One of the best surprises of the past year for me was the splendid setting for our BNO Year-end III last month, which was the Green Hills Country Club in Millbrae, CA.

BNO Year-End I was in 2006 at the Ritz-Carlton in Lake Las Vegas, well before all the foreclosures, while BNO Year-End II was held last year at 231 Ellsworth in San Mateo.

The newly renovated clubhouse that recalls understated California mission-style architecture costs a cool $20 million, a lavish sum for a small, private country club whose main amenity is the historic Alister Mackenzie golf course built in the 1930s. Large windows with sweeping views of the scenic fairway frame its banquet hall and bar lounge. We inaugurated the clubhouse with our magnificent dinner specially prepared by the new chef, Wolfgang Weber.

I love the rustic presentation of the prawn risotto

Rack of lamb? This was more like lamb chops! So meaty and juicy

The menu for the evening was as expansive as the fairway, especially the appetizer portion, which I totally missed, as I worked long hours during the holidays. But the real travesty was I missed the Champagne toast of the 1990 Krug! You see, Krug is my favorite Champagne. I only heard rumors later that it was almost perfection. Kevin declared it 4.5/5 and says “Krug 90-deep, rich smoky-developed colour-lots of backbone and acidity-terrific champ but one almost expects more given the tribute one pays for this over the multi vintage which I usually prefer when blessed with opportunity to taste side by side--lacking that creaminess one gets and wants from an older champ of breed-still great champ”.

As a side note, I propose that all BNO Champagnes should be in magnums, henceforth, so there would be plenty left. Events like this should inspire any wine lover to start collecting magnums now. Don’t let your cellar be magnum-less!

Fortunately, I arrived in time for the extraordinary, velvety-textured foamed potato soup topped with leeks and infused with white truffle oil. Wow, what a great way to start the meal! Soups are so underrated!

While slurping the soup, I got busy catching up on the reds. But wait, where was the 1999 Bouchard Montrachet?! Ah, again I just have to savor Kevin's notes: "99 bouchard montrachet Touch of lanolin fat, oaky, good and on the fringe of harmony-very austere and lean-difficult to judge showing so little not sure where this is going (***)*?"

So in front of me poured and ready were the oldest reds of the night—why we were pouring the oldest wines first, especially in front of young, blockbuster New World reds to follow, I don't know why. But, hey, I have the 1967 Napa Cask Cabernet Sauvignon Inglenook in one glass and in another the 1958 California Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve Louis Martini, which is regarded by people in the know as one of the best California Cabernets ever conceived, so who am I to whine?

The Inglenook showed a bright ruby glint, with a funkless nose of dried leaves and licorice. It had grip and was juicy, with elegant earthy, red currant flavors that were delicate yet intense. So mature and fresh, it was a pleasure to drink. I give it a B+. Kevin thought: "67 -Inglenook cask cab Low neck high fill Surprisngly dark firm-could have been 20 year old not 40-lots of nice cab cassis low oak flavors-held up well in the glass-last minute sub-Steve said he was bringing the 58 martini and remembered I had the 60 inglenook and thought would be fun-couldnt find it at the last minute but saw this nice fill and threw in-much better than I expected-and kept up for a long time in the glass ***+ 1/2*" (Hey, Kevin, I think we killed that 60 Inglenook in a previous dinner, unless you're hoarding another bottle!)

Getting on to the 1958 Louis Martini I felt a bit apprehensive. It is from my birth year and it came from the most impeccable cellar I know. Steve and I have planned on opening this bottle numerous times but always didn't follow through—there never seemed to be the right occasion to open it. So the bottle has taken on a hallowed image in my mind; that it’s finally uncorked and its last pour in the glass in my hand felt like a dream. Velvety and effortless, filling the mouth with sumptuous flavors of cherries, sweet cassis, coffee, spice, dried leaves, and rust. Concentrated, fleshy, and still so youthful. "Where can you buy a case of this?" said Matt. A- for me. For Kevin, "58 Martini cab Understated lovely fruit fragrant Idiosyncratic martini from pre 70 meaning for me silky sweet on nose very mature colour starting to fade a bit of course fading ever so gracefully like all great well made reds into something oh so yummy ****"

