RFN # 9, pub. 4/23/09

The Riggs Fulmer Newsletter
No. 9
April 23, 2009

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Retailers and restaurants set pricing; think of the prices below as very educated guesswork- restaurant prices will likely be around double those listed.

There’s been a skirmish in the heavens all day, and I’ll freely admit that I’m taking advantage of every sun-break there is while writing to you today, friends, but there are nonetheless many exciting things to tell you about, so when the clouds have the upper hand (or whatever appendage a cloud might have), I’ll be back here at the helm, filling you in.

Despite the fact that, technically speaking, April’s Cuisine of the Month has been Mexican, and despite the mountains of suggested recipes that have been piling into my inbox, I am absolutely compelled to tell you about an amazing sushi place just off Stark… But that’s for later. First we must talk Champagne Lunch- and next week I’ll tell you all about the subsequent, much larger tasting in some detail.

Pol Roget Tasting 2009, by Frederick Wildman and Sons, at Ten01

I was beside myself to attend the amazing Pol Roget Luncheon last week, courtesy of Frederick Wildman and Sons. It took place at 2008’s Restaurant of the Year, Ten01 (1001 NW Couch St, PDX, http://www.ten-01.com), which was a perfectly elegant setting for such wonderful champagne. The food was breathtaking, a perfect match for these wines; many of us chose the special, aiguillette of halibut with arugula salad. The salad was elegant and simple, with shaved radishes and peppercorn vinaigrette, a perfect foil to the long, thin, perfectly broiled pieces of halibut, which were succulent and delicious. Topped with wildcrafted fiddlehead ferns, it was an exquisite Northwestern treat: too bad it was all us Oregonians noshing on that while our French host- the handsome Laurent d’Harcourt, Directeur Export at Pol Roget- had the scallops!

On to the wine:

Pol Roget is one of the premier Champagne houses, producing benchmark wines of impeccable class and expression. In existence in Epernay since 1849, their style is one of the most distinctive among the great houses. A cellar markedly deeper than many others in the region allows their wines to ferment at a lower temperature, producing their trademark fineness of mousse. Never compromising or altering their wines for export, they offer textbook purity and incredible consistency. In recent years, this is thanks largely to the efforts of their Chef de Cave, whom they lured from Krug in 1999, Dominique Petit. M. Petit is “not always smiling, not speaking any English,” but is a genius at his work with a clear vision and steady hand. These wines are not inexpensive, nor for the dilettante, but something much closer to works of art that are to be treasured in the drinking- all the while remaining fresh, charming and feminine. Very special indeed.

Pure Brut Non-Vintage $70
Responding to the challenge of French wine critics, this is Pol Roget’s non-dosage Champagne, allowed to ferment in total unadulteration. The nose is all bright lemons, almonds, and maritime breeze. On the palate it is super-clean, with rose petals and wonderful acidic lift. The finish is long, with nice terroir and roasted nuts.

Brut Reserve “White Foil” $54
For pure value this was my favorite wine here. I can think of few Champagnes that offer so much for so few ducats. Composed of equal parts Pinots Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay, the nose is butterscotch, Meyer lemons, and fresh-baked baguette, twined around stargazer lilies. These flavors echo on the palate, here met with hazelnuts and long, sexy limeflowers and hops on the finish. So persistent and delicious!

Brut Vintage 1999 $99
Made up of 60/40 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which grapes come from 20 Grand and Premier Cru vineyards, this wine highlights the wonderful ’99 vintage in superb fashion. It’s all focused limes and spice, with starry acidity, fabulous yeasty elegance, and pedigree. A study in classic expression. Also damn yummy.

Brut Rosé 2000 $99
The pink color of this wine comes from the addition of approximately 15% Vin Rouge de Champagne, a still red wine from sites suited for such grapes (relatively few and far between in snowy Champagne). The rest is 50% Pinot Noir and 35% Chard. The color is blushing and lovely, and the nose is right in line, showing warm lemons and strawberry blossoms. Clean and round, nearly explosive Pinot fruit fills the mouth, all wild cherries and hopflowers. The long, thirst-quenchingly acidic finish shows notes of fresh spearmint.

Brut Blanc de Blancs 1999 $122
The Chardonnay for this gorgeous wine comes entirely from Grand Crus of the Côte des Blancs. Meant to be drunk young, it is a study in deftness and grace. The bouquet is a riot of cherryskins and cedarwood over flesh, citron, and white peppercorns. In the mouth it is positively R-rated, seething with exotic Burgundian lychee and Key limes, and a looooong, ultra-clean finish that leaves you ready for the next sip immediately.

Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 1998 $250
Rarely have I tried a “flagship” wine that so thoroughly lived up to its billing. How often have we tried the Reserve of a wine we love, only to find it a ‘roided-up version of its little sister? That is emphatically not the case here. As the house literature says, “the wine is made with an approach very close to that of Sir Winston himself, ‘My tastes are simple: I am easily satisfied with the best.’” The bouquet is an exquisite, swirling cascade of roasted nuts, lemons, fresh lilies, and stones-after-rain- intoxicating in and of itself. I sat and smelled this wine for a good five minutes before I tasted it. On the palate, sweet fruit up front coils around wild cherries, walnuts, and limeflowers, with sun-bright acidity all over the long, clean finish. And, by the way, paired with the halibut aiguillette? Stunning.

Rich Non-Vintage $70
This is Pol Roget’s sweetest Champagne, basically an “Extra Dry” (which counter-intuitively means sweet, sigh). This is perfect for the lover of great bubbly who wants something a little softer- the wine really does feel “richer” than dryer-style Champers. The nose is dried apples and wildflowers over fresh-buttered bread and wet stones. On the palate it shows light sweetness to its generous, round fruit, but finishes smooth and almost dry.

All right, finished with lifestyles of the rich and famous? On to my latest recession-busting yummy white wine, an early contender to join last week’s Oisly-et-Thesée as another great Summer Value White:

2005 Tim Adams Riesling $10 (Clare Valley, Australia)
Are there still those among you who instantly think Riesling to be sweet? Cue Governor Palin, “Say it ain’t so…” OK, maybe don’t let’s get ole Sarah involved or somebody’s likely to get an backside full of buckshot. Anyway, this Riesling gives the lie to that saccharine notion- it is bone dry in the classically Australian fashion. Indeed, Australia is one of the world’s great Riesling-growing nations, which might be a little surprising. Dry like Alsatians or Austrians, yet unmistakably Clare Valley, this wine is textbook Riesling in the nose: slate, sunny lemons, briny acidity, and a waft of terroir. On the tongue it is just bursting with elegant freshness, with a wash of wonderful minerals that only grows brighter as the wine unwinds in the glass. I know a certain caviste at a famous beer/ wine store in Multnomah Village who just might have lots of this wine…

All right, the moment you’ve all doubtless been waiting for. My amazing sushi odyssey, the one I mentioned to you earlier? Why, it was right next door to Ken’s Artisan Pizza, at

Bamboo Sushi, 310 SE 28th, Portland
www.bamboosushipdx.com

Earlier in the warm Friday evening, at a fun, boisterous Rhône Valley tasting at Mt. Tabor Fine Wines (4316 SE Hawthorne), I heard this place mentioned. Apparently they had tuna carpaccio. We were hungry after all that Grenache, and thought, hell, let’s try it.
Good lord, I had no idea what I was in for! This killer spot is the first certified sustainable sushi restaurant in the United States, and we should be proud to have them right here in Portland. I have never had better sushi anywhere. My friend encouraged me that we wait for a spot at the bar, where the mad genius chefs would hook us up with the best stuff. Good idea. Gently browbeaten by my companion and somewhat intimidated by the intense hipster chef (who was as personable as humanly possible in the teeth of a rush, being peppered with questions), I gave over and tried things that would have been almost unthinkable to this southern Kentucky boy a few years ago. Raw quail egg! Aji mackerel! Things I couldn’t even identify- normally a complete deal-breaker for me, I’m embarrassed to say. And it was all, every single bite, phenomenal. A special shout-out has to go to the scallops, which were served raw in juniper-infused olive oil: the best scallops of my life. But the crown jewel? Remember how I mentioned that carpaccio earlier? (I’m having a moment of reverent silence here… OK, all set) Their Albacore Carpaccio was a nearly religious experience- and clearly a pagan one, seeing as it was like an instantaneous collage of the best kisses of my life… I’d say it was like making out with the Goddess, but that might offend some folks, so I’ll demur. This was the greatest new thing I’ve tried in recent memory. Thin, leaf-shaped slices of beautiful albacore glisten and entice on the plate, and in the center of each cut is a dollop of pure luxury: house-smoked cipollini onions, pickled shiitakes, momiji, ponzu, chervil, and Japanese sea salt. You fold the fish over this button of exquisite flavor, and into the mouth, where it melts on the tongue like butter, a crashing wave of smoke and salt that reminds of coastal bonfires, high, wild evenings under windy stars. It must be tasted to be believed. If you like sushi, hell, if you don’t think you do but might want to be educated, go here at once. On top of everything else about this beautiful place, the prices are competitive, the drinks stiff, and the service excellent. Tell ‘em the Newsletter sent you.

All right, folks, that’s about all for this week. I hope you’ve been out there in the sun, be-pinking your pallid rainforest cheeks. Here’s wishing you a safe, happy weekend, and we’ll see each other again next Thursday.

yrs,
Riggs