<a target="_blank" href="http://www.pazorestaurant.com/">Pazo Restaurant</a> 

1425 Aliceanna
Street,

Baltimore, MD 21231

Tel. (410) 534-7296

This fabulous dinner kicked off two intense days of business
meetings for The Wine Advocate’s staff. As always, it was a privilege to
compare notes with colleagues and tasters I hold in such high regard. Course
after course of delicious Mediterranean-inspired dishes married well with this
stunning selection of wines from Robert Parker’s cellar. The sea scallop
carpaccio, crispy zucchini flowers, head-on shrimp, prime Kansas strip steak
and Calaparra rice with lobster were among the highlights of this tasting menu.&nbsp; 

The 2002 Dom Pérignon
was a great way to kick off the evening. Once again, I loved the wine’s
richness, power and depth, all of which should allow the wine to age
exquisitely for several decades. Among the whites, I especially admired the 1995 Chave Hermitage Blanc for its
complex bouquet of truffles, honey, flowers and spices, all of which flowed
through to the unctuous finish. This rich, explosive wine was utterly
captivating. I also loved the 1996,
which impressed for its cool, brilliant personality and impeccable finish.
Unfortunately, the 1997 was corked. Chave’s 1990 Hermitage Blanc showed
intricate layers of smoke and ash that added complexity to the textured fruit.
The 1989 Sorrel Hermitage Blanc Les
Rocoules had a lot going on. Rich, honeyed fruit emerged from the glass,
along with scents of tobacco, licorice and earthiness that rounded the wine out
beautifully. It was a complete, harmonious white. The 1990 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc from Rayas was utterly breathtaking. Still remarkably fresh, it showed
marvelous complexity in a mid-weight style. Licorice, ash and honey added the
final layers of nuance on the rich, multi-dimensional finish.

Bonneau’s 1999
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve des Celestins was utterly captivating right out
of the bottle. It showed marvelous depth and richness at first, but then lost
some intensity over several hours. A mélange of candied cherries, herbs and
dried flowers lingered on the finish. The 1988
Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape (magnum) was stratospheric. Dark, intense and
powerful, the wine totally conquered the palate and intellect with superb
length and fabulous overall balance. The volatile acidity was on the edge, but
this was otherwise an eternal Châteauneuf-du-Pape destined for a long, long
life. The 2001 Pegau Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Cuvée Reservée (magnum) was by far the most reticent and shut down bottle
in this flight. Clearly a wine of tremendous potential, it needs time – and
lots of it. Hints of smoke, leather, licorice and black olives lingered on the
deep, powerful finish. The 2001
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Chaupin (magnum) from Domaine de la Janasse was utterly spellbinding in the way it
married elements of ripeness with minerality. Fresh and vibrant throughout, the
Chaupin showed marvelous intensity
and length in its seemingly endless layers of fruit. It was drop-dead gorgeous.
The 1998 Vieux Donjon
Châteauneuf-du-Pape presented a slightly more restrained, graceful style of
Châteauneuf in its silky tannins and graceful, elegant fruit. It, too, was
fabulous. The 1990 Chapoutier
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Barbe-Rac (magnum) was another stunner. Still
incredibly fresh and youthful, the Barbe-Rac showed marvelous integrity in its
opulent red fruit, spices and grilled herbs. The 2003 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes (magnum)
was the only bottle in this flight that didn’t quite turn me on. The heat of
the vintage appears to have marked the wine significantly, and I didn’t observe
as much development in the glass over time relative to the other wines on the
table.

Food:

Snacks; Marcona almonds, Arbequina olives, jamon Iberico,
pan con tomate 

Sea scallop carpaccio

Roasted local beets

Crispy zucchini flowers 

Wood grilled duck pintxo 

Potato croquetas 

Sea scallops a la planxa 

Jibia a la planxa 

Head-on shrimp a la planxa 

Whole lamb rack

Prime Kansas Strip Steak

Calasparra rice with lobster

Cheeses

Cajeta mousse sundae

Wine:

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 2002
 </td>
 <td>
 &nbsp;Moët &amp; Chandon
 Dom Pérignon
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1997
 </td>
 <td>
 Chave Hermitage Blanc
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1996
 </td>
 <td>
 &nbsp;Chave Hermitage
 Blanc
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1995
 </td>
 <td>
 &nbsp;Chave Hermitage
 Blanc
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1990
 </td>
 <td>
 &nbsp;Chave Hermitage
 Blanc
 </td>
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1989
 </td>
 <td>
 Sorrel Hermitage Blanc Les Rocoules (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1990
 </td>
 <td>
 &nbsp;Rayas
 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1999
 </td>
 <td>
 &nbsp;Bonneau
 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve des Celestins (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1988
 </td>
 <td>
 &nbsp;Rayas
 Châteauneuf-du-Pape (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2001
 </td>
 <td>
 &nbsp;Pegau Châteauneuf-du-Pape
 Cuvée Reservée (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2001
 </td>
 <td>
 &nbsp;Domaine de la
 Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Chaupin (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1998
 </td>
 <td>
 &nbsp;Vieux Donjon
 Châteauneuf-du-Pape (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1990
 </td>
 <td>
 Chapoutier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Barbe-Rac (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2003
 </td>
 <td>
 &nbsp;Domaine de la
 Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
 </tr>
</tbody></table>

[Photo and credit: Pazo, Baltimore]--Antonio Galloni

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