Burgundy Paulée @ Familiar Creature, Saratoga Springs, NY, 9/14/2025

A Burgundy Paulée
with the Albany Chapter of the Chevaliers du Tastevin,

at Familiar Creature, Saratoga Springs, NY (9/14/2025)

This was a Paulée of the Albany-Capital Region chapter of La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. Thus, everyone brought their own wines, nominally one bottle per person. The host for this dinner was Larry Teal.

Since this was a Paulée, there were no organized flights. I've grouped the wines in relation to the food courses. As far as I know, all the wines were pop and pour unless otherwise stated.

Click on any image with a border for a higher resolution version of that image, which may also contain additional image.

The Venue.
The Reception.
The White Wines and the First Two Courses.
The Red Wines and the Next Two Course.
Dessert.
Recognizing the Chef and Her Staff.
People Pix.
All the Wines.

The Venue

Familiar Creature is a fairly new restaurant and wine bar from the same folks who own Hamlet & Ghost where we had another Paulée in 2023. The food and decor here are inspired by Montreal’s French bistros and by Québécois cuisine.

The name Familiar Creature comes from a line in Shakespeare's Othello, Good wine is a good familiar creature, if it be well used which is spoken by Iago in Act 2, Scene 3.

Familiar Creature is in an historic building on Phila Street in the center of Saratoga Springs:

Wine Director Miles Merton and Co-Owner Brendan Dillon behind the bar:

Executive Chef Michele Hunter in the open kitchen:

The beautiful bar with an old-fashioned tile floor:

Reception

NV Charles de Cazanove Champagne Brut.
2023 Domaine Thevenot Le Brun & Fils Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Blanc.
I got there late and did not taste either of these.

Above photos by Severn.

Across from the bar is a nice island for standing and snacking on the delicious hors d'oeuvres,
starting with a fabulous fruit & cheese board:

And tasty lamb skewers:

And Seafood croquettes (upper right):

Above photos by Jared.
And Shrooms!

A few photos of people at the Reception:

Photos by Rob of people at the Reception:

Dinner

The dining room was set up with three long tables for our group:

Our table:

Grand Sénéchal Jared Shulman leads the toasts:

Above photos by Rob.

The Whites

Course One
House-Made Pâté: (l to r) Country Style Pâté with Cornichon & Grain Mustard,
Smoked Trout Rillettes, Chicken Liver Mousse, each on Toast.
Yummy! The Chicken Liver Mousse was especially good.

2010 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Valmur - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
[Pop & Pour.] Crisp lemon tart nose. Delicious and complex with a long finish. (94 points)
2018 Rapet Père et Fils Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Sous Frétille Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru
[Pop & pour.] Big smoky nose of lemon and vanilla. Big and rich in the mouth. Needs time. (92–93 points)

Course Two
Rabbit Blanquette & Cavatelli with Melted Leeks, Tarragon, and Toasted Hazelnut.

First photo by Severn. Second by Kat.

2014 Dominique Lafon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champgain - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
[Pop & pour.] Big, rich, young nose of lemon custard and new oak. Big and rich in the mouth. Needs at least 5 years to integrate, but plenty of potential. (93–94 points)
2014 Château de la Maltroye Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos du Château de la Maltroye - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
[Magnum.] Tart slate nose. Long and complex, but still young. (92–94 points)

The Reds

Course Three
Braised Short Rib on Parsnip Purée with Scallion Chimichurri and Bone Marrow Bordelaise.

Photo by Severn.

1999 Gros Frère et Sœur Clos Vougeot Musigni - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
[Double decanted for a half hour around 3pm.] Stunning nose of dark red fruit and spice. Smooth and long with a subtle, complex finish. I love this wine. (95 points)
2008 Domaine François Legros Vougeot 1er Cru Les Cras - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vougeot 1er Cru
[Pop & pour.] Bright, juicy red fruit in the nose and mouth. Medium length. Good complexity. Tasty. (93 points)
1990 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Teurons - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
Mature red fruit nose. Fully mature. In a beautiful spot. I could drink this all night. (94 points)
2003 Domaine des Chezeaux Griotte-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru
Big, rich red fruit and spice. Really complex and expansive. (94 points)

Course Four
French Roasted Chicken with Porcini & Chicken Jus with Vin Jaune, Shmaltzy Potatoes with Tahini aioli & Sage, Haricot Verts with Lemon & Pine Nuts. This was served family style. The Porcini sauce was particularly delicious.

First photo by Jared. The other two by Severn.

1990 Louis Jadot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos des Corvées - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
[Magnum.] Sharp, tart, overly acidic. Not really drinkable for me.
2002 Stéphane Brocard Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Big, rich nose of red fruit and spice. Big in the mouth. Wonderfully expansive and complex. Terrific and delicious. (95 points)
2001 Faiveley Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
Subtle red fruit and spice nose with some earthiness. Long, mature, complex. Wow! My WOTN. (96 points)

Dessert
Sweet Corn Soft Serve with Cocoa Nibs & Pâté Brisée Crisps, and House Brandied Prunes.

First photo by the FWG. The other two by Severn.

2003 Château Rieussec - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
[Pop & pour.] Heavenly nose of honey with a hint of tart spice. Thick, luscious and bright. I am shocked. I expected a 2003 to be over-ripe, but this has more balancing acidity than the 2001. Big surprise to me. (95 points)

Recognizing the Chef and Her Staff
All photos in this section by Rob.

Co-Owner Brendan Dillon introduces Executive Chef Michele Hunter and the staff: