Ripple Restaurant in Washington D.C.
Tasted Wednesday, January 13, 2016 by PanosKakaviatos with 669 views
I have to thank my lucky stars for the great wine loving friends I have in Washington D.C. Since I am turning ... 50 in December this year, I wanted to organize a 1966 dinner. And so six of us gathered at the famous wine friendly restaurant Ripple in Washington DC to pop some corks from many half-century old bottles. One participant, Laurent Lee had just celebrated his 50th. The result? A great time. 1966 was an Indian Summer vintage, it is said. While the summer was not optimal, sunny September weather helped ripen grapes enough to make some excellent wines - especially in the Medoc. Of course winemaking was different back then, with less selection in the vineyard, and earlier picking times, so alcohol levels sometimes did not even reach 12%. You want to talk about old school? This is it. Several factors had to be taken into account. First and foremost, such old wine means that you have to rely on the quality of the cork over time. Second, the producer. Even a great terroir cannot result in a great wine if the producer is negligent. Kevin Shin, Ken Brown, Laurent Lee, Chris Bublitz, David Zimmerman and I had brought top notch classified growths, including Latour, Margaux, Ducru Beaucaillou, Montrose, Pichon Baron and Haut Bailly. The wines were well matched with the excellent cuisine at Ripple. The duck breast I ordered for example was perfectly seared, with really tasty spaghetti shaped squash. Others enjoyed roasted venison loin, or the restaurant's perfect roseda farms new york strip and a yummy potato-parsnip gratin, which I have ordered in the past. Read on for the notes!
There is something magical about enjoying older wines. You think of the vintage and what was going on back then. So 1966 was a year of great music, such as two superb Beatles albums in Rubber Soul and Revolver. It was also the height of the Cold War. US involvement in Vietnam was growing much to the dismay of the public, although it was not yet a year of mass protests, as we saw in 1968 - which at least yielded that excellent Napa Valley wine, thanks to David for bringing that bottle. The 1966 port however stole the show!
2008 Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Premier Cru Terre de Vertus 92 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
This was a lip smacking delicious Champagne, with a creamy aspect perhaps more than expected given the vintage and the fact that it is zero dosage. Ken Brown, who brought it, suggested that the estate must have picked very ripe grapes, as 2008 is a vintage known for its acidity. Perhaps. I found it balanced and smooth, with a fine bead and a long finish marked by a toasty brioche aspect as well as citrus. I recall visiting the estate a few years ago and very much enjoying their wines.
More info about the wine: Made from only Chardonnays, coming from vineyard plots Les Barillers and Les Faucherets situated mid-slope in Vertus, facing south-east.
Natural alcoholic fermentation (natural yeast) and malolactic fermentation in casks, wooden vats and stainless-steel tanks. The wines are left on their natural lees for nearly a year and undergo gentle bâtonnages, but no filtering or fining, according to the website.
Then the bottles are then taken down into their cool cellars, where second fermentation and maturation 'on laths' quietly take place over a period of some 4 years.
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2002 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 94 Points
France, Champagne
An excellent special cuvee Champagne from one of my favorite producers. Indeed, I love their NV Brut as a "go to" Champagne. Dominated by Pinot Noir, but the house never reveals percentages. When opened prior to the dinner with staff at Ripple restaurant, store manager Caroline Blundell was impressed by its creamy smoothness. Indeed, the bubbles were very fine, and it came across as almost buttered brioche, yet the excellent acidity of the 2002 vintage lent this wine energy to match the vigor, as it was full bodied. While not as impressive in density (and charm) as a Salon 1996 that I had one week ago, this is a gorgeous bottle of bubbly - with a long vinous finish.
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1990 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut La Grande Dame Flawed
France, Champagne
This bottle left me perplexed as the initial nose was disagreeably musky. The palate was better and some of the initial nose blew off, but there was an impression of oxidation, rusty aspects to the palate as well. The body was there, there was substance and vinosity on the palate, but the flavors were somewhat past due or even a bit faulty, if not corked.
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