One of the nice things about October is that Lou and BettyLu Kessler make their annual visit to NY for a week of fine food, wine and culture. As they always welcome me with open arms to their place during my yearly summer visits to Napa, its always nice to try and repay their wonderful hospitality with a nice home cooked meal with some of the locals. This year I decided to roast a whole suckling pig for the first time. With such a sizable beast to dine on, I wanted to up attendance by two more than could comfortably fit around my table, so Joe Dougherty swooped in to the rescue and graciously offered to host the dinner at his place. With a larger venue set, and with Joe, Christine and I doing the cooking, Chris and Lisa Coad and Don Rice joined us in welcoming the Kesslers to NY with an evening of delicious food, terrific wines and a whole lot of fun.
Cheers,
Brad
1999 Nikolaihof- Riesling Sptlese Steiner Hund, Kremstal
What a beautiful showing. Theres wonderful intensity and depth here with a richness that is perfectly balanced by a wall of minerality and acidity. Stone fruits, apples and hints of grapefruit reveal themselves in a dry package. Not a bad starter wine, Mr. Dougherty. A/A-.
1996 Cazin- Cour-Cheverny Vendanges Manuelles
Its been about ten or so years since I last had this wine. This is not the Cuve Renaissance bottling that one normally sees on shelves and in notes the past number of years, but the drier version that I think was the only one originally released here back in the day. Indeed, this was a house favorite of mine when I worked at Garnet as I could get it for about $8. I thought at $8, there must be a ton of this available, so I probably went through a case or two of it on release. Well, of course there wasnt a lot of this around and Ive been kicking myself since for not having squirreled any away. In ten years this wine has barely budged. The only real difference is that the acidity, which was once in the S & M realm, has eased up a bit. Other than that it retains the youthful quince, raspberry and mineral profile it had on release. Thoroughly enjoyable and invigorating. I think Coad even liked it better than when he had it eleven years ago. Solid A-.
2008 Dagueneau- Sancerre Mont Damns
A rare and expensive treat. To be honest, Ive always had respect and appreciation for what Didier was doing, but his wines just werent my style. This wine, however, made by his son, Louis-Benjamin, as Didier died tragically in an ultra-light plane crash a couple of weeks before the 08 harvest, is without a doubt my favorite wine from the estate. At this stage its extremely primary with almost grapey flavors along with white peach and chalky mineral. While fresh and puppy friendly, theres real depth and complexity lurking underneath all the layers of upfront pleasure that will be great to explore with some bottle age. Thoroughly enjoyable and without the oak presence that I find objectionable in Dagueneaus other bottlings. Solid A-.
2002 Pascal Cotat- Sancerre Ros
I expected better from this given the vintage, the producer and previous experiences with aged ros. Theres some strawberry fruit here with a strong herbal component and, of course, plenty of minerality, but the wines personality is muted and austere. Pleasant, but its tough to really cozy up to it. Drink up. B+/B.
1953 Huet- Vouvray Demi-Sec, Le Mont
Decanted for only about an hour before serving, the wine really needed more time than that. A bottle I had three years ago that saw more air time was much more expressive than this bottle. That said, there was plenty to enjoy here. It shows the typical old Chenin character of desiccated apricots, nuts and shoe polish with hints of orange citrus. Still some sweetness to it, but the usual support columns are present. The wine was a little diffuse and maybe a little one dimensional at first, but started to fill in nicely with air. I wish there had been some left to go back to at the end of the night. A wonderful match with the roast pig. A-.
1973 Lopes de Heredia- Rioja Gran Reserva Via Tondonia
This wine can be highly variable from this vintage, but this bottle was the best showing Ive ever had. Too often its come across as one dimensional, or the fruit hasnt stood up to the acidity and thats when it hasnt been corked, but tonight its showing a wonderful elegance and seamless quality. Theres pretty cherry fruit with a caramelized (that doesnt mean cooked in this instance) sweetness to it and spicy worn wood, but its the integration and mouthfeel thats really making the wine pop. Solid A-.
1985 Bruno Giacosa- Barolo Collina Rionda
My red wine of the night and a brilliant showing for this wine. Beautifully perfumed with rose, cherry, sweet spice and anise aromas. On the palate theres wonderful depth and concentration to the red fruit without it being heavy. So many lovely components to focus on here. The tannins still show some muscle, but I think the wine is drinking at peak. What a treat! A.
1986 Leoville Las Cases- St. Julien, Bordeaux
The Giacosa was a tough act to follow and this wine may have suffered a bit in comparison. Its classic LLC, with sweet black fruit, cedar, herb and wet earth. Integrated and drinking well, its an enjoyable and respectable wine, but seems a bit devoid of character after the Giacosa. Low A-.
1990 Verset- Cornas
Ive loved this wine in the past, but was mystified by the few folks at the front of the table who were raving about this showing as I didnt think it was a particularly good one. Theres the classic green olive, tart red fruit, iodine and herbaceous character, but I found this bottle a little too unbalanced in the acidity department. Normally theres enough fruit to balance things out, but, while still offering some nice things, the acidity was just too screechy in this bottle. Even Coad agreed with me. B+.
