Great Tasting: Old World-New World

This year New England Culinary Institute's Division of Continuing Education, working with a grant from the State of Vermont, instigated a series of staff trainings for professionals within the state's hospitality industry. Included was a series on operations and table service, and one on Supervision in the hospitality industry, and one on wine and beverage studies. I was asked to design, and teach, the  sessions on  wine and other beverages. In this course there were six different, three-hour sessions, each covering a different aspect of understanding, appreciating and serving fine beverages. This round of trainings was held at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, and was attended by a dozen dedicated professionals. I have to say that, much as I love teaching the young culinary students at NECI, it was a fun and satisfying challenge to be working with a room full of my peers. These people were determined to learn all they possibly could about wine so as to be even better at what they are already doing so well. 

       Our fifth session was Introduction to the New World.  After starting with a class on wine basics and wine-making, then a session on distilled Spirits and Malt Beverages, which included instruction on assessing wine using the Davis 20-point system, we had spent the previous two sessions on European wine regions, with an emphasis on France. In order to illustrate some of the cultural differences between wine production in Europe and in the New World, I thought a comparative tasting of French wines  and wines from the United States would be effective. The tasting turned out to be far more effective, and Fun, than I could have anticipated. 

      Working with the Sommelier at the Trapp Lodge, I had chosen a line-up of six wines to be tasted in three flights. Each flight would have a French wine to be tasted alongside an American wine made from the same varietal. All six wines were excellent, and each flight really brought across my point that, in general, European wines tend to be more elegant, more refined, easier to match to foods than New World wines. I know that is a huge generalization, but in 30-odd years of tasting, and teaching about, wines, I have really found that comparison to be an accurate one. And this tasting with professionals in hospitality proved my point. 

    We started with sauvignon blanc. First the 2006 Sancerre, Domaine Les Grand Groux, and then 2005 Sonoma Fumé Blanc from Ferrari-Carano. The Sancerre was brilliant and vivid, had a pleasing, if limited, nose of lemon and dry straw. The lime-lemon flavor came through on the palate, supported by lively acidity. The finish was long and crisp with lemon nuances. My summary "Great food wine". Total points: 16

     The Fumé Blanc was also brilliant in appearance, had an open clean bouquet of fresh dill (and a hint of dill pickles!). On the palate, I detected a touch of residual sugar and toasty oak, but not a great deal of natural fruit. The acidity was fresh, and was certainly up to the task of balancing that sugar and toast. The finish was long and melon-y. A very pleasant wine. Total points: 15 

Next we turned to pinot noir, which I consider to be the most food-friendly of the noble red varietals. I had chosen a Burgundy red, 2003 Givry, Domaine du Moulin Neuf, to taste beside a California pinot, the 2005 Pinot Noir, "Gold Coast Vineyard", Costa de Oro, Santa Maria Valley. The Givry was luminous in appearance, had a very complex though subtle bouquet of barn-yardy earthiness with a hint of a metallic tones and a nice touch of cherry. The cherry and iron tones came through on the palate, beautifully balanced by acidity. The mouthfeel was silky and smooth. In the finish I once again got an echo of cherry. My overall assessment: "elegant and subtle". 16.5 points.

      The Santa Maria Valley wine was clear but not as vivid. Its nose was very forward and fruity, full of appealing aromas of cherries. The body of this wine was quite round and full. The flavors were of ripe cherry, but the wine went hollow in the middle palate. At the back I was aware of tannins, but they were not obtrusive. The finish was long albeit a bit bitter. In my opinion, the wine was very tasty but a bit too fat and diffuse. Total points: 14.5

      For the last flight I had wanted to show a Bordeaux red against a cabernet-based blend from the U.S. The sommelier had suggested what turned out to be a perfect match: A St.Emilion, which, being from the Right Bank, we could assume was primarily merlot, and a Washington State blended red in which the primary varietal was merlot. The Bordeaux was 2003 Chateau Larose Pourret, a terrific wine from an estate I was not familiar with. It was deep garnet in color, with luminous clarity. The bouquet was complex and layered, redolent of blackberries and violets. The wine was of medium to full body, and silky smooth. There was amazing depth of flavor, layer after layer of berries and cherries, perfectly supported by a backbone of tannin. The finish was long and spicy. Even though lovely now, I am sure this wine is going to improve for years to come. An definite 17-pointer!

