Manresa Dinner with Dade, Rebecca and George (Roumier, Coche Dury)

Richard, George, Rebecca and Dade

This was quite the fabulous and memorable dinner, not only with Chef Kinch's always excellent food and the wonderful wines noted below, but also since it was a rare chance to spend time with three of my very favorite people who happen to work in the wine biz: our host, Dee Vine Wines' Dade Thieriot, Vin Vino Wines' Rebecca Rapaszky, and Manresa's wine director, Jeff Bareilles. The other lucky guest, besides me and Rebecca, was Dade's friend George, in for the week from Philadelphia.

I always love David Kinch's tasting menus, and there were some new seafood oriented dishes we were served that evening that we all wanted more of: the softshell crab with garden pesto, the spotted shrimp with white peach, and the salmon dish, all of which are pictured below. All of our wines were great, but the two standouts for me were the '97 Coche-Dury Les Rougeots and the '93 Roumier Bonnes Mares. The latter was so good and satisfying -- not to mention very instructive to taste next to the more rapidly maturing '90 -- I was stunned by my first sip, and in a deep reverie of pleasure by the third. Thank you Dade!

The handsome threesome: Rebecca, Jeff and Dade

This lovely, maturing Champagne served us well through a couple of amuse bouches and opening courses, including avocado mousse with country ham jelly, coriander granita with pickled green strawberries and tomato soup, and Manresa's version of the Arpege egg.

• 1990 Drappier Champagne Carte d'Or Brut 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Light medium golden yellow color; bread dough, marzipan, slightly oxidized nose; tasty, focused, creamy textured, maturing but still youthful, tart lemon, mineral, baked lemon and tangerine palate; medium finish

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

crispy soft shell crab with yogurt, garden herb and green pesto

• 1997 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  Light medium golden yellow color; smoky, mineral, savory, earthy nose; very tasty, poised, wonderful, silky textured, mineral, baked lemon and clementine palate; long finish

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Spotted shrimp with white peach

• 2007 Cave de Chante-Perdrix Condrieu "Authentic" 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu

  Bright light yellow color; floral, orange blossom, orange sherbet and lime cream nose; big, voluptuous, creamy textured, lime cream, peach, tart orange, honeysuckle, slightly hot but flavorful palate; medium finish 92+ pts. (Jeff poured this for us blind, and it was unmistakable as a good, young Condrieu; it showed much better than when I'd tried it some months ago, and was a perfect match for our spotted shrimp and white peach dish)

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

wild Pacific salmon with green onion cream, morels and bone marrow broth

• 1990 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Bonnes Mares 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

  Slightly bricking medium dark red color with clear meniscus; barnyard, tart red fruit, mineral, maturing nose; elegant, tart red fruit, roses for days, mineral, black raspberry, strawberry, dried cherry and iron palate; medium-plus finish

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1993 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Bonnes Mares 97 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

  Medium dark red color with clear meniscus; sexy, tart cherry, wild cherry, raspberry nose; fabulous and stunning, youthful but elegant, roses, tart cherry, red fruit, mineral palate; medium-plus finish

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1993 Louis Jadot Musigny 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  Dark cherry red color with clear meniscus; black cherry, black raspberry nose; lovely, poised and solid roses, tart red fruit, mineral palate with a touch of brett; medium-plus finish 94+ pts.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1953 Weingut Geschwister Schuch Oppenheimer Sackträger Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese 94 Points

  Germany, Rheinhessen

  Light medium brown color with red lights and clear meniscus; tart, earthy, stone fruit and fig nose; gorgeous fig, tart black fruit, baked orange, plum palate; medium-plus finish

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No