<a target="_blank" href="http://http//www.mandarinoriental.com/newyork/fine-dining/asiate/">Asiate</a>

Mandarin Oriental
Hotel 

80 Columbus Circle at
60th Street, 

New York, NY 10023 

Tel +1 212 805 8881

April 2008

This was my first dinner at Asiate, the restaurant located
in New York’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel. We were seated in a corner table that
provided spectacular views of Central Park West as late afternoon melded into
night. The tasting menu created by Chef Toni Robertson to match our wines was
fantastic. A number of dishes stood out, most notably the egg cocotte, the
salmon and the wild boar, but it was the étuvée that was totally
transcendental. I found myself tasting this sublime creation in my mind days
later. Wine Director Richard Hales and his team did a great job in keeping up
with the many bottles and glasses throughout the night. All in all, this was a
superb evening of food and wine.

In 1906 Theodore Roosevelt became the first US President to
visit a foreign country and the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. It
was the year of the devastating Great San Francisco Earthquake and of the first
airplane flight in Europe. Pol Roger also made a very fine, tasty 1906 which
has stood the test of time beautifully. We tasted two half-bottles and there
was some variation, but the better bottle was unctuous, full-bodied and utterly
fascinating; it was a wine I literally wanted to be immersed in.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1379254059289-new-york-hotel-restaurant-asiate+-+new+york.jpg"> 

What can I say about our flight of 1960s Dom Pérignon? A
lively debate ensued over which was the “best” wine, but it was truly hard to
pick a favorite as all of these Champagnes were remarkably pure and elegant.
The wines continued to change in the glass, with a never ending array of aromas
and flavors that was totally captivating. The 1961 Dom Pérignon showed hazelnut and spice overtones in a fully
resolved, feminine style. It improved dramatically throughout the evening and I
found myself coming back to it often. The 1962
Dom Pérignon offered perhaps a touch more clarity and freshness, if
slightly less complexity, than the 1961. This was an understated wine that
begged for a moment of quiet contemplation. The 1964 Dom Pérignon presented notable density and richness in an
engaging, generous style. It was less complex than the other wines in this flight
and came across as somewhat two-dimensional, but it opened up beautifully over
the course of the night. I was thrilled by the 1966 Dom Pérignon. Light on its feet, this perfumed, beautifully
sculpted wine drank splendidly. The 1969
Dom Pérignon, the house’s last wine to be aged in cask, was fully mature.
It revealed a full-bodied, unctuous personality in its oxidized, caramelized
aromas and flavors. Our magnum of
the 1971 Dom Pérignon was slightly
corked which was especially disappointing given that the wine was otherwise
fresh and vibrant.

Our flight of Giuseppe
Mascarello Barolos was one of the highlights of an evening full of profound
wines. These wines were made when the tradition in Barolo called for the
blending of fruit from different sites to give wines a combination of
aromatics, fruit and structure few single vineyards are capable of. Every time
I taste the Mascarello Barolos from this era I am amazed by how complete they
are. The 1961 Barolo Riserva was
singing. Sweet, perfumed and incredibly pure, it wafted onto the palate with
extraordinary grace and elegance. The 1964
Barolo Riserva, an ex-cellar bottle, could have passed for grand cru
Burgundy in a blind tasting. It was exquisite as it revealed tons of layered
fruit, superb balance and the structure and weight to drink well for at least
another few years. Had the 1967 Barolo
also not been an ex-cellar bottle I might have had doubts about its provenance.
This was a big, richly colored Barolo loaded with dense fruit and a deep,
powerful personality. It wasn’t as elegant as the other wines in this flight
(both Riservas), but it was nevertheless impressive.

A lovingly cared for 1962
Leroy La Romanée was spellbinding. Everything about this wine approached
perfection; from the beautiful color to the profound aromatics to the
well-defined flavors that danced on the palate with the grace of a ballerina.
This breathtaking bottle captured the essence of the alluring qualities that
makes perfectly-cared for older wines such a thrill to drink. The 1964 Leroy Grands-Echézeaux enjoyed a
very strong showing. It was a big, structured Burgundy, yet it offered a very
sensual expression of sweet, perfumed fruit. This was my second great bottle of
this wine in the last six months. Unfortunately Domaine Moillard’s 1966 Bonnes Mares was shot.

