WTN: Twin Tails w/Champagne, Burg, Sauternes + Tiberio rose

No wine Monday (shepherds pie and spicy slaw)

Tuesday took the train and subway to Columbus Circle for a dinner in Twin Tails. Great views of Central Park, but the promised thunderstorms never materialized

Jon was in charge of ordering, we sampled widely.

Yellowtail crudo with watermelon nuoc cham, shiso
Salmon Crudo with green apple, coconut, cashews
Whole Royal Dorade Sashimi, with salsa verde and a calamansi sauce

2008 Billecart-Salmon Louis Salmon Blanc de Blancs
Not sure I have ever had this bottling before- rather recent addition to their luxe line- is this their first vintage? Still young, fresh and citrusy, pit fruits and apple blossom,fine elegant mousse. B+ with potential for more

2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs
Fresh and floral, pear, orange zest, and fresh bread, long chalky finish, delightful. A-

Spring rolls
Fried chicken tenders with creme fraiche and caviar(we didn’t order, house comp, I actually loved the chicken!)
Lime leaves stuffed with beef
Coconut rice

2008 Fichet “Chevalieres” Meursault
Nice showing, my no PremOx streak for Fichet continues. Pear, apple, honeysuckle, just a hint of marzipan on finish. Fresh and long. A-/B+

Peekytoe crab banh mi with fries
Dover sole

1996 Chevillon Vaucrains Nuits St George 1er
Tart red fruit, tar, smoke, some hard tannin. Not very friendly, not very giving, not very long. I’m a big fan of the Chevillon big 3 but this was disappointing. Wasn’t in my CT so unsure where I sourced, might be off bottle. B-

1996 Jadot Clos St Jacques Gevrey-Chambertin 1er
Lovely showing, rich red and black cherry fruit, earth, spice. Long and complete. A-

2000 Jadot Clos St Jacques Gevrey-Chambertin 1er
Fully mature, black plum and cherry, forest floors, soft finish. Tasty. B

2009 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru
Ripe and young, black cherry and coffee, clove-y spice, lush mouthfeel. Tasty if a bit larger framed than most of the Burg I drink. B+/A-

We finished the reds.
Cho Lon Duck (slices with crepes, plus fried wings and legs)
Long beans
Beef Shank Khao Soi with coconut curry, crispy noodle salad

For the dessert eaters there was an assortment including 2 souffles, for the dessert drinkers:
2001 Lafaurie-Peyraguey
Still young, apricot and orange marmalade, honey and a hint of caramel. Those ‘01 acids keep it interesting. B+

Fun night

Wednesday grilled spatchcock chicken with a dry rub, leftover garlic scape pappardelle, sauteed radish/turnip greens, and salad.
2024 Tiberio Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo
This is the cruiserweight of roses, plenty of power, but light on its feet. Cranberry, rhubarb, and more cranberries Floral, nice chalky finish, fine value. B++

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

[David M. Bueker]

2001 L-P is a good but not top Sauternes from that amazing vintage IMO. The sleeper is La Tour Blanche.

La Tour Blanche is state-owned and run as a viticulture and oenology school. For decades it produced indifferent Sauternes but there was a major jump in quality in the late '80s and the '90s. In the vintages I bought I rank it just behind Rieussec and Suduiraut (d'Yquem I put in its own class). La Tour Blanche was for a while a great bargain.

-Paul W.

For 2001 Sauternes, the Suduiraut is my choice - superb wine! The Coutet (Barsac) is also exceptional.

[David M. Bueker]

Rieussec for me!

Rieussec for me, too.

Sauternes and Barsac went through a bad patch in the late 1970s and early 1980s with a string of difficult and/or botrytis-free vintages. I attended a tasting in 1984 (or maybe '85) conducted by the owner of Rieussec, Albert Vuillier. I remember thinking at the time that the gods drink Rieussec (I later discovered that they drink d'Yquem). Vuillier said that 1983, for which futures were then on sale, was a spectacularly successful vintage for Rieussec. I made my first futures purchase of a case of '83 Rieussec. I secured an excellent price because this was before the reviews of the vintage came out. When they did the futures price nearly doubled. The 1983 Rieussec was, indeed, a spectacular wine.

-Paul W.