TN: Justin's 31st Birthday

[cellartracker]

Not all Bordeaux but the last really good tasting I have been too and with a few great Bordeaux in the midst.
JUSTIN'S 31ST BIRTHDAY - Olympia, WA (11/22/2008)

Justin Wells has been begging me for a while to make the trip down to Olympia for an evening of great food and wine, and the occasion finally presented itself on his 31st birthday. Also joining us was Justin's wife Zoe and Harlan Bernstein who made the trip up from Portland.
As we milled in the kitchen, Justin put together a couple of appetizers to pair with this beautiful Raveneau: a crab and goat cheese dip wit some citrus served atop cucumber; and a little peel and eat shrimp boil. Yummy!

• 1997 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
  Some textbook notes of seashell give way to a tightly wound palate that is loaded with lemony goodness. While this was quite rich when first poured, it positively exploded about 30 minutes later gaining a great deal of palate presence and much more expansiveness. I have not tasted a lot of Raveneau, but this baby made it clear that these take at least a decade to even begin to want to play. (92 pts.)

Our first sit down course was a killer seafood pot pie what was highlighted by a fantastically subtle shrimp stock. The Coche was a haunting accompaniment to the dish.

• 2001 Coche-Dury Meursault - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
  Oh baby, a Leflaive like nose explodes from the glass, a stinky, flinty, matchstick note that makes my knees quiver. What a palate, huge, broad, endless, fantastic acidity. What a knockout wine! (96 pts.)

As good as the prior courses were, now we moved into overdrive on the food and wine pairings. A beautiful duck confit served atop braised cabbage with a cherry reduction sauce of some sort just kicked butt with a pair of DRC's. The GE was tired but lovely and matched incredibly with the food. The Richebourg was a lovely beast that really got me going.

• 1982 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
  A little reticent at first, this became more and more expressive the longer it sat in the glass. A spicy cinnamon note on the nose moves to a palate that is hauntingly powerful and supple at once. Lots of stem and stalk on the nose as well, really intriguing. This is both broad shouldered and silky smooth with tons of gas left in the tank. I wish I had taken notes, but this was textbook iron fist in a velvet glove. Fantastic texture. (96 pts.)
• 1982 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
  Not much life left in this one, time to drink. It cracked up a bit in the glass, but I loved the soft, peat-driven personality. A charming, mature Burg. (90 pts.)

Next up was a deconstruncted cassoulet, a nearly jello soft hunk of sous vide pork belly served atop a wonderfully savory cassoulet. And what better to pair with the pork than two of the greatest expressions of Syrah ever invented? Oh man, shoot me now!

• 1990 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  Wow, wow, wow, always such a beautiful wine. This is so pure and focused, such a laser of red fruit on the palate. With time some of the blood and meat come out to play, but bottle was still quite primary and fruit driven, less advanced than most of the other times I have tasted this wine. (This bottle was purchased on release by the owner who brought it, and the perfect provenance showed.) (98 pts.)
• 1990 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
  OMFG, this was off the charts good. Bacon in a bottle, as exotic, sultry and kinky as La Mouline gets. Blood, gunpowder and meat all wrapped up in a silk robe. Usually I notice the oak in these when they are less than 20 years old, but this bottle was positively screaming. My WOTN. (99 pts.)

Next up were simply prepared Brian Flannery aged strips served simply with just a little red wine and veal reduction on the side. Oh yeah, killer Bordeaux and killer prime beef, no going wrong here. The Beau is a better wine, but the Margaux delivers the goods right now.

• 1990 Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse) - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
  What a freaking BEAST of a wine! A crazy nose of roasted plum, gunpowder and chocolate. This shut down over time in the glass, but it is mindblowingly concentrated. This is more educational than pleasurable at this stage, but it is certainly crazily impressive stuff. (97 pts.)
• 1990 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
  Wow, wow, wow, what a killer bottle of Margaux. Definitely a little more bretty than I would expect, this wine was so regal, round and pleasurable it is hard to believe. Long and poignant, this is Margaux on steroids. Yummy! (99 pts.)

We retired to watch some Lord of the Rings (I was inspired by the incredible Uruk Hai noises that Franklin the bulldog makes.) With a cheese tray Justin opened one more Bordeaux.

• 1982 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  I was fading, but this was lovely, nice and mature, tobacco, pretty textbook Pauillac.

I was pretty much done at this point, but Justin came along with one more treat.

• 1976 Weingut Baumann Oppenheimer Kreuz Ruländer Beerenauslese - Germany, Rheinhessen
  Deep gold color. Barely tasted. Honey.

Many thanks to Justin, Zoe and Harlan for a fantastic evening of food and wine (and to Zoe and Justin in particular for putting up with Harlan and I diving incessantly into politics all night long).
Posted from CellarTracker

[Houndsong]

Yowza.

[JimHow]

Wow! That '90 Margaux is one of my all-time favorites.

[JScott]

Partying like a rock star. Sounds like a great evening, food and wine. Some of the more recent DRC Gr Ech have almost as much power as the Rich, but '82 is probably not the best measure of it any way. The Rich sounds like it was worth the effort, as well as the rest of the lineup! Just an average weekend of wine drinking, heh?

[JimHow]

Audouze-like, dare I say.

[Roberto]

The '90 Mouline really deserves 100 points from whatever side of the modern/traditional fence you sit.

Roberto

[cellartracker]

99, 100, it's mincing points at that point. It was a really good night of food and vino!