1989 Prince Poniatowski- Vouvray, Clos Baudoin
You know, meaning no disrespect to those that like this wine, but I have to scratch my head in wonder when I see people rave about it. This period at the domaine was not a good one. Things were extraordinarily sloppy in the vineyard and in the wine cellar and to me its always shown that in the wines. Its always seems like the barrels were a little dirty, the wines are a bit devoid of character and short. This bottle shows exactly that. Medium sweet, theres an out of place spicy note and the quince fruit is shifting to the apricot realm. Id rather spend my money elsewhere. Low B-.
2001 Chteau DYquem- Sauternes
Finally got to try this legend. My first impression was, you know, I think the 01 Rieussec is going to be the better wine for the first 40 years or so as it offers so much more right now. After that, however, this wine will run away with it for the next 100 years. Theres a lot to this wine thats hidden. Yes, theres plenty of upfront pleasure to enjoy now, but you really get the sense that this is a densely packed wine thats going to need a lot of time to evolve to eventually show all its layers. In the present, theres wonderful nilla wafer, cream, butterscotch with tropical fruit and orange citrus flavors and aromas with terrific depth and balance, but the wine is so primary. If youre young and have this wine, be very thankful. If not, your kids will love you for it. Solid A now with A+ potential.
1947 Huet- Vouvray Moelleux, Le Haut-Lieu.
From a bottle prior to the Hwang purchase of the domaine given the older label. Unfortunately, not a particularly good showing for this legendary wine. In fact, its the worst bottle of it Ive had. Dougherty, who generously opened it said hes had three bottles that have shown worse (which is a real tragedy) and likes this one more than I do. That said, an off bottle of 47 still beats a sharp stick in the eye, but its especially crushing when you know just how good this wine can be. Its a dark amber color, the darkest Ive ever seen it. Its not showing a lot on the nose and on the palate theres raisins, desiccated apricot, earl grey tea and mineral flavors. Theres freshness to the wine, but not a lot of life or depth. Still enjoyable, but bummer! B+.
Some pics from the evening with a warning. If images of a pig's head bother you, don't look at the ones involved with the making of the torchon, which will be in a step by step progression. Many, many thanks to Christine Huang for showing me how to make it.
The group.
The wine lineup.
Say hello to my little friend.
To make a pig's head torchon, start with a pig's head.
Torchon II
Torchon III
Torchon IV
Torchon V
Torchon VI
Torchon VII
Torchon VIII
Torchon IX
Torchon X
Torchon XI
Prepped Brussels sprouts.
Cleaned shrimp in a bowl
Shrimp with garlic and chipotle.
Wild snail and grey morel risotto.
Suckling pig ready for the oven.
Starting to look good!
Yes, it was as good as it looks.
Joe carves some pig.
Yum-o!
Cheers,
Brad
1999 Nikolaihof- Riesling Sptlese Steiner Hund, Kremstal
What a beautiful showing. Theres wonderful intensity and depth here with a richness that is perfectly balanced by a wall of minerality and acidity. Stone fruits, apples and hints of grapefruit reveal themselves in a dry package. Not a bad starter wine, Mr. Dougherty. A/A-.
1996 Cazin- Cour-Cheverny Vendanges Manuelles
Its been about ten or so years since I last had this wine. This is not the Cuve Renaissance bottling that one normally sees on shelves and in notes the past number of years, but the drier version that I think was the only one originally released here back in the day. Indeed, this was a house favorite of mine when I worked at Garnet as I could get it for about $8. I thought at $8, there must be a ton of this available, so I probably went through a case or two of it on release. Well, of course there wasnt a lot of this around and Ive been kicking myself since for not having squirreled any away. In ten years this wine has barely budged. The only real difference is that the acidity, which was once in the S & M realm, has eased up a bit. Other than that it retains the youthful quince, raspberry and mineral profile it had on release. Thoroughly enjoyable and invigorating. I think Coad even liked it better than when he had it eleven years ago. Solid A-.
2008 Dagueneau- Sancerre Mont Damns
A rare and expensive treat. To be honest, Ive always had respect and appreciation for what Didier was doing, but his wines just werent my style. This wine, however, made by his son, Louis-Benjamin, as Didier died tragically in an ultra-light plane crash a couple of weeks before the 08 harvest, is without a doubt my favorite wine from the estate. At this stage its extremely primary with almost grapey flavors along with white peach and chalky mineral. While fresh and puppy friendly, theres real depth and complexity lurking underneath all the layers of upfront pleasure that will be great to explore with some bottle age. Thoroughly enjoyable and without the oak presence that I find objectionable in Dagueneaus other bottlings. Solid A-.
2002 Pascal Cotat- Sancerre Ros
I expected better from this given the vintage, the producer and previous experiences with aged ros. Theres some strawberry fruit here with a strong herbal component and, of course, plenty of minerality, but the wines personality is muted and austere. Pleasant, but its tough to really cozy up to it. Drink up. B+/B.
