La Paulée (Part 2)

Daniel

60 East 65th Street,

NY, NY;

Tel. (212) 288-0033

March 2009

The festivities at La Paulée continued with this superb
lunch prepared by Daniel Boulud and his team of brilliant young chefs. All of
the dishes were perfectly executed and utterly delicious. Anne-Claude Leflaive
and sisters Marie-Andrée and Marie-Christine Mugneret offered an incredible
selection of bottles from their own cellars. The growers were quite humble and
even a touch reserved, as they were clearly moved by the significance of
showing so many older vintages. Almost all of the wines were served from large
formats, which added to the importance of the occasion.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1379215312024-3.jpg"> 

The Leflaive
wines were served in pairs, which gave tasters an invaluable opportunity to
compare the estate’s Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles with the
Chevalier-Montrachet across three vintages; 2002, 1996 and 1983. Les Pucelles
is a 1er cru and Chevalier-Montrachet is, of course, a grand cru, but in all
three flights I preferred the Pucelles for their greater verve, minerality and
freshness. The Chevalier-Montrachets favored a more full-bodied, opulent
expression of fruit which was certainly magnificent, but offered less complexity
than the Pucelles. At this level, though, that was truly splitting hairs as all
six wines from Leflaive were breathtaking.

The 2002
Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles (magnum) was a sensual, seductive wine
endowed with marvelous opulence and richness. The wine’s clarity and precision
were simply remarkable. Clean notes of minerality framed the long finish. The 2002 Chevalier-Montrachet (magnum) was
rich and explosive in its honey, apricots and smoke. The wine revealed tons of
inner perfume and a botrytis-like sweetness that was sublime.

Leflaive’s 1996
Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles (magnum) showed breathtaking richness in a
dense, weighty style. Exotic fruit intermingled with smoke and liquefied rocks
as this full-bodied Burgundy opened up in the glass. Superb length and a clean,
refreshing finish rounded out this gorgeous white. The 1996 Chevalier-Montrachet (magnum) was more advanced in its
tertiary aromas and flavors. Honey, roasted nuts and truffles emerged as this
richly-textured wine opened up in the glass. As beautiful as it was, I expected
a little more freshness for a grand cru white at this age, notwithstanding
everything that has been written about the early maturation of this vintage.
The Citrus Cured Fluke that was served with the 2002s and 1996s was sublime.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1379215352884-1.jpg"> The best was saved for last however, as this flight of 1983s
was extra-terrestrial. The 1983
Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles (magnum) was profound and very close to
perfect. An utterly engaging, compelling Burgundy, the 1983 Pucelles flowed from the glass with a creamy- textured
expression of fruit. Seamless and incredibly pure, the wine revealed tons of
persistence and a long, clean finish. It was pure magic. The 1983 Chevalier-Montrachet was also
sensual and harmonious. It had developed an almost liqueur-like sweetness, with
tons of roundness and finesse on the close. As magnificent as it was, I found
myself mesmerized by the Pucelles, which was still magical several hours after
having been poured. What a flight! Chef Boulud’s Kataifi Crusted Sea Scallops
were divine with the 1983s, although these two Burgundies would have been
superb with just about anything.

Next up was a magnificent flight of Ruchottes-Chambertin from Mugneret,
all served from jeroboam. I was a little surprised that that Ruchottes were
served before the Chambolle-Musigny Les Feusselottes as they were decidedly
richer wines. The 1998 and 1992 Ruchottes came across as the most complete
wines in the grouping. The 1998
Ruchottes-Chambertin was rich, dense and full-bodied, with surprising depth
and tons of fruit. The 1992 was much
more ethereal and delicate, but equally impressive in its overall balance.
Worn-in leather, sweet spices, red fruit and underbrush came to life in this
weightless, transparent Burgundy. The 2000
showed good balance in a mid-weight style. Though still quite fresh, the wine’s
concentration came across as relatively modest and probably not suited to
lengthy cellaring. The 1997 revealed
gorgeous inner perfume in a vibrant, medium-bodied style.

A flight of Mugneret’s
Chambolle-Musigny Les Feusselottes, also from jeroboam, was intriguing,
although on the whole, the wines weren’t as exciting as the Ruchottes that
preceded them. The 1991 offered the best balance in this flight of Les
Feusselottes. Aromatics, fruit and structure were all in gorgeous harmony. The 1988 and 1998 Feusselottes were both relatively small-scaled wines. The 1988
was a touch more perfumed and ethereal, while the 1998 was defined by slightly
astringent tannins that conveyed an impression of leanness. The 1997 Feusselottes was marred by
volatile acidity that made it hard to fully appreciate the wine. The Roasted
Millbrook Venison Loin served with this flight was exceptional, but it probably
would have paired better with Mugneret’s Ruchottes.&nbsp;

I am not a huge sweets person, but I could not resist the
spectacular Dark Chocolate Ganache, a beautifully presented dessert that
revealed multiple combinations of flavor and texture in stunning style.

Food:

Citrus Cured Fluke; Shaved Fennel, Shiso Bavarois, Pink
Grapefruit<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1379215423250-2.jpg"> 

Kataifi Crusted Sea Scallops; Porcini, Salsify, Pumpkin Oil

Four Story Hill Farms Poularde “Demi-Deuil”; Crosnes, Rice
Pilaf, Black Truffle “Bouchée”

Roasted Millbrook Venison Loin; Toasted Barley, Lambic
Stewed Cabbage, Apple Confit

Dark Chocolate Ganache; Praline Feuillatine, Morello
Cherries&nbsp;

Wine: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 2002&nbsp;&nbsp; Domaine
 Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles (magnum)&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002&nbsp;&nbsp; Domaine
 Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet (magnum)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996&nbsp;&nbsp; Domaine
 Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles (magnum)&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996&nbsp;&nbsp; Domaine
 Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet (magnum)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1983&nbsp;&nbsp; Domaine
 Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1983&nbsp;&nbsp; Domaine
 Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet (magnum)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2000&nbsp;&nbsp; Domaine
 Georges Mugneret Ruchottes-Chambertin (jeroboam)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 89
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1998&nbsp;&nbsp; Domaine
 Georges Mugneret Ruchottes-Chambertin (jeroboam)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1997&nbsp;&nbsp; Domaine
 Georges Mugneret Ruchottes-Chambertin (jeroboam)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1992&nbsp;&nbsp; Domaine
 Georges Mugneret Ruchottes-Chambertin (jeroboam)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1998&nbsp;&nbsp; Domaine
 Georges Mugneret Chambolle-Musigny Les Feusselottes (jeroboam)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 88
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1997&nbsp;&nbsp; Domaine
 Georges Mugneret Chambolle-Musigny Les Feusselottes (jeroboam)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 89?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1991&nbsp;&nbsp; Domaine
 Georges Mugneret Chambolle-Musigny Les Feusselottes (jeroboam)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 90
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1988&nbsp;&nbsp; Domaine
 Georges Mugneret Chambolle-Musigny Les Feusselottes (jeroboam)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 89</td></tr></tbody></table>

[Photos: Copyright
Thomas Schauer]

--Antonio Galloni

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