TN: BM's famous brisket gathering

BM’S FAMOUS BRISKET GATHERING - Bethesda, Maryland (10/10/2020)

BM generous offer to smoke a whole wagyu brisket. Five us got together to drink a bunch of nice wines.

The brisket was a master piece, so flavorful, smoky and tender!

Selosse

  • NV Jacques Selosse V.O. Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
    Beautifully mature nose displaying succulent ripe yellow fruit, dry yellow peach, tarte tatin, marzipan, sweet spices, honey and limestone. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of succulent sweet yellow fruit, fine generous mousse, rich and deeply toned but also energetic and detailed, beautiful harmony and balance, perfect amount of acidity and limestone mineral, and a seamless long yellow fruit driven finish with sweet spices and sweet spices at the end. Not too oxidative. This opulent rich and complex Champagne is drinking perfectly. (96 pts.)
  • NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Lieux-dits Extra Brut Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Les Carelles - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
    Fully mature nose displaying rich slightly dry yellow fruit, caramel apple, apple cider, a hint of sherry, cream brulee, yeast, cinnamon and mineral. Excellent concentration, finely layered sweet yellow fruit, medium fine medium generous mousse, medium acidity and mineral, and a medium to long sweet yellow fruit driven finish with apple peel and cinnamon at the end. As rich as this is, the VO is even richer. It is also more oxidative. (94 pts.)

Riesling




  • 2013 Prager Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
    Medium expressive nose displaying ripe orchard yellow fruit, peach, peach cobbler, apricot, orange marmalade, saline, sweet spices and limestone. Excellent concentration, deeply toned sweet yellow fruit, rich and dense yet also precise and nicely balanced, good acidity and strong mineral, and a long sweet yellow fruit driven finish with sea salt and sweet spices at the end. Much sweater and deeper impression than the CSH. (93 pts.)
  • 2007 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune - France, Alsace
    Beautifully perfumed youthful nose displaying concentrated cool yellow citrus fruit, lemon curd, apple, petrol, lanolin, honey, spicy spices, saline and crushed rose petal mixed with crushed rock. Excellent concentration, very finely layered cool citrus fruit, opulent yet very price and focused, perfect amount of acidity and unbelievable mineral, and an energetic long concentrated sweet yet cool citrus fruit driven finish with rose and limestone at the end. The palate is deceptively sweet yet the finish is completely dry, a text book Clos St Hune. A long life a head. (96 pts.)

Norther Rhone




  • 2007 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
    Expressive youthful nose displaying intense black fruit, crushed blackberry, black cherry, blackberry liqueur, liquid smoke, perfume, white pepper, rare charred steak, garrigue, perfume, Chinese herbal medicine and crushed rocks. Although clearly expressing Syrah, there is a hint of DRC like stem and Vosne spice. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of intense black fruit, rich and dense but also pure and harmonious, bright acidity, strong rocky mineral, noticeable fine tannins, and a long intense concentrated black fruit driven finish with liquid smoke and white pepper at the end. This is the first time I noticed stem in La Las. This can easily improve for another decade or two. I would not be surprised if it develop like the 90 or 91. Excellent showing. (97 pts.)
  • 1999 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
    Medium expressive nose displaying subtle black and red fruit, blackberry, cherry, caramel, soy, rare steak, tea and earth. Nicely integrated palate, nicely layered subtle black and red fruit, silky and polished, medium acidity, strong mineral, nicely integrated tannins and a seamless long subtle black fruit driven finish with soy at the end. This is a fully integrated example. It suffers next to the 05 which is bigger and more concentrated. Drinking well. (95 pts.)
  • 2005 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
    Intense nose displaying incredibly concentrated black fruit, blackberry liqueur, crushed blackberry, black cherry, licorice, incense, caramel, white pepper, garrigue, cedar, dark spices and mineral. Exceptional concentration, layers upon layers of intense black fruit, rich and dense yet also pure and polished, perfect amount of acidity and limestone mineral, noticeable but fine tannins, and a long concentrated black fruit driven finish with liquid smoke and dark spices at the end. Although it remains youthful and can improve for a couple more decades, this is drinking incredibly well. My educated guess is that this will easily surpass the 90. (99 pts.)

