Wednesdays at Heidi's

Tasted Wednesday, January 2, 2008 by Dave Dalluge with 815 views

Introduction

The Kitchen Tasting Group kicked off the new year by holding the first of (hopefully) many tastings we like to call Wednesdays at Heidi's. Heidi's is a great new restaurant that opened recently near 50th and Bryant in Minneapolis. The location is central, the food is exceptional, and the service has been first rate. Hopefully they won't get sick of us, because we're not the easiest table to serve.

In attendance were Brad England, Steve Sigmond, Chris Larson, Chris Palm and me. Brad England organized this dinner selected Bordeaux as the theme. As often happens when Brad is given a bit of authority it proved to be quite the embarrassment of riches.

Flight 1 - Starter Whites (2 Notes)

We started with two nice whites. The Peter Michael proved to be the class of this flight.

  • 2002 Peter Michael Chardonnay Ma Belle-Fille 92 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley

    Pale yellow color and cloudy. The nose exudes a complex blend of concentrated citrus fruits with floral and mineral (stone) notes complimented by new oak. In the mouth this is expansive and has great intensity of flavor -- including concentrated fruit, honey, butterscotch and oak. The finish is long and satisfying. This was an awesome wine to kick off the evening.

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

  • 1999 Domaine Francois et Antoine Jobard Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières 88 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

    This is a surprisingly dark hue of yellow. The nose is a bit reserved but eventually opens up to reveal lemon and apricot fruit complimented by an enjoyable forest floor-like note (I wrote damp rotting tree stump and meant it in the best possible way). Chris nailed the taste as amaretto which is a perfect descriptor from the mid-palate through the finish. This is balanced but finishes with a rush of acidity. Good length. An interesting wine that proved to be good (and interesting) but not great. There was discussion at the table as to whether or not this was a representative bottle.

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

Flight 2 - Cheval Blanc (3 Notes)

I may have mentioned my affinity for Cheval Blanc once before. This proved to be a dream flight for me. The 1921 was among the best wines I've ever experienced. Surprisingly, the 1962 and 1986 hung right with it. I think I heard Steve mention that he had never had Cheval Blanc before. If so, the 1921 is a hell of a way to make an aquantance.

  • 1921 Château Cheval Blanc 99 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    This was a Vandermeulen bottling courtesy of Brad England. It was double decanted just prior to leaving for the restaurant and then vacuum sealed. The color was a deep brick/rust red -- stunning for a wine of this age. It was darker than the 62 and almost as dark as the 86. The nose was nuanced and compelling -- featuring ripe red and black fruits, smoke, tobacco and much more. The taste was another step up in intensity delivering an enthralling blend of red fruit, blueberry, raspberry, carmel, brown sugar and more. Mouthcoating. Expansive. Oh so silky smooth. Amazingly youthful. Perfect finish. It's hard not to let the 86 year old label sway your experience, but this was truely a thrilling wine.

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

  • 1962 Château Cheval Blanc 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    From a half bottle. Served between the 1921 and 1986 and in this case I think that really helped this show well. It bore a striking similarity to the other two despite being a lesser wine. The color is brick red -- slightly lighter than the other two wines. The nose gives ripe red and black fruits, smoke, tobacco and earth -- much earthier than the other two wines. The flavors are similar -- dark fruit, brown sugar, carmel -- but this is a much lighter wine and the fruit is a bit candied. Great balance and silky, silky smooth. Not as expansive as the other two wines. Fully resolved tannin. This showed much better than I expected. Drink 'em if you've got 'em.

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

  • 1986 Château Cheval Blanc 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Double decanted about four hours before serving and it needed every last second. This was hard as nails and giving nothing when first opened. The color is a deep and impenetrable red. The nose is a fresher but equally intense version of the '21 featuring red and black fruit, mushroom, white chocolate, mint, smoke and more. The palate impression followed the trend set by the other two wines in being silky, silky smooth but this is more structured and seems to be holding much more power in reserve. The taste is already fairly complex. Great finish. This is a beauty of a wine that is showing well now, but should become even more compelling with additional bottle age.

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

Flight 3 - 1990 Bordeaux (3 Notes)

All three of these showed well. The LLC charged from the gate as the early favorite with the Barton and Beausejour close behind. Ultimately I decided it was too close to call between the LLC and the Beausejour. However, I expect both of these will improve considerably with additional bottle age. I look forward to holding a rematch in 10-15 years.

  • 1990 Château Léoville Barton 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Double decanted about two hours before serving. Dark red/black color. The nose is a stern and brooding blend of dark fruit, cedar and mineral. The main thing you notice while tasting is the structure. This is extremly concentrated but compact on the palate. The taste is mainly blue/black fruit with a ton of minerality and some carmel. Great texture, although much rougher than the Cheval Blanc. The finish is tannic, concentrated, and lingering. This is a beautiful wine that needs additional cellar age.

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

  • 1990 Château Léoville Las Cases 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    The color is a dark reddish black. The nose is surprisingly open and offers a complex blend of dark fruit, tobacco/cigar box and lead pencil. The wine came on strong on the attack showing ripe black fruit, mineral and tobacco/smoke. However, the tannins clamp down hard by mid-palate and somewhat obscure the otherwise nice finish. This is perfectly balanced and has a really nice smooth texture. This is a great young wine that was fun to drink now, but deserves many more years of cellar.

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

  • 1990 Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse) 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Double decanted about two hours before serving. The color is an impressive black-red and totally opaque. The nose offers a rich assortment of flavors including black fruit, mushroom, smoke and minerality. This started out a bit closed/reserved but opened up nicely as the evening progressed. The taste is stunning -- dark fruit, mineral, earth, tobacco and more. On the palate this is not quite as expansive as some of the other wines, but has a more focused power/intensity. Impeccably well balanced yet large scaled given the powerful structure and density of the fruit. Great smooth texture. I feel fortunate to have tasted this for the first time. Thanks Brad.

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

Flight 4 - Mystery Wine (1 Note)

Brad initiated a new twist on our tastings. One person will pour a wine blind. The person who is the closest is responsble for the next mystery wine. I'm glad to have this opportunity, because it really forces you to think through what you are experiencing and should help each of us grow as tasters. That said, none of us was very close on this one and it is still up in the air who is responsible for next week's mystery wine.

  • 1982 Château Ausone 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Double decanted about three hours before serving and served blind. The nose gives a stern expression of red fruit, mushroom, smoke and a big whallop of iron/mineral. In fact, the strong minerality had me thinking Northern Rhone instead of Bordeaux. the taste delivers dark fruit, chocolate and more minerality. This is still extremely tannic and drying on the finish. This is an excellent bottle of wine, but was not quite up to the standard set by the flight of 1990s.

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

Flight 5 - Dessert Wines (2 Notes)

The Kracher was great. These were served from splits, and we ended up drinking two since the port was corked. Watching Chris Larson decant the port prior to realizing it was corked proved to be great entertainment. He decanted the entire bottle into a decanter such that the decanter was caked from top to bottom with sediment. The remedy to this was to request a strainer from the kitchen and strained the wine into a glass. After the decanter was cleaned he poured the wine back into the decanter. Despite all this we still ended up with quite a bit of sediment on the decanter. After all this hassle we poured a glass and discovered it was corked.

Closing

It was great to reconnect with the Kitchen Tasting Group after the long Christmas vacation. You couldn't ask for a better group of guys to hang out with. I hope to see everyone again next Wednesday at Heidi's.

×
×