Coming off Don’s recent trip up north to see us, my buddy Dave He and I decided we did want to make a quick weekend jaunt down to Atlanta, him to meet everyone and me to reacquaint myself with so many friends.
I think this has to be my dinner of the year. Fantastic group to get together with, great company, amazing food and so much wine! I will kindly ask Don to provide full menu details—chef Greg is a demigod!
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Don & Pam Cornutt
Louis—welcome from France!
John Liotta
Bob Fleming
Alan Gottlieb
Michael Bowden
Chas Johnston
Trip Johnston
David He
Ken Katz
Nick Christie—welcome from North Carolina
Yon amazed witnesser of events
Joel Knox
Matt Richardson
2000 Peacemaker Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
Real herbal-sage & thyme-and beetroot seem to be there with blackberry and some fennel. Also slight funk. Le gout is very meaty and tomato sauce combo that is quite intriguing. Plenty of currant fruit and maybe peach skin at back? Not especially deep, but lively
We had a number of champagnes and the others are welcome to comment, one had a quite interesting apple and wheat beer combination.
1974 Vega Sicilia Unico Reserva
I cheated and had this out of order, just to “test it out” with Chas and Trip. Devastatingly pure coffee grounds. It is something to sniff. Lithe and all silk on the tongue, flavours of cocoa, cranberry and espresso bean. Delicious and fantastic. Much later in the evening, more chocolate chip bubbles up on bouquet. It becomes leaner and somewhat attenuated, but grand, grand wine.
Next we blinded 4 chardonnays. I love being humbled by blind. We knew we had a Chevalier Montrachet, a 2005 Littorai Mays Canyon, a 2007 Rhys and another French chard.
1st, slightly oxidized with the baked apple & sherry. It’s nevertheless juicy, with honeydew and more apple. Always hard with oxidized, but tentatively guessed the “other chardonnay”. Nope, 1999 Jean Chartron Chevalier Montrachet . For me, this was missing so much of what makes Chevy—the gunsmoke/lit sparkler bouquet, the energy, spine and nervosite on palate, etc.
2nd, matchstick and that lit sparkler, but also ginger ale. In the mouth, fantastic vibrancy and acidity, lots of lemon and white pepper. Really wakes up the tastebuds. This must be the Chevy! Nope. 2007 Rhys Alpine Vineyard Chardonnay. My first try of a Rhys chard and this is quite unique, I must say. It does sacrifice fruit for that “vibrancy” later, but it is young yet and I do love it.
3rd, some ginger, some apple, some sweet herbs. Gentle yet insistent oak and also vanilla-tinged lime. Somewhat lean and with even some coriander/cilantro backtaste. Slight Jamaican ginger ale and a little tickly at the back. The Littorai? No, the 1999 Lalou Bize-Leroy Puligny Montrachet En La Richarde.
4th mix of some matchstick, hazelnut, unripe pear. Later, fruit comes right through with smooth and pure pear and pineapple. For balance, my favourite of the night. This does end up being 2005 Littorai Mays Canyon Chardonnay.
Added white was generously provided by Joel, 1995 Bouchard Chevalier Montrachet, mix of apple, lime and nuts, a tick of oxidation but it fit in better here. Not much at front end of palate, but floral, lime and pear fill in the back end. It is good and interesting.
2003 Arcadian Starline Vineyard Syrah “Robert E. Fleming Cuvee”
Lovely to see this, the “hommage a Bob”. 14.5%, smells closer to 15, but full and rich blueberry, meats, black cherry and sugared plum—yum. It is a little sharp, but with lots of replays dans la bouche, the sweet meats are more to the fore and a neat oily feel with snatch of peat at the back end. Very good.
2002 Rafanelli Zinfandel
Blueberry and great brambly grilled herbs even a touch of chipotle. Aahh. To taste, smooth, deep, wonderful. Wonderful feel and great balance between sweet plum, blackcurrant and spices. Bob mentions this is the one producer he will let age and it shows, just in a great place. Probably in my top 5.
