Back in the Saddle

St. Dinette, St. Paul
Tasted Thursday, May 6, 2021 by rocknroller with 83 views

Introduction

This was the first dinner inside in some time for me. It was great to be out in the hospitality arena again. St. Dinette has been a staple in our rotation with good reason. They always welcome us and treat us great. We're glad they appear to have weathered the storm and are ready to get back in full gear. Wines tonight were mostly Rhone with a few additions. The food was spot on for the four of us, and the wines did their thing too. Thanks to Siggy for organizing.

Flight 1 (5 Notes)

  • 2006 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses

    France, Champagne

    Medium gold color. Drank 2 glasses over 90 minutes plus. Nice nose that wafts from the glass offering complex notes of lemon, lemon confit, straw, apple, apple peel, dough and marzipan. The palate is brisk and also complex. Apple peel, citrus pith, liqueur, chalk, lemon oil, dough, anise, white grapefruit and that older Lopez oxidative/lacquer character. This is dense and layered, yet for me this comes off too pithy and bitter for my full appreciation. Gut feeling about 92pts.

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  • 2017 Domaine Georges Vernay Condrieu Les Terrasses de l'Empire 93 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu

    Light golden color. Drank a glass plus over 90 minutes plus. Definitely not a wallflower, and you know what you're drinking right off the bat. And I say that as a positive. This exudes all the class and elegance you'd expect while maintaining typicity and restraint. The nose is a wonderful mix of aromatic exotic fruits from lychee to kiwi to guava and on bolstered by stony minerality and floral pinnings. The palate is where you realize this is the good stuff; medium bodied and classy from the get go, stellar balance of peach, tropical fruit and minerality with delicate yet defined white pepper and spices. Loved it and it was a great pairing with our asparagus on brioche with mornay sauce and fried egg on top - Wow, super dish and splendid pairing! 93+pts.

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  • 2006 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde 94 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

    Dark red plus color with a 3mm clear edge. PNP, drank a glass plus over 2 hours. I totally agree with Chablis28's note from 12/18. This has a beautiful aromatic NR nose of bacon fat, smoked meats, red and dark fruits, charcoal, vinyl and dried herbs. The palate is medium bodied, and feels even more featherweight and silky, dark red and black fruit with lovely purity, black currants, dark raspberry, bone broth, savory, ash, and tobacco on a long nicely integrated finish. This built steam pretty quickly over the first 20 minutes and was singing thereafter. Great stuff.

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  • 2010 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 93 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    Dark red color. PNP, drank a glass plus over an hour. Holy cow, it's been five years since I last had this. Not surprisingly this has come a long way since then. I think we're in a pretty good spot from here on out. Garrigue, leather, kirsch, black cherry, and fresh herbs make up the nose. The palate is medium plus bodied with nicely folded tannins now; darker fruits, tobacco, kirsch, pepper and Provencal herbs. Loved the texture and acid too. 92+ to 93pts with upside.

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  • 2007 Château Coutet Barsac 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

    Deep golden color. PNP from 375ml; drank a glass over 30 minutes. This was lovely; great nose of orange marmalade, creme brulee, candied peach, apple pie, and honey. The palate is full bodied, yet lifted and has excellent freshness and acidity to go with the ripe apple, orange, orange peel, peach, brown sugar and spiced honey flavors. Deliciously long and provocative, this has the density without being full on unctuous and the acidity to really maintain the brightness. 93+ to 94pts.

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