With the 1982 Lafite-Rothschild the full glory of a great Bordeaux was upon us. Dark ruby color with an intense bouquet of currants, rose petals, cedar, and rare steak. Spectacular depth. Dark concentrated flavors of crème de cassis and chocolates plus layers of spice. Focused and long. Though fat, especially for a Lafite, it is not excessive; everything just seems to be in the right proportion and heading relentlessly in the same direction. Maximum A. For Kevin, "82 lafitte Deep still young fruit tea cedar Very intense- a lot of wine in a tight package-goes on and on Fleshy for Lafitte balance there Full spectrum complexity Seamless *****"

An interesting follow-up to the Lafite was another Pauillac, the 1964 Pichon-Lalande. Out of character, yet surprisingly very pleasurable. One expects Pichon-Lalande to be demure, but this is an aggressive, forceful wine. Heady earthy, licorice flavors permeate the palate. The color is still deep crimson. The wine softens and integrates with airing, with the fruit turning more sweetly seductive. But the rawness remained and the powerful finish felt coarse. I enjoyed this wild, energetic side of Pichon-Lalande, so B+ for me. Kevin’s notes: “64 pichon lalande longeville Soft mature cedar fragrant lovely Bordeaux Strain the imagination to get more notes *** 1/2 to ****”

These four reds dominated the evening for me and so my attention span for the other reds that followed was short. The switch to the powerful, dense, overripe, and very oaky 1998 Penfolds Grange was jarring. Kevin’s view: “98 grange hermitage Plummy very oaky-could have been a cab franc with a lot of oak-tasty still but not going to far and not in same class as other vintages I didn't get good notes on this (***)”

More enjoyable for me was the 1982 Penfolds Grange with its powerful, elegant fruit, suffused with red berries, cherry liqueur, herbs, and oak. B+ and I seem to be in accord with Kevin: “82 Grange Hermitage Sweet bouquet almost too sweet, figgy Then it settled down-nice weight texture acidity, toasty at the end Not exciting but a great drink-drink pretty soon ****”

Sadly, I couldn't get past the super-concentrated, strangely medicinal, oaky flavors of the 1998 Harlan Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Kevin says: “98 Harlan First hour hard to drink bc of stemmy too young fruit at first I confused with VA More of a vintage problem and selection at time of harvest issue me thinks Won't age bc of it But I enjoyed it 2 hour in for the spector of what this class of fruit could be like in a different vintage (No rating)”

I took a small sip of the 1997 Fisher Wedding Cuvée Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon and immediately liked it. It was soft, dense, and packed with ripe blackberries; simple, yet it has very good palate presence. While Parker is a touch more aggressive at 99/100, it was a satisfying B for me. Kevin seems to concur: “Lovely plump fruit delicious Don't expect complexity just enjoy the fruit *** 1/2*”

The after-dinner drinks started with a couple of surprise half-bottles that we had to guess. Both showed a deep gold color, with one darker than the other. I sniffed at the first one, which was the paler of the two, and its botrytis was evident. Its flavors hinted of poached pears and honey; sweet, medium-rich, and quite vibrant; the flavors lingering elegantly and fading very slowly. I was sure it was Sauternes. And so it turned out to be the 1985 Chateau d’Yquem. I’ve previously enjoyed this vintage several years ago at an Yquem vertical. It was a most unusual vintage because the harvest lasted over two months, the longest ever for Yquem, starting mid-October through late December, involving several passes until each berry was suitably shriveled. It was a beautifully subtle Yquem, so vivid and pure. At this time it was drinking perfectly. A-

The other wine, darker in color, displayed similar botrytised qualities with greater oxidation. It had wilder, funky scents of wet earth, rust, rotting leaves, and citrus peel. On the palate it was cleaner and tasted like a dollop of syrupy orange marmalade. I thought it was a much older wine than the first one, but it turned out to be a 1998 Saint-Croix-du-Mont, whose producer I forgot to write down. C.

Finally, with a selection of cheeses and pears poached in red wine, we lit up cigars and opened up the Ports. Actually, the 1963 Taylor Vintage Port was cracked during the dinner using Port tongs. Suitably decanted this showed well with its luscious, palate-coating, sweet fruit, yet it somewhat lacks the Taylor grip. Not great, especially for Taylor, but a gorgeous Port nevertheless. B+. For Kevin: "Rich lithesome great power-too damn young but lots of fun at the end of a dinner as a pick me upper-licorice and good weight and very intense Needs some time (-hard to read my notes at this point-starting to look like Ava's writing-at least I wasn't scrawling with a crayon but I would have... **** (1/2*))"

The other Port was the 1964 Quinta do Noval Colheita Port. This was bottled in 2006. Its color was light mahogany with a very bright, fresh tasting, candiedt fruit that's very intense and nutty. I enjoyed its fragrant bouquet of citrus peel, caramel, and dark chocolate. Not incredibly powerful, but powerful enough, which was good because it had brilliant finesse. Each sip between puffs of the Cuban Partagas Robusto was simply delicious. A-. "64 Colheita tawny-Wow! What a treat with desert-one of the best tawnies I have ever had Soft but hard hitting acid backbone-rare to get this level of complexity in a tawny- 40 year? When bottled? **** 1/2*"

So we ended the dinner very happy and satisfied, despite being a bit wet and cold as it was a dark and stormy night, the first storm of winter finally arrived.

