Wednesday Dinner for 6 at Home.

I recall reading long ago, I was still in college, that the perfect number of people for a dinner at home is 6, the main reason being that everyone can get to talk with each other. I've long found that to be true. We normally have more guests during dinner, but a table of 6 is always more relaxed and enjoyable for me - especially when I have to cook anything.

One such dinner was last night (17 June 2009) with Miguel, Ria, Rene, Aimee, my wife and I. The food was simple, we all contributed bottles of wine and enjoyed a nice, leisurely meal. We started off with some of Je Suis Gourmand's signature Terrine of Foie Gras and the Miguel Family's Chicken & Duck Liver Pâté with Port Jelly paired with...

2006 Domaine Bott-Geyl Gewürztraminer Les Éléments - Another of these bottles from me, having opened at least two others the past week or so. Having spent around 9 days in Alsace in late September to early October 2007, immersing myself in their local wine and cuisine, I learned quickly that gewürztraminers pair wonderfully with foie gras (Alsace produces a lot of both, and very well). This medium-bodied, slightly sweet and viscous, rose, lychee and peach scented and flavored wine was easily up to the task. It's flavors adding a nice sweetish fruitiness to the savory foie, while it's demure minerality and balancing acidity nicely cut the latter's richness.

We then had, prepared by my wife, our go-to Salad of Butter Lettuce, Tarragon, Toasted Pine Nuts, Parma Ham in a Honey/Vinegar/Mustard/Garlic Dressing - a recipe that both my brother and his wife claim to have invented. It's never really been settled which one of them really thought it up, so we just say it was made in collaboration.

The main courses then followed...

Grilled Prawns with Cheese and...

...with the grilled prawns, we enjoyed Miguel's bottle of 2006 Domaine Raimbault-Pineau Pouilly-Fumé - We've been enjoying this brightly clean, crisp, alluringly floral sauvignon blanc from the eastern Loire Pouilly-Fumé appellation ever since Rene's birthday dinner late last November - so much so that the stock of the 2006 vintage at Terry Selection was completely sold out not long after, and, since then, we've been enjoying the 2007 version. My first notes on the 2006 are still applicable:

An ethereal, fresh, floral, cool, sweet perfume of gooseberries, freshly cut grass, white grapefruit, citrus and trace white mineral nuances in the nose. Gracefully and elegantly mirrored on the palate. This danced on my tongue. Subtly complex.The Vigneron, not really one who is into whites and, more often than not, goes straight to the reds, was the first one to pipe up, saying that "The bouquet of this wine is wonderful". Coming from him, that means a lot.

My notes reveal that I last had the 2006 at Sunshine & Rob's Gourmandise dinner of January 2009. The bottle last night was Miguel's last of the 2006 and I'm grateful that he shared it with us.

For the Seared-then-Roasted US Prime Grade Rib-Eye Steaks, we had four reds to choose from.

Because of the steaks' rich, fatty flavor, for the main pairing I opted for the 2002 Cesca Vicent Lo Piot Priorat DOQ - Miguel's bottle, from a winery partly-owned by his family friend. From the old Catalonian town of Gratallops in the heart of Priorat (Zone #5) where vine-growing became the the main activity since the 18th century. Aside from Cesca Vicent, Gratallops also houses the cellars of Carles Pastrana (Clos de l'Obac, Miserere), René Barbier (Clos Mogador) and Alvaro Palacios (L'Ermita, Les Terrasses).

Made up of a blend of granacha (90%) and cabernet sauvignon (10%) aged 12 months in French oak barrels, this is masculine, full-bodied wine (14.5% abv) boasting big, ripe, well-concentrated and extracted flavors of dried dark plum, dark cherry, fig, bit of blackcurrant, dark chocolate (towards the back) and vanilla, with hints of warm asphalt and leather in the dark fruit. After a little over an hour of decanting for aeration, its smooth, somewhat dense, slightly dusty texture showed no virtually no heat from its relatively high alcohol content and stood up nicely with the steaks.

Around another hour later, it had opened up and lightened noticeably, presenting a fruitier, "grapier", somewhat fresher character which made for a nice foil with the cheese course as well.

Our cheese course was very simple, just some Tomme de Savoie, walnuts and dried apricots, to let the two Bordeaux of the evening take center stage.

