Fringale Restaurant, San Francisco
Tasted Wednesday, May 4, 2005 by PaulH with 1,610 views
In San Francisco for business, Jeff Cassetta had organized a superb Bordeaux tasting at Masa's the night before. Jeff isn't the sort of fellow to let opportunity pass by, so he had offered to bring a 1983 Palmer to a follow-up dinner the next night, but as he had to catch a red-eye flight back to Michigan, he didn't want the proceedings to last quite as long as the previous night's adventure (2am). So Jeff, Christine, Gene and I (all fugitives from the seven-hour Bordeaux Blowout the night before) gathered at 7:00 p.m. at Fringale for dinner, conversation and some wine. We started with some Champagne which I unfortunately did not take any notes on. But then it was on to the..
I brougt along a bottle of Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc which turned out to be quite mediocre, so I went back home (only about 120 steps) and brought back something a bit unusual that I thought the company might enjoy (the Clos Rougeard). Fringale was offering a special asparagus salad with truffle oil which went well with the acidic Saumur-Champigny. (Q: What are white wines? A: Wines you have to drink while waiting for the red wines to be served. Thankfully, only half of this flight fit this definition.)
I had never tasted a Merry Edwards wine and had high hopes when offered this chance to taste a wine from this legendary winemaker. Perhaps my palate was Bordeaux-ized by the previous night, but I was quite disappointed in the ME...
Continuing the previous night's theme of Bordeaux, we next had three outstanding wines from Bordeaux's left bank. These wines were excellent and went well with steak, lamb chops and Duck leg confit from the Fringale menu.
Fringale graciously put together a cheese course for us. The table also ordered a tarte tatin and one other dessert. Needing more wine (?) I managed to find a bottle of port and present it at the table.
Jeff's generosity with his wines is tremendous. It was a lot of fun spending two evenings eating and drinking and talking. While not as extravagant as Tuesday's affair, our little send-off dinner was instructional, often very impressive, and I trust it was helpful in enabling Jeff to sleep on the plane. Thanks to Jeff, Christine and Gene for the great wine and company.
2004 J. Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc 84 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Perfectly fine straw/gold color, with the nose showing a touch of green apple and a lot of ripeness verging on candied fruit. The palate was creamy with a medium body and very ripe fruit and a finish showing some residual sweetness. Not enough acid to balance the sweetness and fruit. Not my cup of tea. Most of the bottle ended up as a gift to the Fringale kitchen.
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2000 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur Blanc Brézé 91 Points
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur
This is an interesting wine, a big fully-dry chenin blanc which, as a bit of research with Google shows, seems to be regarded as a cult wine in France. Color was pale silver/gold almost like vodka. The nose showed tar, a lot of black pepper and a bit of petrol it was reminiscent of a riesling nose. On the palate it showed good fruit with plenty of acidity and underlying structure. After following it in the glass for about an hour it started to soften, become more fruity and showed a long creamy finish. This is good stuff which obviously needs more time.
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