Guy Amiot Chassagne Montrachet At Suzette's Creperie Wheaton

Guy Amiot Chassagne Montrachet At Suzette's Creperie Wheaton 

We dined at Suzette's Creperie in nearby Wheaton (IL) our favorite suburban French Bistro.

Being early diners on a weeknight, we were able to secure the desirable and preferred table adjacent the front window, next to the festive Christmas tree. 

 

 

We had our usual favorite dishes,the Pâté plate - a slice of smooth Chicken Liver Mousse and a slice of Country Style Pâté served with Dijon mustard, Cornichons and delicious Red Onion Marmalade  with Toasted Brioche on the side, and for entrees, the delectable Sole Meunière, Delicate Sole Filet in a Butter-lemon Sauce, served with Potatoes du Jour & Seasonal Vegetables.

 

Tonight we tried the Three Cheese Soufflé - Goat, Blue and Gruyere Cheese in a fabulous bubbly Soufflé, which was delicious and will certainly be part of our regular faire going forward. I don't know how we have overlooked this in the past! 

Three Cheese Soufflé - Goat, Blue and Gruyere

Chicken Liver Mousse and a slice of
Country Style Pâté

Sole Meunière in a Butter-lemon Sauce
with Potatoes du Jour & Seasonal Vegetables

Tonight, the sole was doctored with Thyme and Rosemary spices which severely detracted from the crisp butter and lemon authenticity of the dish that I would much prefer.

From the winelist we ordered this French Burgundy Chardonnay - Guy Amiot Et Fils Chassagne Montrachet Vielles Vigne 2016

Domaine Amiot was founded in the commune of Chassagne-Montrachet in 1920 by Arsene Amiot when he acquired select parcels of vines or “climats” in Chassagne including Vergers, Caillerets, Clos St. Jean and in what is today Le Montrachet. 

Under Aresene, Domaine Amiot became one of the first domaines in Burgundy to bottle their own production. In the 1930’s the domaine estates passed to Aresene’s son, Pierre, who continued to add vineyards in nearby sites Champsgains, Macherelles, Maltroie and a tiny parcel in Puligny, Les Demoiselles. 

Pierre’s son, Guy, took control in 1985 and further established the reputation of the domaine for producing exceptional quality wines from the collection of top vineyard sites. Guy’s son Thierry took over as  winemaker in 2003 and continues crafting wines that express the distinctive terroir or character of each vineyard site while striving to achieve the highest quality of the wines.

The Chassagne-Montrachet appellation is located south of Côte de Beaune and covers 865 acre of clayish limestone. Most of the wine produced in the village is white wine from the Chardonnay grape, with a small amount of red wine made from the Pinot Noir grape.

The village includes the Grand Cru vineyard of Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet within its boundaries and shares two Grand Cru vineyards - Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet - with the neighbouring village of Puligny-Montrachet. These three vineyards produce some of the most expensive and long-lived white wines in the world.

Guy Amiot Et Fils Chassagne Montrachet Vielles Vigne 2016

Of course French wines are labeled for the site of origin of the grapes as opposed to American wines which are labeled for the type of grape in the bottle. Its up the consumer to understand which grapes are grown in the region or the specific 'appellation'.

This is 100% Chardonnay from 45 year 'old vines', (Vielles Vigne) in the the 2 1/2 acre Thierry and Fabrice producers' (Guy) Amiot vineyard in the Burgundy Appellation of Chassagne-Montrachet. 

There were 6,500 bottles, 540 cases produced. 

This is designated a Grand Vin De Bourgogne (Burgundy).

Suzette's winelist is predominantly French and a California Chardonnay would've likely provided a better wine value. Never-the-less, we love the authentic French cuisine and accompaniments - all part of the experience.

Winemaker Notes: "Brilliant yellow gold and straw with green reflections in a bright and clear. This wine has an expressive nose of yellow fruits with a touch of vanilla. The aromatic richness of the nose is reinforced by a creamy palate with fresh flavors of apples, pear, peaches, honey and almond. The vineyard site receives full morning sun, giving a freshness and a stony, mineral foundation to the wine."

Light golden straw colored, medium bodied, complex crisp, slightly tart pear, apple, grapefruit fruits with hints of peach accented by creamy butter, vanilla and almond notes with a stony, mineral finish.   

