Albany Chevaliers du Tastevin Dinner
with Laurent Drouhin
@ The Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY, 6/11/2026
The Albany-Capital Region chapter of
La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin held a
dinner with special guest
Laurent Drouhin of
Joseph Drouhin.
The dinner was held at The Fort Orange Club, in Albany, NY, where
Executive Chef Lou Agostinello is turning out some of the best wine-friendly food
in our region.
Each course was served with its own wine. All the wines tonight (except the dessert
wines) were from Joseph Drouhin.
Most of the wines were from the chapter's cellar. (See the note on the 2015 Hospices
de Beaune Beaune "Cuvée Maurice Drouhin" for the one exception.)
None of the wines were decanted, but they were opened for some time before serving.
See each wine note for details.
George Weissman worked with Jared Millwood, the Club House Manager and Joe Armstrong
to set up this dinner. Joe is our local rep for Winebow which distributes for
Dreyfus Ashby, the sole US importer for Drouhin.
Click on any image with a border for a larger view of that image,
and in many cases more image.
Most of the photos here are mine, but some are from others as noted.
Sections
Reception
Laurent chats with Rob at the Reception:
Passed hors d'oeuvre: Steak and Boursin on Crostini, Crab Salad,
and Prosciutto and Melon (no photo):
There was also a non-vintage Henriot Champagne Brut Souverain which I did not taste.
Dinner
The menu cover:
Photo by Rob Brass.
Settling in for dinner in the main dining room.
That's me attempting to commit the forbidden
act of taking off my jacket:
We do our usual toasts with the first dinner wine:
Above photos by Rob Brass.
Course One
Poached Lobster Tail With Crème Fraiche, Saffron-Apricot Puree, Grilled Asparagus.
-
2018 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
Morgeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
[Taken out of the wine refrigerator and opened 6:15pm.
Poured at 6:40pm for the 7pm toast.] Stunning nose of citrus and minerals.
Crisp, expansive, long. Wow! Similar to the 2021 Joseph Drouhin Pouilly-Vinzelles,
but two steps up in terms of richness and complexity. (94 points)
Laurent was asked to speak to our group about this wine.
As he explained, the vineyard for this wine is owned by the Marquis de Laguiche.
However, the Drouhin family has been in charge of its cultivation and vinification
since 1947.
Maurice Drouhin (Laurent's grandfather) met the Marquis de Laguiche during the
Second World War. They became friends. The Marquis owned the vines, but did not
make wine. So based on a hand-shake, they agreed that the Drouhin family
would make the wine from this premier cru plot in Morgeot, as well as their
plot in the grand cru Le Montrachet.
Course Two
Pheasant Cassoulet: Confit Pheasant Leg, Chicken Sausage,
Turkey Bacon, Celery, Carrot, White Beans.
Laurent told us that his grandfather Maurice Drouhin was a member of the administrative
committee of the Hospices beginning in 1925 and served as vice-president from
1941 to 1955.
In particular, during World War II, Maurice was warned that the SS was looking for him.
The Hospices hid him for the remainder of the war.
After the war, he donated over 2.5 hectares of Beaune Premier Cru to the Hospices
which have been used to make this wine ever since.
This wine was special for our group as well, because it was purchased as a barrel
at the Hospices de Beaune Charity Auction by four members of our group who each
donated two bottles so that there would be enough for our whole group.
The original barrel purchase was initiated by the late great Joel Spiro.
His son Scott donated two bottles on his behalf.
Course Three
Lamb Chop With Sauce Paloise, Fondant Sweet Potato, Cress.
Photo by Rob Brass.
-
2008 Joseph Drouhin Grands-Echezeaux -
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
[Opened and recorked at 5:15pm, corks off 5:45pm, served around 8:15pm.]
Black fruit and spices in the nose. Still tannic but full of rich red fruit.
Earthy and long. (95 points)
Course Four
Filet Tournedos Rossini: 6oz Chairman's Filet, Foie Gras, Summer Black Truffle,
Madeira Demi-Glace, Pommes Duchess, Wild Mushroom, Thumbelina Carrots.
-
2012 Joseph Drouhin Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Procès -
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru
[Opened and recorked at 5:00pm, corks off at 6:30pm, served about 9pm.]
Gorgeous nose of red fruit and spice. Dark red and black fruits in the mouth.
Still tannic. Rich, young, long and juicy. I would cellar this another 10 years.
(94–97 points)
Laurent began speaking about this wine with
This is the best wine in all of Burgundy!
He then went on to explain that he personally owns Drouhin's share of this vineyard.
He also mentioned that his sister, Véronique, similarly owns their share of
the Premier Cru Petits Monts in Vosne-Romanée.
Third photo by Rob Brass.
Larry Kirsch contemplates this information:
Dessert
Mint Chocolate Mousse With Chantilly Cream, Strawberry.
-
1958 Château Villargeil Rivesaltes -
France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Rivesaltes
Beautiful nose of sweet mandarin oranges. Rich and expansive. Just gorgeous.
Goes incredibly well with the Mint Chocolate Mousse (which wasn't overly minty).
(95 points)
-
NV Jean-Marc Roulot Liqueur d'Abricot du Roulot - France
Lovely nose of apricots. A bit hot in the mouth, but lovely. (Note: I don't
generally drink liqueurs. YMMV.) (93 points)
Rivesaltes left. Liqueur d'Abricot right.
Executive Chef Lou Agostinello visits our table and chats with Jared.
Closing Ceremony
Executive Chef Lou Agostinello would normally introduce his kitchen team at this point,
but it had been so hot in the kitchen that they had sent them all home as soon as
the food was finished. We applauded this information.
Fort Orange Club House Manager Jared Millwood introduces the waitstaff:
Grand Sénéchal Jared presents Chef Lou with a memento
of our visit which includes the menu for the evening:
And now we sing Le Ban Bourguignon, aka the La La song:
Laurent tells us of the importance of Le Ban Bourguignon
and asks us to do it again with more enthusiam...
...which we did.
Last two photos by Rob Brass.
People Pix
Above photos by Rob Brass.
Salil had been at the Knicks come-from-behind win
in game four of the NBA Finals the night before:
These photos by Amy Vastola.
Conclusion
Another terrific evening of wine, food, and friends.
This one was made extra special by the presence and commentary of
Laurent Drouhin.
My tasting notes posted from
CellarTracker.
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All original content © Ken Vastola
