Originally posted 12/26/01.
Last Wednesday Greg dal Piaz hosted a truly memorable wine dinner. Bob Ross, Asher Rubinstein, .sasha, Jeff Connell, Jayson Cohen, Jay Miller and I couldn't resist Greg's siren call of good wine with good food.
While the wealth of wines will get the most attention, Greg deserves a special thank you for being the host with the most who served up delicious food that included foie gras, caviar, roast, stuffed breast of veal and cheeses.
It was quite simply one of the best wine dinners I've been lucky enough to attend.
1989 Zind-Humbrecht- Tokay Pinot Gris, Clos Windsbuhl, Vendanges Tardives
Gold color. Nose remained tight for some time, but persistent swirling eventually brought forth mineral and tropical fruit aromas. Complex and sweet on the palate, though well-balanced. The fruit is showing less flashy than it did when I last had it three years ago and the wine has taken on a more serious character. Nice dried apricot, pineapple, orange citrus , mineral and light spice flavors. Time to drink them up, Id say, if you prefer it with more fruit and sweetness. A/A-.
1953 Chteau Gilette- Sauternes, Crme de Tte
A dark, rich gold color. Complex nose of dried apricots, tea, hazelnuts and a touch of nail polish remover. Quite viscous on the palate and still showing a good level of sweetness. Like flavors as aromas with the addition of dark honey and caramel. Alas, this is a bit of an old warrior. Most of what it has to offer is upfront as it becomes a bit hollow in the middle and fades a bit on the finish where it also picks up a light spirity note. Not bad, though. B+.
1986 Climens- Sauternes-Barsac
A youthful pale yellow. Quite open and effusive on the nose with lots of pineapple and vanilla/oak. Showing quite young on the palate with the oak needing to integrate some more. Ive always found Climens to have among the best acidic balance of Sauternes and this wine is a good example of that. Pineapple and oak flavors dominate. An excellent Sauternes that needs more time to really strut its stuff. A/ A-.
1990 Louis Roederer- Champagne, Brut
Yeasty, biscuity and baked apple aromas. Extremely tart on the palate with not enough fruit for my tastes, though Im generally not much of a fan of Champagne. Unripe green apple and yeast flavors. B.
1989 Veuve Cliquot- Champagne, La Grand Dame
Riper and richer than the Roederer and not as yeasty. Shows fuller on the palate with more of a red apple character. Nice, but I liked it better a few years ago when I enjoyed Champagne more than I do now. B+.
1970 Marqus de Murrieta-Castillo Ygay- Rioja, Gran Reserva Especial
Ruby Colored with a garnet rim. Absolutely stunning nose of fruitcake, coconut, spice and blood. With air time there was a bit of a black shoe polish/slightly musty note that Greg thought might be evidence of of light corkiness, but I dont think anyone else thought the wine was corked. It could be a tad damaged, however. Shows less fruit on the palate than it leads one to believe would be there based on the nose, but its quite sufficient. Shows less fruit and more coconut than the bottle I tried two months ago and the acidity is a little bit more sharp tonight. Still, this is a terrific wine. A-.
1970 Vega Sicilia- Ribera del Duero, nico
A shade darker than the Ygay and more brooding. Rich black fruit, cedar, mocha and spice aromas. Rich, balanced and complex on the palate and still showing some brash, youthful tannins. Whereas acidity seems to form more of a support structure in the Ygay, here the tannins provide more of a backbone Seriously rich black cherry fruit, ox blood, old cedar, earth and mocha harmonize to from a truly delicious elixir. Has years left. It certainly is nice when a wine lives up to its reputation. Solid A.
1970 Cune- Rioja, Imperial Gran Reserva
Garnet colored and showing older on the nose and palate. Yet one shouldnt take its more advanced showing as a negative. If it lacks some of the richness of the others on the palate, it more than makes up for it in intriguing personality. Theres plenty going on in this wine. On the nose there are sour cherry, truffle, worn wood, spice, leather and dried herb/flower aromas. Still has a strong backbone with acidity providing a little more lift than the tannins. Lightly astringent with tertiary/leather elements dominating. Like Greg, I find this to be a contemplative wine. Drink up as itll only get earthier and drier. Solid A-.
1982 Cheval Blanc- St. Emilion
Really shows off its Cabernet Franc from the get go as the nose is initially dominated by strong herb and earth aromas. However, the wine grew tremendously with air became truly special. Loads of liqueur-like red and black fruit, cedar, tobacco, wet earth and herb. Full and ripe tannins, impeccably balanced with a finish that goes on and on. A classic for the ages. Solid A.
1990 Petrus- Pomerol
We did not do justice to this wine as we popped and poured it. However, it did not punish us for the slight we showed it. In a word, the wine was glorious. A stunning nose of sweet fruit, licorice, smoke, truffles and herbs. It goes without saying that it was too young on the palate, but it was still monumental. Massive and elegant with tremendous concentration and Rat Pack coolness. Like flavors as aromas and impeccably balanced. Quite simply, a masterpiece. Solid A+.
