko. Caramelized sticky rice. Mild and pleasant.


Flan. I do love flan.


And fresh made whipped cream, whipped up by our host right then and there. I shouldn’t have, but I did.

Overall, this was another awesome evening. The pig was some of the best I’ve ever had, the wines were great, and the atmosphere and the company fantastic. What more can you ask for in an evening?

Discover more crazy Hedonists adventures on my Hedonist page or

For more LA dining reviews click here.


Hanging out.


And the lovely house by moonlight.

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By: agavin
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Big Bottle Madness at Kali Dining

Sep27

Restaurant: Kali Dining [1, 2]

Location: 13488 W Maxella Ave Marina del Rey, CA 90292 Apt #559

Date: September 25, 2013

Cuisine: New American

Rating: Foie-tasktic

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Independent chef Kevin Meehan (below) executes a concept he calls “hosted dinner party” via his company Kali Dining. You  sign up for a special meal and join him at a big communal table in Marina del Rey. He also happens to belong to my Hedonist group  (cooking up that same group’s start of summer blast) and so we thought we’d hit him up at his place for a wine dinner.


Our young and talented chef.


The table. Finding it is the challenge, as the location is hidden within the gargantuan Stella apartment building right in the center of the Marina. Alcohol is BYOB, which is great by me.


1998 Jacques Prieur Corton-Charlemagne. IWC 91. Very expressive leesy, oaky aromas of roasted nuts, clove, nutmeg and vanilla. At once powerful and generously textured, with pliant mineral and smoke flavors nicely framed by ripe acids. I find this quite approachable for Corton-Charlemagne, and long on the aftertaste. Seems more substantial today than it was from bottle last spring before the end of the alcoholic fermentation.

Drinking quite nicely right now.


2010 J. Hofstätter Gewürztraminer Kolbenhof. IWC 91. Deep straw-yellow. Superripe aromas of tropical fruits and sweet spices lifted by rose petal and lavender notes. Then bright, rich and focused in the mouth, with persistent flavors of ripe peach, apricot and mango. Closes with cinnamon and grapefruit nuances on the long, brisk finish. Very well done.


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


Kevin showed me this. Unfortunately, I didn’t put anything in the image for scale, but this is about 10 inches long. The single liver of a single duck! Sometimes I feel like that!


1990 Francesco Rinaldi e Figli Barolo Le Brunate. Parker 96. The 1990 Barolo Riserva Brunate is very much a mirror image of the vintage; fat, rich and opulent, with gorgeous inner perfume and superb balance. It is awfully hard to pick a favorite here, as both wines are drop-dead gorgeous. Wow! Despite the wine’s huge fruit the tannins and structure remain formidable, and this is one case where the 1990 may very well age at the same pace as the 1989. In fact, this is one of the few 1990s that comes across as needing more time! In any event, the 1990 Barolo Riserva Brunate is a monumental, towering wine from one of Barolo’s icon producers. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025.

Very, very nice.


Kumamoto Oyster with a bit of ham and yuzu. Nice combo of briny, salty, and sour.


2001 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Brunate. 92 points. Impressive nose of flowers (roses?) and vanilla and cedar, with notes of tobacco and wild berries. Aromatics are wonderfully rich and complex, but still elegant and subtle. Hard to pinpoint everything. On the palate, there is a very strong new oak character which, along with the hefty tannins, dominates right out of the bottle. Very tight and woody up front. But the wine softens and opens up nicely with time in the decanter and glass, alowing some delicate cherry (and chocolate?) flavors to shine through, along with hints of earth and smoke. Medium-full bodied with medium acidity, excellent structure, a bold, yet silky mouthfeel, and a nice, long, well-defined finish. Obviously this wine is still quite young. It seems as if there is a lot burried underneath the wood and tannins which can’t yet properly be expressed. The potential is there. Give it time.


A summer salad of gazpacho sorbet, black garlic, tomatoes, and hamachi. A tomato water consume is poured over.


Very fresh and bright.


Lana, never one to hold back, brings: 2006 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia. Parker 97. The 2006 Ornellaia (magnum) is a massive, towering masterpiece. There is awesome depth and richness to be found in the glass. Flowers, minerals, tar smoke and dark fruit are all woven in an intricate fabric of almost indescribable elegance and power. Tonight the 2006 Ornellaia is absolutely moving in its beauty and expressiveness. Vintage 2006 will go down as one of the all-time greats in Tuscany, and Bolgheri in particular, as all of that region’s benchmark wines are spectacular. The 2006 shows the intensity of the small berries that were harvested that year, with exceptional concentration, acidity and freshness, qualities that are precious and exceedingly rare when they are found in a single wine. In 2006 the final blend is 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Simply put, the 2006 Ornellaia is a must-have bottle. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2031.

Awesome! (albeit a bit young)


Yummy rosemary bread.


And lots of butter (on request).


2010 Achaval Ferrer Quimera. Parker 91. The 2010 Quimera is a blend of 27% Malbec and 24% Cabernet Sauvignon alongside Petit Verdot and Merlot, raised in 40% French new oak for 14 months, the remainder one year old. It has a complex, almost “mulchy” bouquet: one that evokes undergrowth and tertiary aromas that are well-defined and cerebral. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, slightly chewy tannins surrounding a core of blackberry laced with licorice and a hint of star anise. The finish is focused and taut, bestowed with an extremely fresh citric finish. Old World meets New – with style. Drink 2014-2022.


1999 S. Anderson Cabernet Sauvignon SAV. 90 points. Nice balanced wine with mellowed tannins, dark fruits and some green pepper. I generally don’t prefer any green pepper notes, but this was still good.


Risotto with parmesan crisps and pesto drizzle. I’m a risotto whore and this didn’t disappoint.


1998 Chateau d’Yquem. Parker 95. The 1998 Yquem (95 points) is a great success. Made in an elegant style, it is not a blockbuster such as 1990, 1989, and 1988. It is well-delineated, with wonderfully sweet aromas of creme brulee, pineapples, apricots, and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, it is not as sweet as the biggest/richest Yquem vintages, but it is gorgeously pure, precise, and strikingly complex. Already approachable, it should evolve for 30-50 years … without a doubt.


Foie gras with fennel and eggplant in a sweet sauce. An unbelievable pairing with Lana’s big bottle of Chateau D’Yquem!


2007 Azelia Barolo Margheria. IWC 94. Deep red. Very ripe aromas of cherry, strawberry, licorice, smoke and mocha. Sweet, plush and seamless, with terrific concentration to the red fruit and mineral flavors. This wonderfully round 2007 saturates the entire palate without leaving any impression of heaviness. The wine’s superripe finishing flavors of dark berries are leavened by excellent mineral lift. A superb showing, but I’d wait at least five or six years before pulling the cork.


2007 Fattoria Le Pupille (Elisabetta Geppetti) Saffredi Maremma Toscana IGT. IWC 91. (a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and alicante Dark ruby. Light red berry and plum aromas along with riper coffee and dark chocolate nuances. Dense and rich but nicely focused, with a creamy texture to the black cherry, dried herb and milk chocolate flavors. Puts on considerable weight in the glass and displays a seductive floral quality on the long finish. Harmonious acidity gives this concentrated blend a light touch and an overall impression of refinement.


Duck breast with beet sauce and crispy beets. Lovely. The crisps were very salty which paired nicely with the sweetish meat.


2004 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard. IWC 94. (includes about 3% each cabernet franc and petit verdot) Saturated ruby-red. Highly nuanced, Graves-like aromas of black plum, raspberry, warm stones, tobacco, minerals and nutty oak. Sweet, suave and wonderfully fine-grained wine with a fleshiness given shape by harmonious acidity. A step up in intensity from the ’03 bottling, with the petit verdot component adding aromatic character and structure. Finishes with lingering sweet notes of cherry and currant.


Lana brought this homemade baklava in that a friend made.


I just have to show the big bottle again.


Panna cotta with berries. Sweet and simple. The custard was quite firm.