This one from Vignobles Despagne in Bordeaux, specialist producer of overachieving wines of Rauzan-Despagne, Girolate, Mont-Perat, etc. I met the young Thiebault Despagne years ago when he dropped by the store. He writes a interesting blog

I'm honored to be acquainted to Bernard de Laage de Meux, Business Director at Chateau Palmer, but I'd be even more honored to be invited for a sumptuous dinner there!

I'm not sure who sent this, but this is one of my favorites this year.

I've been eating whole roast pig for as long as I can remember. It's primal dining at its best. The sight of a 100-lb (80-100 lbs is best for a full size roaster and about 35 lbs for a suckling) greasy, glistening, orange/red pig roasted in its entirety from head to tail (often garnished with an apple in its mouth) resting on a chopping table immediately sends my gastric juices into action.

When I was growing up in the Philippines, my father would order a side of roast pig for Sunday lunch after church. Lechon, as it is called there, is chopped up and eaten with gravy sauce (made with fat drippings and liver) over rice. The crispy, crackly skin-the ultimate pork fat-is the first thing that everyone attacks.

In the US, the most accessible source of whole roast pig is the takeout deli in a Chinese restaurant or store. The Cantonese roast pig is flavored with five-spice, but it's essentially the same as lechon, though in the Philippines, the lechoneros strive to make every square inch of the pig's skin as crispy as possible-that's where the money is.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, where many food trends start, Chinese cuisine isn't as gourmet chic as Italian, at least to folks who seriously follow food trends, so Cantonese whole roast pig has never caught on among foodies. Instead, lately, I've been hearing a lot about porchetta, the Italian-style whole roast pig that's deboned and flavored with herbs and garlic. It's becoming the latest food rave. While I'm definitely a whole roast pig aficionado, I confess I've never tasted porchetta, until last week, when I was invited to a porchetta luncheon.

Lorenzo Scarpone, one of my wine importers, is a native of Abruzzo, where porchetta is indigenous cuisine. At his warehouse in South San Francisco he brought in Salvatore Denaro, the renowned chef/prorietor of Il Bacco Felice in Foligno, one of Umbria's top restaurants, to prepare a whole porchetta, plus a side dish of polenta e salsicce. Chef Denaro spread slices of the roast pig on long loaves of ciabatta bread and cut up the loaves into small paninis. It was ridiculously delicious! The pork was tender and flavorful, with just a hint of rosemary.

I easily devoured four or five of those paninis, washing them down with various wines, including Ruggeri's Extra Dry Prosecco (I never expected extra dry Prosecco to be fantastic pairing with porchetta), Fornacina's 2003 Brunello and 2005 Rosso, Fonti's 2004 Chianti Classico Riserva and 2003 Fontissimo super-Tuscan, Sassotondo's 2007 Maremma and 2005 San Lorenzo Riserva, and, of course, Caprai's 2005 Poggio Belvedere, 2005 Montefalco Rosso Riserva (wow!), 2003 Sagrantino Collepiano, and 2003 and 2004 Sagrantino Riserva 25 Anni.

I have eaten countless roast pigs in my life, but porchetta is the most enjoyable roast pig dish I've ever had. I left the luncheon three hours later, satiated and staggering from all the wine and food. Since then, I dream of porchetta everyday.

Chef Denaro slices porchetta for the ciabatta bread panini

Just a few of the dozens of Italian wines we gulped down during the luncheon

Ah, the perfect ending, a selection of tasty dolci after the meal. Quick, find the mini canoli, it's heavenly!

