Essex County Wine Society

WINE PRESS

ESSEX COUNTY WINE SOCIETY

April 6, 2009

Dear Fellow Wine Society Members:

Our last tasting of the season was a wonderful tour through Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet, led by our able guide, Alan Saroff. Alan wanted to see if we could tell the difference between the wines of these two appellations based on the difference in terroir. As a group, we were not particularly successful in this endeavor, though, it was argued that the 2006 vintage was showing so much fruit, that the differences in terroir were less obvious. The wines all showed well from the most basic A.C. wines to the Grand Crus. There was no formal vote, but it seemed that the wine of the night was the Bienvenue Batard Montrachet from Paul Pernot.

Our last event of the season is the Spring dinner which will be at Café Panache in Ramsey. Owned by Chef Kevin Kohler, this 23-year old restaurant was recently renovated by his wife Christy (of CK Design). Chef Kohler says, “I pick 60 percent of my vegetables myself. In the summer I'm a lot more Italian - let the food speak for itself - whereas in winter I tend to get more classical French: cassoulets, bistro dishes, bone-sticking stuff.” The restaurant has received an “Excellent” rating from the NY Times.

We will once again be starting with the Henriot Champagne Brut Souverain. Josh Raynolds’ most recent notes on this wine from IWC: “Light yellow with a delicate bead. Smoky pear, quince and orange on the nose, with faint yeastiness adding depth. Brisk and dry, displaying finely etched orchard fruit flavors and a jolt of bitter lime zest on the back end. The clean, focused, firm finish repeats the smoky note. I like this wine's finesse.” 90 points. The wine will accompany passed hors d’oeuvres.

The first course will be soft-shell crab served on a mirepoix bed in bouillabaisse broth with a puree of spring onions. It will be accompanied by the 2003 Jean-Philippe Fichet Meursault Les Gruyaches from our cellar.  Stephen Tanzer’s notes on this wine indicated “Orange oil, pear and honey on the nose. Rich, broad and round, with lovely sweetness of fruit. Very ripe flavors of soft citrus, pear and honey. This holds its shape nicely on the back.”

The second course is an early Spring salad with English peas and pancetta. This will be followed by a main course of tenderloin of lamb with and herb crust, served with Romano potatoes.

We will be serving two red wines:

1998 Patrick Lesec Chateauneuf du Pape les Galets Blonds, which received the following notes from Robert Parker in WA#131 (October 2000): “The 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Galets Blonds is fashioned from extremely old Grenache vines in La Crau, the sector of eastern Chateauneuf du Pape where some of the finest wines of the appellation emerge (Bonneau's Reserve des Celestins, Vieux-Telegraphe, and Font du Michelle for example). It is even more sensational from bottle than it was from foudre. Classic notes of new leather, dried Provencal herbs, kirsch liqueur, and smoke are intense and persistent. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, with layers of glycerin and extract. The finish lasts for over 30 seconds. There is some tannin to shed, but the overall impression is of a large-scaled, concentrated, traditionally made Chateauneuf du Pape. Sadly, there are only 8,600 bottles of this blockbuster.” 92 points.

And, 1998 Clos de l'Oratoire, which Parker covered in WA#134 (April 2001): “An opaque blue/purple color is accompanied by a sensational bouquet of melted fudge, plums, Asian spices, blackberries, and prunes. Smoky, barbeque-like spices also emerge with airing. Full-bodied, super-extracted, rich, pure, and mouth-saturating, this large-scaled effort can be consumed with pleasure, but it will age for two decades.” 92 points.

Dessert will be a chocolate caramel tart with mascarpone sorbet – accompanied by the 1990 Graham Porto Vintage Quinta dos Malvedos which Parker covered in WA#82 (August 1992): “This is the sweetest, most fragrant, and most highly extracted of the three ports I tasted (Symington, Dow and Graham). Its flamboyant, up-front fat and decadence provide more initial appeal than the monstrous but restrained Dow. It also reveals extraordinary richness and a fabulous finish. These single Quinta ports are just as spectacular as any vintage port I tasted from 1983 or 1985.” 96 points.

If you wish to sit with particular members at the dinner, please indicate the names on the attached response form and we will do our best to accommodate you. A request has been made that members and any guests refrain from wearing strong perfume or cologne.

Please respond by Friday April 24, 2009.

If you need directions to the restaurant, please call the restaurant or check their website at www.cafepanachenj.com.

We look forward to seeing all of you on May 3^rd.  Details of the Spring Dinner are as follows:    

                                              Date:                     Sunday, May 3, 2009

                                              Reception:             5:00 p.m. 

                                              Dinner:                  6:00 p.m.

                                              Attire:                    Smart casual

                                              Location:               Café Panache

                                              Address:                130 E. Main Street

                                                                            Ramsey, NJ 07446

                                              Telephone:            (201) 934-0030

                                              Cost:                      $105.00 members

                                                                            $120.00 non-members & guests

De gustibus non disputandum est,

Gil Bauer

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"Only the man who has watched the growth of his wines, has sampled them at their various ages, has experimented with bottling and importing various vintages, has suffered bitter disappointments and enjoyed wildly happy surprises, can understand why the love of the vine is conterminous with civilization"    Evelyn Waugh - "Laying Down a Wine Cellar" - 1937  

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