Met up at Ian's house to open up a variety of primarily white wines on a beautiful Friday evening. Tim O'Rourke prepared a series of dishes to pair with the wines and did an incredible job. I felt like I was dining at a top restaurant. Kudos to him and Ian for hosting this great dinner.
Opening Wines
Served with freshly shucked oysters on the Half Shell with Red Wine Mignonette. Beautiful combination of champagne and oysters!
- 1998 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne - France, Champagne
Beautiful wine that had rich bready notes, zesty citrus and sizzling acidity. There was a subtle sweetness to the wine that I enjoyed a lot - went AMAZINGLY well with freshly shucked oysters. (93 pts.) - 2010 Domaine Sorin Côtes de Provence Rosé Terra Amata - France, Provence, Côtes de Provence
A bit too ripe for me with wild strawberry, some chalkiness and florals. Sweet on the palate with long length and density. (85 pts.)
Tim prepared mayan head-on prawns with grilled corn salad and fresh corn veloute. The prawns were perfectly prepared and the corn salad was incredibly fresh. Went nicely with the Baudry Rose.
- 2010 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Rosé - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon
Nice and precise with lithe red fruit and delicate florals. Another great bottle. (91 pts.)
Summer evenings and chilled soups are a favorite of mine, and Tim was able to put together an excellent chilled english pea soup with a seared Maine diver scallop. I thought the scallop was perfectly cooked - tender and flavorful.
- 2007 Weingut Meinhard Forstreiter Grüner Veltliner Tabor - Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal
Another great bottle! Nose had dense white florals, sizzling pepper and layers of apples, pears and peaches. Great length, and certainly deserves a long decant. (92 pts.) - 2008 Weingut Meinhard Forstreiter Grüner Veltliner Tabor - Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal
A bit more monolithic than the 2007 with white florals, fresh herbs, and peaches. Took a while in the glass to flesh out a bit, but showed signs of what it may mature into. Thought this could have used a serious decant - I only quickly double-decanted this bottle. (90 pts.)
Tim opened a couple Dauvissat Chablis' and paired it with a potato crusted halibut with melted leeks and beurre blanc. Perfect pairing!
- 2000 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Wonderfully elegant chablis with sizzling minerality, beautiful florals, and tidal pool tones. Palate had beautiful peaches, stone fruit and pear tones with a lengthy finish. (91 pts.) - 2005 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
A bit racier than the 2000 that was drank alongside. The acidity seemed to be just electric on this bottle, and was packed with pears, peaches, herbs, and minerals. Lovely bottle. (92 pts.)
Ian grilled some dry-aged Piedmontese NY strip steaks and Tim paired them with wilted spinach and red wine demi-glaze. I believe Tim added some black truffles to the dish too. Both red wines were delicate, but still did a nice job pairing with the beautiful steak.
- 2005 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
Was slow-ox'd for a couple hours before serving. Had a beautiful earthen nose, lovely florals, and red fruit. Palate was delicate but packed with roasted mushrooms, lively florals, sappy red fruit and minerals. Impressive length. (92 pts.) - 1986 Gaja Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Nose had some reductive qualities; roasted plums, sappy red fruit and dried tobacco. The palate didn't have any of the reductive tones but was delicate and sexy. Dried herbs, tobacco, red fruit, and cedar mingled on the lithe palate and created a really elegant wine. Great bottle. (93 pts.) - 2001 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Incredibly young, but you can sense the type of wine this will eventually turn into. The dense, powerful fruit that are typical of Chapoutier wines were on display and they combined with dense grilled meats, and spices. Will need a good decade or so to soften up a bit, but this should be quite beautiful with time. (91 pts.)
- 2007 Huët Vouvray Sec Le Mont - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
This was definitely hiding some of its flavors and complexities - maybe a bit shut down? Regardless, the white florals and light peach and pear flavors were beautiful (albeit a bit muted). The mouthfeel was impressive as well...flowing over my palate like silk. Should be a beauty in a decade or so. (91 pts.) - 2008 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Tuffeaux - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire
Had a soft melon tone to it with vanilla, white peach and pears. Very silky mouthfeel with impressive acidity on the finish. If you're opening one of these soon, I'd recommend decanting for an hour or two. (91 pts.)
Popped a couple 2001 Auslese's to end the evening.
- 2001 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese * - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Color was incredibly light in glass. An extremely powerful riesling that had layers and layers of beautiful florals, stone fruit, minerality and baked peaches and pears. Despite being an Auslese, this had the weight and feel of a Kabinett with a lot more depth and complexity. Extremely exciting bottle. (93 pts.) - 2001 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese #6 - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Incredibly fresh and lithe on the palate with dazzling minerality, pears, apples, and sweet peaches. The mouthfeel is wonderfully silky but packs dense fruit and minerals. Loved it. (93 pts.)