WCC White Burgundy @ Yono's Restaurant, 9/26/2024

WCC White Burgundy Blind
Yono's Restaurant, Albany, NY, 9/26/2024

My local group got together to taste White Burgundy at Yono's. Chef Ian O'Leary really knocked it out of the park with some original and inspired dishes that were so delicious and beautifully matched to the wines.

I organized the flights. The tasting was blind to everyone but me (though at my age, I easily forget which is which). Dinner started at 7pm and lasted till about 10:30.

Click on any image with a border for a larger view of that image, and in some cases more image.

Amuse Bouche of Roasted Delicata Squash, Chèvre, Balsamic Glaze, and Candied Pecans.
My Bouche was more than amused by this tasty mouthful.

Flight 1
Kombu Brined Oyster Mushroom: Carrot Shell, Rosé Champagne Mignonette.
This vegan version of oysters was exquisite, almost magical, and went beautifully with the wines.

2012 La Chablisienne Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles Château Grenouilles - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Crisp, complex, really tasty. Long finish of citrus and slate. Should continue to age well for another 5-10 years. (92 points)
2018 William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Seems younger than the first wine, but similar. Quite tart and crisp at this stage. Needs time to mellow out, but I really like it. More mellow with the "vegan oysters". (92–94 points)
2020 Tement Morillon Grosse Lage STK Ried Zieregg - Austria, Styria, Südsteiermark
[This was a ringer inserted for fun. It had been decanted into a Burgundy bottle in the late afternoon. Morillon is the Austrian name for Chardonnay.] Another young wine, but this one clearly saw more oak. Bill thought it might be from California. It does seem to fit that style more, especially compared to the other wines in this flight. Lots of vanilla and citrus in the nose. Lovely, crisp, and full bodied. (92 points)

Chef and Culinary Director Ian O'Leary comes out to tell us about the dishes:

Flight 2
Carmelized Onion & Goat Cheese Tart: Caramelized Cippolini Onion, Chèvre, Puff Pastry,
Chervil, Pine Nuts, Pear. Another delicious dish. Rich and filling. Perfect with these wine.

2015 Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
Very bright nose of citrus and minerals. Tart and complex in the mouth. Quite impressive for a village wine. Group #3 wine. (93 points)
2018 Rapet Père et Fils Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Sous Frétille Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru
Muted nose of lemon custard. Quite crisp and flavorful with good acidity. Needs a few years to round out. (92 points)
2018 Rapet Père et Fils Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Sous Frétille Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru
This was the identical wine to the previous bottle, but they weren't very similar. This bottle was colder, otherwise, both bottles were quite sound. Almost no nose. Rich and complex in the mouth. Tasty and expansive. (93 points)

Flight 3
Char Grilled Spanish Octopus: Roasted Fennel, Creamy Spinach Emulsion, Salmon Roe, Leek Ash Oil.
I paired these older wines with this dish. It worked brilliantly.
Another delicious dish, though the fennel could have been a little softer.

I think I liked these more than the other folks because I knew they were older.
Some people just thought these were premoxed younger wines.

1992 Remoissenet Père et Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
[Double-decanted for about an hour around 4pm.] Muted nose of vanilla and caramel. Quite mature, but still appealing, complex, and flavorful. A great wine on its decline. Drink up. (93 points)
1996 Louis Latour Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Crisp nose of granny smith apples with a hint of caramel. Expansive and complex. Starting to go over the hill, but there's still a lot here. Others thought it was closer to dead. I thought it was a great match with the octopus. (93 points)

Flight 4
Confit Rabbit: Crispy Confit Rabbit, Sunchoke Foie Gras Purée, Grilled Asparagus, Chili Oil.
This was the coup de grâce for this evening. A wow dish of such flavor and texture. Fabulous!

2004 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Oxidized. 😓 (NR)
2018 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Citrus and mineral nose jumps from the glass. Complex, delicious, with a very long finish. Group #2 WOTN. (94 points)
2016 Domaine du Château de Meursault Corton-Vergennes Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
Bright citrus nose. Long and complex, with a wow factor. My WOTN and Group's WOTN. (94 points)

Dessert
Selection of Local Cheeses: McGrath Cheese Company Hootenanny, Adirondack Cheddar, Liveley Blue Cheese.
A nice set of cheeses to go with this lovely, mature Sauternes.

1986 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
[Pop and pour.] This was a joy to drink with the cheese course. Rich and complex with lots of botrytis and honey. Great balance. (94 points)

Conclusion

Another wonderful evening with this gang! Yono's Managing Partner Josh Turo and his team did a fabulous job all around. Chef Ian O'Leary is amazing. This was some of the best food I've ever had, and each one well-matched to the wines. I understand that Ian spends most of his time now down at Day Line Oyster Bar + Kitchen. We were honored that he came up to Yono's to cook for us.

My notes posted from CellarTracker.

All the wines:

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

Rank	Pts	#	Wine
1	19	4.3	2016 Chateau de Meursault Corton-Vergennes
2	14	4.2	2018 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne
3	11	2.1	2015 Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet
4(tie)	4	1.1	2012 La Chablisienne Chablis Grenouilles
4(tie)	4	1.3	2020 Tement Morillon Zieregg Grosse Lage
4(tie)	4	2.2	2018 Rapet Pernand-Vergelesses Sous Frétille
7	3	1.2	2018 Fèvre Chablis Montee de Tonnerre
8	1	2.3	2018 Rapet Pernand-Vergelesses Sous Frétille

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