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Artichoke Terrine on Tomato
Coulis with Dressed Greens
Smoked Salmon and Beluga Caviar with Chive
Creme Fraiche
94 Louis Latour Puligny-Montrachet--Lighter style edition of
this Burgundy, reflecting the vintage. Delicate, properly balanced with
steely minerality, just enough fruit and fine acidity. Decent though not
particularly long finish. This went really well with the Caviar and Salmon,
as the weight of this wine exhibited similarities to a fine Blancs des
Blancs Champagne. Latour did not coax quite the depth or length from
their AC P-M as did Sauzet in the same vintage. Drink over the next
2 years. My rating: 89.
Black Sesame Crusted Rare Ahi with Mushroom
Ragout
89 A. Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques Premier Cru--Light
brick red with no browning in the rim. Gorgeous bouquet of earthy, barnyardy
aromas atop dried fruit and red currants. Almost silky textured, but given
more dimension by fairly high acidity and a slight tannic grip. Flavor
profile in tune with the bouquet, a hint of sweetness in the fruit keeps
the wine fresh tasting, though it is fully mature now. This is the kind
of terroir driven wine smart CA pinot noir makers have given up trying
to copy. This went well with the tuna by itself, but the accompanying ragout
was a tad over-salted to match the elegance of the wine. 93
This next wine was given to me as a gift by one of my friends at the
dinner. It came wrapped in silver foil and I decided I'd try to guess
the wine. The only hints were: It was a Burgundy shaped bottle and it had
been purchased at the Wine Cask. The waiter poured everybody double blind
(even the friend, who's wife bought it, didn't know what it was). The color
was inky purple and one whiff gave the wine away. Both Seth and I immediately
looked at each other and nodded in agreement that we knew this wine was...
96 Ojai Pinot Noir Pisoni--Inky purple. Very forward, huge nose
of black berry, lavender, some toasty oak, yet more black fruit, and some
earthy, mushroomy complexity. WHAT A MONSTER! Very dense, very concentrated,
highly extracted, incredible fruit bomb. Not necessarily pleasant to drink
right now. Very tannic and not really in focus, yet impressive. Hard to
match to food, though this stood up better to the mushroom ragout than
did the Rousseau. Finish is extremely long driven by the tannins and extract.
Verging on monumental, though I'd reserve that label for a wine with a
better track record. There's no telling how this wine will age. Last year's
Ojai version, called "Benjamin Lorenzo", fell apart after a year in bottle,
undergoing secondary fermentation that killed the wine. Hopefull this wine
will not meet that fate because it will need a lon-n-ng time to come around,
unless, of course you prefer palate-destroying wines and infanticide. For
now, I'd rate the wine 94+ based on potential, though it drinks less well.
Rare Lamb Loin with an Herb Crust of Eggplant,
Zucchini and Ground Lamb on a Reduction Sauce and Tuile Basket with Baby
Pattypan Squash and Asparagus
85 Vega Sicilia Unico--Dark violet. Very seductive bouquet that
first grabs you with earthy, gamy aromas, then unleashed secondary aromas
of cassis, lilacs, and pomegranate. Nose continues to evolve over the course.
In the mouth this is utter sensual pleasure. Silky, refined, elegant, but
with a power and depth that causes one to pause and disengage from the
rest of the dinner party and focus on the wine. Like Ch. Margaux in a top
vintage. Total harmony in a wine, sexy, and living up to the reputation
this wine has earned. Triple WOW! Oh, and by the way, the lamb was flavored
in a way that reminded me of Middle Eastern ground lamb skewers, and similar
to Moorish influenced Spanish cuisine. The food-wine match was perfect!
The 85 Unico may gain from a few more years of bottle age, and should last
10-15 years. It is definitely worth the splurge. 95+
78 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cab--Youthfully dark color. Fine
nose with cassis and black cherry and oak. Retaining its fruit very well,
tannins are still very noticeable, but still out of focus on the finish.
Certainly not capable of following the Unico, but it did go nicely with
the lamb. Should last another 10 years. A generous 92 points.
Seven Dessert for Seven People.
Michel Richard makes the best desserts in Southern California. We had:
Tower of Filo layers with Whipped Cream, Raspberries, and a top layer of
Custard Creme, served on Raspberry Coulis; Lemon Tart with Lemon Sauce;
Molten Chocolate Torte; a Pear Pastry with some kind of Cream and pear
sauce; some kind of chocolate ice cream dessert; Chocolate Creme
Brulee; and Michel's signature dessert--Caramel Napolean.
Ordered off the wine list: 95 Baumard Quarts de Chaumes--I've
commented on this several times. If you've had the 96, kick that up a notch.
Beautiful fruity, floral nose with ample layers of complexity. Silky, yet
syrupy, in the mouth. Lots of sugar supported by incredible acidity. Perfect
balance, long on flavor, very long finish. A truly masterful expression
of the greatness of chenin blanc. This is kick-ass dessert wine that has
few equals in the world. 98 |
