Dinner & Burgs w/ Alan Weinberg

As urologists & fellow Burg fans, Alan & I have become virtual friends over the past several years, but haven’t ever actually met. I was in LA last weekend & Alan generously invited me to dinner at his house for dinner on Friday night. He invited two other fellow wine lovers, Kyle & Tristan as well. All the wines were generously provided by Alan & he did all the cooking- Flannery rib cap, Wagyu New Yorks & ribeyes from a small midwest producer (Majinola Meats), cauliflower w/ truffle oil, roasted brussels sprouts & duck fat potatoes, followed by cheeses & tarte Tatin. The food was fantastic as were the wines… Nobody took notes, so I’m mostly making this up

I was more than a bit late thanks to a rental car snafu. To say I was annoyed would be an understatement. Thankfully, the first wine, which had been open for an hour or so helped improve my humor.


1982 Krug: hazelnuts, toast, baked apples. great acid. Life is rapidly getting better.


1995 Ramonet Batard-Montrachet: No pre-mox here. Great acid. A slight mintiness perhaps… Very pure, great freshness.


2002 Bouchard Chevalier-Montrachet “La Cabotte”: Great richness & minerality. Huge fruit, but balanced by the acidity. Serious Chardonnay.


1988 Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux: Wow. Very floral nose. Crazy aromatics. Bright fruit, bracing acidity. Resolved tannins. Absolutely lovely. Very precise & pure. This is why I love red Burgundy. Gotta be the wine of the night, yeah?


1990 Roumier Chambolle-Musigny les Amoureuses: Very fresh red fruits. Non of the over-ripe notes that I associate w/ the vintage. Amazing depth & complexity. Very fine-grained tannins. Still very young, but so compelling right now. Can’t pick a favorite between this & the Jayer. Both are amazing.


1996 Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfernberg Riesling TBA: Intense, ripe fruit. Honey. Big fat ripe fruit, brown sugar, all balanced by oodles of acid. Tough to try & describe. Amazing.


Alan obviously has a great cellar & a great palate, but what can I say about his generosity? We had a great time, laughed a lot & thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Fun times! Now I just need to find an excuse to get back to Orange County to do it again!!

Remind me to invite myself to Alan’s next time I’m in Southern California.

Yeah, Alan have I ever told you how handsome you are?

Todd: I know of one other urologist who would have enjoyed the party.
best,

Doug

Wish you coulda been there Doug. Good times. You would have loved it.

I live in Southern California. and cant get a invite. Of course, I doubt I have wines in the same league as what Alan opens as an every day drinker, let alone for a wine dinner.

You guys are drinking well!!

Wow…y’all did quite well!

+1

Sounds like an incredible dinner! Very nice…

If I can get my act together sooner than later I will host a dinner similar to this and you will be one of my guests for sure!

And then we play poker and drink Champagne.

I’ll be his date.

+1

Will pee in a cup for exceptional wine.

Sweet Jesu, that was one hell of a line-up! Awesome Burgs bracketed by Krug & Weil - hard to top that! I will join the crowd and say I am envious of your good fortune, Todd.

Good job gentlemen! Those Burgs sound lovely and the dinner too.

+2

Love Bouchard Chevalier. Great stuff. I tend to like the regular cuvee, but sounds like the La Cabotte was in check. Great to hear.
Awesome notes. Weil makes silly dessert wines. Any of that funky yeasty smell??

That’s how I roll…

i think you’d actually have to bring a burgundy opposed to a california pinot that you think is restrained

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