TN: Much Duck Fat, Much Madiran

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
TN: Much Duck Fat, Much Madiran1/19/09
La Sirene
Scott, Zachary, Tse Wei & Diana, Jeff, Jay, Cliff, Chris, and Seth

Prior to arriving Scott opened his magnum of 1979 Cahors for Kevin, Joe, and Denyse. Alas, they discovered that it is corked. Joe graciously gifted him -- and, therefore, us -- with a bottle of Dom. Richaud's special cuvee. Thank you, Joe!

La Sirene is starting to know us: "Ah, yes, you're the ones that bring your own glasses and want to open all the bottles yourselves." I suppose there are worse things to be known for.

Everyone* ordered appetizers and cassoulet. Amid the bacon and beans, the revelry commenced:

Edmunds St. John 2007 Heart of Gold - crisp and juicy, wow, what vermentino!

L'Oustal Blanc 2005 VdT "Naick 5" - slightly spirity? or some other aggressive chemical smell, rather bland following the HoG

Equipe Navazos "La Bota de Manzanilla Pasada #10" - untasted

Dom. Ganevat 2003 Cotes du Jura "La Combe" - untasted

Muller-Catoir 1992 Riesling Halbtrocken - 5 174 079 16 93, medium-dark gold, which raises some initial concerns, but no fear: full, balanced, glints of honey peeking out amongst plums and raisins, great wine

Dom. Richaud 2000 Cairanne "l'Ebrescade" - seems gritty and very big, Pezzy, feh

Dom. Berthoumieu 2005 Madiran "Cuve Charles Batz" - an initial whiff of butter and then it clamps down really hard, stern stern stern, so closed and angry about it

Primo Palatum 1998 Madiran - a whiff of bicycle tire, but true to its place: this tastes like a textbook example of (still slightly young) Madiran

Chateau Montus 1997 Madiran "Cuve Prestige" - TW: "Wine that reminds me of beer... in a good way"; too ashy for Jay to drink; seems OK to me

Chateau Montus 1995 Madiran - the first wine that is even vaguely open for business: lots of blue fruits (plums, blueberries, etc.) served in a decorative but sturdy tannin basket; yum

Chateau Montus 1995 Madiran "Cuve Prestige" - quite different from the normale: there is a taste of tired wood, a slight extra sweetness and loss of acidity; there's probably more to come, if one waits

Chateau d'Aydie 1990 Madiran - this one has a bit of brown sugar thrown over the otherwise typical flavor profile

Chateau Montus 1988 Madiran "Cuve Prestige" - from magnum; oh! another level of openness: vigorous, fruity, still a whiff of old rubber

Guibert 1985 Mas de Daumas Gassac - lovely but not able to cut through the duck fat in my mouth; another time

Clos Triguedina "Prince Probus" 1978 Cahors - still vigorous wine, lots of very red cherries, just barely up to the fat-cutting chore but I'll happily drink this wine

And, with the desserts (yes, even after cassoulet there is dessert):

Baron de Lustrac 1973 Folle Blanche, Bas Armagnac, Selectionn au Domaine Courros - bottled 2006; light and feminine, mild rancio, long Juicy-Fruit finish

The bill arrived compris and we left more on top of that. As people bustled out, I signalled to the kitchen and told the waitress to bring them the Heart of Gold, the 88 Montus, and the 78 Cahors. I saw the chef point to the magnum and say to the waitress, "Yes, that is a good one."

Wave KTHXBAI to the nice people!
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I looked and have one bottle of 95 Montus reg and four of the 95 prestige, when will the Prestige be ready in IYHO.
 
I'm not Jeff, and I don't play one on TV, but I'd say 3-5 years? Longer? The 95 Montus Prestige was still tannic but pleasurable with the fatty food.
 
I was speaking to Didier (the chef/owner) and apparently his cassoulet relies on canned beans, rather than ones cooked from scratch. Puts them in the pot with the meat, so the flavour is very purely of the meat and duck fat.

Also, he doesn't actually cure his confit before cooking it - just lots of salt, pepper and the usual cure herbs, rubbed into the meat right before it goes in the duck fat and the oven.

The Manzanilla was really quite something. A layer of intricacy and a lovely finish that I've not found in other sherries.

I actually quite liked the 97 Madiran, though I recognize that it wasn't as open and mature as the others. Pleasurably tense, perhaps.
 
originally posted by twlim:
I was speaking to Didier (the chef/owner) and apparently his cassoulet relies on canned beans, rather than ones cooked from scratch. Puts them in the pot with the meat, so the flavour is very purely of the meat and duck fat.

Also, he doesn't actually cure his confit before cooking it - just lots of salt, pepper and the usual cure herbs, rubbed into the meat right before it goes in the duck fat and the oven.
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Oh dear, so much unorthodoxy.
 
originally posted by twlim:
I was speaking to Didier (the chef/owner) and apparently his cassoulet relies on canned beans, rather than ones cooked from scratch. Puts them in the pot with the meat, so the flavour is very purely of the meat and duck fat.

Also, he doesn't actually cure his confit before cooking it - just lots of salt, pepper and the usual cure herbs, rubbed into the meat right before it goes in the duck fat and the oven.
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Thanks for this insight. I liked the cassoulet pretty well, tasted blind, as it were. I do like my own cassoulet -- perhaps I'll host a cassoulet dinner of my own some time with the likes of youse.

It was great meeting the two of you.
 
Huh. Spoofy cassoulet! But it was pretty tasty, but put enough duckfat on a baseball glove and I'd eat it.

I did quite enjoy the '78 Probus and the Manzanilla. The Mas de Daumas Gassac, too, though it was a little drowned out(!).
 
The cassoulet was delicious. Whatever the dude did, unorthodox or not, it worked, and I've eaten wayyyy too much cassoulet in my time.
 
originally posted by Chris Coad:
The cassoulet was delicious. Whatever the dude did, unorthodox or not, it worked, and I've eaten wayyyy too much cassoulet in my time.
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Agreed. Given how delicious the beans were I say bring on the cans!
 
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