My dear friend and fellow oenophile, Jorg, recently took a job in Geneva with Essent NV, trading energy futures. As many Europeans do, he made a quick sojourn to NYC before Christmas to stock up on few supplies that are both not in ready supply and taxed heavily in Switzerland. We were excited to see each other for a great wine and gastronomic weekend, and having grown up just outside of New York City I was able to also score some brownie points by driving my Mom to the airport for her winter in Florida, prior to taking the train into town.Morrell Wine Bar & CafeWe met at Morrell's which has been the launching spot for several of our previous wine exploits. I realized that the Rockefeller Center tree had just gone up, but Jorg and I were wondering, “what economic crisis?” as we had to wait over half an hour to get two at the bar. It was well worth it when Chris behind the bar remembered us, and then offered us something new he was sure we would love and had yet to try.NV Gosset Brut ExcellenceGosset is the oldest wine house in the Champagné region. Generations of the Gosset family ran the company until 1994, when it was bought by Renaud Cointreau, with the understanding that the Gosset family would remain directly and personally involved in the wine making. I have previously had Gosset’s NV Grande Reserve, which is made exclusively from Premier Crû and Grand Crû vineyards, and is really a richly colored “heavyweight” with a toasty, full-bodied nose and serious character. There is some fruit, (apple, plum, and citrus), but there is also a hint of truffle that morphs into mushroom en croute on the finish. It reminds one that great Champagné is a wine accented with bubbles and the Grand Reserve has the gravitas to be featured with, as opposed to prior to, dinner. We loved it, but were looking for something a little more preliminary and Chris steered us perfectly in the right direction as the Brut Excellence he poured proved that Gosset can do light and crisp with equal aplomb.One reason might be that Gosset only uses juice from the first and best pressing of grapes for all of their champagnés, and even more rare, the initial fermentation is always happens in small oak barrels. Gosset also performs all riddling, disgorgement, and dosage by hand. Most rare is that Gosset champagnes do not undergo a malolactic fermentation, this heightens acidity and simultaneously creates a crisp yet rich and full-bodied champagne that can age gracefully. The Brut Excellence showed a pleasant aroma of honey and pear. On the palate it was exceptionally clean and balanced without the slightest hint of yeast or any nut elements. The heightened acid was muted on the tongue and the finish was long with maybe just a bite of lees. After a glass we toasted Chris and ordered a bottle.The Four SeasonsMorrells was the appetizer for a gastronomic experience that I had been looking forward to for years. When I lived in New York, my stepfather and I haunted La Côte Basque. They served sweetbreads stuffed with fois gras that were simply sublime. We had also sampled several of New York’s other great French restaurants including Le Cirque, Chanterelle, La Grenouille, Café des Artistes, which was my Mom’s favorite, Lutèce, Jean Georges, Les Halles, and even both Café Bouluds, but I had yet to grace the door of what many consider to be the best restaurant in the world; The Four Seasons. What made my first trip to The Four Seasons even more exciting was that our dear friend, Chef Tom Hurley, made the reservation for us. Tom Hurley is recognized as one of the Pacific Northwest's top chefs and unfortunately his signature restaurant, Coupage, in Seattle's Madrona neighborhood has just closed after a great 3 year run. Tom studied under master chef Jacques Pepin at Eleven Madison Park in New York and also he worked for Christian Albin at The Four Seasons. He still gets invited back as a guest chef when in New York. Tom, was also a former NYC firefighter, who drove to NYC directly after September 11th to help his mates at NYC Rescue One. He spent the next 2 months cooking for firefighters and the crew, “working the pile.”Lawrence met us at the door and told us that Freddie, our chef for the evening, was expecting us. He showed to the bar where Jonathan poured us a nice glass of the house champagné and we soaked in the ambiance of the front bar. I felt vibrant, like a high school boy about to use a fake ID for the first time. Jorg and I toasted "Chef Hurls" as we sat at the bar, and both of us felt like an astronaut on a rocket fueled by champagné and taxi fumes about to experience the rarefied atmosphere of hauté gastronomy. Lawrence then led us to a table by