San Francisco, CA

La Paulée de San Francisco

The Westin St. Francis,

Union Square - 335 Powell Street,

March 2008

Once again, the unflappable Daniel Johnnes put on what is probably the single greatest tasting and dinner of fine Burgundies in the world. This year’s event was held at the Westin Hotel in San Francisco. The afternoon tasting with the producers was especially fun as a number of top domaines were showing their sensational 2005s. I admit it; I tasted some of my favorite wines more than once. Frankly, it was impossible not to, as any mere mortal was painfully aware that an opportunity to taste some of these gems might not come for a long time….if ever.

The Gala Dinner was prepared by some of the most accomplished American and French chefs, including Daniel Boulud (Daniel), Michael Mina (Michael Mina Restaurants) Traci des Jardins (Jardiniere) and Régis and Jacques Marcon (Restaurant Régis e Jacques Marcon). As is the tradition for La Paulée, diners brought wines from their cellars to share with friends and guests seated at their tables. At any moment in time the nation’s top sommeliers could be seen making the rounds pouring some of the greatest and rarest wines in the world. Things were relatively subdued at my table compared to last year’s event, which turned out to be a positive as we actually had plenty of time to spend with our wines. The charity auction to benefit Meals on Wheels of San Francisco and the musical performance of Les Cadets de Bourgogne rounded out another unforgettable La Paulée.

Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey is one of my favorite producers, so it was a rare treat to kick off the evening with two of his superlative whites. The 2005 Bâtard-Montrachet (magnum) showed awesome harmony and concentration in its smoke, mint, flowers and ripe fruit. His 2002 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières was a more restrained wine, with gorgeous, perfume-laced fruit. Ramonet’s 1987 Bâtard-Montrachet (magnum) offered up signature notes of rich, honeyed fruit intermingled with toasted oak and slightly oxidative aromas that suggested the wine was at or close to peak.  The Coche-Durys that followed were phenomenal. The 2000 Meursault Perrières was the stronger wine at the outset. Its crisply nuanced citrus, pears and flowers provided immense pleasure. This wine literally sparkled on the palate. The 1996 Corton-Charlemagne was at first rather reticent, but over time it blossomed into the superior wine, with honeyed apricots buffered by the persistent minerality that gave the wine its very long finish. It was a breathtaking Burgundy. Dauvissat’s 1995 Chablis Les Preuses was stunning. It revealed gorgeous inner tension as the fruit gradually emerged from under its shell. Drouhin’s 1949 Beaune Clos des Mouches was fully mature yet wonderfully alive, graceful and seductive.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s 1970 Richebourg was fully resolved. Though quite pretty and floral, it came across as rather soft and gentle. Leroy’s 1953 La Romanée showed remarkable delineation and inner perfume in its sweet, spiced fruit. What a gorgeous wine! I could have spent the entire evening with Rousseau’s 1989 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze (magnum) and been happy as a clam. This was a stunning wine that continued to open up in the glass, revealing a gorgeous, refined personality.

The flight of wines from Mugnier that followed brought back memories of my visit to the property last year. I thought the 1998 Musigny was the best of the three vintages we tasted, but there was some disagreement at the table, most notably from Mugnier himself, who preferred the 1993. I loved the 1998 Musigny for its inner perfume, sweetness and freshness. It was a beautifully balanced wine with a very promising future. Simply put, it was awesome. The 1993 Musigny revealed a more sauvage personality, with less overall elegance, particularly in its tannins. Unfortunately this was not a great bottle. The 1991 Musigny was delicate and structured at the same time, as roses, mint and sweet ripe fruit wafted from the glass with tons of elegance. The 1996 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses was ethereal in its menthol, eucalyptus and pure ripe fruit. It was a totally seductive wine from start to finish.

I loved Mathieu’s 1996 Charmes-Chambertin for its vibrant, sweet fruit and structured personality. Roumier’s 1983 Bonnes Mares was big, rich, full-bodied and incredibly youthful. His 2004, on the other hand, was strident and green, with little of the profoundness of his top vintages.

Our flight of 1978s was superb. This bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s 1978 Romanée St. Vivant (Marey-Monge) was perfumed, sweet and long on the palate, even though it was slightly forward. The 1978 Remoissenet Musigny was simply amazing. Since Mugnier was at our table. I asked him if he knew anything about this wine. It turns out the wine was made by Mugnier’s father, who then sold the wine the wine in barrel to Remoissenet. Mugnier told us he had tasted several bottles of the finished wine, but none that had been as good as this one. The wine was simply gorgeous as it had everything one could want; perfumed aromatics followed layers of fruit, all woven into a structured frame, with enough freshness to continue to drink well for years. This was a breathtaking bottle. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s 1978 Echézeaux showed its characteristic spiced bouquet along with notes of red fruits and autumn leaves. It was fully mature and delicious.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s 1971 Romanée St. Vivant (Marey-Monge) was spellbinding. Spiced, perfumed aromatics emerged from the wine’s powerful frame with a level of intensity and harmony that halted all conversation immediately as tasters looked at each other with immense appreciation of this outstanding wine. Domaine Ponsot’s 1990 Clos de la Roche Vielles Vignes was quite possibly the wine of the night. Endowed with massive amounts of fruit, it flowed onto the palate with superb concentration and precision. Leroy’s 1990 Chambertin was earthy, powerful and gamey. As much as I liked this wine, there were elements of rusticity that lingered.

The 1976 Roumier Musigny was soft, delicate and fully resolved. Though quite pretty, I probably would have enjoyed it more a few years ago. Drouhin’s 1967 Musigny literally floated on the palate in a sweet, ethereal style. Rousseau’s 1991 Chambertin could not have been more different. This powerful, dense wine exploded from the glass with an endless array of richly-textured fruit. It was easily on the highlights of the night. Our evening came to a close with the 1971 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche, which was served from methuselah. It was an incredibly youthful and powerful Burgundy. This bottle came from one of the world’s preeminent DRC collectors, so the optimist in me would like the think the wine was genuine. There we no escaping, though, that this wine bared virtually no resemblance to the same wine I tasted from magnum a few months prior. All in all, this was another great La Paulée that captured the essence of what great wines are all about.

Food:

Hors d’Oeuvres

Dégustation de Charcuteries “Bar Boulud”