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A fine opportunity to sample the cuisine of several of New York's finest chefs, the annual Champagne Gala of the American Institute of Wine & Food of course also represented a splendid chance to sample numerous extraordinary wines—mostly of the sparkling variety. Held this past Tuesday night at the Pierre Hotel, the black-tie event featured a lavish menu including duck and foie gras by Jean-François Bruel of Daniel, strip loin and short ribs by Floyd Cardoz of Tabla, Chilean Sea Bass marinated in sake lees, and one of the ever-intriguing desserts by Nicole Kaplan of Del Posto.
Doubtless you want to know more about the wine and Champagne selections:
For the reception, Champagne Taittinger Prélude Grands Crus NV was served with passed hors d'oeuvres ranging from caviar on blini to seared tuna, miniature crab cakes, and a splendid roasted baby lamb chop. The Prélude represents a blend of 50% Chardonnay from Avize and Le Mesnil sur Oger in the Côte des Blancs, and 50% Pinot Noir from Bouzy and Ambonnay in the Montagne de Reims.
A magnificent Champagne Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rosé 2000—in a handsome bottle of 18th-century design—accompanied J-F Bruel's duck and foie gras. Typical of Restaurant Daniel style, the attractive minimalist presentation offered multiple flavors in this clever Ballotine. The Comtes de Champagne Rosé ranks along with the Perrier-Jouët Blason de France Rosé as one a most intriguing vintage Rosé and superbly augmented this dish.
There followed a truly stupendous Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1998, paired with Hoyle's Chilean Sea Bass. This Blanc de Blancs is indeed aptly known as the "ultimate expression of the Taittinger style, a Champagne of great refinement, elegance and delicacy," and was truly a highlight of the evening. The subtly-flavored sea bass reminded us of why Nobu 57 consistently remains a top seafood destination in Midtown.
A powerful 2003 Sardinian Agricola Punica Barrua from Isola dei Nuraghi, whose grapes were sourced from two distinctive vineyard sites at Barrua and Narcao, accompanied Cardoz' spice-crusted beef strip loin and pulled braised shortribs. Do keep your eyes on this Sardinian winery, and certainly read more about the viticulture of this fascinating region. Cardoz' Tabla always impresses with its many fine offerings, and as big fans of Goan cuisine (especially hard-to-find pork vindaloo) these two hearty beef preparations were well-augmented by the Agricola Punica Barrua.
The intriguing selection from Artisanal Cheese stood up nicely to a 1986 Delaforce Colheita Porto, a wonderful tawny aged 19 years before being bottled in 2005. We sampled cave-aged Tilset from Brovetto; fresh chevre from Catapano; Kunik from Nettle Meadow; and Baudolino from Bobolink. But the pièce de résistance surely was Nicole Kaplan's dessert, a playful creation of chocolate caramel tart, roasted banana ice cream accompanied by caramel popcorn and peanut butter powder, accompanied by Champagne Taittinger Nocturne Sec NV. Interestingly enough, the Nocturne Sec consists of 40% Chardonnay and 60% Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier wines from over 35 crus and a range of reserve wines. At this point, perhaps it is worth recollecting that most Champagnes are produced as Brut wines, with residual sugar of 15 grams or less per liter. (Extra Dry or Extra Sec wines range from 12 to 20 grams, Sec wines from 17 to 35 grams, and Demi-Sec from 35 to 50 grams.) Consequently, the Nocturne Sec was a fitting finale matched with this Del Posto confection. We were pleased to learn earlier this week that Mario Batali has a new landlord at 85 Tenth Avenue, one more understanding of the tremendous resources Batali put into this august establishment.
Not only was this one of the more exciting black-tie events in New York City, but given their focus on food, Champagne and wine, AIWF fortuitously did not makes us sit through long-winded speeches or hours of dedicatory epistles penned for worthy oenophiles. Even nicer, all proceeds went to the Days of Taste program, worthy educational programs and scholarships.
Tags:
aiwf, champagne, days of taste, del posto, floyd cardoz, harpersfield, jean francois bruel, matthew hoyle, nicole kaplan, nobu 57, pierre hotel, restaurant daniel, tabla, taittinger
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Posted on 6/14/2007
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