TN- Champagnes & Burgundy at 11 Madison Park (Veuve Fourny, Pouillon, Fourrier)

WINE TALK
1

Last night I went to 11 Madison Park to celebrate a good friend’s birthday. As an aside, the food’s quality and presentation were outstanding, service was impeccable, everything came together in a fantastic manner. It’s been a while since I’ve been to 11 Mad, and it does seem like they’ve really stepped things up. It felt like they were really shooting for that 4th NY Times star.

We started the evening with a bottle of NV Veuve Fourny Rose Champagne at my place, with lovely flowery and berried perfumy aromas leading to a thick mouthfeel that was surprisingly crisp compared to the softness of the nose. The acidity kept the wine bright, and it really opened up as it sat in the glass, revealing a strawberry shortcake aspect that was really enticing. I visited this winery in January and remember really liking the Rose, and yep, I still like this, a lot.

Once at 11 Madison, we opted for a glass of NV Champagne Pouillon Brut Vigneron, which was a geekily-cool assemblage of 50% 2005 vintage and 50% of a Solera-style wine (1997-2006). While it was darker than you’d expect for a NV, it had the liveliness of youth with bright citrus and yeast notes leading to slightly oxydized aspects and a heavier mouthfeel. As it breathed, it became slightly smoky with honeyed apple notes and a long finish.

For the dinner, I brought along a 2006 Fourrier Morey-St-Denis Clos Solon Vieille Vigne. The BYO, BTW, is now $45. I opened this at home to make sure it wasn’t off, and was rewarded with bright cherries and lively freshness that made my knees weak. The color was a beautiful light red that glinted like jewels. Really pretty. We left it open on the table at the restaurant, and as time passed it became darker until it turned into a dark red wine. Cool. The nose became darker as well, going from bright light cherries to a more griotte aspect, with earthy and musky aspects coming out slowly but surely, with some gamey notes adding complexity. The wine was still bright and fresh, but the tannins began coming out after a few hours, though they were more fruity tannins than gripping tannins, and they melted away with the food. This is slightly more rustic than the 2006 Fourrier Gevrey Chambertin I had recently, but also more structured and complex. Gorgeous, a real beauty, we were swooning at every sip, the finish leaving us with a long, haunting memory of its beauty.
Cheers! [cheers.gif]

2

I’m a huge Fourny fan - LOVE the rose. The 2002 BdB is great, too. Must get more rose.

3

Their Zero Brut is amazing. It strips the enamel off your teeth but in a fun way. [wink.gif]

4

I’ve never even heard of the producer but I love that old-school label.

5

Mmm… love-love-love that rosé!

6

I was there in January with Nicos and Sharon Bowman (Random Ramblings on Food and Wine: A Day in Champagne" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), they had just been picked up by Kermit Lynch. Their Brut Nature (zero dosage) is unreal. I will be finishing the remains of the Rose later today while picnicking on my roofdeck in the sun.
Cheers! [cheers.gif]

7

Thanks for notes. Especially on the Pouillon, because that was wine whose name I didn’t know at Tuesday’s dinner, and now can edit post.

8

It’s really good isn’t it?

9

Actually, Kermit picked them up maybe 4-5 years ago. I agree completely with the estimation of the quality, and not just for the rosé.

10

Yes, I was actually surprised, as restaurant was just pouring as “until everyone is here” wine, I was quite pleasantly surprised

11

Sounds delish. I’m on the hunt for the Veuve Fourny now!!