DINNER AT BIBOU - BYOB IN PHILADELPHIA - 1009 South 8th Street (6/5/2009)
Bibou is a new French BYO in Philadelphia by the former executive chef at Le Bec Fin. The meal was outstanding. We all had the 7 course tasting menu. The first course was a rabbit pate with a brown mustard. The second course was my favorite – a scallop dish with watermelon. That was followed by foie gras with raspberries and gingerbread. Next was a Mahi Mahi perfectly cooked over carmelized shallots. Chanterelle mushrooms in a cream sauce with herbs was next. The main course was an outstanding NY Strip in a red wine reduction sauce. The blueberry pie for dessert was out of this world. All in all, there was not a bad course in the bunch. The wines paired beautifully with the food. If you are ever in Philadelphia and need a great BYO, this should be on your list. As homestyle French cooking goes, it does not get much better!
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2005 Ratzenberger Steeger St. Jost Riesling Trocken Großes Gewächs - Germany, Mittelrhein
Good acidity. Deeper yellow color. I was struck by the heft of this, as most Ratzenbergers I’ve had tend to be light and crisp. This had the crispness, but also some vanilla and a touch of sweet brown sugar. A zing of citrus on the palate with good spice and a nice clean crisp finish. Very good VDP dry Riesling at around $35. (91 pts.)
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2006 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Tremendous. Probably the WOTN. If you own 06 White Burgundy, do not hesitate to open them now. While they will surely get better with some bottle age, this is the second 06 1er Cru that I’ve had in a week and both were fresh and delicious. Pale color. Brown sugar, a touch of vanilla and tropical fruit (banana?) on the nose. Green and red apple dominated the palate. It was like biting into a perfectly crisp and ripe Red Delicious. Brown sugar and vanilla blended perfectly. A touch lacking in complexity and maybe the finish could have been better, but this was really delightful and was a perfect Meursault. (94 pts.)
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2001 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
I was surprised at how well this was drinking tonight. Bright and fresh nose. Grass, minerals, red fruit, damp earth and graphite. This is contrast to some of the bigger and more powerful Pontet Canets. This has a young bright and fresh profile. Not particularly rich or complex on the palate, which is not to say that this is not a very good wine – it is. But it was very different from some other vintages that I have tasted recently. Palate featured black fruit, currant, some earth tones. Decent complexity. Sweet tannins leading to a very nice medium to long finish. This is drinking very well right now. We’ll have to wait and see how the other bottles will age. (93 pts.)
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2006 Château de Saint-Cosme Gigondas Hominis Fides - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas
Concentrated dark purple color. Bacon, saline, blood, smoke and some black fruit on a very expressive nose. Tannic. This definitely could use more time. Good stuffing. Red and black fruit. Rustic, in a way. The tannis are pretty dominant at times, but this is a very good wine with great black fruit on the palate and good long, albeit tannic finish. I would sit this down for at least 5 years but it should age well for a very long time. (91 pts.)
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2005 Château Guiraud - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
From 375. A bit of petrol blew off. Nice yellow color. Good brown sugar, tropical fruits and concentrated sweetness on the nose. Could use a touch more acidity. Very smooth and nicely balanced with good weight. This should develop some nice secondary notes with age but I’m having a hard time figuring out how long this can go because it lacks some acidity now. Good viscous coating finish. Definite room for improvement – the question is whether it will happen. (89 pts.)
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