On Veterans Day I drove to Durham, NC to meet Mike Grammer, Nick Christie, Nick's girlfriend Kristen and friend Beth at Piedmont Restaurant (a farm to table, local produce restaurant owned by the same couple associated with Zely & Ritz in Raleigh which is now closed.) I left it to Mike to take the notes and he posted on wineberserkers.com. We shared three wines. Nick brought a 2001 Morazzano Brunello di Montalcino and he may have also provided the 2002 Huet Clos de Bourg Moelleux (or did Mike bring that?) I brought the 2006 de Montille Pommard 1er Cru Les Pezerolles (my second of three bottles.) I liked all the wines. Mike found apple and quince flavors in the Huet Clos de Bourg Moelleux where I thought it had more of an apricot flavor.
The surprise to me was the quality of the food. I had dined there once before several years ago and thought it was too limited a menu and not anything special. This time there were several appetizers I would have liked to order and several appealing entrees. My chicken roulade was very good but I had a taste of the smoky pork chop and it was spectacular. I will have to go back before they take that off the menu. I think Kristen also liked the duck confit. The cheese plate looked nice and the butternut squash soup that I had as my appetizer was good.
Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 I attended a food and wine gathering at a private home in Greensboro with mostly wine lovers that I had met last March at a similar Triad gathering. The theme Saturday was magnums, but not owning a single magnum I decided to surprise them with some other wines. The theme Sunday was Burgundy, both white and red.
Wines Saturday included:
a 1995 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. 13.5% abv. Semi-transparent in the glass. Very smooth drinking. Red fruits that were a bit tart on the finish. A classy wine.
2005 Ridge Geyserville (Zinfandel blend), very smooth and approachable with plenty of fruit; the blend was 77% Zinfandel, 17% Carignan, 6% Petit Sirah and labeled 14.6% abv.
"F" from Orin Swift--a wine from French grapes, NV. 14.5% abv. Fruity with a blend of red and black fruit notes. He also has an "E" from Espana (Spain) and an "I" from Italy. The "F" was from Grenache, Syrah, and assorted Bordeaux varieties.
Billecart-Salmon Brut NV
2012 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
my contributions:
1994 Chateau Lafite Rothschild
2011 Alvear Pedro Ximenez Anada to try on its own or pour over vanilla bean ice cream
Someone else contributed a 1985 Pedro Ximenez which was an umber to dark brown color.
The hostess prepared most of the food which included a fabulous array of cheeses, a home-made pizza, boeuf bourguignon and coq au vin and desserts.
The next day the wines included from my collection: 2008 Maison Alex Gambal St. Aubin 1er Cru Les Murgers des Dents de Chien. 2006 Alex Gambal Clos Vougeot, and 2006 De Montille Pommard 1er Cru Les Pezerolles (my final of three bottles.)
The St. Aubin really shone after it had been open for a couple hours. The Clos Vougeot was a pale color with cherries on the nose and palate and a faint tartness. It was probably opened before its time and may have more to give.
Others contributed:
2002 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru "Les Ruchottes"
2000 Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montee de Tonnerre
2004 Domaine Leroy Bourgogne Rouge--a bit savory but also red cherries; maybe just a touch of the "greenness"
1998 Dominique Laurent Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru --smooth and ready
1999 Domaine Bruno Clair Chambertin Clos de Beze (pale color, medium body, smooth, elegant and refined)
2002 Domaine Gabriel Billard Pommard 1er Cru "Les Charmots"
and probably some others I am forgetting.
It pretty much goes without saying that we enjoyed the weekend.