1993 Domaine Georges Mugneret- Clos Vougeot
Well what do you know? One of those rare Burgundies I really like. Gorgeous, ripe cherry and berry nose with bark and spice aromas. Yeah, theres lots of acidity here, but the fruit is their in spades to keep it in check. Like flavors as aromas. Good stuff. A-.
1999 Catherine & Claude Marchal- Savigny-les-Beaunes, Vielles Vignes
How about that? Another pretty good Burg. Nose showed lots of ripe cherry. A bit of leafiness, earth, cherry and strawberry on the palate. Acidity is high. Lacks the stuffing and balance of the Mugneret and is pretty much outclassed by all of the wines at the table. It would be better off in different company. B+.
1991 Jamet- Cte-Rtie
Complex nose of green and black olives, ripe red fruit, spiced baked ham and a dash of menthol. Just gorgeous on the palate. Big and brawny, but well balanced. Like flavors as aromas that with air developed tar and charred sausage nuances. While up against some tough competition, this wine holds it own and then some. Its worth trying to outbid Plotnicki on this stuff. ;-) A/A-.
1985 Giuseppe Rinaldi- Barolo, Brunate
Roasted black fruit aromas with cedar, tobacco and wet, black earth. Not as generous on the palate as one tried a year ago. Shows a lot more citrusy acidity today while the fruit is a little less opulent. Still, theres plenty to like here. Fruitcake, roses, mushrooms, earth, tar and tobacco. Still firmly tannic. A-/B+.
1971 Maximin Grnhauser- Riesling Sptlese, Oberhauser Sellenberg
Gold colored with funky old Riesling aromas of mineral, roasted pineapples, apples and diesel. Alas, on the palate there is little else but vibrant acidity with not enough fruit to support it. Either past peak or a bad bottle. Low B-.
1971 Dnhoff- Riesling Sptlese, Oberhauser Sellenberg
Darker than the Grnhauser and showing older on the nose with oxidized notes. Unfortunately, this wine has met its maker as it shows little but structure. C.
1999 Kurt Darting- Muskateller Eiswein, Drkheimer Hochbenn
Light color with a bright, piercing nose of passion fruit, honey, flowers and mineral. Pure delight on the palate with like flavors and loads of juicy, but balanced acidity. Provided the perfect pick-me-up after all the previous wines. Great stuff. Solid A-.
Last Wednesday Greg dal Piaz hosted a truly memorable wine dinner. Bob Ross, Asher Rubinstein, .sasha, Jeff Connell, Jayson Cohen, Jay Miller and I couldn't resist Greg's siren call of good wine with good food.
While the wealth of wines will get the most attention, Greg deserves a special thank you for being the host with the most who served up delicious food that included foie gras, caviar, roast, stuffed breast of veal and cheeses.
It was quite simply one of the best wine dinners I've been lucky enough to attend.
1989 Zind-Humbrecht- Tokay Pinot Gris, Clos Windsbuhl, Vendanges Tardives
Gold color. Nose remained tight for some time, but persistent swirling eventually brought forth mineral and tropical fruit aromas. Complex and sweet on the palate, though well-balanced. The fruit is showing less flashy than it did when I last had it three years ago and the wine has taken on a more serious character. Nice dried apricot, pineapple, orange citrus , mineral and light spice flavors. Time to drink them up, Id say, if you prefer it with more fruit and sweetness. A/A-.
1953 Chteau Gilette- Sauternes, Crme de Tte
A dark, rich gold color. Complex nose of dried apricots, tea, hazelnuts and a touch of nail polish remover. Quite viscous on the palate and still showing a good level of sweetness. Like flavors as aromas with the addition of dark honey and caramel. Alas, this is a bit of an old warrior. Most of what it has to offer is upfront as it becomes a bit hollow in the middle and fades a bit on the finish where it also picks up a light spirity note. Not bad, though. B+.
1986 Climens- Sauternes-Barsac
A youthful pale yellow. Quite open and effusive on the nose with lots of pineapple and vanilla/oak. Showing quite young on the palate with the oak needing to integrate some more. Ive always found Climens to have among the best acidic balance of Sauternes and this wine is a good example of that. Pineapple and oak flavors dominate. An excellent Sauternes that needs more time to really strut its stuff. A/ A-.
1990 Louis Roederer- Champagne, Brut
Yeasty, biscuity and baked apple aromas. Extremely tart on the palate with not enough fruit for my tastes, though Im generally not much of a fan of Champagne. Unripe green apple and yeast flavors. B.
1989 Veuve Cliquot- Champagne, La Grand Dame
Riper and richer than the Roederer and not as yeasty. Shows fuller on the palate with more of a red apple character. Nice, but I liked it better a few years ago when I enjoyed Champagne more than I do now. B+.