As usual, Chef Kevin whipped up another fabulous feast, better than most modern American restaurants are doing in LA. And we doused it with a crazy volume of wine. The foie gras / d’Yquem pairing was a standout — a classic for a reason!

For more Hedonist meals click here.

For more LA reviews click here.


The view out the apartment window.

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By: agavin
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JiRaffe Burgundy Blowout!

Sep11

Restaurant: JiRaffe [1, 2]

Location: 502 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401. 310.917.6671

Date: September 9, 2013

Cuisine: French American

Rating: Santa Monica Classic

ANY CHARACTER HERE

My Hedonist group has been mixing up our format a bit, and tonight we aren’t just checking out a restaurant (the excellent New-French Jiraffe) but putting together an exclusive “high end” Burgundy night. Each guest was required to bring at least one great bottle of red Burgundy, the bar being set at DRC, Leroy, Jayer, Roumier, Vogue and the like. Everyone really stepped up and brought a phenomenal array of wine. Also, what started at a mere 10 people rapidly expanded to 20 people at two tables. As such, we were crammed into a fairly narrow zone upstairs and given the dynamic and back and forth nature of these events it was a real zoo.

This was hands down the most chaotic of our dinners yet, besting out even the insane Totoraku event last spring.

We begin with a few openers:


NV Billecart-Salmon Rose. Parker 90. The NV Brut Rose is a pretty, gracious wine. Freshly cut roses, red berries and spices take shape nicely in the glass as the wine shows off its understated, timeless personality. Billecart-Salmon’s NV Brut Rose is a reliably tasty wine.


1990 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut La Grande Dame. IWC 96. Rich, multidimensional, highly aromatic nose of pear, red berries, apple, honey, toast and spice. Extremely rich and concentrated, with its medium to full body leavened by bright citrus notes and compelling minerality. Great inner-mouth aromas. Conveys an impression of powerful yet remarkably fine raw materials. The spicy finish offers exceptional persistence and richness.


2009 Domaine Michel Niellon Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 94. Here mild reduction doesn’t materially diminish the appeal of the more elegant if ever-so-slightly less complex aromas that feature notes of stone, lemon zest, acacia blossom and spiced pear. There is superb intensity and simply gorgeous detail to the mineral-driven and impeccably well-balanced flavors and explosive finale. Still, as good as this is and it is indeed exceptional, the superior complexity of the Bâtard gives it the barest of edges in 2009.


A bonus bottle from my cellar: 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.

Then the first round of food:


The amuse, a mushroom cream cappuccino. Very tasty, almost truffle flavored and very rich.

Hugo’s Caramelized French Onion Soup. grilled filet of beef, gruyere, crispy ciabatta.

Dungeness Crab Cake. confit yellow squash, vadouvan vinaigrette, mango emulsion, triple blanched garlic pistachio cream.


“Roasted Organic Beet Salad, organic beets, carmelized walnuts, dried cherries, goat cheese cream, banyuls-ginger vinaigrette.” This dish has become ubiquitous, but I suspect JiRaffe was one of the earliest to offer it on their menu (it might have been an 80s Wolfgang Puck invention, but I’m not sure). This particularly implementation has always been one of the best I’ve ever had. The sweet of the beets pairing beautifully with the sharpness of the goat cheese, and the chewy crunch of the walnut/cherry combo adding to the effect.

Sautéed Wild Pacific shrimp salad “Scampi Style”. Maggie’s Farms baby arugula, white beans, shaved fennel,
golden beets, olive lemon vinaigrette.

Sweet corn ravioli with Mascarpone. Ricotta and Reggiano parmesan cheese, rock shrimp, sugar snap peas, truffle corn emulsion.

Because of the enormous number of wines, I’m not “pairing” them with the food pictures like normal but listing all the red Burgundy in bulk . This was a very chaotic event and the drinking order was willy nilly. Sheer pandemonium really.


This bottle had long ago lost its label, but we knew from the cork that it was a 1983 Haegelen Jayer grand cru, probably (by the nose) an Echezeaux. Regardless, it was rather wonderful.


1981 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant. 92 points. Dried tawny/rose color, dried roses in the nose. Touch of earth, flash of sweet beet fruit, dash of acidity left.


1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux. Burghound 91. Intense, ripe and slightly roasted black fruit nose with developing complexity that leads to rich, full-bodied, rounded, sweet flavors underpinned by big tannins and the wine finishes with grand cru quality length. This is quite big and certainly dramatic but for all its richness and power, it’s not an elegant wine per se. All of that said, it’s still a relatively youthful wine and could be drunk now with pleasure or held for a few more years to fully round out the finish.


2007 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux. Burghound 90. A spicy, expressive and expansive nose of red berry fruit, distinct vegetal nuances, freshly sliced fennel and obvious earth notes that transfer over to the detailed, balanced and energetic flavors that possess excellent transparency on the vibrant and mouth coating finish. There is a lingering inner mouth perfume here that makes this quite seductive. Not surprisingly, this changed rather dramatically in the hour that I had to evaluate the ’07s and the seemingly lighter weight flavors put on noticeable flesh though the nose slowly closed in on itself.


1986 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-Echezeaux. Burghound 87. There is still some fresh fruit here though the nose is now largely given over to secondary aromas though only hints of sous bois followed by flavors that offer good if not excellent richness and the finish still has enough structure to suggest that another 5 years is in order for this to completely smooth out. This is really quite good though hardly great and it’s especially good in the context of the vintage.

I have to say, by my taste this was by far the best “Ech” of the evening.


1969 Charles Vienot Richebourg. Burghound 93. Beautifully complex with a classic aged burg nose of earth¡ damp leaves and traces of sous bois (but no barnyard aromas) followed by classy¡ full¡ precise¡ remarkably fresh flavors offering excellent richness, complexity and length. A beautiful ’69 that is still drinking well. An impressive showing.


1995 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg. Burghound 93. This too is reserved and restrained with an almost completely closed nose that reveals only glimpses of fresh black fruit even after extended aeration. The flavors however are rich and offer excellent detail and are underpinned by dense yet ripe tannins and good extract. I very much like the style of this though it is clearly for the patient and I suspect this will always have a rather strict personality. This has put on a bit of weight and a bit of richness since the big Richebourg tasting in ’01 and appears to be better balanced than the prior bottle but otherwise, it is quite similar.


2004 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg. Burghound 93. This is in the same stylistic camp as the GrandsEchézeaux as it is surprisingly understated and subtle with an intensely floral nose of red and black fruit aromas that are nuanced and beautifully elegant, merging seamlessly into linear, reserved, indeed almost brooding flavors that are as once supple yet precise and detailed, all wrapped in a powerful and muscular finish that delivers striking length. This is a really interesting wine because it’s a wine of contrasts yet it works because there is a gorgeous combination of finesse and power and again, I really like the sense of drive and energy here as well as the first rate balance. A terrific ’04.


From my cellar: 1988 Domaine Leroy Clos Vougeot. Burghound 93. This has changed substantially since my last review and has become a well-aged though not tired ’88. The nose now displays ample amounts of sous bois with good spiced earth and leather that leads to excellent power and richness on the solidly well-focused¡ intense and well-balanced finish that displays just a hint of astringency on the otherwise superbly long finish. This is drinking perfectly well now and should continue to do so for years to come even though I would not expect any further upside development.

To my taste one of the best wines of the night. It tasted like strawberry jam!


1996 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares. Burghound 91. Dense and intense black fruit with plenty of character is followed by rich, big, tannic flavors that are robust, indeed almost rustic. This displays lots of backbone if not much finesse with a nice note of finishing complexity. In short, the ’96 Bonnes Mares delivers solid if not truly exceptional quality in a package that will age for many years to come.


1988 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Bonnes Mares. Burghound 91. Mild bricking. A deep, rich and earthy mix of some primary but now mostly secondary fruit that leads to big, dense and intense flavors blessed with plenty of complexity all the while displaying solid balance as the tannins are relatively integrated on the long finish. To be sure, there remains substantial structure to be resolved but there is solid buffering extract and this fine sense of balance continues into the powerful finish. While certainly a very fine effort, it’s not quite at the level of the Vieilles Vignes. For my preferences, this is now beginning to drink well and as it is unlikely to improve further, I would be drinking up over the next decade.