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3039258

http://suzettescreperie.com/index.html

French Wine and Dine experience - Parisien business dinner

French Wine and Dine experience - Parisien business dinner

For a valued customer and partner meeting, we dined near the client site in the business district of Paris-La Défense, in the heights of the Puteaux neighborhood at La Escargot 1903. 

In the Paris-La Défense area, it is less than 10 minutes from the Porte Maillot and 5 minutes from the Pont de Neuilly-sur-Seine. The restaurant is situated in a cottage-house atop the hill above the train, a short one block walk from the station.

The restaurant held a Michelin Star, earned under the leadership of young Paolo Boscaro, then lost it when he left to head the brigade of the Swiss restaurant of Anne-Sophie. The post has now been taken over by Chef Yannick Tranchant, (formerly La Grande Cascade and Neva) who is working to restore it to earlier prominence and achievement. 

We dined on the Menu du Chef, a six service selection, and a flight of accompanying wines from the wine list. 

The wine flight from the winelist:  

The food courses and accompanying wines:

Egg, peas, bacon

Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage 2016 

I asked for the St Joseph but they were out and substituted this label instead. This is exactly the style and profile that I was seeking.

From the vineyards of Crozes Hermitage that surround the hill of Hermitage, though they do not rise as high, nor are they on the steepest slopes. The difference between the wines of Crozes Hermitage and Hermitage is mainly the soil, as one comes down the Hermitage slopes the soil profile changes from hard granite rock to denser, sandier, clay rich soils.

Alain Graillot has been producing wines since 1985. Born in the Northern Rhône, he left to pursue a career in business, but returned home to his dream of creating great wines. Without the opportunity of stepping into an existing family winery, Alain undertook formal studies in Burgundy while seeking the guidance and inspiration of the best of the new generation of winemakers including Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac. He has 15 hectares of vineyards in Crozes Hermitage as well as 1 hectare in St-Joseph. He matures his red wines in one year old french oak barrels from Burgundy.

Bright ruby colored, medium full bodied, notes of floral and violets, black berry and dark plums fruits with silky smooth tannins.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2866234

Whitefish

Damien Laureau Savennières Les Genêts Val de Loire 2014

The Savennières appellation, including its ‘Grand Cru’ sub-appellations of Roche Aux Moines and Coulée de Serrant, is planted with 156 hectares of vineyard (100% Chenin Blanc) and produces some of the most noble and age-worthy dry white wines of France. Damien Laureau is widely acclaimed as one of Savennières’ top producers.

Often referred to as one of the appellation’s ‘new’ superstars, Damien has 20 vintages of experience. Coming from a family farming background, he started out working with his uncle at a small vineyard in Anjou in the mid 1990s.

By 1999 he had acquired his first vines in Savennières and in 2006 he abandoned the Anjou appellation to focus specifically on Savennières. Since then has gradually increased his vineyard sources through both acquisition and leasing, to the still very boutique total of 8.5 hectares.

Straw colored, light medium bodied, lively acidity highlights notes of green apple, pear and hints of peach, floral, and crushed stone, turning to a long finish of spice, tangy acid and minerality.

RM 88

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2514316


 

Pork

Xavier Monnot Maranges 1er Cru Clos de la Fussière Côte de Beaune 2016

Xavier Monnot is a leading producer in Meursault. Prior to the release of the 2005 vintage, the property was known as Domaine René Monnier (Xavier's grandfather). In 2005, along with improvements in the vineyard and cellar, Xavier began bottling his wines under his own label.

Domaine Xavier Monnot is a 42 acre estate in Meursault with vineyards stretching from Beaune to Maranges. 60% of the Domaine's production is white and 40% red with several premier crus in Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, Beaune, Volnay, and Maranges. Xavier maintains an average vine age of 30 to 40 years and practices lutte raisonnée (“reasoned struggle”).

Clos de la Fussière is a 2.6 acre block within and towards the bottom of La Fussière premier cru in Dezize-les-Maranges. It is a monopole belonging to of Xavier Monnot’s family for five generations. It is a steep, south-facing site that gives a wine that is rich, fleshy and dense.

Three villages at the southernmost end of the Côte de Beaune make up the Maranges AOC: Cheilly-lès-Maranges, Dezize-lès-Maranges and Sampigny-lès-Maranges.