1970 Marqus de Murrieta-Castillo Ygay- Rioja, Gran Reserva Especial
Ruby Colored with a garnet rim. Absolutely stunning nose of fruitcake, coconut, spice and blood. With air time there was a bit of a black shoe polish/slightly musty note that Greg thought might be evidence of of light corkiness, but I dont think anyone else thought the wine was corked. It could be a tad damaged, however. Shows less fruit on the palate than it leads one to believe would be there based on the nose, but its quite sufficient. Shows less fruit and more coconut than the bottle I tried two months ago and the acidity is a little bit more sharp tonight. Still, this is a terrific wine. A-.
1970 Vega Sicilia- Ribera del Duero, nico
A shade darker than the Ygay and more brooding. Rich black fruit, cedar, mocha and spice aromas. Rich, balanced and complex on the palate and still showing some brash, youthful tannins. Whereas acidity seems to form more of a support structure in the Ygay, here the tannins provide more of a backbone Seriously rich black cherry fruit, ox blood, old cedar, earth and mocha harmonize to from a truly delicious elixir. Has years left. It certainly is nice when a wine lives up to its reputation. Solid A.
1970 Cune- Rioja, Imperial Gran Reserva
Garnet colored and showing older on the nose and palate. Yet one shouldnt take its more advanced showing as a negative. If it lacks some of the richness of the others on the palate, it more than makes up for it in intriguing personality. Theres plenty going on in this wine. On the nose there are sour cherry, truffle, worn wood, spice, leather and dried herb/flower aromas. Still has a strong backbone with acidity providing a little more lift than the tannins. Lightly astringent with tertiary/leather elements dominating. Like Greg, I find this to be a contemplative wine. Drink up as itll only get earthier and drier. Solid A-.
1982 Cheval Blanc- St. Emilion
Really shows off its Cabernet Franc from the get go as the nose is initially dominated by strong herb and earth aromas. However, the wine grew tremendously with air became truly special. Loads of liqueur-like red and black fruit, cedar, tobacco, wet earth and herb. Full and ripe tannins, impeccably balanced with a finish that goes on and on. A classic for the ages. Solid A.
1990 Petrus- Pomerol
We did not do justice to this wine as we popped and poured it. However, it did not punish us for the slight we showed it. In a word, the wine was glorious. A stunning nose of sweet fruit, licorice, smoke, truffles and herbs. It goes without saying that it was too young on the palate, but it was still monumental. Massive and elegant with tremendous concentration and Rat Pack coolness. Like flavors as aromas and impeccably balanced. Quite simply, a masterpiece. Solid A+.
1993 Domaine Georges Mugneret- Clos Vougeot
Well what do you know? One of those rare Burgundies I really like. Gorgeous, ripe cherry and berry nose with bark and spice aromas. Yeah, theres lots of acidity here, but the fruit is their in spades to keep it in check. Like flavors as aromas. Good stuff. A-.
1999 Catherine & Claude Marchal- Savigny-les-Beaunes, Vielles Vignes
How about that? Another pretty good Burg. Nose showed lots of ripe cherry. A bit of leafiness, earth, cherry and strawberry on the palate. Acidity is high. Lacks the stuffing and balance of the Mugneret and is pretty much outclassed by all of the wines at the table. It would be better off in different company. B+.
1991 Jamet- Cte-Rtie
Complex nose of green and black olives, ripe red fruit, spiced baked ham and a dash of menthol. Just gorgeous on the palate. Big and brawny, but well balanced. Like flavors as aromas that with air developed tar and charred sausage nuances. While up against some tough competition, this wine holds it own and then some. Its worth trying to outbid Plotnicki on this stuff. ;-) A/A-.
1985 Giuseppe Rinaldi- Barolo, Brunate
Roasted black fruit aromas with cedar, tobacco and wet, black earth. Not as generous on the palate as one tried a year ago. Shows a lot more citrusy acidity today while the fruit is a little less opulent. Still, theres plenty to like here. Fruitcake, roses, mushrooms, earth, tar and tobacco. Still firmly tannic. A-/B+.
1971 Maximin Grnhauser- Riesling Sptlese, Oberhauser Sellenberg
Gold colored with funky old Riesling aromas of mineral, roasted pineapples, apples and diesel. Alas, on the palate there is little else but vibrant acidity with not enough fruit to support it. Either past peak or a bad bottle. Low B-.
1971 Dnhoff- Riesling Sptlese, Oberhauser Sellenberg
Darker than the Grnhauser and showing older on the nose with oxidized notes. Unfortunately, this wine has met its maker as it shows little but structure. C.
1999 Kurt Darting- Muskateller Eiswein, Drkheimer Hochbenn
Light color with a bright, piercing nose of passion fruit, honey, flowers and mineral. Pure delight on the palate with like flavors and loads of juicy, but balanced acidity. Provided the perfect pick-me-up after all the previous wines. Great stuff. Solid A-.