Last night a friend Stephen Swartz invited me to a luscious 6 course dinner with the best wines prepared by Robert Gerstenecker. Robert is a genius and we were treated in Stephen’s home to one of the best meals of the year by far. The king crab flan was an absolute highlight. Light and delicious. The essence of king crab throughout the dish. Amazing.
The folks Stephen invited are all collectors and brought generously from their cellars. A wonderful evening.
With appetizers of fresh spring pea soup, osetra caviar on potato blinis and oysters rockerfeller…
MV Krug - This nose is amazing. Fresh brioche notes and apple type fruits. Very lively and substantial on the palate. Fabulous
Krug 1988- I think this was a little off with TCA. It was my bottle. This destroyed an otherwise amazing bottle of champagne
Krug 1995- More like it. The nose is all freshness. Toasty bread. A substantial and lively palate with more amplitude than the MV. Fabulous!
With King Crab Flan…
2011 Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur- Beautiful crystaline nose. Complex. The palate is young but shows so much future. Luscious and beautifully put together. Delicious!
2014 Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots- More intensity here. Such a great balance of lively fruit and complex notes. This one explodes on the palate. Shows so much in reserve on the finish. Amazing. Love the 2014 whites.
With Beef Wellington…
1998 Angelus- So beautiful on the nose. Sexy darker fruit and wonderfully balanced and lively on the palate. The finish is wonderful.
1989 La Mission Haut Brion- This is special. The intensity and complexity here is infinite. Dark red fruit. Gently wrapped in the patina of age. Vibrant. Infinite finish. Profound wine of the first order. One of my top 5 bordeauxs ever again. Thanks Stephen.
With Pheasant Roulade…
1996 Anne Gros Richebourg- Beautifully balanced. Darker spicy fruit with soy notes. The palate is complex and shows the finishing acidity of 1996. Focused and wonderful.
1999 Leroy Corton-Renardes - Oh my. The nose. Can’t be put into words. Darker fruit but infintely complex. A total sensory overload with wonderful spice tying it all together. The palate is complex and intense. Terrific finish. Still quite young but absolutely a profound experience of the first order. Thanks Stephen.
With Epoisse and other cheeses…
1998 Hudelot-Noellat RSV - To me the nose reminds me of all the great RSVs from DRC I have smelled. Here the fruit is a little darker due to the ripe year. The balance on the palate and intensity are first rate. Fabulous finish. Thanks Jim!
2011 Hudelot-Noellat RSV (decanted 3 hrs)- The similarity is uncanny. This one is like DRC too! Very pure. More red fruited here. Very spicy and sexy. Fabulous finish. Maybe not yet the complex finish as the 1998 but this is the twin of that wine in many ways. Fabulous! Thanks Johnathan!
I loved these two wines. Even though the two winemakers were very different (Pierre Narwocki and Charles v. C) , there were so many similarities. They are so similar to the pure style of DRC. It reinforces my view that this is the best buy in RSV despite the rocket like increases in pricing.
At this point my buddy Fred wanted to open the following which was absolute delicious despite being consumed after those delicious burgundies.
1995 Angelus- Darker fruit and more body than the 1998. This is starting to completely shed the tannins and really taking off. Rich. Sexy. Delicious! Thank you Fred!
With dessert of pears and olive cake…
1996 d’Yquem- Golden. Already reaching the second stage. Less sweet and more complex and spicy. Caramel and golden fruit abound. DELICIOUS with the olive cake. A perfect match.
Robert’s home made sea salt caramels are my mignardaise of choice at the end. They are so good. I can’t end a dinner of his without them.
A wonderful night. Lots of tall tales and laughter. An amazing host who was most generous and I am glad to say my friend. Thanks Stephen.
Cheers!