The second of what would turn out to be ten courses was, by count, the group's favorite of the evening, a Crab Leg Saute in a Cranberry, Orange Beurre Blance served warm with fresh Dungeness crab, avocado balls, and hazelnuts. The course was inspired by one of Charlie Trotter's menus with an eye towards marrying it with particular Chardonnay's from France. The three offerings included a 2004 Domaine Francois Raveneau Chablis Valmur Grand Cru, a 1996 Lafon Comtes-Meursault, and a 1999 Ettiene Sauzet Puligny Montrachet Combettes. Of the flight, the Lafon and the Sauzet shone the brightest.
When the clock struck 3 o'clock, we were treated to the third course, a Diver Scallop and Black Truffle wrapped in Caul Fat with Saffron Fettucine Noodles and Portobello Mushrooms. The Caul Fat, of course, comes from the outer portion of a cow's stomach lining and had the consistency of, well, stomach lining. This course was paired with two beautiful French White Burgundy's, a 1995 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet and a magnum of 1996 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne. At the end of the evening, the Montrachet stood out as the wine of the night for nearly all.
The fourth course matched three California Chardonnay's with a Poached Salmon over Lobster Potatoes. The wine included a 1999 Kistler Durrell Vineyard, a 2005 Newton Unfiltered, and a 2004 Talbott Sleepy Hallow. Sadly, the Newton was corked. Most agreed that the Kistler was the wine of the flight. After enjoying the bounty of food and wine, we all braved the weather and took a stroll around the park's beautiful backdrop.
We started the fifth course at nearly 5:30 p.m. with two gorgeous Red Burgundy's, a 1990 Meo Camuzet Nuits-St. George Murgers and a 2004 Domaine de Montille, and a 2004 Chave Hermitate Blanc. Alongside the wine, we were offered Shitake and Oyster Mushrooms over homemade noodles with Vermouth and Braised Lettuce, the latter of which was intended to cleanse the palate while tasting the wine. The 2004, for such a young wine, was showing rather well and the Nuits-St. George, while showing some signs of it's age around the rim, showed great structure and depth.
With half of the courses completed, we turned our attention to the sixth course, a Seared Squab Liver with Crispy Beets, Pigs Feet and Spinach in a Port reduction. Yes, that's right - pig's feet. Some commented that they had the consistency of the Caul from the earlier course but had more flavor. Chef Mike Rich paired this treat with a 1996 Pierre Manoy Chambertin Clos de Beze and a double magnum of 1999 Beaux Freres, matching both Old and New World Pinot Noir. Both wines were, in a word, glorious.
We then found our way to "The Family," a trio of three offerings from Ch. Leoville from the spectacular 1990 vintage including a Barton, a Las Cases and a Poyferre. With the Leoville's we also tasted a 1990 Ch. Gruaud Larose. The St. Julien Bordeaux was matched with a Grand Frommage that included an Italian Piedmontese Roblola, a Abbaye De Delloc from Pyrenees, a Lehaut Barry Larzac, and a Tome Corse from Corska. It was remarkable to most that there was such consistency between all four wines. The group had a difficult time choosing a flight favorite between the Las Cases and the Poyferre. And some chose this as the evening's favorite overall course based upon the food and wine pairings. Some, but not all, choose to take another "walk through the park" while others stayed behind to enjoy the Bordeux a bit longer.
After a short break we were treated to a Cassoulet of Wild Canard and Oie. The duck and goose were courtesy from one of the guest's sons. With this comfort food, we enjoyed a magnum of 1995 Chateau Beaucastel and two Australian Shiraz, a 1998 Veritas Hanisch Vineyard and a 1998 Torbreck The Run Rig. Most thought the Beaucastel would have gone well against the Bordeuax from St. Julien while others liked the contrast with the over the top Shiraz.
The ninth course, a Filet du Boeuf, was prepared three ways to contrast the four wine selections. The filet was thinly sliced into twelve small portions. One portion of the filet was pepper crusted while the two other portions were topped with a Dianne or a Bernaise sauce. The four wines poured for this course included a 1997 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon, a 1997 Antinori Tignanello, and 1997 Bruno Gicosa Borolo, and a 1999 Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon. There was no consensus about which filet went best with a particular wine. The filet was served with fresh beans with bacon and onions that went rather well with the wine.
All guests made it to the final course, the tenth, a superb Cherries Clos du Le Roy that was accompanied by two vintage Ports, a 1977 Fonseca and a 1977 Taylor Fladgate. We were reminded several times that the cherries retained their pits and remarkably not one guest broke a tooth.
We ended the evening with all guests saluting their favorite white and red wine of the tasting along with their favorite course. Although there was not total agreement, the Chevalier Montrachet was heavily praised as were Las Cases, Beaucastel and the two Shiraz. Most actually found this year's offerings so splendid and consistent across the board that it was, frankly, difficult to choose a favorite. And for all, next year cannot come soon enough.
Cheers!