1999 Château Lynch Bages - My bottle. I opened another of these a week before at Gerhard Kropp's dinner at Tosca. My notes then are consistent with last night's bottle save that the latter's cedar notes were a bit more pronounced and it was marginally less creamy in texture:

Classic Bordeaux nose of cedar, cassis, pencil shavings, violets, hints of tobacco and a mere whispers of asphalt, licorice and minerality. A few notches below full-bodied, this is open, with an approachable character to its smooth, curved, somewhat creamy-textured mirrored aromas. Noteworthy balance. Already very enjoyable but can improve and gain more depth. Very good show, everyone enjoyed this bottle.

1996 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux - Rene's bottle, the second wine of 1st growth Château Margaux from, to me, the best vintage of the '90s aside from '90 itself. I've had this at least twice before that I vividly recall - at two IWFS blind tastings of the 1996 Médoc 2nd wines and cru bourgeois. Both those tastings were around 2 years ago, so I was happy to be able to re-taste it last night.

It presented a stylish, somewhat feminine character in its supple, medium body with poised cassis, blackcurrant, slight raspberry (more of a topnote), violets and cedar (lightly smoky) into which notes of gravel, iron and a mere whisper of licorice were delicately interwoven. Very Margaux. Admirable poise and balance to this. Definitely open for business and drinking well right now.

Dessert was a serving each of Je Suis Gourmand's Thin Apple Tart with Caramel & Vanilla Sauce and Green Apple Ice Cream. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it. I did not have my usual double espresso since I didn't want to to sleep so late, and don't recall anyone else having any either. The evening ended before midnight since the ladies needed their rest.

So ended yet another most pleasant evening of good wine, food and company. Thanks to all for coming.

nb: Taking pictures with a flash always presents problems with mestizo(a) eyes. Miguel jokingly complained that I always wind up making his eyes way too black, so I used a different program to erase red eyes this time. Well, voila, now your and Catha's eyes are white. Happy?

Friday Dinner at B&M's.

Friday dinner, 12th June 2009, was hosted by close friends, B & M, at their nearby home, with some a few other longtime friends as guests. We were 7 in all for dinner. B is the Alabang Group's grilled steak specialist, while M has a deft hand at all the other dishes.

We were 30 minutes late as my wife had another busy day helping my youngest sis set up her new reading clinic and the others were already enjoying M's delectable appetizer of Brie Topped with Sautéed Mushrooms and Melba Toast when we arrived. They had made their way through a bottle of Spanish white (a Rueda Verdejo as I recall) so I opened a bottle of 2006 Bott-Geyl Gewürztraminer Les Elements to pair. The slightly off-dry, lychee, rose, ripe peach of the wine went well with the creamy/earthy appetizer, the toast providing a nice, crunchy textural contrast.

We then moved to the dining room where awaited us...

Prime Grade US Rib-Eyes (Medium and Medium-Rare)

Grilled Prawns

Scalloped Potatoes and Baby Green Beans

With the Grilled Prawns, we had...

2006 Domaine Laurent Tribut Chablis - My bottle. The domaine is located in the commune of Poinchy, approximately 1.5 kms west of the old town proper of Chablis, and owns 5.2 hectares of Chablis vineyards, including holdings in premier cru vineyards Beauroy, Côte de Léchet and Montmains. It produces wines in the classically lean, tense, steely, sea-shell, minerally, minimalist oak style (fermentation in enamelled stainless-steel tanks, no use of new oak in ageing, no battonage), which I much prefer.

Those familiar with the wines of Chablis star, R&V Dauvissat, will note a marked similarity between the labels of the two domaines. This is most likely because Laurent Tribut used to work with Dauvissat and, married to Marie-Clotilde Dauvissat, Laurent is Réne Dauvissat's son-in-law and, perforce, Vincent Dauvissat's brother-in-law. I recall reading that Laurent Tribut still helps out occasionally at Domaine Dauvissat.

My wife and I spent a couple of extremely hot days in Chablis in July 2006, billeted at Michel Vignaud's Hostellerie des Clos (at La Residence du Domaine where they have bigger, air-conditioned rooms) until the weak air-condition system drove us out to look for cooler climes. We didn't leave, though, before having dinner at the hotel's *Michelin dining room (they have a smallish but excellently stocked cellar, the bottles of which are reasonably marked-up from retail).

I first tried Tribut's Chablis (a vintage 2004) sometime in mid-September 2006. Jerome Philippon recommended it to me when I expressed my preference for old-style Chablis. I've bought every vintage since then, including Tribut's 1er cru Côte de Léchet.

