Dinner at Eleven Madison Park

EMP was probably our favourite meal in NYC - we found that it was not only the most inventive and fun of the 3-star Michelin joints, but also the most representative of New York both in terms of the setting (a beautiful art deco dining room overlooking Madison Park) and the food that was presented. Both E and I had wine pairings with our food, and the selection was very wide and pretty decent, with a lot of interesting wines - well befitting of the great food we had. Service was top-notch too. My lamb dish was a little tough, they whisked it away with a sincere apology and a poussin dish appeared in its place barely 5 minutes later.

• NV Bérêche et Fils Champagne Brut Réserve 88 Points

  France, Champagne

  Not bad, but this was disgorged in Jan 2012, and was almost too painfully young to enjoy. The nose was ever so tight and unyielding, barely showing the slightest hints of white fruit, with a bit of yeasty scents and little shades of minerality at the edges. The palate similarly tight. Here, a fine bead and fresh acidity couched really clean flavours of lemon and lime along with a deeper white fruited mid-palate in a very bright and zippy, almost bracing package. It was a bit on the lighter side, finishing with a gentle touch of minerality. Quite simple really, but it went well with food, with the acidity cutting through even the richer flavours like a hot knife through butter. Decent.

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• 2010 Do Ferreiro Albariño Rías Baixas 92 Points

  Spain, Galicia, Rías Baixas

  This was an excellent Albariño, one of the best I can remember having for some time, and quite a steal at its price-tag too. It had a really interesting nose of grass and gooseberry, green apples, salty, seashelly minerality and a little whiff of smoke - almost like a hybrid between a Sancerre, a Muscadet and a Riesling with that bouquet. The palate was every bit as interesting - very minerally, with lots of seashell and limestone notes lining the attack and midpalate, where white fruited flavours of pear and melon, along with the slightly brighter gooseberry tones picked up on the nose tailed away into a very stony finish. This was a serious white wine, with lots of creamy texture depth married to some lovely integrated acidity. I remembered thinking that there was quite a bit of fat here for an Albariño, yet it somehow still retained that focus and freshness of the varietal. Lovely mouth-filling finish too, where the white fruit was seasoned with a nice twist of spice. A very solid wine, lovely now, but should develop quite well over the next few years too.

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• 2010 Alfred Merkelbach Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Spätlese 90 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  A pleasant little Spätlese. I really liked the nose here - a bit grassy, a little flowery, with honeysuckle accents shading nice scents of nectarines and white peaches, along with a nice slatiness in the background. There was a touch of sulphur on the palate, but not quite enough to distract from powerful flavours of honey and nectar, and sweet red apples and white peaches moving into a slightly floral finish. Still bit primary, a bit sugary sweet, but this had plenty of supple acidity that kept it freshly balanced. Nevertheless, it really needed some food to show well, with a nice foie gras pairing drawing out more nuanced notes of mineral and spice. This seems to have put on quite a bit of weight over time compared with earlier notes on CT, but it needs quite a bit more time yet. Pretty good though.

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• 2008 Deux Montille Meursault Les Vireuils 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  A bit on the young side, but this was otherwise a neat lieu-dit bottling. It had a nice, classic Meursault nose, with shades of butter and creme fraiche, some fresh green apple aromas, a bit of minerality and a whiff of coconutty oak. The palate was less rich than the nose suggested. There a suggestion of creamy butter both in its texture and flavours, but it was more marked by the freshness of the vintage, with lots of bright acidity running through white fruited flavours on the attack, through a lemony midpalate, and into a finish underlined by a little stream of mineral. Just a bit too young, so that it was a bit tart without food. It had nice lines and a certain verve to it though, and should settle down nicely with a few years in the bottle. Nothing to shout about, but this was pretty decent.

