Chablis Dinner in San Francisco
Rubicon Restaurant, San Francisco
Tasted April 28, 2005 by jfloren with 1,585 views
Introduction
Sixteen of us gathered to investigate fine Chablis, new and aged, at Rubicon Restaurant in San Francisco. Since only a few of us had any fine older bottles, most of us formed a Syndicate to hunt down and acquire choice examples, with overall very good results.
Flight 1 - Beginnings (4 notes)
Amuse: Artichoke and Mushroom Puree
First Course: Yellowfin Tuna & Hearts of Palm; charred pineapple and curry oil
This was a very strong flight; all the wines were expellent if too young. We made the the right decision by starting with these, most of which were double-decanted. I suspect in 10 years the best two wines will be the Fevre Clos and Raveneau Chapelot, but we tried to evaluate them based on how they showed on this night.
White
2002 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Restrained lemon notes on the nose and palate. Steely but juicy, with a long, pulsating finish of mineral magic. A classic. Showing well today. My third favorite of this excellent flight (4 votes for 1st, 3 votes 2d)
White
2002 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Nose muted, green notes, very closed. Terrific midpalate and long mineral-laden finish. Palate grows stronger with air. Give this 10 years, it's great wine, but tonight it was overshadowed by the competition. (2 votes for 1st, 1 vote 2d).
White
2002 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Chapelot
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Petrol notes on the nose, at first off-putting then intriguing as they blew off and melded with the restrained fruit. Austere and rich at the same time, with ripe yet focused fruit that builds and builds and a fine finish. We gave this one a lot of air but what it really needs is time. This will be great. The most popular wine of this very strong flight by a nose and also my favorite, just before the Cote de Bouguerots. Many agreed that this like the other Raveneaus has a unique quality that sets it apart from classic chablis. (5 votes for 1st, 6 votes for 2d)
Flight 2 - Second Course (3 notes)
Seared Dayboat Scallops; Sake Steamed Mussels, Melon, and Shiso
Another very strong flight, with the group almost evenly divided on favorites
White
2001 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Forward, evolved and fruity on the nose, with a classic steely aspect and good cut, but lacking the pulsating finish of the 2002. Finish is a bit short compared to the 2000 Brocards. This is terrific now and unlikely to improve dramatically. (4 votes for 1st; 6 for 2d)
White
2000 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
From Magnum. Tremendous mineral characteristics on the citrus-infused palate and the very long finish; ineffable spices on the bouquet. Less showy today than the Bougros but ultimately more noble. I expected this to be more closed; a pleasant surprise. Check back again in 3 years. (4 votes for 1st; 2 votes for 2d).
White
2000 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Grand Cru Bougros
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
From Magnum. Awesome, powerful, rich yet precise, with an enveloping juicy midpalate and long, compelling finish. Showing extremely well tonight. Wine of the flight by a slight plurality. (5 votes for 1st, 6 votes for 2d)
Flight 3 - Third Course (4 notes)
Grilled Alaskan Halibut; White Asparagus, Fava Beans, Meyer Lemon, Coco Cipollin
White
1997 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
More gold than yellow. A little oxidation on the nose; on the palate, terrific lift, lemon curd, oatmeal, and spice. The nose is in a funky stage here. A second bottle was corked. (4 votes for 1st; 2 votes for 2d)
White
1998 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Domaine Sainte Claire Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Chablis
From Magnum. Jay Latham explained this AC Chablis comes from 60-year-old vines; the vineyard surrounds an old Eglise Ste. Claire. This was very floral, young, tangy, crisp, with a respectable steely finish, and absolutely delicious -- a perfect representation of AC Chablis that reminded me of a great 2002 Sancerre in its floral tones. Consensus wine of the flight by a large margin. Very hard to believe this wine is 7 years old. (9 votes for 1st, 5 votes for 2d)
White
1997 Domaine Louis Moreau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Peanut butter notes on the palate. The "Skippy" versus "Jif" debate begins in earnest. These blow off to reveal a respectable chablis with a slightly muted midpalate and medium finish. (0 votes for 1st; 1 vote for 2d)
Flight 4 - Fourth Course (4 notes)
Roasted Sonoma Guinea Hen with Duck; Asparagus, Wild Leeks, Trumpet Mushrooms, Brioche Butter
Terrific group of wines here. Careful observers willl note that the number of votes does not always equal 16. Some people did not always vote, and we counted Larry Stone's vote in this flight (he liked the Verget Bougros best).
