Dinner at King Fung Garden II
A group of eight of us gathered in single digit temperatures for Peking Duck and a cavalcade of excellent wines. The parking lot and sidewalk would have been more easily navigated with a pair of ice pick shoes, but once inside we delivered six packs of Bud Light and Sam Adams to Erwin and flowers to Doris and were treated to the usual fantastic yet ridiculously underpriced Peking Duck.
Along the way we enjoyed some excellent wines - not a one was corked. Thanks to Mike Malinoski for diligently recording all the names. My brief impressions from memory are below; I'm sure when Mike berzerks his notes I will remember in much better detail what I liked. We started off with scallion pancakes and dumplings and a plethora of outstanding white wines.
N.V. Paul Bara Champagne Brut Grand Cru Rosé (France, Champagne, Bouzy, Champagne) Very structured, crisp, young; nice restrained pinot fruit. Can definitely stand some age.
N.V. Bollinger Champagne Special Cuvée Brut (France, Champagne) Instant contrast to the Bara: much more lush, yeasty, classic.
1997 Dinstlgut Loiben Grüner Veltliner Halbtrocken Loibenberg "L" (Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal) Excellent gruve and I don't like gruve.
2005 Nicolas Joly Savennières Les Clos Sacrés (Les Vieux Clos) (France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières) Joly's wines always smell alternative on the nose and this was no different; not as out there as some of his wines and really interesting.
1999 Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Jadis (France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre) Elegant, somewhat muted, sancerre and a jarring contrast after the Joly.
1998 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile (France, Alsace, Ribeauvillé, Alsace AOC) From 375, this was drinking very well but was a little fat suggesting it has a while left until it is really ready. We needed surgical intervention to rescue the bottom half of the cork.
2004 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault) Classic, clean chardonnay. Very nice wine but dwarfed in complexity by the preceding wines.
Around about now the duck arrived, followed by lamb with scallions (not pictured).
...on to the reds...
1981 Kalin Cellars Pinot Noir Cuvée WD (USA, California, Sonoma County) The mystery wine, guesses included really old Cotes du Rhone but it turned out to be really old Pinot Noir which was on the 19th hole for sure.
2003 Domaine Weinbach Pinot Noir (France, Alsace, Alsace AOC) Wow. Just wow. Really.
2006 Jacques Puffeney Poulsard Arbois "M" (France, Jura, Arbois)
Probably the most interesting wine of the night: so clear and light but what a nose and what complexity from something that looks like watered down koolaid.
1996 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots (France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru) Very nice but needs more time.
1995 Domaine du Pégaü Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée (France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Chateauneuf-du-Pape) Tonight's Mr. Coffee resident, delicious and just beginning to sing near the end of dinner. Sourced "before people knew about Pégaü."
1998 Domaine du Pégaü Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Laurence (France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Chateauneuf-du-Pape) Great comparison with its older cousin - not as ready for business but all the parts are there.
1999 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon (USA, California, Napa Valley) Classic cabernet, well-executed - decanted for about an hour but I'll bet it was really nice the next day.
Finally, a bunch of sweet wines(the ice/snow outside served well to keep these ready in the cooler until the end of dinner):
2005 Freiherr Langwerth von Simmern Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Spätlese (Germany, Rheingau) I actually had this one early and lost my note although I remember I liked it.
2001 Gottelman Münsterer Dautenpflänzer Riesling Spätlese (Germany, Nahe) Clean, precise, yummy. This, the Weinbach, and the Puffeney were my favorite wines of the night.
1997 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese (Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer) Ready for business. Delicious.
2005 Shadow Canyon Cellars Late Harvest Pinot Blanc Paeonia Bien Nacido Vineyard (USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley) Somehow manages to balance 18% RS with bracing acidity and not be completely unctuous. Opened about 5-8 years too soon, worth laying a bottle down to see what happens.
The food and company were great. The wines this night were almost without exception very very good (thank God for spit cups). As always, when the check arrives guilt ensues, especially when Doris presents us with duck soup and noodles to go:
A group of eight of us gathered in single digit temperatures for Peking Duck and a cavalcade of excellent wines. The parking lot and sidewalk would have been more easily navigated with a pair of ice pick shoes, but once inside we delivered six packs of Bud Light and Sam Adams to Erwin and flowers to Doris and were treated to the usual fantastic yet ridiculously underpriced Peking Duck.
Along the way we enjoyed some excellent wines - not a one was corked. Thanks to Mike Malinoski for diligently recording all the names. My brief impressions from memory are below; I'm sure when Mike berzerks his notes I will remember in much better detail what I liked. We started off with scallion pancakes and dumplings and a plethora of outstanding white wines.
1981 Kalin Cellars Pinot Noir Cuvée WD (USA, California, Sonoma County) The mystery wine, guesses included really old Cotes du Rhone but it turned out to be really old Pinot Noir which was on the 19th hole for sure.
Probably the most interesting wine of the night: so clear and light but what a nose and what complexity from something that looks like watered down koolaid.
1999 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon (USA, California, Napa Valley) Classic cabernet, well-executed - decanted for about an hour but I'll bet it was really nice the next day.
Finally, a bunch of sweet wines(the ice/snow outside served well to keep these ready in the cooler until the end of dinner):