      The Washington State wine, 2004 "Red Wine", Owen Roe, Yakima Valley, was truly impressive! A big wine (14.1% alcohol versus 12.5% in the St. Emilion), lush and muscular, it was a joy to taste. The blend of 49% merlot, 29% cab franc and 22% cab sauvignon allowed each varietal to show off its character, yet all melded into a harmonious whole. The bouquet was very open and forward, full of raspberries, candy and chocolate, and lots of oak. The body was full and velvety, and the wine was rich with fruit and chocolate, and  had excellent structure, albeit not quite up to the task of holding up all that fruit and oak. The finish was long and toasty. A big, powerful wine! Points: 16

The students and I agreed that all six wines were very good to excellent. And they definitely saw my point about the different styles. The French wines all tended to be more refined, more subtle, even though very complex. The wine-making input was always less obvious than with the American wines, where toasty oak, ML and extended maceration tended to be more evident. The American wines were all bigger, fruitier and more brash in style than their French counterparts. Six  good wines, two distinct styles, influenced by two different cultural approaches. A fascinating experience!

This evening at NECI, the student wine club, Uncorked! is holding a tasting that promises to be another fascinating experience: Bordeaux reds. More on that tomorrow!

Uncorked!

One of my favorite activities here at New England Culinary Institute is acting as Faculty Advisor to the student  wine club, called, appropriately, Uncorked! Rather than impose my ideas on the students  by announcing periodically that there will be another  tasting of wines chosen by yours truly, I wait for a student to come to me with an idea. That student is then the organizer of the next Uncorked! and works with me to plan, promote and set up (and clean up!) the event. 

Fortunately there is no shortage of motivated, enthusiastic young people coming up with creative ideas for wine events that are both instructional and fun. One man is hoping to pull together a tasting of Italian wines and classic Italian sauces. He wants to show four wines from four different regions, and then select a sauce from each of those same regions. The sauces will be identified, but the wines will be tasted blind. Participants will first taste the wines alone, and then taste all wines with all sauces, and try to guess which wine "goes with" which sauce, thus also confirming which region that wine is from. Sounds complicated, but should prove to be a very good lesson for future chefs on the compatibility of regional cuisines and wines. No date set for this one yet, but I will keep you posted on how it does turnout!

The Uncorked! event coming up this Monday, March 17 sounds like fun, too. A young man approached me about working on a tasting of Esoteric Varietals. He wanted to get beyond merlot and pinot grigio. So I am planning to show some of my personal favorites among the rare and sadly over-looked varietals, such as albariño, viognier, carmenère, tempranillo, touriga nacional and maybe malbec. I'll let you know what the young people think of these "new" varietals!

One young woman who is finishing up her AOS in the  Culinary Arts has volunteered to work with me on a tasting of various Spanish wines matched to Spanish cheeses. Working on this event with her will take me right back to my days as Consultant to the Wines from Spain Program!   And another student wants me to work with him on planning a comparative tasting of great Bordeaux reds, from the Haut Médoc and the Right Bank. That fits right in with my membership in La Commanderie de Bordeaux! And anther young woman just starting her AOS degree wants to organize a comparative tasting of Cabernet Sauvignons from different AVAs of California. 

Sounds like a busy Spring for Uncorked! I will  write a brief summary of my tasting notes from each of these events,and also let you know what the students had to say about the wines. If any of you readers have some fun ideas for Uncorked! tastings, send them my way! Thanks.

La Conseillante in Virginia

After a very successful dinner on January 24 at The 21 Club in New York, it was on to Washington, D.C. January 25 for another wine dinner featuring La Conseillante at the 2941 Restaurant. The restaurant is located in the D.C. suburb of Falls Church, Virginia. Again the dinner would be hosted by Richard Bakal of The Wine Trust,and once more, Jean-Michel Laporte, wine-maker and Directeur for La Conseillante,  would be the guest speaker. The 2941 had very recently hired a Chef de Cuisine of impeccable reputation and an impressive track record. Chef Bertrand Chemel came to the Virginia restaurant in early January from NYC's Café Daniel, Daniel Boulud's famous Upper East Side bistro, where he had worked for six years. During  his tenure there, the Café garnered rave reviews, including three stars from the New York Times. The 32-year-old chef, a native of the Auvergne region of France, had spent several years in culinary school in that country before embarking on an illustrious career that took him to some of the most famous kitchens in his country, and in Switzerland and London, England. With such a pro in the kitchen, I was confident that the 2941 would serve up a gorgeous meal that would show the beautiful Pomerol wines off handsomely. 

