Dinner at Farmhouse Cafe with the Weinbergs

WINE TALK
1

Alan and Denise Weinberg dropped down to San Diego yesterday, and we joined them for a late dinner at Farmhouse Cafe, a small French restaurant in the University Heights area of San Diego, with a farm-to-table approach. We enjoyed some nice starters, salads and soup with some Billiot champagne before settling in for entrees of pan-seared red snapper, fingerling potatoes “boulangere” style, green leek puree, beuree blanc bacon, carmelized onion and parsnip shaving; some beautifully airy and delicate wild mushroom raviolis with roasted leeks; and traditional coq a vin. As always, Alan came “loaded for bear.” With his surgeon’s hands and eyes, he also demonstrated deft work with the Durand. We started with the 1996 Robert Ampeau Meursault Charmes (Alan said that he intended to grab the 1993 Perrieres but we did not get cheated here). Upon opening, the wine gave off a big whiff of flint and smoke, but that subsided to show bright yellow fruits, citrus and hazelnut. On the palate, the strong acids made for a clean, taut and fresh wine that plumped up beautifully with my crabcake starter. My wife really falls for aged Meursault and she loved this. With our entrees we moved on to the 1947 Chateau de la Tour Clos de Vougeot. It was luxurious in every way - color, aroma, flavor, texture … The color was pale, of course, and the aromas were of softly spicy, pale red fruits and earth. On the palate, the fruit was of red plums and cranberry, kept amazingly fresh for a 63 year-old wine by still firm acids, and the texture super fine and delicate. Alan opened this when we arrived at the restaurant and decanted it just before we began to drink it. We enjoyed it for about an hour over our entrees and it never faded a bit. In recognition of Denise’s birthday next week, we finished with the 1959 G. Huet Vouvray Le Mont Moelleux. The aromas of dried pit fruit inflected with citrus leaped out of the glass. It makes that same impression on the palate, but is still as fresh as daisy, amazingly so for a 54 year-old wine. I can’t imagine a better evening than a late three-hour dinner like this with the Weinbergs. Many thanks, Alan and Denise. [cheers.gif]

2

great fun catching up w/the Steinleys–the cork in that 66 year old de la Tour wine crumbled and split horribly even w/the Durand–I was lucky to salvage it with none falling in the wine. From a heavily ullaged bottle (7-8 cm), we were rewarded with the real deal–a super wine at its absolute apogee–gentle pillowy texture carrying clean red fruits, tannins resolved, balance and acidity interplaying with the wine flavors–really a glorious Clos de Vougeot.

The Charmes was quite young in how it showed, but still drinking real well, opening up after an hour to show a steely minerally side of Charmes, probably showing more the 96 vintage, one of my absolute favorites (forgetting premox). These Ampeau late release wines are underpriced gems.

The Huet had us all saying “Hooray” and it was such a pretty orange-pink color, a more subtle dessert wine than a Sauternes or German TBA, but no less of a wine.

Billiot was a clean fresh champagne that deserved more attention than we paid it.

Backups did not need to be opened, as we went 4 for 4, amazing considering the age of a couple of these wines. Great to see Martin and Kathleen, especially over fine food and great wines.

3

Sounds like a great night - sorry we couldn’t make it. But at least Alan still has a bottle of the '93 Ampeau Meursault Perrieres left to open for us!

4

Indeed, and now Alan knows that his 47s are showing well, so he doesn’t need to wait any longer on those. We missed you and Cindy.

5

Sounds like a great night with good company & a nice bunch of wines!

6

It would be great to have you and your wife (and Jerry and Cindy) join us next time, and maybe we could continue the 47 theme with that bottle in your avatar. Do you have a lot of it?

7

Is going down to San Diego the only way to crack some burgs with alan nowadays? ;D

8

For that menu, I’d fly over from Florida!

9

Be careful if he tells you he has a pristine case of magnums he just bought at auction! newhere
Out of curiosity, did Alan drive down from LA to SD with a bottle of '47 burgundy and open it that same night? I’ve generally assumed that old bottles (burgs and barolo especially) with fine sediment wouldn’t show well in that situation, even if carefully held upright during car ride. Appreciate any insights from those with far more experience.
Thanks,
Peter

10

stood bottle up a week ago, drove that day with it seat-belted upright, carried to restaurant where cork was pulled 30 min before decanting and drinking. Sediment was not disturbed. For a wine under 30, I will often double decant–decant, clean bottle, return wine to bottle and vacuvin.

My efforts to drink w Mr. Fu have fallen through, but will someday happen!