This year I got to select the venue for our department’s annual winter dinner. We were around 50 people so it was going to have to be either a restaurant with a large private dining space or a buyout of a smaller place. So we called Racines and arranged to take over the restaurant for the evening.
Predictably they did a fantastic job. Pascaline and I corresponded by email and first picked the wines for the meal, and then she worked with Paul to design a menu around the wines. Everything was first rate, and it was fun to get to introduce the guests, who I would characterize as folks who generally enjoy wine but are by no means geeks, to a nice variety of excellent and interesting wines.
Here's what we had:
For the cocktail hour: Tarlant Brut Zero and Brut Zero Rose. Both were great as usual and generous and approachable. The whole “zero” extra brut thing is kind of deceiving with these wines, as the fruit is so ripe and delicious.
With a first course of Foie Gras Chantilly (a delicious whipped concoction of foie and cream garnished with a slice of black truffle) we poured a white and a red:
2017 Falkenstein Krettnacher Altenberg Spatlese Trocken
The aromatics here were really effusive; citrus and exotic tropical fruits---really an auslese-type nose that gave a very vivid impression of sweetness. On the palate though it was resolutely dry, with beautiful acidity and purity. This worked absolute wonders with the foie.
2016 La Paonnerie, Coteaux d’Ancenis, Simplement Gamay
Biodynamic Gamay from the Loire (just east of Nantes) that sees no oak and undergoes a 15-day semi-carbonic maceration. The nose here is all crunchy and bright red fruit; raspberries and cherries with some spice. Glou glou plus something more interesting. Really nice. I didn’t think it worked quite as brilliantly with the foie as the Falkenstein, but it did have enough acidity to cut through the richness and the crowd enjoyed this.
With Black Bass and (a puree of) Delicata Squash we also poured both a white and a red:
2015 Domaine Pattes Loup, Chablis, Vente d’Ange
Organic and hand-harvested Chablis, 55-ish year-old vines, aged in stainless steel and concrete egg. This is rich on the nose, with white fruit and a touch of brown butter (maybe caramel?). There’s chalky/racy minerals on the palate but it’s got a rich texture and palate presence/heft too. Punches way above its weight class.
2016 Domaine Gonon les Isles Feray
I was surprised (and frankly a little skeptical) when Pascaline suggested we could serve this with the fish, but of course what fool would question the advice of the world’s most decorated sommelier? Anyway it turns out the secret to the match here was in the fish *skin*---which had a savory smoky aspect to it that paired brilliantly with the Gonon. This had all the savory/smoky/olivey/bloody goodness that one expects from Gonon but without any real tannin to speak of, and cooling acidity and bright freshness to the fruit on the palate. Really off the charts delicious.
With aged duck and (purees of) green apple and black (smoked) eggplant, we poured two reds:
2015 Corison, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Decanted about 6 hours before the meal, this was all cassis in the aromas; quite forward and dense in texture relative to my previous experience with Corison. Needs time I think to settle down but I think this will be great in 5-10 years.
2005 Baudry Chinon les Grezeaux (from magnum)
This was like echt Loire Cab Franc and everybody wanted to know what this was and what those aromas were. On both the nose and the palate you first get black fruit followed by tobacco leaf and noticeable but not overwhelming bell pepper. The pyrazines are definitely there but are really well balanced/held in check by the somewhat riper fruit than usual, which feels like a vintage signature. There’s still some tannin on the finish and it’s drinking very nicely today but I’m sure it will continue to do so for many years to come.
With a very nice Comte (served with figs in syrup) followed by an apple tart, we poured:
2017 Les Sablonettes, Fleurs d’erables, VdF
Chenin Blanc from the Coteaux du Layon, biodynamically made, around 70 grams residual sugar (per the importer). Vivid nose of baked apples or maybe cider? There’s very strong acidity on the palate and as a result the wine comes off as maybe just on the sweeter side of demisec. I thought this was a brilliant pairing with the Comte and less successful with the apple tart (the tart I thought was a little too sweet for this pairing to work).
