Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
Duck Dinner
Peter Pratt's Inn
Tasted November 5, 2009 - November 6, 2009 by Vinomarcus with 704 views
Introduction
The 15th annual "Duck Dinner" was held at Peter Pratt's Inn in Yorktown Heights, NY and it was another success. Nearly 100 people attended. My local tasting group secured a table for 8 and brought a varied selection of wines and tasted them blind.
The menu was as follows:
Passed misc. hor's d'eurves of duck
1st Course- Foie Gras Brulee, pineapple crush
2nd course - Pekin Duck Confit, Poutine Fries
3rd Course - Jerked "Lola" Duck Breast, Asian Pear Salsa, Mango Coulis
4th Course - Ballotine of Muscovy Duck, Chanterell, Duck Mousse Porcini Sauce, Rutabaga Puree
Dessert - Duck S'mores with Cranberry Reduction.
Flight 1 (1 note)
White
2006 Herman Story Viognier Larner Vineyard
86 points
I brought this and was not very impressed with it. Lots of minerals, very flinty. Had a touch of orange zest on the finish, a bit hot too. No floral notes one would associate with Viognier. Maybe it was off or too cold.
Flight 2 (2 notes)
Red
2000 Tardieu-Laurent Rasteau Vieilles Vignes
90 points
Chewy and full of seared meat, soft on the mouth, good notes of reductive cherry and a streak of earth through the middle. Nice wine.
Red
2000 Bernard Dugat-Py Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles
92 points
Quite obviously Burgundy when smelled and tasted. A wonderful wine with notes of earth, dark cherry, minerals and Asian spice, a good hefty body for a 9yr old Burg. I liked it, others loved it and voted it overall WOTN.
Flight 3 (2 notes)
Red
1996 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
94 points
I knew what this wine was, as the person who brought it revealed what he intended to bring last week. It was a big and meaty wine, very deep and full bodied. Still just a baby I think too. It opened wonderfully with air time. It had a slight salinity on the finish that was a bit odd, but it lessened with time in the glass. A very nice wine.
Red
1988 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis
93 points
You could tell this was a well aged wine, but it was still very much alive. A wonderful nose of char, grilled meats, mature fruit, it was velvety on the palate and very well balanced. An absolutely delicious wine. I had no guess except I though it was Nebbiolo, when the name of the wine was revealed I thought it may have been a '89, off by one year.
Flight 4 (2 notes)
Red
1995 Ridge Geyserville
91 points
This is still very much alive and kicking. It showed no real signs of age on the nose or in the color. Bright fruit dominates this wine and there are healthy notes of star anise and ripe plums, the texture is silky smooth as all tannins have resolved. Another winner from Ridge.
Red
1998 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau
90 points
A mature wine, lots of earth, manure, sour cherry and minerals. The body was soft but not too flabby. I liked it very much, but didn't offer a guess as to what it was.
Flight 5 (2 notes)
Red
2005 Bodega Catena Zapata Nicolás Catena Zapata
91 points
This was a brute of a wine, big, brash and in your face oak and fruit. Lots of blueberry and spice. It was very hot at first and took a while for the alcohol to integrate and become less noticable. It's a really nice wine one the heat subsides. There were guess ranging from Aussie Shiraz to Barolo, I guessed Chilean Malbec. At least I was close.
Red
1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia
95 points
The instant I smelled this wine, I guessed older Insignia. The more I smelled it the more I liked it. It's a mature wine, but oh so sexy still. Extremely well built, and full of vitality still. I later guessed it was the '95 Insignia, not a bad guess. The fruit is still deep and rich and the finish is still long. A truly great wine and my overall WOTN.
Flight 6 (2 notes)
Red
2004 Quinta do Vale Meão Douro
92 points
Very well balanced wine, slightly hot, lots of spice, good depth and lots of character, the deep red fruit is very smooth texturely, really nice wine. I guessed Washington Syrah.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
1999 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
93 points
Lots of oak and vanilla bean. Big fruit, dark and brooding, very well made, nice hints of spice, very well balanced, hints of powdered cocoa on the finish. I had no guess for this, but one taster guessed Quilceda. One of the first Q-Creeks I've really enjoyed.
Flight 7 (1 note)
Red
2006 Sine Qua Non Syrah Raven Series
95 points
I decanted this for 24hrs hoping to take the edge off and fool some of the Francophiles, it didn't really work. Someone actually guessed SQN Raven Syrah. Anyway, it poured black, was stuffed with black fruit, black olives, huge nose of burnt rubber, and strong notes of licorice. This is a big, bad wine and has some serious grip to it. The finish went on and on. Really nice.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Flight 8 (1 note)
Red
1983 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle
90 points
We bought this off the list for $100 as Jon graciously lowered the price for us. Very mature nose of barnyard, mushrooms and truffles. Some forest floor and toffee notes, the fruit was still present but past it's prime. Some notes of overcooked coffee on the finish. Very silky texture, elegant wine. Very nice.
Flight 9 (1 note)
White - Sweet/Dessert
2001 San Giusto a Rentennano Vin San Giusto Bianco
97 points
Dark amber color, absolutely ethereal mouthfeel, so delicate, yet full of toffee, creme brulee, hazelnut and maple syrup. Very, very light on it's feet and at only 11%alc, it's was a pure delight to drink.
Closing
A fantastic meal and tasting overall. The food was delightful and the wines were wonderful. A great way to spend a chilly Thursday evening. The Arthur Johnson rule was put into play, so the Vin Santo couldn't win WOTN honors, but it was stunning and a haunting wine.