Celebrating at the Marine Room

Along with five other lucky folks, my wife and I were extended an invitation to a Marine Room dinner in La Jolla by our magnanimous friends, Amy and Ken. Knowing how that couple entertains, we readily hopped on a plane and flew from our home in Las Vegas to Southern California for an impromptu vacation. The event was a belated celebration of Amy's birthday, which had occurred a few days earlier. For this occasion, Executive Chef Bernard Guillas crafted a custom menu, each course designed to pair with some very special wines that were provided by our hosts. What resulted was nothing short of magical. The dishes were creative, visually stunning, perfectly executed and absolutely delicious. Despite an extensive lineup of aged wines, all bottles and magnums were intact and impressive. Last, but not least, was the outstanding level of service provided by the Marine Room staff (especially Jonathan, our sommelier).

After spending the day on the beach with Amy and Ken, we prepared for the dinner and subsequently met them at their La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club room for an apéritif which we had brought. A few sips of the 2006 Paul Bara Champagne got our taste buds ready for action.



We then proceeded to the Marine Room, where our table was beautifully appointed. The wines had been pre-delivered to the restaurant and were expertly handled. The Marine Room's Riedel stemware and decanters optimized that tasting experience.

• 2006 Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Brut Millésimé 93 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Sourced from 100% Grand Cru Vineyards in Bouzy, the 2006 Paul Bara Brut Millésimé is a blend of 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, disgorged March 2015. Light golden in color and with a brisk tiny bead, it delivers an attractive aromatic profile of stone fruits, citrus, toasted almonds and cardamom. Medium-bodied and with flavors mirroring the nose, it retains a creamy yet vibrant mouthfeel that is pervasive throughout the mid-palate and lengthy finish. Well-cellared bottles of this delicious vintage Champagne have lots of life ahead! Drink now-2026.

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As an amuse bouche, each piece of scallop was served with compressed watermelon, radish, croutons and blood orange oil. This was one of the most inventive and artistic dishes that I have ever had the pleasure of eating and was well-matched with the Krug Grand Cuvée (ordered as multiple half-bottles from the Marine Room's wine list, all from the 167ème edition).

• NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  Tasted from a half-bottle with ID 217018, this iteration of Krug's Brut Grande Cuvée belongs to the 167ème edition, a blend of 191 wines from 13 different years. Based upon the 2011 vintage, the span of vintages involved in the crafting of this edition is 1995-2011. Because it is a half-bottle, it was disgorged during the spring of 2017, earlier than its full-sized bottles. The wine's final grape composition is 47% Pinot Noir, 36% Chardonnay and 17% Pinot Meunier. Light golden and with a vigorous small bead, it delivers citrus, marzipan, white peach, butterscotch and vanilla on both the nose and palate. Medium-to-full-bodied, vibrantly acidic and with more than a dollop of toasted oak, it stays dense on the mid-palate and concludes with impressive length. Stylistically consistent, this will be embraced by any Krug fan. Drink now-2027.

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This was our first course, which was served with a ginger carrot velouté, caviar pearls and fennel pollen. In its entirety, the dish was a knockout. The velouté was packed with flavor and was texturally beautiful. As far as pairing with the Sauzet Chevalier Montrachet, bites of the lobster on its own were better matched than those with the sauce. What fun it was to experiment with the different flavor combinations!

• 2004 Etienne Sauzet Chevalier-Montrachet 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru

  From a pristinely cellared bottle, this medium-to-deep golden, limpid Chardonnay retains a nice core of fruit and is beautifully complex. Laden with blood orange, lime zest, peach, chamomile, beeswax and jasmine aromas, it is a medium-bodied, crisply acidic white Burgundy without the slightest hint of premature oxidation. The oak and alcohol (13.5%) are nicely integrated and the flavors mirror the aromas. With good mid-palate density and a lengthy energetic finish, this is undeniably classic in quality, well-worthy of its Grand Cru status. Serve it at 55°F or higher to fully exploit the aromatics. Drink now-2024.

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Those familiar with the quality of poultry from Mary's Farm know that this dish must have been delectable, and they would be correct. Chef Guillas presented this with boniato tian, baby apple, pain d'épice and mulberry sauce. The pairing with Drouhin's Clos de la Roche was a match made in heaven, and the dish was likewise well-matched with a surprise addition from a guest, the Mongeard-Mugneret Grands-Echezeaux.

• 2002 Joseph Drouhin Clos de la Roche 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

  Sampled from a well-cellared magnum, Drouhin's 2002 Clos de la Roche is a deep garnet wine with a captivating core of Montmorency cherries, baked red apples, clove, tobacco and black tea. Medium-bodied and with good freshness, it is quite round at this point by virtue of its seamless alcohol (13%), nicely integrated oak and soft residual tannins. Solid on the mid-palate and long on the back end, this is undoubtedly in its prime. Comparably cellared magnums should show well for another five years or more. Drink now-2024.

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• 2001 Mongeard-Mugneret Grands-Echezeaux 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru

  From a well-cellared bottle, this deep garnet/brick-colored Pinot serves up aromas and flavors of cocoa, tobacco, loamy earth and baking spices, retaining a modest core of red plum fruit. Medium-bodied, seamlessly alcoholic (13.5%) and with good lift, its tannins have now fully resolved. Nicely dense on the mid-palate and concluding with a lengthy smooth finish, this is very easy to drink at this point by virtue of its soft textures. Because the fruit appears to be fading, it would be best to consume this sooner rather than later. Drink now.

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So perfectly seared and flavorful, this tender cut of meat was served with petit Basque potato, tart cherry chutney, smokey blue and Carignan. Only something like this could be paired with the magnum of '70 Lynch-Bages, resulting in a match which flirted with perfection.



Chef Guillas visited our table at this point and was deservedly bestowed with praise. Having known him for many years, I can say that he is as affable and humble as he is talented in the culinary arts.

• 1970 Château Lynch-Bages 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  This wine was last tasted from a 750 cc bottle 12/6/17, at which time it showed very well. Now nearly 50 years old, the vagaries of any particular bottle cause trepidation whenever a cork is pulled. This sampling was from a well-cellared magnum that was remarkably youthful. Medium-to-deep garnet in color, it delivers a generous core of red plum and currant fruit, accented with notes of cocoa, leather, loamy earth, baking spices, lavender and cigar tobacco. Full-bodied, freshly acidic, seamlessly alcoholic and with melted tannins, it is dense and layered on the middle palate. The smooth finish lingers beautifully. Magnums such as this will hold steady for several more years on plateau, but the unpredictability of wines this age would make it wise to pop the cork sooner rather than later. Drink now.

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What pairs better with '67 Suduiraut than Hoja Santa, Humboldt Fog, Truffle Boschetto, Pleasant Ridge and Blue Rock (served with compressed dates, honeycomb, apricot mostarda, crostini and red walnuts)?

• 1967 Château Suduiraut 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Tasted from a well-cellared bottle, this limpid, light amber Sauternes is not particularly viscous at this point, but does retain gorgeous sweet fruit that is beautifully balanced with crisp acidity. Apricots, peaches, Rainier cherries, honey and vanilla reside in a medium-weight frame with good mid-palate density. The freshness and purity of fruit are retained all the way through a very lengthy finish. Comparably cellared bottles should provide pleasure throughout the next decade. Drink now-2030.

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Chef Guillas surprised all guests with a platter of treats in honor of the birthday girl. The photo of the platter speaks for itself...gorgeous and scrumptious.

In summary, this dinner at the Marine Room was nothing short of spectacular. We feel honored and blessed to have been invited by Amy and Ken, and will cherish our memories of the evening for many years to come.