Aged Cabs & Dead Cow - Jonathan Dinh OL (Hanzell Chards, '67 Heitz Martha's, '76 Caymus SS)
The Grill, Fairmont Hotel, San Jose, California
Tasted Friday, October 27, 2006 by rjonwine@gmail.com with 1,194 views
Introduction
The moveable feast/celebration of the good life that is Jonathan Dinh organized this old California Cabernet themed OL dinner at one of the restaurants he frequents in his perpetual world travels. Eleven of us were on hand, including, from the Squires Board, George Kautzman, Mark Sutherland, Ken Preston, Alan Wolf and Patrick Stella. Also on hand were non-Board participants Henry, Rudy, Susie and Chrysti.
Flight 1 - Champagne starter (1 Note)
We started on the patio at the Fairmont Hotel outside The Grill in San Jose with champagne--Veuve Clicquot and the Gonet Marquis de Sade.
Flight 2 - Hanzell Chard Flight (2 Notes)
As Matt Kramer has written, "Hanzell Chardonnay can age as well as any white Burgundy . . . it does not merely endure, but transforms. It is a masterpiece." These samples bore out Kramer's opinion. I think I was in the minority in slightly preferring the '89. Others felt the '89 was somewhat oxidized, but I felt it had more complex flavors. It turned out that Henry has been a major collector of Hanzell for many years--the only California wine he regularly collects--and he brought the rare Hanzell Cabernet Sauvignon we enjoyed in Flight 3. Henry's pictured here, with his nephew Rudy: 
Our assortment of appetizers included gravlax, a spinach and pear salad with Brie and goat cheese, and a "Lobster Martini"--Maine lobster atop a celery root remoulade, topped with caviar. I thought the '89 Hanzell was a particularly good match with the Lobster Martini.
Flight 3 - Heitz Martha's, Jordan, Caymus SS (4 Notes)
wet-aged rib-in filet
Flight 4 - Phelps and Hanzell Cabs (4 Notes)
Flight 5 - More '90s Cabs (3 Notes)
Flight 6 - Ports and cigars (2 Notes)
After dinner, several of us moved over to the "veranda" at Paragon, in the neighboring Madison Hotel. There, we partook in Churchill cigars and 1977 Fonseca Port, supplied by Jonathan, and an old NV J.W. Morris Sierra Sabrosa Gorge Amador Co. Angelica, supplied by George.
NV Marquis de Sade (Michel Gonet) Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs 91 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Toasty nose; grapefruit rind and mineral palate, a little austere; medium-plus dry finish (Background on the name: In 1810, the family of the Marquis De Sade lived in Conde en Brie, near Epernay, where the 100 acres of the vineyards of Michel Gonet, R.M., are located. The ancestors of the Gonet family have cultivated wine on the Côtes de Blanc since 1802 and the family also owns the hunting domaine originally owned by the Marquis.)
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No