Some Sherry

Jay Miller

Jay Miller
The 6 people in the NYC area who like Sherry gathered in secrecy last night at Peking Duck House away from the mocking laughter of the anti-oxidative forces. The AOF did their best to derail the event by causing E train delays but we all eventually made our way to the restaurant.

2010 L'Anglore Chamin del la Brune - a sparkling S. Rhone wine that had a nice mousse but was a bit too grenachey for me. I know other people liked it better.

2010 AJ Adam Hofberg Kabinett - I remain unconvinced by either Adam or (as a gross generalization with exceptions) 2010 in Germany.

NV Hidalgo Manzanilla Pasada Pastrana - lovely and pure. Not remarkably complex perhaps but a perfect match with the Seaweed and Scallop appetizer.

This was followed by what everyone agreed was the best flight:

Equipo Navazos La Bota Palo Cortado #21 soft and beguiling nose, very, very nice with delicately detailed nuances. As good as it was initially it got better and better over the course of the evening as the nose bloomed.

1979 Byass Palo Cortado - Gorgeous nose, much more expressive than the La Bota. Unlike that more stylish wine this a wine of perfectly controlled power with an endless, haunting finish. This was my favorite of the two when they were first opened but by the end of the night I had to give the nod to the La Bota. But both are magnificent.

NV Bodegas Tradicion Oloroso Muy Viejo, 750 ml - okay but dull after the last two wines. Simple and a bit heavy which is not what one looks for in $80 Sherry.

Equipo Navazos La Bota Amontillado #23 - quite good

1988 Edmunds St. John Mourvedre - Here we have a rare non-oxidative sherry made from the non-traditional Mourvedre grape. Lovely nose, beautiful wine.

Byass Matusalem Oloroso Dulce Viejo - not as wow-inducing as the two PCs but perfect in its own right. Complex and joyous.

Valdespino Solera 1842 Oloroso VOS - very, very good but IMO outperformed by the Byass

It should be noted that the PCs, Amontillado and Olorosos were some of the best wine/food matches I've had to date with the Peking Duck at PDH. But they also worked surprisingly well with the spicy vegetable dumplings.
 
Thanks so much for organizing this event, Jay. Those Palo Cortados were breathtaking. The Byass had so much power, it stopped me in my tracks.
 
How interesting about the food match. I am not shocked to hear it, though I have previously preferred good zinfandel or monstrous purple wines made by VS for PDH.

And of course sherry gets the job done faster.
 
Personally, I find the food at PDH quite wine friendly. The duck goes well with Old Bordeaux, Rioja, Rhone, Red Burgs, Gamay, even Nebbiolo. The standard Chinese fare works with whites with residual.
 
I've never tried sherry with Peking duck but it's become my go-to with Sichuan ever since VS recommended it. For reasons I still can't figure out, it's more than compatible - it's actually one of those rare bona fide synergistic pairings.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
2010 L'Anglore Chamin del la Brune - a sparkling S. Rhone wine that had a nice mousse but was a bit too grenachey for me. I know other people liked it better.

Odd, have tried several bottles of the 06 and 07 Chemin de la Brune and none were frizzy in the least.
 
Sorry I had to miss it (I blame the anti-oxidative forces in CT), but glad to hear that the wines and pairings were all excellent.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by Jay Miller:
2010 L'Anglore Chamin del la Brune - a sparkling S. Rhone wine that had a nice mousse but was a bit too grenachey for me. I know other people liked it better.

Odd, have tried several bottles of the 06 and 07 Chemin de la Brune and none were frizzy in the least.

It had a slight frizz, but even cooler, it had both a cork and a bottle cap: the ultimate in hipster closures:

 
originally posted by Zachary Ross:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by Jay Miller:
2010 L'Anglore Chamin del la Brune - a sparkling S. Rhone wine that had a nice mousse but was a bit too grenachey for me. I know other people liked it better.

Odd, have tried several bottles of the 06 and 07 Chemin de la Brune and none were frizzy in the least.

It had a slight frizz, but even cooler, it had both a cork and a bottle cap: the ultimate in hipster closures:


Cool. I have a bunch of 2006 Anglore Caprices with that closure. Michel Augé uses it on all his wines.
 
originally posted by Brad Kane:
Personally, I find the food at PDH quite wine friendly. The duck goes well with Old Bordeaux, Rioja, Rhone, Red Burgs, Gamay, even Nebbiolo. The standard Chinese fare works with whites with residual.

So you have often claimed.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
originally posted by Brad Kane:
Personally, I find the food at PDH quite wine friendly. The duck goes well with Old Bordeaux, Rioja, Rhone, Red Burgs, Gamay, even Nebbiolo. The standard Chinese fare works with whites with residual.

So you have often claimed.
I'm more or less with Brad on this one. Peking duck is nice with a wide variety of complex reds with good fruit, with Pinot Noir leading the way. (Not sure about old Bordeaux) I'm not sure what he means by "standard Chinese fare", but if that's a general reference to white sauce, simple garlic steamed or stir-fried green veggies, most dumplings and deep fried stuff, zesty whites with slight RS are the ticket.

I can see Amontillado, Palo Cortado, and Oloroso with Peking Duck too. Plus many of the darker Chinese sauces. Slightly off-base but flavor-related, Oloroso goes terrifically with a lot of smoky barbecue.
 
originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):
originally posted by Jay Miller:
originally posted by Brad Kane:
Personally, I find the food at PDH quite wine friendly. The duck goes well with Old Bordeaux, Rioja, Rhone, Red Burgs, Gamay, even Nebbiolo. The standard Chinese fare works with whites with residual.

So you have often claimed.
I'm more or less with Brad on this one. Peking duck is nice with a wide variety of complex reds with good fruit, with Pinot Noir leading the way. (Not sure about old Bordeaux) I'm not sure what he means by "standard Chinese fare", but if that's a general reference to white sauce, simple garlic steamed or stir-fried green veggies, most dumplings and deep fried stuff, zesty whites with slight RS are the ticket.

I can see Amontillado, Palo Cortado, and Oloroso with Peking Duck too. Plus many of the darker Chinese sauces. Slightly off-base but flavor-related, Oloroso goes terrifically with a lot of smoky barbecue.

Personally I think the hoisin sauce is a terrible match with older delicate reds. Brad, obviously, disagrees.

Grand Sichuan's tea smoked duck on the other hand is a great match with older Bordeaux and Burgundy. If you leave the sauce on the side.
 
Really bangin' Peking Duck (i.e., not what you get at PDH) is terrific with old wine, hold the hoisin. The key is the smoke from the hardwood.
 
Back
Top