Different Stuff: Chile, Burgundy, Washington, Minervois, Etc

Last night’s dinner, 31 March 2009, was at the fine dining section of Café Ysabel. The dinner featured a tasting of Dutch cheeses. A buffet table was set up, groaning under the weight wheels of Maasdammer, Chevrette (goat cheese), with assorted Goudas, Edams, some cheeses with mustard, some with herbs and some smoked.

Accompanying the cheeses were assorted nuts, grapes, dried apricots, dates, etc. My favorites were the sweetish, nutty maasdammer (excellent with some pistachios)and the one that I think had little dark seeds (cumin?) in it. The chevrette was also quite nice - semi-hard, mildly piquant and, with a slight creaminess that emerges mid-palate and towards the back of the mouth.

Everyone brought bottles to share, so many that trying to taste them all would have been too dangerous as I had to drive home that night. There were wines from all over: Chile, Burgundy, Washington, Alsace, Spain, etc.

With my cheeses, I had some 2007 Condado Laxas - My bottle. A blend of albariño, loureira and treixadura, this wine is supposed to be a traditional style of Galician white, moreso than the more well-known single grape albariños. I noted floral white grapefruit, straw, green apple, citrus and a touch of white minerality. Our host, Gene Gonzalez, one of the most established chefs/restaurateurs of the Philippines, noted a general floral character and nuances of peach-pits towards the rear and in the finish.

I continued with this white, and some 2007 Homenaje Rosado with the precisely executed, light and healthy first course of Harvest Minestrone with Carta Musica. I’ve before about this inexpensive, readily pleasing, crunchy red-fruited, grenache-based Navarra rosado, I need not say more.

2005 L’Ostal Cazes Minervois Estibals - A venture of Château Lynch Bages’ JM Cazes in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. Big wine, dense, viscous, broad, forward, very ripe, rich, concentrated, spicy, with a touch of roasted herbs/garrigue. Tasted somewhat similar to a (modern styled) Rhône blend to me - the pepper notes indicated the presence/dominance of syrah. Heavily extracted cherry and dark berries dominate with a hefty dose of dark spice and oak/wood as well. The herbs and underbrush notes are there, but virtually hidden behind the primary fruit.

In a conversation I had with JM Cazes a couple of years ago, even he said that this forward, powerful wine is meant to be served with food - hearty red meat dishes in particular. I drank the rest of my generous pour with the main course.

I also managed to snag some…

2001 Beronia Gran Reserva - Had this first, courtesy of Johnny R, at the 24th February 2009 Kokotxas Night at La Tienda. I’ve not had it since then because, though I tried to buy some, I mistakenly got the 2001 Beronia Reserva instead of the Gran Reserva (the bottles look almost identical). Though the Reserva is very nice in itself, the Gran Reserva is notably fuller and deeper in comparison. Then, as now, my notes are:

Youthful, but in stride and very enjoyable now. The nicely rounded dark fruit is subtly laced with tobacco, cedar and spice box. The topnotes are typical strawberry and red berry. A few shades over medium-bodied, the wood is judicious and in good harmony. Wonderful, a definite buy for me.

"I’ve only tried 2 vintages from this maker (both good Rioja vintages: 1996 and 2001) and I’m already a sucker for their style. A touch lower in acid than the '96 but nicer fruit and a more pronounced middle at this point, this is dangerously more immediately pleasing.

The deliciously juicy, red wine friendly main course of Pan fried Riblets with Goatcheese Potatoes & Green Peppercorn Demiglace was then served.

With my main course, I had, among others, a glass of my 2001 Domaine Daniel Rion Clos Vougeot, a nice, deeply-veined grand cru from Vougeot in Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits. I’ve written about this at least twice recently, so please just refer to my previous notes for this wine. The other two reds I had with the riblets were:

2001 Château Ste-Michelle Canoe Ridge Estate Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - Arnie’s bottle, from Washington. Forward, powerful, hot nose on this with pine needles, cedar, over mildly herbaceous dark berry and kirsch aromas. The heat on the nose made me expect a big, ponderous, densely heavy-handed, blowsy Napa-esque cab as I sipped it.

Surprisingly, however, though there was definite heat, the wine was quite light-footed on the palate, unlike what the nose suggested. Not at all cumbersome, dense or heavy-handed (like many of its Californian cousins), there was a pleasant, gliding mouth-feel to the fresh dark berries, cassis, dark red cherry, cedar with nuances of orange peel and pine needles. Arnie and, I think, Gene, said they smelled blueberries as well.

I’d like to try this again in around 3-5 years’ time to see how/if it smoothens out more.

2002 Miguel Torres Conde de Superunda - Given my negligible experience with Chilean wines, I couldn’t quite get a handle on this as the combination of flavors confused me. It seemed like a modern-styled, stylish, cabernet sauvignon, but materially leaner and tauter in body and with apparent, cab-sauv-uncharacteristic strawberry topnotes and pepper nuances. There was material dark cherry in the mix with undertones of dark chocolate, leather and dark spice. The fruit seemed very deeply-veined, possibly indicating older than usual vines.

There was a good deal of moderately toasty oak as well, but quite well-integrated. Probably sensing my confusion, Gene told me that this was an unusual mix of cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo, carménère and monastrell.

Dessert, then, was served - a deliciously indulgent Trio of Sorbets with Warm Flourless Chocolate Cake.

We, then, started winding down the evening with J-Lab’s bottle of…

The BenRiach 15 Years Aged Madeira Single Malt Whisky - I hardly ever drink anything alcoholic except wine. I used to have cognac once in a while, usually very late at night, but stopped many years ago. Needless to state, I have very little experience with single malts, though , in my late teens until my mid-20s I used to drink the ubiquitous Johnny Black and Chivas Regal every so often. The only single malts I remember having tried previously are some from Glenfiddich, Laphroaig and, from my dad, assorted old Macallans.

That said, this was probably the most ethereal single malt whisky I have ever had - both in the nose and in the mouth. The aromas are incredibly difficult for me to describe as I lack the vocabulary therefor; but, I will try.

Pure, refined, gossamer scents of fresh fallen rain in Baguio, new pine wood, pine needles, anise seed, nuance of sweet Spanish cedar over yellow watermelon. Strange? Those are what came to my mind. On the palate, it was incredibly graceful, dancing on the palate with ethereal, pure, fleetingly sweetish woody/cocoa tinged whisky feet. Absolutely beautiful. Its finish was both definite and ghostly haunting…I guess one had to have been there to decipher that.

My wife, who almost never drinks any spirits at all liked this quite a lot.

Wonderful night, seeing old friends, reconnecting with long-lost ones, meeting new ones, all in a fine wine and dining setting. Good fun.

Noel, your disclaimer notwithstanding, seems to me you did a pretty fair job of describing the experience.

Another enjoyable set of notes - thanks for sharing.

Tanks, Steve, I did try. My pleasure, hope you’re having a good time in Lima.

Best,

N