Cook-Off Version III wines

WINE TALK
1

Crazy good wines to go with some awfully good dishes at Cook-Off III. This is where a bunch of guys get together and 5 of them cook while others do most of the judging. I will probably forget many wines as I write this but what I do recall for the reds we had:

’93 Meo Camuzet Clos de Vougeot - many loved this but I thought it might have seen some heat along the way. Bit dull and lacking verve. Stuffing is there though. Would love to try another bottle.

’80 Ponsot Clos de La Roche - meaty burgundy, very good.

’88 J. Roty Charmes-Chambertin (magnum) - tannic, bit hard through the mid-palate but still very decent burg.

’90 Chezeaux Griottes-Chambertin - weighty and deep, very concentrated and still showing quite young. Love the tar and smoke aromatics.

’92 Leroy Richebourg - only had a small pour of this but the silky texture and elegant flavors were formidable enough to give this the WOTN vote by quite a few.

’90 Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses - ok but didn’t distinguish itself.

’85 Chave - medium weight, prominent acidity, good on it’s own but better with the food.

’94 Pegau - classic Pegau with just a touch of brett that is drinking great right now.

’85 Prunotto Barbaresco Montestefano - gotta love the truffled nose. Medium-bodied wine with resolved tannins and in a great spot right now.

’95 Rayas Chateauneuf - remarkably young and packed. Great now and should be stupendous in a few years.

Hopefully Ray will jump in on champagnes and whatever I forgot.

2

Wow, that seems like quite the event. consider my name in the ring to be a judge next time :wink:

3

Paul missed some good wines too :smiley:

1985 Bruno Giacosa Barolo- Killer nose, super complex earthy notes with loads of maraschino cherry. The palate didn’t come together as nicely as the nose, but this wine is still very young.

1970 Trotanoy- Heat damaged, but not bad considering.

1989 Prieure Lichine- Not bad, but kind of lost in the fray. Pretty solid fruit.

1961 Fouton (aka, Mouton Baron Phillippe) - This was a shocker. Silky fruit, good weight. Not a bad little bottle of wine that was probably $1.50 on release.

1999 Niellon Chassagne Montrachet (I think this was the village wine)- Really good, fresh and crisp, with nice weight. Really clean.

1976 Lanson (out of mag)- This was good, but not my style. Rich and concentrated, not really complex enough for me.

1995 Dom Perignon Oenotheque- WOW, this stuff is rich and creamy. Very balanced though, and went nicely with Ray’s Tuna dish (btw, voted second best dish of the night)

1990 Legras Blanc de Blancs- I brought this, bad idea.

We also opened a D’Auvenay Auxey Duresses 1er Cru Blanc 1994, but that was shot.

Zach- This was the third one, and they have all gone over very well. Now that’s it more organized, they go a lot smoother.

4

Nice wines. Did Paul make his famous Kraft Macaroni and Fromage?

Seriously, if you guys need another judge, I’ll get the passport out and hike to NJ. And I’ll bring a nice bottle or 2 to boot.

5

I want the next on to coincide with my visit up there.

6

I can’t believe I forgot the Giacossa. The other reds were not memorable. The DP was as you described. And Ray brought two bottles of that!

Bill, when are you coming up? Probably won’t do another one until the Fall but there’s always another reason to open wine.

7

Bill,

Since I’m at these dinners, there are no mammals served.

8

Paul, if we make the trek, it would be Nov/Dec. Still trying to figure it out. Maybe even in Dec/Jan. All depends on Kristi’s schedule with work and such.

9

Ouch…never mind.

10

That’s how I roll. :wink:


11

A lot of good reds last night.

Was a bad showing for the '76 Lanson - while never profound, it’s usually solid. This mag seemed not as fresh as it should be considering it was disgorged only a few years ago.
Never heard of that plonk champagne that Ian foisted upon us :wink: . Won’t be searching out for it.
’95 DP Oeno was as Ian described but also had some smokiness to it that I love. Seems to add complexity and the creaminess plays off the smoke perfectly.

’80 Ponsot CdlR seemed to be ignored by many - so I had three glasses of it. Thought it was one of the better wines of the night. Great dark fruits, beefy, some dry leaves and autumnal notes as well. Long finish with good acidity.

Great food at this round - best so far. While I felt robbed coming in second place in Round 1, as good as I thought my dish was this time, it deserved not to win.

Great fun and a good start to a run of eight dinners over the next nine nights - some of which will be epic.

12

As I mentioned, bad idea. It was like drinking passable non-vintage.

That’s where all the Ponsot went! I loved it as well. Was hoping to see the progression, as it was a little tight when it was first pour, but opened up quickly. I thought it was the most complex of the Burgs of the night.

13

Ian,

I’m always glad to try champagnes that I’ve never had before. Regardless of how it showed, I’m glad you brought it.

14

yes, the ponsot was quite the stunner. It was my #2 wine of the night. It started out a little tight but over time it opened up showing great red fruits and amazing depth and kept going to the last drop. A great vintage for Ponsot.