Tasted Saturday, July 3, 2010 - Sunday, July 4, 2010 by gbm with 473 views
I suppose this is the inaugural event of our little tasting group and it was a blast. Lots of good wine and enough people to help us get through it all.
We tried to decant this, but it just kept disappearing. I believe it was meant to go with the duck, but it was long gone by that time.
Duck breast with plum sauce on fried wontons. Fantastic. Probably not the best pairing with the pinot, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.
Foie gras on crostini with a berry sauce. I am apparently not a fan of duck liver, but the crostini and the sauce were great. The icewine played well against the berry sauce.
While the tenderloin was cooking and resting we had to keep ourselves busy. I think the Brunello suffered from its place in line, the lack of decanting, and it's relative youth. At another meal it might have gained two points.
The beef was cooked in a port wine sauce, but it was very subtle. Chef Adam remarked that he had overdone it on the cruched peppercorns, but I thought it added a lot of flavor and held up well against the Amarones. The '01 was just a touch better than the '04 despite the 2 point difference.
Dessert was a mix of cheeses. There were two Stiltons and although I still don't understand why one was far more expensive than the second, I thought the cheaper one was better. Among the others were a goat cheese - which was great, but too mild for its company on the plate - and a Brunello?! All of it was great.
So when all was said and done, I think the first wine was the WOTN for me. Black Bart was a close second. The Amarones, though a usual favorite of mine, were a little underdone. I like them a bit heavier.
1996 Château Le Bon Pasteur 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
(7/3/2010)
Dark, cloudy red with a suggestion of bricking at the edges. Leather and lead on the nose with a hint of some remaining fruit. Tastes smooth and cedary, again with the core fruit intact but subtle. Short finish, but clean. very drinkable. My first Pomerol, I think. If they are all like this, I will need more. (4+13+17+8)
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue