Dinner with Mike G and Dave B @ Salil's, 11/16/2024

Dinner with Mike G and Dave B
@ Châteauneuf-du-Salil, Albany, NY 11/16/2024

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Mike G's second stop on his fall East Coast tour was at Salil's. Dave B drove over from Connecticut. Amy and I made the short jaunt to Salil's. Salil hosted us all for a wonderful meal and wine dinner. All the food was prepared from scratch by Salil (except the appetizers).

Starter
With tasty, assorted appetizers. (Sadly, no photos.)

1990 Bollinger Champagne R.D. Extra Brut - France, Champagne
[Disgorged 5 March 2002.] This had been open for an hour or so before I tasted it. Others loved it, but for me, it was starting to go over the hill. Oxidation in the nose put me off a bit, but it was still yeasty and complex in the mouth. Drink up! (91 points)

Main Course
Salil's roast chicken thighs, sweet potatoes, wild rice, and his famous carrots in tahini:

1985 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
[Open around 3:30pm. Tasted around 7:30pm.] Quite mature, but the nose is full of dried cherries and forest floor. Long, complex finish. On the downslope, but still gorgeous. (93 points)
1982 Château Figeac - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
[Decanted around 5pm. Tasted around 7:30pm.] Complex, woodsy nose with hints of cedar and spice. Elegant in the mouth with lots of tobacco, dark red fruit, and graphite. Stunningly complex and long. At its peak but not declining at all. Special. (96 points)
2005 Domaine Truchot-Martin Morey St. Denis Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis
[Open around 4pm. Tasted around 8:30pm.] Smoky, ethereal, red fruit nose. Extraordinarily complex. Gorgeous. A stunning wine. This is why people collect and age wine. The magic of a great, mature Burgundy. (97 points)
1991 Ridge Monte Bello - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
[Double-decanted for 1.5 hours around 5pm. Tasted around 8pm.] Stunning nose of blackberries and spice soars from the glass. Big, rich, classic Monte Bello. I am surprised at how young this still is. Big and tannic, but the tannins are softening and integrating in the long juicy finish. (97–?? points)
2019 Beta Cabernet Sauvignon Vare Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oak Knoll District
[Decanted around 6pm. Tasted around 8:30pm.] This is a lovely, well-made Napa Cab, but it is very young. Coming after several fully mature great wines was probably not the best place for me to taste this. I would wait 8-10 years to drink another of these. (91–93 points)

Dessert.
Salil's heavenly Canelés de Bordeaux:

1994 Zind-Humbrecht Tokay Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal Sélection de Grains Nobles Trié Spéciale - France, Alsace
[Pop and pour.] Mind-blowing perfume of honey and tropical fruit. Viscous, but not like a Sauternes. It has an elegance and lightness that blows me away. Super long finish of orange, pineapple, honey, and papaya. This is heaven. This wine has 540 grams of residual sugar per liter and 12 grams of acid with only 4% alcohol, but the harmony is amazing.(100 points)

Conclusion

We hadn't seen Mike since before covid, so it was great that he was able to make a stop in Albany. Always great to see him and Dave again. Big thanks to Salil for hosting and cooking. Tonight, the wine gods smiled upon us as each wine showed its special qualities in such abundance.

My tasting notes posted from CellarTracker.

Notes from Mike, Dave, and Salil can be found on Wine Berserkers.