Caviar/ dinner with fine wines incl 76` Philipponnat, 08` Roederer BdB, 16` Boillot Mouchere, 97` Williams Selyem Pinot+

I held a small grower tete du cuvee catered rooftop event a few weeks ago and served some righteous caviar for the first appetiuzer. There was 1 tin leftover so it was obvious, another event had to be planned to share this fine caviar and so it came to be.

We entertained 2 other couples on our rooftop for a fabulous summer evening dinner and a full moon rising with the sun setting simultaneously. Equally as magnificent as this was, our fellowship, food and wines were over the top as well.

Its my MO to greet any wine drinking guest with a glass of champagne and for this occasion I chose a perennial local favorite amongst many of my wine drinking friends:

NV BILLECART-SALMON BRUT ROSE- consistent with numerous other bottles in the last few months, this was another fine bottle; in the last couple of years, the house seems to have stepped up the fruit profile to a more expressive, fuller and richer style; red raspberry, strawberry and red cherry flavors abound; it so tasty and has enough pizzaz to please the most discerning of palates as it did on this night. WELCOME!

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1976 PHILIPPONNAT RESERVE SPECIAL CAVEAU du TRESOR- disgorged in November 2000; I felt very fortunate to have a legendary champagne brought by one of our dear guests and aside from the aging characteristics from oxidation, it had some redeeming qualities including nice marmalade, apricot and butterscotch notes as well as a creamy texture; both the color, a hazy yellow gold, and the aromas, ginger, caramel and toffee, supported oxidative influence, but there was a very nice underlying taste profile that allowed for this to be enjoyed and appreciated at age 43.

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Its time for caviar. In this case, its Black River Oscietra from Uruguay. In lieu of toast points with high quality softened unsalted butter as served for the champagne event, we used blinis and creme fraiche and opened the following champagne which paired perfectly. YUM!

2008 LOUIS ROEDERER BLANC de BLANC BRUT- this is outstanding bubbly and one from the 2008 that is living up to the hype of this highly regarded vintage early on; it had generous amounts of fresh citrus notes and a bit of saline and minerals in the nose, followed up on the palate by lemon, lime, kiwi, golden delicious apple and a hint of toasty brioche; the mouthful was fantastic with a huge creamy mousse and it seems to expand and crescendo onward leading into a grand climatic finish; this is truly fantastic now as is the 08` Brut Rose. Louis Roederer is knocking it out of the park these days at all levels. The caviar was really good too.

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NV CHARTOGNE-TAILLET CRIZEAUX BLANC de NOIR EXTRA BRUT- disgorged 6/18 at 4 gpl; 100% Pinot Noir sourced from the Orizeaux 55 acre site planted in 1961; this was very refreshing with a nice frothy mousse and bright acidity; citrus, apple and mild cherry notes are most evident in the taste profile; there’s a bit of saline and minerality as well; it had good body and weight and held on at the end to ensure its treasures.

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2016 DOMAINE HENRI BOILLOT CLOS de la MOUCHERE PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 1er Cru- this was really good initially giving nice mineral infused citrus fruit while being delivered in a medium bodied texture all the way to the back end; the flavors kept unfolding with apple, pear, lemon and lime coming in and out, but always some mineralality providing an accent; its very food friendly and has all of the stuffing to be enjoyed on its own.

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1997 WILLIAMS SELYEM COASTLANDS VINEYARD SONOMA PINOT NOIR- 15.2% abv.; high neck fill; I’ve long been a fan of this WS release over all of the vintages and especially 97`, this had delicious spicy red cherry served up in a medium body with a soft mouthfeel; its showing beautifully now and with enough structure to go at least for another few years. Burt would be proud.

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Great night and another reminder of how life is good.

Cheers,
Blake
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