Wine at RN74 in SF (Chave, Clape, Dauvissat, Meo, Grange, more)
Tasted September 21, 2009 - September 24, 2009 by Dave Dalluge with 956 views
Introduction
I am in San Francisco attending a medical convention this week, and by coincidence my good friend Chris Larson happens to vacationing here during the same week visiting his friends Gina Melka and Ben Knieff. On Monday night, after cocktails at the Salt House, Ben insisted on a trip to RN74 for a glass of wine. Chris was surveying the lengthy wine list when I heard my name called from the next table. It was Ben Andersen, in town tasting some wines with Sommelier Eric Railsback. I hadn't seen Ben since spending two weeks with him in a crazy, wine-drinking trek across France in the summer of 2006. It was great to catch up with him now that he has left Medtronic and is representing wines for Rosenthal wines. I was happy to see that if anything his passion for wine has grown since I last saw him. Chris ultimately settled on the '05 Chave Hermitage, a wine that showed far beyond my expectations.
The repeat visit happened on Thursday night with Chris, Ben Knieff, and their friend Nick Daftery. We met at RN74 around 9:30 and proceeded to pound through a bunch of great wines, stopping only when last call put an end to the fun around 1:30. Our server (Katie -- didn't catch the last name) is taking some sort of sommelier test this Saturday, so we spent much of the night testing her impressive wine knowledge. Based on our pop quizes, I'm confident she'll pass the test. It was really fun sharing tastes with her and getting her impressions of the wines, as she seemed quite passionate on the subject.
Flight 1 - Monday Night (1 note)
This was so good I was still savoring it the next day. The taste was just haunting.
Red
2005 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Ordered off the list of RN74, an awesome restaurant on Mission Street in downtown San Francisco. Popped and poured and this was rocking. Awesome, soaring nose of dark fruit, pepper, mineral/iron and a most enticing meatiness/funkiness. Showing unbelievably well for such a young wine. A little more straightforward on the palate featuring mainly dark fruit, but with good expansiveness and divine balance leading to an excellent, albeit tannic, finish. I felt this closed down considerably within an hour or so of being poured, so we may be on the trailing edge of youthful drinking but I would have no hesitation to pull the cork and savor this beauty over the next few months. Rated 95 for now but there is definitely upside potential.
Flight 2 - Rhone Reds (4 notes)
These weren't put together as systematically as it might look, but as a flight they were really fun. The Clape was my favorite of the flight, but I don't think I'd be turning down the Grange if offered.
Red
1988 Penfolds Grange
Australia, South Australia
A small taste courtesy of Sommelier Eric Railsback at RN74. Deep red color. Exuberant nose featuring an enticing but ultimately simplistic combination of ripe blueberry fruit and mineral/iron. On the palate this has excellent flavor intensity and great balance. A little one-dimensional and compact on the palate, but what's there is really nice. Tannins are fully resolved, and the finish is satisfying. I found this to be a very nice, well-aged version of Penfolds Grange that was fun to taste against the four young Northern Rhones.
Red
2007 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage
Another small taste courtesy of Som Eric. Bright ruby red color. Funky nose featuring red fruit complimented by green olives/bacon, aromas I typically find in this wine in past vintages which at times can be distracting, but which in this vintage added character to the nose. On the palate this is stern and youthful featuring mainly dark red fruit. A bit dull on the palate leading to a pleasant but clipped finish. Based on this (small) tasting and experience with past vintages I'd cellar these for say 3-5 years and then consume them over the next 10 years or so.
Red
2006 André Perret St. Joseph
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph
A small taste courtesy o Nick TBD. Lighter red color than the other Rhones poured. Features a pretty nose dominated by ripe red fruit (kirsch-like) but devoid of secondary interest. On the palate this offers a nice blast of flavor (red fruit with a bit of oak/brown sugar) in a style pushing towards fat and structureless. Nothing unpleasant and actually a nice quaffer, but probably not a great QPR at ~$60 off the list given all the other options available.
Red
2005 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Popped and poured. Dark reddish-black color. The nose is surprisingly good with dark fruit, smoke, pepper, mineral and an endearing funkiness. While good now, this is clearly holding back at this juncture. On the palate this has a rough, rustic character but tons of flavor that expands and coats the palate. This is a mid-weight wine with great balance producing satisfying tactile sensations. Flavors culminate in a nice, long -- albeit tannic -- finish. Opened up throughout the night and the last glass was much better than the first. This is drinking surprisingly well now, but really deserves to be cellared for 10+ years and then enjoyed at your leisure.
Flight 3 - Intermezzo (1 note)
I love Dauvissat (we have another on tap for tonight). While really good, this was no where near the genius of the '07 Les Clos.
White
2007 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
About $80 off the list. Opened and decanted, then consumed over about 30 minutes or so. Served between the Rhones and the Burgs and proved to be an excellent bridge. Bright lemon yellow color. Soaring nose featuring aromas from the entire orchard -- lemon, apricot, orange, and more. A touch of minerality peeks through, but this is mainly about ripe fruit at this point in time. On the palate this delivers a whallop of fruit paired with a double whallop of acidity. Flavors expand on the palate but are ultimately constrained by the acidity. Hard to believe, but there is almost too much acidity here(?). The finish lingers on and on and is extremely satisfying. The '07 La Forest a big step down from the '07 Les Clos (one of my favorite whites of all time) but is still an excellent bottle of wine.
Flight 4 - Red Burgundy (2 notes)
Finally. Picking Burg from this is almost impossible because of the depth of the selections. We finally settled on this as the price seemed fair (~$250) and we were optimistic it would show well. Boy were we right.
Red
2001 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Echezeaux Les Rouges du Bas
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
Bottle #1. Popped and decanted, then consumed over about 30 minutes. Light red color with some brownish hues. Soaring nose. Everything you could want from a burg -- giving sour cherry fruit complimented spectacularly by forest floor, mineral and fungal notes. A wine you smell for hours. On the palate this is barely mid-weight and well balanced, producing a sexy, elegant mouthfeel that combines with flavors that expand to coat every inch of the palate to stunning effect. Flavors are primarily red fruit, but there are plenty of secondary flavors present too. The perfect weight and balance culminate to produce a long, lingering finish that you don't want to ever end. A really special bottle of wine and among the best Echezeaux I've ever had.
Red
2001 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Echezeaux Les Rouges du Bas
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
Bottle #2. The first bottle was so good we had to get another. This bottle presented with obvious brett on the nose and palate that was completely absent from the first bottle. In time this receded to leave a wine that was pretty consistent with bottle #1.
Closing
If you're in San Francisco I highly recommend a trip to RN74. The food is really something special and the wine list is one of the best I have ever seen in the US. Som Eric is very knowledgeable and equally passionate about his wines. All in all this was an amazingly fun evening of wine, food and friends.
© 2003-24 CellarTracker! LLC.
