La Paulée de San
Francisco 

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sfouw-the-westin-st-francis-san-francisco-on-union-square/">The Westin St.
Francis,</a>

Union Square - 335
Powell Street,

San Francisco, CAMarch 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.&nbsp; 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”

Charlotte de Ris de Veau aux Deux Truffes

Braised Monkfish with Caramelized Salsify, Petite Mustard
Greens &amp; Red Wine Jus

Liberty Farms Duck Breast; Farro, Smoked Bacon &amp; Rhubarb,
Spring Onion Compote

Comté Sante Antoine

Chocolate Torta, Ras El Hanout, Dried Apricot

Wines:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 2005
 </td>
 <td>
 Maison Colin-Morey Bâtard-Montrachet (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 Maison Colin-Morey Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1987
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 90
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2000
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault Perrières
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1995
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine René et Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Les Preuses
 </td>
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1949
 </td>
 <td>
 Maison Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1970
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg
 </td>
 <td>
 90
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1953
 </td>
 <td>
 Maison Leroy La Romanée
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1989
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin-Clos de Bèze (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1998
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1993
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny
 </td>
 <td>
 92?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1991
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny
 </td>
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny Les
 Amoureuses
 </td>
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996
 </td>
 <td>
 Mathieu Charmes-Chambertin
 </td>
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1983
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Georges Roumier Bonnes Mares
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2004
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Georges Roumier Bonnes Mares
 </td>
 <td>
 88
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant
 (Marey-Monge)
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Maison Remoissenet Musigny
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1978
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echézeaux
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1971
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant
 (Marey-Monge)
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1990
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vielles Vignes
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1990
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Leroy Chambertin
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1976
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Georges Roumier Musigny
 </td>
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1967
 </td>
 <td>
 Maison Joseph Drouhin Musigny
 </td>
 <td>
 90
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1991
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1971
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche (methuselah)
 </td>
 <td>
 94+?</td></tr></tbody></table>

--Antonio Galloni

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