Enoteca Vin in Raleigh hosted a sold out dinner with the winemaker from Louis Jadot.
I even saw the owner of another Raleigh restaurant there for the good food and wine and some conversation with his fellow Frenchman.
2005 Chassagne-Montrachet with Gougeres
My first impression of the C-M was polished wood with lanolin. Silky entry. Mild "fuzzy" tannins on the finish. Quite a bit of mouth presence for a "starter" wine or aperitif. A touch of baked apple on the palate but not easily pinned to a single fruit. I come back to the polished wood and lanolin and silkiness. Attractive.
Lobster risotto with sweet fennel salad and avocado was served with the two Puligny-Montrachet wines.
2004 Puligny-Montrachet "Referts" (I have previously sampled "Referts" from Carillon and Philippe Fichet.)
Medium to full body. Suggestion of the French oak but very nicely balanced. Viscous. A resemblance to the Chassagne-Montrachet but more "refined." My favorite of the whites although the other P-M grew better as it evolved in the glass.
2000 Puligny-Montrachet "Clos de la Garenne."
This was the winemaker's favorite white as it had a bit more maturity seven years after harvest. Initially it seemed to have less body and flavor/presence than the first two wines. As it evolved in the glass, it became more charming but quite different from the "Referts." The 2006 version of the "Clos de la Garenne" du Duc de Magenta is being offered as futures for over $78 a bottle and the "Referts" for over $71.
With rabbit terrine with mushroom duxelles and marinated lentils we had a village
2005 Gevrey-Chambertin. The lady to my right liked this better than the next two reds. I found it a bit bland although matching well with the mushroom part of the dish. Pale garnet color with red fruit and a light touch of earth.
Braised lamb with red chard, sweet potato hash, and black olive oil was accompanied by two more red wines.
2004 Savigny-les-Beaune "La Dominode" (The 2006 at about $35 as futures.)
Appealing--one of the better Savigny wines I've tasted and yet still a little heavy/earthy for my tastes. Cherries with a slightly spicy finish on the palate.
1999 Beaune "Clos des Couchereaux"
Still fruity; not closed off. Darker color than the Savigny. Crushed red berries and maybe some blueberries as well on the palate. Initially I liked this better than the Savigny, but even though it was more layered, I ended up prefering the Savigny by a slim margin. The 2006 is available for less than $39 a bottle on futures.
With Cabot cheddar cheese and Humboldt Fog goat cheese we had a grand cru Burgundy:
2004 Corton-Greves
I broke out with a smile as I sampled this. Light Burgundy color but almost opaque. Smooth and luscious with raspberry and cherry essences. Drinking well now and perhaps in years to come also. A different Corton Grand Cru (the Pouget, Domaine des Heritiers) was offered on futures at $95. I didn't see a listing for the 2006 Corton-Greves.
Now I have until Thursday night to decide what to order off the futures list. I'm leaning towards the "Referts" as a white and the following reds: Chambolle Musigny "Les Fuees," village Chambolle-Musigny, Volnay "Clos des Chenes," Beaune Theurons and/or Beaune Greves, possibly a village Pommard and Nuits-St-Georges "Les Boudots."
Jacques Lardiere was enthused when I asked him about the Volnay "Clos des Chenes." He sat down at my table and we talked for awhile about his methods, blending of different barrels, etc.