All in all a terrific evening---I know the group reading this doesn’t have any need to see another Racines advertisement but if you are ever looking for an event space for a party of 30-50 people, do consider it---they do a brilliant job.
Predictably they did a fantastic job. Pascaline and I corresponded by email and first picked the wines for the meal, and then she worked with Paul to design a menu around the wines. Everything was first rate, and it was fun to get to introduce the guests, who I would characterize as folks who generally enjoy wine but are by no means geeks, to a nice variety of excellent and interesting wines.
Here's what we had:
For the cocktail hour: Tarlant Brut Zero and Brut Zero Rose. Both were great as usual and generous and approachable. The whole “zero” extra brut thing is kind of deceiving with these wines, as the fruit is so ripe and delicious.
With a first course of Foie Gras Chantilly (a delicious whipped concoction of foie and cream garnished with a slice of black truffle) we poured a white and a red:
2017 Falkenstein Krettnacher Altenberg Spatlese Trocken
The aromatics here were really effusive; citrus and exotic tropical fruits---really an auslese-type nose that gave a very vivid impression of sweetness. On the palate though it was resolutely dry, with beautiful acidity and purity. This worked absolute wonders with the foie.
2016 La Paonnerie, Coteaux d’Ancenis, Simplement Gamay
Biodynamic Gamay from the Loire (just east of Nantes) that sees no oak and undergoes a 15-day semi-carbonic maceration. The nose here is all crunchy and bright red fruit; raspberries and cherries with some spice. Glou glou plus something more interesting. Really nice. I didn’t think it worked quite as brilliantly with the foie as the Falkenstein, but it did have enough acidity to cut through the richness and the crowd enjoyed this.
With Black Bass and (a puree of) Delicata Squash we also poured both a white and a red:
2015 Domaine Pattes Loup, Chablis, Vente d’Ange
Organic and hand-harvested Chablis, 55-ish year-old vines, aged in stainless steel and concrete egg. This is rich on the nose, with white fruit and a touch of brown butter (maybe caramel?). There’s chalky/racy minerals on the palate but it’s got a rich texture and palate presence/heft too. Punches way above its weight class.
2016 Domaine Gonon les Isles Feray
I was surprised (and frankly a little skeptical) when Pascaline suggested we could serve this with the fish, but of course what fool would question the advice of the world’s most decorated sommelier? Anyway it turns out the secret to the match here was in the fish *skin*---which had a savory smoky aspect to it that paired brilliantly with the Gonon. This had all the savory/smoky/olivey/bloody goodness that one expects from Gonon but without any real tannin to speak of, and cooling acidity and bright freshness to the fruit on the palate. Really off the charts delicious.
With aged duck and (purees of) green apple and black (smoked) eggplant, we poured two reds:
2015 Corison, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Decanted about 6 hours before the meal, this was all cassis in the aromas; quite forward and dense in texture relative to my previous experience with Corison. Needs time I think to settle down but I think this will be great in 5-10 years.
2005 Baudry Chinon les Grezeaux (from magnum)
This was like echt Loire Cab Franc and everybody wanted to know what this was and what those aromas were. On both the nose and the palate you first get black fruit followed by tobacco leaf and noticeable but not overwhelming bell pepper. The pyrazines are definitely there but are really well balanced/held in check by the somewhat riper fruit than usual, which feels like a vintage signature. There’s still some tannin on the finish and it’s drinking very nicely today but I’m sure it will continue to do so for many years to come.
With a very nice Comte (served with figs in syrup) followed by an apple tart, we poured:
2017 Les Sablonettes, Fleurs d’erables, VdF
Chenin Blanc from the Coteaux du Layon, biodynamically made, around 70 grams residual sugar (per the importer). Vivid nose of baked apples or maybe cider? There’s very strong acidity on the palate and as a result the wine comes off as maybe just on the sweeter side of demisec. I thought this was a brilliant pairing with the Comte and less successful with the apple tart (the tart I thought was a little too sweet for this pairing to work).
All in all a terrific evening---I know the group reading this doesn’t have any need to see another Racines advertisement but if you are ever looking for an event space for a party of 30-50 people, do consider it---they do a brilliant job.