White
1995 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
A first bottle was either corked, oxidized, or (most likely) both. The second was very nice, deep, with a burst of focused citrus and mineral. Very similar to the Les Clos but a little less long on the finish. (1 vote for 1st; 5 votes for 2d)
White
1996 Verget Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Medium yellow. Fresh, vibrant, and deep, this wine screams Puligny 1er or Grand Cru to me, from the nose to the Cote d'Or telltale spice, butter, and nuts on the finish. A lovely combination of power and grace, but did Mr. Guffens mix up the barrels in his cave? This wine has very little in common with the others and it is justifiably controversial. If judged as a Cote d'Or white, it's excellent and approaching the apex of maturity. If judged as a Chablis, it is a little wierd. Still, it garnered more first-place votes than any other wine in the flight. (8 votes for 1st; 1 vote for 2d)
White
1996 Verget Chablis Grand Cru Bougros
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Whiff of sulfur blows off, the nose has muted stones fruits and a hint of oxidation. But take a sip, and WHOA! It expands across the palate and delivers a sansational whiplash of a finish, with at least five or six layers -- like a fireworks show of steel and stone on the palate. Totally unlike the Valmur, to me this is an outstanding Chablis with great verve and Chablis character and, despite the funk on the nose, one of the most memorable wines of the evening. My favorite of the flight. (3 votes for 1st; 5 votes for second).
Flight 5 - Fifth Course -- Assorted Hard Cheeses (4 notes)
A beautiful selection of cheeses for these super-compelling wines.
White
1990 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Pale yellow, looks about the same as a 2002. Initially reticent but evolving nose, outstanding depth and cut, great finish. Like flower-and-honey-infused water filtered through crushed stone. Incredible juice, gets better and better in the glass. This baby is young and has miles to go. This was probably the best wine of the night, but sadly I was getting a little stuffed up and couldn't appreciate the nose on this or the next few wines after the first few minutes. Runaway favorite wine of the flight. (9 votes for 1st; 4 votes for 2d).
White
1990 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Another young-seeming wine, fresh, vibrant, with great acidity and citrus notes in fine balance, strong notes of menthol on the nose melded perfectly with the citrus tones; in the same vein as the 95 Dauvissat Clos but a step up in complexity. Still, I am not sure this wine is yet fully mature. My second favorite of the flight. (3 votes for 1st; 6 votes for 2d)
White
1990 Domaine Laroche Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
This late substitution struck out. Partially oxidized but not quite dead yet, this is past its prime but still has interesting wet leaf and earth flavors and fresh acidity. (0 votes)
Flight 6 - Sixth Course (1 note)
Strawberries n' Cream; Gingered Tapioca, Candied Pistachios, Strawberry Sorbet
Confronted with the problem of selecting a dessert wine, we found this gem on the endlessly fascinating Rubicon list
Closing
Thanks to Carl Steefel and Robert Thornton for the inspiration, to the Syndicate members and dinner attendees for their generosity and especially the good company,and to Rubicon Restaurant: Larry Stone, Master Sommellier, who shared his impressions and knowledge of the wines, of Mondovino, and of many other matters of interest to hard-core winos, and who together with Chef Stuart Brioza created a memorable and exquisite menu that perfectly matched the wines, and Samara Miller who arranged and coordinated everything. The food, service and organization by Rubicon were impeccable.
My only regret is that we did not get to curl up with some of these bottles and watch them evolve over hours or days. These fine Chablis have a living quality to them, like all great burgundies, evolve in interesting and sometimes thrilling ways, and improve for decades. Now I'm ready for pinot again!
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