Chef Salvatore Denaro, renowned Umbrian chef, on the left holding what remains of the pig and our generous host, Lorenzo Scarpone, on the right. On the foreground is the tasty polenta, perfect with the porchetta

Italy's version of a smart car, right-hand drive, with painted sign saying "Italian Culinary Toy"

Wine blogs and wine forums immediately picked up the news. I tried to look for more info and Yahooed (I happen to use Yahoo not Google) the news, typing in “Cos”, “Montelena”, etc., and I was amazed at the dozens of search results all saying the same thing. Wrapping the history of Montelena—including, of course, its winning the “Judgment of Paris” tasting, the Barrett family story, blah, blah, blah—around the single press release from Montelena, which said: ‘Reybier Investments has been unable to meet its obligations under its contract with the Barrett family, who will retain ownership and not offer the winery for sale. The process that just ended did not result in the outcome we or Mr. Reybier desired.”

That’s it. There is no further news or explanation for this nixed deal. No statement from Jean-Guillaume Prats, Cos d’Estournel’s GM, or from Michel Reybier himself, the owner of Cos and the buyer. It’s not even clear if any news organization tried to reach them. I found myself asking the question, like a lot of people reading the news, I'm sure, why didn't the sale go through? And who is this shadowy-like figure, Michel Reybier?

Jean-Guillaume Prats has been the only French face in this deal. Many know him, of course, as the son of Bruno Prats, the long-time, former patriarch of Cos, who was forced to sell his family’s property due to French tax laws. An investment company purchased Cos from the Prats in 1998, then in 2001 sold it to Michel Reybier. Reybier was a processed-meat tycoon from Lyon, who created some of the most well-known deli meat brands in Europe. Reybier successfully sold his deli meat empire to the US company, Sara Lee, in 1996. His wealth is currently estimated at $650-800 million. Among his other interests are a luxury hotel group based in Geneva and Paris, an investment stake in an oil exploration company, and properties in the south of France.

Reybier is one of many French tycoons who own high-profile estates in Bordeaux. Others are Bernard Arnault, François Pinault, Albert Frere, Jean-Claude Beton, Gerard Perse, Cathiard family, Bich family, and Wertheimer family, just to name a few.

A most unlikely pairing with Rioja's most classic Rioja, Viña Tondonia, is the classic sportscar 911 Porsche. An exhibition of 11 models of 911 Porsche will be shown at Bodega R. López de Heredia on November 7-22.

On hand will be the following 911 Porsche models gathered from private owners in Spain:
Porsche 911 2.0 (1965)
Porsche 911 2.4 Targa (1972)
Porsche 911 ST (1972)
Porsche 911 3.0 RSR (1974)
Porsche 911 3.0 Carrera (1976)
Porsche 911 3.3 Turbo (1982)
Porsche 911 3.2 (1984)
Porsche 911 3.2 Speedster (1989)
Porsche 911 (964) (1992)
Porsche 911 (964) Cabriolet (1992)
Porsche 911 (993) (1995)

Ms. María José López de Heredia sent us a note to relay her gracious invitation to this extraordinary event:
"For anyone who is a Porsche lover and want to come and visit our bodega during the time of the exhibition we would love to share a glass of Viña Tondonia with them. The showing of these 11 porsches model 911 will be open Monday to Saturday, from 7th of November to the 22nd, inclusive, from 10 am. to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m."

Bodega R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia
Pabellon de Exposiciónes
Avenida de Vizcaya, 3
26200 Haro. La Rioja
Phone: 941.310.244

Mark Grassi sauntered in to the store Friday to introduce himself and to thank me for my support. Great guy. He's a construction man by profession, his Napa construction company builds wineries for Napa's cult wine producers like Screaming Eagle and Ovid, as well as houses for their owners, like Tim Mondavi and Jayson Pahlmeyer.

But Mark seems proudest of all of his latest achievement, releasing the debut 2005 vintage of the Cabernet Sauvignon from his 4-acre estate and residence in Soda Canyon. He believes timing couldn't be better for the debut release as the quality of his 2005 is high. He was happy to point out that his Cabernet, at $60 a pop, is about half the price of the top California Cabernets that the Wine Spectator listed in its current issue on California Cabernets that scored at least 90 points (his scored 91). And to top it off, he was profiled in a piece in that issue regarding eight newcomer producers of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon to watch out for. Hey, everything's going his way right now! Check out the 2005 Grassi Cabernet before it sells out.

The 2005 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon vintage offers the best wines since the 2001. However, James Laube of the Wine Spectator expressed "surprise" at the high quality of the vintage, as he sort of panned it previously. I thought he screwed up, yet again, when he first wrote up about the vintage two years ago. When I also tasted many of the wines from barrel around that time, I thought they already showed wonderful promise. Moreover, Napa Cabernet producers believed that, too, and they were upbeat about the vintage.

