The last board meeting of the Philippine Branch of the International Wine and Food Society held its monthly meeting at Red at the Makati Shangri-La. Hosting the meeting and the following dinner was Jojo who brought 4 vintages of Chateau de Beaucastel to try in addition to Champagne, Sancerre and an Auslese.
During the meeting proper we had one of Jojo’s new imports – Champagne Vilmart Grand Cellier Brut Premier Cru NV – a rather lightish and very lemony bubbly.
Vilmart Grand Cellier Brut Premier Cru NV by
jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
Business dispensed with, we went straight to dinner with a Domaine Vacheron Sancerre 2011. This is stony and steely with suggestions of sweet herbs. Nice enough but not too interesting to my taste.
Domaine Vacheron Sancerre 2011 by
jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
The Sancerre was followed by a bottle of Bernie’s Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne 1995 which was drinking quite nicely. This sappy wine had some mandarin orange fruit, orange rind and just a little nutty hint of oxidation.
Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne 1995 by
jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
Dinner proper started with a rather blah amuse bouche of quail egg yolk on a crouton.
Amuse Bouche Crouton and Quali Egg Yolk by
jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
For starters, I had a black truffle and foie gras terinne which was also somewhat uninspired.
Foie Gras and Black Truffle Terrine by
jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
Fortunately, Oscar offered me a taste of his excellent porcini ravioli.
Porcini Ravioli by
jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
The dishes I ordered all called for red wine so I started on the Beaucastels when my starter arrived. The vintages chosen were 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2005 served youngest to oldest. There was also a 2006 on hand but we thought 4 bottles would be enough.
All the wines were pretty soft after a 2 hour decanting. The 2005 was pretty meaty while the 2003 exhibited mostly prune-like flavors as well as a bit of tannin. The 2000 was my favorite. Full-bodied, sweet fruit and the barnyard stink I associate with this wine. The 1998 had almost overripe fruit on the nose and was very sweet on the palate. All were very good.
Beaucastel '98, '00, '03, '05 by
jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
Although I was somewhat disappointed by my starter, the main course of Guinea Fowl fortunately made up for it.
Guinea Fowl by
jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
Dessert was a Keller Westhofen Morstein Scheurebe Auslese 2008. Originally thought to be a Riesling and Silvaner crossing, genetic testing has shown that there is no relation between Silvaner and Scheurebe. It is now theorized that Scheurebe is Riesling crossed with an unknown wild vine. Whatever its parentage, it works very well in this lovely late harvest wine. This tastes more like a Beerenauslese than an Auslese with good complexity provided by a diverse spectrum of fruit flavors such as lychee, peach and orange. The sweetness is tempered by the high acidity that provides a freshness to the wine. An excellent wine for dessert.
Keller Westhofen Morstein Cheurebe Auslese 2008 by
jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
Many thanks to Jojo for providing the rare opportunity of having to taste a mini vertical of Beaucastel.