A Tour de Force 'Best Bottle' Tasting
Republique, Los Angeles
Tasted Friday, October 8, 2021 by JonnyG with 179 views
Introduction
A simple outreach to make plans for a free evening in Los Angeles mushroomed into an epic food and drink extravaganza, with extraordinary food and ambiance accenting a tremendously executed 'best bottle' theme to memorable effect.
A private room at Republique proved to be the ideal location for our group of eight, allowing for our geekdom to thrive without disturbing the patrons dining nearby. The pairings were thoughtfully organized, and pulled off with aplomb. The wine service was seamless and unobtrusive, not easy to accomplish, and the stemware was perfectly chosen too.
My words will not come close to capturing the magical bliss of this evening, but take my word for it: this was special in every respect.
Flight 1 - Aperitifs (1 Note)
We started off with a cocktail called the Queen Elizabeth, using Benedictine from the Thirties, contemporary Vermouth de Chambery and a special, locally sourced lime from Sycamore Hill Ranch that probably merits its own blog. A beautiful, balanced and refreshing kickoff before moving to the bubbly.
These drinks were beautifully paired with a trio of small dishes: radishes stuffed with butter and smoked trout, Beluga caviar on potato chips, and Kumamoto oysters in a baby leek and potato soup.
Flight 2 - Two White Burgs. (2 Notes)
It took a bit of time for the Raveneau to surpass the hedonistic Roulot, though in fairness these really weren't like for like, and each has its place in its own right.
The Mediterranean Rouget, accented by a slightly spicy tomato sauce and sharp virgin olive oil, was among my favorite dishes of the evening, and paired fabulously with the Chardonnays.
Flight 3 - Two Unico from the Sixties (2 Notes)
Splendid showings. demanding one's full attention. The ambitious pairing here was with Maine sea scallops bathed in black truffle sauce, which was spectacular. I preferred to enjoy those separately as I found the sauce too powerful for the well-evolved wines.
Flight 4 - Checking Back in on 1982 Bordeaux (2 Notes)
A can conjure up the Lafleur at will. Just reminiscing on the astonishment I felt with the first swirl and sniff makes me smile.
Matching this flight to loup de mer with chanterelles and sauce matelote blanche was genius.
Flight 5 - A Pair of Splendid Barolo from Legendary Vintages (2 Notes)
How could the chef not pair these with a simple risotto and the first white truffles of the season?!
Flight 6 - A Sort of Appellation Role-Reversal Flight (2 Notes)
The powerful, inward Burg. played the role of Rhone here, whereas the soaring Rayas took on a gorgeous Burgundian persona.
Duck two ways showed these wines perfectly.
Flight 7 - Ageworthy Bordeaux Plus a Ringer (3 Notes)
I cannot say that the wines within this flight really 'spoke' to one another, but each paired beautifully with a beef wellington accompanies by porcinis.
Flight 8 - A Surprise LaLa (1 Note)
No one needed this beauty added to the line-up, nor did anyone regret it!
Flight 9 - Another Unplanned Bottle (1 Note)
We needed a palate reset at this point, and the Cazals fit the bill splendidly.
Flight 10 - A Splendid Sauternes Plus Bonuses, Including a True Old Stitzgerald (1 Note)
This was accompanied by a walnut raisin bread with blue cheese crumble I did not partake in. After that, we also had some remarkable beverages I didn't try to enter into CellarTracker:
First up was a remarkable, lovingly sourced Cognac from the Thirties, a Courvoisier Fine Champagne De Luxe 50-year Napoleon, meaning the contents were put into barrel in the 1880s. In fabulous shape, all I can relay is that the persistence and elegance were emotionally profound.
Last came another extraordinarily generous contribution of what I am told is a true unicorn in the Bourbon/whiskey world, a splendid bottle of Very Very Old Fitzgerald 12-Year Old 1951-1963, i.e., distilled by Pappy Van Winkle in 1951 and bottled in bond. It was 100 proof, accordingly. I found it ethereal, power wrapped in velvet, with some caramel, and also a hint of sweet oak just beneath the surface. I was not worthy... but sure enjoyed.
Closing
Kudos to my fellow tasters/contributors, and especially to Chef Walter and his crack team. Shout out to Sarah and Shawn in particular. We are very fortunate, and even more grateful.
I never expected wines of this age and ambition to show so well, virtually across the board. As singular as that Lafleur was, any number of these wines could have carried a memorable tasting alone. As it was, the bar is now set awfully high, and I look forward to trying to exceed it again soon.
1988 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Grande Cuvée 96 Points
France, Champagne
I can't recall enjoying a Champagne more than this, though that says as much about my palate as it does about the bottle, I suppose, as it's table wine characteristics were such a large part of the appeal for me. Dark yellow in color, veering towards amber. It was hard no to focus on the wine's slight oxidation and no mousse, but there was plenty of minerality, with baked apple skin and almond notes. I loved the tension here, with focused, steely acidity and a very long finish.
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