Offline @ Maria Restaurant 4/12

[jckba]

Met up last night with Jim as well as Jacques and his wife Jill both of whom I was meeting for the first time over a nice dinner in the suburbs of NYC at a little Italian joint called Maria Restaurant in New Rochelle. Jacques and Jim both knew the chef/owner and as it turns out it was BWE alum Giovanni and as a result, we got the VIP treatment over a fabulous tasting menu. It was a great night and while I did not take notes as I was enjoying the company, here were my impressions of the wines the morning after;

2008 Dom Perignon (Jim): yeasty, focused and lively on the drying palate but it’s a baby, and you can sense the greatness that this will attain once it gains depth with a little aging (94+ points)
Jacques Selosse Intial MV (Jacques): disgorged 2008 and this was clearly a shade darker in color and it’s flavors were more mature and tasty and I thought it was the better pairing with the tuna tartar app (93 points)

2016 Domaine Sigalas Santorini (JC): I find that octopus and the Sigalas Santorini go hand in hand and the pairing did not fall short on this night, a great wine with a lemony, stone fruited and mineral profile but it just paled a little when compared to the white burgs (92 points)
2014 Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er ‘Les Chaumees Clos de la Truffiere’ (Jacques): this had a wonderful nose, elegant and powerful at the same time and was a definitive treat, now comes the hard part of trying to track some down (95 points)
2010 William Fevre Chablis GC ‘Les Preuses’ (JC): this paired spectacularly with the fried oysters and was really great Chablis with an excellent profile (95 points)

1998 Soldera Brunello di Montalcino (Jacques): every time I have had a Soldera it has been a memorable experience and this was no different as it is one of the purest and classiest expressions of Sangiovese and this btl was even a bit more special as this was Jacques first encounter and he chose to share it with us (96 points)

1985 Lynch Bages (JC): this was firing on all cylinders, nose was soaring and fully mature, an iron fist in a velvet glove of Medoc goodness, my WOTN (97 points)
1989 Lynch Bages (Jim): this bore many similar traits to the 85 but was just darker, more backwards and semi closed and probably would have benefitted from more air (95 points)
1989 Leoville Las Cases (Jacques): this was classy and elegant but just thoroughly outmatched by the Lynches on this night (93 points)

2005 Climens (JC): this split was served along an assortment of desserts which I failed on snapping a picture of but it was quite delicious in its honeyed tropical goodness (95 points)

[jckba]

And the rest of the pictures that I was unable to post in my opening post.

[Blanquito]

Ummm, 1980’s era Lynch Bages... life is good.

[Blanquito]

I’m also glad much of BWE has recently had the chance to taste Jacques’ 2014 Niellon Chassagne Montrachets. I shall not be haunted alone.

[JimHow]

Another great BWE event last night, thank you to all for such a fun time.
As JC said, there was no time to take notes as we were talking so much.
What a great time. All of the wines were in a really good place.
Gio just kept bringing out one course after another.
The 1989 Lynch, as usual, took about four hours to come along but by the end of the night it was punching hard with George Forman-like thunder.
The 1985 Lynch was just so sensual, it was certainly the bouquet of the night. I kept waiting for it to fall off but it kept getting better, finishing with a chocolate and cassis explosion. Wow.
It's not a shabby dinner when the 1989 LLC is the "weakest" of the wines in that final flight. I agree it did not match the complexity of the two Lynches but I really, really liked it, it was stoic and beastly, just the way I like them. This too showed more after four hours.
The 1998 Soldera was a revelation, still youthful but displaying nice evolution. To me, it was in a perfect place.
And the three whites Santorini, Niellon, Fevre with the particular courses that Gio brought out were just a perfect match.
I too wish I could locate some of this stuff.
We were spending some time reminiscing about Denver and past covnventions, especially the NYC convention in 2003.
And then, one of the most magical moments in BWE history occurred....

To be continued.

[Claret]

I remember several fine meals with Gio cooking and PappaDoc at the table.

[brodway]

Jacques and Jill you guys look great. Missed both of you.

Giovanni hasn't aged a day. Glad you enjoyed the masterful creations of Uncle Gio.

[AKR]

Great pictures! The only thing that changes with Gio is the hot sidekicks he brings to dinners

[Comte Flaneur]

What a wonderful dinner. Soldera is the Romanee Conti of Italy.