the pool, and we knew we were in very capable hands.The menu was brilliant; ubiquitous, yet structured and defined. I know The Four Seasons is fashioned as an American restaurant, but believe me their French sensibilities are like horse shit after a deluge. We stated with grilled octopus and spicy cannelloni beans and an order of double beef consommé.2002 Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Demi-SecAs our champagné waned Lawrence brought an ice cold bottle of off menu Vouvray to pare with a little something the Chef had for us, Nantucket Bay Scallops on Risotto with Alba Truffle. The scallops were sublime! One of the best dishes I have had. These scallops were only in season for about six weeks, and Freddie really makes the best of it He created a truffle and scallop explosion tempered by the creamy and comforting risotto. Before my first bite I questioned a demi-sec, especially when the Montrachet that is a highlight of the well pared wine list had tickled my Pavlovian reflex, but the Domaine du Clos Naudin really pared perfectly with the creamy goodness of the scallops. The wine had great blooms of papaya, plum, and a slight hint of ginger. It was rich and had a smooth mineral finish had both Jorg and I adore with a great balance of fruit and acidity. A prototypical, demi-sec, Vouvray is semi-sweet without being heavy or syrupy, and it constitutes the plurality of Vouvray’s still wine production in every vintage. Most consider demi-sec to be Vouvray’s most natural variety, and its honeyed freshness represents the pinnacle of chenin blanc’s expression. Good Vouvray is charming, firm, and delicate, exhibiting a nutty, floral, honeyed character whose rich flavor is balanced by palpable acidity and that lovely, bracing minerality. Like all great wines, Vouvray tastes like the place in which it was made, its flavors reflecting the flinty clay of the soil and varying with the finicky northern weather. As a result, though not every Vouvray is good, almost every Vouvray is unique. The best cuvées from the best vintages constitute some of the most haunting, complex, long-lived white wines produced anywhere. Chenin blanc done well is a seductive pleasure enjoyed by few outside of France, but available to all in today’s global economy. Wow!1994 Beringer Bancroft Ranch Merlot: Howell Mountain, NapaI almost wanted to go straight to dessert after the scallops, but Both Jorg and I had ordered the Filet of Bison with Foie Gras and Perigord Truffle Sauce, “rare,” and there was no turning back. Plus, Jorg brought a wonderful homage to a right bank Bordeaux from his cellar to enhance the meal, and neither disappointed. The merlot was a blend of approximately 90% Merlot and equal portions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. While the wine was a little closed initially, I really enjoyed the old world must and was prepared to enjoy a great Bordeaux experience. Suddenly the wine opened in the glass like and started to show the fruit it belied upon first blush. It was amazing! The color was dark and the nose transformed from earth to a smoky, chocolate infused black cherry with new oak and raison in the background. One taste was never enough as the wine kept evolving. It was certainly full-bodied, with explosive levels of glycerin and richness, but on the end of the palate the wine would morph from well dried fruit to near port-like zen. It really was a joy that pared brilliantly with the amazing bison. Again my instinct was toward a dry wine, but the fruit in both wines balanced so nicely with both the rich risotto and the truffle and fois bison, that an extraordinary gastronomic experience became an epiphany.Freddie came out with a small dessert smorgasbord, yet I was done. I enjoyed the conversation with the Chef and told him on the spot that my dinner had to be one of my top three restaurant experiences ever. I told him the other great experiences included my first visit to Cyrus in Healdsburg CA. Freddie was not surprised as chef and owner Douglas Keane trained under Chef Christian Albin. Freddie really laughed when Jorg and I told him the story of our other best culinary experience at Tom Hurley’s place in Portland, OR. We had brought a magnum of Walla-Walla Vintner’s Reserve Merlot to avoid paying two corkage fees and then after trying a dish of veal cheeks we ordered seven more orders to "86" the dish.I purposely have not visited every exhibit in the MET, like the French impressionist room, so that I always have a reason to go back. That strategy need not be applied to The Four Seasons, as I could always eat the same piece of artwork that flows from the kitchen and never even ponder ennui.