For the record here is what Laube wrote after barrel-sampling the 2005 vintage over two years ago: "If 2005 is to end up being a sensational year for Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, as so many producers insist it will, the wines will have to make a stronger impression than they did in my preliminary blind tasting in Napa this week... The 2005s do not show as much depth, plushness, concentration or range of flavor as past vintages have displayed at a similar stage of development. This may be both a function of the vintage and the result of a deliberate attempt by winemakers to ease off on superripe wine and soaring alcohol levels." Laube and his poor readers were the only ones surprised.

So the Wine Spectator rates the 2005 Napa Cabernet vintage 93 points, on par with 2002 and 2001. I'd score 2001 and 2005 even higher. But why is 1997 rated 99 points? It is now known, even by Laube's published ten years on tastings, that many of the top-scoring Cabernets from this vintage have had problems lasting a decade, not to mention that so many are showing elevated VA now. I expect the top 2005 Cabernets will both age and taste better than these 1997s after ten years. Let's wait and see.

Tasting some barrel samples of 2007 Cabernet Sauvignons earlier this year at the Cabernet Society tasting in Napa showed the wonderful potential of this vintage. Very much like 2005 in quality. Good vivid flavors, balanced ripeness, and rich tannins. Always the three things I look for when tasting Napa Cabernets, especially from barrel.

But honestly, I'm still at a loss at why vintages can vary so much in quality in Napa. I mean, it never really rains between May and November, and the majority of days are very warm and sunny. It ought to be a slam-dunk each vintage. One has to conclude that it's basically two things why there's inconsistent quality: too many wrong vineyard sites and too many producers not really knowing how to grow good wine.

2005 is a bumper crop in Napa, and the timing for producers couldn't be better considering the current economic downturn. Even at reduced prices they should be able to make it up with sales volume. But guess what, prices are up! The Wine Spectator issue notes that the average price of "outstanding" Napa Cabernets (those they score at least 90 points) is $119/bottle in the 2005 vintage, which is about double what it was a decade ago. I bet you, most, if not all, producers can slash their prices by half to $60/bottle and still make money. Napa producers, you gotta start lowering your prices, like almost everyone seems to be doing these days. Don't let the market force you to do so.

2008 crops are now in and it is clear the harvest is down by as much as 30-40% in Napa. How the heck did that happen? We haven't seen rain in a long time. And though the weather was relatively cool for long stretches, there was no problem getting enough warm, sunny days to ripen fruit in Napa. We are talking of a cool-climate grape here, Cabernet Sauvignon, native to Bordeaux, where the weather is much cooler. Again, I go back to my comment above: too many wrong vineyard sites in Napa and too many Napa producers who don't know how to grow good wine.

New York Times wine writer and wine blogger, Eric Asimov, noted in his latest post that Barbaresco King, Angelo Gaja, and comedian, Billy Crystal, have a "striking resemblance".

The Howell Mountain Vintners & Growers Association put together a 28-bottle collection of members' flagship Howell Mountain wines for a cool $2,500 per collection. Only 100 sets are being made available.

If you love Howell Mountain wines it's actually a pretty good deal than purchasing all the wines individually. The money raised will go to the coffers of the non-profit association.

Didier Dagueneau died this morning in a plane crash in Cognac, France. My guess is that he was just in his mid-50s.

I had met the man and tasted with him and I can tell you that he was as kind and generous as he was flamboyant. He put Pouilly-Fumé on the same map as the aristocratic wine regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy. He first made news as a young winegrower when he publicized his labor costs and bill of materials to prove that he was not cutting corners like his neighbors. And aside from his wine passion he was also a champion Iditarod racer.

The one positive thing that comes to my mind at this time is that he was all over his son Benjamin to get him up to speed to run the estate. Benjamin was apprenticing with François Chidaine, another brilliant Loire winegrower, when I visited at Saint-Andelain a year ago. I remember feeling surprised by how Didier was already pushing his young son to take the lead. He had Benjamin preside over the tasting, while hovering in the background to assist him, and he asked me and my companions to speak to his son only in English so he can get used to speaking the language.

Didier's concern for Benjamin to take responsibility in running the estate proved to be prescient. But he seemed to be at peace that his son could handle the job as the photo I snapped of him below, while he quietly watched over his son do his job, appears to convey. I’m optimistic that Benjamin would be up to the challenge now.

But Didier Dagueneau will be missed dearly. He shone briefly but brightly like an Asteroide, the name of his ultra-rare and seldom seen wine. His rabid ambition, imagination, almost carefree risk-taking, and wild energy brought us some of the most singular wines on the face of the earth.