Bright ruby color, medium body, vibrant floral spice and cherry fruits with dusty rose and soft smooth tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2613365

Jean Marc Grussaute Jurançon Costat Darrer 2017

Since 2015, grape harvests at the estate of Jean-Marc Grussaute were not acceptable or sufficient for production, so fruit was sourced from neighboring winegrowers GC Pedeflous, SD Lacazette and P Vignau, hence the subtitle of the wine "the grains of friends". 

Grape variety: 20% big manseng and 80% small manseng

Winemaker Notes: This wine of pleasure is characterized by its fruity and freshness. Its assertive character remains bordered by a soft and velvety sensation on the palate and a fruity finish. Very good balance between sugar and acidity. The aromatic range always expresses ripe and exotic fruits (tangerine, grilled pineapple, mango ...)

Light honey colored, medium body, tangy stone fruit, hints of peach, tangerine and mango.

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3303965

Piedlong CDP foie gras Il Fiore Langham NY

Piedlong CDP and Auxey-Duresses with Foie Gras small plates at Il Fiore Langham Hotel NYC

Langham Hotel Lobby Desk

During our NYC getaway weekend, before dinner, we stopped in the Michelin star Il Fiore restaurant bar in the tony Langham Hotel in NYC.

We were seeking small plates and some wine from their extraordinary selection for a casual setting. Not often does one have the choice of Phelps Insignia, Tignanello, Sea Smoke, Quilceda Creek, Cos d' Estournal and Vieux Telegraph BTG (By-The-Glass)!

I selected the Torchon Foie Gras with tart cherries and winter squash (shown below) which was perfect for the occasion and was spectacular with Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Piedlong.

Linda had the crispy grilled artichokes with parmesan and lemon aoli, with a Benjamin Leroux Auxey-Duresses Burgundy Pinot Noir which was not on the winelist and was substituted for our initial selection.

Il Fiore offers a elegant but casual comfortable setting for a delightful food and wine experience, albeit rather expensive, but in-line with New York prices and such quality premium offerings. We look forward to returning for dinner there during a future trip.



Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Piedlong 2013 

The BTG winelist (shown below) specifically said 'La Crau', which refers to the flagship CDP offering from this Domaine, but this label was served instead.

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe has been run by the Brunier family for six generations, since 1891. The estate’s vineyards sit on the Plateau of La Crau, the highest point, in the appellation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Back in the 1800's , Claude Chappe, inventor of the optical telegraph, built a signal tower on the property due to its high elevation in the region, hence the property was given the name “Vieux Télégraphe”.

This Piedlong label was first released in 2011. It comes from a 29 acre vineyard site from the stony soils on the Piedlong plateau in the heart of the appellation, north of the village, the highest point in the region. The Mourvèdre, comes from the Pignan lieu-dit, just to the east of Piedlong. We visited the Vieux Télégraphe estate during our CDP appellation tour back in 1998 and then again this year during our 2019 visit with owner/producer Alain Brunier at the Estate.

This label is a blend of 90% Genache Noir and 10% Mourvèdre. Comprised of but two varietals, its a simpler less complex wine than the flagship label which under appellation rules can contain up to thirteen different varietals.

This was dark garnet colored, medium bodied, bright vibrant black currant and black raspberry fruits, notes of spicy cinnamon, hints of dust, tangy cherry, tapenade and mushroom with a smooth soft peppery lingering finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2880773

http://www.vieux-telegraphe.fr/en


Benjamin Leroux Auxey-Duresses Pinot Noir 2015

Il Fiore restaurant bar

Another substitution on the winelist, this label has a rouge and a blanc variant. We were looking for the blanc Chardonnay, but they served the rouge Pinot Noir instead.

Auxey-Duresses (pronounced “Oh-see”) is an appellation is in the famous Côte de Beaune area in the region of Burgundy, surrounded by two famous neighbors, Volnay and Meursault.

Readers of these pages know we don't do many Burgundies, mostly because we favor the Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot) over the Burgundy Pinot Noir.

Also, I'm not knowledgeable in all the myriad of appellations and producers from the region and find it a bit confusing and mystifying. This is much the case for many folks, for many regions, but its especially challenging for Burgundy with all the mini and micro producers and labels that typifies what this regions is known for.

My advice to folks is to focus on one region, gather knowledge and experiences as a baseline and for comparisons, especially if one is going to start collecting wines.

We selected this Benjamin Leroux Pinot Noir from the Auxey-Duresses appellation, an area noted for high QPR and excellent value.