As Joan Trauber of The Wine Trust and I drove up to the large building in which the 2941 is located, I could not help but be impressed with its stunning location beside a lake, on the ground floor of what appeared to be a large modern office building. Through its huge towering windows, the restaurant's dining-rooms looked out at a stone terrace with splashing fountains, half-frozen waterfalls, and thick silent woods beyond. This dinner also started with Champagne Paul Goerg 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs, but instead of having a reception period to mingle and schmooze, all guests were shown immediately to their respective tables where assorted hors d'oeuvres were served. Joan, Jean-Michel, two guests of Richard's and I were seated at Richard's head table, a very long table stretching across one side of the room. The rectangular shape of the head table made conversation and interaction quite difficult among the six of us seated there. Moreover, the table was separated from the round tables at which the 46 guests were seated. I think this set-up intimated the attendees and discouraged them from approaching  the "wine experts" to ask questions. I really feel that wine dinners are more successful if there is a reception period for all guests to get to know each other before taking their seats at the tables, and further, I feel that all attendees should be seated at rounds of six or eight.  Ideally one of the "wine experts" will be seated at each table.  The schedule and the seating arrangement of these dinners  should  encourage conversation and interaction, so that everybody has a good time and learns something in the process. 

The first course was Sheep Milk Ricotta Gnocchi with "shaved black truffle, Brussel sprouts and Parmesan cheese", served with 2001 Chateau La Conseillante. The wine again showed off its gorgeous nose that I remembered from New York.  The deep briary fruit was as enticing as I recalled. However, the tannins from this young wine were too much for the gnocchi in their cream sauce. The delicate truffles and the tiny slices of braised brussel sprouts were lost behind the big wine. 

Next the competent sommelier, Stephano Cappelli, and his staff poured  the 1998 which had really impressed me at the 21 Club. Again I was struck by its lovely bouquet of cedar, blackberries and violets, its smooth velvety mouthfeel, and gorgeous deep fruit. A truly great wine of considerable finesse. This was the absolutely perfect match for the second course, described in the menu as "Black Truffle-Crusted Turbot with Leek fondue and Syrah sauce". Although I had no idea what "leek fondue" is (they looked like braised leeks to me), and was surprised to see a "syrah sauce" with a merlot-based wine, the match was great. The sauce tasted like raspberries, and the bitterness of the sauce and of the encrusted exterior of the fish was nicely matched by the subtle bitterness of the wine's mellow tannins. The restraint of the 1998's lovely fruit did not overpower the delicate flavors of the turbot.  

Jean-Michel LaPorte made several comments to the group during this course. First he told us about the 1998 vintage, saying it was a good harvest for the Right Bank, but not great for the Médoc. September had been sunny and nice, but rain descended in October. Since the vineyards of the Right Bank are planted primarily to merlot and cabernet franc, which ripen up more quickly than cabernet sauvignon, most vintners in Pomerol and St. Emilion had harvested before the rains, while many estates in the Médoc  had not yet harvested their cabernet sauvignon when the rains descended. The result: many diluted wines from the Médoc that year. 

After these comments, as Jean-Michel and I were  chatting, I asked him about the blend of varietals in La Conseillante, which has been at 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc for many years. Jean-Michel confided that, if he had his druthers, the blend would contain even more merlot. I could see his point as so many of the characteristics of this estate's wines that I found most pleasurable - the violets and "sous-bois" in the nose, the rich deep blackberry/raspberry fruit, the subtle tannins - are contributed by merlot, not cab franc. 

As the wait-staff prepared to serve the main course, the sommelier and an assistant poured the two vintages of La Conseillante that were to accompany that course. They poured first the 1990 from magnums, and then the 1989 from 750's. The 1990 was new - we did not have it in NYC. My notes describe the 1990 as ruby-colored with only a hint of tile at the edge to suggest its age. Its clarity was luminous.  The nose was lovely, less penetrating than that of the '98 or the '01, but deep and mysterious.  I detected nuances of "sous-bois", that lovely forest-floor aroma, along with crushed berries and the smoky woody smell of a dying camp fire. The wine was full and lively on the palate. Although lacking the depth of the 1998, the fruit of the 1990 was still vibrant. 

