WCC Mostly Grand Cru Red Burgundy Blind Tasting
Home of Chef Andrew Plummer, East Greenbush, NY
10/16/2014

My regular Albany group met to taste Red Burgundy in the home of the great local chef Andrew Plummer. We have been enjoying Andrew's brilliant food for more than 20 years now, at Cafe Capriccio, at Allegro Cafe, at McGuire's, at Creo, and now with his own catering company, Plummer's Private Dining.

Andrew did not disappoint. It was widely agreed that the food outshone the wine. And the wine was good.

All wines double-decanted. Dinner was from 7:30 to 10pm.

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The Menu. The Chef & His Lovely Assistant (and wife).


Flight 1
Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad with Quail Egg and Caviar and Crostini.
Everything in this dish was great. Even the crostini, which was crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside. The flavors were exquisite.
  1. 1988 Albert Morot Beaune 1er Cru Marconnets - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
    [Double-decanted at 6pm.] Clearly mature Burgundy with a nose of mulch and dried cherries. Tired, astringent, with a good dose of merde on the finish. (62 points)
  2. 2000 Frédéric Magnien Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
    [Double-decanted at 9am.] Mature mulch and tart cherries. A dirty wine. (68 points)
  3. 2005 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Beaune du Château - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
    Sweet nose of cherries. Lovely cherry fruit in the mouth. Elegant and charming. The only wine worth drinking in this flight. (92 points)

Food Course 2
There was some confusion and we ended up with one more food course than wine flight. Not a problem!
Maryland Crab Cake with Smoked Heirloom Tomato Tartar Sauce (reddish) and Truffle Aioli (yellowish).
Maybe the best crabcake I ever ate! Delicate crab flavor, moist inside, crunchy outside.


Flight 2
Mezze Rigatoni with Wild Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, Foie Gras Butter, and Grana Padano.
A classic going back to the Capriccio days, rich and complex. Wonderful!
  1. 1999 Remoissenet Père et Fils Corton-Clos du Roi - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
    [Double-decanted for one hour at 5pm.] Earth, licorice and cherry nose. Yummy, with a long finish and some complexity. (93 points)
  2. 2000 Hospices de Beaune Corton-Cuvée Docteur Peste Louis Latour - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
    [Double-decanted for 3 hours at 3pm.] Spice and red fruit nose. Long and complex with dried cherries and brambles. Even better with the pasta course. (93 points)
  3. 2000 Antonin Rodet Corton-Renardes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
    Muted red fruit nose. Thick, and still a bit tannic. Long and elegant with red fruit and licorice. This one has some pizzazz! My 3rd WOTN. (94 points)
  4. 2003 Maison Vincent Girardin Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
    [This was supposed to be the last wine, but was inadvertently swapped to this position.] [Double-decanted for one hour at 5pm.] Balsam and red fruit nose. A bit green on the finish, but not unpleasant. Better with the pasta. (91 points)

Flight 3
Osso Buco Strudel with Marrow Risotto Milanese and Warm Brussels Sprout Salad.
OMG! Andrew made Osso Buco, then deboned it, then chilled it, then wrapped it in phyllo dough and baked it.
Then he used the marrow to flavor the risotto. And the Brussel sprouts were delicious too!
  1. 1996 Daniel Bocquenet Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
    Sweet red fruit nose. Surprisingly young and tannic given its age, but a very tasty wine. Appeals to my inner Barolo-lover. (92 points)
  2. 2001 Mongeard-Mugneret Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
    Stunning nose of cherry and mint. Wow! Elegant and complex. WOTN for me. (96 points)
  3. 2005 Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
    [Double-decanted at 8am.] Another stunning nose. Rich, sweet, delicious with a long finish. My 2nd WOTN. (95 points)
  4. 2006 Mongeard-Mugneret Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
    Sweet and complex, but somewhat spoiled by some bitterness on the finish. (88 points)

Flight 4
Seared Mallard Duck Breast with Blackberry and Lavender Glacé, Roasted Sweet Potato Purée, Celeriac Purée, and Asian Broccoli and Baby Bok Choy.
This was starting to be too much food for me, so I brought most of it home.
The lavender added such complexity. The vegetables were so delicious. Great!
  1. 2004 Pierre Damoy Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
    [Double-decanted at 2pm.] Slightly green nose. Quite green and vegetal in the mouth. (58 points)
  2. 2006 Henri Boillot Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
    Muted nose. Thick, silky, young. Tasty. A hint of greenness, but not enough to spoil it. (92 points)
  3. 2003 Maison Vincent Girardin Corton Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
    [This was supposed to be the last wine in flight 2 (the Corton flight), but there was a mix up.] [Double-decanted for one hour at 5pm.] Thick young tasty. Long finish. A good young wine that may be even better in a few years. (92 points)


Conclusion

As usual for me with Burgundy, a mixed bag, but some very nice wines.


Notes posted from CellarTracker.

WOTN Voting (3pts each for #1, 2pts for #2, 1pt for #3)

RankPts#Wine
13072003 Vincent Girardin Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes
21592001 Mongeard-Mugneret Echezeaux
312102005 Henri Naudin-Ferrand Echezeaux
48112006 Mongeard-Mugneret Echezeaux
5(tie)462000 Antonin Rodet Corton-Renardes
5(tie)4142003 Vincent Girardin Corton Vieilles Vignes
7(tie)322000 Frédéric Magnien Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges V.V.
7(tie)332005 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Beaune du Château
7(tie)352000 Hospices de Beaune Corton-Cuvée Docteur Peste Louis Latour
10(tie)181996 Daniel Bocquenet Echezeaux
10(tie)1122004 Pierre Damoy Chambertin-Clos de Bèze


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All original content © Ken Vastola