A friend of mine is a writer on wine. We share now and then our impressions on wines and food. He decides for Christmas to invite with his wife some friends. And a small group is formed by restaurant le Jardin of the Hotel Royal Monceau. There is a banker, a wine maker, them and me. The decoration has been made by a famous decorator, Mr Garcia, and we are in a room which looks like a tent used by Mongols in the cold dry lands, which gives a very curious impression. It is as if we were in an extragalactic ship.
For the wines brought by my friend, the chef Christophe Pelé, who worked with great chefs like Alain Passard, made a very intelligent menu : semoule de brocolis, minute de coques râpées de truffes blanches d’Alba / noix de Saint-jacques dorées, raddichio de trévise, pistou rouge / filet de bœuf Hereford rôti, foie gras poêlé, gnocchi de betterave, parfumé de truffe noire et vinaigre de Pedro Ximenez / fromages / Bûchette noire aux amandes, fondant café, crème glacée au gingembre.
We begin with Dom Pérignon 1995, and what is pleasant for me is to see the incredible evolution of the taste of the champagne, which expands enormously. This champagne is not as typed as some great years, but it is consistent, and truly Dom Pérignon. With the shells, it is wonderful.
The Puligny Montrachet Domaine Leflaive 2003 is very clear as every wine of this prestigious domaine. Precise, with a clear definition, it is already drinkable despite its youth. Of course, it has not the weight of a Grand Cru. It is rather light. But it is a wine pleasant to drink. And it has a sympathetic length.
After having had yesterday La Landonne 1986, I wondered how I would receive the Côte Rôtie La Turque Guigal 1999. It is clear that this wine belongs to a different era. The tastes of black berries, spices, pepper, belong to young wines, when the Landonne had all the serenity of already mature wines. But with the expressive meat, the wine went very well, with a charm made of its youth. I enjoyed it as a completely different expression of the Guigal’s Cotes Roties.
We had then a wine that I had already shared with my friend, a Banyuls de l’Etoile 75ème anniversaire. This wine is made by a blend of many different years, and I imagine very well that some components have more than 50 years. This wine, very alcoholic, goes splendidly with the chocolate dessert. I love Banyuls and its erotic seduction.
In a restaurant nearly desert as we are just before Christmas, we have spent a very friendly lunch, with very nice classical wines.