A really fun group gathered at Talia Wed night. We had a great assortment of dishes:
Watermelon pressed and cured in smoked shoyu and then seared, served with salmon belly (cured same way) and cucumber
Crisp polenta with roasted mushrooms and garlic cream
Oxtail pappardelle
Scallops with bacon and baby mushrooms
Aged duck breast with cauliflower purée and baby kohlrabi and carrots
Porcini Rubbed Denver steak with sunchoke purée and king trumpets
Others had dessert (mousse, tiramisu, gelato), . Plus Lorine asked about the deviled egg with kimchi and they brought us each one.
The wines:
2015 Dauvissat Les Clos Chablis GC
Decanted at the restaurant, but still tight. Good acids for 2015. Apple, honeysuckle, and wax. Big, not especially Chablis-y. Got better with time. B+ at the end
2010 Fevre Valmur Chablis GC
Excellent and classic, pear and grapefruit with seashell Chablis-ness. Long and strong. Thank goodness for Diam, A-
2020 Dujac Folatieres Puligny-Montrachet 1er
The person who brought it felt the oak stood out too much, I think it just needs time. Nectarine, lemon, and vanillin oak. This is tasty in an exuberant Dujac style. Nice but pricey, B+
2009 Philipponnat “Clos des Goisses” Juste Rose Extra Brut
Ripe raspberry and apple., pastry cream, a little marble rye. Fun. B+
1996 Drouhin ClosSt Denis
Red fruit and blood orange, firm tannins, and tangy acids. Firm and bright. This has a bit of the 1996 hardness, but good wine overall. B+/B
2001 Dujac Clos de la Roche
Great nose of crushed berries, forest floor and coffee, perfumed and exotic. Palate is a little more reserved but still quite good. This is not a magical Dujac, but I have no trouble drinking! A-/B+
1986 Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon
Cassis with leather and a little black tea. Full bodied, plenty of life left. B+/A-
1990 Dunn Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
Black plum and berry, a little mint, fruit gets redder with air, herbiness emerges, fun wine. B/B+
1985 Heitz Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
A lovely showing. Black cherry, a little eucalyptus, chipotle pepper. In a very nice place. B++
1990 Figeac
This normally exuberant wine was very quiet, little fruit or expression other than some cedar, no obvious TCA but I think this might be a case of TCA fruit scalping. NR
Fun night, with good showings from vast majority of the wines
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was the only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.