TN's: Fantastic Four at Ciano

WINE TALK
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A couple of nights ago, both my plans and the Chairman’s were rearranged so we decided at the last minute get together at Ciano for a few bottles with dinner. I acquiesced to the Chairman’s request to dine at 6pm - maybe he is prepping me for what my dinners will be like in thirty years when I retire to Florida and get the “All you can eat early bird buffet”. I arrived a few minutes early and shortly thereafter I saw the Chairman walk through the door - a redweld under one arm, a couple of bottles under the other.
Some new faces at Ciano, including a number of old familiar faces from Cru. I have eaten at Ciano a number of times since they have opened, and Shea Gallante has clearly hit his stride over the past couple of months. Excellent overall service with John Slover’s wine service as professional as it gets. We let the kitchen cook for us (with my proviso of no mammals and no uni) and several dishes were outstanding especially the live scallop sashimi with black truffles and the baratta filled ravioli with sweet pea puree. We also had four bottles that all showed great.

’76 Dom Perignon - hard to tell if this was slightly darker than it should be or if the lighting in the restaurant made it looked as such. Based on the aromas, flavors and vibrant effervescence, I am guessing it was the latter. Over the past couple of years, '76 DP has made its evolution from a secondary to a tertiary stage. Classic DP coffee and chocolate, with a touch of nuttiness and some vanilla. Was excellent upon opening and stayed in a great place over the course of three hours. Still round, but not really a creamy texture to it. This surely drinks great for the next 15+ years. Staggering

’96 Leflaive Batard Montrachet - the Chairman served this to me blind. however, once I saw it was a white wine in the decanter, I assumed Leflaive, Nielllon or Ramonet based on some profiling. Didn’t get any Ramonet aromas, and it seemed to have the richness of Leflaive, so I went with that. However, I thought it to be younger, and even though it was big and rich, without being fat, I still said Chevalier for some reason. Maybe too much profiling. I am not a huge consumer of white Burgs, but this was flat out great and for my preferences at the perfect place for drinking with still a touch of youthful verve to it while having developed some nuance. Staggering minus

’76 Rousseau Clos St Jacques - this bottle was probably as good of an example of this wine could be. Served blind the Chairman thought it to be much younger than it was, which was understandable considering the shape it was in and some of the tannic structure evident of the vintage. However, I did think the color, a bright cherry red with the opaqueness gone, was a bit of a hint to its true age. Perfectly clean pure cherry fruit on the palate to match its color, with a ripeness and elegance that belies the vintage. Still finishes firm, but not harsh. Unfortunately, another “last bottle” from my cellar which seems to be an all too frequent occurrence these days. Staggering plus

’90 Dujac Clos St Denis - also served blind I was relatively sure this was Leroy based on the intense aromatics and concentrated dense fruit. Seem obvious. Well, obviously wrong. Over time, this did become much less flamboyant and more “classic” red Burgundy. Approachable and perfectly delicious now, but obviously no rush to drink it up. Staggering

Great food and service, plus going four for four with the wines, all on top of the Chairman’s sage words made for a great evening.

PS- Ciano corkage fees have recently changed and they are now a not insignificant $50 for the first bottle and $75 a bottle thereafter

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The Dujac CSD 90 is a most magnificent wine.

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Damn, Ray, you got me vicariously excited for a moment, as I thought the title referred to you having dinner with Jessica Alba flirtysmile .

The wines did seem nice, though [wink.gif]

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Thanks Ray,

Great drinking as usual…good to see a white burg in the mix too…

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I will allow that given a choice, Ray would never choose to dine at 6pm. Truth be told, 6:30 is more his style. As for the alleged “redweld”, I prefer “portfolio”.

As for the wines–the sheer consistency of superb performance was what really distinguished the evening. The 76 DP was absolutely delicious. The 96 Leflaive Batard was an excellent bottle, showing young and, in that regard, justifying KA’s guess at a 99 (though its evident richness and breadth offered no comparable excuse for the Chevalier screwup!) The 90 Clos St Denis was just a beautiful example of grand cru Burgundy in its window, powerful and penetrating on the nose, velvet midweight elegance on the palate, and yet another example of the remarkable performance of Dujac in that frequently maligned vintage. The Clos la Roche is great; the Bonnes Mares is great; the Clos St Denis is great.

Yet for me the highpoint of the evening was, without question, the moment John handed me Ray’s blind red, and I put my nose in the glass. I should say my nose approached the glass, because I was still some distance away when I was assailed by the outrageously explosive aromas of the 76 Rousseau Clos St Jacques! My goodness. Such candied, exotic, RIDICULOUS aromas that are, for me at least, the Burgundy grail I’m always chasing. I immediately associated it with my memory of one of my epiphany Burgundy experiences some 25 years ago when I first tasted–more importantly, smelled–the 79 Ponsot Clos de la Roche VV. (Later John allowed that my first impression, one village over and a few years off, wasn’t bad!) As is so often the case, the palate–though very good–could hardly compete with the nose, and on the whole I’d agree with Ray’s bottom line assessment. The tannins also masked the wine’s age, and finally I suggested the wine couldn’t be older than an 85. Only in retrospect, when revealed, did the vintage characteristics make sense of my impressions (and isn’t that all too frequently the case!)

All in a great nite, as the food and company complemented these great wines perfectly. And Bob, as Ray’s friend I am appalled by your not so subtle suggestion that I might have preferred the companionship of Jessica Alba. I was taught long ago that looks are not everything!

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Looks? Looks?? Who said anything about looks? I was referring, of course, to her vivacious personality [cheers.gif] .

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As is so often the case, the palate–though very good–could hardly compete with the nose,<<<<<<<

I loved this descriptive, Carl, as I often have the same feeling when I drink an older Burg. From memory, wines like the '72 De Vogue Musigny (or the '68 Taurasi Riserva, for that matter) are so inexplicably perfect on the nose that it’s almost mandatory that the wine’s palate presence gets overshadowed a bit.

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Very nice,Carl.
Rousseau continues to be probably the most enticing Burgundy for my tastes…and so many of his CSJ’s have this " candied, exotic, RIDICULOUS aroma" that defies diminuition over the years…much like:

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It’s all getting a little too clubby in Manhattan. Will stir pot this week. Of course the Chairman had the portfolio with him, what if he needed the launch codes?

Really nice wines except of course the Leflaive. KA has a weakness sometimes, but he is also polite so his notes can’t be trusted on such wines.

Love the 90 Dujac CSD. Had to listen to a lot of smack about the Dujac BM being the best wine etc. at Bazaar last year, but the CDLR smoked it… waiting to have one that punches with the CDLR…

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Bill, many thanks for the five minutes of Jussi to warm a cold, damp afternoon. Even by his unparalleled standards, that was quite the O Soave Fanciulla.

Todd, if we really want to shake things up I can pass you the Football. On second thought…

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Carl,at the risk of further thread drift…we haven’t yet discussed sopranos,but I’ve always thought Tebaldi,with her superb clarity,purity and power aligned with grace, was a great foil for Jussi,so:

Two heavyweights with voices that love each other.