Lentini: checked my box of glassware and there was no straggler. Hopefully it turns up somewhere!
My full recap (with commentary) can be found here:
MD Cru May 31, 2008: A night of Northern Rhones My Food/Wine Recap:
Starters
Assortment of cheese and toasts
Spanish Family Gazpacho: Klymkev’s Secret Recipe: 1 part Ingredient X to 1 part garlic clove…delicious!
Strawberry/Almond Salad: Dinwiddie put together a great starter salad. Light, semi-sweet with an outstanding vinegerette dressing. Went great with a ‘96 Riesline Auslese
Crab Cakes ala Festiva: Crisply broiled, loaded with crab and great with the sauce.
Main course and sides
Grilled Pancetta Wrapped Asparagus: Crisp pancetta, tender asparagus- a great appetizer or side
Roast Potato Medley: Roast red, white and sweet potato’s courtesy of Wegman’s (we still don’t have a kitchen!)
Sibster’s Truffled Orzo: Perfectly cooked, nice texture and good flavors. Very nice accompanying the beef.
Grilled beef loin in a shallot/shiitake port reduction sauce: Perfectly grilled tenderloin with an outstanding sauce- well done by our host, Lentini (who didn’t even flinch when I mentioned I left the grill on for 3 hours!).
Dessert
La Berte Noir (flour-less dark chocolate cake): PH’s recipe with an outstanding raspberry reduction. Decadent, rich, concentrated…and I had two pieces!
Overall my top wines of the night were:
1. 1997 Jean-Michel Gerin Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places
2. 1998 E.Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde
3. 1983 Delas Frères Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette
Wines (in order of which they were poured):
2005 Francois Blanchard “Violoncelite” Cab Franc: So youthful and quite tannic, but the wine had great balance and elegance that promises great rewards for patience. Not Rated
NV Champagne Jacquesson Cuvee N 732 Brut: Grapefruit and apple flavors, light and crisp, overall quite refreshing. A bit weak on the finish and would benefit from a little more acidity. My rating: 89 pts
1996 Lanson Brut Champagne Gold Label: Really nice golden color. Nose of lemon zest, green apple and sweet yeast notes. On the palate the wine starts off subtly, then there is an explosion of grapefruit, lemon, sour apple laffy taffy with supporting caramel and toasted vanilla flavors. Good complexity and weight, long lasting finish. Quite enjoyable. My rating: 92 pts, VGV
1996 Grans-Fassian Riesling Auslese: Nice aromas of tropical fruits, light mineral notes, slightly frizzante which was nice. Not overly sweet, but noticeable honey and melon with a very nice finish of lemon. Good mouth-feel and nice level of acidity left in this wine. My second bottle of this with consistent notes. My rating: 89/90 pts, OV
2003 Christoffel Riesling Auslese ** Treppchen: Crisp apple flavors, lemon, citrus. Young. No formal notes taken. Not rated
1983 Delas Frères Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette: The most serious sediment I’ve ever seen in a bottle: literally caked around the entire bottle. Very interesting and complex nose of dried cranberry, sour cherry and earth. On the palate there is subtle cherry but really nice mouthfuls of grilled red pepper. The tannins are mature and highlighted by grilled peppercorns and chalky fruits that lead to a medium length finish. My rating: 92 pts
1998 E.Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde: Outstanding nose of cherry, earth, pepper, smoked meats and spices. On the palate the wine is still youthful with layers of dark red fruits, spice and peppers. Medium tannins and good acidity, this wine has a few years until it peaks and with proper cellaring will drink great for another 15 years or more. My rating: 93 pts
1995 M. Chapoutier St.-Joseph Les Granits: A very traditional St. Josephs profile of dried soil and fresh ground black pepper notes with cherry notes. Nothing overly complex, but overall good balance and drinking well now. My rating: 90 pts
1997 Jean-Michel Gerin Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places: The most elegant wine in the bunch. Rich flavors of sour cherry , dried blueberry, smoked wood chips, and a touch of zesty hot peppers. My rating: 93 pts
1995 Rene Rostaing La Landonne: An interesting grassy/leathery/cherry component with crushed red pepper and subtle black and red fruit. Good age on this bottle that was quite enjoyable. Earthy tannins and medium finish. My rating: 90 pts
1999 Domaine de Monteillet Côte-Rôtie Fortis: More reserved nose of red pepper, dried cherries, blackberry with black cherry and earth on the palate. There was a nice spicy BBQ flavor in this wine as well. Good acidity, less structured than the ‘00 Ogier. My rating: 92 pts
2000 Domaine Michel Ogier Cote-Rotie: Young, young, young. Big ripe cherry, blackberry, concentrated fruits, cedar, tobacco, spice on the nose. On the palate there is a good amount of ripe sour cherry and spice notes. Complex and youthful, medium tannins, would revisit in 5-10 years. My rating: 92 pts
2000 E. Guigal Hermitage: Corked. Not Rated
2001 Domaine Belle Hermitage: Red and black cherry, blackberry, spice and pepper notes as well as smoked meats. Good structure, light acidity, a bit off balance but still quite good. My rating 89 pts
1983 Cockburn Vintage Port: Good amount of alcohol on the nose. The heat was high in this on the palate as well, masking flavors of cherry, blackberry, and chocolate, maybe some crushed cigars. Still needs a good amount of time to come together - decanting longer may have helped. My rating: 89 pts
