Our monthly supper club group got together yesterday for another evening of fun. Sarah Kirschbaum played host and did a wonderful job in the kitchen, serving up a feast of tomato and caramelized onion soup with asiago croutons, a butternut squash galette with a balsamic reduction, braised crisped duck legs with creamy polenta and a black pepper and clove custard with caramel sauce and sea salt for dessert. As always, a great time was had by all.
2005 Domaine William Fèvre- Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Fairly tight with not a lot going on aromatically and almost tannic structure on the palate. Good fruit levels, with citrus, stone fruits and apples rounded out by mineral and floral flavors. Shows some of the vintages fatness and the alcohol sticks out a little on the finish. The wood is integrated, though. B+.
2001 Domaine Weinbach- Riesling Cuvée Ste. Catherine - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
Heat damaged. NR (flawed)
1971 Produttori del Barbaresco- Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Corked and from magnum. NR (flawed)
1995 Egon Müller- Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Showed more maturity on the nose and in its golden color than it did on the palate. Aromatically it exhibits an aged stone fruit profile with some petrol notes kicking in, but the fruit was brighter in the mouth and there was a nice level of acidity that still had just a trace of spritz from the get go that gave the wine nice vitality. More in the classic stone fruit realm with the addition of some tropical fruit flavors and nice minerality. The wine still shows plenty of sweetness, but the balance is just fine. My WOTN. Solid A-.
2006 Giuseppe Rinaldi- Nebbiolo Langhe - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
Nose of the night for sure. Beautiful and fragrant cherry and red plum aromas with licorice and mineral notes. The fruit has wonderful purity and focus to it with the minerals providing nice crunch. The fruit isn't as lush on the palate as the nose would suggest it would be, but there's certainly no shortage. Chewy and still showing a tough structure, it was a perfect match with the braised duck leg as the fat from the duck and the cream from the polenta helped cut the tannins while the acidity helped cut through the richness of the dish. A-.
1996 Alain Hudelot-Noellat- Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
Like the Rinaldi Nebbiolo, this had a wonderful nose of bright and sweet red cherries. On the palate, however, the wine is still pretty shut down. Given how the nose was going like gangbusters, I expected the wine to be a lot more expressive than it was. There's a solid core of fruit, but the structure really has it clamped down hard and there's still some spicy wood that needs to integrate more thoroughly. I expect it will get better with some more cellar time. A-/B+.
1983 Ch“teau Cos d'Estournel - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Quite a lot of Brett on the nose from the get go with a strong green pepper streak. Thankfully, much of the Brett blew off and some cherry aromas and wet earth came up to help balance out all that green pepper. On the palate, fully mature, if not a little past peak and showing a few faults here and there. The green pepper on the nose turns more herbal in character on the palate, but it's supported by cherry, earth and leather flavors. Mid-weight and rather dry with maybe a hole or two in the middle and a touch austere on the finish. Probably best consumed with food at this point and I'd start to drink up. Low B+.
Some pictures from the evening.
Sarah prepares the butternut squash galette.
Brushing with egg wash.
Out of the oven.
Soup on the stove.
Duck legs seared and ready for braising.
Salt designed to make me cringe.
Tomato and caramelized onion soup with asiago crostini.
Butternut squash galette with balsamic reduction.
Braised crisped duck legs with creamy polenta.
Black pepper and clove custard with caramel sauce and sea salt.
2005 Domaine William Fèvre- Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Fairly tight with not a lot going on aromatically and almost tannic structure on the palate. Good fruit levels, with citrus, stone fruits and apples rounded out by mineral and floral flavors. Shows some of the vintages fatness and the alcohol sticks out a little on the finish. The wood is integrated, though. B+.
2001 Domaine Weinbach- Riesling Cuvée Ste. Catherine - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
Heat damaged. NR (flawed)
1971 Produttori del Barbaresco- Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Corked and from magnum. NR (flawed)
1995 Egon Müller- Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Showed more maturity on the nose and in its golden color than it did on the palate. Aromatically it exhibits an aged stone fruit profile with some petrol notes kicking in, but the fruit was brighter in the mouth and there was a nice level of acidity that still had just a trace of spritz from the get go that gave the wine nice vitality. More in the classic stone fruit realm with the addition of some tropical fruit flavors and nice minerality. The wine still shows plenty of sweetness, but the balance is just fine. My WOTN. Solid A-.
2006 Giuseppe Rinaldi- Nebbiolo Langhe - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
Nose of the night for sure. Beautiful and fragrant cherry and red plum aromas with licorice and mineral notes. The fruit has wonderful purity and focus to it with the minerals providing nice crunch. The fruit isn't as lush on the palate as the nose would suggest it would be, but there's certainly no shortage. Chewy and still showing a tough structure, it was a perfect match with the braised duck leg as the fat from the duck and the cream from the polenta helped cut the tannins while the acidity helped cut through the richness of the dish. A-.
1996 Alain Hudelot-Noellat- Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
Like the Rinaldi Nebbiolo, this had a wonderful nose of bright and sweet red cherries. On the palate, however, the wine is still pretty shut down. Given how the nose was going like gangbusters, I expected the wine to be a lot more expressive than it was. There's a solid core of fruit, but the structure really has it clamped down hard and there's still some spicy wood that needs to integrate more thoroughly. I expect it will get better with some more cellar time. A-/B+.
1983 Ch“teau Cos d'Estournel - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Quite a lot of Brett on the nose from the get go with a strong green pepper streak. Thankfully, much of the Brett blew off and some cherry aromas and wet earth came up to help balance out all that green pepper. On the palate, fully mature, if not a little past peak and showing a few faults here and there. The green pepper on the nose turns more herbal in character on the palate, but it's supported by cherry, earth and leather flavors. Mid-weight and rather dry with maybe a hole or two in the middle and a touch austere on the finish. Probably best consumed with food at this point and I'd start to drink up. Low B+.
Some pictures from the evening.
Sarah prepares the butternut squash galette.
Brushing with egg wash.
Out of the oven.
Soup on the stove.
Duck legs seared and ready for braising.
Salt designed to make me cringe.
Tomato and caramelized onion soup with asiago crostini.
Butternut squash galette with balsamic reduction.
Braised crisped duck legs with creamy polenta.
Black pepper and clove custard with caramel sauce and sea salt.