Dinner at Home

March 2008

My March trip to Napa Valley was fantastic. I visited several estates and attended La Paulée in San Francisco. Although I had a number of terrific meals, none gave me more pleasure than the dinners I enjoyed at the gorgeous St. Helena home of dear friends. For the sake of simplicity both dinners are listed below.

One of the things I enjoy most is drinking great wines but in a casual, relaxed setting. And so it was that we drank these two beautiful bottles of Krug around the kitchen table as we snacked on light hors d’oeuvres. Both wines were fantastic. The 1985 Krug was delicate, perfumed and lithe on the palate, with superb freshness and a more compact frame than the 1988. I came back to it often and never failed to be seduced by its mesmerizing personality. The 1988 Krug was decidedly more intense and full-bodied. It had everything; gorgeous fruit, acidity, texture and loads of complexity. In short, it was stunning. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s 1978 Romanée St. Vivant was incredibly beautiful. Still fresh, vibrant and layered, it continued to evolve in the glass, revealing notable detail in its sweet fruit, spices and menthol. The 1980 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s Romanée St. Vivant, on the other hand, was fully mature and perhaps slightly past its peak. The color was faded, and the wine presented a tertiary expression of sweet, perfumed fruit, autumn leaves and baking spices, with resolved tannins and a medium-bodied, soft-textured personality. Though pretty, I probably would have enjoyed it more at an earlier stage in its life. I also noted that the wine was considerably less fresh than recent bottles of the Grands-Echézeaux and La Tâche of the same vintage.

Our second dinner began with Jacques Selosses’ NV Substance, which had acquired much complexity, volume and breadth since its disgorgement in 2001. It was sweet, full-bodied and simply luscious. Domaine Leflaive’s 1989 Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles was elegant and refined. Initially somewhat slender, it continued to put on weight in the glass, showing notable personality and lovely balance. The 1992 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles was decidedly richer. This full-bodied wine revealed notes of tropical fruits with elements of botrytis-like sweetness. Despite its size, it showed incredible detail, polish and balance. It was stunning. Both of these wines from Leflaive were mature, but didn’t show any noticeable signs of decline. The 1971 Domaine Comte de Vogüé Bonnes Mares was sublime. Despite being fully mature, this was a wine that seemed frozen in time, as the fruit was still fresh and vibrant for a 37 year-old Burgundy. Strawberries, raspberries, dried cherries, cloves and spice cake wafted from the glass with remarkable elegance. The tannins were fully resolved and the wine was at peak or perhaps slightly past, but it was beautiful in every way. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s 1971 Romanée St. Vivant was sweet and layered, with more stuffing than the Vogüé Bonnes Mares. Though pretty, it wasn’t the greatest bottle I have had of this wine. Still, it was a rare treat to enjoy these two pristine 1971s together and watch them develop over the course of the evening. 

Food (Dinner 1):

Grilled lamb chops with potatoes au gratin and roasted vegetables

Artisan cheeses

Food (Dinner 2):

Grilled Ahi tuna

Grilled beef tenderloin

Artisan cheeses

Wine:          

--Antonio Galloni