Hermitage and Gevrey

J

Jay Miller

Jay Miller
Jeff and I paid a visit to CWS this afternoon and enjoyed the

1998 Burguet Gevrey Chambertin VV (this is the bottling which is now called 'Mes Favorites') - still young, but nice earthiness, good fruit and just a hint of sous bois developing. Very good indeed

2004 Dard & Ribo Hermitage - an odd note to the nose took 10 minutes or so to blow off but then the wine was a magical floral meaty delight. Beautiful wine.
 
Misc. add'l notes:

Both bottles came from auction (different houses).

We had plenty of sustenance to go with: lamb terrine, two cheese (Dorset, Landaff), and a baguette.

The D+R was under fake cork. The capsule spun freely. Nothing burst forth when I drew the cork. Other than the brief funk there was nothing amiss with the bottle in any way.

I thought the D+R tasted older than its 6 years but I was delighted with it. As Jay said, floral and meaty, with something penetrating in a tarragon sort of way, recognizably Hermitage syrah.

I thought the Burguet showed more than a hint of sous-bois. Delightful
 
Hermitage under fake cork is a funny idea. I've only had Burguet's bourgogne ('pince vin') and it was very good; the GC has a great rep.

Does Jeff play harpsichord for you when you dine thus?

Thanks for the notes.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
...the GC has a great rep.
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I misread this at first, but it reminds me to tell Jay: Clos de Beze.

Does Jeff play harpsichord for you when you dine thus?
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I play ragtime piano. My partner, Jim, plays Baroque harpsichord.

And, no. Jim doesn't visit the cellar often and while wooden instruments like some humidity I think the cellar is kept a bit wet for them.
 
originally posted by Tom Blach:
That Burguet is a really beautiful wine. I wonder if 98 is the last great vintage for this?
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I'm not 100% sure but I think I had an excellent 1999 at some point. Haven't tried any later vintages. The 1997 was not very good.
 
Tonight's 1998 Burguet was not as good as the last 2 bottles, though good enough that I'm drinking it. I think it may be the weather.

Of more note was my first foray into sous vide cooking. This was just a simple experiment to see how it works. A store brand chicken breast (with bone and skin) with a bay leaf under the skin and some dried tarragon turned into a surprisingly decent meal (accompanied by some asparagus sauteed in olive oil). I especially appreciated that it was cooked evenly throughout with the thinner portions not overdone and the thicker portions not underdone. Moist and the flavors had permeated the meat nicely.

I'll now move onto some more adventurous efforts and better ingredients.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Doesn't sous vide require a bunch of specialized, expensive equipment? I'm intrigued by your foray.
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Well, yes. But not quite as expensive as it used to be:

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www.surlatable.com

That and a Foodsaver for the vacuum sealing do the job. This and 2 new dining room chairs are what my tax refund was spent on.
 
I find that I can do a reasonable job by using a heat retaining vessel (typically cast iron), starting off at a high temp and then letting sit for long enough to return to room temp. Do whole fowl this way, especially chicken.
 
originally posted by Yixin:
I find that I can do a reasonable job by using a heat retaining vessel (typically cast iron), starting off at a high temp and then letting sit for long enough to return to room temp. Do whole fowl this way, especially chicken.
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Though that is, of course, a different effect from a constant heat at the temperature you want the food to reach.
 
originally posted by Tom Blach:
That Burguet is a really beautiful wine. I wonder if 98 is the last great vintage for this?
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I had a great bottle of the '99 Mes Favorites about a month ago. I'm curious as to why you'd wonder about whether subsequent vintages were any good. Did he grub up all the vines or completely change something?
 
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