2006 Pali Bestor Select Pinot Noir
Only one barrel of this was made, which I bought “at auction” at Frank Murray’s FallTacular a couple years ago. Dusting of cinnamon & Asian spices, cherry, berry and plum. Rich, round and delicious with plenty of fruit and nice carry. Lots of approving murmurs from the table for a very well-made pinot.
1999 Hudellot-Noellat Chambolle Musigny Les Charmes
Ok, so I love Chambolle. So kill me. Nose of chestnuts, horsey a bit, very sexy, spiced strawberry nose and a LOVELY secondary of perfume. Le gout is very expressive, very complete, nip of chickoree and slight, slight leaf smoke but mostly delectable sweet currant. This is an absolute darling and, I think, my WOTN.
2002 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne Romanee Aux Reignots
Oooh, chestnut and sous-bois mystery with red and black fruit flickering in and out—strawberry liqueur and florals. Best aromatics, for sure. To taste, it’s a little early, still not grown into itself. Great promise and thrust though, with raspberry, currant and nuance of rosemary secondary. Many called this their WOTN and it is high on my list.
1998 Lafon Volnay Les Champans
mmm—another nice one to sniff, toasted fruits, lots of sugared plum and black cherry. In the mouth, a fine 98, smooth with plenty of small berry and nutmeg, still a nice chewiness at the end.
2002 Hudellot-Noellat Romanee St. Vivant
Grrr—just a little corked! Not the cardboard, but it very much wasn’t what it should have been, hard to detect much beyond weak red fruit.
1999 Comte de Vogue Bonnes Mares
GRRRR—CORKED!!
1997 Tignanello
This, too, may have been very lightly corked, because it was also really muted. Some sense of leather and currant maybe, but didn’t leave any impression.
1999 Sesti Brunello di Montalcino
Has some spunk to it, some bright berry and red licorice. Bit of tomato too—brings me into a bistro. Flavours are gentle and sweet, if one-dimensional, surface of sweet raspberries and leather.
2001 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino
Young in bouquet, very serious with some cloves, certainly some leather and even a jolt of petrol just at the back of the nose. Palate is young, in 5 years this will be much better and great in 10. Just stretching its legs with black licorice, blackberry, blueberry and spice. Tons and tons of potential.
2001 Nardo
A Tuscan blend, mostly sangiovese with some cab and some other montepulciano grapes. Very of itself, I’d say, bitter chocolate, some oak and some blackberry waft up from the glass. Very pure expression on the tongue too, quite forthright. Not exceptional, but good wine with aromatic replays and some carry.
2004 Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Les Champs Canets
Perfect mix of sour cream, lemon and minerals and a bit of smoke and anise too, the best of the burg whites tonight. Maybe a little short on palate at front, but admirable follow-through on the aromatics. The anise is a little more pronounced. While it’s somewhat disjointed, there are good elements with a dash of poire William.
1998 Chateau Trotanoy
A tale of two experiences. An impulse open from Don. Tantalizing and dreamy sweet cured tabac, meats, sweet currants and basil assault your schnozz. The palate is another matter—sort of young tasting and kinda out of sorts. Lots of herbs and some peppered black cherry, but they don’t fuse together…yet, anyway.
1989 Chateau D’Yquem
Butter……pecan….do you need anything else to scent? No, probably not. Wildly pure on that stuff. A fine, fine weight dans la bouche, real pecan character. Not the most complex, but very “thorough” in what it presents, if that makes any sense.
2005 Chateau Climens
And yet, this adds something…something magic that I love and look for in Sauternes/Barsac. Less on the nose of the D’Yquem, but delicate-crystal thoughts of pineapple, little coconut, sweet lime and light flowered honey are all there. And it’s so good, so impeccably ballerina-balanced. Dusts of lemondrop and lime drop around light pear and apricot and date. Over everyting, the lift of gorgeous, measured acidity. I do like it better than the D’Yquem. I do!
a TRULY memorable evening.
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Best still, I was able to scrounge up a commemorative T-shirt for Don. ![[basic-smile.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/83717c74df9b0ce202453063bc4f11baf0ee6b8a.gif "smile"){kind=small}