2003 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Bonnes Mares. Burghound 88. Ample wood sets off very ripe aromas of spiced plum, mocha and subtle coffee that lead to big, rich and powerful flavors that display a muscular, taut and extremely intense profile culminating in a ripe and long finish where another touch of wood resurfaces. This is not particularly elegant though it is lush, generous and mouth coating. The ’03 Bonnes Mares will undoubtedly age even though it remains very ’03 in style and character. In short, this is perfectly good if particular.


2008 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Bonnes Mares. Burghound 93. A background touch of wood spice surrounds red berry fruit, plum and floral notes that include violet and rose, animale and soil tones that continue on the earth-inflected, rich, sappy and moderately concentrated but gorgeously balanced flavors that possess real character and excellent power on the impressively long and youthfully austere finish. This has both style and personality but what really distinguishes it is how complete it is.


2002 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart. Burghound 93. The generous wood this displayed from cask has begun to integrate and no longer sticks out on the expressive and extremely ripe black fruit and plum suffused nose that is nuanced by hints of torrefaction¡ earth and coffee. The supple¡ delicious¡ round and textured full-bodied flavors are notably robust and underpinned by very firm tannins as well as loads of buffering extract. This is a powerful yet detailed wine that does seem to carry its alcohol well with only a trace of finishing warmth. In sum¡ this is a borderline massive and unbelievably long wine that bathes the palate in sappy extract though note that it is so youthful that it will require ample cellar time to arrive at its apogee especially in magnum format.


1996 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru. Burghound 91. Initially, this was extremely tight and reserved with subtle pinot fruit and raspberry hints that are incredibly youthful and primary for what is now an 8 year old wine. With air however, the aromas and flavors expand and deepen, eventually revealing elegant, pure and rich flavors of lovely detail and complexity if not necessarily great density or concentration. This is clearly very classy juice with prominent acidity and a slightly edgy, almost punchy finish though it is by no means harsh. I would be inclined to wait until at least until 2008 to open the next bottle and more likely until 2010.


1998 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes. Burghound 94. This is just now beginning to display hints of secondary development though the essential thrust of the nose remains ripe aromas of red and black pinot fruit that is nuanced with hints of violets and anise plus a fascinating array of spices. This remains mildly austere on the palate though much less so than it was in its true youth with plenty of soil and mineral-inflected nuances to the impressively dense and powerful yet classy flavors that deliver simply huge length. As classic Musigny always is¡ this delivers an incredible combination of power and grace. While this can certainly be approached now with pleasure¡ for my taste I would still be inclined to cellar this for another 5 to 8 years first.


1996 Domaine Leroy Chambertin. Burghound 94. An elegant, pure and intoxicatingly complex nose offers up a fantastic array of spices and earth/crushed herb undertones that evidence the barest hint of secondary notes that lead to still completely primary and impressively concentrated, indeed even thick flavors that are powerful, focused and astonishingly long. This is quite simply stunning with terrific amounts of dry extract that completely drenches the palate, which is a good thing because this is a firmly structured effort that is still some years away from being ready to go. A Chambertin of finesse.


1990 Domaine Jean Tardy et Fils Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Boudots. Burghound 87. This offers the classic Boudots profile of Vosne spice and Nuits character and is already drinking well. This too has a definite wood element to it but the wine has the body and extract to better handle it. Still, this is best drunk sooner than later.


1990 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux. Burghound 88. Still deeply colored. An expressive, dense, indeed huge nose of roasted, ever-so-slightly stewed fruit that is already showing a great deal of secondary and even tertiary development while the muscular, rich, extracted and solidly complex flavors are underpinned by a tough, firm and very prominent tannic backbone. This is a dramatic bruiser of a wine but it’s not clear that it’s ever going to harmonize as the finish is completely dominated by the structure and given that the fruit is presently much more advanced than the evolution of the tannins, it’s a tough call to say whether the fruit will be able to stand the test of time and this most recent bottle gave no cause for optimism in this regard, indeed it seemed to confirm that this is probably a lost cause. Optimists will continue to hold the ’90 Epeneaux in the cellar as it will certainly be around 30 years from now though whether it will be any more balanced than it is now is the essential question.

And the entrees:


Seafood risotto milanaise. rock shrimp, fresh Dungeness crab, bay scallops, calamar, Lobster reduction.


“New Zealand Lamb Rack, yellowfin potato samosas, vegetable moussaka, thyme-scented lamb jus.” The lamb itself was delicious, exactly what you’d want. The jus perfect as well. My only complaint was the samosas which were very bland, tasting only of potato. I’m not such a plain starch fan. They were okay soaked in the jus, but I would have preferred a strong curry flavor or something.


Prime Caramelized Pork Chop. Cheiftian long grain wild rice, smoked bacon, Spiced-apple chutney, and aged cider sauce.

Now a cheese course, inserted just to give us some more drinking time:


2010 Domaine Guy Roulot Meursault Les Vireuils. Burghound 89-91. This is aromatically similar if a bit more elegant and with a touch more floral character as well. There is excellent energy to the detailed and ultra-precise flavors that seemed to be extracted directly from liquid stone. This doesn’t quite have the breadth and complexity of the Narvaux but this is finer.


Cheese and ham plate. Good stuff.

Then on to the sweets:


A tasty old Barsac, the label being too damaged for me to identify at this stage.


Chocolate Truffle Cake. Tahitian Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Chocolate and Raspberry sauce.


Meyer Lemon Soufflé. With sautéed blackberry sauce and blackberry sorbet.


Crème Brulée. Tahitian Vanilla served with fresh baked cookies of the day.


Sticky Toffee Pudding. Candied walnuts, vanilla ice cream, and toffee sauce.


Overall, this night had arguably the best wine of any Hedonist event I’ve been too yet. Certainly to my taste. So much Burgundy it was overwhelming, and not just that, so much fabulous Burgundy! Wow. Wow. Wow.

And the food was great too. Jiraffe has a very good kitchen. We could have used to have more (smaller) courses. There was plenty of food, but it wasn’t on the table long enough for the wines, but this was a function of how we ordered. The service was also very friendly and attentive.

But our Hedonist free-for-all style is nearly unmanageable with this many people (20) and this many wines (25). While we had more than enough grape juice, it was a chaotic whirlwind and you had to remain very attentive to try all the things you wanted. For much of the evening I had 9 glasses in front of me!

Still, so much fun!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Perhaps a little too much fun was being had!

Related posts:

  1. Burgundy at Bouchon – Faiveley
  2. Burgundy at Bouchon – Jadot
  3. Burgundy Vintage Chart
  4. Phong Dinh – Hedonists go Vietnamese
  5. JiRaffe is no Joke
By: agavin
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Eating England – The Square

Sep06

Restaurant: The Square

Location: 6-10 Bruton Street. Mayfair, London, W1J 6PU. +44 (0) 20 7495 7100

Date: July 15, 2013

Cuisine: Modern French/Italian

Rating: Thoroughly Enjoyable

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While in London I failed to secure any reservations at the city’s three 3 Michelin star restaurants (sadly, the Fat Duck wait list didn’t pan out), but I did hit up “The Square” which has 2 stars and was a recommendation (and a great one at that) of my wine friend Martin Buchanan who arranged the evening and brought a couple of lovely bottles. I had met Martin earlier this year at a blow out Melisse dinner and this proved to be another great evening — if slightly less damaging to the liver (at Melisse 5 of us drank 9 bottles!).


The square is located on a side street in fashionable (and expensive) Mayfair.


Tonight’s tasting.


And a modified pescatarian version.


We begin with the amuses. Classic french cheese puffs.


Fois gras cone.


A tomato mushroom “toast.”


Squid ink “chips.”


And a non inky version.


