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LdC 4th Annual Truffle Dinner
Primehouse
Tasted January 9, 2009 by winefool with 1,074 views
Introduction
Our fourth annual white truffle extravaganza wasn't scheduled until January this year due to difficulties getting a date that worked in the fall. Alas, we basically missed the bulk of truffle season and so there was some last minute scrambling and drama on the truffle front. As it ended up we found some decent white truffle (not great) but about half the courses were black truffle instead.
As usual, it was a stunning lineup of wines, many of which showed very well. But to me, there was just something slightly 'off' for the evening (root day?) with an unusually high percentage of bad bottles and some that should have showed better than they did.
Still fun as always, just not quite to the same level of hedonism and excitement of the past.
We started with several high-end champagnes (Krug, etc) but I didn't grab notes on them.
Flight 1 - Scallops a la Joseph - sweet pea puree, mushrooms, white truffle foam (4 notes)
Unfortunately the L'Oree wines were served first and were not quite chilled enough so an already 'warm' wine showed even warmer....
White
1994 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc De L'Orée
91 points
Full yellow color. Full nose of straw yellow fruit and mineral. Big yellow fruit with butterscotch and spice notes. Maybe a nut oil note? 91-2 pts.
White
1995 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc De L'Orée
90 points
Full golden color. Big rich sweet perfume with an apple pie note. Full glycerin palate with a warm butterscotch note and a bitter finish. Odd that this showed so much worse than the more recent tasting from mag. These were also served a bit warm which probably didn't help.
White
1999 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc De L'Orée
93 points
Full yellow color. Forward note of yellow fruit and lanolin iwth zingy tea-like notes. Lovely balanced sweet yellow fruit wtih a hint of anise. Nice complexity and balance. The best of this mini-vertical.
White
2000 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc De L'Orée
92 points
Medium yellow color. Rich nose of floral perfume with a hint of sweet - great complexity. More restrained tight spicy yellow fruit with a prickly perfume note on the finish.
Flight 2 - Root Vegetable "Minestrone" Soup - white truffle dumplings (4 notes)
White
1994 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand
94 points
Full golden color. Rich big round petrol nose with sweetness. Mmmn, big juicy mature reilsing notes with petrol hints. A touch of orange. Very nice.
White
1999 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand
93 points
Full electric yellow color. Lovely round petrol yellow fruit nose with perfume notes. Nice sweetish rich palate with tight butterscotch notes.
White
2000 Marcel Deiss Altenberg de Bergheim
92 points
Full golden color. Full psicy nose of caramel yellow fruit with a hint of orange. Rich mouthfeel with tight orange peel notes. Some sweetness with a hint of bitter on the finish.
White
2000 Marcel Deiss Schoenenbourg
91 points
Medium golden color. Medim clean nose with a hint of perfume and banana. Big forward sweet somewhat tight palate with an orange tint. 91-92 pts.
Flight 3 - Lobster Ragout - white truffle polenta, brussel sprout leaves, brown butter, chestnuts (5 notes)
White
2000 Marc Colin et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet
94 points
Full yellow color with green hints. Full spicy tight nose of yellow fruit and forest fern. Nice rich sweet yellow fruit with a long tight finish. Nice.
White
1996 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet
94 points
Medium yellow color. Huge nose of oaky rich yellow fruit with a hint of spice. Nice tight zingy yellow fruit with good acidity and a nutmeg note.
White
1996 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Bâtard-Montrachet
93 points
Full yellow color. Full nose of butterscotch and mineral. Almost tight yellow fruit with good extract and acidity, just a step behind the Chevy...
White
1976 Louis Latour Montrachet
94 points
Pale golden copper color. Medium nose of bright zingy mature yellow fruit. Wow - oozing complexity with notes of butterscotch and a long finsih with good earth and mineral.
