Dinner with Evan Lobel & Friends with Lobel's Meats
The house of Jeff and Fran Kadish in Croton, New York
Tasted April 14, 2007 - April 15, 2007 by dream with 695 views
Introduction
I was introduced to Evan Lobel (Lobel's Meats, NYC) about 12 years ago through a mutual friend who thought that I had a great cellar full of delicious wines and Evan had the best meat in the world and he should get us together to share the two. So, about twice a year for the past 12 years, we've held wonderful dinner's at each other's houses showcasing the wine and meats for friends and we are now a pretty set group of 5 couples. Each couple is responsible for creating one dish that I match with an appropriate wine (or we choose a wine theme for the evening) and usually the main course revolves around some incredible cut of meat and special preparation from Evan. The tasting notes for the wine and a bit about the food prepared to go with them are listed below. There was no particular theme for this dinner other than all wines were served from magnum.
Flight 1 (7 notes)
White
2003 Peter Michael Chardonnay Cuvée Indigene
USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley
Wow, did this ever fire out of magnum and pair beautifully with the first course - chunks of lobster sauteed with yellow/orange peppers, snow peas, asparagus and citrus zest. The nose was an open melange of tropical fruits and coconut and on the palate the wine was ultra-rich and concentrated yet perfectly balanced by good acidity and just the right touch of oak. The sweetness and purity of the fruit here is nothing short of amazing and the wine maintains some restraint despite it's power and fullness. It will never be mistaken for a white Burgundy but this is among the finest Cali chards I've ever tasted and the wine/food match here was memorable. 96
White - Sparkling
1988 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut
France, Champagne
A very powerful vintage for Krug and it's just singing out of magnum right now. Really intense and concentrated with a great lemony/nutty richness, loads of mouth-watering acidity and a really firm, minerally finish. Hints of oak and caramel butter add to the complexity of this great, still relatively young and classic champagne which was flavorful and powerful enough to pair beautifully with the ceviches appetizers. 96+
Red
1999 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Still has a dark ruby color. Wonderful nose of black cherries and minerals. An absolutely stunning Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir with delicious black cherry fruit and that ferrous minerality of the Hirsch vineyard. The wine is beautifully balanced and deeply concentrated with a soft, silky mouthfeel and excellent freshness, at least from magnum. It finishes a little tight and dry but I think that's characteristic of the bottles I've tasted from this vineyard. This wine has aged quite well and is at its peak today. 94
Red
2001 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Allen Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Another mag from W&S, this Allen Vineyard is softer and more feminine than the '99 Hirsch and lacks that wine's power but it's still delicious with a real pinot character and yummy cherry fruit. A very elegant Pinot Noir that needs to be drunk up now. 91
Red
1997 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard
USA, California, Napa Valley
One of 5 magnums I recently purchased at auction (thanks John Kapon), this is the best bottle of the '97 I've ever tasted. Medium-bodied and made in a very sleek, elegant style with very ripe and delicious flavors of blackcurrant and violets with a hint of eucalyptus that build to a very long and finely concentrated finish. I've never thought the '97 was among the best Eisele Vineyard Cabs being a little alcoholic and unstructured but this bottle was stupendous Napa Cabernet. Lastly, Evan served his pan-fried Wagyu Rib Eye steaks which were not to be believed and created yet another fabulous food/wine pairing this evening. 95
Red
1990 Château Léoville Las Cases
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Pretty solid blackish color, this was sporting an unbelievably fragrant nose of sweet black earth, minerals and black licorice. On the palate, though, the wine didn't quite live up to the nose. It did show delicious blackberry and licorice flavors and possessed that beautiful ethereal texture of a great Bordeaux but virtually no secondary flavor development. I generally think this is a great Las Cases that is beginning to drink well but perhaps out of magnum it just needs a lot more time. 91+
White - Fortified
1907 D'Oliveiras Madeira Malvazia Reserva
Portugal, Madeira
Deep black/brown color. Wild nose of molasses, dark chocolate and varnish. Wow, incredibly thick and viscous texture with intense flavors of molasses, chocolate, licorice, Indian spices and God knows what else in this incredibly rich and powerful dessert wine. It's quite sweet even for a Malvasia and incredibly complex with a finish I think I'm still tasting 16 hours later. What a treat a great aged Madeira can be. 97
Closing
We intend on holding another dinner at Evan's house in June up in Croton, New York. Evan has said that he's spoken with Robert Parker several times (they have links on each other's websites) and that they've talked about having a dinner together up at Evan's place but its never come together. Bob.....perhaps in June? :-)
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