2005 Domaine Leflaive Meursault 1er Cru Sous le Dos d’Âne. IWC 90. Light yellow color. Sweet aromas of soft citrus fruits and nutty, vanillin oak. Ripe and harmonious, with sweet fruit flavors of orange and peach. Offers an attractive sugar/acid balance. My only early question mark concerns the wine’s slightly hard edge on the finish, and a hint of alcoholic warmth. But there’s also some minerality from the rocky soil here.

This had a very “oxidized” style, which at the moment was drinking nicely, like a much older wine — 10 or 15 years older! — although I have no idea how it will hold up in the long run.


Tartare of English Rose Veal with Violet Artichokes, Black Radish and Summer Truffle.


Bocconcini Mozzarella with Olive, Capers, Romero Peppers, and White Balsamic.


Sauté of Scottish Langoustine Tails with Parmesan Gnocchi and an Emulsion of Potato and Truffle. Very tasty!


Heirloom Tomatoes with Sheep’s Curd, Olive Oil, and Pea Shoots.


Lasagne of Dorset Crab with a Cappuccino of Shellfish and Champagne Foam.


Warm Salad of Potato with Truffle and Summer Beetroots.


1995 Bernard Faurie Hermitage Blanc. Martin brought this wine. It’s so rare and unusual that it’s not even listed on Cellartracker. It was drinking very nicely, showing the caramel complexity of a mature age-worthy white.


Roast Foe Gras with New Season Cherries and Pistachio Granola.


Hand Rolled Macaroni with Artichoke, New Seasons Girolles and Runner Beans.


Roast Monkfish with Girolles, Tomato, Basil Gnocchetti and Garlic.


Roast Fillet of Sea Bass with Girolles, Tomato, Basil Gnocchetti and Garlic.


2000 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod / Barthod-Noëllat Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées. Burghound 88. Another gift from Martin. Finesse to burn here with outstanding elegance and purity. Very Chambolle in character with a pronounced minerality and the tannins have an almost chalky quality to them. The length here is excellent and this displays a certain vibrancy if not the same degree of richness as the Beaux Bruns.


Loin of Lamb with White Auergine Puree, Olives, Artichokes and Balsamic.


Croustillant of Girolles with Bay Milk Puree and Fresh Almond.


Tasting of Thymtamarre.


The associated bread.


1989 Forster Jesuitengarten Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese. Another wine from Martin. A lovely sticky. Like apricot nectar.


Brillat-Savarin Cheesecake with English Gooseberries and Elderflower Sorbet.


Apricot Souffle with Camomile Ice Cream.


And the added sauce.


Echoing the amuses are the Petit Fours. These are like super chocolate truffle rice crispy balls.


And a neat little “arrangement” of bon bons!

This was another great meal. The Square isn’t doing anything too radical, but it is delivering really excellent haut cuisine. There is a deft marriage here of both French and Italian techniques, which combined with a use of fresh English ingredients serves up a unique take on modern gastronomic cuisine. Every dish was approachable and well executed without any “failed experiments.” Service was also first rate. The wine list was good but pricey (no surprise for a London 2 star).

For more English dining reviews click here.

The glasses (filled with red Burgundy) each made a cool reflection pattern on the table

Related posts:

  1. Eating England – Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons
  2. Eating Florence – La Cantinetta Antinori
  3. Eating Florence – Caffe Pitti
  4. Eating Gaiole – Lo Sfizio di Bianchi
  5. Eating Siena – Trattoria Pepei
By: agavin
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All Things Akbar

Aug30

Restaurant: Akbar [1, 2, 3]

Location: 2627 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, Ca 90403. 310-586-7469

Date: August 28, 2013

Cuisine: Indian

Rating: Bold and balanced flavors

ANY CHARACTER HERE

For 13 or so years Akbar has been one of my favorite Indian restaurants. 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.

This time, my Hedonist group has taken over half the restaurant for one of our blow outs.

The Menu can be found here.

NV Andre Clouet Brut Grande Reserve. Parker 90. The NV Brut Grande Reserve emerges from the glass with layers of hazelnut, pear, spice and dried flower aromas. This rich, creamy wine impresses for its balance and sheer richness. I loved it.


Papadum. A crispy slightly spicy “bread” (more like a cracker) that is traditional at the start of meals.


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.


2012 Mount Nelson Sauvignon Blanc.


Fresh baked Naan, the delicious flat bread cooked in the Tandoor.


From my cellar, 2001 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape. Parker 96. Beaucastel has been on a terrific qualitative roll over the last four vintages, and the 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape (which Francois Perrin feels is similar to the 1990, although I don’t see that as of yet) is a 15,000-case blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, and the balance split among the other permitted varietals of the appellation. This inky/ruby/purple-colored cuvee offers a classic Beaucastel bouquet of new saddle leather, cigar smoke, roasted herbs, black truffles, underbrush, and blackberry as well as cherry fruit. It is a superb, earthy expression of this Mourvedre-dominated cuvee. Full-bodied and powerful, it will undoubtedly close down over the next several years, not to re-emerge for 7-8 years. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2025.

Many of us (including me) considered this the wine of the night.


A kind of chat (street food?) that basically consists of Samosas topped with chickpeas, flavored curry, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, tamarind, and yogurt. A really delicious sweet, savory, tangy combo.


2008 B. R. Silver Pinot Noir Coteau Palmer. 88 Points. Initial whiff of smoke and toasted oak, bright red berries, a faint green pepper/ leafy/ herbal note. Later, butterscotch, frangipane, more blueberry dark cherry pinot fruit notes. 25 sec finish. Nicely tart, muted tannins. Went well with (a) salmon with cafe de paris butter, and (b) grilled top blade with wild mushroom sauce. Very drinkable. The low alcohol makes this especially pleasant.


Chicken breaded with lentil flour and fried. Like Indian chicken nuggets!


Banacorsi.


Tandoori grilled Chilean Sea Bass marinated in herbs. Tender and flavorful!


2004 DuMOL Syrah Russian River Valley. IWC 88. Bright ruby-red. Superripe crushed blackberry and pepper on the nose.On the palate, intense black fruit and tar flavors are accompanied by an element of liquid pepper. This rather muscular, medicinal wine showed an increasing tannic toughness as it opened in the glass.


House specialty lamb chops. Awesomely marinated and coated in cumin. Wow, these were some tasty chops.


1994 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Stonewell. IWC 88. Ruby-red. Aromas of redcurrant, chicory and smoked meat complicated by herbal nuances. Thick, ripe and suave, with lovely fleshiness but not at all overly sweet. Finishes with dusty tannins and good length. Rather subtle, sophisticated shiraz.


Lamb with a saffron butter sauce. A delicious and rich lamb curry with a very flavorful and only slightly spicy sauce.


2008 Qupé and Verdad Syrah Classic Cuvée Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard. 90 points. A very big, but tasty Syrah, well suited to these massive flavors.


FMTM. Filet Mignon Tikka Masala! An off menu special version of Akbar’s amazing Tikka Masala, this time with delicious cubes of filet mignon. The beef fat gives the sauce a stronger aromatic quality than with the tangy chicken. Really lovely.


2009 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah Ancient Vine Bedrock Vineyard. IWC 92. Opaque ruby. Mineral-driven aromas of raspberry, cherry, Indian spices and fresh flowers. Leads with spicy red fruits, with bright, juicy acidity framing the sweet raspberry and cherry flavors. The finish repeats the floral and spice notes and leaves a tangy minerality behind. Precise and lively for a New World syrah.


Saag Paneer. Cheese in spinach. Like Indian creamed spinach to go with the “steak”.

1997 Stags’ Leap Winery Syrah. 88 points. Minty, meaty and smokey, this wine has aged well. Balanced and reasonably well structured, with firm tannins carrying the finish.


Akbari Biryani. Bits of lamb, chicken, and shrimp cooked with the rice.


2007 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon.


A very clean mix of paneer (farm cheese) and vegetables like celery, peas, etc.


2001 Vineyard 29 Aida Estate. 92 points. Blueberry, black currant, dark cherry, vanilla, some chocolate. Ripe mid palate, medium/long finish. My guess is it has some time left, but no need wait.