[JimHow]

Gio was busy in the kitchen most of the night.
He has this new hip restaurant, Maria, in New Rochelle.
It was packed. The food and service were outstanding. I highly recommend it.
Indeed, as BD, I hereby order all BWEers to visit it anytime you are in the vicinity of the Big Apple.
By the end of the night we were reminiscing about the 2003 convention in NYC.
Jacques, Jill and I were telling Jean-Christophe and Ceil about that weekend, with Allan Meadows, John Kapon, Ben Nelson, and other miscreants there.
We reminisced about Pappa Doc and Setab, two beloved BWEers from the early days.
I told them about a Thursday night dinner we had at Gio's house to start off the weekend, where we had 13 courses matched with crazy wines.
Two wines in particular that I recalled were a 1996 DRC Grands Echezeaux that Jackdaw brought and a 1989 Haut Brion that I brought.
I recalled that 1996 DRC matching with a tuna course that was out of this world. It was one of the greatest wine experiences of my life.
It was a dinner that lasted about 6 hours and sort of brought us to a new level as we started that epic weekend.
That was also the weekend that the Anonymous Benefactor brought 36 bottles from the 1982 vintage: Mouton, La Dominique, Cos, Ducru, LLC, and Branaire Ducru. The Branaire ended up being one of the wines of the weekend, as it made a very strong showing in the blind tasting, coming in at a strong second place behind the Mouton. It has forever since been one of the legendary wines of BWE.
Anyway, as I was telling the story about this legendary Thursday night dinner, Gio started hanging out with us as the restaurant was emptying out.
He started pulling out these empty bottles that were placed along the walls of the restaurant... these were the empty wine bottles from that weekend!
Including: the 1989 Haut Brion, a 1971 German that Pappa Doc had brought, and... the 1996 DRC Grands Echezeaux that Jackdaw had brought.
And then... He pulls out an empty 1982 Branaire... one of THE 36 bottles from the Anonymous Benefactor's collection!!!!
Incredible.... Sixteen years later, these bottles are still in existence.
It was truly an amazing moment, to hold those bottles... Those lost BWE relics from 2003... I have to admit, it was an emotional moment to hold those bottles again. -- those bottles that were held by beloved BWEers from sixteen years before -- and to remember the friends we were with that weekend, some of whom, like John Dawson and Dennis Bates, who are no longer with us.
What an amazing end to an amazing night!
In my capacity as Benevolent Dictator, I officially designated Gio as the "Keeper of the (BWE) Relics."
Gio has a listing of all the wines that were at that Thursday night dinner, along with the thirteen food courses with which they were matched.
Jacques/Gio, can you post that list.
It gives me great comfort to know that some of those great relics from BWE's past are still in existence, symbols of the friendships that have been the hallmark of this site for two decades.

[JimHow]

It was great to see JC and Ceil again, two great BWEers who definitely have the "BWE attitude."
It is something you either have or you don't, you can't teach it.

And I got to Uber back into the city with Jacques and Jill, two of the sweetest people I have ever met.
I've been really lucky to spend some quality time with them in the past two weeks, Ubering around in Denver and Manhattan.
I hung out for some coffee at their UWS apartment until about 2am, we talked politics and other things for a bit, then I headed home.
Tonight I'll be seeing Glenda Jackson performing the lead role in King Lear... The last time I saw her was in the summer of 1979, I was studying at Cambridge, I saw her perform Cleopatra at the Old Vic. I was 20 years old then. She's 82 now, and I'm not 20 anymore. Very much looking forward to it.
Life is good!

[brodway]

Jim you may not be 20 anymore, but you certainly drink like one

[Nicklasss]

Very nice dinner and very nice story. The wines showed very well. And hope I will meet jckba one day. I met Gio a few times, but never went to his restaurant. He is great, but keeping these old bottles from 2003 is unexpected and awesome!

I still remember that 2003 convention that was crazy all around. It is after that 2003 NYC convention that I missed the 3 following ones. I kinda thought it was too "crazy to be true" and was just so hammered after that specific Saturday night, that I really reconsidered never attend back to a 100 persons attendees convention.

From 2004 to 2006, I made way more offlines as they're calmer. I restart the annual convention in 2007, in DC, with Marie-Claude attending. Unfortunately, this is the only official convention she did with me.

I want to do one or two offlines in 2019, to change.

