FRIDAY AT THE DUCK HOUSE - Duck House, Montery Park, CA (1/30/2009)
Charlie Fu hit some of us up for a short notice evening of Peking Duck at a new restaurant in Monterey Park. We let him do all the ordering which worked out great. Besides the 3 Ducks we ate there was also some fantastic 3 spice chicken and some fresh water eel very reminiscent of sushi among many dishes.
Our wines were all over the map. One of the high lights was the 1995 ZH Gewurz Lisa brought that proved to be an excellent pairing for the mountains of Peking Duck we ate. Kriss’ Wolff Vineyards Italian variety wine was a surprise hit. I think the food may have over powered it a bit but it would be a terrific meal companion in most cases.
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2004 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Pfalz
Tingley feel on the finish but not heat. Pretty fat and sweet for a Kabinett especially considering the vintage. I would leave this alone another few years. -
2004 Château Soucherie - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur
Great complex nose with a touch of stoniness. Mouth strippingly dry this could use some more fruit expression but I enjoyed it for its cleanness and acids. -
1995 Zind-Humbrecht Gewürztraminer Goldert - France, Alsace, Gueberschwihr, Alsace Grand Cru AOC
Ginger spice nose. Nice honey notes among a nicely balanced palate. Was a great pairing with the Peking Duck. I love how ZH gets nice Gewurz expression without the sweetness and fatness found in so many others and they seem best over 10 years old. Excellent. -
N.V. Rotari Brut - Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige
Palate was bright but ultimately non-descript. Not sure how they pulled that trick off. -
2006 Kutch Pinot Noir Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Smells of tropical coconut sun tan lotion to start. Almost like a dill character but maybe that is my head linking the over whelming sweet coconut aromas with new American oak. Heat comes out in the glass also. Thick palate with a touch of sweet cherry peaking out underneath the oak blanket. Maybe a bit closed but where can this go? -
2003 Wolff Vineyards Teroldego - USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley
Terrific nose like a aged Italian wine at peak. Touch of heat. Acidic balanced palate with some licorice. Definitely a wine for food and an impressive wine for the style from California. Very nice. -
2005 Bruno Colin Santenay Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Santenay
Though the nose is tight is carries nice complexity with swirling. On the rustic side with some herbs and cinnamon as well as a touch of brett. Palate is less forgiving at this point being very dry and grippy but there is some concentration of fruit. Potential for a good wine but needs a couple more years to open a bit or plenty of air. -
2005 Quinta do Vallado Touriga Nacional Douro - Portugal, Douro
Vanilla oak dominates the nose and the palate is plenty tannic. Brief impression is that this needs plenty of time but the oak is worrisome. -
2001 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Ripe juicy nose with notes of burnt brush and a touch of heat. Well balanced palate with a strong tannic finish. Seemed tight initially and would have liked to have spent more time with this one. -
2005 Jaffurs Syrah Upslope - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
Ripe nose with some nail polish. Huge fruit on the palate. My 2nd go around with this and I can’t get over the VA though this bottle is evidently very popular. -
2004 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Decanted about 3 hours prior to dinner. Juicy nose of pomegranates and cherries. Juicy and light feeling yet bigger fruited than my last go around with this. A far cry from the transforming complex bottle and closer to an average non-descript Cali Pinot. Took the rest home.
On day 2 finish seems a bit volatile.
On day 3 it’s still very much alive with some forest floor Sonoma notes coming out. Still biggish and a bit rough on the finish. Maybe its that weird phase I’ve heard about with these?
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