And special for us, on request, a super spicy lamb. I’m not sure it’s the pepper lamb I used to have (that one had a much stronger peppercorn flavor) but this sure was inferno hot. Tasty too, but the slightest touch of it to the mouth began a long searing burn. I dared not eat too much!


2008 Jonata Winery Todos. IWC 91. Dark purple. Smoky cherry and dark berry aromas are complicated by notes of pipe tobacco, musky underbrush and cola. Broad and sappy, with a dense, chewy texture and liqueur-like cherry and cassis flavors. Powerful but lively blend with a long, spicy finish and lingering smokiness.


And the classic: Chicken Tikka Masala. I asked the chef why his is so much better than the vast number of others I’ve tried, being so creamy and aromatic. Apparently, there is a careful balance of timing to avoid burning the cream and converting too much of it into butter, so as to retain the sweet proteins in balance to the acidic tomatoes. However he does it, the results are fabulous.


1997 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon. 92 points.  Translucent garnet in color. No real bricking noted. Cork solid with minimal soaking. Nice aroma of aged cab, cherries, violets and hints of mushrooms. Tannins mostly dissipated, leading a light and airy mouthfeel. Finish a bit clipped but drinking very well right now. Will consume last bottle sometime this year.


From my cellar, 1998 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume. 92 points. The nose is gorgeous, lots minerality, slightly oxidative notes of bruised apple, also lemon pith and orange blossom. On the palate it’s sweet and silky but with a tart, zingy acid component. Lovely balance of flavors, part citrus but also with more of the apple, a touch of limestone, and honeyed pear. Lengthy, tapering finish that lasts for a long time. An outstanding wine.

The sweetness and fruit quality went wonderfully with the spicy dishes and the nutty desserts.


Kulfi, a kind of ice cream with raisons and nuts. Very delicate and nutty.


Kheer. Indian rice pudding. This is always one of my favorites. This particular pudding is very subtle and almond flavored. Some have a stronger cardamon and cinnamon tone.

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. That filet tikka masala. Wow. 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!

Yarom (left) with brother’s Avinash (center) and Atul Kapoor. Avi, as you can tell from his duds, is the chef/owner and master of our culinary fates

Related posts:

  1. Akbar – Curry not so Hurry
  2. Hedonists at Jitlada
  3. Hedonists Noodle over Hoy-Ka
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  5. Pig Ear is Here – Taberna Arros y Vi
By: agavin
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Pig Ear is Here – Taberna Arros y Vi

Aug23

Restaurant: Taberna Arros y Vi

Location:1403 2nd Street. Santa Monica, CA 90401. 310.393.3663

Date: August 21, 2013

Cuisine: Spanish

Rating: Good food, amazing service

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Michael Cardenas, co-founder of Lazy Ox Canteen, has recently opened a new Spanish “tavern” right off the Promenade in Santa Monica. Given our great nights at the Ox, it’s only natural that we Hedonists should test Arros out with a big wine blowout.


The menu.


From my cellar: 2009 Raul Pérez Rías Baixas Muti. IWC 91. Bright yellow-gold. Deeply pitched aromas of smoky lees, bergamot, apricot pit and salty minerals. Viscous, palate-coating orchard and pit fruit flavors are enlivened by juicy acidity and complemented by honeysuckle and a hint of spun sugar. Wild, complex and singular wine with strong finishing cut and sappy persistence. This is far removed from your classic albarino.

Roasted Garlic (Ajo Asado) w/ crisps. Just bread and roasted garlic. Great on date night.


2003 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Crianza Viña Gravonia. IWC 91. Full gold. A perfumed, complex bouquet evokes dried pit fruits, honey and toasted nuts, with floral and beeswax accents adding complexity. Deep, fleshy and broad, offering chewy peach, pear skin and candied almond flavors lifted by gentle acidity. Closes with firm grip and very good persistence, leaving floral and honey notes behind.

Spicy Potato Skins (Pieles de Patata Picante), harissa aioli, crema de queso. Kind of like a crunchy potatoes bravos.


2000 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. Burghound 90. Interesting notes of fennel¡ green Chablis fruit and straw introduce medium weight¡ slightly austere¡ understated¡ precise flavors that deliver plenty of complexity and length but lack the same density as the 2001 version. To be sure¡ this is an excellent wine and Raveneau may have been a bit too modest in his comments about the vintage as this is really lovely if not genuinely incredible. As to maturity¡ for my taste this has reached a point where it can be enjoyed now though it will certainly hold for years to come. The question is whether the finishing austerity will soften as the finish is definitely reticent. Multiple and pretty much consistent notes though I have had at least three bottles that displayed mild pre-mox issues.

Sardines in a Can (Sardina en Lata). Rocket arugula, pickled vegetables, lemon, grilled bread. Good if you make a little open-faced sandwich out of all three elements. This is a repeat off the Lazy Ox menu.


2011 Foradori Nosiola Fontanasanta Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT. An unusual northern Italian white with a lot of minerality and strong floral tones.

Crispy Pig Ears (Orejas Crujientes de Cerdo). Salsa verde, harissa aioli. We also had these at Lazy Ox. This particular batch had the texture of fried leather. Ick. They reminded me too much of rawhide pig ears I used to give my dog.


2010 Clos du Moulin aux Moines Auxey-Duresses Vieilles Vignes. Very young, but well made.

Shrimp Gambas (Gambas al Ajillo). Garlic paprika shrimp, grilled bread. Gambas of this sort in Spain seem to come in two varieties: with the paprika and without. I actually prefer the without, but these were quite tasty.


1994 Bodegas Ramon Bilbao Rioja Viña Turzaballa Gran Reserva. Very smooth mature Tempranillo.

Mussels (Mejillones al Vino Blanco). Spicy butter, spanish queso, chorizo. Everyone agreed that the sauce under these puppies was totally badass.


From my cellar: 1985 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Gran Reserva. Drinking nicely. Opened up after a few minutes in the glass, lots of complexity.


Tuna stuffed peppers, fried artichokes, and salsa verde.


From my cellar: 1994 Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Ribera del Duero Janus Gran Reserva Pesquera. 93 points. Most of us thought this the wine of the night. Very complex and fruity. Cassis.

Jamon Iberico de Belota Charcuteria. marcona almonds, quince paste. Two types of Spanish cheese. Fancy ham and cheese!


2003 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul. Parker 97. Deep, layered and rich, the 2003 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de mon Aieul is comprised almost all of Grenache and always comes from three lieux-dits: La Crau, Guigasse and Les Serres. Aged all in tank and showing none of the negative traits of the vintage, it has a rich, meaty bouquet of semi-mature red and black fruits, wild herbs, melted licorice, dusty minerality and roasted beef. Full-bodied, gorgeously pure and seamless, with solid underlying structure and a core of sweet fruit, it is a brilliant wine. I don’t see any upside to holding bottles, yet given the balance, richness and mid-palate depth, it should continue to hold for another 5-8 years and certainly drink nicely well past that.

Croquettes (Croquetas). Folded mashed potatoes with chorizo, harissa aioli. These were tasty, but so temperature hot that I had to rush them on down.


2006 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa. Parker 90. Slightly superior to the 2005, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa possesses a dark ruby/purple color as well as a creme de cassis, spice box, and floral-scented bouquet, and a medium to full-bodied finish.

Heirloom Tomato Salad (Tomate de la Herencia). Shallot vinaigrette, fresh mache.


2002 Dominio de Atauta Ribera del Duero LLanos del Almendro.

Braised Baby Octopus (Pulpitos). Tomato salsa, mojo. Tasty.


2006 Artadi Rioja Viña el Pisón. IWC 95. Glass-staining purple. Darker fruits on the nose than the Pagos Viejos, offering a heady bouquet of blackberry, mulberry, smoky bacon, anise and mocha. Explodes on the palate, showing sweet, concentrated cherry and dark berry flavors and exotic Asian spice and candied floral qualities. The tannins are completely absorbed by the fruit, which is enlivened by slow-mounting minerals. Finishes on an expansive dark fruit liqueur note, with excellent clarity and persistence. I couldn’t get this off my palate, not that I tried very hard.

