Dinner at Grace

A small group gathered at the fantastic GRACE restaurant in Los Angeles for an exciting dinner of top-notch food prepared specially for our group and our lineup of wines. Both the food and the service were impeccable ... I cannot wait to return!

Clams & Chorizo, with tomato water and artichokes.

• 1998 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes

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

  Gorgeous bouquet of caramel, sea shells, and whisps of petrol. Tan-yellow color of great depth; medium-light bodied. Full palate, with strong flavors of honey, minerals, saline, and caramel. This is a lovely wine. My WOTN.

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Grilled Japanese Octopus, with pickled watermelon and persian mint.
This amuse was a mind-blowingly awesome pairing with the '98 Beau blanc. I actually substituted grilled feta cheese for the grilled octopus, becuase I don't like seafood. I loved my feta amuse, and was also surprised to find myself liking the octopus version, as well. The octopus had a substantial sear on one side, which went a long way in cutting-down on the "seafoody-ness" of the dish.

• 2006 M. Chapoutier Saint-Joseph Blanc Les Granits

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Saint-Joseph

  Bouquet seems very closed-off right now, but it does give faint whiffs of saline and light tropical fruits. Pale yellow color; full bodied. A mineral monster on the palate, with light tropical notes providing nice acidity.

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• 2006 Domaine Yves Cuilleron Saint-Joseph Saint-Pierre

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Saint-Joseph

  Prominent notes of smoke and underbrush on the nose, with hints of saline and confectioner's sugar; light tropical fruits in the background. Medium-light bodied, with the light tropical fruit note from the bouquet surprisingly taking center stage on the palate. I preferred this to the Chapoutier.

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Sauteed Wild Alaskan Halibut, with morel mushrooms, sweet corn flan, and dungeness crab, atop a leek fondue.
This dish, alone, made my evening ... you see, I do not like fish. Feeling adventurous, I fortuitously passed on substituting something for the halibut here ... and I absolutely loved this dish!! My favorite dish of the evening, actually. The leek fondue was excellent.

• 1997 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Incredibly expressive bouquet showing strong notes of rubbery smoke and animal at the forefront, along with a hint of oak in the background. Medium-light bodied. Loads of kirsch and cedary leather on the palate. On the acidic side of well-balanced, but that lends it a freshness I find appealing. Very nice.

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Sonoma Duck Confit, with carrot foie gras emulsion, atop beluga lentils.
Very good duck ... the carrot foie gras emulsion was heavenly, and the rusticity of the beluga lentils paired nicely with the lighter-styled '99 CdP's. I could have gone with a slightly gamier taste to the duck, for wine pairing purposes, but the dish itself was fantastic, and the pairing worked.

• 1999 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape

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

  Kirschy bouquet with a slight green note; a bit tight. Fine particulate matter throughout; medium-light bodied. Kind of simple on the palate -- almost comes across as being very slightly cooked -- has a nice mourvedre dirtiness and stink to it; green streak from bouquet is repeated on palate; on the acidic side of well-balanced. A good wine, but a disappointing performance.

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• 1999 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Prestige

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

  Tight bouquet gives-up notes of chalk and fresh popcorn oil. Medium-bodied on the palate with juicy acidity. Lots of kirsch on the palate. I really enjoyed this wine, and preferred it over the '99 Beaucastel.

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Braised Niman Ranch Lamb, with byaldi confit, fennel pollen, and olives.
I'm not a huge lamb fan (usually too gamey for me), but this lamb wasn't as gamey as most I've had, and it paired very nicely with the wines.

• 2004 Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas Valbelle

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas

  Hint of barnyard on the kirschy nose; oak in the background. Medium-full bodied with loganberries, spices, and earth on the palate; soft mouthfeel until the tannins clamp down on the medium length finish. Could still use some more time.

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• 2004 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée

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

  Cherries and hints of asphalt and smoke on the spicy bouquet. Dark purple-garnet color of great depth. Loads of garrigue and raspberry on the palate; well-balanced, but the tannins do clamp down on the finish; a bit alcoholic; needs lots of time.

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Braised Beef Short Rib & Grilled Filet of Beef, with aged goat cheese gnocchi, bone marrow, nettles, and burgundy snails. Beef was superb ... the gnocchi was awesome ... and I guess I don't like snails.

• 2005 Domaine Paul Autard Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée La Cote Ronde

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

  Lots of kirschy raspberry on the bouquet, along with hints of anise in the background. Medium-full bodied. Oaky, with spices and cranberry on the palate, which seems to be somewhat closed right now. A very nice wine that will reward cellaring.

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Brillat Savarin, with almonds and quince paste.
Wowza!! This be some stinky cheese, boy! For those who love the stink, this cheese would be awesome. It was considerably too strong for the wine.

• 2005 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Prestige

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

  Ooohh man, this wine is going to be some kind of ridiculous-good in a few years! Hints of leather and spice accent the light wash of garrigue that settles throughout the glass; a light note of citrus oil comes in, too. Garnet color of great depth; medium-full bodied. Tannic, with spicy loganberries, on the palate. Hold.

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Salted Caramel Panna Cotta, with strawberries and passionfruit, atop rum-soaked spong cake.
A good dessert, but this is not the dish that has me wanting to come back so badly. Although both the dessert and the wine were good, I didn't sense any synergy between the two. I ended-up eating my dessert first, and drinking the wine after.

• 2000 Royal Tokaji Wine Co. Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos Betsek

  Hungary, Tokaji

  This tokaji has a beautiful orange-amber color and is full-bodied. Notes of almond, caramel, and golden raisins emanate from the glass. Nice acidity holds the bountiful sweetness of this wine in check; flavors of orange peel, green grape skins, marzipan, and apricot meld to form a multi-faceted wine packed full of delicious!

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