La Paulée de San Francisco – Rare Wine Dinner

Wine:                       

La Paulée, Daniel Johnnes’s annual tribute to Burgundy, is a once in a lifetime event for anyone who loves the wines of this region steeped in history. This year’s Paulée was held in San Francisco, which always offers a more relaxed setting than the hustle and bustle of New York City. The festivities started with a fabulous afternoon tasting in which producers poured three vintages of one of their flagship wines. Needless to say, it was a real treat to taste these mini-verticals given the minuscule quantities made of most of these wines.

Later that evening I attended the Rare Wine Dinner, which more than lived up to its billing.

Chefs Daniel Boulud, Michael Mina and Michel Troisgros teamed up to create this magnificent menu, which served as the backdrop for a head-spinning assortment of impeccable, rare Burgundies. A number of this country’s top sommeliers were on hand to serve the wines. It was a star-studded show all-around.

The 1997 Salon and Domaine Leflaive’s 2007 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières were among the wines poured during one of the finest cocktails hours I have ever been to. The hors d’oeuvres were delicious and would have made a fabulous meal on their own.

Once seated in the dining room, an incredible array of wines awaited. The opening flight of Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles from Domaine Leflaive was utterly staggering. The 2002 was seamless, ripe, opulent and intricately woven, with a kaleidoscopic, vivid expression of fruit that was breathtaking. The 1996 showed more advanced notes of smoke, tar and licorice, all wrapped around a massive core of fruit. It was a profound Pucelles. The 1989 was soft, subtle and delicate, with pretty, minty notes that added freshness on the finish. These were pretty hard wines to follow. Three vintages of Domaine Faiveley’s Corton-Charlemagne were all tasty. My favorite was the 1996, which still showed quite a bit of freshness, especially compared to the 1999, a wine that seemed to be evolving rather quickly. Among the first courses, I especially liked the shellfish broth (Bouillon de Coquillages).

Three 1995s from Dujac all paired beautifully with our steamed bass (Bar de Ligne). The 1995 Clos Saint Denis was the most delicate and forward of the group. Dried cherries, flowers and spices all suggested the wine was close or perhaps slightly past peak. The 1995 Bonnes Mares was decidedly masculine, with awesome power and richness in its explosive fruit. The sheer depth and power of this long-lived Burgundy were remarkable. The estate’s 1995 Clos de la Roche was initially rather carnal and earthy, but then it turned more delicate and layered in the glass. Stylistically it fell somewhere between the Clos St. Denis and the Bonnes-Mares.

The flight of 1990s that followed was monumental. The 1990 Clos St. Denis showed great intensity and power in a seamless expression of fruit. At the same time, it was graceful and feminine relative to the other 1990s in this flight. What a gorgeous, utterly complete wine. The estate’s 1990 Bonnes-Mares revealed an additional layer of muscle and depth. Despite its richness, this was a wonderfully balanced, sublime Burgundy. The 1990 Clos de la Roche stole the show. It was gloriously ripe and opulent, with superb concentration and depth. All three of these 1990s were compelling for their richness and overall sense of harmony. Well-stored bottles have another decade of life ahead of them. The quail stuffed with foie gras (Pigeonneau et Foie Gras) was a suitably rich dish and utterly decadent, but also a tough act to follow.

As a group the 1985s were more advanced and also seemed to offer far less upside potential. The Clos St. Denis was dominated by firm tannins that gave the wine a sense of angularity and leanness, with limited fruit. I tasted two bottles, neither of which seemed to suggest the wine might eventually come around. The Bonnes-Mares was the most convincing of the 1985s. Here the dark red fruit was textured, rich and expansive, although the wine needed quite a bit of time in the glass to show its pedigree. The 1985 Clos de la Roche came across as soft, floral, approachable and fully mature. Though somewhat simple in this context, it was also highly enjoyable as all of the elements seemed resolved.

I can’t think of too many better ways to finish a dinner than with a fine, aged white Burgundy, and we had two of them in this flight. Domaine Leflaive’s 2002 Chevalier-Montrachet was massively rich, with ripe, opulent fruit that verged on tropical notes. Fresh, mineral notes emerged in the glass to round things out very nicely. As great as this wine was, its best years seemed to lie ahead. The 1996 Chevalier-Montrachet was stellar. This was a cooler, more restrained Chevalier-Montrachet with marvelous complexity and nuance in its fresh, mineral-infused fruit. The clarity and precision were things of beauty. Leflaive’s 1989 Chevalier-Montrachet was delicate, sensual and totally inspiring. Blessed with a liqueur-like inner sweetness, the 1989 revealed delicate scents of jasmine, licorice and acacia that melded seamlessly into round, sensual fruit. It was a great bottle to end a fabulous evening of wine and food.

Food:

Bouillon de Coquillages à la Truffe

Saint-Jacques Rissolées; Salisifis, Vanille, Lait d’Amande au Safran, Vert de Cèleri

Bar de Ligne Etuvé aux Cèpes; Poireaux, Pommes de Terre, Sauce Morey-Saint-Denis

Pigeonneau et Foie Gras à la Kiev; Saucisse de Pigeonneau à la Thailandaise

Boeuf Japonais “Wagyu”; Chou-fleur Romain et Pousses de Cavolo Nero

Fromage à la Truffe

Poir Caramélisée au Miel

--Antonio Galloni