Paella Valenciana (bomba rice). Chorizo, chicken, lima beans, saffron, lemon. A solid paella attempt.


2001 Vincent Arroyo Petite Sirah Rattlesnake Acres. This was the first release from this vineyard for Vincent Arroyo. The color is dark an brooding, the fruit like a bowl of blueberries. The tannins have softened, giving firm structure without any hints of oak. Ample acids keep the bottle lively, coating the palate to deliver a great mouthfeel and long finish. Many PS have a hollow mid palate; this one delivers the full package. This is a food wine, best paired with grilled meats. THere’s plenty of depth and complexity in this bottle, with lots of life left.


Blood sausage, rice, salsa. Not bad for congealed blood.


Cured fish, tomato, salad, and cheese.

Tuna Crudo (Atun Crudo). Olive relish, cucumber, peppers, dill infused oil.


2005 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Aquilon. IWC 94. Dark purple. The nose offers surreal, room-filling perfume of ripe raspberry, blackberry, incense, vanilla and dried flowers. Shockingly understated on the palate, with vibrant red berry, smoked meat and baking spice flavors, silky tannins and crisp mineral bite. There’s no excess fat or sweetness here. Finishes with palate-staining intensity and superb focus. I’d love to see this lined up with some mega-bucks Napa cult wines costing twice the price of this admittedly luxe-priced bottle. If you play in this sandbox, you’ll flip.

Rack of Lamb (Carré de Cordero). Garlic pea tendrils, black beans, rice. Tender.

Chocolate Torte. Pine nuts, market strawberries.

Almond Torte. With Amaretto Syrup, Caramel Sauce. Nice refreshing taste.

Overall, this was a super fun night. The service was A+++. They really went all out to take care of us. And the food was very tasty. It’s a bit similar to Lazy Ox, and not nearly as old school Spanish as La Paella, but it’s also super local! I’ll be back soon.

They do need to add anchovies in vinegar and flan to the menu. No self respecting Spanish restaurant should be without them.


After dinner we retired to Michael’s nearby house to raid his gigantic  wine cellar. It’s not that much physically larger than mine, but by stacking cases and cases of wine to the ceiling he probably has at least 5x as much wine as me :-). And I thought I had a lot at roughly 2,000 bottles!


1988 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage la Chapelle. Parker 92-93. This was the first vintage in the vertical tasting of La Chapelle that is beginning to reveal considerable secondary nuances and color development. Opaque purple/garnet with a touch of amber at the edge, this sexy, rich effort is more pleasurable aromatically than on the palate. However, it possesses multiple dimensions as well as abundant aromas of cedar, damp forest, spice box, and Asian spices.


2001 Domaine de Marcoux Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes. Parker 96-100. A singular, profound offering, the 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is a tour de force in purity, concentration, and balance. Its dense ruby/purple color is not dissimilar from the traditional cuvee. A sweet nose of acacias, violets, blackberry liqueur, Asian spices, and licorice soars from the glass of this unctuously-textured, full-bodied, majestically concentrated wine. This exuberant, expressionistic effort coats the palate with glycerin, flavor, and character. A stunning, potentially perfect wine, it should drink well young yet age gracefully for 15+ years.


2002 Joseph Drouhin Griotte-Chambertin. Burghound 94. The nose here is completely different after the fireworks delivered by the Grands Ech with its reserved, backward, discreet red fruit aromas framed by a subtle touch of oak spice. Intriguing notes of game, leather and earth nuances can be found on the sappy, long, precise and focused flavors of indescribable complexity and what is perhaps the best acid/fruit balance of these ’02s. Understated and supremely classy juice that is indisputably of reference standard quality. A simply gorgeous Drouhin Griotte and worth a special search to find.


2008 tahiti dessert wine.

2003 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Boudots. Burghound 92. Reductive notes and exuberant black pinot fruit aromas nuanced with background notes of earth, coffee and cassis lead to sweet, intense and mouth coating full-bodied flavors that offer excellent power and plenty of extract. It’s interesting because despite the firm, almost muscular character, this is actually more a wine of finesse in ’03 than it usually is.

This is one of those cases where the review is off, as this wine was pretty stunning. It was a touch young, but full of power with a long long lovely finish. Really a hedonistic wine.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

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  5. More Hedonism at La Paella
By: agavin
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Burgundy Vintage Chart

Aug02

132c9710I’m going to wine geek-out here. As any regular reader of my food posts knows, I’m a huge Burgundy fan. France’s “Exotic East” is by far my favorite wine region and the source of some of the world’s best reds AND whites. Burgundy is also notoriously difficult to get a handle on as both a taster and a buyer. It’s complicated, with many many producers and vineyards. Some individual vineyards have over 100 producers, many bottling as little as a single barrel.

When trying to decide if a wine is worth your dollars, there are many degrees of freedom: vineyard, producer, vintage, price, etc. So I was trying to get a handle on the vintage aspect and failed to find any consolidated scoring of the vintages. So I made one. Really, I would like a chart based on vineyard because Burgundy is so variable, but I had to content myself with distilling the ratings into  three main categories: Red Cote de Nuits, Red Cote de Beaune, and White. The source data comes from different professional reviewers and covers different years. In any given year I just average those scores I had in any given year. I mix the “general” (not either Nuits or Beaune) scores into both red categories. White does not factor the differences between Chablis and the Beaune whites (i.e. Corton, Meursault, and Montrachet).

The chart scores vintages on a 50-100 point scale and does not take into account much (if any) notion of current drinkability. It’s possible that some of the source data does, and judging from the general redness in the 70s and 80s that is probably so. But so be it. Clearly, even though 1985 or 1978 are well rated vintages, you have to be careful to chose long lived and well stored examples. But I’ve had two great bottles of 1978 recently, so it’s by no means a sketchy year. Hey, a couple of years ago I had a case of excellent village wine from 1949!

Click to Embiggen and see a PDF

 

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By: agavin
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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!

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By: agavin
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Wine on the Beach

Jul25

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


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


The chefs whip up our feast.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


Fig on toast with cheese and a bit of mint.


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


A pizza-like quesadilla (or vice versa).


Avocado with a bit of Jalepeno.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

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


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


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


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

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

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

More crazy Hedonist adventures or

LA dining reviews click here.


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

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By: agavin
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Le Petit Restaurant

Jul05

Restaurant: Le Petit Restaurant

Location: 13360 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. 818-501-7999

Date: May 27, 2013

Cuisine: French

Rating: Decent old fashioned fair

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Le Petit Restaurant has been a Sherman Oaks fixture for decades, serving classic French flair with a bit of Moroccan influence.


The cosy interior.


2001 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes. Parker 98. The spectacular 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes is one of the monumental Chateauneuf du Papes of the vintage. A saturated plum/purple color reveals a thick, rich appearance. The wine combines freshness, power, elegance, and great intensity, all wrapped into a full-bodied, concentrated personality with phenomenal persistence on the palate. Remarkably pure, but neither over-done nor over-ripe, this spectacular, youthful Chateauneuf du Pape should hit its prime in 5-6 years, and last for two decades. It is a brilliant tour de force!


The bread comes with tapanade and marinated vegetables in the Moroccan style.

GODDESS SALAD. Organic baby mixed greens, jumbo shrimp, avocado, asparagus and ranch dressing.

GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI SALAD. Mixed greens, dried pears & balsamic vinaigrette.

BABY MIXED GREEN SALAD. With House vinaigrette dressing.


A special creme of zucchini soup.

SHRIMP PICANTE. Sautéed shrimp with bistro secret spices.


