Dinner bei T. J.

Hallo zusammen,

ich hoffe, es ist nicht schlimm, wenn ich einen englischen Beitrag (zumindest das, was ich englisch nenne hier auch poste, um mir die Übersetzung zu sparen. Antworten gerne dann individuell und auf deutsch

"...

T. J. was calling me last week that he would like to cook for us. This call did not come from out of nowhere as the initials were the same as on the fraud Lafite by accident... Knowing T. J. to be one of the best private cooks around as well as being the best friend of probably Berlin´s best cook is making me forget about the wine.

As always, good food boosts the wine and so it was on this lovely evening starting with a Krug 1996 on the marvellous terracee. The wine was called British by PSI and he was so right, oxidised style, very elegant, but brutally honest in its style and true to its brand. I would never afford a bottle for myself, but being invited to a rare chance of a Krug vintage is worth the ride... Very special, very good, but I am not a millionaire. The champagne dramatically improved when combined with the nice appetizers... a homemade walnut pesto (marvellous!) and tomato topping for some great roasted bread. Yum...

We started with two different German versions of fricassee (this is a kind of chicken stew). One was cold where the chicken fond was reduced and while cooling down became a kind of gelee whereas the second dish carried a fresh chicken stew with fresh peas, some cream, safron and some fresh cut spices. I really loved it. And it fitted extremely well with a 2006 Pucelles from Madame Leflaive. What a tragic to have lost two of the greatest women in wine with Collette Faller and Ann-Claude Leflaive. I hope Lalou Bize will turn 200 some time when reading Antonio´s mouthwatering report. The wine was very interesting and not classic in its way. It was already extremely mature and the first smell reminded me of a wine from the nineties rather than 2006. I had a similar feeling with a Puligny from Chavy from Magnum some months ago, so my advice is to drink up 2006 now! However, to my surprise, the wine got much more together sip after sip. After 30 minutes the wine was so extremely harmonious, creamy, long, classy and great that I forgot the first notes. White burgundy is getting rarer in my house,because it is expensive and there are many replacement options like Borgo del Tiglio, Ganevat or whatever. But this wine told me how wrong I am and what I have been missing. It was a little like coming home to my birth place after a too long time. Great experience and emotional.

An out-of-this-world cooked asparagus with Sauce Bernaise came next and the new kitchen techniques showed impressive. Steamed with vapour the asparagus was from head to toe à point and I could not help but imagining to change my kitchen environment. I definitely would like to do that at home. Vegetables like this make me forget about any meat. Simple, down to earth... heaven. The side-wine was the Rosé from Bollinger and it fitted well. I love Bollinger and many times made the experience that the standard Cuvée is already a killer of expensive special cuvées such as Dom Pérignon or others. Also the Rosé was pretty dry and exactly what I did expect. Rome rather than Las Vegas...

Then we had a longer break on the terracee and enjoyed the Unico Reserva Special that I secured many years ago. It was the 1997 release featuring the 1981, 1986 and 1990. Still very young, the bouquet out of the Riedel Bordeaux Sommelier glasses was incredible. I am very sure that Georg Riedel made this famous glass to simply enjoy Unico and nothing else. Still on the young side, the nose was so expressive that no wine in this world could surpass it. Maybe equal it in another way, but this gave so many dimensions, facets and glad-I-am-living-things, that it is worth hunting for more. On the palate the wine was medium-bodied and the finish still had the very expressive Unico-acid. Indeed, one of the most acidic Unicos I ever had. Decanting was just 1 hour, maybe a longer time should have been better. A big and great wine, but it definitely needs more time in bottle. If I had, I would bring the next bottle on the table in 2030...

The lamb, perfectly cooked so that the meat tasted like a mixture of lamb and veal and the texture was even better was accompanied by the best Caponata that I had in my life. And I had many of them... I am afraid I did not take pictures, but if I ever get invited to my friend again, I will let my one-time-chance to visit any Michelin-starred restaurants pass by without a second thought on it. The Krankl version of a Syrah from 2006 under the Sine Qua Non label was what we called a gentle monster. Huge alcohol, power and concentration combined with a senso of elegance and finesse as only Syrah could deliver. Very nice wine, but honestly, I have to confess, that the 2013 Balthazar Cornas Chaillot I had some days ago was the better Shirza to me. Hopefully, that price will not compete with SQN as quantities are not bigger. So, our gentle monster did not have sharp teeth and it was not able to spit fire. It did not have an earthy smell... it was more like a children´s pet. Very nice, very polished, "perfect", but... not up to Balthazar

And last, but not least... the 2012 gold capsule from Thomas Haag served with a Stitchelton cheese that is very well affume by the best cheese dealer of Berlin was a treat. The sweetness is almost not there, it is light on its feet, very elegant, nervy, tangy, every bit is a sexual excursion... nothing wrong about that... more please!"

So viel für heute, was für ein g... Abend, danke T. J.!