My Albany group met in the private dining room of Café Capriccio to taste a
collection of wines from St. Julien provided by one generous member of our group.
Andrew Plummer joined Jim Rua in the open kitchen to prepare this terrific meal.
Those who know the Capital District dining scene know that Jim Rua has run
Café Capriccio as one of the very best restaurants for over 3 decades.
And Andrew Plummer was an early protege who went on to brilliance at
Café Allegro in Troy, and McGuire’s and Creo in Albany before starting
Plummer's Private Dining in 2012.
Dinner started around 7:30 and ended around 10pm.
The first flight was double-decanted around 5pm, the rest around 2:30pm.
Click on an image with a border for a larger view of that image,
and in some cases, more image.
The Menu. |
Andrew Plummer & Jim Rua working on dinner. |
Calf's Liver for 14. |
Seared Strip Steak. |
Adorable Pears. |
Jim Rua cooking the yummiest kale I've ever had.
The gang begins to arrive and set up:
Andrew dishing the Celeriac Purée.
Flight 1.
Crispy Duck with Braised Kale, Roasted Pear, Celeriac Purée, and Blueberry Dem-Glace.
Poached pear with mild blue cheese inside. |
-
1964 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted at 5pm.] Big smoky red fruit nose. Dried fruit, mulch, and tannin.
Not quite enough fruit, but still lovely. Some tar and licorice. Past peak, but nice.
(90 points)
-
1966 Château Talbot - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted at 5pm.] Still in good shape. Color looks good.
Tart cherries, quite appealing, if a bit simple at this stage.
(92 points)
-
1966 Château Léoville Poyferré - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted at 5pm.] Very muted nose. Dried fruit. Lovely and long, but past peak.
(91 points)
-
1971 Château Langoa Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted at 5pm.] Turpentine nose. Totally dried out. Dead. (NR)
Joel going all 21st Century.
Andrew and Jim plotting their next move.
Andrew and Jim plating their next dish.
Flight 2.
Seared Strip Steak with Foie Gras, Truffles, Braised Potatoes, and Parmesan Crisp.
-
1982 Château Beychevelle - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] No nose. Sharp and tart in the mouth. Cooked?
Or just OTH? (NR)
-
1982 Château Gruaud Larose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Leather and blackberry nose. Abrasive on the finish.
Should be showing better than this. (NR)
-
1995 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted at 2:30pm. Should have been the 1982, but he brought the 1995 by mistake.]
Bright black fruit nose. Tarry, rich, and tannic in the mouth. Very young.
(93 points)
-
1982 Château Talbot - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Muted nose, but bright red fruit in the mouth.
Balanced long raspberry and licorice finish. (92 points)
Flight 3.
Sauteed Calf's Liver with Honey Cumin Demi-Glace, Golden Cipollini Onions,
Fried Prosciutto, and a Fried Sage Leaf.
-
1982 Château Léoville Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] More mature nose. Balanced with a bite on the finish.
(92 points)
-
1982 Château Léoville Poyferré - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Dried red fruit nose.
Lovely with tannin and bright red fruit. (93 points)
-
1982 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Nice leathery black fruit nose. Juicy, balanced.
A terrific wine. WOTN so far. (95 points)
-
1982 Château Gloria - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Lovely, rich, youthful. Not very complex,
but delicious. (93 points)
Flight 4.
Venison Osso Buco over Soft Pol-Lina with Roasted Vegetables.
(Pol-Lina is a mix of polenta and semolina.)
-
1982 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Now we're talking! Juicy red fruit and licorice nose.
Still tannic, but gorgeous fruit and great length. A new WOTN so far.
(96 points)
-
1990 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Mildly corked. Sad. After putting in some plastic wrap,
it does improve: Smoky red fruit. Red fruit in the mouth with cherries and minerals.
Still a hint of cork, but now drinkable. (NR)
-
1990 Château Latour Grand Vin - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
[Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Served blind. OMG!!! This is a monumental wine.
Black fruit in the nose and mouth. Seems much more Pauillac than St. Julien.
(98 points)
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1990 Château Léoville Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Balanced. Quite drinkable now. Ripe and appealing.
Lovely. (93 points)
Dessert
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1977 Graham Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto
[Double-decanted at 2:30pm.] Appealing medicinal nose. Warm spiced red fruit.
Nice, but not special. (91 points)
Conclusion
It was so generous of Bob F to provide all these classic wines.
Sadly, we had a run of bad luck tonight and some of the best wines didn't show well.
That, and the brilliant showing of the 1990 Latour didn't do much to help the reputation
of St. Julien, at least not tonight.
Still, there were some wonderful wines and lots of great food.
The food was simply amazing. Many thanks to Andrew and Jim.
Full and Happy Campers
Notes posted from CellarTracker
All original content © Ken Vastola