1994 Pavie-Macquin. Parker 91. The 1994 Pavie-Macquin is a backward, yet promising star of the vintage. The saturated ruby/purple color is followed by sweet aromas of black-cherries, licorice, and spice. The intense, sweet, rich, old vine flavors are well-displayed in this medium to full-bodied, tannic, impressively-endowed wine. One of the most backward wines of the vintage, it will require 4-6 years of cellaring, and is capable of lasting for 20+ years.
As I have reported previously, this biodynamically-farmed vineyard has some of the lowest yields in Bordeaux because of the extremely old age of the vines. This wine has come of age since the late eighties and is consistently one of the finest wines produced in St.-Emilion. In addition to its powerful, old style, it has another advantage – the presence of world-class oenologist Michel Rolland. The style is comparable to the intensely-concentrated, structured wines of the famous Pomerol estate, Lafleur.

SEAFOOD PAELLA DU BISTRO. Shrimp, wild jumbo scallops, black mussels, clams, calamari served with saffron rice. This was tasty, but loaded with cream, which isn’t typical of any paella I’ve had.

ANGEL HAIR PICANTE. With Sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil, roasted garlic and extra virgin olive oil. With shrimp.


The same, with chicken.

POTATO CRUSTED ATLANTIC SALMON. Served with asparagus, carrots and dill sauce.

ROASTED CHICKEN. Served with herbs de Provence, Pommes Frites and thyme sauce.

STEAK AU POIVRE. Filet mignon served with pommes frites and cognac peppercorn sauce.

BAKED LAMB SHANK. In a red wine vegetable sauce, served with couscous and carrots.

CHARBROILED NEW ZEALAND BABY LAMB CHOPS. Served with old fashion mustard sauce and Pommes Frites.

Pot Du Chocolate. Baked Chocolate Mousse Served Chilled.

Chocolate Fondant Cake. Dark Chocolate Cake, Rich Chocolate Fondant.

Souffle Au Chocolat. Served with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Chocolate and Vanilla Sauce and Whipped Cream (15 min).


Ice creme and chocolate sauce.

Profiteroles. Vanilla Ice Cream, Whipped Cream, Chocolate Sauce and almonds.

This is an old school place with 70s-80s style Bistro French blended with a bit of California and Moroccan style. This last elevated it from “tired” to “mildly interesting.” Dishes were a little uneven, with some quite tasty and a few staid. All in all, not a bad casual family place if you’re in the mood for something old fashioned.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Josie Restaurant
  2. Joe’s Restaurant – California Classic
  3. La Cachette Bistro part deux et trois
  4. Dinner and Drinks at Tavern
  5. Bistro LQ – 27 Courses of Trufflumpagus
By: agavin
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Michael’s on Naples

Jun24

Restaurant: Michael’s on Naples [1, 2]

Location: 5620 E 2nd St. Long Beach, CA 90803. (562) 439-7080

Date: January 30, 2013

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: A top LA Italian

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I rarely get down this close to the Orange County border, but I had to meet a friend near Long Beach and chose this restaurant because it was top rated. On the way in, I chatted with the owner (Michael) for a few minutes. He told me how they use all locally (or at least California) sourced ingredients, mostly organic. They make their own mozzarella and sausages on premises, as well as the pasta. Many years, they’ve been top rated Italian in Zagats.


This is a cute roof deck upstairs which was closed off and heated because of the time of year.


From my cellar, Parker 96. “The 1996, one of the estate’s best, takes things to another level.  It shows an outrageous, well-delineated nose of fresh roses, minerals and menthol followed waves of dark fruit and licorice flavors that are just beginning to show the signs of early maturity, with exceptional freshness, length, and harmony.  This opens beautifully in the glass, taking on an almost Burgundian elegance.  A wine to marvel over.  It is hard to resist this now, but it will be even better in another 3-5 years, and age gracefully for another decade, and probably more.”


The amuse, crostini with a leek and garlic paste.


The regular menu.


A special menu for dine LA week/month/whatever.


Insalata di Spinaci. Spinach salad with warm pancetta dressing, poached duck egg, red wine marinated red onions and Pecorino cheese.


Spaghetti con Aragosta. Hand-rolled pasta with Maine lobster tail, San Marzano tomatoes, roasted garlic, white wine and spicy Calabrian peperoncino. Lots of tender lobster. Great pasta. The sauce was very tasty, but perhaps overpowered the lobster a bit. I still crave this lighter wine, garlic, and tomato sauce I once had in Naples.


Hated it! Not.


Ossobuco Di Maiale. Braised Kurobuta pork shank with saffron risotto and pistachio gremolata. I’m always a big Ossobuco fan and this was a really fantastic one.


Torta Di Cioccolato. Flourless chocolate cake with salted caramel and crispy prosciutto.


Cremino Di Zucca. Pumpkin mousse with salted caramel and cream with gingerbread. Very nice “holiday” flavored pot-a-creme. Tasted like pumpkin pie.

Overall, Michaels we had a really great meal. I’d need to go back to really assess, but this was certainly one of the top traditional style Italians I’ve eaten at in quite a while. Excellent!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Osteria Latini 3
  2. Quick Eats: Divino
  3. Sicilian Style – Drago
  4. Seconds at Sotto
  5. Fraiche Santa Monica
By: agavin
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Summertime Peak

Jun21

Restaurant: Saddle Peak Lodge [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

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

Date: June 14, 2013

Cuisine: Modern American

Rating: Great ambiance and terrific game oriented food.

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For the middle Hedonist dinner of the year, we return to Saddle Peak Lodge. It’s pretty much the perfect venue for both a winter or summer food and wine blast, with gorgeous lodge patio, game driven food, and awesome wine service. For those of you who don’t know, Hedonist events have amazing wines (each diner brings at least one bottle) and this event has several 100 point blow out wines.


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


It’s located in the middle of gorgeous Malibu Canyon.


Which on a lovely summer night is pretty incredible.


We dine al fresco in the summer (except last year when it rained in July!). The menu can be found here.


2000 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année. Burghound 92. Not surprisingly, this resembles the 1999 except that it’s less expressive with developing aromas of floral, lemon and brioche that complements well the pure and detailed flavors that are less concentrated than its older brother but just as long. I like the elegance and finesse but wish it had just a bit more mid-palate density.


Pretzel bread.


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.


Mushroom cappuccino.


2010 Domaine Dublère Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 92-94. Yet again the recent sulfur additions render the nose impossible to fairly evaluate though the underlying fruit appears notably ripe. This sense of ripeness is confirmed by the rich and phenolically mature moderately-scaled and mineral-driven flavors that conclude in an explosive and almost painfully intense finish. By the standards of the appellation, this is not really a big wine though it is impeccably well-balanced which will permit it to amply reward up to a decade of cellar time.


A bit of salmon on blini with creme fraiche and caviar.


1996 Bouchard Père et Fils Bonnes Mares. 94 points. Deep ruby, bright and vibrant. A rich, fruity and slightly oaky nose. Lighter on the palate; red fruit with good minerality and finishing with good acidity – quite 96. Starting to show some signs ofdevelopment on the palate, with air, but still quite tight. A lighter, seemingly higher acidity take cf the denser fleshier Jadot version, silk v velvet. GC weight with the structure more acidity than tannin driven I think. Decent but come back in five years for some secondary development.


Mix beets salad, rye crisps pistachio puree, blood orange and shaved fennel.


2001 Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin. Burghound 92. A moderately pitched nose that exhibits only traces of secondary nuances also features notes of cool red berry fruit¡ earth and a hint of the classic Mazis sauvage character that continues onto the delicious¡ well-detailed and intense middle weight flavors that exude a fine minerality on the mildly austere but not dry finish. There is a bit of unabsorbed wood that is present on the finish though it’s not enough to really detract from the overall sense of harmony. While this could easily be enjoyed now¡ for my taste there is just enough unresolved structure to warrant allowing this to continue to age for another 5 or so years.

Mix beets salad with basil whipped burrata cheese, rye crisps pistachio puree, blood orange and shaved fennel.


1969 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Etiqueta Blanca. This older Rioja wasn’t drinking perfectly, but it was soft and interesting.


Caesar Salad with garlic croutons and Parmigiano-Reggiano.


1978 Rioja Bosconia Cosecha. Also interesting.

Golden corn soup with truffle foam, pea forchette, pecorino, prosciutto chip and potato croutons.


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.