1953 Huet- Vouvray Demi-Sec, Le Mont
Decanted for only about an hour before serving, the wine really needed more time than that. A bottle I had three years ago that saw more air time was much more expressive than this bottle. That said, there was plenty to enjoy here. It shows the typical old Chenin character of desiccated apricots, nuts and shoe polish with hints of orange citrus. Still some sweetness to it, but the usual support columns are present. The wine was a little diffuse and maybe a little one dimensional at first, but started to fill in nicely with air. I wish there had been some left to go back to at the end of the night. A wonderful match with the roast pig. A-.
1973 Lopes de Heredia- Rioja Gran Reserva Via Tondonia
This wine can be highly variable from this vintage, but this bottle was the best showing Ive ever had. Too often its come across as one dimensional, or the fruit hasnt stood up to the acidity and thats when it hasnt been corked, but tonight its showing a wonderful elegance and seamless quality. Theres pretty cherry fruit with a caramelized (that doesnt mean cooked in this instance) sweetness to it and spicy worn wood, but its the integration and mouthfeel thats really making the wine pop. Solid A-.
1985 Bruno Giacosa- Barolo Collina Rionda
My red wine of the night and a brilliant showing for this wine. Beautifully perfumed with rose, cherry, sweet spice and anise aromas. On the palate theres wonderful depth and concentration to the red fruit without it being heavy. So many lovely components to focus on here. The tannins still show some muscle, but I think the wine is drinking at peak. What a treat! A.
1986 Leoville Las Cases- St. Julien, Bordeaux
The Giacosa was a tough act to follow and this wine may have suffered a bit in comparison. Its classic LLC, with sweet black fruit, cedar, herb and wet earth. Integrated and drinking well, its an enjoyable and respectable wine, but seems a bit devoid of character after the Giacosa. Low A-.
1990 Verset- Cornas
Ive loved this wine in the past, but was mystified by the few folks at the front of the table who were raving about this showing as I didnt think it was a particularly good one. Theres the classic green olive, tart red fruit, iodine and herbaceous character, but I found this bottle a little too unbalanced in the acidity department. Normally theres enough fruit to balance things out, but, while still offering some nice things, the acidity was just too screechy in this bottle. Even Coad agreed with me. B+.
1989 Prince Poniatowski- Vouvray, Clos Baudoin
You know, meaning no disrespect to those that like this wine, but I have to scratch my head in wonder when I see people rave about it. This period at the domaine was not a good one. Things were extraordinarily sloppy in the vineyard and in the wine cellar and to me its always shown that in the wines. Its always seems like the barrels were a little dirty, the wines are a bit devoid of character and short. This bottle shows exactly that. Medium sweet, theres an out of place spicy note and the quince fruit is shifting to the apricot realm. Id rather spend my money elsewhere. Low B-.
2001 Chteau DYquem- Sauternes
Finally got to try this legend. My first impression was, you know, I think the 01 Rieussec is going to be the better wine for the first 40 years or so as it offers so much more right now. After that, however, this wine will run away with it for the next 100 years. Theres a lot to this wine thats hidden. Yes, theres plenty of upfront pleasure to enjoy now, but you really get the sense that this is a densely packed wine thats going to need a lot of time to evolve to eventually show all its layers. In the present, theres wonderful nilla wafer, cream, butterscotch with tropical fruit and orange citrus flavors and aromas with terrific depth and balance, but the wine is so primary. If youre young and have this wine, be very thankful. If not, your kids will love you for it. Solid A now with A+ potential.
1947 Huet- Vouvray Moelleux, Le Haut-Lieu.
From a bottle prior to the Hwang purchase of the domaine given the older label. Unfortunately, not a particularly good showing for this legendary wine. In fact, its the worst bottle of it Ive had. Dougherty, who generously opened it said hes had three bottles that have shown worse (which is a real tragedy) and likes this one more than I do. That said, an off bottle of 47 still beats a sharp stick in the eye, but its especially crushing when you know just how good this wine can be. Its a dark amber color, the darkest Ive ever seen it. Its not showing a lot on the nose and on the palate theres raisins, desiccated apricot, earl grey tea and mineral flavors. Theres freshness to the wine, but not a lot of life or depth. Still enjoyable, but bummer! B+.
Some pics from the evening with a warning. If images of a pig's head bother you, don't look at the ones involved with the making of the torchon, which will be in a step by step progression. Many, many thanks to Christine Huang for showing me how to make it.
The group.
The wine lineup.
Say hello to my little friend.
To make a pig's head torchon, start with a pig's head.
Torchon II
Torchon III
Torchon IV
Torchon V
Torchon VI
Torchon VII
Torchon VIII
Torchon IX
Torchon X
Torchon XI
Prepped Brussels sprouts.
Cleaned shrimp in a bowl
Shrimp with garlic and chipotle.
Wild snail and grey morel risotto.
Suckling pig ready for the oven.
Starting to look good!
Yes, it was as good as it looks.
Joe carves some pig.
Yum-o!