Jackson Hole Wine Auction Charity Dinner at Daniel

Daniel

60 East 65th St., New York, NY

tel. (212) 288-0033

August 2007

This fantastic dinner at Daniel was auctioned at the Jackson Hole Wine Auction. The generous and passionate wine lovers who purchased the dinner recently convened in New York to enjoy a breathtaking collection of lovingly-cared for wines provided by Robert Parker paired with the extraordinary cooking of Chef Daniel Boulud. Daniel Johnnes and his team of sommeliers made sure the wines were served with the utmost care.

Chef Boulud’s menu was phenomenal. His virtuosity showed through in his ability to match textures, and not just flavors, to the wines. For example, the salt crusted dorade served alongside a flight of Rayas Châteauneufs was an inspired combination. Other highlights included the citrus glazed scallops and the twenty-four hour braised veal shank, which were just as beautiful to look at as they were delicious to eat. Even though the dishes were all deeply-flavored the cuisine remained elegant and light on its feet.

As for the wines, well, they were spectacular. Once again, the importance of storage showed, particularly in the older wines, which had aged with notable grace. The 2003 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Schlossberg Cuvée Ste. Catherine revealed exotic, tropical aromatics and ripe passion fruit, ginger and lime notes, but most of its appeal was immediate as it lacked length as well as complexity. Raveneau’s 2002 Chablis Montée de Tonerre was superb with the Peekytoe crab. Smoke, minerals and citrus peel all flowed from this superbly focused, taut wine. It will be fascinating to see how the wine evolves but it was beautiful and so promising on this night. The 1995 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Vergers from Michel Niellon offered more volume and breadth in its palate-coating notes of roasted nuts, smoke and unctuous, ripe fruit. It was a gorgeous wine. Our first flight concluded with the 1996 Marcassin Chardonnay Lorenzo. This delicious New-World expression of Chardonnay offered awesome balance. It was of course riper and weightier than the Burgundies, but was immensely rewarding for its lush, generous expression of fruit and subtly interwoven tertiary notes. I was amazed by the freshness of Gagnard’s 1989 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets. Medium in body, it revealed engaging, floral aromatics, spices and sweet fruit with lovely balance as well as proportion. Leroy’s 1985 Meursault-Genevrières revealed awesome depth in its richly-textured expression of ripe fruit intermingled with smoke and scorched earth flavors. The wine had a wild, almost untamed quality which several tasters appreciated more than I did. I thought the 1985 Domaine des Comtes de Lafon Meursault-Charmes was beautiful for its precision, elegance and overall sense of balance. Seamless from start to finish, it was the most complete and compelling wine of this grouping.

The flight of Rayas that followed was extraordinary. The only wine that seemed a little out of place was the 1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It offered attractive suggestions of sweet licorice, underbrush and herbs, but didn’t have the depth of fruit of the wines that would follow. Rayas’ 1995 Châteauneuf-du-Pape was sublime. Fresher than the 1998, this beautifully proportioned wine revealed layers of sweet dark fruit, spices and earthiness that danced on the palate with extraordinary finesse. The 1988 Châteauneuf-du-Pape presented a more linear, compact personality in its ethereal smoke, licorice and dark fruit flavors. I was blown away by the 1985 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. A wine that continued to improve in the glass, it was richly-textured and opulent, with expansive fruit that lingered on the palate for an eternity. It came across as incredibly youthful, in fact I would have never pegged it for a 22 year old wine had I tasted it blind. Unfortunately the 1979 Châteauneuf-du-Pape was corked.

A beautiful flight of Ponsot’s Clos de la Roche was served alongside the rabbit. The 1990 Clos de la Roche was surreal in the way it balanced the opulence of its fruit while still offering remarkable detail and purity. This stunning wine was incredibly fresh and vibrant considering its 17 years of age. It was one of the highlights of the evening. The 1985 Clos de la Roche revealed a little more nuance than the 1990 if not quite the generosity of that wine. It too was completely engaging in its expression of ripe fruit, herbs and spices. Ponsot’s 1983 Clos de la Roche offered more advanced suggestions of coffee beans and spices with gorgeous depth to its fruit and a somewhat rustic, yet pleasing, personality. The 1980 Clos de le Roche revealed a similarly rustic style in its black olives, dark cherries and spices. A big, powerful wine, it probably needed more air to show at its best as it was constantly changing in the glass and offered immense pleasure. I could sense more than a little regret at the table among those who finished their pours quickly!

