Rousseau Dinner with Izzy in Atlanta

Izzy is in town so we decided to do an all Rousseau dinner at Park 75 since he wanted to bring a couple of nice bottles. (Great to see Izzy too.)

Chef Sydney and “The Legend” set up the food. It was first rate in every way.

Rousseau is one of my very favorite producers and it is rare you get to sample more than one at a sitting. Thanks to everyone for their generosity.


1st
Paddlefish Caviar, Smokes Salmon Mousse, Crème Fraiche, Chive Vinaigrette, Roasted Shallot Potato Cake

1996 Dom Perignon Rose en Magnum

Young and gorgeous. The nose is elegant red berries. Wrapped in a slight earthy element that caused some interesting discussion. Really slightly herbal in a very good way. The palate is crisp and clean. The finish goes on forever. This is an EXTRAORDINARY Rose. A generous contribution by John. With the dish, this was magic.


2nd
Homemade Bacon Wrapped Rabbit Saddle, English Pea Puree, Sweet Corn Sabayon, Guanciale


NB… all the 88’s took about 45 minutes to really put on the jets. Fabulous stuff.

1988 Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers

This has a really earthy older Gevrey nose. Gorgeous darker fruit. Elegant more than powerful. The palate is all about complexity now. It bursts on the finish with darker fruit coated in an earthy cloak. Fantastic!

1988 Rousseau Ruchottes Chambertin Clos de la Ruchottes

This one has a little more density. It takes some coaxing from the glass on the nose. When fully on, this wine has dark fruit and earthy notes not unlike the Cazetiers but with more power. The finish is a little short now. Still very enjoyable.

1988 Rousseau Clos de la Roche

After 45 minutes, this one took off. Earthy mix of dark red fruit. More volume here in the mouth than the first two. Complex finish that shows a little herbal note. Fabulous.

1990 Rousseau Clos de la Roche

Dark fruit dominated and flowing from the glass from the beginning. This wine has so much power on the nose and palate. Rich dark red fruit with some deeply packed in earthy notes. The finish just goes on. Extraordinary.



3rd
Roasted Duck Breast, Quince Glazed Veal Sweetbreads, Toasted Brioche, Red Wine Sauce


1990 Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques

Wow! Vibrant dark fruit and earthy notes that waft from the glass. There is such a mix of power and elegance here. Hard to describe. Focused on the palate with extraordinary length. Profound.

1993 Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St Jacques

Here there is more restraint but the same vibrant dark fruit and earthy mix. Sexy. Again the power and restraint mixture here is mindboggling. More structure on the back end here. Profound.

These are two stunning wines.


4th
5 Hr Braised Grass-fed Wild Boar Shoulder, Mascarpone Polenta, Roasted Kale


1991 Rousseau Chambertin

Le Roi! This one is SO powerful on the nose. Dark focused fruit that just oozes from the glass in a regal way. The palate has incredible balance and volume. A finish that goes on to infinity. Profound. An experience not easily put into words.

1993 Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin

Sexy redder fruit on the nose. Earthy. Elegant. The palate is resolving here. There is a silky texture that just slays you. Long finish. Extraordinary.

2001 Rousseau Chambertin

Young and showing the vanilla notes of the elevage in 100% new oak on the nose and palate. There is extraordinary power and length to this wine. Young and will be profound with time.



5th
Roasted Lamb Medallion, Giagante Bean Puree, Roasted Scallion, Smoke Zucchini Pinwheel, Mint


1988 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze

La Reine! This one is so elegant. It comes out of the glass in waves of sensuous darker fruit. The palate is still showing just a little structure. The length is incredible. Profound.

1993 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze

More power here but extremely elegant. This is almost perfect Beze to me. Elegant darker fruit. A spine of minerality that makes the wine dance. A finish that goes on and on. Profound. An incredible example of a Beze just hitting that long drinking plateau.

2001 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze (blind)

This one has elegance and darker fruit on the nose. Not one note of elevage. An intense mineral spine here but so much power on the finish. I guessed 1996 Rousseau Clos St Jacques. This Beze is drinking great in a very young way. Thanks John. What a wine.



6th
Gingered Peach Upside Down Cake


1983 d’Yquem

Light golden color. Beautiful nose. Apricots and peaches. The less unctuous side of Yquem. A great treat

2004 Leflaive Batard-Montrachet

Drinking very well. A dense fruited wine with tons of backend complexity. Beautiful acidic spine that makes it dance a little. Again an incredible treat. Thanks Izzy for these beauties.



Thanks to everyone for their generosity. Thanks especially to Michael Bowden “The Legend” for making this happen in such a seamless fashion.

Great wines. Thanks for the notes Don

Wow what a group of wines and a strong menu as well Great notes

This was a really special evening.
Beautiful wines and food.
Great notes, Don.

Damn it, Rousseau!
The '90 Clos de La Roche, '93 Charmes, '88 Cazetieres and '88 Beze were stunning.
The '91 Chambertin and '90 Clos St Jacques were profound…As Don said, almost defying description.
And the '96 Dom Rose starter…wow, thanks John.
Really, almost any one wine last night would be the pinnacle of an evening in any lineup.

Thanks to all who attended for the generosity.
Nice to meet Izzy.
Special thanks to Bowden for organizing flights and menu.

Thanks, Don. Great notes. We drank the 93 Beze blind recently at a Chevalier dinner here. Most people thought it good, but I think “profound” was rare throughout the room. Most were disappointed and both astounded to see the reveal and the current price!

I thought it was a fantastic night and a lot of fun. I’ll try to get some proper thoughts on the wines up later . . .

Wow, what a night. Thanks for the notes.

I shoulda gone to Atlanta…


Sounds like a great night! Thanks fot the vicarious thrill Don. As usual, your notes are great reading.

Great notes, I agree with two of you that the 1991 is pretty epic.

great set of wines. thanks for the notes.

cheers,

big +1

Thanks Don,

Some seriously good wines there…and I love the '96 Dom Rose, spectacular!!

sounds amazing. I remember some of these older Rousseau CdlR, Mazis and Charmes bottlings from 88 and 90, all about $30/bottle. CSJ was more expensive and 90 Chambertin and Beze were $100/b. Easy to find back then with plenty of time to bring a bottle home, drink and make a decision, then go back for more. Ahhh, the good old days . . .
alan

Sounds like a lot of fun and some great wines. Great company too. Bowden is now “The Legend”? Congrats Michael, that’s a rarefied group that get nicknames like that!

Great notes Don. The Atlanta crew is drinking well indeed! Agree with your assessment of the 93 CSJ. In a Rousseau dinner last year hosted by Jim Anderson, the 93 and 88 were both stellar, however it was the 91 Beze that stole the show! I love them, but unfortunately they’re out of my league these days.

Joe. He got a big page spread in the June Atlanta Magazine. I don’t have a subscription so I have to wait a little to get him to sign it. Rowdy nicknamed him “The Legend” because he seems to be always drinking top end wines. [cheers.gif]

Great to hear about the 96 Dom. I picked up a 6 pack earlier this year.

MK I wonder if the 93 you had was correct ? Sounds likes an outlier.

Yup - multiple bottles opened, all owned since release by the STL Chevaliers. Nobody was blown away - and the reactions seemed to “perk up” after the reveal. While we’re at it, 97 Ponsot CdlR was panned by everyone, again blind.

The Legend.

To know him is to love him.

Drool…sounds like a fun night.