Jay Miller was in town, so we decided to have dinner at Bar Tartine. And, despite the ever-fluctuating numbers, we managed to work it out with enough food, wine, seats, etc..
Myself, Jay, Claude Kolm, Larry Stein, Scott Kraft, Arjun (TofuturkeyMan), Jon Cook, Kira, Rob Adler, Ilene. And that was it.
The theme was pinot noir and chardonnay, and we did a pretty good job of staying on theme. Didn’t we.
First up was a blind-bagged wine from Claude which we all agreed was white Burgundy (at least those of us who knew it was white Burgundy). Those who didn’t know suggested that it might be a rich white Rhone or something else with lots of middle-palate weight. But, Claude revealed that it was one of the few successful 2003 white Burgundies, the 2003 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault with plenty of rich tropical fruit, but also a very fine fine elegant acid structure that impressed me and a few others. Although, nobody was running out to purchase…
Moving on, the 1996 Domaine Darnat Meursault Clos Richemont was a premox victim, but, not so the 1993 Albert Morey Bâtard-Montrachet, at least at first, when it showed rich golden fruit, an acid uptick on the finish, and plenty of elegance. Although, as it aired, opinions diverged, as Jay found it more and more attractive, and others (including myself) found it more and more unpleasantly oxidized.
The 20002 Chantemerle Chablis Fourchaume was funky, nutty, grassy, with an expressive character that went well with my scallop dish. Seemed angry at first, and I still thought it was in an inbetween stage, but people loved to pour, and no complaints if no grand heights.
But, we needed more white wine (of course we did), so Arjun opened the 2005 Clos de la Briderie Touraine-Mesland. This was a blend of chenin and chardonnay, although during the time it was in my glass it seemed to speak more of chalky Touraine minerals than of specific grapes. Quite a nice wine for the low $10ish price, and this seemed to be a good candidate for opening casually in large crowds, although last night we had other bottles to focus on.
So then it was time for red wines.
The first to grace my glass was the 2004 Rhys Alpine Vineyard Pinot Noir, which seemed to have a lot of merits. Yes it was dark rich and a bit alcoholic, but it had silky elegant balance as well. That said, there were other wines on the table that intrigued me more, and I wouldn’t actually buy this for myself. But apparently the winemaker does just fine without my business, so good for him.
The 2004 François Bertheau Chambolle Musigny Premier Cru was the youngest Burgundy on the table and some people seemed to think it was way too primary. That may have been true, and there may have been more compelling wines available, but I still thought this was good seductive juicy wine that was showing well. Drinkable in all the right ways.
But, there was lots to drink, and the 1999 Paul Pernot Beaune Reversées was making its way to my glasses. Dark, meaty, tons of nice 1999 fruit (apparently there was some suspicion at the table that I am even less of a fan than Jay of ‘fruit’ in wines), although it was difficult at first and got better with air as the tannins tamed themselves.
More approachable was the 1998 Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges Les St. Georges which was very aromatic and absolutely gorgeous to smell. It had been pre-decanted prior to the meal, and it used that headstart to its advantage, drinking very well throughout the dinner.
The 1993 Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges Les Vaucrains also drank well throughout the meal for many of us, although there was some dissent about the interference of the tannins. Personally, I found the dark mineral focused fruit to be lovely, and the tannins were supple enough for me (even without fattymeat as a food accompaniment). Obviously this has more development ahead, but the dark focus was what won me over tonight.
I was less enamored with the 1993 La Pousse d’Or Pommard Les Jarollières, which was richer and less precise than the Gouges, and therefore did not hold my attention this evening.
Of course I was also doing a bit of socializing, and I seem to remember Rob Adler insisting that I mention something in the notes, an homage to Coad, something, I don’t know…
The 1995 Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares was a very young blob of fruit, but by the end of the evening it had opened to show some lovely mineral precision underneath. It also made for some divine pairings with the different divine cheeses. Which I hadn’t expected.
The 1990 Michel Lafarge Volnay Clos du Chateau des Ducs was a cranky wine, very ripe crisp and focused, providing me with some nice pleasure at times. But it closed up more and more with air, retreating further and further from possible enjoyment.
At this point we veered off theme, and went in for the decanted 1989 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle, which was my contribution and my first taste of the wine, so I was curious. At first it didn’t have much to say, but with air it gained more personality and became great fun, although always through the focused hard nails that I’m guessing are typical of the site. Others had more experience with the wine, and diverging opinions, so I’ll let them speak for themselves, but, it was fun for me.
Veering further, Claude pulled out a 2006 Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg Auslese #35 which had been open for two weeks, and was probably all the better for it. Yes plenty of fruit, but plenty of structure, spice, balance. Seemed worth drinking.
Even more worth drinking was the 1997 Franz Kunstler Hochheimer Kirchenstuck Eiswein which was intense intense intense. Rich raisins, shiny minerality. Very nice. Very intense. Very nice.
Not done yet, the decanted 1977 Dow’s Port was offered round. The first bottle was corked but luckily we had a second. Plenty of people seemed to enjoy this, although I thought the alcohol was too strong and out of whack. Oh well, more for them, and plenty available for me to re-taste again and again elsewhere on the table.
Fun stuff.
How dare he cheat on us East Coast types!!!
