It was Sarah Kirschbaum's turn to host the supper club this month and as usual she did a terrific job in the kitchen. Always a great time when this group gets together.
- 1998 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut - France, Champagne
Plenty of toasted brioche on the nose with apple skins and citrus aromas. On the palate it has a surprisingly light mousse. Citrus and green apple dominated with mineral and toast, it's quite tart and rather austere. Not a tremendous amount of depth and it could use more richness to help balance out the structure which is a bit overwhelming at this stage. B+. - 2000 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Meix Chavaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
This showed beautifully and was a perfect match with the scallop and uni crudo. It's floral with apples, pears, hints of citrus and a light smoky note on the nose and palate. Wonderfully balanced with a lovely elegance and softness to the mouthfeel, though there's richness there. Finishes with a nice mineral streak and a touch of herb. Low A-. - 2000 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
In comparison to the Roulot, I found this a bit ponderous. There's much more obvious oak here with an almost California richness. Ripe stone fruits and citrus with too much butterscotch for my taste. Thickly textured with good depth and resonance, but just too much oak for me. Low B+. - 1995 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Mont - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Corked, dangit. One of the first bottles of Huet I ever bought and my last bottle of it. (FLAWED) - 1995 Domaine des Baumard Savennières Clos du Papillon - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières
Drinking almost identically to a bottle I had this past summer, but perhaps with a touch more vigor. Quince, mineral and toasted nuts on the nose and palate. There's just a bit of normal oxidation showing, but the wine still shows freshness. Bone dry with good length and a taut structure. A-/B+. - 1997 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
There's a nice blast of sweet cherries and spice on the nose before mint and oak aromas take over. Nice ripeness to the cherry fruit, but it's all upfront, unfortunately. The wine has a hole in the middle and is a little too green and slightly bitter on the finish due to the oak. Still, it's pleasant enough, but it's past peak and is perhaps becoming a bit unglued. B/B-. - 1990 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Quite a bretty bottle, but with a sufficient amount of air it eventually subsided enough so the raspberry, earth, garrigue, olive, game and spice flavors and aromas could shine through. That said, the brett never left, but I'm not brett averse. This is drinking beautifully now and is probably at peak, though has a long life yet. There's richness, but balance and depth. Nice sweetness to the raspberry fruit, but it's not roasted. Always one of my favorites. A.
Some pictures from the evening.
The wines.
Scallop and uni crudo.
Fluke sashimi over Persian cucumbers with yuzu and saffron salt.
Ricotta ravioli with golden beets, spinach, caramelized onions, aged parmigiano and balsamic reduction.
Butter poached chicken breast with leeks, cremini mushrooms, crispy skin and Brussels sprouts.
Acacia honey and Meyer lemon panna cotta with lemon caramel and citrus powder.