White
1939 Bouchard Père et Fils Montrachet
96 points
Hand carried from the cellars at Bouchard by KM, this was a singular wine to taste! Full golden color with very little darkening at all. Beguiling subtle nose of white truffle and mushroom. Mmmn, soft full thick moutfeel with round sweet(!?) fruit on a medium finish. A really lovely that wine that shone even brighter with the food.
Flight 4 - Thumper & Babe - rabbit loin spring roll, celery root slaw, white truffles, cripy pork belly, applesauce, white truffles (2 notes)
Red
1967 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Speciale
Pale brick color. Forward nose of warm armagnac. Full spicy hot rose and red cherry fruit. Had a distinct distilled note. Not sure what to make of it.
Red
1937 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Speciale
Similar characteristics as the 67 including the distinct distilled note. Pale brick orange color. Medium full nose of sour acidic heat with (believe it or not) a floral note. Pale rose and fortified-like heat on the palate. Odd.
Flight 5 - Seared Foie Gras - prosciutto, pears, red wine syrup, arugula, black truffles (3 notes)
White - Sweet/Dessert
1996 Château Tirecul La Gravière Monbazillac Cuvée Madame
94 points
Full golden color. full big nose of sweet orange peel. Big sweet round orange on the palate. Sweet and nice.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1968 Château d'Yquem
93 points
Full deep golden color. Full nose of caramel with nutmeg spice and clear botyritis notes. Full tight caramel butterscotch with a hint of orange on the palate. Mild sweetness and good complexity. Interesting, but difficult to describe. 93-94 pts.
Flight 6 - Cavetelli Pasta - rich quail ragout, black truffles (2 notes)
Red
1961 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
92 points
Soft crimson red color. Nice mature PLL nose with sour cherry and some sous bois. Medium sharp red fruit on the palate with a note of iodine. This bottle was good, not great.
Red
1961 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
94 points
Soft crimson color. Full nose of red cherry and barnyard with a nice spiciness. Lovely floral red currant palate with a firm long finish remaining. Nice. 94+ pts.
Flight 7 - Smoked Ahi Tuna Rossini - cured foie gras, stewed vegetables, black truffle (3 notes)
Red
1996 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
95 points
Full red color. Lovely olive black pepper black fruit and spice nose. Big black spicy palate with coffee notes. Another great showing for this sleeper vintage of Turque.
Red
1997 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
94 points
Soft red color. Medium nose of lavendar and spice. Mmmnn, nice mineral black fruit, coffee, and olive on the palate. Nice but more subtle.
Flight 8 - Venison Loin - potato mushroom hash, green been salad, black truffle (2 notes)
Red
1990 Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes
flawed
Cloudy soft garnet color. Medium sour dirty nose. Sour off flavors of swamp water. Wasn't corked, so not clear what was going on here, but I can't imagine this was a good bottle.
Red
1990 Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Centenaire
flawed
Bummer, another off CdP - muddy brown color and the brown just carried through to the nose and palate. Clearly an off bottle compared to other examples I've had.
Flight 9 - Cheese with accoutrements (2 notes)
Red
1994 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único
93 points
Opaque deep red color. Brighter redder fruit with a bright slightly hot note on the nose. Big tight black fruit with coffee and spice notes and bright acidity. Still a baby. 93-94 pts.
Red
1970 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único
94 points
Full cherry red color. Beguiling nose of cola spice red fruit with bright black fruit notes as well. Lovely spicey red and black fruit on the palate with great complexity. This one is drinking a point. 94-95 pts.
Flight 10 - Extra Wines (2 notes)
Red
1959 Château Brane-Cantenac
93 points
Medium garnet color. Lovely rich spicy earthy mineral nose. Lovely red fruit and spice with good structure - nice. 93-94 pts.
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Red - Fortified
1978 Quinta do Noval Porto Vintage Nacional
95 points
Pale crimson color. Nice nose of rose red fruit and porty heat with chocolate notes. Mmmn, wow. Lovely round sweet red spicy structured sour cherry on the palate. Perfectly balanced - nice.