This is the label of Benjamin Leroux, manager/winemaker of Domaine Comte Armand who launched this label with the 2007 vintage. Leroux's Auxey-Duresses are from fruit sourced from vineyards that he manages, vineyards he owns, and he also buys fruit (never juice or wine) from growers with whom he works closely so to meet his standards.

The vineyards lie below the village of Beaune, adjacent to the Meursault Villages Les Vireuils Dessus and Les Meix Chavaux. The land is north-facing so it is affected by the cold air rolling down from the Hautes-Côtes.

The wines here come from three terroirs in this cool, mineral (rocky) place - Les Hautés, La Macabrée and Les Boutonniers. The oldest vines date back to 1946, planted just after the war. The vineyards span 2 hectares, large for this area where many of the properties are tiny in comparison. Hence Auxey-Duresses is a primary wine for Leroux.

Leroux's Auxey-Duresses is produced in a new winery in the center of the village of Beaune (just off the Boulevard) that is also used by Dominique Lafon and two other wine growers. The operation is very small and specializes in Puligny and Volnay, but there are over twenty different labels produced, in this ‘micro negociant’ operation.

Like so many Burgundy operations that are small, even tiny, only two to five barrels are produced from many of the offerings, resulting in extraordinary fragmentation and granularity in the plethora of small production labels.

This Pinot Noir was somewhat opaque, light in color and body, with blackberry and black cherry fruits accented by tones of leather, dusty rose and spice with smooth soft tannins on the finish.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2911060

Beef Wellington Red Wine Dinner

Festive Beef Wellington Bordeaux - Meritage Proprietary Blends Wine-Dinner

For our gala family Christmas dinner Linda prepared classic Beef Wellington featuring tenderloin of beef, foie gras, medley of mushrooms, topped in an incredible port wine syrup sauce, baked in a puff pastry shell to lock in and harmonize the flavors. Starting with Caprese salad, side dishes included au-gratin potatoes, peas, brussel sprouts and crescent rolls.

Our dinner wine selections included a right bank Bordeaux Pomerol, proprietary Meritage blends from Napa and Yakima Valleys, and a duo of Burgundies, young and old. None of these are causal easy drinking wines, rather they were chosen to complement and highlight the complex flavors of the beef dinner preparation. The port wine sauce featured Warre's Warrior Oporto NV (and some HazyBlur Baroota South Australian Shiraz 2006 left over from the other evening).


Wines shown below, left to right:
Domaine Tortochot, Champerrier, Vieilles Vignes, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy, 2005
Matthews Cellars Yakima Valley Proprietary Red 1999
Melka Metisse Napa Valley Proprietary Red 1999
Château du Domaine de l'Eglise Pomerol Bordeaux 1996
Albert Morot Beaune Bressandes, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru, Burgundy 1992



The Beef Wellington

Trimming Beef Tenderloin

Mushroom Medley

Foie Gras Hash

Grilled Mushroom Medley

Beef Wellington Preparation

Beef Wellington
Puffed Pastry Shell

Slicing Beef Wellington

The Holiday Dinner Wine Course:

Pierre Gimonnet Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuis 1er Cru N.V. 

Light gold color - Bright vibrant expressive, smooth silky polished nice drinking - touch of sweetness,crisp acidity, tangy lengthy finish.

RM  90 points. 


http://cellartracker.com/w?389638


 

Melka Metisse Proprietary Red Wine 1999

Flagshp namesake wine from legendary winemaker Phillip Melka, this wine comes entirely from hillside Napa Valley vineyards.

Full bodied, deep dark inky color - dense concentrated complex layers of black berry fruits, hints of black tea, silky clove and spice with a long ripe smooth refined tannin finish.

Drank from magnum.

RM 91 points.

80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc 100% Napa Valley 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=10051

Château du Domaine de l'Eglise Pomerol Bordeaux 1996

Surprisingly light, medium bodied, opaque garnet color, vibrant cedar and floral aromas and flavors predominate with bing cherry, black cherry and black berry flavors with layers of leather, tea and tobacco on the lingering moderate tannin finish.

Drank from magnum.


RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=333874

Matthews Cellars Yakima Valley Proprietary Red 1999

Surprising over-achiever for our gala Christmas beef wellington dinner - this was more polished than earlier tastings, full bodied, complex, vibrant and expressive with layers of blackberry, black currants and cherry fruits, a layer of spice, with hints of black tea, tar, leather and tobacco on the lingering moderate tannin finish.

