Ramon organized a group for a Northern Rhone dinner at La Silhouette last night. My first time in the restaurant, but it won't be my last. Welcoming and efficient service, delicious food, and a room where we could hear each other.
Before we got down to the Rhones, a pink bubbly starter flight. Jay had mentioned he was bringing the Beaufort, I thought that I'd also bring an Ambonnay rose.
NV Beaufort Grand Cru Brut Champagne Rose (Lot 07, disgorged 2011) Red fruits and mineral, very pure. A-
NV Bremont Grand Cru Brut Champagne Rose Chalky,yeasty, rich, good length. B+
An amuse, a little croquette of truffled potato and parnigiano, went well with the Champagne, then with the first reds we had a very good pate de campagne with a layer of foie gras and a celeriac remoulade.
Cornas that's not Allemand flight
1989 Robert Michel "Coteaux" Cornas Slightly lifted at first, the VA seemed to blow off. Medium bodied, some earth and leather, good fruit. Might have liked a bit better on its own rather than in comparison with the Clape. B1983 Clape Cornas I had double-decanted before heading to city. Plenty of freshness, kind of exotic nose of meat and sandalwood, nice texture, good flavors. A-/B+
Excellent sweetbreads with mascarpone polenta and mushrooms
Allemand Flight
1993 Allemand "Chaillot" Cornas Good acids, nice length, very nice. B+1996 Allemand "Reynard" Cornas Balanced, full, excellent (someone says "a complete wine") A-/B+
1990 Gonon 'Saint Oliviers' Saint-Joseph I was looking forward to this, but it was unfortunately corked (no matter how many times it was resniffed).Next up, a nice mushroom risotto with truffle oil
Hermitage Flight
1985 Chave Hermitage Perfumed, elegant, yet plenty of power and freshness left. My WOTN on a very good night. A-/A1989 Chapoutier "Sizerrane" Hermitage Dark berry fruit, a little ashtray, suffers in comparison to flightmates. B/B-
1998 Marc Sorrel "Le Greal" Hermitage Not a producer I see much, this makes me want to see more. Full but elegant, ripe rich fruit, meat and leather undertones. A-/B+A lamb rib chop plus a hunk of braised shank, with sweet potatoes, sausage, and broccoli rabe
Jamet Flight
1991 Jamet Cote-Rotie Lovely, long, grilled meat and dark fruits. Someone says something weird on nose, but not to my nose. A-1995 Jamet Cote Rotie Lots were raving over this, and I really thought there seemed to be good material underneath, but really quite tight. B+?
Cote Rotie that's not Jamet Flight 2000 Texier Cote-Rotie Young, fresh, fun - obviously needs time, but I'm impressed. B+
1996 Rostaing Cote-Rotie "La Landonne" The words goopy and gloppy (if they are words) come to mind. Timber! I think not. CCheese plate (and desserts for those that do)
1993 Jamet Cote Rotie This was supposed to be a backup, but Michael pulled out at end. No, we have too many wines already we all declared as Jay handed him corkscrew and we somehow managed to not stop the cork removal.:) Red fruits, olives,smoked meats. B+2001 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Some discussion of this being too sulfury, but I'm pretty tolerant (or deficient in sulphur detection) and found it quite enjoyable. Solid
2001 acids give this plenty of zip, pure white fruits, flintsmoke and mineral. Very long. A-Fun night, with a new restaurant "find" (thanks Ramon) and a nice lineup of wines, other than the Rostaing and corked St Jo I'd happily drink any of them.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. 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.