So what I do find bizarre in the blog post is not the revelation that the popularity of a wine style may be consumer-driven, but that there was no accounting at all of the influential role he and his magazine play in the market. Like Pilate, it almost seems like he was washing his hands off the popularity of wines that are “superripe” or “overripe” or however this style of wine is referred to in the blog, explaining that this is completely the work of consumers. That consumers vote with their dollars, and that “as long as winemakers are selling out their wines and people are endorsing those styles with their dollars, there isn’t any incentive to change.”

Geez, I’ve been fooled all along then. I suppose if Laube scores Kosta Browne 80 points the Pinot would still sell out at ever-rising prices. And come time the Wine Spectator announces its Top 100 Wines of the Year it would just be plain coincidence that our phones would be ringing off the hook with consumers asking us about buying cases of wines in the list that they’ve never even tasted.

We started with a brilliant bottle of André Ostertag’s 2004 Alsace Muscat Fronholz. Very lovely. It smelled of sweet gardenia and tasted of lychees and ripe pears, yet, tasted dry and quite crisp. I love how all these exotic flavors blend harmoniously, and also how they made my mouth water for food.

The Cava Brut “Selección Millennium”, Ondarre NV purchased from Bar Basseri in Pamplona during a recent trip to northern Spain was even better than I remembered it. A big Cava, rich, mouthfilling creamy goodness with lime peel freshness, crisp minerality, and classy elegance.

Richter’s 1995 Mosel Riesling Auslese Graacher Domprobst tasted and smelled of minerally slate and juicy ripe red apples and pear with herbal notes. Medium sweetness for an Auslese and well-balanced by crisp acidity. Vibrant and lengthy in the finish.

All of these whites went perfectly with plates of fresh, briny oysters; fried, crispy-skinned rolls of Philippines lumpia; Philippines ceviché-style kinilaw of raw tuna; and seared foie gras with sweet, tangy cranberry chutney.

For our first red, there was the perfectly drinking and still youthful 1996 Meursault Premier Cru Blagny Rouge “La Pièce sous le Bois”, Domaine Joseph Matrot. One of my favorite Burgundies. Fragrant earthy sous bois with red fruit scents. Elegant, soft black cherry, cinnamon flavors with notes of pepper and tea leaf. Juicy and fresh.

Next up was the 1993 Latricières-Chambertin, Maison Remoissenet Pere et Fils. Still a youthful wine, endowed with good concentration and rich tannins. Whiffs of asphalt and stones amidst the spicy red fruit scents. Earthy, black cherry flavors. Not profound, but sleek and powerful.

Burgundy lovers describe Côte-Rôtie as being somewhat Burgundian in character, so it was not a bad idea to follow up the Burgundies with the 1990 Côte-Rôtie, Domaine Gallet. The bouquet of this wine was intense and surreal, conjuring scents of lavender, tar, leather, roast beef, and crushed berries. Ripe, fleshy, and soft on the palate; not so profound but seductive, and definitely charming.

I enjoyed all these reds with a large plate of roasted rack of lamb that was fatty, juicy, and tender, done with an indeterminable sweet, spicy, earthy sauce that worked with the wines.

And to refresh the palate at the end we popped a bottle of 2000 Champagne Brut “Cuvée Angeline”, J. Lassalle that made me feel like starting dinner all over again. Toasty fresh-baked bread aromas. Creamy and mouthfilling, with well-focused, elegant fruity and minerally flavors that are as crisp as a thin sheet of ice.

I can’t think of any other Asian-themed restaurant with a full-time pastry chef, especially a brilliant one like Lourie Tatad who prepared for us a dazzling array of desserts and obliged us with a few special requests, including sugared churros accompanied by a dark liquid chocolate dip; slices of caramelized apples with a choice of sprinkles of marshmallows, spiced peanuts, and chocolate; and tiny nuggets of pure chocolate truffles.

During all the excitement we nearly forgot the bottle of 2000 Blanc Fumé de Pouilly “Silex”, Didier Dagueneau. Thank goodness, this was supposed to be the highlight bottle of the evening! Well, it didn’t disappoint, especially after an exciting array of wines. Rich, pungent flavors of stone fruits infused with fresh herbs, green vegetables, and minerals. The palate is persistent and crystalline, tasting of the rocks and minerals where the fruit came from.

Archipelago
1107 Howard Avenue
Burlingame, CA 94010
650.348.3888