52% Cabernet Sauvignon 37% Merlot 11% Cabernet Franc

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=79548

 
Domaine Tortochot, Champerrier, Vieilles Vignes, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy, 2005


Very open and expressive - bright berry, strawberry, mulberry, spice and wood with long moderate tannin finish.

RM 89 points,  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=537162

Albert Morot Beaune - Bressandes, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru, Burgundy

I thought this had given up the ghost a while back but it remarkably still had life in it - light bodied, opaque garnet purple color - initial funky barnyard aromas thankfully burned off - the black cherry and olive tapenade gave way to earthy leather, tea and wood.

RM 86 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=605439

1990 Birthyear Vintage Tasting Contrasting Styles

1990 Birthyear Vintage Tasting Contrasting Styles 

A mini-family reunion celebration gathering of three sons to welcome son Alec home from university and toast his successful career pursuit as he gathers offers from corporate visits tour. We feasted at Angeli's Restaurant, our favorite local Italian trattoria and opened two BYOB contrasting birthyear vintage wines. It was a study of contracts between 1990 Maison Leroy Maranges, Côte de Beaune, Maranges Burgundy, and 1990 Acinum Amarone della Valpolicella Classico.

If you follow or just read through this unwineWine blog tasting journal or unwindWine.com journal archive or our wine cellar selection list, you'll see we don't do a lot of either Burgundy or Italian wines. Our focus as noted by our cellar inventory stats is US 54% (California 50%), French 23% (only 1% Burgundy), and Australia 15% with Italian being only 2%. As I state in my Getting Started guide to wine enjoyment and collecting, its natural and best to focus on a few regions that represent your preferences.     

As highlighted in my Wine Spectator feature, part of the fun and enjoyment of having a wine cellar is collecting birthyear vintage wines to enjoy during celebration events such as tonight. Indeed, ten percent of our cellar represents birth-year and anniversary year wines for such occasions.


So, tonight, with youngest son Alec home from college on a corporate recruiting visit, oldest son Ryan comes out from the city to join Sean, L and me for a gala family dinner to celebrate our mini-reunion and Alec's success so far in obtaining options for his career launch from business school and notably, his coveted offer received this week from his target opportunities.

In selecting wine from the cellar for tonight's occasion, the boys had almost 200 bottles from which to select from the 1990 vintage.Collecting notable age-worthy wines is easy in such a great vintage such as 1990. Indeed, Wine Spectator's wine of the year selection featured a 1990 vintage wine in 1992, 1993 and again in 1994. We're fortunate enough to be holding those wines for an extra special occasion 

Following are the boy's cellar choices for this dinner - an adventure in wine discovery as these two unique outlier wines are outside our normal cellar preference profile and are both heretofore unknown and untried.

Maison Leroy Maranges, Côte de Beaune, Maranges Burgundy 1990

Like several other Cellartracker posters, I bought this wine wine on closeout at Binnys. The cork was totally saturated through. Another Cellartracker poster notes this is like many Leroys he's had over the past few years--perhaps a quality control issue? Starting to show its age there was slight rust colored browning around the edges. Medium bodied, the wine exhibited some complexity and some polish with earthy leather, slightly tart cherry and black cherry, and hints of dusty rose petals on the palate with a a modest lingering tannin finish.

RM 87 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=420365

   

Acinum Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 1990

Uncharacteristically, my cellar notes do not show when or where this bottle was acquired. Similarly, Cellartracker has little data of others purchasing or tasting this wine - rare given its 10 million bottle inventory and 100,000 tasting notes.

A typical Amorone, medium to full bodied with full forward ripe raisiny fig and black fruits. The body is a bit lighter and the fruits are less pronounced than most Amarones I have had in the past.


RM 87 points.
. 
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=379640

As usual, all the Angelis dinners were fabulous and the service was attentive and personable. Tonight they featured their Mussels and Clam Chowder which are both extraordinary. Linda had the Asparagus and Ricotta cheese Ravioli which she said was delicious. With Ryan, I deferred to my old standby, their Veal Piccata, which is a standard bearer when I go to other Italian restaurants, Sean had the Pork Medallions special, and Alec the Shrimp special. No wonder we're regulars and recommend it heartily.