The cost is $160 per person, $150 per person for Sculpture Mile Members—take a look
at the Menu and Wine List—an incredible bargain, and every penny goes to support the Sculpture Mile.
First come, first served—call Rick Lewis, 914-723-3716.
~ Wine Notes ~
NOTES ON THE WINES SERVED
Jean Laurent is a fifth generation, family-owned, Champagne “grower” - they grow their own grapes, make the wine and produce the Champagne - the Champagne equivalent of “estate bottled”. They grow only Pinot Noir and Chardonnay - no Pinot Meunier.With the Hors d’Oeuvres we will be tasting the Blanc de Blanc Brut. It is all Chardonnay with a creamy texture and delicate flavor.
With the Amuse Bouche we will taste and compare the regular Blanc de Noir (entirely Pinot Noir) and the Blanc de Noir, Sans Dosage. They are identical wines except that the Sans Dosage had no sugar added when it was disgorged especially for the Madison Wine Shop. I find the Sans Dosage to be “brighter”, but you have a choice.
With the Soup we have a most unusual red wine from the Loire Valley. Marc Olivier is the vigneron and proprietor of Domaine de la Domaine de la Pepière, and his “Clos des Briords” sets my standard for Muscadet, the delicate white wine that is superb with light sea food dishes. Marc’s ‘03 “Cuvee Granite” would be red Muscadet if there were such a thing, but there is not. It is made from Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grown on a small granitic vineyard (hence the “Cuvee Granit”). The appellation laws do not permit it to be called Muscadet, or even Loire wine, hence the Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France. Not having had an opportunity to taste Kathy’s carrot and ginger soup, I am guessing that it will get along fine with this light, spicy wine, so join me in this adventure - fortunately, pairing food and wine does not require a lifetime commitment - think of it as a one-night stand and lets have some fun.
I am looking forward to tasting a pair of extraordinary wines with the Coquille St. Jacques.
Baumard '00 Savenniers, "Trie Speciale" is among the very best white wines I have ever tasted. It comes from the tiny Savenniers appellation, an inhospitable, barren enclave at the western end of the Loire Valley. The grape is Chenin Blanc- makes better Vouvray which can be dry but is usually off-dry or sweet. Savenniers is bone dry, sans oak and crisp (that sounds better than “acidic”). It lives forever and gets better, if that is possible, with the passage of time.
A contrast in style, Francios Cazin’s ‘02 Cour Cheverny, "Cuvee Renaissance", also from Loire, is a Late Harvest (slightly sweet) version of my “ultimate shell-fish wine”. It made of a rare, and inexplicably unknown grape named Romorantin. I look forward to your reaction.
From the “cellar in the sky” at the Madison Wine Shop, I found a few bottles of Chanson ‘82 Beaune, “Clos des Feves”, Cote D’Or, Burgundy. I sacrificed one bottle to satisfy myself that it will pass muster - and it surely will. This 24-year-old gem will be memorable with the Rack of Lamb.
As a contrast to the Burgundy, we are serving Domaine Combe Blanche, ‘99 Minervoise/ La Laviniere, “La Chandelière”, Languedoc. The appellation Minervoise/La Laviniere did not exist when the Burgundy was produced and no one ever imagined that world-class would be produced in the Midi, the southern French home, at that time, for some of the world’s worst “plonk” as the British call swill that sometimes passes as wine. “La Chandelière”, grown and produced by a young Belgian, is 60% Syrah, 30% Grenache, and 10% Carignan, the grape that was responsible for the aforementioned plonk.
We finish with two of France’s great, but little-known, sweet-wine treasures.
Domaine des Forges ‘94 Coteaux du Layon, Chaume Grains Noble, Loire, another stunning but very different example of Chenin Blanc. Enjoy it with the apple tart.
From Roussillon in the south of France, Banyuls is the only French red sweet wine that I am aware of. Chapoutier ‘96 Banyuls, Vin Doux Naturel, Roussillon, is made of Grenache. Vin Doux Naturel means that it was made from late harvest grapes, without the addition of sugar or alcohol. This complex, intense wine is a perfect accompaniment to cheese.
Rick Lewis
Visit madisonwineshop.com | Questions or comments? Email info@madisonwineshop.com
