Blind White Burgundy Dinner

Chez Patrick, Sun Street, Hong Kong
Tasted Friday, February 5, 2010 by Goldstone with 549 views

Introduction

Jean-Paul suggested the idea of a white-only dinner for a change and that we should drink all the wines blind. He then provided all the main wines and co-ordinated with Chef Patrick who created an absolutely beautiful Burgundy cuisine dinner around the wines. Four couples and nine wines.......

Flight 1 - Champagne (2 Notes)

With light canapes of Chez Patrick personally-smoked Salmon etc.

Flight 2 - White Burgundy.....or not? (2 Notes)

Creme Brulee of Scallops, white Leeks and Noilly Prat served with a Veloute of Cauliflour & Almonds.

  • 2004 Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chaumées Clos de la Truffière 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

    Medium gold colour. Lovely welcoming rich nose of peaches, burnt oak, ripe bananas,buttery and with high tones of petrol. The palate is compex ....... huge rolling length with a middle of crushed lemons and some roasted lemon and ending on sweet ripe bananas. The palate stayed alluring with toasted white bread, hazelnuts and brioche emerging with extended time in the glass but the nose muted with time. For those who knew there was a Kistler hidden as a ringer, most guessed this was it.

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  • 2006 Marc Colin et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs-Gain 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

    Light greenish-gold colour. Nose is very precise: flinty, unyeilding, slate, nettle tea and various fresh citrus notes with butter emerging with time in the glass.....and hazelnuts. The palate is extremely precise and lovely: fresh-peeled young hazelnuts and a great lemon sherbert frame...... all crisp and pinpoint precision. This just got better, and better and better but finally flattened out a bit with extended time in the glass. Very impressive for a 1er Cru.

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Flight 3 - Not...... or White Burgundy? (2 Notes)

Cappellini served with a Creamy Sauce of Smoked Duck Breast with Button Mushrooms and Fresh-Shaved Grignan Black Truffle.......... exquisite.

  • 2004 Kistler Chardonnay Durell Vineyard 92 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Light straw colour. The first hit on the nose is of dark gasoline, then expensive essence of lemon soap and some hints of honeycomb...... not as impressive a nose as the first two wines....only one note and a slightly low one. The initial palate had a distinct but pleasant cola sensation on the tongue and a mid palate of cream soda and toasted oak with some high-toned acidity that was like nail varnish remover. But some distinct weight and length. Then this took off over the next hours ot two and evolved dramatically; developing a greater complexity on both the nose and the palate.... fresh pineapple and pine needles resin emerging. This developed an impressive resonance in the head on the finish. Very good indeed. And not spotted as a ringer amongst the Burgundies until the pineapple element emerged (which was, even then, after the foil had been removed).

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  • 2004 Neudorf Chardonnay 86 Points

    New Zealand, South Island, Nelson

    Lemony light gold colour. Characterful nose of smoked bacon, nail polish remover, some white mushroom undertone, lightly toasted hazelnuts, melted butter, some distinct Chardonnay warm nettles and a nice drifting smoke element. Palate is very buttery but also very lemon sherberts.......great balance and poise.... but lacks elegance compared to the prior wines. Good mid palate of crushed grilled lemons. Some length and a rich creme caramel back end A touch of resonance in the head on the finish but rather monotone in tonight's company, lacking charm.

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Flight 4 - Blind Confusion....... (3 Notes)

Andouillette of White Fish and Fennell served in a Rich King Prawns Bisque with a touch of Saffron & Free Range French Chicken Breast Its Sauce Perfumed with Curry and Green Celery............... followed by Toasted Cheese Brioche and French Cheeses.

  • 2004 Domaine de la Vougeraie Vougeot 1er Cru Clos Blanc de Vougeot 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vougeot 1er Cru

    Light greenish straw colour. A light, elegant, lifted nose of high notes of acacia and other white flowers. The palate has an initially very light and chiffon-esque quality with great purity of fresh-cut grass, grapefruit and light honeysuckle. There is a diaphonous resonance but in the front of the head. All elegance but.... no there is weight there too. Like a perfume that is water-based rather than oil-based. Very good indeed. A real find.

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  • 2002 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne 79 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

    Greeny gold colour. Grassy nose not giving much away. The palate is rather flat ginger ale. Very yeasty...... much too yeasty and even more so with extended time in the glass. I actually wrote "horrible" compared to the prior 5 wines, which is unusual for me. Jean-Paul observed that he thinks it is just still incredibly young but I'm not convinced at all. On reflection, this tasted like the exact opposite of prem-ox..... more like a wine where fermentation had been aborted.

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  • 2004 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot 88 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

    Goldeny light straw colour. Nose is of thick petrol, some weight, slightly yeasty, a touch of box wood. The initial palate is remniscent of smoke in Chinese temples, very smoky element and with very rich honeysuckle like on a damp hot English summer evening in the garden. But the middle and end palate drops very flat to nettles. A touch of prem-ox? That said, everyone else liked this a lot more than me. This wine confused me.

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Closing

I was especially impressed by the high quality of the 1er Cru wines that Jean-Paul has found and my scores don't reflect the amazing quality/price ratio of these wines....... most at around US$40-50 per bottle.

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