Chef Boulud’s braised veal shank was an inspired pairing to our flight of Barolos. Giuseppe Mascarello’s 1990 Barolo Monprivato captured the essence of this warm vintage in its generous ripe fruit, and sensual, soft-textured personality. Sandrone’s 1990 Barolo Cannubi Boschis was also terrific, but not quite as monumental as it has been in the past. This was the second recent bottle of this wine that has been less than profound. The fruit was still fresh and vibrant, but its concentration had dropped off which made me think that perhaps its peak drinking window had arrived. Einaudi’s 1989 Barolo was very classic, not extraordinary, but a wine where everything was in the right place for maximum pleasure on this night. I was looking forward to tasting Sobrero’s 1982 Barolo but this bottle was highly volatile and oxidized. Giacosa’s 1982 Barolo Riserva Collina Rionda was in terrific shape, and this was one of the freshest bottles I have ever had. It offered a heady combination of roses, tar, licorice and sweet, ethereal fruit in the linear, precise style of this mythical vintage. The 1989 Barolo Riserva Collina Rionda would have been the perfect conclusion to this flight…except it was corked. I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later, but a corked bottle of Giacosa’s greatest Barolo was especially painful.

That disappointment was quickly forgotten with the mind-blowing flight of northern Rhônes that were served with the cheese course. Chave’s 1989 Hermitage was simply gorgeous in its expression of earthiness, spices and perfumed sweet fruit that carried all the way to the finish. I was blown away by Chave’s 1991 Cuvée Cathelin. Still incredibly fresh, this vibrant, opulent wine revealed extraordinary precision and nuance in a full-bodied style. Dark cherries, cassis, earthiness, smoke and graphite all made an appearance in this breathtakingly pure, expressive wine. The 1989 Chapoutier Hermitage Le Pavillon was incredibly intense and powerful. Made in a dark, somewhat alcoholic style, it came across as dark, rich and totally seductive in its expression of dark fruit, flowers and cassis. The 1989 Guigal Côte Rôtie La Turque revealed a more linear, medium bodied personality, with attractive smoke, earthiness, herbs and sweet dark fruit. Guigal’ 1989 Côte Rôtie La Landonne could not have been more different. This super-ripe, dark Côte Rôtie boasted awesome concentration and richness in its black fruit, spice and chocolate flavors. This was a truly phenomenal flight.

Sine Qua Non’s 2003 Mr. K The Noble Man (100% botrytised Chardonnay) was one of the most remarkable sweet wines I have ever had. Despite its size and richness, it offered notable complexity and an engaging, unique personality. I loved it. Several additional bottles were opened after dinner, but I only had time to sample Chave’s 2000 Cuvée Cathelin, which was monumental. It was a privilege to taste, but also a shame to open so early. If the 1991 seemed young, the 2000 came across as a veritable new-born. Those fortunate enough to own this wine are in for a treat, although I suspect it won’t hit its stride for another decade or so. And with that, this wonderful dinner at Daniel drew to a close. As always, I was humbled by the passion, generosity and stimulating conversation that the world’s greatest wines inspire. 

Food:

Pate of quail and foie gras “aux raisins”

Maine Peekytoe crab salad

Salt crusted dorade

Duo de Lapin

Twenty-Four Hour Braised Veal Shank

Fromages de France

Raspberry-Lemon Vacherine

Vanilla Poached Peach

Wine:            

2003	Domaine Weinbach Riesling Schlossberg Cuvée Ste. Catherine	90
2002	Raveneau Chablis Montée de Tonerre	92
1995	Michel Niellon Chassagne Montrachet Les Vergers	94
1996	Marcassin Chardonnay Lorenzo Vineyard	93
1989	Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets	92
1985	Leroy Meursault-Genevrières	91
1985	Domaine des Comtes de Lafon Meursault-Charmes	92
1998	Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape	92
1995	Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape	95
1988	Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape	93
1985	Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape	96
1979	Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape	?
1990	Domaine Ponsot Clos de La Roche	97
1985	Domaine Ponsot Clos de La Roche	94
1983	Domaine Ponsot Clos de La Roche	91
1980	Domaine Ponsot Clos de La Roche	94
1982	Sobrero Barolo	?
1990	G. Mascarello Barolo Monprivato	94
1990	Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis	94
1989	Einaudi Barolo	91
1989	Giacosa Barolo Riserva Collina Rionda	?
1982	Giacosa Barolo Riserva Collina Rionda	97
1989	Chave Hermitage	94
1991	Chave Hermitage Cuvée Cathelin	97
1989	Chapoutier Hermitage Le Pavillon	95
1989	Guigal Côte Rôtie La Turque	93
1989	Guigal Côte Rôtie La Landonne	95
2003	Sine Qua Non Mr. K The Nobleman	93
2000	Chave Hermitage Cuvée Cathelin	97

[Photo and credit: Daniel, New York]

--Antonio Galloni