The 1989 from a regular sized bottle was very similar to the same vintage from the magnum we had had in New York. The wine from the smaller bottle was still mellow and lovely, but a bit less aromatic  than the bottle from the previous evening. Also the acids were more evident. I would have suspected that the large bottle,which allows a slower maturing process, would have had the more vivid acidity. That's what makes wine so much fun - you never can be sure what it is going to do! 

The main course of Dry Aged Strip Loin with Winter root vegetables, truffle pomme purée and Rossini sauce was a very complex and intensely-flavored dish, certainly appropriate for a cold winter evening. I was a little mystified by the name of the sauce though, since, to me, Rossini is a nineteenth century composer of Italian opera. Fortunately,the waiter was able to help a little: Rossini sauce is made from fois gros. I still don't see what foie gros has to do with "The Barber of Seville" or the William Tell overture. Any culinary experts out there want to give me a hand with this..?

The matching of two vintages of the same wine to one dish made for some fun exploring of the basics of pairing wine to food. I found that overall  these older Pomerols were both excellent with the intense, robust meat dish, with its many well-defined flavors. However, the sauce was almost too intense for the mellow 1989. The slightly more youthful and deeper 1990 stood up to all that intensity better. 

During this course, Jean-Paul walked out into the main part of the room to talk with the guests, from the floor. He made some fun observations in these conversations. I had noticed already that Jean-Michel has a terrific sense of humor. He uses humor adroitly to make his points, but also to keep people relaxed and help them enjoy his wines. 

One gentleman asked Jean-Michel how much new oak his winery uses each year. I was very surprised when he replied they bring in between 80% and 100% new oak every vintage. The oakiness of Conseillante is always so subtle that I had assumed the percentage was much lower. Of course, the oak used is of the highest quality, from the Limosin forest, and very lightly toasted, all of which helps to keep the oak influence very refined, so that it does not interfere with either varietal character  or terroir.  This judicious use of oak fits well with the overall philosophy of the estate, as expressed by Jean-Michel.  "We are very old-fashioned in our making of wine. We are as respectful of terroir as we can be". 

The dessert was being served, as Jean-Michel fielded one more question. A lady brought up a disturbing issue when she asked him if he and other vintners in Pomerol are concerned about the threat of climate change world-wide. He replied that there is little doubt that the effect of global warming is already becoming evident in Bordeaux, in that the harvest comes earlier, the fruit is jammier, and the alcohol higher.  But he ended his comments on a positive note, stating confidence that international cooperative efforts by governments, academics and private businesses would soon find a way to counteract global warming, and keep Bordeaux's wines the elegant complex gems humankind has enjoyed for centuries. 

 

Corrections

    At the end of my blog about the wine dinner at 21 Club in New York, I asked my readers for help.  I wasn't sure what Braeburn Apples (used in the dessert at the dinner) are, since to me, Braeburn is a country club in Wellesley, Massachusetts. A reader in the Seattle area, Eric A., informed me that the Braeburn apple is a distinct type of crisp flavorful apple that  widely planted in his state of Washington. I also heard from a man  in the Boston area, Dan R., who informed me that the Braeburn Country Club is in Newton, Massachusetts, not Wellesley! 

Thanks, Gentlemen!

La Conseillante at 21

As those who saw my initial blog know, I was lucky enough to have been sent by Santé to New York city on Thursday, January 24 to cover a wine dinner at the 21 Club featuring several vintages of the famed Pomerol estate, Château  La Conseillante.  After an afternoon of clothes shopping (hey, I was right off 5th Avenue. What is a girl to do...?), I walked over to the the 21 Club at 21 West 52nd Street. The evening started with a Champagne reception at which Paul Goerg Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs was served with various hors d'oeuvres. The Champagne was provided by Mario Rinaldi, the United States representative for the house of Paul Goerg. 

