VANCOUVER RARITIES DINNER FEATURING BURGUNDY
FEBRUARY 3, 2015
HOSTED BY ALBERT GIVTON

 

The excellent Blue Water Café in Vancouver with renowned Chef Frank Pabst on February 3 was the site for another always interesting wine rarities event organized by Albert Givton featuring this time top Burgundy. As a long time good friend of Albert’s for nearly 40 years I was there in anticipation of a wonderful experience from authentic well stored wine treasures. It was a memorable evening indeed.

Fittingly it all started with a celebratory magnum of the rich 1990 Pol Roger Champagne released for the 2000 “Millenium” in a special wooden box showing amazing freshness in that best format with the usual exquisite balance always delivered by this house. Hors d’oeuvre of shrimp salad with Marie Rose sauce, Dungeness crab in rice paper, and light curry chicken samosa appropriately matched the bubbles.

For 4 white Burgundies more delicious seafood followed of Lobster tail roasted in garlic butter, Lobster claw & leeks in a black truffle cream & seared scallops with a lemon vermouth beurre blanc:

2009 Batard Montrachet Domaine Ramonet
2009 Bienvenues Batard Montrachet Domaine Ramonet
2005 Montrachet Louis Jadot
2004 Montrachet Domaine des Comtes Lafon

These Ramonet Grand Cru are quite young when 1989s are still showing well but in this era of premox (premature oxidation) earlier is now often a safer bet. 2009 whites overshadowed by the ripe rich reds but both here are fresh and promising with stylistic differences. Batard, which I often find fatter, broader and a little coarser than Chevalier (which was originally to be served but was a pre-moxed bottle) but this has more oak, more weight and alcohol with riper spicy fruit while BBM is more restrained (typical of Ramonet) but more delicate and elegant. Albert calls them “the Chateau Climens of Burgundy.”

Jadot had a wet cement almost Chateau Gillette-like nose and was a bit too full blown with a touch of oxidation already.

Lafon came in a fantastic individual wooden box and shows why no other region can yet quite duplicate the full, rich yet fresh and balanced chardonnay without finishing hot that is delivered by the top white Burgundy. Oldest of this group and yet develops increasing complexity as it airs and warms in the glass.

1978 is such a great Rhone vintage that Albert decided to add two excellent examples one from the North and the other one South to pair with Caillette of Quail with foie gras, beluga lentils, braised red heirloom carrot, violet mustard sauce represented well by:

1978 Hermitage La Chapelle Domaine Jaboulet
1978 Chateauneuf du Pape Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe

One of the heralded best La Chapelles ever (together with 1961 & 1990) was reluctant on first opening but quickly displayed that exciting, cool, stylish blackberry syrah fruit still vibrant with smooth textures.

The CDP showed lovely spicy perfumes but though well-made & not filtered was a bit more rustic in style.

Rousseau is one of my favorite red wine producers so my senses were really high for two beauties paired with roasted squab with celery root risotto, black trumpets, squab jus with pomegranate:

1996 Chambertin Clos de Beze A Rousseau
1989 Chambertin A Rousseau

This producer is a relatively late comer since the 1930s or later to the recognized quality, reputation and fame it now enjoys by all collectors. Love how they always seem to have power with classy elegance, a difficult combination to deliver. Here the 1996 is young and still undeveloped but rich and powerful. 1989 red Burgundy is a vintage that sometimes is over-cropped but generally under the radar (compared to acidic, slow to develop 1988 and big rich 1990 – and 1991 is also underrated for Rousseau) as one I greatly admire because it always is so enjoyable to drink with dinner from what usually seems too small a bottle. Here lighter maturing color but elegant and long, silky, complex taste so exquisite paired with squab! The pair actually showed sort of opposite of what you would normally expect from the vineyards because of the age and vintage difference here because Clos de Beze is more all delicate perfumes while Chambertin is usually more sturdy.

Trying Domaine de la Romanee Conti wines is always a unique treat. With a main of grilled beef tenderloin, fingerling potato roasted with bay leaves, haricots verts, bacon, champignon de Paris with bone marrow, they shone brightly.

1988 Richebourg DRC
1978 Richebourg DRC
1978 La Tache DRC

1978 in both Bordeaux and Burgundy was a cool summer with a miracle late ripening Fall so both regions have some greener herbal stem character in their wines. Typical commonality here is that special DRC Oriental spice and sweet smoked bacon or ham. 1988R is 10 years younger and more restrained with higher acidity but stylish though a bit dank & earthy. The previous 1989 Rousseau delivered way more pleasure for me. 1978R was open and fragrant with herbal notes but lots of class. 1978 La Tache had way more depth of fruit and exotic spicy styling with lush velvety texture of astounding length. This is an excellent true bottle!

Got me thinking of which La Tache has proven to be the best ever vintage? I am a long-time admirer of the 1949, 1962, and 1971 and 1990. 1978 may now belong in that esteemed group making 5. There are of course many younger vintages coming along too. I think back to November 28, 1992 for the celebration of the 80th birthday of the generous late Paul Pinsky at the Concordia-Argonaut Club in San Francisco with guest chef Hubert Keller serving 6 double magnums of 1971 La Tache. Paul asked me to open them which I did with much delight. At 20 years or more all bottles seem to show differently. Different provenance: 2 from Lebegue were lighter and more forward with good but lower fills; 1 from Phoenix & 1 from Domaine Chandon Importing were medium high fills and showed well. The best 2 bottles were imported by Foreign Brands of New York with fills almost touching the cork. Suspicious but identical original corks like the other bottles and obviously authentic but colder storage left more red color and mellow rounded taste. Should point out that Albert did another La Tache event on July 25, 1998 back to 1942 where 1947 and 1952 really impressed as did the underrated 1972 and he finished up with 1971 & 1978 pair. But 1971 was not the best bottle that day quite brown and 1978 showed great structure and soy character. Bottles do vary.

This memorable dinner ended with 2 beautiful dessert wines with Bartlett pear sorbet & Stilton cheese, nuts & fresh fruit:

1945 Chateau de Rayne Vigneau, Vicomte de Pontac Sauternes
1875 Madeira Bastardo, Cossart Gordon

A great Sauternes year is 1945 just like the outstanding reds. In fact the forties produced a series of outstanding vintages for sweet wines when Rayne Vigneau flourished. The age forever Madeira from 1875 showed that identifiable oxidative rancio fortified character so nutty and all brown sugar on the bouquet but then drier than expected!

Congrats to Albert for another outstanding wine dinner!

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Sid’s article is a tribute to his pursuit of wine and Albert’s pursuit of wine and ability to organize great wine and food dinners. As Sid says, they have been friends for some 40 years and have consumed an amazing number of great wines during that period. I first met them some time in the 1970s and have had many memorable times tasting and, more importantly, drinking wines with them. Sid has compiled some of his extensive notes in a booklet entitled AN APPRECIATION OF THE AGE OF WINE published by The International Wine and Food Society, 4 St James Square, London SW1Y 4JU email: sec@iwfs.org  website:www.iwfs.org.

Albert chronicled his wine experiences in a great book entitled CARTE BLANCHE “A Quarter Century of Wine Tasting Diaries and Cellar Notes: 1974-1999 published by Turnagain Enterprises Ltd. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada email:carteblanche@intergate.bc.ca

I highly recommend these publications to anyone who has an interest in old wines. Sid and Albert represent a wealth of knowledge that is rivaled by few others in the world.

Relative to the wines at this event – Sid’s note that “Bottles do vary” is one of the greatest truisms in wine. Remember: “There are no great wines only great bottles”.