A small group of fans came over to the house for handmade Uni & Nori from the legendary Chef Nozawa (and his wonderful wife Yumiko); Uni Pasta from the charismatic Chef Drago (with his brother Celestino, probably the most successful chefs/restauranteurs in Los Angeles); and Prime Rib from private chef to the superstars Chef Nimer.
Wine highlights (see photos below) were
We started off with a giant tin of delicious Caviar that Xtian brought over from Wallys (along with a cheese and charcuterie assortment) and tried 1996 Salon, 96 Dom Rose & 96 Krug Champagnes. My favorite year right now is 96. These are all fantastic wines.
1964 Mascarello Barolo — a virtually perfect bottle. Perfect color. Like drinking rose petals. Elegant and balanced. And right from the start (rare for an old Barolo). Reminded me of 1962 La Romanee — this bottle was a precise example of why Burgundy lovers also go for Barolo.
Biondi Santi Riserva Vertical: 64, 69, 71, 78, 82, 85. Again, the 64 was the year for me. What an incredible Brunello (the next evening, the bottle had a little more wine in it, 24 hours later with no cork — and it tasted fantastic — a sign of a well made wine, old school style). The 85 was a close second.
1972 Leroy Vosne Romanee — one of the best bottles I have had from an OWC I purchased a while back. A shadow year to 1971 — I think Leroy used some 71 in it — it is that good. Extremely rare.
1971 Tiganello: the first year of the first Super Tuscan made — and it is still beautiful, albeit a bit rustic. History in a bottle.
Sassicaia 1985, 1989 and 1990: My favorite super Tuscan — the 85 is one of the greatest wines to ever come out of Italy.
Chateau Latour: 1962 and 1966 — Rudy taught me about 62 Bordeaux (I am giving away a big secret here) — its a shadow year in which the best wines are fantastic (and much less pricey than the 61s).
Chateau Lafite: 1962 and 1966 — my favorite 62 by far is the Lafite — I prefer it to the 61! and have blind tasted them side by side multiple times.
Chateau Palmer: 1962 and 1966: The 66 Palmer is the best 66 (I used to think the Latour was the best 66, but recently the Palmer has overtaken it). Check out my blog about the historic Palmer tasting at Wallys.
We finished with a beautiful bottle of 1990 Chateau D’yquem. After 27 years, the wine is beginning to display secondary and tertiary layers, creating the complexity that makes this wine one of my favorites (and the 1990 is a great year).