After the reception the  guests (there were over 40 people attending)  took their places at the six beautifully set dinner tables.  The entire evening had been organized by The Wine Trust, a unique wine marketing enterprise. I was honored to be seated at the head table with the President of The Wine Trust, Richard Bakal, his Director of Marketing, Joan Trauber, Jean-Michel LaPorte, Directeur of Ch. La Conseillante, Mr. Rinaldi and Richard Brown of Amagansett Wine & Spirits, the retail store that was cooperating with The Wine Trust on the sale of La Conseillante to the guests in attendance. 

I had chatting briefly with Jean-Michel LaPorte during the reception, and had learned he had been director and head wine-maker for La Conseillante for just four years. He seemed so young for such august titles that I could not resist asking him how old he is. He told me is now 32 years old. That means  he landed that job at the ripe age of 28! Very impressive. I was even more impressed when Jean-Michel told me he did not even have a degree in Oenology, but rather a degree in General Agriculture from the university in Toulouse. However, he did intern in California wine country, and then, after graduation, worked for a couple of years at the offices of the Bordeaux negoçiant, Cordière, thus gaining experience in the two critical areas of the wine business: viticulture/oenology, and sales/marketing.   

After some gracious comments from Mario Rinaldi about his very fine Champagne, Mr. Bakal introduced Jean-Michel and asked him to gave us some general background on La Conseillante while the 21 Club staff poured the first vintage of this great Pomerol, the 2001. Jean-Michel told us the estate consists of 12 hectares (about 30 acres) at the edge of the Pomerol appellation (4 hectares are actually in St. Emilion). The estate lies between Chateau Petrus and St. Emilion's Chateau Cheval Blanc, and is planted 80% to merlot and 20% to cabernet franc. Both varietals are systematically replanted to maintain an average vine age of 40 years. The soil throughout most of the estate has a high clay content, with some gravel, on a hard, iron-rich subsoil. This is where the merlot is planted. In a  small portion of the estate gravel predominates. This is where the slower-ripening cabernet franc is planted. The entire estate enjoys a temperate oceanic mesoclimate, in which  there is plenty of sunshine and adequate precipitation, which allows for gradual ripening.  When blended  the two grape varietals each contribute individual attributes that, together, make for the quintessential Pomerol: the merlot with its roundness, ripe fruit and fullness is perfectly balanced by crispness and structure lent by the cabernet franc. 

Jean-Michel concluded his opening remarks with a sentence that brought joy to my heart, and increased my optimism for the future of Bordeaux's great wines: "We always want balance," said this serious, dedicated young  man. "We do not want Robert Parker wines!" Amen!! 

We all turned our attention to the 2001 in our glasses. I found the wine to be a deep vivid ruby color. The nose was forward and developing well. It was full of cedar, black currents and anise. On the palate, the wine had excellent structure, crisp and firm. There were several layers of deep briary fruit. The finish was a little short but enticing.  I felt we were drinking this wine too young and that it would continue to improve for years to come.

 Jean-Michel agreed. "It is still a baby", he said. He told us that  2001 had been a very successful vintage for the Right Bank, but following the great 2000 vintage, the 2001s have been a bit ignored. "However, connoisseurs are just now discovering the 2001s. These wines will continue to improve for another 20-30 years." 

With the 2001 La Conseillante we were served Sea Trout Roasted on a Cedar Plank, and Creamy Farro with Smoked Bacon, Leek and Mushroom Jus.  This was a very successful match. The bitter flavor imparted to the fish through roasting, and to the bacon by smoking, nicely echoed the bitterness of the wine's still-young tannins. Moreover, the gentle bitterness was pleasantly balanced by the slight sweetness of the farro and the leeks.  

The next vintage to be poured was the 1998. Jean-Michel had told us that 1998 had had  a fairly warm  growing season, considerably warmer than 2001. I was wondering if that meant the wine might be a little jammy, but  not to worry! Age had mellowed the 1998 nicely. The color was a pretty ruby, with the edges showing the first signs of age with hints of tile orange. The nose was penetrating, with more cedar and fewer berry aromas than the '01, and hints of leather. A really gorgeous bouquet! The mouthfeel was very smooth, even velvety. There was good ripe fruit at the front, then a quiet interlude before the burst of red current flavors in the long elegant finish. Overall, the 1998 was understandably more subtle and refined than the 2001. 

