A dinner with many Right Bank classics and, yes Virginia, good, old-school Claret existed in Saint-Emilion.
With Patrick coming to town, the group had originally booked the dinner at an NYC steakhouse at Madison Square Garden. But with the mostly un-enthusiastic feelings about the venue and the corkage, and the thought of navigating the likely very extreme noise by Rangers (or is it Knicks’) fans during dinner, we opted without hesitation to accept Dale’s hospitality and, so, on a snowy night in the tri-state, a group of 7 Bordeaux enthusiasts were terrifically hosted for dinner by Dale and Betsy and their lovable 13-month old Basset Hound at their warm, cozy and comfortable Westchester digs.
Our savory dishes were, for me, perfect for the night and included Italian cheeses, French baguettes, smoked salmon, local butcher charcuteries, tasty roasted quail on lentils, and a roasted lamb dish with sides of crunchy bok-choy/Shanghai and excellent potato gratin. Desserts were delicious Portuguese/Filipino tarts, one with egg filling, and the other was with coconut-based filling.
Whites:
1989 Le L d’Or Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Sur Lie
What a way to start! A great representation of a nicely aged Muscadet. Without the usual heavy acidic weight of a young Muscadet, but this one provided just the right amount of acidity, layers of mineral notes and complex elegance. One of my wines of the night. Thanks, Jay! A-
2010 Yann Alexandre Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
Dry with good citrus layers. Focused, some lushness, with good balance, and pleasing. I enjoyed. B+
NV Doyard Champagne Cuvee Vendemiaire Brut Premier Cru
Slightly creamy, showed more austerity and with mineral, apple notes. A little clipped on the finish. B
1986 Domaine Ponsot “Monts Luisants” Morey-Saint-Denis
In a decanter, I didn’t know that this was supposed to be served blind, until some folks declared it as oxidized and revealed what the wine was. Dark-gold hue and oxidative-looking, but I didn’t taste. NR
2010 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild Aile d’Argent Blanc
Served blind, in a decanter, and I actually thought anything but a Bordeaux white blend. Smoother than my experiences with young Bdx whites and not as heavy-bodied, but with apple and some sweet candied notes. B
Reds:
Flight 1 (as preferred by those who brought them, only the first flight of 2 reds were served blind, except that we were told that these were not from the Right Bank)
Blind bottle #1 (with foil beak): Dark, with plenty of ripe fruit, more extracted and acidic than the next blind. Dale, I believed, got the vintage right and I heard Jason say out the producer. Good length. 1989 Chateau Beychevelle, Saint-Julien. A-
Blind Bottle #2 (w/out foil beak): Smooth, more elegant with the medium bodied texture. Very much on the classic side of the spectrum. 1985 Chateau La Lagune, Haut-Medoc. B+
Flight 2:
1990 Chateau Magdelaine, Saint-Emilion
Looks and taste fresh, ruby red in color, some ground pepper, backward, can probably use a few more cellar years. B+
1990 Chateau Canon, Saint-Emilion
More advanced in appearance, perhaps could have used more bottle stand-up time to lower the sediment level. Expressive bouquet, with plenty of ripeness. Showed good balance of fruit with secondary/tertiary characters. I liked, even at this stage. B+
Flight 3:
1985 Chateau L’Eglise Clinet, Pomerol
Appealing and expressive on the nose with that screams Pomerol. Sweet fruit, earth, some power and muscles. Long finish. A-
1985 Chateau Canon, Saint-Emilion
Funkyness on the nose, dissipated with more air time in the stemware. Or perhaps, I just got used to the smell. But this wine was all balance, smoothness with that lean, cool-weather fruit. Very good. A-
Flight 4:
1986 Chateau Certan de May, Pomerol
A delicious, considerably traditional style of Pomerol, with the full-bodied feel, the ripe red fruit and some earthy freshness. A-
1981 Chateau L’Evangile, Pomerol
It was mentioned that Bordeaux enthusiasts may have over-looked this vintage, but nuggets did exist. This is an example. High in acidity, lean and elegant. Complex. B+
Flight 5:
1982 Chateau Canon, Saine-Emilion
That slight funkiness that adds to the completeness and allure of the bouquet is very much present. Quite lean from the level that I would expect given the vintage. Going strong. B+
1982 Chateau La Dominique, Saint Emilion
Good discussion ensued as to whether this bottle is the best from the chateau, at least during the 80’s. I prefer other examples of the 1989. This came across to me as very ripe and slightly more extracted than what I want my “classic” Bordeaux to be. I’ll say, though, that this is a young 1982. B
1982 Chateau Magdelaine, Saint-Emilion
Back to the definitely more old-school camp. I’ve had a few of this over the last 5 years and, including this bottle, they were almost all fresh, with seemingly infinite cellar life. Clean and well delineated with layers of leather, tobacco, dark fruit and earth. A terrific example. A-
Flight 6:
1970 Chateau Figeac, Saint-Emilion
Can’t say enough about the completeness of this wine in terms of fine tertiary development, with good lean fruit and refreshing level of acidity. A-
1970 Chateau Magdelaine, Saint-Emilion
See note on Figeac above. A-
Flight 7:
1966 Chateau Magdelaine, Saint-Emilion
Awesome nose, but more advanced that I would have prefered. Old wood abounds. B-
1966 Chateau Fonplegade, Saint-Emilion
I don’t remember having anything from this producer before, but this one made me notice and possibly nudged me into looking out for wines made by these guys. Complex and clean nose, some acidity with excellent overall structure. A pleasure. B+
Flight 8:
1962 Chateau Pavie, Saint-Emilion
Rich and full, with heavier dose of fruit. Not bad, but not one that I would not enthusiastically jump up-and-down with if I suddenly find a stray bottle at very low costs in my neighborhood wine merchant. B-
1982 Chateau Pavie, Saint-Emilion
I don’t think this was in the original declared lineup, but JC brought and offered to uncork near the end of the tasting. Plenty of ripeness and, to me, but not in synch with the traditional nature of the rest of the reds tonight. B-
Sweet wines (here’s where my iPhone will bail me out with photos and spellings of some of these Rieslings):
1990 Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Sauternes
I’ve had this before that gave me a bit more satisfaction, but this bottle was a little more advanced with some acidity, but plenty of sweetness. B
2001 Joh. Jos. Prum Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
Apple pie on the nose and the flavor with excellent mineral and acidic backbones. B+
2001 Muller-Catoir Gimmeldinger Schlossel Rieslaner Auslese
Clear with light golden hue. High in acidity with notes of ripe peach and citrus fruits. Excellent. A-
1994 Muller-Catoir Mussbacher Rieslaner Trockenbeerenauslese
Very appealing sweet bouquet. Rich, with layers upon layers of good ripe fruit. Long. B+