An Evening at Republique

I was the lucky guest to a monthly wine dinners with Los Angeles wine collectors. The menu was designed around the wines by Walter Manzke.

Eggs On Toast:
Soft-scrambled eggs, Santa Barbara Uni, Black Truffle

Bluefin Tuna Toast:
Kaluga Caviar, Smoked heirloom tomato

• 2007 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  From magnum. Bright yellow color and great effervescence. Bright nose of lemon and citrus fruit. Crisp and saline on the palate, with intense chalky minerality lasting through the long finish. Quite refreshing and precise, with good amount of tension on the palate. Excellent wine.

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Bluefin Tuna Crudo:
Munak Ranch melons, cucumber, Santa Barbara pistachios, thai basil, nectarine nuoc cham

Maine Lobster:
brentwood corn, brown butter

• 2014 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  We had this blind side by side with a 2014 PYCM Corton-Charlemagne and I mixed them up. My previous note explains why: Fantastic wine. Tightly coiled and reduced initially but with some air, it blossomed with lemon and crushed rocks. Very mineral on the palate, with great acidity and long persistence. Excellent wine with years to go.

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• 2014 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  Compared to the other wines of the flight, this one showed a little fatter on the palate. Light yellow/straw color, ripe lemon, lime, slight toasty notes on the nose. The plate is dense and slightly more opulent than the last time I had it (2 weeks ago). Feels that this bottle was a little bit more advanced, especially compared to the other wines in the flight.

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• 2014 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Corton-Charlemagne 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  Translucent yellow. Very tight on the nose initially and needed a little bit of time to reveal itself. Nose of citrus and white flowers, with a whiff of reduction. Extremely structured and balanced on the palate, searing acidity and extremely long finish. Excellent as usual.

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Wild European Turbot:
roasted root vegetables, applewood smoked bacon, sauce matelote

Pineapple Tomato Agnolotti:
chanterelle mushroom, Australian black truffle

• 2001 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche 94 Points

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

  Bright garnet color. Medium intensity. Nose of small field berries, herbs, stems tart cherries on the nose. Tense and defined on the palate. Long finish.

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• 2002 Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche Cuvée Auguste 95 Points

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

  Bright garnet color. Nose of sweet red berries , wild flowers, with a touch of herbal undertones. Full body, quite hedonistic and forward, with good persistence. Great wine.

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• 2002 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes 92 Points

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

  Very clear ruby with a garnet rim. Red fruit, sour candies and sous-bois on the nose. Light, tense with some tannins on the palate. Long finish.

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Liberty Duck:
cauliflower mousseline, huckleberry jus

• 1978 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Garnet color with light bricking. Vanilla, eucalyptus, red and blue fruit on the nose. Full body, with great balance and integrated tannins. Long finish. Excellent bottle and a great reminder of what California wine used to be.

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• 1978 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 90 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Good garnet color. Nose is funky initially, almost spunky and needs air to fade away. Herbal and lead pencil aromas. Great balance on the palate, with slight green pepper on the long finish. Good , but the green elements were a little distracting in my opinion.

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• 1978 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Very deep color, almost inky. Nose is quite forward, with tons of red fruit and sweet vanilla. The herbal notes are very slim compared to the fruit. Full body, integrated tannins and long finish.

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A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Ribeye:
potato mousseline, grilled portobello mushroom, black truffle jus

Tomme de Savoie:
Fig marmalade

• 1978 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Deep garnet color, very youthful actually. Fair amount of sweetness on the nose, red fruit and caramel notes. Full body, quite forward and balanced. Long finish. Very good, but in a more forward style compared to the others on the flight.

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• 1978 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Deep red color. Red and black fruit on the nose with a bit of oak vanilla notes. Powerful on the palate, soft tannins and balanced. Quite hedonistic. Persistent finish. Excellent.

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• 1978 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Super dark red color. Bordeaux-like nose of lead pencil, herbs, dark fruit and a bit of eucalyptus. This is all class on the palate, intense yet balanced, with a haunting presence that least through a very long finish. A beautiful bottle.

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• 1978 Joseph Phelps Insignia 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Garnet color. Quite herbal on the nose, with black currant, lead pencil and sour red cherries. Great acidity. Tense and coiled on the palate, long finish.

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Peach Tart:
armagnac caramel, sicilian pistachio

Strawberry Tiramisu:
caramelized white chocolate sabayon

Bread pudding:
vanilla, hazelnut, chocolate