The 1961 Burgundies that was served with the crispy suckling
pig were gorgeous. Jean Gros’s 1961
Richebourg revealed a nice-up-front personality with notable depth, but it
was incredibly tannic and the wine’s structural elements ultimately dominated
over the fruit. Still, it was a pretty bottle. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s 1961 La Tâche was one of the greatest
wines I have ever had the privilege of drinking. Deeply colored for a wine of
its age, it offered up an exotic array of aromatics and flavors, with plenty of
fruit to fill out its frame. It was heady, breathtaking juice. Louis Gros’s 1961 Clos Vougeot was
served blind, and none of us were able to correctly place it. The wine was
still fresh and intact, with a beautiful if somewhat linear personality and
beautiful balance. It clearly suffered the comparison to the La Tâche in this
grouping, yet it would have surely been the centerpiece of most any dinner.

Domaine de la
Romanée-Conti’s 1980s stole the show in this next flight. The 1980 Grands-Echézeaux opened with the
gorgeous, sensual aromatics that are its hallmark. Sweet and generous in its
fruit, it revealed superb length on the palate, with a final note of freshness
on the finish. The 1980 La Tâche was
less expressive in its aromatics yet utterly monumental in its deep, massive
core of fruit. This backward, structured wine appeared to still need cellaring!
The 1980 Domaine Comte de Vogüé Musigny
was impossible to assess as it was slightly off. Jean Gros’s 1980 Richebourg was not unlike the 1961 in that the
wine’s structure overpowered the fruit. Our last Burgundy of the night was
served blind. It was an explosive, ripe wine packed with an impressively dense
core of fruit framed by new oak. It turned out to be the 2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche, a wine that is perhaps
15 years away from being ready to drink. Needless to say it was an incredible
privilege to catch this wine at this relatively early stage.

The 1795 Barbeito
Terrantez was the perfect bookend to this dinner. Because of the age of
many surviving bottles, Madeira is one of the world’s most evocative wines. I
can’t drink Madeira without thinking about what was happening in the world when
the wines were made. In 1795 George Washington was the United States President
and the French Revolution was in full swing, but that’s not what made this wine
so special. The 1795 Terrantez was just beautiful in its seamless, layered
expression of this nearly-extinct grape variety. It offered superb
concentration and spellbinding balance. Even after all the monumental wines we
had enjoyed, it was impossible to resist a second glass of this magical elixir.
For many of the tasters, myself included, it was among the highlights of an
unforgettable night of great wines and friendship.

Food:

Spoons: A Selection of “Raw” Tastings

Egg Cocotte: Slow Poached Egg, Warm Dashi Broth, Ginko Nut

Étuvée: Scallops, Sweet Shrimp, Little Neck Clams, Hearts of
Palm, Coconut Herb Broth

Black Truffle Chowder: Crispy Root Vegetables, Shaved Button
Mushrooms

Salmon: Miso Glazed Tasmanian Salmon, Mushroom and Salsify
Ragout, Watercress Beurre Blanc

Wild Boar: Crispy Suckling Pig, Croquette, Tenderloin, Black
Truffle Pork Jus

Selection of Artisan Cheeses

Selection of Chocolate and Mignardises

Wine: 

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 1906
 </td>
 <td>
 Pol Roger (half-bottle)
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1961
 </td>
 <td>
 Dom Pérignon
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1962
 </td>
 <td>
 Dom Pérignon
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1964
 </td>
 <td>
 Dom Pérignon
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1966
 </td>
 <td>
 Dom Pérignon
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1969
 </td>
 <td>
 Dom Pérignon
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1971
 </td>
 <td>
 Dom Pérignon (magnum)
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1961
 </td>
 <td>
 G. Mascarello Barolo Riserva
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1964
 </td>
 <td>
 G. Mascarello Barolo Riserva
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1967
 </td>
 <td>
 G. Mascarello Barolo
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1962
 </td>
 <td>
 Maison Leroy La Romanée
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1964
 </td>
 <td>
 Maison Leroy Grands-Echézeaux
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1966
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Moillard Bonnes Mares
 </td>
 <td>
 ?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1961
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Jean Gros Richebourg
 </td>
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1961
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1961
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Louis Gros Clos Vougeot&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1980
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-Echézeaux
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1980
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1980
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Comte de Vogüé Musigny
 </td>
 <td>
 89?
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1980
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine Jean Gros Richebourg
 </td>
 <td>
 89
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2001
 </td>
 <td>
 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1795
 </td>
 <td>
 Barbeito Terrantez
 </td>
 <td>
 98</td></tr></tbody></table>

[Photo and credit: Asiate, New York]--Antonio Galloni

Content

Engage

Vinous

Social