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2nd Annual Gem Dinner
Ardeo - Washington, DC
Tasted December 22, 2010 by tooch with 828 views
Introduction
The DC crew got together to celebrate the holiday season with a wonderful seven course dinner at Ardeo in Cleveland Park. The menu was prepared to accent the wines being served.
Big thanks to Tim O'Rourke for organizing the tasting menu and working with the Ardeo staff - it was a great evening!
Flight 1 - Champagne Flight (3 notes)
Served with sweet and spicy nuts, truffled potato chips, and house popcorn.
White - Sparkling
1996 Ployez-Jacquemart Champagne Liesse d'Harbonville
95 points
Incredible nose of yeast, white flowers, acacia honey and almond paste. Incredibly dense on the palate with tight beads, intense minerals and acidity on the finish. One of the best champagnes I've ever tasted.
White - Sparkling
2000 Argyle Extended Tirage Brut
90 points
Very fresh nose of herbs, almonds, and yeast. Thought the palate had nice spring flowers, and big dense flavors of citrus zest.
Rosé - Sparkling
N.V. Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Cuvée Rubis
90 points
Strawberry shortcake on the nose with vanilla, and smokey minerals. Thought this was very focused, showing very elegant light red fruit. Love the beading on this wine - intense bubbles.
Flight 2 - White Flight (3 notes)
Served with wild striped bass with sweet corn and shell bean succotash in a cauliflower puree.
White
2007 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc
93 points
Awesome nose of melons, intense smokey minerals, white flowers, and marshmallows. Certainly a young wine, this would benefit from a number of years of slumbering. At first, there was some noticeable heat, but I felt that ultimately blew off. The palate was rich, focused and bright. Lots of honeydew melon on the palate with subtle honey and herbs seamlessly integrated. Such a young wine but it shows incredible depth. Will be a fun wine to revisit in 5+ years.
White
2005 Peter Michael Chardonnay Ma Belle-Fille
87 points
Nose was full of almond paste, lemon oil, smokey minerals, butter, and oak. Undoubtedly a well-made wine, just not my style. The alcohol spiked a bit for me, and the oak treatment seemed out of balance for me. I've had other modern California chardonnay producers that have made far more interesting/exciting cuvees.
White
1999 Mayacamas Vineyards Chardonnay
91 points
Really enjoyed the tropical fruits on the nose - with some very subtle honey notes. Added to that was a suave smokey mineral note this was an incredibly enjoyable chardonnay. Nice finish, I think this is right within its drinking window.
Flight 3 - Pinot Flight (3 notes)
Swerved with roasted amish chicken with sardinian farro, heirloom apples, and baby corn.
Red
2008 Brick House Pinot Noir Evelyn's
91 points
Thought this showed some racy raspberry and cranberry notes on the nose. Additionally, felt the nose took on some potpourri and cherry cola notes. Very nice pinot with great balance.
Red
2001 Domaine Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares
94 points
Spicy nose that had great red fruit, and a distinct meatiness that made it feel almost like a mature northern rhone. On the palate it's clear to see the Bonnes Mares pedigree - with smokey minerals, wonderfully rich red fruit, and exotic spices.
Red
2001 DuMOL Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
91 points
Rich nose of kirsch, dark cherry, and shredded cherry tobacco. My worry with these wines are always that the alcohol will be overwhelming and/or the fruit will be too big...well, I didn't have to worry about either of these concerns with this wine. I thought this was very well resolved with good acidity, fruit and balance throughout.
Flight 4 - 2001 Bordeaux Flight (3 notes)
Served with domestic wagyu flank steak with white bets, tuscan kale and salsa verde.
Red
2001 Château Palmer
95 points
Perfumed nose of spices, coffee grinds, worn leather, and tilled soil. Tertiary flavors of herbs and veggies saunter in - most likely a result of the cabernet franc - thought these "green" notes were very nice and didn't take away from the wine. Palate was deep, dense, and stunningly complex. Could have sipped this wine for an entire day on my own...
Red
2001 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron
90 points
Didn't get the classic Pauillac nose of cedar, graphite, and noble cherry. Instead, found myself enjoying a more meaty version of the Pichon Barons I've had in the past. Lots of sausage, bacon and maple syrup essence on the palate.
Red
2001 Château Les Grandes Murailles
91 points
Thought the nose was just lovely. Wonderful floral nose with some subtle tobacco and cedar notes. Palate was on point and delicate. Good flavors of red florals, mushrooms, cranberry, and tobacco. Drinking well now and a great value buy in Bordeaux.
Flight 5 - Young Rhone Varietal Flight (3 notes)
Served with colorado lamb shank confit with pistachios, giant beans, sweet potatoes, chard and citrus yougurt.
Red
2003 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape
flawed
Thought this wine was falling apart. Nose was totally disjointed with intense alcohol, and spritzy notes coming through. The palate wasn't much better and I thought it was heat damaged. Lots of prunes kept coming towards the surface and I just couldn't get excited about this wine.
Red
2002 Cayuse Syrah Bionic Frog
92 points
Deep nose of sausage, chocolate, and black fruits. Really enjoyed the complexity of this wine with the blackberry and black cherry fruit. Thought the wine showed very well - more complexity that I thought.
Red
2003 Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Centenaire
Was disappointed by this wine. Nose was dominated by alcohol and raspberries. Just out of balance. I can't imagine anyone opening this bottle and thinking that it's drinking well. Not rating this bottle.
Flight 6 - Older Mature Flight (3 notes)
Served with a selection of cheeses.
Red
1989 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape
flawed
Thought the bottle was stewed. Lots of prunes...couldn't escape them.
Red
1994 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
93 points
Great nose of shredded tobacco, dried meats, mushrooms and red fruit. On the palate there was a beautiful coffee grind, and wild mushroom component. Would be a great pairing with wild game or steak. Drinking in its prime.
Red
1987 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
93 points
Classic aged California cabernet nose of mint, menthol, and eucalyptus. Add to that a very nice earthy red-fruit and floral backbone and you have just a wonderful nose. Palate was firm with iron and red-fruit. Another shining example of aged elegance out of Napa.
Flight 7 - Dessert Flight (3 notes)
White
2005 Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein Winninger Uhlen Riesling "R" Roth Lay
91 points
Drank from a split. Really enjoyed the mineral-driven style here with a strong white flower component. Good acidity and balance - will be a long-lived Auslese.
White - Off-dry
2004 Darting Ungsteiner Honigsäckel Scheurebe Auslese
87 points
Dense apricots and minerals with interesting lemon oil undertones. Lacked the big time acidity to keep the sweetness in check...thought it was a touch cloying.
White - Off-dry
2005 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese
93 points
Enjoyed this very much. Great acacia honey, white flowers, and tropical fruit driven nose. Body is dense but lithe on the palate with intense tropical fruits, crushed rocks, and honey tones. Lovely wine.
Closing
I was very impressed with the food, service and ambience at Ardeo. The team there took amazing care of us and I think most of the group felt we would be going back there soon!