With around 45 minutes opened, kept chilled in a bucket of iced water, the 2006 holds true to Chablis terroir with clean, pure, nervy/tense, cold-stone, oyster shell notes shining through the softish, ripe white stone fruit/apple, merest hint of white peach (it was a very hot July in Chablis, I can attest). Well balanced with acidity, nicely focused. I'm very happy with this and am glad I still have some as it is excellent with seafood, particularly fresh, simply prepared shellfish - only P1530 full retail for the basic Chablis at Sommelier Selection; P2130 for the 1er Cru Côte de Léchet.

With the steaks...

2002 Atalon Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - B's bottle; he must have finally run out of his cases of their 2001 vintage that he liked so much. It is a light-heavyweight Napa cab with textbook somewhat earthy and dense, dark fruit, cassis, creamy oak, hint of cedar, mild dark minerality, licorice and leather. Moderate oak, concentration, less forward and ripe than their 2001 (which, to my mind, are good things in a Napa cab); relatively subdued and with good poise and balance - a natural pairing with the rich rib-eyes.

2005 Framingham Marlborough Montepulciano - Beto's bottle, a screw cap, "popped" and poured, no aeration. I've never had this wine before and am not at all familiar with NZ reds - at first glance of the label, my eyes zeroed in on the prominently displayed "Montepulciano", so I assumed it was a Tuscan wine (there is a town of Montepulciano in Tuscany that produces a simple red from sangiovese). Beto, however, informed me that it is a Marlborough NZ red made of montepulciano grapes. Confusing, really, since the grape montepulciano is traditionally grown not in Tuscan Montepulciano (the grape montepulciano needs hotter climes than that of northern Italy since the former tends to ripen late), but, rather in central-eastern and southern Italy.

In any event, this wine presented straightforward, easily approachable, simple, well-concentrated and extracted, soft and low-acid profiles of sweetish-ripe black fruit, plum, dark cherry, bit of spice, new leather and toasty oak (there is likely some new and American oak in this as it gave off mild toffee and coconut cream aromas). With its sweet, soft structure and fruit and low-acidity, this strikes me as a wine to be opened and consumed in the short term. It, as earlier stated, is easy to drink and approachable and will likely please most palates.

With M's deliciously rich homemade chocolate cake topped with whipped cream and cups of espresso, together with the rest of the wines and many more stories, we continued into the wee hours of the morning.

I must say I was quite impressed that B stayed up so late with no visible signs of sleepiness as he is a natural early bird. Many thanks, B & M, for yet another great steak dinner. With old friends, time just flies by unnoticed.

Dinner at Tosca.

During the Siran Vertical Dinner at I Am Angus 2 weeks ago, our table of four planned another wine dinner together. Alan Hearn, Robert Burroughes and I were to supply the wines while Gerhard Kropp generously offered to host the dinner at the Dusit Hotel's Tosca on Wednesday, 10th June 2009. I knew I didn't have to bring any bubbly since Bernd Koehling had agreed to join - and I knew he'd not have dinner without some champagne to start with.

Due to the traffic, I was a bit late for cocktails. Gerhard, Alan and Bernd were already at the bar, Bernd having opened his bottle of Champagne Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut NV. Robert followed not 10 minutes after. Liberal pours of the well-defined, demurely rounded, fresh and brightly lively champagne eased us into the dinner mood with lightly floral, brioche-laced charm.

Gerhard and I briefly took stock of the evening's bottles and decided on a last minute change of the first course. We thereafter moved to the corner private room to begin dinner proper.

In substitution of the Rocket Salad in Balsamic Vinaigrette with Grilled Prawns and Sun-Dried Tomatoes, we began with dishes of delicately savory, paper thin slices of Beef Carpaccio Dressed in Balsamic with Rocket Leaves in a Parmesan Crust Ring, Shaved Parmesan and Cherry Tomatoes, paired with...

2007 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé - Another of my bottles. My regular dining companions and readers know well that I open these personally favored bottles quite often. Robert and Bernd jokingly feigned surprise when I pulled out yet another bottle of this.

The wine's all too familiar, poised and well-balanced, quietly complex melange of fresh canteloupe, strawberry, bit of melon, orange rind, lavender touched by garrigue and a slight, appetizing bitterness towards the back, in my opinion, paired precisely with the carpaccio. The structure firm enough to stand up to the lightly dressed raw beef, its fruit adding a nice contrast thereto and its garrigue, lavender and slight orange rind bitterness running with the arugula.

