Patrick was in town, and a nice group gathered at Noreetuh to welcome him (this was a makeup for a Dec dinner crushed by Omicron). I was a little late (train skipped Astor Place!), but wasn?t last. Whew. Our usual table, and as usual Jin and staff treated us well. Food was great, included: tuna poke brussels sprouts with furikake & chipotle mayo fluke crudo quail adobo with carrots & potatoes pork belly with turnips and kimchi truffle wontons Musubi :Uni, pork jowl, katsuobushi, scallop and more Korean fried chicken dry-aged steak with miso sabayon, broccolini, potatoes,
The blind Champagne was delicious and bright, but I didn?t take notes. Turned out to be an old fave, the 2004 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne.A-/B+ A bottle of NV Ulysse Collin Maillons (2016 base) was lovely, red berries and citrus, bright and long. I don;t usually gravitate towards BdN but this was delicious. B+
We divided reds into pre-2000 and post-2000, then they were bagged and randomly numbered.
Post 2000 First flight
2006 Fourrier ?Cherbaudes? Gevrey Chambertin 1er Very cherry! Verging on kirsch, but pulling back, and coming out a winner. Young, smoky. B+/A-2017 Felettig ?Les Gruenchers? Chambolle-Musigny 1er Young and tight, but with potential. B tonight
2001 Roumier ?Clos de La Bussiere? Morey St. Denis 1er Mine (double decanted midafternoon), . Gains complexity in glass, darker fruits, smoked meat, earth, I like a lot A-/B+Second flight (I thought both were 2005, oops)
2007 Chevillon ?Les Cailles? Nuits St George 1er Red fruit, sandalwood, espresso. Moderate tannins and lively acids, long finish. Lots of power for an 07. Glad to see i have one of these. A-/B+2002 Marc Colin ?Encegnieres? Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge Somewhat woody, crunchier red fruits, a bit lacking in elegance. B
Third flight
2002 Dujac Morey St. Denis 1er Fragrant, bright red fruits, mocha, balanced B+/A- 2008 Gros Frere Clos Vougeot A bit clunky, stolid, doesn?t sing Burgundy. B-2016 Trapet ? Alea? Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Some good material here, but really tight at moment. Is this a monopole? Never seen another Alea. B for drinking now
White break
2014 Niellon Vergers Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Lovely, balanced, delicious B+/A-Cusp wine - we were supposed to guess post or pre 2000, I actually got vintage, was stunned by label reveal (very generous Jayson)
2004 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze Black plum, black cherry, there?s a hint of green herb and pine needle, but way in background, so I guess a 2004 sans Greenie Meanies. Good length. Nice wine, current horrible QPR.B+/BOn to the pre2000 wines
1996 Drouhin Clos des Mouches Beaune 1er Delicate and elegant, yet not wimpy. Dried and fresh cherries, earthy, morels. B+1996 Jadot Corton-Pougeots There?s power here, but also nice complexity, red and black cherry, mushrooms, bright acids that should have been hint of vintage. Definitely the value play of the night, A-
1999 Ramonet Clos de la Boudriotte? Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Rouge Sappy red fruit, tangy, good length,. B+1993 Drouhin Clos des Mouches Beaune 1er Mine. I?ve had this a bunch of times, including 2 bottles this fall from same box, but this bottle comes up short (and I didn?t recognize as mine). Sour and a bit plodding. Off bottle I think. B-
1998 Fourrier Chambolle VV Ready willing and able.Sassy red fruit, mature elements of forest floor/humus, B+1993 Gros Frere Richebourg Wouldn?t have guessed ?93 or Grand Cru. Clunky, stolid, and not very long. B-
Next was a blind Bordeaux, which turned out to be the 1975 Clerc Milon. A bit lean, modest cassis fruit, some saddle leather and a little herb, others liked more., B/B-
I didn?t have much of a palate left, and was in a hurry to catch train, so I didn?t give the 1990 Pinon Cuvee Botrytis Vouvray or the 1998 Schoffit Clos St Theobald Thann SGN much of a chance, the Chenin was lovely, the Schoffit was a wall of sweet pear fruit, s bit simple, but really didn?t give it a chance to unfurl.
Excellent company, wines, and food, A warm (for Feb)rainy walk home (even after train ride driving wasn?t option) let me at least work off a few calories,
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.