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BHG Celebration Dinner
Per Se
Tasted September 7, 2006 by trankin with 534 views
Introduction
A celebration dinner with colleagues. Generally some well selected and well-paired wines. A great time was had by all.
I didn't take notes at this dinner - all notes are from memory.
Flight 1 - The whites (4 notes)
The champagne was served along with several amuses-bouches, as well as the famous pearls of tapioca and caviar with oysters. A beautiful pairing.
The Condrieu was paired with ??
The Burgundy was paired with a sturgeon on a bed of whole beans. An outstanding pairing.
The Riesling was paired with the foie gras course. We had 2 whole foie gras grilled for the group. Yummm.....
White - Sparkling
N.V. Billecart-Salmon Champagne Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs
91 points
Very enjoyable champagne. Nice acids, some decent fruit, yet quite delicate.
White
2004 François Villard Condrieu Les Terrasses du Palat
93 points
Beautiful wine - gorgeous nose of lychees, maybe just a touch of petrol, a bit of citrus. Elegant, floral, lychee complexion.
White
2001 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets
91 points
Still quite young - will improve with time. Nice wine, but still somewhat tightly wound. Good mineral notes which are not yet expressing themselves well. A few more years, or a couple hours in a decanted will likely solve that problem. Fruit is very nice.
White - Off-dry
1988 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Auslese
93 points
Lovely wine. Still plenty of acids, beginning to come into its prime. Great foil for the foie gras course. Very enjoyable.
Flight 2 - The reds (3 notes)
The Barolo was paired with a ribeye of veal if I remember correctly
The Insignia & Ridge were poured simultaneously, and drunk alongside a cheese course and several dessert courses.
Red
1961 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva
95 points
No notes taken, but this one sticks in my head. On the advice of Jimmy, the sommelier, and to some degree against my judgement, this was decanted about 1 1/2 hours before we were to drink it. Unquestionably the right call. Jimmy told me that this bottle was was released from the winery just a couple years ago. Certainly the condition of the bottle supports that assertion. Due to the circumstances of the dinner, I didn't get to watch the whole decanting process, but when the wine made it to the table, all I can say is WOW. The color was absolutely incredible for a 45 year old wine. It was a dark red, with no bricking whatsoever around the edges. It was also crystal clear - no suspended sediment and just this gorgeous tone of deep garnet - looked like a perfect (young) burgundy.
A gorgeously elegant wine, with only the slightest discernible tannins remaining. Very delicate, and yet well-structured and clearly still going strong. The nose was bright red fruits, violets, and sous-bois, with some cedar accentuating the earthy notes. On the palate, there's wonderful red fruit, gorgeous minerals, and layers of other notes chiming in from time to time. A really enjoyable wine to drink. Finish was reasonably long and sublime.
A gorgeously elegant wine, with only the slightest discernible tannins remaining. Very delicate, and yet well-structured and clearly still going strong. The nose was bright red fruits, violets, and sous-bois, with some cedar accentuating the earthy notes. On the palate, there's wonderful red fruit, gorgeous minerals, and layers of other notes chiming in from time to time. A really enjoyable wine to drink. Finish was reasonably long and sublime.
Red
1993 Ridge Monte Bello
95 points
This was poured alongside an 86 Insignia as a "compare and contrast" tasting. The Monte Bello totally outclassed the Insignia.
The nose was eucalyptus and menthol, with great berry and plum fruit. Lots going on in the nose. Gorgeous wine, drinking beautifully right now. Lovely balance of power and finesse, with just the right amount of well-integrated, rounded soft tannins for my taste at this point.
The nose was eucalyptus and menthol, with great berry and plum fruit. Lots going on in the nose. Gorgeous wine, drinking beautifully right now. Lovely balance of power and finesse, with just the right amount of well-integrated, rounded soft tannins for my taste at this point.
Red
1986 Joseph Phelps Insignia
91 points
Notes from memory. This was paired against a 93 Ridge Monte Bello which totally outclassed the Insignia.
The nose was serious barnyard, but on the palate it was all about the dark fruits, chocolate/cocoa notes, a bit of cedar perhaps. Very nice but not great. Still rather on the young side.
The nose was serious barnyard, but on the palate it was all about the dark fruits, chocolate/cocoa notes, a bit of cedar perhaps. Very nice but not great. Still rather on the young side.