While the others readily admitted that this is undoubtedly an exceptional rosé, a couple still maintain reservations on whether or not its high price (for a rosé) is fully justified. I'm used to such discussions on Tempier's rosé. Even the Stockbroker of a several thousand bottle strong premium wine collection (ironically) balks at this, though he quite likes the wine as well. I just smile and think: "Good, more for me".

With the next course of Grilled Sea Bass with Vegetable Ratatouille in Saffron Sauce, Robert had opened a bottle of 2007 Georges Duboeuf Cru (?) Beaujolais, the exact cru of which was unknown as the label was missing. All Robert knew was that he had requested for some bottles of the crus.

For those unfamiliar, Beaujolais wines have three levels, namely, the basic Beaujolais, next up is the Beaujolais Villages, and the top tier is made up by the Beaujolais Crus. There are 10 appellations that make up the Beaujolais Crus: Brouilly, Côte-de-Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Régnié and Saint-Amour. Each present their own general characteristics, depending on the makers of course.

Without getting into a discussion of all the Crus' traits (which I am not very familiar with anyway), because of the light-framed and nicely balanced, ripely fruited, raspberry and cherry dominant wine with light pepper and a whisper of underlying minerality, I'd guess this to be a either a Chiroubles or Fleurie - but leaning more towards the former. Undeniably charming and disarming, its floral-sweetish red fruit provided a playfully deft cut to the juicy-"meaty" seabass.

I'd certainly like to eventually find out from Robert what exactly it was, because, at the ballpark figure of P800+ per bottle, I'd definitely buy some of this for pairing with rich meaty/oily fishes like seabass and salmon.

Our main course then made its way to the table, a generous serving each of Lamb Shank Ossobuco with Marrow and Artichoke Risotto.

2005 Château Taillefer (Pomerol) - I brought this bottle, gratis from Aaron Palileo whose family-owned ADP Industries Corp. distributes this wine, among others. Taillefer is a noteworthy producer from Pomerol on the right bank of the Bordeaux region, the wines of which appellation are merlot-dominated and generally perceived to be powerful, darkly plummy, deeply-veined and well structured. This area is inhabited by many greats such as Pétrus, La Conseillante, L'Evangile and Vieux Château Certan to name a few. As far as Robert and I could make out, "taillefer" roughly translates to "iron cutter" or "cut iron"- likely referring to its soil of gravel and sand streaked with iron.

Decanted for aeration for approximately an hour, more or less, before serving, this wine from the much celebrated 2005 vintage presented a very alluring nose of earthy dark fruit, ripe dark plum/cherry, raspberry and cedar topnotes, cedar, lightly laced with violets, dark mineral and licorice. Mirrored in the mouth, it was initially tightly-wound and a bit short on the finish.

After around 10-15 minutes in the glass, it fleshed out nicely into a notch or two over medium-body and showed firm structure and a deeply fruited, somewhat serious character with glimpses of leather, dark minerality and red spice. After another 30 minutes, the wine seemed to shut down again. Not surprising to me, though, as, in my re-tasting through the '05 Bdx at the UGC tasting in Vinexpo Asia Pacific 2008, I found many seemed to be beginning to go to sleep. I'd guess that this wine has a good future, and would like to try this again around 4-5 years from now.

2003 Marchesi de' Frescobaldi CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino - Robert's bottle, distributed locally by either Forth & Tay or Futuretrade with which he is connected. This maker is foremost in my mind when I think of the sangiovese based wines from Montalcino as a most memorable bottle of their 1997 vintage was what turned me onto BdMs.

Decanted for the same amount of time as the '05 Taillefer. No-nonsense dry, somewhat straightforward, medium-bodied, softly earthy, strawberry, cherry laced with cedar, mild tobacco leaf, touch of dry herbs, with some blackcurrants running underneath. Touch of violets and a hint of appetizing bitterness in the medium finish. Healthy, food-friendly acidity in this as expected. I liked this best as a pairing with the lamb shank ossobuco. Very enjoyable even at under 6 years from havest year.

With the Platter of Assorted Cheeses, Grapes and Walnuts...