When I mentioned the subtlety to Jean-Michel, he responded, "I always want finesse and elegance". Bravo!  He went on to discuss the 1998 vintage in his comments to the guests. He told us it was a good year for the Right Bank because the vintners there were able to harvest their merlot and cabernet franc before the Fall rains came, whereas many vintners in the Médoc lost parts of their crops while waiting for their cabernet sauvignon to ripen.  Jean-Michel pointed out that in the 1998, he was "more aware of the cabernet franc than I was with the 2001. Its leather taste emerges with age."

The staff had placed before us a dish that had sounded intriguing when I first saw it on the menu: Cocoa-Chili Rubbed Venison, with chestnut purée, truffle roasted beets, huckleberry jus. The dish was very good, truly complex in its many tastes and textures. I liked the contrast of the sweetness in the chestnuts and the beets against the bitter  cocoa and sharp chili, and of course, the richness of the meat. The match of this unusual dish and the 1998 Conseillante almost worked. But right at the middle palate, I found the sour of the jus fought against the bitterness inherent to the wine. However, as I sipped the wine after swallowing the venison, I really liked the smokey flavors lingering on my palate, a pleasant  echo of wine and dish singing together.

As Sommelier Phillip Pratt and his staff poured the 1989 Conseillante from magnums, Jean-Michel told the guests a little about the history of the estate. The name derives from the owner/manager during the middle of the 1700s, Catherine Conseillan. In 1871 the estate was purchased by brothers Nicolas and Louis-Simon Nicolas.  (If my last name were Nicolas, would I ever name one of my sons Nicolas...?) Today, 137 years later, La Conseillante is still owned and managed by the Nicolas family.

 "And", said the Nicolases' very competent young current director,  "the family wants to keep the chateau through 10 more generations!"

According to  my notes the 1989 La Conseillante was simply beautiful! In the glass it was really luminous with pleasant tile red color throughout. The very full bouquet showed appealing aromas of leather, earth and metal. On the palate, it was soft and full. The flavors were subtle but distinct, full of berry-like nuances. The structure was holding up admirably. In the lingering finish I detected a delightful  hint of anise. Truly elegant!

The main course would have to be darn good not to be lost behind this gorgeous wine! And indeed it was. The menu listed Hazelnut-Crusted Rack of Colorado Lamb with black trumpet mushrooms, braised butternut squash with honey & thyme, natural jus.  It was a perfect match, that rare occurrence when both the wine and the dish taste better together than either does alone. In this case, both wine and food had many subtle flavors, all of them perfectly complementing each other. The many flavors playing off each other on my palate brought to mind the image of a perfectly trained ballet troupe, with many individual dancers moving back and forth, playing off each other, and then swirling around into a beautifully choreographed unity. 

In his comments, Jean-Michel told us that 1989 had been a great vintage for Bordeaux. He said that in this wine he was more aware of the acidity and less of tannins than in the previous wines. While listening to Jean-Michel's description of the wine, I learned a wonderful new wine-tasting term. "The bouquet," he said, "is full of what we call 'sous bois'". I knew just what he meant: that delightful aroma as one walks through a forest -  part earth, part wet leaves, part moss. What I had been describing for years as "wet underbrush" sounds so much more appealing as "sous bois". 

At this point, I felt I could not eat another bite or taste another wine, but fortunately I persuaded myself to hang in there for dessert. In my glass was the 1988 Chateau Suduiraut from Sauternes - deep gold and very bright. How could I resist?! The nose was beautiful - redolent with the deep clover-honey aromas one expects from a fully botrytised wine. And on the palate, oh, my, how delicious it was!  The smooth syrupy wine was packed with  the taste of exotic dried apricots and  more of that  honeyed sweetness. Yet the whole rich combo was perfectly balanced by lean acidity. And the dessert was super! Braeburn Apple Strudel with goat cheese, lavender and fennel. Together the strudel and the Sauternes were another one of those absolutely perfect matches. (By the way. what is a Braeburn Apple Strudel? To me, Braeburn is a country club in Wellesley, Massachcusetts. Can anyone help me with this...?)

