Central NJ CT Offline

After our last gathering in January we all agreed it made sense to get the NJ (and those who were up for some time in NJ) folks back together. This time we made our way down to Princeton and Mistral (the more every day restaurant by Scott Anderson). I've long been a fan of his food and was excited to see it with a proper wine pairing. Many thanks to Beth for helping us put the event together, Tyler for taking care of us during the meal, and Ben for the food.

We did a shared plate chef's tasting menu.

To start - NV Laurent-Perrier Champagne Cuvee Rose Brut

SMALL PLATES

Fanny bay Oyster
fermented kohlrabi, green apple

Sunchoke Tahini
warm pita, caviar, sieved egg

Brandade
artichoke pesto, potato chip

Paired with: 1988 Ruinart, 2000 Tattinger Comtes

FIRST COURSE

Tuna Tartare
turnip tofu, furikake, ponzu

Paired with 1988 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill

Break - NV Pierre Moncuit Champagne Grand Cru Cuvee

SECOND COURSE

Roasted Jersey Fluke
tete de cochon, fried quail egg, artichoke

Paired with 2009 JF Mugnier Nuits St. Georges

THIRD COURSE

Charred Wagyu Flank Steak
potato pave, pickled leeks, foie butter

Paired with 2000 Lokoya Diamond Mountain

FOURTH COURSE

Roasted Goat
marinated in marigold, ricotta gnudi, spring vegetables, navarin jus

Paired with 2000 Hundred Acre Cabernet

FIFTH COURSE

Warm Date Cake
cream cheese ice cream, pecan crunch

Paired with 2003 Sine Qua Non Mr. K the Noble Man

To finish - tea & coffee and a 1973 Tattinger Comtes Brut

• NV Laurent-Perrier Champagne Cuvée Rosé Brut

  France, Champagne

  This is one of those always good champagnes that I find very enjoyable. Touch of strawberry and maybe some other light red fruits. Easy to drink, good start to the meal.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1988 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs

  France, Champagne

  Had this prob six months ago and still enjoyable. Tasted maybe just a touch younger than the Winston Churchill of the same year. It was a toasted marshmallow (Chris's observation and I very much agree). Bubbles were funny - very fine and easy in the beginning and then became almost frothy towards the end. I liked it though. Very good pairing with an Oyster and green apple dish.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2000 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

  France, Champagne

  Compared to the champagne from the 70's and 80's this was decidedly more young tasting. Made it a lot brighter and almost an airy flavor. Also goes quite nicely with the small bites.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1988 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill

  France, Champagne

  Fantastic nose - it's so good that it's hard to really want to drink it. Beautiful level of toastiness, very smooth, the bubbles are just soft. I liked this a lot more than the younger version we had a few months ago. There's a touch of oxidation going on here, but it adds to the complexity of the wine. Delicious. Time to drink up though.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• NV Pierre Moncuit Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Pierre Moncuit-Delos Blanc de Blancs Brut

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  This is just pure bubbles. A good palette cleanser between some of the older champagnes and the reds that we transitioned to. Overshadowed though by the '88 Ruinart and Winston Churchill and the 2000 Comtes.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2009 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  This really brought the fluke to life. I was a bit skeptical at the pairing - assumed that it would go better with some more bubbles, but the fleshiness of the fish and the egg really tied into the burgundy. Nice soft wine that let the food shine through. Very good.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2000 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain

  This wine was just spectacular (esp when you consider the vintage). We opened prob an hour or two before pouring (no decant). Paired with a wagyu flank steak and foie butter. Very soft wine, nice cranberry flavors, good spice, good earth. I could just smell this wine forever. Unfortunate that this is our last bottle. Has a few more years left in it, although drinking pretty perfectly now.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2000 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Opened a few hours before we consumed. In retrospect perhaps a decant would have been in order. I found this was still in the early evolution while we were drinking. Dark red currant, a bit spicy, interesting wine that just got better and better in the glass. It didn't seem quite as together as the Lokoya from the start, but still very enjoyable. Worked well with the gaminess of the goat.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2003 Sine Qua Non Chardonnay Mr. K The Noble Man

  USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

  This poured a dark amber color. A fellow diner in the restaurant believed we had a port rather than a dessert. Interesting given the age. Wine was a bit more burnt caramel and tasty than some of the others of these that I remember. It still has the very intense early flavors with a late hitting acidity that supports. Worked well with the date cake. Very yummy.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1973 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

  France, Champagne

  This was an interesting wine. When we opened it, smelled almost completely like vinegar. Assumed it was bad, but left it out on the bar area and tasted through the rest of the line-up. Revisited prob 4 hours later. At that point some of the acidity had burned off. It was still past it's prime, but you could see a really interesting wine underneath.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

For me the Lokoya and wagyu was the course that clearly stood out although I was surprised at how much I loved the date cake. The old champagnes were just fantastic. Everything was delicious - wine and food - and great company. Looking forward to the next one!