2006 Jean Paul Dubost Moulin à Vent Cru Beaujolais - My bottle, purchased from Sommelier Selection, from, arguably, the deepest and most age-worthy of the 10 Cru Beaujolais above discussed. I first tried this at Jerome Philippon's Beaujolais Not Noveau Dinner last November 2008. My notes then were as follows:

...this was clearly my personal favorite red of the night - as well as the best match with the cassoulet. I remember telling Jérome that I found its character very different from the two previous reds - i.e., comparatively feminine to the Vieilles Vignes and Croix des Rameaux, and that it was very graceful and light-footed, its flavors dancing and gliding on the palate. There is a more notable presence of red fruit - dark cherry, bit of raspberry - to the spiced blackberry/blackcurrant base and there is a fresher over-all feel to the fruit.

The wine is no pansy though. It has superior focus, definitive/sturdy structure and a confident drive/push on the palate without at all being over-bearing or aggressive. On the contrary, it is very suave, poised and polished. Nice silky texture on the palate from attack to finish and a subtle but definite dark minerality exquisitely and finely infused in its fruit.

6 months later, I re-tasted this at Sommelier Selection's Tasting of 100 Wines from France on the 15th May 2009. My brief notes then stated:

2006 Domaine Tracot Jean Paul Dubost Moulin á Vent - Rich, deeply veined fruit, good potential, poise and harmony, light on its feet, long and graceful finish of violets.

The bottle at the subject Tosca dinner had been opened for around 1-½ hours in the bottle and another 25-30 minutes in glass before we got to it with the cheese course. It presented lightly stewed, slightly soft and raisined cranberry, ripe cherry and raspberry aromas with notes of violets and dark minerals. Mirrored in the mouth with a touch of leather on an above-medium body. Well structured, to me it possessed more depth and a darker, more serious character than the previous more floral and light-hearted "mystery" Beaujolais. Gerhard and Bernd readily agreed.

It went very well with the cheeses. I opined that its soft, slightly raisined fruity notes served like a Spanish membrillo or fruit compote usually served with cheeses in Bordeaux.

2005 S de Siran - My bottle, from the Vigneron's estate, likewise of the highly acclaimed 2005 Bordeaux vintage. This is the 2nd wine of Siran, likewise Margaux appellation plots, but from younger vines (5-15 years of age) than the grand vin. My notes from the Miailhe family's 150 Years Dinner celebration at Siran at Sala on the 31st January 2009 are still applicable:

Still slightly over medium-bodied, faint pine-needle topnotes, followed by crushed, ripe blood-red wild berries, dark ripe plum, cassis, touches of anise and dark minerality, with whispers of Spanish cedar. The red-berries were pure with a touch of sweetish ripeness; the underlying dark fruit somewhat earthier than before. Not as spicy in the finish as most wines of Siran I've tried, it was gently soothing and warming on the palate.

Already drinking well. Good structure. One may enjoy this with a bit of decanting for aeration as one bides one's time waiting on Siran's 2005 grand vin.

1999 Château Lynch Bages - My bottle, a wine I've had around 3-4 times before (the first time courtesy of Bernie Sim, I vaguely recall) but I somehow cannot find any previous notes on them (I don't post on all wines I drink - it doesn't happen often, but it does). One of my favored, go-to producers from Pauillac, I've visited this château and dined at their Café Lavinal thrice - the last time was a fun lunch with lady-chefs Myrna Segismundo and Jill Sandique in June 2007.

Classic Bordeaux nose of cedar, cassis, pencil shavings, violets, hints of tobacco and a mere whispers of asphalt, licorice and minerality. A few notches below full-bodied, this is open, with an approachable character to its smooth, curved, somewhat creamy-textured mirrored aromas. Noteworthy balance. Already very enjoyable but can improve and gain more depth. Very good show, everyone enjoyed this bottle.

2005 d'Arenberg "The Galvo Garage" - Alan's bottle, heavily recommended by Wine Depot's Stephan Wieprich, a screw-capped Aussie Bdx-blend (cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot) from McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills.

Initially hot on the nose with tight pine needles/wood and a slightly tinned tomato topnote, this eased off and the fruit opened up after around 15-20 minutes in the glass. The aromas were correct and not overblown at all, and, in the mouth, it was quite forward, ripe, new-world designer extracted and concentrated, but, in a nicely subdued style compared to most all Aussie reds I've tried. Smooth, curvy and easy to drink.

