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La Paulée de San
Francisco
March
2008
Antonio
Galloni
Once again, the unflappable Daniel
Johnnes put on what is probably the single greatest
tasting and dinner of fine Burgundies in the world. This
year’s event was held at the Westin Hotel in San
Francisco. The afternoon tasting with the producers was
especially fun as a number of top domaines were showing
their sensational 2005s. I admit it; I tasted some of my
favorite wines more than once. Frankly, it was
impossible not to, as any mere mortal was painfully
aware that an opportunity to taste some of these gems
might not come for a long time….if ever.
The Gala Dinner was prepared by
some of the most accomplished American and French chefs,
including Daniel Boulud (Daniel), Michael Mina (Michael
Mina Restaurants) Traci des Jardins (Jardiniere) and
Régis and Jacques Marcon (Restaurant Régis e Jacques
Marcon). As is the tradition for La Paulée, diners
brought wines from their cellars to share with friends
and guests seated at their tables. At any moment in time
the nation’s top sommeliers could be seen making the
rounds pouring some of the greatest and rarest wines in
the world. Things were relatively subdued at my table
compared to last year’s event, which turned out to be a
positive as we actually had plenty of time to spend with
our wines. The charity auction to benefit Meals on
Wheels of San Francisco and the musical performance of
Les Cadets de Bourgogne rounded out another
unforgettable La Paulée.
Pierre-Yves
Colin-Morey is one of my favorite producers, so
it was a rare treat to kick off the evening with two of
his superlative whites. The 2005
Bâtard-Montrachet (magnum) showed awesome
harmony and concentration in its smoke, mint, flowers
and ripe fruit. His 2002 Puligny-Montrachet Les
Folatières was a more restrained wine, with
gorgeous, perfume-laced fruit. Ramonet’s 1987
Bâtard-Montrachet (magnum)
offered up signature notes of rich, honeyed fruit
intermingled with toasted oak and slightly oxidative
aromas that suggested the wine was at or close to
peak. The Coche-Durys that
followed were phenomenal. The 2000 Meursault
Perrières was the stronger wine at the outset.
Its crisply nuanced citrus, pears and flowers provided
immense pleasure. This wine literally sparkled on the
palate. The 1996 Corton-Charlemagne was
at first rather reticent, but over time it blossomed
into the superior wine, with honeyed apricots buffered
by the persistent minerality that gave the wine its very
long finish. It was a breathtaking Burgundy.
Dauvissat’s 1995 Chablis Les Preuses
was stunning. It revealed gorgeous inner tension as the
fruit gradually emerged from under its shell.
Drouhin’s 1949 Beaune Clos des Mouches
was fully mature yet wonderfully alive, graceful and
seductive.
Domaine de la
Romanée-Conti’s 1970 Richebourg was fully
resolved. Though quite pretty and floral, it came across
as rather soft and gentle. Leroy’s 1953 La
Romanée showed remarkable delineation and inner
perfume in its sweet, spiced fruit. What a gorgeous
wine! I could have spent the entire evening with
Rousseau’s 1989 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze
(magnum) and been happy as a clam. This was a
stunning wine that continued to open up in the glass,
revealing a gorgeous, refined personality.
The flight of wines from
Mugnier that followed brought back
memories of my visit to the property last year. I
thought the 1998 Musigny was the best
of the three vintages we tasted, but there was some
disagreement at the table, most notably from Mugnier
himself, who preferred the 1993. I loved the 1998
Musigny for its inner perfume, sweetness and freshness.
It was a beautifully balanced wine with a very promising
future. Simply put, it was awesome. The 1993
Musigny revealed a more sauvage
personality, with less overall elegance, particularly in
its tannins. Unfortunately this was not a great bottle.
The 1991 Musigny was delicate and
structured at the same time, as roses, mint and sweet
ripe fruit wafted from the glass with tons of elegance.
The 1996 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses
was ethereal in its menthol, eucalyptus and
pure ripe fruit. It was a totally seductive wine from
start to finish.
I loved Mathieu’s 1996
Charmes-Chambertin for its vibrant, sweet fruit
and structured personality. Roumier’s 1983
Bonnes Mares was big, rich, full-bodied and
incredibly youthful. His 2004, on the
other hand, was strident and green, with little of the
profoundness of his top vintages.
Our flight of 1978s was superb.
This bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s
1978 Romanée St. Vivant (Marey-Monge) was
perfumed, sweet and long on the palate, even though it
was slightly forward. The 1978 Remoissenet
Musigny was simply amazing. Since Mugnier was
at our table. I asked him if he knew anything about this
wine. It turns out the wine was made by Mugnier’s
father, who then sold the wine the wine in barrel to
Remoissenet. Mugnier told us he had tasted several
bottles of the finished wine, but none that had been as
good as this one. The wine was simply gorgeous as it had
everything one could want; perfumed aromatics followed
layers of fruit, all woven into a structured frame, with
enough freshness to continue to drink well for years.
This was a breathtaking bottle. Domaine de la
Romanée-Conti’s 1978 Echézeaux showed its
characteristic spiced bouquet along with notes of red
fruits and autumn leaves. It was fully mature and
delicious.
Domaine de la
Romanée-Conti’s 1971 Romanée St. Vivant
(Marey-Monge) was spellbinding. Spiced,
perfumed aromatics emerged from the wine’s powerful
frame with a level of intensity and harmony that halted
all conversation immediately as tasters looked at each
other with immense appreciation of this outstanding
wine. Domaine Ponsot’s 1990 Clos de la Roche
Vielles Vignes was quite possibly the wine of
the night. Endowed with massive amounts of fruit, it
flowed onto the palate with superb concentration and
precision. Leroy’s 1990 Chambertin was
earthy, powerful and gamey. As much as I liked this
wine, there were elements of rusticity that
lingered.
The 1976 Roumier
Musigny was soft, delicate and fully resolved.
Though quite pretty, I probably would have enjoyed it
more a few years ago. Drouhin’s 1967
Musigny literally floated on the palate in a
sweet, ethereal style. Rousseau’s 1991
Chambertin could not have been more different.
This powerful, dense wine exploded from the glass with
an endless array of richly-textured fruit. It was easily
on the highlights of the night. Our evening came to a
close with the 1971 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
La Tâche, which was served from methuselah. It
was an incredibly youthful and powerful Burgundy. This
bottle came from one of the world’s preeminent DRC
collectors, so the optimist in me would like the think
the wine was genuine. There we no escaping, though, that
this wine bared virtually no resemblance to the same
wine I tasted from magnum a few months prior. All in
all, this was another great La Paulée that captured the
essence of what great wines are all about.
La Paulée de San
Francisco, The Westin St. Francis, Union
Square - 335 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA
Course 1 – Hors
d’Oeuvres
Course 2 – Dégustation de
Charcuteries “Bar Boulud”
Course 3 –
Charlotte de Ris de Veau aux Deux
Truffes
Course 4 – Braised Monkfish
with Caramelized Salsify, Petite Mustard Greens &
Red Wine Jus
Course 5 – Liberty
Farms Duck Breast; Farro, Smoked Bacon & Rhubarb,
Spring Onion Compote
Course 6 –
Comté Sante Antoine
Course 7 –
Chocolate Torta, Ras El Hanout, Dried Apricot
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