Maine lobster salad poached in orange buerre blanc with miso carrot, hazelnut sabayon, teeny carrots, radish,
turnips, ginger vinaigrette and espelette wontons.


1964 Château Belgrave. 97 ponts. This older Bordeaux was drinking fabulously. Having lost all sour and bitter notes it just had that nice soft old wine thing going.

Bosc pear salad with red oak and baby gem lettuce, Laurel Chenel goat cheese, shaved red onion, toasted walnuts, blueberry and fig vinaigrette.


1968 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon. Also in great shape.

Ahi tuna sashimi with Hawaiian papaya, cilantro, red onion, Hawaiian papaya, avocado, orange-ginger and pea tendrils.


1989 La Fleur de Gay. Parker 95. Possibly the finest Fleur de Gay made, this rich, very large-scaled, tannic wine has a compelling nose of cassis, licorice, white flowers, minerals, and other sorts of black fruits along with some subtle new oak. Full-bodied, with great delineation, purity, and dazzling concentration and intensity, this is a fabulous example of a Fleur de Gay and a wine that seems capable of lasting at least another two decades.

Seared venison Carpaccio with horseradish aioli, avocado mousse, herb vinaigrette, parmesan crisps, mizuna,
fried capers, tomato seeds and grilled ciabbata bread.

Wild mushroom agnolotti glazed in truffle buerre monté, with sautéed Shimeji mushrooms and parmesan foam.


1990 De Suduiraut. Parker 88. The evolved, medium gold color of the 1990 is prematurely advanced, raising questions about future longevity. It possesses plenty of intensity, and an unctuous, thick, juicy style, but high alcohol and coarseness kept my rating down. There is bitterness as well as fiery alcohol in the finish. The wine does not offer much delineation, so cellaring should prove beneficial as it does have admirable levels of extract. Suduiraut can make powerful, rich wines that are often rustic and excessively alcoholic and hot when young. I am told they become more civilized with age, and certainly older, classic Suduiraut vintages have proven that to be true. I feel this estate’s propensity to produce a luxury cuvee (Cuvee Madame) in vintages such as 1989 tends to have a negative impact on the regular cuvee.


Fatted liver of a certain fowl, rumored to be on the endangered list. With brioche and black cherry reduction. Yum!


1989 Lynch Bages. Parker 99+. The 1989 has taken forever to shed its formidable tannins, but what a great vintage of Lynch Bages! I would rank it at the top of the pyramid although the 1990, 2000, and down the road, some of the more recent vintages such as 2005, 2009 and 2010 should come close to matching the 1989’s extraordinary concentration and undeniable aging potential. Its dense purple color reveals a slight lightening at the edge and the stunning bouquet offers classic notes of creme de cassis, subtle smoke, oak and graphite. Powerful and rich with some tannins still to shed at age 22, it is still a young adolescent in terms of its evolution and will benefit from another 4-5 years of cellaring. It should prove to be a 50 year wine.

Wild Game Trio – the Chef’s sampling of three different game meats with individual accompaniments. There is Elk (in the front?).


And in the back buffalo short ribs and some other game.


Just a few game plates!


1988 Guigal Cote Rotie la Landonne. Parker 100. An opaque purple color and a closed but exciting nose of truffles, minerals, Asian spices, and fruitcake. When the wine hits the mouth with its enormous weight and extraction of flavor, one can’t help but be seduced by such enormous richness and purity. Nevertheless, there is still a remarkably high level of tannin (sweet rather than astringent), a youthful, unevolved fruit character, and flavors that stain the palate. After tasting this wine, one feels like brushing one’s teeth … it is that rich.


Duck with morel mushroom sauce.


1999 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin. Parker 96. The recently released 1999 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin is closed and less expressive than the 2000, and perhaps more elegant and less weighty. Nevertheless, it is an enormously endowed effort revealing notes of licorice, blackberry and cherry fruit, melted asphalt, tapenade, truffles, and smoke. Chewy, with more minerality than most vintages of this wine possess, it requires a minimum of 6-8 years of cellaring. It should last 35-40 years.

Pan roasted Skuna Bay salmon with roasted baby beets, shaved fennel, glazed cauliflower, purple kale, heirloom cherry tomatoes and puffed salmon skin.


2000 Stonyridge Vineyard Waiheke Island. A new world Bordeaux blend.


Mash potatoes.


2007 Colgin IX Proprietary Red Estate. Parker 100. The staggeringly rich, complex, harmonious, impeccably well-balanced 2007 IX Proprietary Red Estate (1,400 case produced) exhibits aromas of spring flowers, cedarwood, Asian spices, licorice, blueberries, and blackberries. A distinct liqueur of minerals buttresses the full-bodied, massive concentration, giving an overall impression of elegance, purity, and harmony. This is another seamless tour de force in winemaking.


Mac & Cheese.

2001 Joseph Phelps Insignia Proprietary Red Wine. Parker 99. The sensational, prodigious 2001 Insignia Proprietary Red Wine (89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec) has never performed better. Still extremely youthful with a dense purple color as well as a beautiful bouquet of cedar, charcoal, incense, creme de cassis and black cherry jam, fabulous intensity, a multidimensional mouthfeel and a skyscraper-like texture, it is a Napa classic that is still very youthful and belies its age of ten years. Like its stablemate, it should age impeccably for 35 or more years. Kudos to Joseph Phelps Vineyards!


Sweet potato fries.


2005 Larcis-Ducasse. Parker 98. This great terroir on the Cote Pavie has long been recognized as one of the most privileged spots in St.-Emilion, but it was not until the wunderkind duo of Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt took over in 2002 that the wine finally began to live up to its potential. Old timers who remember the 1945 Larcis Ducasse will attest to how great this cuvee can be. Sadly, fewer than 3,000 cases were produced of the 2005, a blend of 78% Merlot and the rest primarily Cabernet Franc with a small dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon. Yields were a modest 27 hectoliters per hectare. This stunning effort reveals one of the most extraordinary aromatic displays of the vintage, offering up notes of sweet roasted herbs, jus du viande, black olives, espresso roast, creme de cassis, and kirsch liqueur. Extremely full-bodied, opulent, and lavishly textured with plush tannin as well as an ethereal elegance, a sublime personality, glorious sweet purity, and a layered texture, this amazing St.-Emilion is destined to become a legend.


Asparagus.

2010 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese. Parker 95. Representing a late picking incorporating considerable late-botrytis shriveling, the Schaefer 2010 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese A.P. #10 delivers effusively scented and lusciously mouth-filling pink grapefruit, purple plum, pear, and apple allied to the sort of deep nuttiness of cashew and pistachio that so frequently characterize this site at its best. A lip-smackingly, saliva-inducingly saline and scallop-like savor render the urge to take the next sip irresistible, and peat-like smoky inflections contribute botrytis-induced intrigue. The combination of richness and exuberance; density with refreshment; subtly oily texture yet transparency to minerality render this profound Auslese unforgettably distinctive and worth following for four decades.


Apple cinnamon bread pudding served with salted caramel ice cream.

Bittersweet chocolate crémeux with oak barrel ice cream, Devil’s food cake, and mango baked kataifi.

Daily selection of house-made sorbets served on ice. Blackberry, mango, and raspberry.

Caramelized white chocolate pot de crème with blackberries, white chocolate pistachio fudge and pistachio sorbet.


Farmer’s market caramelized pear beignets with crème anglaise.

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

Yuzu meringue tart with graham cracker, raspberry sorbet and crispy raspberry meringue.


A lineup of just some (but not nearly all) of the bottles!


Yarom and one of our wonderful servers.

This was a total blow out event. The food was impeccable and the service fantastic. Plus we had a really great mix of people and some of the most awesome wines. The vibe outside on the lovely warm Malibu evening was perfect too.

Click here for more LA restaurant reviews,
Or for Hedonist extravaganzas.

Related posts:

  1. Hedonists climb the Peak
  2. Hedonism at Saddle Peak Lodge
  3. Food as Art: Saddle Peak Lodge
  4. Hedonists at STK again!
  5. Never Boaring – Il Grano
By: agavin
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