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• NV Equipo Navazos La Bota de Manzanilla 32 "Navazos" 94 Points

  Spain, Andalucía, Manzanilla de Sanlúcar de Barrameda

  Quite wonderful - this was the standout wine from the dinner. It had a very fresh, lively nose, with a core of bright lemon peel and preserved lime aromas flanked by lovely scents of smoky spice and saline sea-salt, some lanolin notes and a dollop of honey. I liked that, but the palate was even better. Lots of complexity here, with all sorts of spicy and salty nuances and little touches of oxidative, rancio accents floating around lovely layers of browned apples and dried figs on a very honeyed backdrop. It was rich, creamy, very powerful, but supremely balanced by fresh acidity. This was effortless, with an almost zen-like litheness to it. Brilliant length at the finish too, quite nutty, almost peanut-like, before some white flowers floated out on a back-palate that just would not quit. towards the long finish. Rich, creamy, but supremely balanced by fresh acidity. Brilliant length, hints of white flowers at the very tail, just does not quit. Brilliant.

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• 2010 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon

  A really lovely Morgon - this is certainly a bottle that lends to the impression that 2010 Cru Beaujolais may well best the much-hyped 2009 vintage in time. It had such a welcoming nose, with a ton of almost stewed morello cherry aromas swimming out of the glass alongside earthy, undergrowth scents, some musk, a hint of anise and cloves, and a curl of smoky mineral. A sweet bouquet, yet one that was back by earthy, masculine aromas. What struck me most on the palate was its absolutely lovely balance. Here was a wine that was supple and muscular in the best Morgon fashion, yet possessing a beautiful underlying freshness woven into pure flavours of red cherries lined with a touch of Morgon earth and meatiness. It had a nice, soft roundness to it too, with very ripe tannins framing a decently length finish with hints of briar and spice at the finish. Very enjoyable indeed, and perhaps less in your face than the big, powerful 2009. While certainly drinkable now with a bit of time in the decanter, this should really come into its own over the next few years or so.

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• 2004 Val di Suga Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Spuntali 92 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  A really nice, elegant Brunello - quite the perfect pairing with a roast lamb dish. Lovely nose here, with nice rustic notes of leather and earth, a bit of barnyard and some red meat on an undercurrant of dark cherries and berry aromas. Really attractive - there was no doubting that this was an Italian wine on that bouquet alone. The palate was very nice too. Really fresh, with still firm but beautifully fine tannins forming an elegant backdrop to flavours of black cherries seasoned with spice and dried Italian herbs, oregano at the fore. The finish was decent rather than really long as it drifted away with a touch of dusty earth and little layer of tannins. It was also seemed a bit light for an 2004, but it did have lovely definition and focus. A lovely little wine.

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• 2007 J.L. Chave Sélection Hermitage Farconnet 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  A polished, very modern sort of wine, but certainly well-made and a pretty good drink. Served by the glass, this was a bit better than I remembered it from the last outing - perhaps because it had some time and air to breathe and open up. Otherwise, I had very similar impressions this time round. It had nicely complex nose, with blueberries and blackberries, a touch of sundried tomatoes and nice motes of spice, bramble and garrigue, all playing alongside deeper aromas of meat, smoke, and schisty mineral. I actually really liked that, but thought that the palate was perhaps less exciting. It was well-made in every way, with modern, fruit-forward notes of dark cherries and blackberries, some savoury notes of mineral, spice and meat, a bit of earth. It had pretty nice depth, a mid-length finish, and decent balance with plenty of clean acidity. For all that though, it came across as a little facile, a little unexciting, so that while good, it was not all that compelling either - a well-made wine for easy, early drinking I would say, but quite a long way from Chave top-notch Hermitage.

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• 2003 Királyudvar Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos Lapis 92 Points

  Hungary, Tokaji

  Good, but rather too young. Really expressive nose though, lots of honey and malt, sweet apples, almost cidery aromas there, with sweet scents of dried apricots and peach melba, and some earthy, mushroomy notes - really nice. As would be expected, the palate was rich and textured, but also really balanced for a 6 Puttonyos Tokaji, with juicy flavours of muscat grapes and more red apples, sweet honey and dried figs, light touches of spice, all moving into a long finish with sweet, ripe lemons coming out to meet the rest of the flavours. I thought it was just a bit too syrupy right at the very end to be truly enjoyable, but that should mellow in time. Overall, a nice wine, quite a surprise given the vintage - this should be lovely in about a decade or so.

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