“Bottle of Pain” is an interesting concept in that a group of people get together, grab a most cherished bottle from their respective cellars and then get a two ounce pour of something they normally would only share under threat of death.
Of course I would never miss a bottle of pain tasting if I could help it.
Last night a group of 12 gathered at Ibiza in New Haven, CT (which I consider to be the best restaurant in Connecticut) for a 9 course meal and an array of wines that fully lived up to the angst-ridden title of the event.
We started with some aperitifs of Champagnes that are being imported by a member of the group (I think he calls the venture Trans-Atlantic Bubbles).
2004 Georges Laval Cuvee Les Hautes Chevres
So apparently this wine is what you get when the goats get into the weed. Seriously, this is 100% Pinot Noir with no dosage, but it tastes so fruity that it seems sweet. I actually found it so primary as to be nearly impossible to assess. Give it some time. It has all the stuff to do great things, but I have no idea where it’s going.
2002 Corbon Brut Chardonnay
Completely opposite from the prior wine, as this is in an oxidative style with apple fruit lurking in the background. I had some of this left with the first course of a butternut squash soup with roasted pumpkin seeds & that was a great match.
And then the pain started.
1996 Salon
I called it when I first tasted this wine, and 12 hours later I am sticking to my guns – this was my wine of the night. I’m not really sure to explain how delicious this wine is, other than to say that it transcends Champagne. My note reads “Oh holy mother of God is this good!” There were any number of wines I really loved on this night, but none of them approached the Salon.
The Rieslings – served with clams sautéed with peas
1997 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste Hune
I brought this, and so my judgment is somewhat biased, but other than needing a ton of air, I thought it was fantastic. No, it has not developed all the complexities that will come with more time, but the mid-palate depth and length of this wine put 99.999% of other Rieslings to shame. There are not many Rieslings that can compete with this, but…
2007 Donnhoff Riesling Hermannshohle Grosses Gewachs
This can. It’s a totally different style than the Trimbach, and the forward fruit instantly wins fans, but it has a similar intensity of flavor which descends into the rock strewn canyons of Riesling’s deepest soul. It also has a greater window of accessibility than the Hune which wins it a few extra points. Will the Hune win out in the end? Probably so, but it will be a lovely ride.
1986 Knoll Riesling Smaragd Loibenberg
Riesling stripped down to its bones. This makes the Hune taste fruity, and is so austere that it really precludes enjoyment other than intellectual pleasure.
The White Burgundies – served with salted codfish confit & squid ink risotto
1996 Verget Corton Charlemagne
1 White Burg opened with no oxidation. Unfortunately this is showing the effects of too much wood. It’s piney and spicy with a distinct astringency. It actually worked well with the food (a salted cod preparation), but it paled in comparison to the next two wines.
1999 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne
2 White Burgs opened with no oxidation. This has elements in total conflict that are fascinating. It is lean yet creamy, serene yet vibrant, and the length is right there with the Hune.
2004 Jadot Chevalier Montrachet Les Demoiselles
3 for 3 with no premox!! This is still somewhat shrouded by youthful oak, but there is great richness of fruit and the balance is essentially perfect. Very, very fine, but I preferred the Bonneau du Martray.
The Red Burgundies – served with roasted quail and saffron couscous
1997 Comtes Georges de Vogue Bonnes Mares
Sadly this was corked.
1998 Vincent Girardin Corton Perrieres
Thanks to one of the participants we had a back up for the flight. This performed very well with still youthful fruit and even a touch of trapped CO2 that went away very quickly. I found this aromatic but unevolved.
1998 Rousseau Ruchottes Chambertin Clos du Ruchottes
If the Girardin was young then this was infantile. Wonderful purity, aromatic complexity, but so much youthful fruit that it really was a sin to open it. But darn it was good.
The Italians – served with a porcini risotto
1996 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Villero
All the depth and strength you could want in Barolo, but still so very closed. I held this for a bit & it opened somewhat, but it’s holding back most of what it has. Great balance. It did come around some with the porcini risotto.
1998 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano Red Label Riserva
This was much more open than the ’96, and I really found it quite velvety and delicious. It really picked up definition with the food, making the risotto better while the food did the same for the wine.
1990 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo
I liked the prior two Italians very much, but this was clearly the class of the flight. The richness, depth and persistence went beyond either of the preceding wines, and possibly exceeded the sum of the two. Amazing, youthful fruit and supreme structural balance. This was one of my competitors for runner-up wine of the night (though as with a few others nowhere near the Salon).
The Red Bordeaux – served with braised short ribs & gnocchi
1982 Chateau Haut Brion
I am stuck on Band-Aid, cause Band-Aid’s stuck on me! Wow did this smell just like a box of band-aids, but once that was out of the way there was exceptional depth, sweetness of fruit and near perfect structural resolution. Drink this now.
1979 Chateau Margaux
Can I say it…I liked this more than the Haut Brion. It was certainly more evolved, but had greater aromatic purity with the cedar/leather/red fruit aromatics coming through more clearly. Delicious.
1979 Chateau Palmer
I have been lucky enough to have this wine on several occasions, and this was clearly the best. Younger than either of the preceding wines, it had greater depth of fruit and worked the best with the food. Amazing showing for this wine that made it a contender for the “best of the rest” award.
The California Cabernets – served with lamb chops & braised lamb ravioli
1994 Bryant Family
Sadly this was our second corked wine.
1997 Shafer Hillside Select
This was good. It was really good. It’s silky right now, drinking so well, and fabulous with the ravioli. I could have drank a lot of this except it was shown up just a teensy bit by…
2003 Screaming Eagle
One of the other diners nailed this – take a bar of Valrhona chcoclate, melt it, add dark fruit extract & enough alcohol to make it wine. Mix well. Die happy. Stunning wine, and probably my 2nd place wine of the night. Wow – how do they make this from grapes?!?
The Ports – served with apple tart & honey/rosemary ice cream
1964 Quinta de Vargellas
This was the Port version of the Knoll Riesling – stripped to the absolute bones of its type. Really interesting in a nearly 50 year old Tawny sort of way.
1963 Fonseca
Leaner than I expected (I have had this wine twice & both times it has shown this way), but very finely balanced & delicious. Gosh I was flagging by this time, as it was near midnight (and I had been up since 5), but there was more to come.
1983 Chateau d’Yquem
This was given its own dessert (a custard/cream “martini” that involved lots of roasted hazelnuts), and really should have been on its own. It’s not wildly sweet, and the complexities of the flavors were lost a bit with the food. The aromatics were all nutty honey, warm spice & sugar.
I feel like I have not given justice to the wines or the food, as this was one of the very finest meals I have ever enjoyed. With 12 people the pours were ample, and between the pleasant company & the great food and of course the charms of the wines it was a most memorable evening. Thanks to Jeff for setting it up & everyone for their generosity.