Alan opened another bottle late in the evening, but I, unfortunately, forgot to take a picture of it and did not get a chance to taste it. I also opened a bottle of 2006 Jean Paul Dubost Fleurie Cru Beaujolais sometime past midnight, and likewise failed to take a picture and taste it. I had this less than a week ago, however, over dinner at Je Suis Gourmand, so my notes from that evening should do:

Like the '06 JP Dubost Moulin à Vent, this Fleurie was definitely unlike the usually light and carefree (and more typical, some say) Beaujolais I've tried - richer, fuller (over medium-bodied), more concentrated, generous (but not loud) with materially more density and heft. True to its name, the pure, freshly young aromas are redolent with violets, some rose and dark cherries.

In the mouth, there is definite ripeness to the black cherry, blackcurrant, mild spice, violets and a bit of wood. The bold tannins and wood are, as to be expected, not yet fully resolved, but it's nothing a couple of years more ageing wouldn't fix. Impressive balance and length. Marc and my wife both noted this wine's distinctive florality. Very nice indeed.

Dessert was an absolutely richly decadent Dark Chocolate Mousse...

...after which I had a good, bracing double espresso. Many stories and a few hours later, Bernd and I, the last guests (as usual?) thanked our generous host and made our way back southward on the by then empty SLEX. Most enjoyable and very long dinner with friends, food and wine - it doesn't get much better than that.

Italian Lunch Wines at PWX.

Lunch today, 9 June 2009, organized by the Stockbroker, was supposed to be at L'Opera (surely yet another 5-6 hour wine lunch), but since he woke up with a slight fever and chills, it turned into a light Italian lunch at Premium Wine Exchange (PWX). Our resident Italian wine aficionado was already there when Miguel and I arrived, with Keiichi and Johnny R following within a few minutes. Despite his feeling under the weather that morning, the Stockbroker appeared to be in fine wine form.

We started of with a well-chilled bottle of one of the bubblies distributed by PWX:

Champagne Jacquesson Cuvée nº 732 Brut - My notes from the Miailhe family's dinner celebration of its 150 years at Château Siran this past January state:

...reputedly the oldest family-owned Champagne house, with grand cru vineyards in the towns of Aÿ, Avize and Oiry, as well as premier cru vineyards in Hautvillers, Dizy and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Jacquesson also sources a little over 10% of its fruit from other growers. A blend of the producer's wines 59% from 2004, 25% from 2003, 15% from 2002 and 1% from 2001, the cepage (a.k.a., varietal composition) of the Cuvée No. 732 is 39% Chardonnay, 36% Pinot Meunier and 25% Pinot Noir.

The pale straw/light lemon yellow champagne displays lively, exuberant crisp apple and Korean Iya pear flavors with pronounced notes of ripe lemon and white minerals, underlying suggestions of yellow fruit, all in a taut, lithe medium body. Light froth in this, a bit linear, but quite bright and with nice focus.

This bottle was the same once popped and poured as our welcome drink. However, when Miguel, Keiichi and I re-visited it around 3-½ hours later and let it sit in our glasses for around 5-10 minutes, I noted that it materially opened up, became much less tightly wound, gained a bit of creaminess past mid mouth and its initially severe lemon/citrus notes softened and sweetened somewhat - more of a lemon-custard note. Much more approachable and friendly, but retaining its freshness and brightness.

With Keiichi's jar of tasty, hearty pâté de canard, we had for lunch a very good, juicy Amici Roast Chicken (that's a big complement from me as I don't normaly eat chicken) and some equally nice pasta from Cantinetta. We started of first with...

1999 Michele Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti Superiore Nizza La Court - My bottle, it came highly recommended by Bacchus' Alex Lichaytoo. Bacchus has an excellent selection of Italian wines, some of which I regularly purchase and enjoy, but I've never noticed this one. With Alex's recommendation, I simply had to try it out...and I'm glad I did.

From Piedmont's Barbera region of Asti, this wine is made up wholly of barbera grapes from the same-named, 6 hectare, south-west exposure single vineyard "La Court". Largely over-shadowed by the more famous Piedmontese nebbiolo-based wines, Barolo and Barbaresco, Barberas receive comparatively little press. Considering the subject wine, however, this lack of attention is undeserved and, perforce, lamentable.

The complex bouquet recalls dark fruit compote, dried cherry, kirsch, violets and cedar. Its medium body presents mature, soft, velvety dark cherry, violets, a light touch of dried herbs (lavender? thyme?) and hints of balsamico and leather in the underlying black fruit. The finish was moderate and precise; the tannins soft and smooth. It paired very well with the roast chicken. With the first sniff and sip, I decided I must have more bottles of this. Locally available at Bacchus.

