The Tasting Panel magazine

November 2018

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28  /  the tasting panel  /  november 2018 The Ransom Note is a monthly column by Tasting Panel East Coast Editor David Ransom. Each month, David connects readers with some of the people, products, and events making news along the Eastern Seaboard. story and photos by David Ransom N ovember is a bit of a swing month—not quite cold, but also no longer hot on the East Coast—and my thoughts are turning toward what I should have on the table to celebrate the holidays this year. Thankfully, sev- eral events I attended recently helped solidify the decision. First, during a wonderful dinner celebrating the release of two new cuvées by Champagne producer Henriot at the new Four Seasons Restaurant on East 49th Street, I had the chance to enjoy the latest offerings from this venerable Champagne house with Maisons & Domaines Henriot President Gilles de Larouzière. Henriot was founded in Reims in 1808, and de Larouziere represents the eighth generation to oversee this family- owned operation. This year, with the release of its 2008 Millésimé, the house marks its 200th vintage (yes, your math is correct—it took ten years to harvest its first). Also released in time for the holidays is a new edition of the brand's prestige offering, the 2005 Cuvée Hemera. Moving to reds, I became reacquainted with the wines of Viña Los Vascos—the Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) property in the Chile's Colchagua Valley—over lunch with General Manager Claudio Naranjo at Gaonnuri in Koreatown. Los Vascos, which has been under Rothschild ownership since 1988, creates some of Chile's most sought-after red wines by combining the elegance of Lafite with the terroir of Colchagua. Wines poured at lunch included both current releases and legacy bottles: My highlights included the 2017 Grand Reserve Carménère, 2016 Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, and three vintages (2015, 2014, and 2007) of Le Dix de Los Vascos. The producer's flagship wine, it blends 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Carménère, and 5% Syrah from 80-year-old vines and is aged in 100% new oak. A few worthy whites were also served: the Los Vascos Chardonnay, which was steel-fermented and showed lovely acidity, and a newly retooled rosé. I think both of these wines are a slam dunk for almost any by-the-glass program—and, of course, they'd be more than fitting to drink while prepping the bird on Thanksgiving. New Finds to Fill the Thanksgiving Table Maisons & Domaines Henriot President Gilles de Larouzière. The lineup of Los Vascos wines at Gaonnuri.

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