Red Burgundy

  • 2007 Domaine Joseph Roty Charmes-Chambertin Très Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
    Beautiful mature nose displaying sweet slightly dry red fruit, raspberry jam, strawberry, a hint sous bois, light caramel, mocha, sweet spices, tree bark and mineral. Medium concentration, finely layered sweet red fruit, silky and air, good acidity, medium mineral, noticeable but fine tannins and a seamless long subtle sweet red fruit driven finish with caramel and sous bois at the end. The mid-palate is lacking a bit. I find the 07 Red Burgundy similar to the 01, i.e. expressive nose and always open, medium body with slightly dry tannins. Really enjoyable wine. (95 pts.)
  • 2010 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
    Youthful nose displaying sweet black and red fruit, strawberry, cherry, blackberry, cedar, caramel, Vosne spice, spicy spices and earth. Medium concentration, finely layered sweet red fruit, silky and polished, medium acidity, strong earthy mineral, fine tannins and a medium to long sweet red fruit driven finish with caramel and Vosne spice at the end. This can benefit from another decade of cellaring. (93 pts.)
  • 2010 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
    Youthful expressive nose displaying concentrated ripe yet pure black fruit, blackberry, black cherry, caramel, lavender, and earth. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of sweet black fruit, rich, generous and opulent, but also pure and polished, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, a hint of sweet tannins, and a seamless long opulent black fruit driven finish with caramel at the end. Although very youthful, it is drinking beautifully with ample sweet black fruit. Excellent showing! (95 pts.)

Cuvee Constance




  • 1989 Domaine Huet Vouvray Cuvée Constance - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
    Beautiful bright amber. Hedonistic nose displaying opulent yellow fruit, apricot, apricot marmalade, peach, a hint of dry pig, red currant, dry orange peel, tea, spicy spices, copper, saline and limestone. Exceptional concentration, unbelievably layers decadent pure yellow fruit, intense yet sensual and weightless, bright acidity, strong steely mineral, and a seamless long decadent yellow fruit driven finish with tea and coopery mineral at the end. The palate is simply perfect. For my palate, one of the greatest wines! (99 pts.)

A great time was had by all!
Posted from CellarTracker

Sounds like an incredible night with amazing wine from multiple regions- thank you for posting. You have made me super excited to open some of my similar wines, just wish I had a group like yours to share wines with in AZ.

How did you make the brisket it also looks amazing.

24 hours smoked with BM’s secret dry rub.

[wink.gif] Screw the wines, I need a Brisket tasting note [wink.gif]

Kevin,

Thanks for coming and for the comprehensive write-up! We really lucked out with both the good weather and all the wines showing so well, especially the always seamless and complete 2005 Chave and the mind-bending 1989 Huet Constance. The Chevillon Vaucrains was a sleeper hit, too, and had the smoky, earthy character needed to go with the meat.

For those wondering about the brisket, it’s a 24-hour dry brine, then application of my homemade rub, then ~16 hours in the smoker at 225 degrees (no wrapping) until the meat hits 203. The principal difference for my taste between the Wagyu brisket and the kind you usually find is in the flat, where the better marbling makes it much juicier and compelling. I paid $2/pound more than the regular brisket but it was worth the premium IMO.

Cheers,

Bill

Bill - I hereby challenge you to a BrisketOff.

Ps: Looks great!!! Nice work guys

Oh yeah. Pretty piece of meat. But the wines do look great. [stirthepothal.gif]

Where were you able to get the Wagyu brisket? I regularly smoke these at home for events and get prime packer briskets from Costco in the low to mid $50 range for 14-16 lb cuts.

So wagyu is the trick to get a juicy flat… looks like I’m going this route next time

Jeff - Snake River Farms has them and they ship nationwide

Epic meal

did you rest the brisket after smoking?, and for how long (I have just purchased a smoker)

was thinking the same

Joe,

I’ve seen your handiwork, and it looks most excellent. I welcome the challenge! [training.gif]

Bill

That note, post, and meal are so perfect it makes me resent you. [cheers.gif]

Mouthwatering wine and food!

Yes, I rest the brisket and view the resting time (2-3 hours) as an essential part of the process. If you’ve just purchased a smoker, I recommend you test it out on things like chicken or pork butt, which are more straightforward and forgiving respectively. Brisket takes a lot of time and is easy to mess up if you don’t manage temperature carefully, so I’d get to know your smoker, season it, and see how to hold temps first before trying to smoke a brisket.

Cheers,

Bill

Looks and sounds amazing- I can almost taste it! Thanks for sharing.

What a wonderful dinner and wines! The ‘89 Cuvée Constance is a favorite of mine too but the last bottle I opened was corked! Glad yours was wonderful

That brisket looks and sounds amazing! (and the wines as well) If you are in the DC area, you can usually get wagyu brisket from at least two places: Organic Butcher in Mclean and the Georgetown Butcher in DC.

My last Ste-Hune 2007 in a verticale with Pierre Trimbach at the domain in june 2018 :
Riesling Clos Ste-Hune 2007 : 18,5/20
Nez intense, varié : miel, fleurs, mandarine, épices multiples. Tendu, sur la réserve, pour une finale arrivant après un long déroulement en bouche, incluant une forte sensation minérale.

I dream of a comparison between Constance 1989 (never tasted) and Foreau moelleux Réserve 1989 (a splendor, tasted several times … the 2009 will be too)

My last 1989 Cuvée Constance was corked as well. TCA taint is alarmingly prevalent in the 1989 Huets.

I was lucky enough to cross an excellent Vouvray Huet Haut-Lieu moelleux 1ère trie 1989 a few years ago.