Next was the reason why the Stockbroker pushed through with the lunch despite his current illness; and a fine reason it was at that...

2005 Fattoria Galardi Terra di Lavoro - The Stockbroker's bottle. A wine hailing from the Roccamonfina IGT, in the province of Caserta, in the southern Italian Peninsula's Campania region bordered by the Tyrrhenian Sea. As far as I can tell, the wine's name roughly translates to the "land of labor".

Served blind, all the Stockbroker told us was that it was from 2005. After a few initial sniffs, I guessed it to be a Taurasian wine which are, by and large, based on the aglianico grape usually blended with piedirosso and barbera . It was, luckily, a pretty close guess since it turned out that this wine, aside from being from the same region of Campania, is made up 80% of aglianico and 20% of the indigenous piedirosso grape.

Decidedly full-bodied, curvy and luscious, I believe we were all very surprised how well this youngster was already drinking. Generously concentrated, rich (but not over-the-top), deeply fruited, this displayed readily pleasing rounded, ripely sweetish dark plum, black cherry, kirsch, some underlying tobacco and dark minerality, with doses of chocolate and vanilla/oak. Admirable structure and balance, it is hedonistic yet comes off quite well-poised. Also very good with the meal, the ripe red fruits picking up on the flavors of the pasta's tomato sauce while adding a fruity foil to the savory baked chicken.

2003 Cantina Gigi Rosso Barolo Arione - Keiichi's bottle, for sure sourced from Terry Selection. 100% single vineyard nebbiolo in Barolo's Langhe district, as I understand. Seems like everyone had Piedmont on their minds for some reason.

Because I am pretty familiar with the roasted-ripe 2003s from Bordeaux and somewhat familiar with 2003s from Spain, not following the Italian vintages, I expected this to be very ripe, hot and forward as well. That was not the case, however.

Popped and poured, most of us noted that it was very, very early to be drinking this youngster (Barolos are generally very long-lived and take many years to start opening up, even more to really be in stride). Johnny R and the Stockbroker noted that there was a lot of wood on the nose initially - I said strong pine and pine needles - lending it a somewhat whiskey-like scent. In the mouth, at first, it was exceedingly tightly-wound, tannic and woody - Johnny also noted prevalent notes of champuy (Chinese dried/preserved plums).

After some time in the glass, however, the wine did unwind noticeably, allowing tarry, olive, asphalt, cherry, plum (bit of green character to the fruit), heavy dark minerality and some anise through with hints of violets and pine needles towards the rear. Lunch was over by the time I started on this wine, and I couldn't help thinking that some hearty food would have been in good order for this somewhat severe and tough wine.

2001 Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva - Keiichi's bottle, the lone Tuscan red. I first tried it during an IWFS Italian dinner at Tosca almost two years ago (5th July 2007). Paired wonderfully with handmade veal and spinach Tortelli with mushroom cream sauce, I fell in love with this wine and have bought and consumed many bottles of it - so many that I've long lost count.

I thought Bacchus had run out of the 2001 vintage of this wine, but Keiichi said he got some recently from Bacchus' Rockwell shop (I only ever go to the one in Shangri-La because of its proximity to my office). I must remember to get myself some more of this as well - at its very reasonable price of P1700 (as I recall), it is a no-brainer purchase.

My old notes describe it as "leathery/dusty, dark raspberry and blackcurrant earthiness". I now add that it presents some notes of cherry, dusty cocoa and a hint of leather as well. Medium-bodied, very approachable now and all too easy to drink too much of. Lovely. I'm so glad to be able to drink this again.

A lunch with good, like-minded friends - wonderfully simple and simply wonderful. Thanks, guys, and, as always, until the next!

Je Suis Gourmand, Saturday Dinner, 6 June 2009.

I'm so lucky that my children and their 2 closest cousins love eating at Je Suis Gourmand as much as I, so there's never a problem suggesting it for family dinner out. My wife and I were there again last night with the children. Though we were hoping for some moules buchot and frites last night (apparently, the shipment didn't arrive), Marc has more than enough wonderful appetizers to choose from; so much so that no matter how large a table we get, there never seems to be enough space for all the old favorites.

Since the children are all growing so fast and have the appetites to match, it's been years since we could get away with ordering only one platter of each starter.

escarots á la bourguignonne (3 orders) , foie gras terrine (2 orders), shiitake mushrooms with oeuf cocotte (2 orders)

os á moelle (i.e., bone marrow, 2 orders, but I should have ordered 3)

With the os á moelle and foie gras terrine in mind, I brought along a bottle of...