Nic

[jal]

This was such a great dinner, the food was amazing and Gio and his staff gave us a wonderful evening.
The wines were all great, I thought the Selosse showed more maturity and complexity than the last time I drank it, last year with DavidG and Peggy in Sarasota, but I did miss some of the freshness. The Dom was as good as it was in Denver, I think 2008 is a great year for Vintage Champagne, I have not been disappointed with any yet,
The Fevre was excellent, I loved the flinty nose and it was not far behind the Niellon in complexity. The Assyrtiko is my go to wine when going to Greek restaurants that don't allow BYO, the volcanic soil of Santorini adds excellent minerality to this wine.
This is my first Soldera, I bought two bottles years ago when living in NYC and couldn't find an occasion to open one until now. I think it probably was the best Brunello I have ever had, a big wow wine.
The 1985 Lynch was my favorite of the Bordeaux. I say that because of everything that JC mentioned but also every time we dis the 1989, Jim needs to convince us it's a great wine and brings another bottle to the next tasting lol. So we will keep criticizing the wine just to get to drink it again with Jim soon.
The LasCases needs to be triple Blanquitoed
The Climens was delicious.

Of the food, the clams and oysters were incredible, the lobster bisque in an espresso cup was so rich yet so focused, I could taste the sherry and the lobster in just two sips. The avocado and crab salad was extraordinary, the gnocchi was out of this world and the desserts on the platter in the picture were all imported from Italy and were fantastic.

Jim was in great form, and he and I became very emotional when Gio started pulling these old empties. I had a lump in my throat thinking of Pappadoc at that moment, it was like he joined us in spirit.

It was great to finally meet JC and Ceil, they are a delightful couple and Jill and I are looking forward to more great dinners with them when in the area.

Maria's was just named Best New Restaurant in Westchester by the Lower Hudson Journal News. An incredible achievement and well deserved. The gnocchi was named best gnocchi dish. The annual restaurant issue comes out at the end of June, congratulations to Gio, his brother Peter and their staff for winning the award.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/iAnZHtU4pMJ9MJpq8

[jal]

Jacques and Jill you guys look great. Missed both of you.

Thank Emil, miss you bro. We're going to be in NYC the whole fall, shame on me if I don't see you then.

[OrlandoRobert]

Oh wow so psyched to see that note on the 1985 Lynch Bages. I just gave a close friend a bottle last night as a birthday gift. We were out with him and his wife several weeks ago, and he mentioned how this wine was an epiphany wine for him like 15 years ago but he had never had it again. So I found it. I’m sure he will pop it with us, so looking forward to it.

Sounds like a killer night.

[brodway]

Jacques

we need to share a glass or two for sure. you are looking better than ever. Jill too.

let's get together soon. i saved a bottle of 1995 Trotanoy to share with John Dawson (it was an eye opening wine for him when we shared a bottle last) and unfortunately i've learned that John passed. we need to toast to hm and reflect on all the great times we had together. i can't think of anyone who enjoyed wine with Chinese food than John Dawson and those that were brave enough to use chopsticks and sip on some superb grape juice know what i'm talking about.

[AKR]

Somewhere at home, I've got that imperial of Trotanoy from the 2003 dinner, which we all signed with glittery paint pens. I will take some pictures and post them (but it will be a few days) What a great time that was.

I chuckle now, remembering Rudy K walking around. What a crazy era.

[JimHow]

John Kapon was there, but I don’t remember Rudy K.
Although that was the height of the Rudy K era, wasn’t it?

[Jay Winton]

In 2003 I sat between Francois and Father Stefan and I think it was the most I have ever drunk at a BWE dinner. Even an almost 2 hour walk home didn't help the hangover.

[AKR]

John Kapon was there, but I don’t remember Rudy K.
Although that was the height of the Rudy K era, wasn’t it?

Oh Rudy was there. I think he quickly figured out that there wasn't any marks for his private sales efforts, so he didn't mingle with the hoi polloi much. I think he tried to hit up on Francoisze or something, and got dismayed with a lecture about the glories of the Jura.

At the time, I didn't grasp or understand what his MO was. But apparently he would sell a lot privately, after public auctions would set a price level for whatever he wanted to move. He'd sell a couple fakes, at a high price that established a reference point, and then hit up all the whales with case lot sales later. Of course he had to go find those suckers himself, thus all his energetic networking at events.

[brodway]

Terrible that there would be fraud involved as it relates to food products. Wine, olive oil and bread are some of the most sacred food items, and when we travel to Italy most restaurants offer these are extremely affordable prices. Several centuries ago they would probably chop his head off for such actions.