As we were all finishing up our dessert, 21 Club's Executive Chef, John Greeley came into the dining-room to meet us. He was greeted with a standing ovation, well deserved, I felt. When I chatted briefly with Chef Greely, I was intrigued to learn he did not have a culinary degree. Since I teach at one of the more prestigious culinary schools in this country, it is ingrained in my consciousness that one really needs to have a culinary degree to be a great chef. But, no, Chef Greely had a degree in the Fine Arts and Design.  Oh well, culinary arts, fine arts - they are both creative! 

Congratulations to Chef Greely and to Sommelier Pratt for a truly memorable dinner, and to The Wine Trust for organizing such  a successful evening that proved, far better than any writer can hope to do, the extraordinary  ability of Bordeaux's great wines to complement great food. 

On to Virginia!!

Dinner with La Conseillante

When Santé first asked me to do a regular Wine & Food blog, I was really pleased. I very much enjoy discussing wines, and food and wine pairing, with other wine aficionados. But when I learned what my first assignment for the blog would be, I was beyond "pleased"- I was thrilled! Would I be willing to go to New York's 21 Club to attend a wine dinner featuring several vintages of Pomerol's renowned Chateau La Conseillante, and then continue on the next day to a  Washington, D.C. suburb to cover a similar dinner at a fine restaurant there? Are you kidding? Is the Pope still Catholic??  It took one millisecond for me to answer that question in the affirmative. 

So on Thursday, January 24, 2008 I flew to JFK from Burlington, Vermont to start two very special days of wine events organized by The Wine Trust of Ridgefield, Connecticut. The Wine Trust, founded in 1973 by Richard Bakal, is a truly unique wine marketing enterprise. What began as a family hobby, in which one gentleman purchased cases of fine wine for future consumption with family members and close friends, has evolved into one of this country's most trustworthy sources for beautifully-aged classified growths from Bordeaux.  The Wine Trust buys only from the true source, i.e. the chateau itself, and buys only in good vintages. The wine is then stored under impeccable conditions until it reaches the level of maturity that will allow that wine to show at its most mellow, deep, harmonious best. Only then is it offered to customers, and only under conditions that will keep handling and shipping to a minimum. 

After checking in at the Warwick Hotel, which is literally around the corner from the 21 Club, I had some time to kill, so I wandered along 5th Avenue, popping into several shops. Two hours later, having spent a considerable amount of money on fabulous clothes that I could not really afford, I went back to the hotel, changed and walked over to the 21 Club. There I met up with Richard Bakal of The Wine Trust and his Director of Marketing, Joan Trauber. I was handed a glass of Champagne (Paul Goerg 2002 Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs) and introduced myself to Jean-Michel LaPorte, the directeur  and wine-maker for Chateau La Conseillante. Thus began a fabulous evening! 

During the reception period, I chatted with Monsieur LaPorte, a charming young Frenchman, and with Phillip Pratt, Sommelier for 21 Club, as well as several of the guests including  Juan Miguel Meyer of Greenwich. I also spoke with the National Director of Marketing for Paul Goerg Champagne. He told me, and later reiterated in his comments to the group during dinner, that his is a very small Champagne house, owning only 150 hectares in the Cote de Blanc.  All the chardonnay grapes that go into the Premier Cru are from vineyards rated at 100% or 98% in the official rating of Champagne's growing sites. The Champagne was creamy, spritely and full of fresh apple-like fruit mingling enticingly with the toasty yeast aromas. It was the perfect aperitif and did a nice job of setting off the various hors d'oeuvres being passed, especially the tiny blini with caviar.

After a very pleasant reception hour, we were graciously asked by the staff to be seated. At the head table with Mr. Bakal were Mr. LaPorte, the gentleman from Paul Goerg Champagne, Ms. Trauber, Richard Brown of Amagansett Wine & Spirits, the participating retailer for the dinner, and me. In his opening remarks Richard Bakal described La Conseillante as the "crème de la crème" of Pomerol producers which traces its history back to 1735. The chateau, owned by the Nicolas family since 1871, is located between Chateau Petrus and, on the other side where it abuts St. Emilion, by Chateau Cheval Blanc. The wines of   Ch. La Conseillante, coming from this ideal terroir, are famous for the ripeness of their fruit, the depth of their flavors and their exemplary level of finesse. 

After this introduction, I was anticipating an extraordinary dinner, in which each dish would be perfectly matched to these elegant wines. I was not disappointed!   More to come soon!!