2006 Domaine Bott-Geyl Gewürztraminer Les Elements - This is, to me, currently the best value-for-money locally available non-VT/SGN gewürztraminer (note there is no "t" after the first "r", a common mistake here I notice) in the country. I have been purchasing this ever since Sommelier Selection started offering it, and, I believe there is still some stock available.

I met winemaker Valerie Bott-Cartier, wife of domaine owner Jean Cristophe Bott, at Vinexpo Asia-Pacific 2008 (HK, May 2008) and she explained to me the domaine's philosophy of making biodynamic wines and it's adherence to terroir as I tasted through some of her wines.

Save for the wine now seeming to have gained just a bit more pleasing heft, my previous notes from the IWFS August 2008 Alsace function at Je Suis Gourmand still hold true:

[C]lean, sweetly fresh flowers, rose petals, spiced lychee and peach in the nose, mirrored in the mouth in a lively, exuberant, racy, slightly-less-than-medium body with good acidic lift and discreet underlying minerality. Light on its feet, it danced on my palate. It is a pity that so few in this country bother to try to get to know the joys of Alsace gewürztraminers. This one was so very pure and clean. Precisely balanced, excellent wine, and, at its very reasonable price of P1635 per bottle, a definite buy - chill well and enjoy with Marc's terrine of foie gras.

The children made short shift of the several appetizers. They all looked so happy that I thought of ordering more, but figured they should leave enough room for the main courses; after all, Marc had several specials that night featuring magret de canard and foie gras.

On the left is my niece sipping some water betweeen bites of the shiitake and oeuf cocotte while my youngest wrestles a reluctant escargot from its shell. Main courses were...

Smoked Magret Salad for my niece (teenage girls always seem to be dieting)

Roast Magret with Seared Foie Gras & Port Wine Sauce for my 2nd son

Roast Lamb Shank with Mashed Potatoes for my eldest

My wife, nephew and I opted for the Roast Magret with Caramelized Apples & Bleu Cheese Salad, which we all (except the youngest) enjoyed with a bottle of...

2006 Jean Paul Dubost Fleurie - one of the top crus of Beaujolais, known for producing, as the name indicates, floral wines. I first tried this during Jérôme Philippon's recent tasting of 100 French Wines and promptly bought some, among others. My very brief notes from that tasting state: "Lighter in body, more floral and feminine, brighter berries and cherry (compared to the '06 JP Dubost Moulin á Vent). I bought these with my wife in mind and to try out on my friends to show them what a good Beaujolais is like."

Like the '06 JP Dubost Moulin à Vent, this Fleurie was definitely unlike the usually light and carefree (and more typical, some say) Beaujolais I've tried - richer, fuller (over medium-bodied), more concentrated, generous (but not loud) with materially more density and heft. True to its name, the pure, freshly young aromas are redolent with violets, some rose and dark cherries.

In the mouth, there is definite ripeness to the black cherry, blackcurrant, mild spice, violets and a bit of wood. The bold tannins and wood are, as to be expected, not yet fully resolved, but it's nothing a couple of years more ageing wouldn't fix. Impressive balance and length. Marc and my wife both noted this wine's distinctive florality. Very nice indeed.

My youngest almost never orders his own main course when we're in JSG since he eats so much of the appetizers and bread. What he does is he picks off the main courses of everyone else.

Thankfully, Marc's servings are quite generous so there's always enough to spare for him. My wife says he has the best deal since he effectively has a buffet of several different main courses. In this picture, he's likely trying to wheedle some smoked magret from Nicole (not that he has to try hard since she's quite indulgent with the little guy).

For dessert, Marc delivered the special fraisée cake that he had told us about the last time we were there - a cake involving fresh strawberries (he prefers using the Baguio strawberries because they are naturally sweeter than the imported larger ones).

With the deceivingly light feel of the rich, yet delicately flavored buttercream, the clean freshness of the strawberries, not to mention the homemade strawberry ice cream and the strawberry-vanilla sauce, it was every bit as delicious as it looks. Superb. My nephew opted for his favorite Dark Chocolate Soufflé, while my eldest went for his own old favorite Homemade Dark Chocolate Ice Cream.

Double espressos for the adults and Nicole and a last glass of green Chartreuse for me, then we called it a night - another most enjoyable one at Je Suis Gourmand. Merçi bien, Marc. À bientôt.